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In her former life as a New York fashion publicist and executive for luxury brands, Celia Chen was driving herself into the ground, she says. “Two-martini lunches were glamorous, but no one was thriving.”
She spent a lot of time on planes, until she finally landed in Venice, California in 2017. There, she discovered an alternative to the unrelenting NYC pace including powerful tools such as somatic therapy and blood sugar regulation. This led her to found Chenessa and pull together everything she did in her C-suite roles but now applied to health optimization, including consulting for wellness brands, coaching private clients and speaking at corporate events.
On her Substack In the Pink, she writes about hormones and sleep, among other longevity tools. Chen advises clients how to optimize not just their bloodwork, but their daily joy. Discover how she spends her Sundays.
Morning Routine, Dialed In
I’m not a morning person, so I get up around 8am—same time every day. Your body likes its circadian rhythm and craves consistency. You don’t want to give yourself jet lag by getting up at 7am Monday through Friday and then sleeping late on the weekend. Plus, if you go to bed at 2am, you’re missing your deep sleep.
My morning routine is dialed in. If you talk to high performers, their mornings are on auto pilot. First, I drink a full glass of water and try not to touch my phone. If you start your day scrolling, it hijacks dopamine for the rest of the day.
Lotsa Matcha
Then I make my matcha. It’s my ritual, I love the bright green matcha. I use half hot water and half either cashew or almond or coconut milk, all frothed and warm. I add collagen, which is good for joints, skin and hair. I use creatine since I’m on a muscle building journey and it’s great for cognition. I also add a few drops of stevia or monk fruit, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. I also have a bread box, but it’s full of supplements, not bread.
My matcha is my favorite thing. It’s important to start your morning with a ritual that gives you enjoyment. I have a little terrace in LA—outdoor space is the best—there’s cacti and a daybed. I drink my matcha out there in my PJs without sunglasses to get a little natural light in my eyes; it’s a gentle way to start the day.
I’ve been journaling for 5 years. Putting pen to paper, even if it’s 5 words like a to-do list, is so good for the brain. By this point I’ve picked up the phone. Let’s be real, we’re all a little addicted to the phone.
The Market Calls
The Santa Monica farmers’ market is a non-negotiable for me, and I’m one of those New Yorkers in LA who doesn’t have a car, so I walk there. For me, Sunday is a day to get new ideas, so I’ll listen to a podcast, like my friend Yasmin Nouri Behind Her Empire, or Hillary Kerr’s Second Life pod. Then I’ll come home and arrange flowers and make a beautiful brunch at home.
I find pleasure in small daily things; a sunset, an arrangement of flowers, a plate of beautiful food, applying body oil after a bath, slowing down, getting off this dopamine rollercoaster where everything has to be a hair-on-fire, peak experience.
Packing Protein
I love food, it’s pleasure, it’s medicine, it calms me down, it’s information, it feeds all our cells, giving us good or bad energy. I’ll have prepped chia pudding in the fridge and add fresh berries from the market, or I’ll do some kind of egg or fish situation for protein. I buy fresh produce like little gems or radicchio and make a monster salad with five to eight plants in as many different colors as possible. Then I add a piece of salmon or soft scramble or frittata for protein.
Organizing the Chaos
Sundays, I declutter. I put on music, open my doors, dance around my apartment, the plants get nourished too, I water everything and clean up my fridge. I wish I were a consistently neat person; I’m more organized chaos.
The brain can only absorb so much information. Scientifically, clutter makes it hard to organize thoughts. My brain is going a million miles a minute; decluttering reflects order and peace; it helps me feel calmer in my body. I think about what I’m excited to post on my Substack.
I try things like red light masks and I just got an electric hand dynamometer for grip strength; you squeeze as hard as you can. Grip strength is an important indicator of longevity.
Optimizing Life
I work in optimization, which means I’m trying to optimize everything, give you minutes back in your morning, sneak in protein so you can feel more vibrant, or find ways to spend less money. There’s something about wellness, constantly telling us to do more and more. Sometimes the best way to optimize is to just have less and do less. Like a capsule wardrobe, you’re reducing the number of decisions your brain has to make.
At the End of the Day…
The reason we optimize our lives is to have more joy. All we want is to continue to do the things we love for years. I’m that crazy biohacker who loves the metrics on my Oura ring, my HRV [heart rate variability], my CGM [continuous glucose monitor]. I’ve improved all of those metrics. I can tell because flowers are more beautiful to me, food tastes better, my skin looks better, I laugh more and have more energy. Those are the biomarkers that really matter.
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