Water Cooler Chat | Nichole Powell

Welcome to our new interview series, Water Cooler Chat. We speak with athletes, founders, and hydration enthusiasts on all things hydrating.

First up is Nichole Powell, the founder of Kinfield. If you’re not already familiar, you’re in for an amazing discovery. Kinfield makes clean, plant-based mosquito repellent and other products geared towards spending time in the great outdoors. So naturally we are super fans! 

Nichole also happens to be a secret hydration master. Spend just half an hour with her and you’ll see why. She never leaves home without her Nalgene water bottle and drinks a whopping 72 ounces of water per day. #goals.  

Read on to find out how she manages her A+ hydration routine, what she does when no one’s watching to fight Zoom fatigue, and more!

Show us an image of what hydration means to you.

Hydration means fueling both body and spirit, which I was doing while drinking water on my hike to this gorgeous flower field.

Q: You are a queen of the outdoors! Why does the great outdoors mean so much to you?

A: I love the outdoors because of how it makes me feel — it’s the happiest, simplest version of myself. It’s a place where you can run, play, reflect, explore, whatever your body and spirit need, and studies have shown that fresh air and sunshine (even as little as 15 minutes!) have real mental, physical, and emotional benefits. Making those benefits accessible to all is one of the main reasons that I started my brand, Kinfield, to give everyone the clean skin and body care products they need to make the most of the great outdoors. 

Q: Your skin is so good that you have an entire article in The Cut about it. How does hydration impact your skin?

A: Hydration is the key to all of it! My skin rivals the Sahara desert most days, so keeping it in good spirits requires multiple forms of hydration. I usually drink 72 ounces of water and liquids per day at a minimum (very important), have a humidifier on as I sleep (bonus: white noise!), and rely on a lot of really lovely, moisturizing products as well. 

Q: How are you movin’ and groovin’ these days? In other words, exercising!

A: I stay mentally sound through a combination of long walks and meditation as often as I remember to. Physical fitness for me is just about whatever makes my body feel good — during quarantine, that’s meant a lot of weekend hikes, yoga with Erin Gilmore, and these really bright, fun dance-cardio-strength classes with my favorite instructor, Dani Parker (Alive with Dani). Sometimes I can’t bring myself to open another Zoom, so I just put on good music as loud as possible and dance around. It’s ridiculous and so fun.

Q: Does hydrating come naturally to you or do you have to remind yourself? 

A: I will drink whatever is in front of me without really thinking about it, so I’ll stay hydrated as long as I have a water bottle on me. I recently got a gigantic 64 oz Hydro Flask and that’s made staying hydrated so much easier! I also love things like Cure for after a workout or meeting to boost me back up to my usual super-hydrated state. 

Q: What happens to you when you’re dehydrated? 

A: If I get dehydrated to the point of being thirsty, I will stop a meeting until I can get something to sip on. Hydration keeps our minds and bodies working the way they should! Being dehydrated makes it harder to think clearly, and it takes a toll on my skin, too. 

Q: Aside from not drinking water, what dehydrates you most?

A: Not having my humidifier on. Traveling, especially on airplanes. Artificial heat. The mere thought of Minnesota winters (where I grew up). 

Q: Do you have any rituals around drinking water that make it feel more special? 

A: Yes! I love my gallon-sized Hydro Flask for keeping tabs on how much water I’m consuming in a day — I’ll fill it first thing in the morning and then use that water for all my beverages throughout the day, so I know how much I’ve taken in. I realize this is almost a cliche at this point, but I really do love warm water with lemon first thing in the morning, and otherwise I always have a glass and my huge water bottle with me so I can do flavored beverages like Cure or just some mint throughout the day.

Q: Here at Cure, we’re pretty passionate about water. Some might say we’re obsessed. One of your core products at Kinfield is called Waterbalm. Is it safe to say you have a similar love affair?

A: It’s truly a match made in heaven. I can’t get enough!

Water Lightning Round⚡️

Favorite body of water to swim in? The Pacific.

Sparkling or still? Still.

Iced, hot, or room temperature? Room temp !!!!! Runner up: hot, with iced being such a distant third that it’s in the next article. 

Salt or springwater? Spring.