1. Introduce yourself: your name and where you’re from.
Sophie Jaffe. LA-based and originally from Washington DC & Maryland.
2. Where do you live?
Los Angeles.
3. How did you get to where you are now, career-wise?
My wellness journey began at a young age. My mom is a holistic nurse practitioner and I grew up appreciating and taking homeopathic medicines, flower essences, essential oils, and other natural forms of healing before western approaches were taken. I didn’t step into a hospital or see a “real” doctor until I had my first son at 26 years old. To me, health is a state of mind. It’s being connected to your best self, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I believe health is something that starts within your body, mind, and spirit, and then the outside glows from within.
After college, I began working at an organic raw juice bar down the block from my house and eventually became the manager of the store. I was so excited to help change the eating habits of others and was also able to change my own habits and find a path to curing some of my own discomfort that I faced with dairy, meat, and other foods that weren’t working for me at the time. I became a certified raw vegan chef, and my passion for healthy eating led me to create Philosophie.
Philosophie began with me just wishing that I could have an amazing blend of superfoods and proteins together in one, convenient jar. I didn’t want to run out of camu camu or another specific ingredient, and then feel like my smoothie wasn’t complete. I traveled all over LA looking for high-quality, fair-trade, organic superfoods and then began packing them together into mason jars and little bags. I started giving the blends to friends and family. One day, while on vacation (I was in the sea in Israel with my hubby), Adi turned to me and said, “You should really grow what you’re doing and share it with more people, make it a company.” And so, I did!
4. Tell us about The Philosophie.
My company is called Philosophie! I created the entire line in my kitchen made with TONS of love. We have three plant-based superfood protein powders that can be added to smoothies, soups, dressings, baked goods…the list goes on and on!
We also have superfood infused coconut butter and honey. We also created a seasonal autumn superfood blend, chlorophyll drops to infuse into your water, macadamia coconut butter and so much more is coming! We have grown so much, and I pinch myself to see photos of #philosophiebabes all over the country (and world, we’re sold internationally) sharing their healthy creations.
I created these plant-based superfood protein blends and infusions because I craved these products for my own lifestyle and couldn’t find anything like them on the market. There isn’t any other protein powder out there that doesn’t have stevia in it or a sweetener. Every ingredient in our Philosophie superfoods serves a function in the body. They’re alive and beautiful, helping you to achieve your best overall health!
5. How did you meet your husband?
We met at UCLA when Adi was in the first year of his Ph.D. program, studying psychology and neuroscience, and I was in my third year of my undergrad for psychology. We met in a neuroscience class and found each other immediately. Our connection was energetically charged, but not in a scary or even love-at-first-sight way. We just both knew this was it. We’re eight years apart and we always feel it was very serendipitous that we met.
6. What does your average day look like at the moment?
Every day looks a little different and running multiple businesses out of the home with three kiddos running around is no easy feat! Mornings here typically start with a little one waking me up and hopping into bed. On weekdays I wake up with my kids, make them breakfast and play with them which often looks like dance parties. The boys go into Zoom school, our live-in nanny takes our youngest for playtime and I get some solo time to journal, clean up from the morning, and set intentions and sacred space for the day. Some days I do a workout or go on a run, others I jump into Instagram and emails. I get a few hours of mama solo time before lunchtime with the kiddos and balancing work meetings, calls, and online events throughout the day. I find bookmarking my days is extremely important to my self-care and wellness. I start and end each day with rituals for my own healing and nourishment. I unplug at least two hours before going to bed and enjoy a delicious and grounded adaptogenic latte or calming tea with Berry Bee Honey, then I write down five things from the day I’m grateful for, followed by some restorative yoga or breathwork, then it’s off to sleep.
7. You’re obviously a yogi, but what other workouts do you love?
During the warmer months, I love outdoor HIIT workouts where I can enjoy the beauty of nature while getting a good sweat. I also love a long hike. It is great when I feel I need to get away for a bit. I also enjoy a mix of plyometric, strength-building circuits and I love to lift heavy weights when I feel energized to do so. I'm always mixing it up and wouldn't have it any other way. Like everything in my life, movement and working out is something I do intuitively - some days I'll do a two-mile run plus strength-training circuits in my garage, and other days I maybe do a 10-minute yoga flow or just a gentle walk around my neighborhood with my family.
8. Do you follow any diet?
Not necessarily, I eat intuitively. There isn’t a single food I won’t eat now but it wasn’t always this way. It took me desiring to end a vicious cycle of starving myself or binging then punishing myself with workouts and deciding to put trust into my body and deep intuition to lead the way.
Intuitive eating is not about deprivation or cheating. It’s not controlling or fear-based. Intuitive eating is listening inward from a place of inner truth and enjoying food from a place of self-love and gratitude. It doesn’t judge yourself or the food itself. It doesn’t call out a specific food as “bad” or “shameful.”
It’s living in freedom and experiencing the pleasures of life. It’s eating from a place of joy and respect. Intuitive eating is a spectrum. It’s not linear because healing isn’t linear. It’s returning to the place of discovering food as LOVE + as COMFORT.
9. What is the hardest thing about being a mom of three?!
I feel like I’m constantly stretching myself thin. My heart and my attention are almost always divided between three unique, magical children. I also do my best to give them solo time and help them each feel special and celebrated which is a challenge, but so rewarding, and I truly treasure the beautiful little moments with each of them.
10. If you could host anyone for dinner, past or present, who would it be?
A female power dinner! Hillary Clinton, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Oprah, Eleanor Roosevelt, Gloria Steinem, and Angela Davis. DREAM MEAL!!!!!
11. What is your favorite place to go on vacation and why?
Tel Aviv. We go every summer except this past year, and I miss it so much! We have family out there and our days are spent on the beach and eating all the local foods. My boys, Kai & Leo speak fluent Hebrew and it becomes that much stronger after our trips. We usually rent an Airbnb near the Mediterranean Sea and hang by the beach every single day.
12. Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
I can wiggle my ears. I’m left-handed. I’m passionately and relentlessly progressive. I will fight until the end for the underdog and want to use my voice, privilege, and platform for as much good as I possibly can.
13. Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?
Living in LA & Tel Aviv. More time with our Israel family. Traveling with my best friends worldwide, with their children and families. Using my time and energy to help where I am most useful. Living close to the ocean and spending as much time in nature reflecting & in deep reverence for my life.
