Kara Goldin is the founder of Hint — the brand known for its leading unsweetened flavored water. But before Hint became a household name, it was just an idea in her kitchen. In 2004, the former AOL exec had three kids under the age of 4. She was drinking 10 diet sodas a day, and found she had no energy, was 45 pounds overweight, and struggled with acne. One day, she cut diet soda out of her life completely, and switched to water with a bit of fruit to keep it interesting. Three months later, her acne was gone, she’d lost 40 pounds, and she was bursting with energy — which she channeled into turning her not-boring but still healthy beverage into a business.  

At every stage, her life at home and her passion for disrupting the beverage industry fueled each other. She stocked her first products on the shelves the day she had her 4th child. Her kids sold early cases of Hint in the driveway. Her family stocked palettes in the garage, and delivered orders in their Jeep. And Kara and her husband Theo Goldin worked together to grow the company, as CEO and COO.  

For this conversation, we’re in Kara’s home in Marin County, California, talking about finding humor in things that are hard, what her kids learned from watching their parents launch Hint, and how big moments in Kara’s work and personal life tended to happen all at the same time. Make Yourself at Home with Kara Goldin.

Check out Kara's book, Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters, and listen to her podcast, The Kara Goldin Show.

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Other guests on Make Yourself at Home include Bess Freedman (Brown Harris Stevens), Frédéric Fekkai (FEKKAI), Adrian Grenier (Earth Speed Media, DuContra Ventures), Danielle Canty (Bossbabe),  Greg Davidson (Lalo), Kate Torgersen (Milk Stork), Loren Brill (Sweet Loren’s) and more. 

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Make Yourself at Home is hosted by Kristin Twiford and presented by Nines, the household management app designed to help you manage your home and everything that comes with it, so you can live with ease. Learn more at ninesliving.com.