Founder's Story - From Tech to over $100 Million Health Lifestyle Brand | Ep. 20 with Kara Goldin CEO Hint

Episode Date: May 10, 2020

Kara Goldin is the Founder and CEO of Hint, Inc., a healthy lifestyle brand that produces the leading, award-winning, unsweetened flavored water, scented sunscreen that is oxybenzone and paraben-free, as well as a plant-based aluminum-free eucalyptus. Please visit Pix11 or Fox5 San Diego for more details. Our Sponsors:* Check out PrizePicks and use my code FOUNDERS for a great deal: www.prizepicks.com* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: www.rosettastone.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Welcome to Inspired by Her, the podcast that will give you the inspiration, motivation, and tips for success from some of the top executives, CEOs, and influencers from around the globe. With your host, serial entrepreneur, and named one of the most influential Filipina in the world, Kate Hancock. And we are live. Hi, everyone. This is Kate. I'm inspired by her podcast. And today I have an amazing guest, Cara Golden. Hi, Cara. Hi. how are you so cara everyone is the founder of founder and ceo of hint incorporated a healthy lifestyle brand that produces the leading award-winning and sweetened flavored water which my favorite is the peach and raspberry yeah yeah and so cara has received Peach, and Raspberry. Woohoo! I love it. Yeah. And so Cara has received numerous accolades,

including being named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2017, Northern California. One of InStyle's 2019 Badass 50. One of Fast Company's most creative people in business, and one of Fortune's most powerful women entrepreneurs. The HuffPost listed her as one of six disruptors in business alongside alongside Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Kara previously was at AOL where she helped and lead growth of its shopping and e-commerce business to over 1 billion. Kara, that's just amazing. It's inspiring reading. It's just giving me goosebumps. Thank you. How did you do that and have four kids? I know. I always tell people that there's never a good time for anything. And I can absolutely say that when I had four kids under six. And I should say me and my husband. My husband and I

had four kids under the age of six. And that and, you know, that's when Hint was, was just getting started. So it's definitely, you've just got to just go and do it. And, you know, sometimes you'll grow it slower. And, you know, sometimes it's just a matter of, you know, just doing your best to kind of keeping it together, right? And, and, but if you really believe that you're filling a white space, as I did, and really solving a problem for people around health, then, you know, it's just you should go do it. Yeah. So can you tell me the story? How did you come up with Hint as a name of your company? Yeah. So I was, you know, in tech before at AOL. And prior to that, I was in media. So I'd never had, I never developed a, you know,

consumer product or, you know, certainly not a beverage company, but I was, you know, facing my own health challenges. I never really used to drink water. I used to always drink diet soda, and I was just constantly drinking it. And so I was, you know, I think I always like aspired to drink water, but I would just, you know, never drink it because I felt it was so boring. And after I was taking a break, after I left AOL, I really was, you know, trying to get healthy. I was looking for a job, but I was also, you know, being a mother. All right. So, Kara, can you tell me what was the city or time or town you grew up in like? So I grew up in and kind of on the border of Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. And, uh,

you know, it was, it was a lot of fun. I mean, I was the last of five kids and, and, um, you know, is that I went to public schools and, um, you know, I think probably my biggest memory of Arizona was just spending a ton of time outside. And so that's still for me, like so critical. You know, I was always doing gymnastics or running, I was constantly, you know, doing some kind of exercise as well. So I feel like that's continued for me. I think it's a lot easier when you grow up in an environment, whether it's Orange County or Arizona, where it's just to be outside in nature. And that for me has not changed even in COVID time as well. I feel like I'm always outside. Wow. And I saw one of your trip on Facebook, you were in Belize and that was a beautiful photo. I love that photo. Yeah. You guys. Yeah. Yeah, no, it was, um, yeah, it was a lot of fun. So, um, yeah, I love to travel too. And I love to like see environments and I probably more of a beach person than, um, than, uh, my husband is

much more skiing and cold weather. And so we always like, you know, split kind of the, the different trips that we go on, you know, to try and achieve both. Yeah. And how was it traveling with the kids? Good. I mean, my kids are older now. I mean, my youngest is 15. So I think, you know, when they were young, we still took them. It was hard at times. But, you know, I think that it's now I feel like every place we go, it's a lot of, you know, teaching and, and, you know, like on the trip to Belize as a, you know, just as an example, we were in, before going to the beach, where that

picture was taken, we were actually in the north. And, you know, there was some unrest up on, on the Guatemala border. And so the kids were, in particular, were really looking at kind of what was going on. And, you know, I mean, the beauty of the internet today is that it's so easy, right, to sort of find out what is the current situation. And so, you know, I think like that is, that's just a lot of fun to kind of, you know, bring them into places and kind of talk about it. And then, you know, they come back to, to school or to their friends a lot more educated about what's going on in the world. And especially, you know, love going outside of the US. I love the US too. And we've been to the national parks. And, you know, I think it's another thing, we live in a beautiful place where you can do that. love going outside of the U S I love the U S too. And we've been to the national parks and, you know, I think it's another thing. We live in a beautiful place where you can do that. But I think that the more you venture out to see things outside of, you know, your comfort zone, the more

you'll ultimately, you know, get out of life. Yeah. I, I, um, I took my kids one, like two summers ago in Europe and, you know, normally they were like, I don't want to go outside of the U S but then now like, okay, I want to see other countries. So now like they're open to it. Yeah. That's awesome. That's so great. No care. What kind of kid are you in high school? You know, I've always been pretty social and I think, you know, I was, uh, I was probably an entrepreneur in the making. It's always easier to look back and, you know, I was constantly, um, you know, coming up with ideas. My first job was in a toy store and, and I was, uh, they started opening on Sundays and they didn't have anybody to work.

And so I got my first job in a toy store when I was 14, thinking that I was going to do the, you know, cash register. And, um, very soon ended up doing a lot of the buying for the store. Cause I was a kid and I knew like what sold and what were the good things to, you know, ultimately stock in the store. So it actually taught me, you know, of course I didn't know when I was ultimately doing it. But it, it taught me so much about, you know, like margins and, you know, everything that, you know, most 14 year old kids don't get access to that kind of like learning. And it was, I mean, it was incredibly like, you know, just all kinds of lessons came from that. It was great. But I would say, you know, I was always like,

I had older brothers and sisters and they all had jobs and were making money. So I, you know, I was 14 going on 25. I didn't understand why there was like age limits. And, you know, I was constantly on, on working and I was constantly asking why, why, why? So, um, which, you know, ultimately helped me to become the entrepreneur that I am. I mean, I don't think we would have been able to, you know, develop Hint and, and really be able to do what we did if I wasn't that kind of curious, you know, person that just wanted to understand how things were done and how we can do things differently and not really recognizing that I was like, you know, asking questions like, why do products have to have preservatives in them? And, you know, people would, like,

it wasn't good enough when people said just because. And I was like, oh, but why? I mean, can't you do it some other way beyond preservatives? And, you know, and that, so that was just, you know, again, the makings of me becoming who I am today were definitely seen as I think back in high school. Wow. I love that you're 14 and you already know what item to buy and the margin. That's amazing. Well, I was a kid, right? So I mean, aging myself, but there was this thing called the Cabbage Patch Doll, which was like the hot thing back then. And, and Legos were always really popular. But I just, you know, I just knew what kids would like. I mean, like, if you want to really understand, like teenagers, just ask a teenager what they would

like, right. And that's the best way to find what you're looking for. So, but I think the other thing is that I realized is that you don't have to have thousands and thousands of, you know, SKUs or products in order to actually like have a winner, right. Of a, of a retail store or, you know, whether that's online or not. Um, yeah, I think that that's just so key. Like I learned those lessons. I mean, you know, the, the, there were 10 items in the store that we were always out of stock on, right? Like it was just, you know, and so those, you know, learnings I think are just really, really valuable and it's hard to kind of teach it. It was really kind of, you know, learning as I went. Yeah. So take me back to that day when you decided to open Hint as a company.

So I was not as healthy as I wanted to be. Like I was saying, I was, you know, I was taking a break from tech. I'd been at AOL and started, I gained a bunch of weight and my skin, I developed terrible adult acne, which I didn't even have as a teenager. And so I was really looking for, you know, this time that I was taking off and was spending time with my little kids, I was really kind of also trying to get healthy and get myself back in shape. And so I started shopping at Whole Foods because I figured if you shop at Whole Foods, snap your fingers and everything's going to be great. And pretty soon I realized that it was really hard to get healthy. It was not just about working out or shopping at the, you know, right places. It was like,

I was really, you know, having a tough time. And, and so finally I started looking at everything that I was eating and that wasn't actually too bad. And ultimately, I don't think that that was the issue. The issue for me was, was what I was drinking. And I never really realized that diet soda was bad for me. Again, you know, this was 16, almost 17 years ago, I was really early and sort of like identifying that diet soda was ultimately, you know, making me like sick. And, you know, and, and again, whether it's just the way my body reacted to it or not, I mean, there's plenty of people that I speak to today that have said the same thing that, you know, people, I think there are still a lot of people that think it's all about calories that ultimately, you know, get you unhealthy. But for me, you know, the minute that I stopped drinking diet Coke, I, in two and

a half weeks, I swapped it out for plain water, and just decided every day, I'm just going to drink water all day. And after two and a half weeks, I dropped 24 pounds, my skin cleared up, and I got my energy levels back. And then after six months of sort of living this way, I probably had about four or five months, I was so bored with plain water. And I knew I had to drink it. But I started slicing up fruit and throwing it in the water. And then I thought this really gives it just, you know, a little bit of taste, a hint of taste. And so I, you know, just like decided that that was how I was going to drink my water. And the more that, you know, friends would see, family would see that I was drinking

water that way. You know, I was just like, I was getting all these questions. And then people would say, well, what's the difference between this product and vitamin water? And I was never a vitamin water drinker, but I started to look at the labels and realize that, you know, there were so many ingredients and, you know, so many of these products that were kind of like, you know, healthy perception products like the diet sodas, like the vitamin waters. And I just decided I just, you know, don't want to, I don't want to go back to that. But I wanted something that was like ready to drink, and that I could go to the

store shelf, I, you know, had been making it in my home, which was fine. But if I was out and about, I wanted this option. And that's when I went into my local Whole Foods and really decided that, you know, maybe I should just develop this product. I'm not even sure that I actually had made a conscious decision that it would become a company. I was really like, I'd be so cool if it was like on the shelf and, you know, maybe I'll go and do a tech job, but I'm going to take a little bit more time to really figure out ultimately what I want to do. And then every day, I mean, I just kind of fell into it because every day I was just energized by, you know, this company that I was developing. And, you know, I never, I wasn't the type of

entrepreneur that said, one day I'm going to run my own business. I look back and think, oh, you know, it was definitely, you know, training to ultimately do this. But I just really, for me, it was the exciting part about it was just starting a company that I felt like helped people and it helped me first. And then it was just ultimately just, you know, really helping people to drink water. And, you know, I thought, too, that there's a lot of people out there that are buying these like these health products and that nothing's changing in their health. In fact, sometimes it even gets worse. And so that's when I was really like, you know, people need a product like this to help them drink water because if nothing else, it actually shows them, I'm convinced that if you, you know, really, no matter what diet you follow, or, you know, whatever, I mean, if you ultimately change your drink, whatever you drink,

to drinking a product like Hint, or drinking plain water, you're going to get healthier, right? Oftentimes, people will lose weight. You know, oftentimes the, you know, you're, you're just feeling you're, you're just getting a lot better hydration. And so you end up getting a lot healthier. So yeah. So anyway, that, that was kind of the start of it. And I ended up launching it in Whole Foods in San Francisco. And it'll be 15 years this month. And today we're all over the country. We also sell in Amazon and on our own website at drinkhint.com. And we're the largest independent non-alcoholic beverage

in the country that doesn't have a relationship with any of the big soda companies. So yeah, I've noticed I used to be a heavy drinker of diet soda and the more you drink it, the more you crave for sweet stuff. So true. Yeah. Yes, it's so true. And, you know, I found

it's funny because I wasn't even, um, like I, I wasn't even eating like a lot of people overeat for me. It was like candy. I used to, I, I used to just chew gum all the time or, or be really craving a piece of candy or something. And, you know, that's what the diet sweeteners were doing for me. And again, back then it was like NutraSweet and Aspartame. I mean, you know, now we have this like tricky language around natural sweeteners. And, you know, natural sweeteners are, you know, very similar in terms of they might be natural, but they're, you know, still getting you to crave sweet and maybe even crave more sweet because most people who are, you know, drinking diet today or eating diet today claim that they've actually gained weight. And, you know, the majority of people with type two

diabetes today, which, you know, is different than type one diabetes, it's something that, you know, seems to come on later, you're not born with it necessarily. That is like, I mean, people, people in general are saying that it's really about, you know, what they're eating and ultimately what they need to fix about what they're eating. Wow. Yeah, that's true. Now, Cara, what was one of your deepest motivation in life? You know, I think it's changed, you know, as time has gone on. I mean, I think I, I intuitively always wanted to help people. Like I, you know, I was just always, I don't know. I was the, I was a kid that loved, you know, helping teach people to do things. And, and I don't think

that when I first, when I had my first job, I think like I loved, you know, helping people, even if they didn't work with me or for me. I mean, in the beginning, I didn't have anybody working for me, but I just always wanted to help people. Like, you know, like I would always lend a hand if somebody seemed overworked or whatever. But as time went on, I think I recognized my own struggles with, you know, staying healthy and, you know, feeling good. And I, I really was motivated, I think, there, when I started Hint by just like thinking, gosh, if I could wake up every single day and feel like I've developed a product that is ultimately helping people, that'd be just huge, right? Like that's such a huge, great feeling. So anyway, I think that, you know, to some extent it's changed over time to, to be, you know, a motivation for me,

but I think it was always there. I mean, I think it's there for everybody, like helping people who wouldn't want to help people. That's true. Yeah. Now, Kara, can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? You know, I don't know if it's one person in particular. I mean, I think, I think it's just, it's one thing that I do that is, you know, very intentional that maybe I, I, you know, again, have realized over time, but I want people to work, you know, for me that I learn from. So I think it's sort of the reverse theory that people have when they're hiring people. Like typically, you know, if you're a manager or a founder, you're hiring people in to kind of,

you know, help you do the tonnage, right? Like all the work or, you know, I think the other thing is, or maybe do something that you don't know how to do. And I think that that is something that is, um, that is fine, but ultimately like every single person that you hire in my mind should actually be able to, you know, teach you things along the way. And so I feel like there's so many people that we've hired over the years that are just like very, you know, they're motivational just because they teach. So I would, I would have to say my entire team at Hint, you know, over the course of the years has, you know, really, you know, mentored me and impacted me in so many different ways. So I can't, I mean, there's definitely people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg

and, you know, not people that I know necessarily I've met maybe along the way, but not people that I work one-on-one with, but I feel, I feel like I read a ton too. So I feel like I know a lot of people, you know, just by reading their stories. But I think on a day-to-day basis, you know, my team and I think my family too, I mean, having four teenagers, you know, they can teach you more than TikTok, right? Like it's like about how people are thinking about things. What are the, you know, latest and greatest brands, you know? I mean, they're all in shelter in place right now and talking to me about, you know, the course of, you know, studying online and how they feel about it. And, and, you know, it's not just comments like

it really, you know, stinks or it's really great. It's like, they're articulating, you know, here's the challenges, you know, I wish something like, I wish this was developed so that it would make it easier or whatever it is. I mean, I think it's just, it's just interesting. I mean, it's just around you people. If you just listen closely, I think that it's, you know, it, you can, you can hear so many people that have some sort of impact on you. Yeah. I do ask my kids a lot, like, where do you shop? What, you know, who's like, yeah. And then they would say, Oh, I go watch YouTube and then they'll buy it because of YouTube. Right. It's totally. Yeah. No. And I think that's, I think watch YouTube and then they'll buy it because of YouTube, right? Totally. Yeah, no. And I think that's, I think it's true. I also think that, you know, they get bored really

easily. They're not incredibly, I think most kids and teens, I'll put that into that bracket, like they're not incredibly loyal to a lot of things. And so I think like they're constantly talking to me about trends and you know, it's just exactly. So yeah, it's pretty cool. Now, um, Kara, what is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur? You know, I, I love the idea of, of I'm a builder and I've always been a builder. I'm not afraid to do something new. Like, I think I've always been, you know, people have said, you've always like found like the new things. Do you like look for those things? And I'm like, not really. Like I, you know, I, I've always believed that brands, um, are important. And, um, but I've always like, believe that these new pro these new groups are also, you know,

in every company I've worked at time and CNN and AOL, I always wanted to take on like the project that only had a few people in it. Cause I felt like it was, it was more about getting stuff done than maybe, you know, what your title was in the group. And it was, you know, kind of like the innovation groups. And I just was always really attracted to that. And in frankly, it wasn't always the most popular, you know, decision. Like I would have bosses who'd be like, really?

Are you sure you want to go do that? You don't want to be on a more traditional path of growth? And I'm like, no, this just seems really fun. And I'll figure it out later. If I don't like it, I'll move on or whatever. And so I think that really trains you to go and ultimately launch your own company too. So, I mean, I think I've been able to work in large companies and work in these innovation groups. But also, you know, people always ask me like, what's the key

difference? And I think like, you know, you're sort of a little fish in a big pond, right. And oftentimes in these big companies and, you know, they could also go away tomorrow, but while it's there, you get funding and, you know, and it's exciting or whatever. But I think for me, um, striking out of my own and kind of doing my own thing would was something that was definitely you know kind of meant to be so just from those experiences and Kara what have been the biggest challenges you've had to overcome com? You know, I think understanding that, that I can actually do something, I think, you know, I, I may show, I think like a lot of other leaders, I, you know, I have a lot of confidence, but I think it's also, you know, sometimes you sit there and wonder,

maybe I should go hire somebody who's had experience doing this or whatever. And I really believe that, you know, so much of what we do in beverages is, you know, it might be complicated, but I can handle complicated, right? I think it's, it's not brain surgery. And, you know, it's, I feel like people just need to trust themselves a little bit more. And, and you can do almost anything. So I think it's just keep, you know, reminding yourself that. Love that. Now, what's the highest honor or award you've ever received? Let's see. Well, the InStyle Badass was pretty nice. Love that.

Yeah, the Fortune Most Powerful, one of, not the, one of not the, um, one of fortune, most powerful, um, female entrepreneurs. Um, that was pretty fun, but I would say the one I was most, I mean, I was surprised about all of them, but I think like the one that was, that I really did not anticipate, um, was actually winning, especially in Northern California, because I was up against a lot of tech companies, um, was the, um, or the EY, um, entrepreneur of the year in 2017 for, for Northern California. And I mean, I just, it was for me, it was just recognition amongst, you know, many entrepreneurs who ultimately vote on that, um, that who are, you know, playing a role as a judge on, um, you know, that, that I'm doing something that is, is really, you know, inspirational, um, credible, all of those things. And again,

it, you know, it's nice. I think that, that it's, it's just something that, you know, I didn't, I didn't expect. I would say like the more important piece for me is probably, you know, customers. I think just sharing their, them sharing with me how I'm helping them solve problems, like everyday problems, like drinking water or, you know, losing weight or just getting healthier. And we're so often like told, um, you know, you were the first step for me in recognizing that I could do it. I mean, that's pretty cool. Right. Like goes back to my, you know, my original comment of, of, you know, the idea that we can, um, you can inspire people just by, you know, giving them water that just tastes better. And then they're like, wow, I can actually get healthy. I mean, if we can be the

first step in helping somebody achieve something, that's really, really powerful. Yeah. What is your favorite message you've ever got from a customer because of drinking hint? You know, there's so many, I mean, I would say the ones that, that I get actually frequently that I think are really interesting. I have a number of emails from people who are cancer survivors and who have told me, and it's always funny to me because they always tell me like they're the only one that's ever told me this. And I've been hearing this for 15 years now. And, you know, I get, I wouldn't say one a week, but I'd say probably one every other week from a customer that shares with me how we've helped them get through chemo. And so, you know, when you have chemotherapy after cancer,

you get a metallic taste in your mouth. And so you've got to drink water in order to get rid of that metallic taste. But unfortunately, plain water just enhances the metallic taste that you get. And if you drink anything with sugar or sweeteners in it, you get really nauseous. And so a product like Hint, I've been told by numerous cancer survivors, really helps them to get water down and blocks the metallic taste that they get when they're going through chemo. So I think, again, it goes back to like hearing from consumers that we're helping, you know, that that is like such a powerful message. Like that's just so cool to be able to help people do that. Yeah, absolutely. Now, Kara, what advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur? I think, you know, it's more than just like being your own boss, because I think

that while that's cool, it's, you know, it can be lonely at times. And it's probably not the most financially stable thing to be because you're, you know, very dependent on, can you raise money? Do your customers like your product, all these things. So I think like the key thing is really finding a need in the market that needs to be solved. That, you know, I look at the best entrepreneurs, no matter what industry, and that's what they're doing and their category. So I would say like, that's, that's really the key thing. And, you know, while there's some, I mean, I personally wouldn't want to go and do the same product that somebody else has already, you know, launched, but there are entrepreneurs that, you know, do that and they knock off products and, you know, they build categories and I guess

that's fine. But I think ultimately, if you can just do something that's going to help people, you know, that I think is no matter what kind of economy you're in, it's like the kind of thing that, you know, can withstand even challenging economies. Yeah. Yeah. Because you're solving a problem. Love that. Totally. Yeah. Now, Kara, what have been the most influential experiences in your life? Oh, I don't know. I mean, I think so many, I, I moved from Arizona when I was a kid to New York and you know, for me it was, I moved by myself and I didn't know anybody in New York outside of my sister had um, that took me in for a couple of weeks until I

found an apartment. But other than that, like, I just, I was really on my own and was able to kind of figure out neighborhoods in New York. And, you know, it was just, it was kind of scary, right. Figuring all that stuff out. But I think like that was probably a time when I really, you know, figured out how to trust myself and know that I could do it. And, you know, and I, I just became, I was always very responsible, but I feel like, you know, really trusted how responsible I, I, you know, was when I went to New York, because there was nobody to fall back on. And what is your greatest fear and how do you manage fear? So my greatest fear, actually, I had two big fears. I had my, I don't like heights. Um, so

I, I've always been, you know, really afraid of heights. And, um, and so a few years ago, I decided, a friend asked me, and actually my sister too, asked me to hike the Grand Canyon. And growing up in Arizona, I thought, I was always afraid. Like I'd been to the Grand Canyon and been to the rim a few times and didn't want to look down. Like I was really afraid of it. And so I thought, you know, oh, that'd be really fun to go do it. And I thought I, I could go with a bunch of friends and it'd be great. And then I trained for it. And a few, like a few weeks before this was, I was actually going to go. Um, another friend said to me, aren't you really afraid of heights?

How are you going to handle it when you get there? And I was like, wow. So I spoke, I sat there and thought about, I almost canceled the trip. And then I called my sister and I said, well, okay, if we can leave at like four o'clock in the morning when it's still dark out. I think I'll be okay. And she's like, really? I mean, seriously? And I said, yeah, it'll be better anyway, because we'll get out of the canyon. We were going rim to rim and, you know, it was over 20 miles. And so I said, we'll get out of the canyon while it's still light out. And so she and the rest of the group agreed to do it. And, but, you know, and it worked. I mean, so I guess that the issue, the thing that I saw was that if you, no matter what you're afraid of, if you can figure out how

you can actually over that fear, and it may seem super crazy to other people who are dealing with your fear. But you know, for me, I couldn't see the height, right. And so I was able so I was able to focus on the strategy. Like I had everybody there at 4am. And we were all going down, we had our headlamps on and going down the mountain. And then by the time the sun was coming up, which was super beautiful, we were already down. And then I had to go back up. And for me, going up was, you know, not as bad. I mean, it was hard, but it was not as bad from a fear standpoint as going down. So developing strategies, I think, and on how to get through it, I think is, is just super big. I mean, that that's a great example. And, you know, I also used to be really afraid of public speaking. I used to be very, I was always really social, but for some reason, public speaking to me was just like terrifying.

Like I get up on stage, all these people would be staring at me and like, how, I mean, that's scary, right? Like how, how could that happen? And so I had been asked a bunch of times to come and tell the story of Hint and I had turned it down because I just feared speaking. And then one day I said, okay, this year I'm going to get over it. I'm going to go and get over this fear because I like getting over fears. And I did a whole deck and got my whole presentation ready. And I got up and did the presentation, but I didn't feel that great about it. And I remember my husband asking me afterwards because he wasn't there. He was like, why didn't you that great about it. And I remember my husband asking me afterwards, because he wasn't there. He was like, why didn't you feel great about it?

And I'm like, you know, I felt like when I showed up at the talk, I was looking out at the people and thinking I had the wrong deck for the people. Like I felt like I would, but I couldn't change because I had a deck that I was like following. And then I remember him saying to me, well, maybe you shouldn't have a deck. Like he didn't even know what he said. And I was like, yeah, maybe I shouldn't have a deck. And then I got a call from another person who actually saw that talk and said, hey, will you come do this talk at this, um, at my company? And I, and I said, you know, I don't really have time to like revise the presentation.

And I wasn't that crazy about that. And they said, Oh, actually we don't want a presentation. We don't want slides. We just want you to stand up and talk. And I was like, Oh, really? Like, that's really scary. Like, I don't have slides. Like, what am I going to talk about? And, and so I mean, that talk actually went really, really well. And, and, you know, again, I came back home, my husband was like, wait, so your talk, you talked with no slides. And I was like, yeah, no, it went great. And I said, I think I'm going to, I'm fine talking at sort of telling time in my mind, how long, if somebody tells me, you know, 30 minutes or 45 minutes or 60 minutes, I'm, I can figure it out. But, you know, it, the, the process of like going back and forth and making sure that you're staying with your slides to me was just like, ah, you know, very limiting. So, so I think like, but again, it just goes back

to kind of getting, breaking, you know, breaking your fears and pushing through on them and just doing it. So how is it now when someone invite you to speak in a big crowd? I, I'm totally fine with it. I mean, I, I just, I do it a lot. So it's yeah. I mean, I, I think, you know, it's always hard to actually, it's funny. It's always hard for people who are hiring me to come and do this. I always ask them to kind of describe the crowd and who will be there. But until I'm ultimately there, it's really, you know, it's, I get my own, everybody gets their own perception, right. Of like the crowd, like I met you at the EO, um, you know, and it's, and I feel like it just varies and maybe it'll even vary. Like you

could have a group of, you know, entrepreneurs, female entrepreneurs who are at the EO event. But if you've all been like hanging out for two days and you're all getting to know each other better, like there's, it's a very different feel than maybe me, like starting the conference. Like I'm, you know, and which is, which is also like an important spot, but it's just a very different feeling. And so I always, you know, make sure that I get to the, the, wherever my talk is a couple of hours early so that I can kind of feel what's going on. Yeah.

And, and, you know, I've just never, I've never had, you know, sort of a, an issue with, with getting sort of a vibe for the room. I, I, you know, it's always the explanation that comes to me is all, you know, is always a little bit different than what my feeling is of the room. So I always tell other speakers that too, that I think that that's, you know, it's really important for you to get your own vibe off the room because you can hear, you know, whatever, a group of, you know, entrepreneurs. But if the room is filled with female entrepreneurs or, you know, if this is like second acts or if this is, you know, a bunch of like entrepreneurs that just graduated from college, right? Like, it's just a very different thing. And I have, you know, different things that I would say to those audiences. Yeah. Now, Cara, if you could do it all over again, would you do the same thing? Yeah. I mean, I have no regrets on my journey at all. You know, I think I, you know, just view life in general as just being a big journey. And it's, you know, what you do every day and is, you know, ultimately, hopefully, even if, you know, it's hard or you fail, it's just going to help you to be better, you know, it's hard or you fail is just going to help you to be better, you know, tomorrow.

Yeah. And Kara, how do you want to be remembered? You know, I, I think, um, I think the most important, look, I think that the most important thing for any parent is to be remembered as a, you know, good parent and a good person, a good teacher. You know, I, I hope I'll be, you know, maybe as, you know, creative as, you know, but I think being thoughtful and kind are sort of, you know, a big piece of it as well. Well, Kara, thank you so much for taking the time, sharing your story. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

Where can they find you? What's your handle? Yeah. So all over the place at Kara Golden. It's K-A-R-A-G-O-L-D-I-N. And yeah, on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn. And then if you are interested in buying Hint, you can go to drinkhint.com or find us on Amazon as well, or in lots of stores uh like target we're actually going nationwide in costco um this summer early summer as well so it's very very exciting for him yeah especially now that

everyone's in quarantine i've seen yeah like yeah yeah no and we have water but we also came out with a couple new categories in the last few years. We have sunscreen that's amazing, and you can find it on our website or Amazon. And then we just came out with a deodorant, which is aluminum-free and has no coconut, which is in a lot of natural deodorants. Coconut is actually a class one allergen. So if you're not allergic to coconut,

it's not an issue. But if you have sensitivities, which a lot of people have, you may actually sweat from, you know, having the sensitivity to coconut. So yeah, it's really super, super exciting. So lots of good stuff, lots of innovation and disruption beyond water and having a lot of fun still. That's exciting. I can't wait to try your deodorant. I have problem buying the all natural one at Trader Joe's. Actually, it makes you sweat so much. Well, you know, it's interesting. I mean that when I say it, I think, you know, I'm allergic to coconut, so I could never use the natural deodorants, but I, there are a couple of them out there that are, that have like a charcoal base or crystal or something. And they just didn't work, at least for me. And so I, you know, just, I, I love the idea, but was frustrated that it just

wasn't working. So I always share with people that, you know, even if you just have a sensitivity, you don't even, you know, have as much as an allergy, like a sensitivity can mean you get a rash or, or, you know, you start sweating, right? Because your skin is your largest organ. It's like trying to get rid of it, right? And so a lot of people will try natural deodorants and they'll be like, oh, it didn't work for me. And, you know, it takes a couple of weeks for your body to adjust. But oftentimes I tell people like, no, you just have to try a different variety. And, you know, we don't have any class one allergens in any of our products. So, you know, in our water, because I'm allergic aware of because I am so allergic to coconut. But I feel like, you know, we've developed a great product that, you know, even if people don't have sensitivities to coconut or, you know, other class one allergens, it's, you know, it's just a great product that works so we just got real simple's um best

best deodorant actually um a few weeks ago so it's very exciting i can't wait to try the lemon um deodorant i can't wait yeah it's super super good so anyway well thank you so much bye everybody thanks for having me. Okay, bye-bye. We hope you enjoyed the show. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. And visit katehancock.com so you don't miss out on the next episode. Deep in the ocean, an orca pod is on the hunt. These aren't your average orcas.

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