The CEO Who's Addicted to Spelling Bee
Juice Press's Michael Karsch shares his morning routine.
As the brand behind some of the world’s finest underwear, we here at Mack Weldon believe that all great days are made in the morning. That’s why we’re excited to partner with our friends at Juice Press on The Mack Morning Smoothie—a remarkably blue beverage featuring banana, almond butter, coconut whipped cream, and other wakeful ingredients. You can try one at any NYC location during the month of March. (Pro tip: Add an espresso shot.)
In keeping with this theme, we thought: Who better to talk to about quality mornings than the CEO of Juice Press himself, Michael Karsch? A longtime hedge fund manager, Karsch bought into the company in 2012.
“I was turning 40 and going on my own health journey,” he recalls. “And I decided I was ready to do something different with my life.”
Over the course of his tenure, Juice Press has vastly expanded its operations, not only through additional brick-and-mortar stores, but also an online market, which ships everything from cold-pressed beet juice to blue spirulina protein powder.
Ahead of our smoothie collab, we caught up with Karsch to see how he goes about starting his day…
First off, Karsch is addicted to Spelling Bee from The New York Times…
He’ll wake up at 3 in the morning to check out the new puzzle. Sometimes, he’ll fall right back asleep, although other times he’ll play for 10 minutes or so. “I kind of consider it my warm-up brain exercise,” he says.
When he actually gets up…
Karsch drinks a Maca shot, often called “Peruvian ginseng,” which is made from a nutrient-dense vegetable from the Andes. (They’re stocked in his fridge, as well as at Juice Press stores.) Then he’ll drink a double espresso or iced coffee while finishing Spelling Bee. “I have to get to Amazing or Genius before I can do anything else for the day.”
From puzzles to meditation…
Karsch has been trying to meditate more using an app called Open. “Even if I’m not in the mood, when I listen for 10 to 12 minutes, I really resonate with what they’re saying.”
The first call of the day: Karsch’s partner in Long Island City…
“He works harder than me, so I always call him just to catch up and show my support.”
Gym + Juice Press…
Before heading into the office, Karsch hits the gym and drinks one of his favorite Juice Press beverages, Game On. “It’s our lemon-lime electrolyte drink. It’s like a healthy Gatorade.”
Parting thoughts on daily productivity…
”There’s productivity in terms of focus, and then there’s productivity in terms of self-discipline, like creating checklists and detail orientation. I find that I’m better at the former rather than the latter. But I have to self-talk a lot. I have to give myself a break in terms of [maintaining] a certain productivity level. If I just keep chipping away at [a problem], it’s going to unlock. You just have to stay with it…
“For me personally, the best form of optimism is continuous learning. Not only does it keep you young, but it’s a very optimistic thing to feel like there’s always that chance that if you keep learning, eventually something good is going to happen.”