Meet Denise Gilmore-McPherson | Co-Founder, SimplyBetterCo, LLP

We had the good fortune of connecting with Denise Gilmore-McPherson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Denise, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
The journey to finding balance in life hasn’t always been easy for Denise Gilmore-McPherson, Co-Founder of SimplyBetterCo, LLP. “I think it was about five years ago when I was hit with several bouts of anxiety. I wasn’t someone who had actually felt anxiety in my body prior to that year so it caught my attention rather abruptly. At the time I was working full-time advancing in my marketing career and I was involved in a handful of projects and small businesses on the side. Being that I hadn’t really dealt with anxiety in the past, I became uncomfortable with these feelings of anxiety and began to assess what may have been causing these issues. Over the course of a few months, I noticed that my anxiety was stronger while I was engaging in certain activities that I’d committed to and when thinking about my commitments overall. In short, I was overcommitted, had too many obligations, and was dealing with new levels of stress tied to the responsibilities that I’d agreed to. My life was completely out of balance and I didn’t even know it.”

Denise shared that she ended up coming up with a new motto that genuinely changed how she approachs commitments and responsibilities to this day. “My motto is to proactively eliminate responsibilities, get comfortable saying no, and to only commit if I was 100% sure the commitment wouldn’t disrupt my boundaries and throw my schedule/life out of balance. To this day, I honor this self-imposed boundary that has allowed me to create more balance in my day-to-day life to every single decision whether I’m agreeing to go to brunch with friends on the weekend, take a trip home to see family, or take on a new demanding project.”

“We envision women living more intentionally and honoring their body, mind, and soul’s need for rest. Balance should be at the top of all of our to-do lists,” said Denise Gilmore-McPherson, Co-Founder of BetternessBox.

This lesson of intentionally creating balance is really at the core of what we do at BetternessBox. We are firm believers that we as individuals need to create routines and practices that allow for balance in our lives. With all that we are each managing in our daily lives, we look at balance as a necessity these days. The funny part is that if you as an individual do not value balance and proactively navigate life in a way that allows for balance, you may just be in a state where you’ve normalized imbalance and don’t even know what living a balanced life looks like and feels like for you. Having good life balance can lead to many positive outcomes such as better energy and mood, better work performance, mental clarity, better relationships, and several personal benefits like rejuvenated motivation. Without proper rest and instilling boundaries around work, family, situations, obligations, and relationships, you can find yourself spending most of your time in a state of extreme fatigue with deflated energy and a calendar full of commitments. The need for balance in the lives of women was certainly one of the driving forces behind creating BetternessBox. Each season, BetternessBox sends a self-care kit to your doorstep that we hope encourages women to take themselves off the back-burner and prioritize their self-care.

“Gone are the days of women dismissing themselves and their desires. That mindset ends here. Who we are and what we are achieving gives us an opportunity to live balanced and full lives,” says Kala Garner, Co-Founder of BetternessBox.

What should our readers know about your business?
Some say doing business with friends is a bad idea. However, for two perfectionist-recovering sorority sisters that met in college over a decade ago, they are proving the old adage philosophy wrong. Kala and Denise met as juniors at San Diego State University while becoming members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. The two California natives found overlapping interests with their passion to support and inspire others in reaching their full potential. Out of a burning desire to create an authentic space for radical growth and empowerment for women, BetternessBox was born.

Founded in 2018, BetternessBox was created with the intention to inspire women to live a life entrenched in better wellness—one day at a time. When it comes to being a corporate queen, entrepreneur, or even a new mom, Black women are making moves and thriving through a worldwide pandemic, protests, and politics.

Each quarter of the year, the thoughtfully curated box features a wellness book and up to six premium, handpicked wellness, fitness or beauty items from predominantly Black-owned and women-owned businesses. Items include the newest and most in-demand beauty and body care products, candles, affirmation cards, tea, fitness gear and MORE! Along with the curated box, subscribers also get access to a #BetterVibes playlist, a monthly book club, Sister Circle, a supportive community of other sisters on the same path, and enhanced programming that really taps into the essence of each BetternessBox.

For more information about the next upcoming box or to learn more about the BetternessBox community, visit www.betternessbox.com.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We are located between Dallas and Chicago so when we get together in Dallas, we absolutely love to eat good food. Some of our faves are Velvet Taco, V-Eats and Roots Southern Table!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We’d like to thank every single one of our customers for trusting us as we continue to build our community and evolve our business model to suit their self-care needs. We’d also like to thank each of our clients and vendors for partnering with us over the past four years as we continually work to optimize our client and partner solutions.

Website: https://www.betternessbox.com/shopnow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betternessbox/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/74088807/admin/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/betternessbox

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betternessbox

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCItbg56LS6FU0pTf1xQOunw

Image Credits
Portraits by I’sha Gaines