My Career: Wellness entrepreneur Mandalei Kuhn

Did you always want to be a wellness entrepreneur?
No, as a teen growing up in the 90s “girl power” era, I saw myself as a CEO sitting in some big skyscraper wearing a suit and high heels, bossing people around and being equally feared and respected. As a little girl, I wanted to work in nature with animals. Dr Jane Goodall was my idol, but by my teens, I didn’t feel “fierce femme” enough. So I thought I had to choose a career historically reserved for men.

In college, I studied… law. I went to law school in San Diego.

My most formative work experience was… working for an Irish law firm because it taught me exactly what I did not want for myself and my health.

My first real job was… working as a criminal defence lawyer; it was not for me.

The most invaluable thing I learned early on in my career was… it is very hard to find balance and well-being while having a 9-5 (or worse) job.

My main responsibility in work is to… make sure people are educated about the sacred and historical origins of our cacao product so that the families Magic Earth Cacao supports are represented. Integrity is vital to my work.

Do you have a career mentor or someone you look up to/seek advice from?
Yes, my social media and marketing manager. She is young enough to be my daughter but oh so wise when it comes to conscious mass messaging.

The biggest risk I have taken in my career so far is… quitting my secure job in law and giving up my affordable rent in Dublin to be jobless and essentially homeless. In 2018, I took a leap of faith to leave my job to seek my true purpose. I ended up on a healing journey with the Spirit of the Cacao plant in the Amazon Jungle. It transformed my life, including my long-time struggle to heal my womb space. I felt compelled to bring back what I learned to share with my Irish community. The same year, Magic Earth Cacao was born. Since then, I’ve held hundreds of people in ceremony with cacao, trained over 100 women to facilitate cacao ceremonies and sold over 4,000 pounds of ceremonial-grade cacao in Ireland, Europe and Australia. So the risk paid off!

I wake at… 7am with my 2-year-old.

The first thing I do every morning is… cuddle and kiss my son.

My morning routine is… not at all what I wish it was! Running my own business and WFH with a toddler means I make our cacao, and then we sit down to play with cars and motorcycles. Often we get to choose oracle cards or read books or do yoga… I wish we did more yoga!

I can’t go to work without… a warm ceremonial cacao.

I travel to work by… foot – I work from home.

On an average workday I… do not get out of my pyjamas until lunchtime.

I start my working day at… whenever I can, depending on childcare.

The first thing I do at work is… open Instagram.

I usually spend the first portion of the day… because I have a toddler, I can only work four hours per day on average, so the first part is responding to social media DMs and emails.

I break for lunch at…the end of my work day and usually have a quesadilla with avocado or a quinoa and veggie salad.

The most useful business tool I use every day is… Instagram and Revolut.

I save time by… having a social media/marketing and graphics expert on my team. Many small businesses don’t invest in social media support but I’ve found it invaluable. My connection to my community has increased and it’s made working more fun because I have a creative outlet and input where before, I just had myself.

I rarely get through my working day without… a cup of cacao, of course!

The best part of my day is… waking up to the rising sun, getting soft kisses from my boy and toes licked by our doggy.

The most challenging part of my day is… the morning because I’d love to have that time to myself, to sit with cacao, do yoga, meditate, dance, etc. Instead, I spend it with my toddler, and though I cherish those moments, my energy craves to start the day much slower than a toddler allows.

I know it’s been a good day if… I get to respond to all the Magic Earth Cacao social media DMs and emails, get the house tidied, prepare a healthy dinner and spend time outside in Mother Nature. A sea swim is an absolute necessity too.

I usually end my day at… 10pm, reading a book in bed with a cup of digestive tea.

I switch off from work by… well since I work online and have my toddler nearly full time, I hardly switch off from work, but the beach is my refuge.

Before I go to bed, I’ll… whisper my wishes to the universe and give my gratitude for Mother Earth and this life.

I often prepare for tomorrow by… I don’t prepare! I really should do it but I don’t get time to.

After a long work week, I destress by… meeting up with my girlfriends, going to the beach, swimming in the sea, and eating plenty of high-quality dark chocolate (cacao) treats. The occasional glass of Portuguese green wine these days helps too.

The accomplishment I’m most proud of is… finally letting go of trying to control my life because it was not getting me where I wanted to be. Once I let go and allowed myself to flow with life, Magic Earth Cacao evolved organically into a successful, ethical and conscious business, my soulmate arrived on my doorstep and our child, with zero effort, came not long after.

If you want to get into my line of work, my advice is to… trust your intuition, follow your heart and be willing to spend money to get support. In this life, it’s better to follow your heart and lose than to struggle your whole life, never having experienced what it feels like to truly do what makes your heart happy… even if just for a little bit.

I’m currently working on… building an online subscription membership for Magic Earth Cacao lovers where they can dive into members-only content and join a live session with me every month from wherever I am in the world. You can explore and shop Magic Earth Cacao’s authentic Guatemalan and Peruvian ceremonial cacao at magicearthcacao.com. Do you want to deepen your understanding or learn to work with cacao?

Imagery provided by Mandalei Kuhn. This article was originally published in June 2023.