My name is: Lopa van der Mersch.

My stomping ground is: Boulder, Colorado.

I’m known for being: CEO and founder of Rasa.

I’m talking about: How we nurture our energy and the powerful health boosting benefits of adaptogens.

You can find it at: wearerasa.com.

Before I launched this, I was: A co-founder in two climate tech companies, and senior advisor to Richard Branson’s Carbon War Room.

My interest was sparked when: I started pondering our culture’s unquestioned addiction to coffee and stimulants, and connecting that to burnout culture.

What inspired me to start this was: I started Rasa after many years studying Ayurveda and learning about the power of herbs. I'd had a monumentally stressful year (one for the record books!), and then had my first baby. Drinking coffee made me feel like garbage, and I needed something that filled my energy reserves. I knew adaptogens would help, so I partnered with an herbalist to help me formulate the product. The rest is history!

The idea behind it is: One of the many meanings of the Sanskrit word rasa is essence—and everything we offer is to help you nourish and energize your body to live in your fullest, most vital essence of self. We have eight adaptogenic coffee alternatives and herbal blends, an adaptogenic non-dairy creamer, plus our brand new Magnificent Mushrooms, a potent blend of six mushrooms to add in to your Rasa or other foods. All of which help you energize—and human—better. Fewer jitters, more sustained energy.

What makes it different is: Several things! First and foremost—it works. We use incredibly functional doses of incredibly functional adaptogens and you can feel the difference. Our line is formulated by our chief herbalist (and co-founder) Ben LeVine with an obsessive focus on sourcing the best herbs, formulating the most effective product and still having it taste really freaking good. We’re also woman-owned (oh, hey!) and a Public Benefit Corporation.

Our secret ingredient is: While we use over 50 incredible herbs, I’d say our secret ingredient is our passion for herbs, overall. We have such deep reverence for plants, and we formulate our products from a deep place of herbal integrity.

My favorite lesser-known detail is: You can blend our products! I love blending Super Happy Sunshine with Calm, and there are constant blend iterations being shared amongst the team. Some other faves are Cacao + Dirty = Mocha and Bold + Wellderberry = Bolderberry. 

It’s especially important to boost our health right now because: We live in a time when so many of us are depleted energetically and physically. Fortifying our systems with herbs and adaptogens is a way to help us deal with the stressors of being a human during this draining time.

My favorite new ritual for self-care is: I practice an ancient Indian martial art called kalari, and my daily practice has been nothing short of transformative, on every level. And, of course, I finish my practice with a frothy, hot cup of Rasa. My favorite for post-practice is Golden Chai, as it really helps with exercise recovery!