MUD\WTR: a self portrait

MUDWTR

5 Nov 202003:30

Summary

TLDRThe video tells the story of an individual who, after experiencing anxiety and stress from heavy coffee consumption, found solace in masala chai during a six-month stay in India. Upon returning to the U.S., they created a new drink combining organic ingredients like lion's mane, cacao, and turmeric, offering a low-caffeine alternative to coffee. This led to the founding of a brand in 2018, promoting a healthier lifestyle through this unique beverage. The speaker now runs a global business, encouraging others to try the drink that changed their life.

Takeaways

🏄‍♂️ The speaker was born in Santa Cruz, a small surf town, and grew up making things with his builder father.
🎨 The speaker studied both art and graphic design in college, later moving to San Francisco to lead a design team at a tech company.
☕ The speaker and colleagues consumed large amounts of coffee, believing it would help them achieve more, but this led to increased anxiety and stress.
💡 The speaker noticed that many people had a problematic relationship with caffeine and wanted to reduce or quit their consumption.
✈️ The speaker took a leave of absence and lived in India for six months, where he fell in love with masala chai, a popular local beverage.
🔄 Upon returning home, the speaker reevaluated his habits and decided to replace his coffee addiction with masala chai, which had lower caffeine content and higher-quality ingredients.
🍄 The speaker began experimenting with adding beneficial ingredients like lion's mane, cacao, chaga, reishi, turmeric, and others to his chai for various health benefits.
💼 In May 2018, the speaker launched a brand and website, promoting a healthier alternative to coffee that he believed was better for people.
📈 The brand quickly gained traction, leading the speaker to focus on the business full-time with a globally distributed team.
🥤 The speaker invites others to try the drink that significantly improved his life and became the foundation of his business.

Q & A

What is the origin of the speaker's love for masala chai?
-The speaker fell in love with masala chai during a six-month residency program in India, where it is commonly consumed and available on every corner.
Why did the speaker decide to switch from coffee to masala chai?
-The speaker realized that their coffee addiction was more of a cultural prescription than a personal choice. They found that masala chai, with less caffeine, better suited their lifestyle and mental state.
What were some of the negative effects the speaker experienced from drinking coffee?
-The speaker felt jittery, anxious, and more stressed than necessary due to their coffee consumption.
What ingredients did the speaker add to their masala chai, and why?
-The speaker added lion's mane for focus and cognitive function, cacao for mood and energy, chaga and reishi for immune support, turmeric and cordyceps for physical performance, cinnamon for intermittent fasting and sugar cravings, and a pinch of salt to enhance the flavors.
How did the speaker's new drink compare to coffee in terms of caffeine content?
-The new drink, based on masala chai, contains only one-seventh the caffeine of coffee.
What led the speaker to start their own brand and business?
-After realizing the benefits of their new drink and observing how many people around them might benefit from something different than coffee, the speaker decided to create a brand, code a website, and launch it in May 2018.
What was the initial public response to the speaker's new product?
-The speaker's product started getting sales immediately after launching the brand and promoting it on Instagram.
How does the speaker view their new drink in relation to coffee?
-The speaker doesn’t view their drink as a replacement for coffee but rather as a better alternative, stating, 'We're not mad at coffee, we're just disappointed so we made something better.'
What does the speaker attribute the success of their business to?
-The speaker attributes the success of their business to the high-quality ingredients in the product and the strong, global team supporting the brand.
What lifestyle changes did the speaker make after returning from India?
-After returning from India, the speaker reevaluated their rituals, habits, and beliefs, ultimately deciding to replace their coffee habit with masala chai and other healthful ingredients.

Outlines

00:00

☕ The Coffee Obsession: From Surf Town to San Francisco

The narrator reflects on their early life in Santa Cruz, a small surf town, and their journey into the world of coffee. After studying art and graphic design, they moved to San Francisco and joined a tech company. Immersed in the fast-paced environment, they consumed large amounts of coffee, believing it would enhance their productivity. However, this led to a jittery and anxious state of mind.

🌍 A Transformative Journey to India

Seeking change, the narrator took a leave of absence from work and participated in an artist residency program in India. During their six-month stay, they discovered masala chai, a popular drink in India, which offered a refreshing alternative to coffee. This experience prompted them to reassess their coffee addiction, realizing it was more a cultural norm than a personal choice.

🍵 Crafting a Healthier Beverage

Upon returning home, the narrator began experimenting with masala chai and other natural ingredients to create a healthier alternative to coffee. They added lion's mane for cognitive function, cacao for mood and energy, chaga and reishi for immune support, turmeric for health benefits, cordyceps for physical performance, and cinnamon for flavor enhancement. This new blend became their go-to drink, replacing coffee in their daily routine.

💡 Launching a New Beverage Brand

Recognizing that many people struggled with caffeine addiction, the narrator decided to share their creation with the world. In May 2018, they designed a brand, built a website, and launched an Instagram post promoting their new beverage. The tagline, 'We're not mad at coffee, we're just disappointed so we made something better,' resonated with many, leading to immediate sales. Since then, the narrator has dedicated themselves to growing the business, now supported by a global team.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Mug

In the context of the script, 'mug' refers to a large cup, often used for drinking coffee or tea. It is mentioned when people inquire about the contents of the speaker's mug, which is filled with mud, indicating a shift from the norm of coffee to a different beverage. This highlights the theme of exploring alternatives to traditional caffeinated drinks.

💡Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is a small surf town where the speaker was born. It sets the scene for the speaker's background and upbringing, which is relevant to the video's theme of personal journey and transformation. The mention of Santa Cruz also provides a contrast to the later urban setting of San Francisco.

💡Builder

The term 'builder' refers to the speaker's father's occupation, which influenced the speaker's inclination towards creating and making things. This background is important as it foreshadows the speaker's later endeavors in designing and creating a new beverage, illustrating a connection between early life experiences and current passions.

💡Art and Graphic Design

These fields represent the speaker's educational background and professional skills. The mention of studying art and graphic design is crucial as it connects to the speaker's ability to lead a design team and eventually create a brand for the new beverage, emphasizing the importance of design in product development.

💡San Francisco

San Francisco is the city where the speaker moved to and joined a tech company, leading its design team. This location is significant as it represents a cultural hub and a place of innovation, which is where the speaker's ideas about a new beverage began to take shape.

💡Masala Chai

Masala Chai is an Indian beverage that the speaker discovered during an artist residency in India. It is central to the video's theme as it represents the alternative to coffee that the speaker fell in love with and later incorporated into their new beverage. The term is used to illustrate cultural influence on personal habits.

💡Caffeine Addiction

The concept of 'caffeine addiction' is a key issue addressed in the video. It refers to the speaker's and others' reliance on coffee for energy and productivity. The script discusses the realization that this addiction was culturally prescribed rather than desired, leading to the creation of a new, less caffeinated beverage.

💡Lion's Mane

Lion's Mane is a type of medicinal mushroom added to the new beverage for its focus and cognitive function benefits. It exemplifies the speaker's approach to combining traditional ingredients with modern needs, showing a commitment to both health and performance.

💡Cacao

Cacao is included in the beverage for its mood-enhancing and energy-boosting properties, as well as its flavor. It represents one of the natural, less caffeinated alternatives to coffee that the speaker explored and incorporated into their product.

💡Chaga and Reishi

Chaga and Reishi are types of medicinal mushrooms known for their immune-supporting properties. Their inclusion in the beverage highlights the speaker's focus on health and wellness, aligning with the video's theme of seeking healthier alternatives to common habits.

💡Turmeric and Cordyceps

Turmeric and Cordyceps are ingredients added for their physical performance benefits. They are part of the speaker's research into ingredients that align with a healthier lifestyle, showcasing the video's message of innovation in traditional beverage consumption.

💡Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a dietary practice mentioned in the script, where cinnamon is added to the beverage to help with sugar cravings associated with this practice. It demonstrates the speaker's consideration of various lifestyle choices and how the new beverage can support them.

💡Hydro Flask

A Hydro Flask is a type of insulated water bottle used by the speaker to prepare and carry their new beverage. It symbolizes the practicality and portability of the new drink, emphasizing the convenience aspect of the product in the speaker's daily life.

💡Instagram

Instagram is the social media platform where the speaker launched their brand by posting about their new beverage. It represents the modern approach to marketing and brand awareness, showing how social media can be leveraged to introduce and grow a product.

Highlights

The speaker was born in a small surf town called Santa Cruz, where they were always making things, influenced by their dad who was a builder.

Studied both art and graphic design in college, which eventually led to moving to San Francisco and joining a tech company, leading the design team.

Experienced increased anxiety and stress due to heavy coffee consumption while working in the tech industry.

Noticed a cultural pressure to drink coffee as a way to enhance productivity, leading to a decision to quit coffee.

Took a leave of absence from work to participate in an artist residency program in India for six months.

Fell in love with masala chai, a popular drink in India, and recognized it as a potential alternative to coffee.

After returning home, realized that their coffee addiction was culturally prescribed rather than a personal choice.

Started replacing coffee with masala chai made from high-quality organic ingredients, containing only one-seventh the caffeine of coffee.

Researched and added ingredients like lion's mane for focus, cacao for mood, chaga and reishi for immune support, turmeric, and cordyceps for physical performance.

Created a personal drink blend, adding it to a hydro flask each morning, and taking it to work, the gym, and music festivals.

Noted that almost 90 percent of the population is addicted to caffeine, leading to curiosity about how many people might benefit from an alternative.

In May of 2018, designed a brand, coded a website, and launched a business, with the message 'We're not mad at coffee, we're just disappointed.'

The business quickly gained traction, and the speaker has been working on it ever since, now leading a global team.

The speaker believes that the drink they created ultimately changed their life and wants others to try it.