Scroll down to read the full interview with Kate McLeod, Co-Founder and Formulator of Kate McLeod Body Stones.
1. How has the coronavirus affected your life? How has it affected the lives of your family and friends?
It's harder to imagine what part of life has been unaffected. I know I am not alone when I say that my day to day has completely changed - and change on such a scale is not easy but there have been some lovely, unexpected side effects. I am spending more time connecting with family and friends on zoom - I am probably seeing and speaking to my parents and to friends who live in different cities more than I ever would have under normal circumstances. And I love it. It has also been incredibly beneficial in my professional relationships. When you're working from home, you have to communicate. This situation forced some tough but amazing conversations that might not have happened otherwise.
2. How are you staying calm and sane during your quarantine?
Routine. Routine and ritual. Routines are so important - grounding, stabilizing - and it is hard when they are completely upended. It took awhile to establish a new working from home schedule - especially with an 8 month old! - but we're getting there. I wake up and feed Ollie by 7 and am on my yoga mat by 8 streaming @thedailyvinyasa 's online class. After yoga, I get washed and ready for work and then take a 30-40 min 'morning commute' - a walk around the neighborhood with Ollie strapped to my chest. Incorporating a morning and evening commute to cap off the ends of a 'work from home' day was a game changer. Other new routines I'll be holding onto: my husband and I listen to The Daily while we prepare eggs and coffee, we've started FaceTiming with family a few nights a week, and have been participating in virtual community events. It might sound cliché but true wellness to me is living mindfully; it is awareness. This is where ritual comes in. I have been incorporating ritual into my day to day life - and my favorite ritual is the Body Stone. Applying the Body Stone - the physical application of touching my skin - I drop in. The other major shift is that I have returned to cooking nightly meals. As we'll get into below, I began in the kitchen as a pastry chef and I love to cook. Feeding friends and loved ones has always brought me tremendous fulfillment but it is hard to find the time with all of life's other commitments. This forced me back into the kitchen and I'm grateful for that.
3. How has COVID-19 affected your job?
A little intro on me - I am the Founder & Formulator of Kate McLeod. And we make Body Stones: solid, cocoa butter based moisturizers that melt on contact in a way you truly have to feel to understand. This journey began when my sister in law took a bottle of lotion out of my hands and asked me if I knew what I was putting on my body. I didn't. I had never given it much thought. She handed me a chunk of cocoa butter and told me to go spend some time with myself. She also prompted me to explore what was actually inside many of the products I was purchasing. Once I jumped down that rabbit hole, there was no going back. Cocoa Butter, in its raw, natural state, has a very high melting point. In other words, it doesn't just glide right on to the human body. But it is a phenomenal - in my opinion, the best - moisturizer. It is deeply nourishing, soothing, and healing. I wanted to see if I could enhance the application process. A former pastry chef, I didn't know much about beauty, but I did know how to work with chocolate. I melted the cocoa butter down in a double boiler on my stove and started to play with it like I would a ganache. I added in my favorite base oils and eventually brought in essential oils for scent. For years I poured the mixture into jars and would scoop out chunks with a spoon after the shower. This quickly turned into a self care practice that fundamentally changed my life. When my husband and I were getting married, I wanted to share my most beloved ritual with my most beloved people. I knew no one else was going to dig it out of a jar so I tried pouring the mixture into my old silicone baking molds. I made canale, financiers, and madeleines - the first version of the Body Stone was born. It was then and remains today about sharing this self care practice. Taking a moment, an intentioned moment, to put your hands on your skin, to touch your body (there is no dispensing unit) is like putting on armor, a self-care body shield. It's magic. Confidence boosting, power-fueling magic. And that is what this is all about. I am so proud that we were able to give to @donatebeauty - hundreds of Mini Body Stones went to hospitals across the country to bring a moment of self care and dry skin relief to the heroes who truly need and deserve it at the moment.
4. How do you enjoy spending your time while in quarantine?
Working, cooking, and showing up for myself, for Justin (my husband) and Oliver (my little man!)
5. How are you staying positive and hopeful for the future?
I think the world is going to be indelibly changed after this - in a good way. If there is any blanket silver lining, I believe it is that we've all been reminded how truly connected we are. We are all in this together and we need to take care of each other. I see virtual communities forming - Daybreaker, Touchpoint - if you haven't checked out one of these virtual events, I can not recommend it strongly enough. The energy, the love - it's palpable, it comes right through the screen - and that gives me an incredible amount of hope. On a more personal note, I have definitely had a few stir crazy moments, but I'm a true cancer, the crab of the zodiac, and I love my shell, my 'nest.' The first week of quarantine it occured to me that my husband and I had never had a full week of consecutive dinners together. Now we're working at opposite ends of the dining room table and sharing a meal every night - and I love it. The situation demands communication. Our family unit, our extended family, our chosen family community - all are stronger, all are more bonded together because we have to speak to one another. We've been on our screens but not on instagram. Technology is being used for true connection - and that makes me very hopeful.
Fun Facts:
3 things that changed your life this week:
- A Sleep Stone
- A Rent the Runway delivery filled with fancy dresses for at home date nights- no one is renting - the selection has never been this good!
- Shearling-lined 'bean boots' - we are living upstate at the moment and they are all that I wear - they are definitely coming back to Brooklyn with me
First place you're going after quarantine: I would love a massage (I always bring a Body Stone - the CBD Stone is incredible.) Trust me - it ups it to a whole new level...
I'm binge watching: Revenge - I never saw it and I'm totally hooked.
I'm reading: Goldmining the Shadows and Women Who Run with the Wolves
I'm cooking: bread! so much bread - I feed Stefan, our starter (yes, we named him) every morning and he's turned out a few magical Rye Sourdough loaves!
I'm trying to: Move. It's so easy to sit behind the screen all day - I do a daily yoga class, have committed to a short morning and evening walk (aka my daily commute,) and try to get in a few sessions with The Class by TT every week.
