This Daily Greens #Girlboss Beat Breast Cancer + Built a Business Along the Way
For Shauna Martin, being diagnosed with breast cancer was just the beginning of her #girlboss journey. When the young mom began her fight against breast cancer at just 33, she didn’t expect to start a cold press juice company that would take off across the country. But that’s exactly what happened. After noticing the positive impact drinking green juice had in helping recover from surgery and chemotherapy, Shauna made it her mission to spread the wealth and bring cold-pressed juices to the masses. We caught up with Shauna to talk about building a healthy empire, supporting breast cancer survivors and how in the world she manages to manage it all.
B+C: Give us a little history on Daily Greens. When was it founded, why and what’s it all about?
SM: Having faced my own mortality in 2005 when I was diagnosed with aggressive Stage II breast cancer, I had changed my life completely by moving to a plant-based vegan diet, the cornerstone of which consisted of making a green juice every day. The healing and long term benefits I experienced were undeniable, but in 2012, green juice was still not available for the masses. I decided that if anyone could take on this challenge, it was me. So on December 1, 2012, I made 60 bottles and took it to the farmers’ market in my hometown of Austin. It sold out immediately, and I was quickly scouted by Whole Foods Market, eventually launching nationwide with Whole Foods. Today, three-and-a-half years later, Daily Greens has produced more than 20 different flavors and is distributed in over 3,000 retail outlets nationwide including retailers such as Whole Foods, HEB, Sprouts, Kroger, Safeway and Costco.
B+C: What was the most difficult part about getting started?
SM: I practiced corporate law for 18 years before I started Daily Greens. When I left the practice of law to pursue Daily Greens full-time, all of my friends and family thought I was crazy, so it was really important that I believed in what I was doing with my entire heart and soul. There have definitely been hard times, but it’s my unfailing belief in our mission and vision that gets me through it.
B+C: You’ve credited your healthy lifestyle to helping you beat breast cancer. What are your favorite tips to living well?
SM: Drink your greens! I encourage drinking a green juice every day. Also, by moving to a more plant-based diet, you can equip the body’s cells with all the essential nutrients as well as promote a more alkalized body (as opposed to an acidic environment, where cancer cells thrive). For individuals that find it difficult to follow a plant-based diet, they should, at a minimum, incorporate a daily green juice to help infuse their bodies with vitamins and minerals. Periodic cleansing through daily mini-fasts or seasonal multi-day fasts also helps strengthen the immune system by detoxing the body of unwanted toxins and rebuilding the immune system.
B+C: You were able to turn a pretty unpredictable situation into an inspiring success story. How do you manage to balance your health, family and a rapidly growing business?
SM: I no longer ask myself, “Why me?” I know now that it was my destiny to battle breast cancer at 33. It made me who I am today. It created in me a burning desire to not only help other young women battling breast cancer but to help anyone with a desire to gain control of their destiny to get healthy and stay healthy. I love sharing my story of not only breast cancer, but also my journey to true health with the world. You can find part of my story in my book The Daily Greens 4-Day Cleanse.
B+C: Talk to us a little bit about what it means to be a “cold-pressed” juice and the benefits of it.
SM: Daily Greens is committed to creating pure, healthy and delicious green juices. Four-and-a-half pounds of certified organic and non-GMO produce, or the equivalent of seven USDA servings of vegetables and fruits, are pressed into every 12-ounce bottle of green juice.
B+C: You’re constantly introducing new flavors to your line. Why is this important and what does the product development process look like?
SM: Daily Greens’ mission and vision is to get a green juice into the hands of every American so that everyone can enjoy the health benefits of drinking a daily green juice. Because this is a daily habit, it is important to have lots of variety; as such, we are constantly inventing new unique and interesting flavors so that our loyal customers never get bored with their daily green juice. We like to innovate new juices at least twice a year to introduce to our consumers at the bi-annual Natural Products Expo shows.
B+C: Can you tell us about Daily Greens’ efforts to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month?
SM: While I am so proud of everything that Daily Greens has accomplished, I am not about to forget my roots and the struggle that led me to this place. In partnership with the Young Survival Coalition (YSC), one percent of sales from Daily Greens are donated back to programs that provide support and services to other young women battling breast cancer.
The YSC is the only national organization specifically focused on the needs of young women battling breast cancer. Having gone through breast cancer at such a young age, I understand the huge need for resources for women under the age of 40 facing breast cancer, and the YSC provides those resources on a national basis. Support systems are phenomenally powerful when battling adversities in life, especially breast cancer.
B+C: If you had the chance to talk to every aspiring #girlboss in the world, what would you tell her?
SM: Make sure that you believe in what you are doing with every fiber of your being. There will be hard times. It will be your belief in what you are doing that will get you through those difficult times.
B+C: Saved the toughest for last: You can only drink one Daily Greens juice every day. What’s your pick?
SM: I will always love Purity, which is the original juice that I started making 11 years ago in my kitchen. Purity is wonderfully pure and a simple blend of just greens and veggies.
(Photos via Daily Greens)
