Lindsay Holden is a retail professional and sales savant with more 15 years of experience, including eight years serving as a senior buyer for Target corporation. She’s led multiple cross-functional teams to develop merchandising strategy, product development, and promotional strategy; forecast through the complexities of diverse businesses; and run P&Ls across both brick-and-mortar and online businesses. She’s the ultimate connecter of people, community builder, value maximizer, and sales driver.
She took her retail prowess and teamed with co-founders Britta Chatterjee and Shannon Kearney to launch Odele in January 2020 with the goal of disrupting retailer shelves with a product that spoke to the need they saw on the market for an all-inclusive, salon-grade haircare line that was safe for all who share the shower.
Their motivation to create the brand was two-fold, driven both by their consumer need (they were sick and tired of over-cluttered shower shelves with his, hers, mine, and ours products) and their desire to find a career that offered them flexibility corporate hours couldn’t provide.
It was then that Odele was born, and it has quickly become a Target clean beauty darling, offering an assortment of high-quality, affordable, safe, gender-neutral formulas based on what a person’s hair or skin needs. Odele impact has been impressive—the company reached profitability within its first six months of business (not an easy task considering it launched merely five weeks before COVID hit). It also kicked off its year-long giving program in June 2020 with a $10,000 donation and a 10,000 bottle pledge to organizations fighting racial injustice and helping underserved communities.
Here, Holden, who is Minnesota born and bred and lives with her husband three kids in Minneapolis, shares her personal health and wellness favorites
What are your favorite things to do to maintain your personal wellbeing?
I enjoy carving out time for myself and quality time with my family. As a mom of three and a business owner, it’s a grind. So much of my time is spent giving the business what it needs and giving the kids what they need. It can feel challenging to create the space for myself and that quality time for the family. Yet, every time I make room for it, I feel better for having done it, and honestly, I am better at tackling the rest of the day’s demands versus if I had opted out to keep plowing through.
Is there a specific fitness activity that you love and why?
I love getting out to walk around the lake—lucky for me, we live by one in Minneapolis. It’s often an activity I use to catch up with a friend or listen to a podcast. I’ve picked up strength training again, which feels efficient and effective. I love how it leaves me sore and stronger. And…skiing. It’s hard to beat the feeling of cruising down a mountain, surrounded by fresh air and blue skies. And let’s face it, I’m really great at après-ski, as well.
What is your favorite healthy food, and do you have a favorite way of preparing it?
I just heard Yotam Ottolenghi speak and am loving his recipes from his Simple cookbook. Honestly, put fresh herbs in or on anything, and I’ll think it’s fantastic. I recently made this salad with green peppers, celery, lemon, and parsley for a dinner party and have made it weekly ever since. It’s so delicious.
What is your favorite healthy beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), and do you have any insider tips for preparing it?
Does coffee count? Nothing beats drip coffee topped off with hot, steamed milk. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll add some honey to the milk as it froths. I’m trying to drink more water, but I’m definitely more talented when it comes to coffee consumption.
What is the best piece of wellness advice you have ever received and from whom?
The concept of radical acceptance. I’m a fight over flight type of person, and my tendency is to want to right the wrongs and fix things. That being said, life is full of experiences. Some you like, some you dislike, and changing those painful or tough experiences is not always within our control. Radical acceptance is about one’s ability to accept situations that are outside of our control, which in turn reduces the suffering that is caused by them. It doesn’t mean that you have to agree with those painful things, but it’s about accepting them as a truth (pain and frustration in all) and by doing so, keeping them from getting worse. Avoiding the spin that they may cause and moving on. I got this one from my therapist.
What is your idea of balanced healthy happiness?
I don’t love the word balanced. I feel like it puts a lot of pressure on you to be all the things (and great at all the things) at the same time. I think healthy happiness is being kind to yourself. Caring most about the things that matter to you right now and worrying less about the things that don’t. Having the ability and awareness to let some things go. Being confident in those choices and accepting and open to change and evolving your approach as you go.
What is your favorite place for a healthy vacation or escape?
It’s impossible to choose. I love discovering new places. The more you see, the more you realize there is to see, and I want to see it all. I love a destination rich with culture, history, great food, beautiful views, shopping…a little bit of everything. These past few years in the pandemic (not to mention the fact I have three young kids and a puppy) has made this kind of discovery less frequent. But it’s also opened us up to discovering things closer to home. The North Shore in Minnesota is gorgeous. We visited a national park with the kids in Utah, which was incredible. It’s like, okay, I can do this unplugged, outdoorsy kind of stuff too.
What is your go-to for de-stressing?
Reflexology foot massage or a good closet/home purge.
What brings you joy?
My kids. Hearing how they think about things, how they see the world, watching them discover and navigate it all. A cuddle with our new puppy (who was not a rational decision to acquire…but he’s so damn cute). And belly laughs with friends and family.
