Meghan Markle has sat down with the co-founder of an exclusive coffee brand that was her first business venture away from the Royal Family in 2020.
The Duchess of Sussex discussed moving away from the UK and leadership with the entrepreneur whose company boasts the promotion of “superfoods” in their expensive blends.
Meghan invited her business partner and Clevr Blends boss Hannah Mendoza onto her Confessions of a Female Founder podcast, marking five years since she put her faith in the company.
In their discussion, the pair delved into the often-lonely struggle of being at the head of a “team” and the importance of sharing a “stream of consciousness with someone who understands it”.
The Duchess of Sussex spoke to the coffee entrepreneur on her podcast.
Clevr Blends
Mendoza, 33, grew up in Buckinghamshire the daughter of a wealthy businessman but moved to the US at the ageof 18.
The entrepreneur conceded that she “never really found my people” in the UK but celebrated her move stateside as the “biggest and most transformative decision of my life”.
“So, you're having this experience in school, you're feeling like maybe you don't necessarily fit in, but at the same time – as I learned – you were entrepreneurial then - even at seven or eight,” Meghan observed.
Both waxed about the great pull they felt towards their beloved California, with the Duchess revealing: “When my plane touched down at LAX and I was going back and forth when I was filming (Suits) in Toronto for a long time… I would always hear Joni Mitchell's 'California, I'm coming home' every single time in my head, and I would just go, 'I'm home!'”
Meghan discussed leaving the UK with Mendoza
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Prompting the businesswoman to share more of her story once she got “on the other side on the pond,” Meghan asked how Mendoza adapted to the “different vibe and energy around you” and “seeing the world through a different lens” in the US.
Mendoza reflected on the “life-changing” freedom she experienced and that she “felt what it felt like to actually feel good in my body”.
They also delved into the often-lonely struggle of being at the head of a “team” and the importance of sharing a “stream of consciousness with someone who understands it”.
Speaking on weathering difficult days, Meghan celebrated the “sisterhood and that understanding” that “every day is not going to be the same. Some days are going to be harder to show up as your best and shiniest self”.
The pair discussed the difficulties of remaining strong while leading a team
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“Maybe on that day something really painful happened in your real life, but for your team, that is not how you show up. You can't,” she reflected.
The Duchess stressed the sometimes-difficult task of being a “cheerleader” for her team and the need to keep ant “self-doubt” out of her communications with them.
“I had a moment last week where I thought 'oh my gosh, who can I ladder up to?' I made a phone call and I said 'Is this going to work, is this actually going to work?' But I had that self-doubt. You can't bring self-doubt to your team that's junior to you,” she insisted.
“They have to believe in, as you said, what you're creating and the vision and how you hold the line. But you still have to be able to have someone who you can go to to be human and say 'I don't know, can you just tell me that this makes sense?’
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The Duchess featured in an advert for Clevr Blends in 2023
Clevr Blends
“Thankfully my partner said: 'Are you joking? We're so energised. This is amazing,’” the Duchess added.
Even still, Meghan explored the difficulties of having “so much exposure” and that “whatever I put out in the world will have so much attention.”
Clevr Blends is based in Santa Barbara near Markle and Prince Harry's £11million Montecito mansion and boasts a huge range of usual varieties of coffees and iced teas - which they sell for £21.70 per bag.
Meghan featured in an advert for the exclusive brand in 2023.
