Sakara Life Wants to Help Everyone From Your Neighbor to Runway Models
At some point in every womanās life, sheās stood in the mirror and wondered why she didnāt look a certain way. Be it skin issues or not reaching the unachievable standards set for women, itās almost impossible not to fall victim to this mindset. Whitney Tingle and Danielle DuBoise, founders of Sakara Life, were no different. ā[Sakara Life] didnāt start out as a business, it really started as a solution to our own needs,ā Danielle explained.
As childhood friends, Danielle moved to New York to study medicine, and Whitney made the move after she finished college to work on Wall Street. āWhitney and I hit rock bottom right around the same time,ā Danielle said. Having struggled with severe, cystic acne since she was young, Whitney tried everything from lasers and antibiotics to cutting out foods with no relief. She was hopeful that New York, a city filled with top doctors and dermatologists would provide her with what she needed to rid her of the painful acne, only to find the same answers she was given before. āShe just felt like no one was helping her get to the root cause and that was really her lowest low,ā Danielle said.
Around that same time, Danielle, who struggled with her body image, hit her low as well. āI remember being 9 years old and trying to hide diet pills in the cart at Costco when I was shopping with my mom,ā she explained.
āI had been informed by those around me and culture and magazines that I didnāt look like I should in a way that manifested over the years to come and I [started to rely] on diets. It was never really about my nutrition or my health; it was really about my waistline.ā
Before she was about to graduate, Danielle decided to participate in a 21-day-long retreat in Arizona that included a one-week water fast, followed by eating only raw foods for the duration. After she returned, doctors diagnosed her with gut issues, pneumonia, and a weakened immune system. āThat was really my āah-haā moment where I just realized that I was so willing to go to these extremes because of this body I thought I had to have or that I didnāt have,ā she said. āI had strayed so far from this idea that food is nourishment and food is medicine.ā Although she studied medicine, no one required her to take a nutrition classāso she changed paths and shifted her focus.
Doing so gave Danielle a chance to dive deep into gut health and the powerful role of the microbiome. This bacteria impacts everythingāhormones, energy, even how many calories you absorb from food. āThe way to eat for a healthy gut and microbiome is to get as many fresh plants into your diet every single day. Also to get a variety of color, which means a variety of nutrients,ā Danielle explained. Inspired by these findings, Danielle and Whitney created meal plans for each other rooted in this science. That experiment laid the foundation for what would become Sakaraās nine pillars of nutrition.
After just two weeks, they started to see results.
āIt was the first time in 12 years that [Whitneyās] skin finally started to clear after trying so many things. And for me, my transition was realizing I spent a lifetime counting calories and carbs. I was always worrying about what not to eat. Really the solution was I needed to focus on what I should eat.ā
After seeing real results, Whitney and Danielle couldnāt keep it to themselvesāthey shared everything with their friends. Naturally, their friends wanted in too. Once word spread, they found themselves with several clients eager to try the plan. Thatās when they realized something crucial: people didnāt just want recipesāthey needed ready-to-eat meals. Convenience mattered just as much as quality, and this insight shaped the next phase of their business.
āWe decided to try and make it a business but had no idea what we were doing. Not to mention we were really broke. We threw a dinner party and we sold tickets that raised about $700…thatās really how we got started,ā Danielle recalled.
Once word got out, Sakara Life took off. āIf you create a product that really changes lives, it spreads like wildfire,ā Danielle said. And spread it did! Organically reaching celebrities like Lily Aldridge, the company grew from the founders cooking in their kitchen in 2012 to now employing 100 people and delivering to all 48 continental states. āWe deliver fresh so nothing is frozen. Everything has to look beautiful, it has to taste really good and it has to deliver results,ā she said.
In just three to five days, your skin starts glowing and the bloat begins to fadeāhello, visible transformation. Stick with it for three weeks, and youāll feel a lasting biological and social shift thatās hard to ignore. The best part? No calorie counting. No guilt. Just pure, plant-based nourishment and the promise of real results. Sakara Life simply asks for your trustāand judging by their loyal fanbase, theyāve clearly earned it.
āItās really a personal journey. For me, the empowering part of this journey is [that] food is supposed to make you feel better, not worse,ā Danielle said. āWe invite you to get to know your body a little bit better and really learn how to listen.ā
Model Fit:Ā Victoriaās Secret model Lily Aldridge was one of Sakaraās first clients!
Cheat Day:Ā āWe donāt really believe in cheating. We believe you are what you do the majority of the time. Now thereās no guilt. If I want French fries and a martini Iām gonna have it.ā
R&D:Ā Sakara Lifeās research and development process takes three to six months from the time a recipe is thought of to when it hits the rotation. It has to go through nutritional testing and delivery testing as well.
Local Insight: Sakara Life is sanskrit for ātaking form.ā
Written By: Chelsea Raineri
Photography Provided By: Sakara Life
Born and raised in Orange County, Chelsea is a local through and through. A true foodie at heart, you can find Chelsea face first in a grilled cheese or in line for the latest food craze. A Magna Cum Laude graduate from Chapman University, she is excited to bring her passion for writing, editing, and all things trendy to Locale Magazine.
