We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah Minardi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
My definition of ‘balance’ has evolved a lot over the years. I’m not really focused on being ‘balanced’ as my goal. Balance at any stage in life is not really possible. I try to keep my priorities in check always, and then anything else is subject to ebb and flow with the season. As life goes on, we don’t have more opportunity to be ‘more balanced’ I think that life increasingly becomes more full. With new businesses, kids, etc. So I think the key is to not stress about having a perfect balance, but rather keeping the main things, the main things and especially when you have a start up. You have to be willing to get done what needs to get done at any time.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I was raised between the amazing central coast of California and the islands of Hawaii, until I moved to Los Angeles, initially for University. 

Quickly after moving to this city, I had the opportunity to be apart of a lot of fast growing brands that shaped my career. In 2018, I entered the world of consulting and founded With Seven as a socially conscious consulting firm working with impact-driven brands both large and start-up sized such as Nike, Waterdrop, Hop Wtr, Hiyo, Hot Pilates and others that speak to today’s generation of conscious consumers. I drew on this extensive consulting experience when partnering with my Co-Founders (Austin Wiberg & Adarsh Reddy) to develop our skincare and self care line Standard Self Care (StandardSelfCare.com), which we launched in 2022. We all joined forces to formulate Standard Self Care, a streamlined personal care line that focuses on product efficacy & ingredient transparency above all else. It wasn’t always an easy journey, we dealt with a A COVID-delayed launch.

The Standard Self Care team started developing products long before they were finally able to launch in 2022. Initially, they were aiming to launch in 2020, but when COVID hit, their plans were halted. Instead of sitting around waiting for the world to reopen, they took the pandemic as an opportunity to go “back to the drawing board and perfect our products.” They dove back into development and asked trusted friends to test new iterations of their products. In the end, Hannah explains, “We completely redid some of [the products] to make sure they were exactly what we wanted, and I’m so happy that we did.”

Once their new formulas were locked in, they faced yet another COVID-related hurdle: they couldn’t get their hands on packaging. At this point, all they could do was wait. “We were ready to launch about a year and a half before we actually did,” Hannah explains. This waiting period was one of the hardest moments for their business, but it also taught them a lesson. “It forced us to think about how we are creating our operations to make sure we can scale when the time is right. It made us get all of our ducks in a row sooner than we might have otherwise to ensure this wouldn’t happen again.” Once their packaging was finally secured, Standard Self Care launched with three products – a cleansing balm, moisturizer, and eye cream – in 2022.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ve shared my city guide once before but here’s my updated guide:

The day would start with some kind of movement. A few of my LA favorites:

Morning Hike: Los Liones, Temescal Canyon
Pilates: Burn Collective, Megaformer
HIIT Workout: Barry’s, Boxing
Yoga: Sweat Yoga, Heated Room, Hot 8

Breakfast Spots: Ella Beverly Hills, Bardonna in Santa Monica, Proper Hotel
Best Matcha: Community Goods in WeHo
Casual Lunch: Tangaroa in Culver City
Dinner: Market Venice, Madeo, Ella Beverly Hills, or Casa Madera
Takeout: Goop Kitchen & head to the bluffs in the Palisades for dinner

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?
My Grandparents! They are two people in my life who provide constant inspiration. With every year that goes by, they are my inspiration for business, relationships, wellness and mindset. They are both from Hawaii and we talk on the phone almost every day. On our daily calls, my Grandpa reminds me that each day is a gift. I’ve never called him and heard of him having a bad day. When I ask him how his day is, he always has the same response, “Hannah, it’s always a good day”. Not because he doesn’t deal with anything hard but he chooses to look at every day as an opportunity. It encourages me to pick that outlook as well. And my Puna (Grandma in Hawaiian) is the most youthful and elegant woman. Each year she’s our workout and wellness buddy. We love to pick new workouts and the current season has been Pilates and morning ocean swims.

Website: Standardselfcare.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/hannahminardi

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahminardi

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.