Mar 28, 2025

Business Insider Allison Ellsworth, the cofounder and chief brand officer of Poppi. Courtesy of Poppi 2025-03-28T09:05:01Z Log in . PepsiCo announced on March 17 that it will acquire prebiotic soda brand Poppi for $1.95 billion. Allison Ellsworth is the cofounder and chief brand officer, and she says she thrives on chaos. She travels often, has no morning routine, and loves shopping and getting her nails done. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Allison Ellsworth , the 37-year-old cofounder and chief brand officer of Poppi based in Austin. It's been edited for length and clarity. Before starting Poppi , I was an independent landman contractor who traveled across the US to run big oil and gas projects. The travel wore on my body. I was tired, my stomach hurt, and I couldn't access good food. I started reading labels and understanding how what you put into your body can affect how you feel. I drank soda my whole life and couldn't find a better option I went to my kitchen one day to create my own soda. I used Stephen, the other cofounder of Poppi, as a guinea pig for my homemade soda. What started in my kitchen grew into a brand we called Mother Beverage, which we launched in 2016. It got us a deal on Shark Tank . After Shark Tank, we underwent a deep rebranding process. The word "mother" was replaced with bright, bold images because we couldn't trademark the name. We changed the name to Poppi and relaunched it in March 2020. My role is chief brand officer, which means I run our creative team and shape the brand and vision. Stephen is the chief product officer. I constantly communicate with my team through text, Microsoft Teams , email, and phone calls — I get over 100 texts and 400 emails daily. Here's what a typical day looks like. Every morning, my three children wake up around 5:45 a.m. My children are 2, 6, and 8. When we get up, it's full-on chaos. Stephen is incredible. If I'm traveling, he'll take care of the kids and let me sleep until 6:30 a.m. I don't have a morning routine. I make lunches, fill water bottles, and get the older two kids ready for school. We put them on their bikes, and they ride themselves to school. I get myself and the baby ready, and then I usually drop him off at day care around 8 a.m. I'm then off to a plane if I'm traveling Travel days are different from typical days. Sometimes, I fly to Boston to speak at Harvard and then to Montreal to meet agencies and shoot content. Then, I hop from Montreal to New York to shoot a live podcast. I try to be super available and work through my flights. I do a lot of speaking, which involves a lot of content creation. Between organic and paid traffic, we have about two billion views on TikTok . I create 50 to 100+ pieces of content every month. When I go to another city, we'll add an extra day for me to shoot content. I'll visit grocery stores, walk up and down the streets, interview people, and shoot trends and commercials. We're the Lakers' official soda, so I became their honorary captain. I then shot content and represented our big launch in October 2024. Ellsworth and her husband, Stephen, at a Lakers game. Courtesy of Poppi If I'm not traveling, I have a 15-minute drive to the office I visit the Austin office five days a week if I'm home. We started as a remote company during the pandemic but now have in-person teams in the East, Central, and West. Poppi grew from two employees to over 200 in four years. There are 20 of us here in Austin. I usually have one-on-one meetings with our team and shoot content in the office. I don't think I've ever taken a formal lunch break I eat my lunch at my desk and while on Zoom, and I don't fear doing a lunch meeting with my mouth open. I strive for and love chaos and busy schedules. I'm a creative person, so I'm very unorganized. If a new initiative arises, I'm usually one of the first to help set the strategy. I get meetings put on my calendar from every department back to back. I have a shared calendar and an executive assistant who helps manage my schedule. I've tried to improve my organization, but if someone sees an hour open on my schedule, they'll fill it. Please help BI improve our Business, Tech, and Innovation coverage by sharing a bit about your role — it will help us tailor content that matters most to people like you. What is your job title? (1 of 2) Entry level position Continue By providing this information, you agree that Business Insider may use this data to improve your site experience and for targeted advertising. By continuing you agree that you accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Thanks for sharing insights about your role. I leave the office around 6 p.m., commute home, and have a family dinner Cooking is one of my favorite things to do. I try to shut my computer when I get home. I'm with my family for at least one hour at night, even if the kids are screaming, running around, and jumping on the tables. I love services like Marley Spoon, where all the ingredients are there and you can make dinner in 20 minutes. If it's a busy week, we'll stop on the way home to get tacos. Our schedule is not so structured that every meal has to be perfectly cooked every night. I include self-care in my schedule I love spending time with my kids. Working out, meditating, reading, or other traditional things people say are not part of my self-care routine. I love rewarding myself with shopping and getting my nails done. My family loves Poppi. My kids have at least two cans a day, and my husband and I probably drink three cans a day. We have a Poppi fridge in our garage, and sometimes, kids in the neighborhood ring our doorbell and ask for a Poppi. We go through 50 to 100 cans a week at our house. After dinner, it's quickly off to baths and bedtime for the kids Ellsworth and her husband, Stephen. Courtesy of Poppi After dinner, we leave the kitchen messy and focus on the kids. We read books, do a puzzle, and try not to turn on the TV. When they go to bed around 8 p.m., we clean up around the house. I then get in bed with a glass of wine, put on a show, and the computer reopens. I read emails, review PowerPoint decks, approve them, and get back to people waiting for me. I'll work for an hour or two while watching TV and then get to bed around 11 p.m. Since I'm a night owl, if I'm in the groove, I'll work until midnight. On average, I get six to seven hours of sleep at most. Then I wake up and do it all over again. Recommended video