Balancing Act: A Day in the Life of Melissa Wood-Tepperberg

The female fitness mogul and mom of 2 shares insights into how she balances it all.

On a Saturday in early September, wellness guru Melissa Wood-Tepperberg took the stage as a keynote speaker for Create & Cultivate’s annual Behind the Business: Beauty & Wellness Summit. Though the self-made businesswoman is an authority in the space with over a decade of growth and countless successes to speak on, she tells SHAPE that the collaboration was equal parts a reflection of her credentials, and “a manifestation moment that came to life.” “I’ve always wanted to speak at Create and Cultivate, so when they asked me I was so thrilled,” says Wood-Tepperberg. “I’m honored to be a part of it.”

Create & Cultivate is a networking company striving to revolutionize the conversations around modern working women. This year’s summit launched the organization’s ‘Behind The Business’ series, an initiative that founder Jaclyn Johnson hopes will offer entrepreneurs an “epic day of self-care” for their businesses. Through panel presentations, group workshops, and intimate mentor sessions with experts, members leave the summit better prepared to navigate and thrive in their industry — and what is Melissa Wood-Tepperberg if not an authority in creating something and keeping it alive?

“Being in this space for over a decade, I've learned so much about the consumer: what the consumer wants, how to retain consumers, and how to keep them. [I’ve] really honed in on what I’m sharing and have been able to really dive in. I didn't always believe in myself. I never thought I was smart because I wasn't great in school, so I am excited to share my journey to [help anyone] who feels like they haven't found their path [because] all of our paths are created in such different ways. When you get these intuitive kinds of downloads to do it your way, I believe that is where something magical is built.”

You wouldn’t know it scrolling through her Instagram page today, but the beloved yoga and pilates instructor (who inspires her 1.1 million followers with flows and meditations daily) started her wellness empire with nothing but an iPhone and hopes that, through her practice, she would uncover her purpose.

“I’m not one of those people who was like, 'I have an idea and I’m going to create a business.' This all evolved from me being in a really challenging place with myself,” explains Wood-Tepperberg. “I wasn’t tapped into any sense of happiness with myself and once I went inward, and I started to really do some work on myself, and I no longer was looking outside of myself for all of the answers, that’s how MWH was birthed.”

Fast-forward to over a decade later, and the 40-year-old founder and visionary is doing the work she loves and sharing the message she lives by. Her resume is riddled with job titles like “business owner” and “podcaster,” “health coach,” “instructor,” and “lifestyle influencer.” She’s also a wife and a mom of two. “It’s a lot,” she admits, “and it became a lot really fast.” But the number one thing that keeps Wood-Tepperberg grounded amidst the chaos is, ironically, the mindfulness practice that started it all.

“I just take these micro-moments [of mindfulness] with myself throughout the day to keep coming back and keep myself as centered and as grounded as I possibly can. Because that's how I'm able to show up as my best self for me and for everyone.”

Ahead, Wood-Tepperberg breaks down what a typical day in the life is like for the multi-hyphenate as she continues to grow the Melissa Wood Health brand, take care of her beautiful family, and find time for herself amidst it all.

A Day in the Life of Melissa Wood-Tepperberg

6 a.m. I strive (and I love the word “strive” because it’s not in cement) to wake up at 6 a.m. I do not touch my phone. I don’t look at social media. I don’t look at my texts. I don’t look at emails. I think that format sets you up to give, give, give to everyone else in life but yourself. Instead, my feet hit the ground, I think of that one thing in my life that I’m really grateful for (which is usually my family and my health), and I ground myself with a 20-minute meditation. After, I’ll have my warm water with lemon and matcha (I’ve been making it with half almond, half oat milk, and sweetened with maple syrup).

7 a.m. My kids wake up at 7 a.m. and so begins the morning madness. I’m focused on giving them breakfast, packing their lunches, and getting in the shower before heading out the door at 8:30 to walk them to school.

9 a.m. I’ll have a green juice and then it’s my time to work out and film. I’m filming from my home again. I’m filming either a workout or a meditation every day. Nothing more than that, I’m keeping it pretty light and intuitive. It’s exactly what I would do [without the cameras].

10 a.m. For my post-workout meal, I make a fully loaded smoothie. I do one cup of almond milk, one cup of coconut water, one banana, one cup of strawberries, one cup of wild blueberries, two cups of spinach, two pitted dates, half a cucumber (I don’t peel it - I keep it on to get as many greens as I can for the day), and I love adding one heaping spoon of almond butter (I love the brand Artisana). I do a scoop of Tejari protein powder or Cacao Magic by Philosophie, and one scoop of Anima Mundi Happiness Powder (which is like a dopamine boost, I swear it’s incredible). I blend it and it’s decadent and filling and packed with nutrients. It gives me life.

11 a.m. I get ready and film videos so I have things backpiled.

12 p.m. to 4 p.m. I’m either working from home or in the office at this time. We have our creative meetings, finance meetings, etc. It’s kind of like, I go to the office and go, “Who needs me?” I’ll have lunch in the middle of meetings (around 2 p.m.) and it’s usually a salad from Sweetgreen (I had a custom salad there, which I still get all the time), or I order from Spring Cafe or sushi.

5 p.m. to 7 p.m. I come home and it’s power hours with the kids. I really try to be home for dinner, baths, and bed. Dinner is usually one of my heartiest meals of the day. It’s anything from rice, shrimp, and spinach to chicken or brown rice pasta.

8 p.m. I finish all of my emails and the work I need to do.

9 p.m. I turn down the lights, I have tea, and I’ll have a bath or take a hot shower. I always try to wind down and quiet my nervous system. I put my phone away and listen to our [Melissa Wood Health] sound bath meditations. I also try to organize a little, because I find that clearing my space helps me clear my head.

9:45 p.m. I'm [putting my] legs up the wall by now. Then I’ll pick up a book (I’m reading The Karma of Success right now).

10:30 p.m. Lights out. This is usually a time that works for me and gives me a good amount of sleep.

Her Secret to Staying Balanced Is Utilizing Every Tool In Her Toolbox

For Wood-Tepperberg, taking mindful micro-moments out to re-ground is a key component to being able to show up as her most authentic and healthy self from one jam-packed day to the next, but these purposeful pauses are one of many tools in her toolbox. Of course, life is always shifting, so it’s only natural that the things a person needs to thrive in a season would shift as well. Still, when it comes to her core checklist and must-haves, Wood-Tepperberg says her ultimate tool is a daily meditation.

“Right now, it's been twice a day because I need it,” she tells SHAPE. “It's been so groundbreaking for me to just feel my feet on the ground and feel really grounded in myself and all of the exciting things I'm doing.”

But Wood-Tepperberg’s mindfulness practice doesn’t end with meditation. It starts there and continues with mindful movements — “I need to move my body every day” — and being mindful about what she’s putting into her body. For example, as much as she loves her matcha, Wood-Tepperberg’s weakness is, admittedly, coffee. “There's actually nothing more I love in life and a big hot latte the mug like with a mug, the size of my head,” she says. Unfortunately, caffeine does not love her back; she’s developed a sensitivity to caffeine, hence the matcha swap. “Sometimes I can have [a cup] but right now I'm in a space where I can't have regular right now and really honoring that.”

Wood-Tepperberg also notes services like acupuncture and gravity colonics (a natural cleanse in which filtered water through an IV clears the colon) help her feel her most optimal, physically. When she’s feeling particularly stressed or anxious, she’s a fan of ear seeding and practices the Emotional Freedom Technique, which involves tapping “certain acupressure points when I'm feeling outside of myself and maybe I don't have a moment for like a deep meditation.”

Therapy and a good cry, she tells SHAPE, is also in her toolbox, as well as a limited amount of screen time to give herself space and stay present in moments with herself and her loved ones. “I need a lot of space with myself. My evenings at home with my kids, and then with myself, are my sacred space. I need it, so if I have too many events or have so many things [on my plate], I just know that I need to gear up and give myself that extra time with myself.”

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