It has been well over a month since we embarked on our Work From Home journey. We have come a long way in finding our self-isolation stride, with a few meditations, breakdowns, and workout classes along the way. Out of curiosity to see how others are also responding to the situation, we caught up with Christine Choi - one of our long-time supporters, current meal delivery client, and Partner and Head of Brand and Communications at venture capital firm M13. In this edition of our client spotlight series, she fills us in on her WFH experience, what it’s like being an extrovert in quarantine, how she uses food to connect with friends, and what she has learned so far.
What has your Work From Home experience been like?
It’s day 6,123 in the COVID-19 global pandemic, and I may have lost count. The days bleed into each other because the time is consumed by exhausting Zoom meetings. Did I brush my teeth today? I text my friends with genuine perplexion. They write back: Who can tell me the last time I washed my hair?
When Provenance Meals asked me to jot down my work from home experience and share a peek into my busy life, my first impulse was a laugh. Try as I might, my daily schedule is still in shambles – a patchwork of routine and urgent requests, exhausting video conferencing and nightly calls with friends. Learning a new language, exercising at home, finishing a book, catching up on the last season of Schitt’s Creek: none of this has entered my crowded mind. The most time I had for something purely for myself enabled a sunset walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. But I decided that Provenance’s assignment might be a message from someone I loved and recently lost to COVID to get my shit together. And for me to say to my new friends who are reading this: it is OK to unravel a little.
If you, like me, are a relatively high functioning and independent person in real life, you might wonder why you are failing so hard at work from home. I say that with the utmost respect and humility, because the minutes pass like sand and it feels like a thousand days and not a month since our quarantine began – yet I accomplish so little by each day's end. The acronym WFH is so simple but there is nothing simple about COVID's ripple effects and and the paradox that some of us get to stay at home while others risk their health to make it possible for us to stay at home. The changes to our daily lives are compounded by the news about what’s going outside our four walls and the anticipation of the new world order. Writing this paragraph exhausted me.
After 12+ years working with Richard Branson and the Virgin company brands, you’re now leading the team at the venture capital firm M13. Tell us a bit about your role there. What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?
My role as Partner and Head of Brand and Communications at M13 means I support founding teams of early stage startups. It is incredibly rewarding to have a seat at the table with these inspiring teams who are building enduring brands. M13’s approach is very different from traditional VC’s: our startups get not only capital but also strategic guidance and support from people like me who have experience launching and leading companies. Now more than ever, we need each other, and M13 was designed to contribute meaningfully to our ecosystem.
Are there any companies or services that have you turned to for support during this time?
In addition to Provenance Meals, a small number of cherished brands (including Red Flower and Daily Harvest) have been getting me through the lockdown, and they have one thing in common: they are reliable and giving without being needy back. That’s an ideal relationship in a time of COVID. I don’t know how the delivery service providers remain so responsive and helpful. They are stressed too yet there is no interruption to the service. I’m grateful for their reliability and willingness to go above and beyond for their community. The easiest way to look after my health and wellbeing is to order Provenance Meals.
“I don’t know how the delivery service providers remain so responsive and helpful. They are stressed too yet there is no interruption to the service. I’m grateful for their reliability and willingness to go above and beyond for their community. ”
While I may not have mastered daily or weekly wellness habits, Provenance’s website describes food in such an appealing and ingredients-focused way that I feel like I’m practicing wellness just by placing my order. The delivery text from Provenance when my order is on its way is consistent and comforting, making my nourishment one less thing to have to think about. And when the Provenance team says they are here to support you, and they really do mean it. I don’t know what I’d do without Sarah and Taylor keeping track of my orders and meal selections.
Aw thank you! That means the world to us that our team has been helpful and you’ve been relying on Provenance to keep you well during this stressful time. Where did your wellness journey start? Was there a turning point in your life when you knew you had to start prioritizing your health?
I may or may not be going insane, but at least I have these Piña Colada Paleo Muffins for breakfast.
One of the reasons staying home has been hard is because I’m more extrovert than introvert. I’m also someone who meets and connects with lots of people for work, so I rarely ate at home before COVID-19 happened. Almost every night of the week I went to cocktail parties, happy hours, panel discussions, launch events, salon dinners, large fundraisers, art events – all of which involved eating and drinking.
That’s how I first met Caroll and learned about Provenance. She was a health coach recommended by others in the neighborhood. I started seeing her because I decided that my lifestyle was unhealthy. The combination of dining out and going out on average five nights a week and traveling (traveling = calories don’t count) was making me uneasy and breaking my body down.
Although it’s called family sized, I may or may not have consumed the nuts in one sitting.
As an extrovert and someone used to socializing on a daily basis, what are you doing to stay connected and gain energy during this time of distancing?
Living alone is nothing but a blessing during the pandemic, but I do miss having people to hug and to socialize with. My friends know that staying home is anathema to my lifestyle. Meals were a perfect and social way to gather friends and make new ones. Food remains a connective tissue in my socially distanced interactions with friends. Neeta drove in from Manhattan and left her husband’s freshly baked bread on my stoop. During a Zoom chat, Logan showed us a mouth watering carrot cake that he baked for Joe. And recently Debbie texted me and Erica a very simple recipe for French onion soup.
Still, in this one human household, cooking big meals for one person is boring and just accentuates my aloneness. Thankfully I have a service like Provenance Meals.
Breakfasts are my favorite – poached eggs and vegetables packed with antioxidants and enzymes I need. Sometimes I get their delicious and pure almond or oat milk with refined sugar-free granola. If not for Provenance, I would start the day with coffee and a cookie. Or three. I’ve also been relying on them for lunches as well and add on bone broth to almost every order to keep my immunity up.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Before ending, any mantras to leave with readers to help them and us get through isolation?
I don’t have any lockdown specific mantras. But my go-to is always “Life’s too short for assholes.” More than ever I think it still applies.
