Women In Wellness: Anna Chernitskaya of The Ritual Tea On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Jorney Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
I wish someone would have told me that I could have started my business and learned lessons throughout the process to get things done faster vs. waiting to learn every lesson before making decisions.
As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Anna Chernitskaya, Founder of The Ritual Tea.
Anna was raised in Eastern Europe, which came along with many traditions and natural medicines, such as tea treatments and herbs. Upon moving to America, Anna’s body responded to the change in climate and processed foods. As is well known, increases in sugar intake can cause changes in weight. On top of the changes to her body’s wellness, Chernitskaya was diagnosed with chronic tonsilitis. Even though she was prescribed antibiotics, her symptoms persisted. In an attempt to counteract the adversities she was facing in her new environment, Chernitskaya decided to return to her roots. She created teas that used natural ingredients that she had learned the healing qualities of during her childhood. The effects were so positive, the idea snowballed into a business.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
When I first came to America, I gained a lot of weight, and I couldn’t do anything to lose it. I ended up doing intermittent fasting, which was the most impactful for my body. As I started learning about it and putting it to practice, I felt much better.
I then studied at Harvard Business School, which taught me great tools for brainstorming. I realized there are not too many options for what you could drink while fasting. I was also obsessed with buckwheat tea and had been for years before, so I decided to make my own brand!
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
I initially wanted to franchise the brand that I used to order and drink myself, and I asked them several times. They said yes, but they abandoned me. That’s when I found a factory and made my brand, and I’m very pleased I did that!
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The most significant mistake was the only one: I was doing everything so slowly! I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing and because it is my first business I wanted to do everything as perfectly as possible. During the process, I realized I should just start doing and learning as I go because there is no such thing as perfection and if you wait for it, you will never get anything done.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
I hope I will make an impact in the world! It was upsetting to learn how harmful food can be and how pharmaceutical companies will sell medications just to make money. I want people to know that by adding daily rituals, paying attention to what they eat and incorporating fasting, they can create healthier routines and avoid future health problems. Obesity is a huge problem in the United States and with fasting some diseases obesity causes can be avoided. Self control when it comes to eating is the hardest thing especially when you’re used to eating and snacking a lot. That’s why drinking hot tea can help you to reduce your calories intake .It’s a small tool, but it made a huge difference in my life.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
Intermittent Fasting: The biggest lifestyle tweak I believe people should make is incorporating intermittent fasting into their routines. I fast for 36 hours on Mondays and it makes me feel superhuman! I feel so great afterwards and it rejuvenates the whole body.
Reducing Alcohol: Additionally, I think reducing alcohol intake is important and since I’ve started doing that I have more energy than I ever had before.
Drinking Tea: I recommend drinking our buckwheat tea after each meal because it helps to reduce your craving to eat something sweet. When I started cutting out sugar, it made a huge difference in my health and well being. Don’t get me wrong, I have a sweet tooth and still eat sweets on occasion, but try to minimize it as much as possible. The Ritual Tea has definitely made a huge difference in my life — I just celebrated a birthday and I feel like I look better now than I did years ago, which is a great gift that I gave myself!
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
The movement I would start is to get everyone to eat dinner early! I hate having late dinners and I think eating earlier helps improve sleep quality and sleeping is extremely important for everyone!
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
I wish someone would have told me that I could have started my business and learned lessons throughout the process to get things done faster vs. waiting to learn every lesson before making decisions.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Definitely mental health! I like to think that I’m mentally strong ,but unfortunately my father’s death made me emotionally weak and I couldn’t do anything about it. I started going to a therapist, but it didn’t help me as I hoped it would have..Then I went to Tony Robbins platinum group and it was a big wake up call for me that brought me back to life. After my experience with that group, I got a life coaching license because I want to help the people around me. I truly believe in the importance of organization especially when it comes to your life and having a ritual everyday helps achieve your goals and make you feel so much better and happier!
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
You can follow my IG page and visit our website — http://theritualteacompany.myshopify.com. I love to talk about different ways of fasting and provide healthy tips!
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
