Today’s CEOs are facing innumerable challenges: a global pandemic and a sea change in how and where employees want to show up for work, just to name a few. For leaders, the pressure has never been higher. How do they mitigate it? In our new series, we ask executives about their day-to-day wellness habits to gain insight into the tactics they use to minimize stress and maintain their well-being.
Nick Green is co-founder and CEO of Thrive Market, a membership-based online platform that makes healthy living easier and more accessible. Since launching in 2014, Thrive Market has grown to more than 1 million paying members. Green lives in Venice, CA with his wife and their three children.
Coffee or tea? And what do you put in it?
Both. I mix it up, both for variety and to keep my caffeine intake in check. When I’m drinking coffee, I’m a fan of the classic pour over, typically with our Thrive Market regeneratively grown coffee beans. When I’m on tea, I go for an organic pu-erh tea by Numi. I think it’s the best tasting hot beverage on the planet—no milk or sweetener required.
What is your go-to breakfast?
Just the above.
Tell us about your workout routine.
I like to work out first thing in the morning. I aim for five days a week and alternate between a HIIT routine at Barry’s Bootcamp here in Venice (my “hard” day) and a 30-minute run around our neighborhood on my recovery days.
How many hours do you sleep on a typical night?
I try to be in bed by 11 p.m. and up by 6 a.m. How much of that time I’m actually asleep though, depends on our kids. With three under 5, every night is an adventure!
How do you de-stress?
No secrets here: sleep, diet, and exercise are the keys for me. At any given time, I’m usually doing pretty well on two out of the three, which seems to keep me in good shape stress-wise. Over the last few years, I’ve also gotten into hot-cold therapy. I installed a barrel sauna and an ice bath on the balcony of our bedroom and try to do 20 minutes hot and 5 minutes cold two to three times per week.
According to your phone, what’s your daily average screen time from last week?
3 hours and 19 minutes.
What app do you use the most?
Top five in order: Message (6h 11m), Kindle (2h 32m), Gmail (2h 12m) Safari (1h 55m), Google Maps (1h 38m).
When’s the last time you took a day off? What did you do?
I used to do a few hours of work both days of the weekend, but since having kids, I’ve started to consistently take Saturdays off. I still use Sunday afternoons to get ahead of the week, but taking Saturdays to relax and be completely present with my family has become a non-negotiable.
What's one thing your company is doing to prioritize employee wellness?
Making sure every employee is also a Thrive Market member. The day they join the company, every employee gets a free membership, plus a code for extra savings.
What’s your favorite treat?
I’m a big cacao fan. It started out with dark chocolate, but now I will actually munch on our Thrive Market organic cacao nibs throughout the day. They are loaded with flavonoids and other micronutrients and while their bitterness is definitely an acquired taste, I now crave them even more than I did dark chocolate.
Show us a photo of your happy place.
