Today’s Meet a Mom is a local mom that balances more than I can imagine! Megan Pepitone is a local mom of 2 girls who works full time as an employee benefits consultant, is the owner (along with her husband) of Clean Juice The Woodlands, is the Area Developer for Clean Juice for Texas & Louisiana, AND she is a consultant for Beautycounter, a partner with JuicePlus, and recently joined up with QSciences. Megan and her husband, Nick, opened up Clean Juice The Woodlands in 2019 – what’s special about Clean Juice is that it uses ONLY USDA-certified organic ingredients which is not the case for most juice bars. They offer Cold Pressed and Fresh Pressed Juice, Smoothies, Acai Bowls, Toasts, Wraps, Green Bowls (salads inclusive of quinoa) and Wellness Shots. After opening Clean Juice, Megan’s eyes were opened to overall health and wellness, so teaming up with Beautycounter, JuicePlus, and QSciences (hemp products) since then has felt natural and fitting.
Check out Megan’s Meet a Mom interview below to learn more about the inspiration for opening Clean Juice The Woodlands, what sets Clean Juice apart from other juice bars, her other business endeavors, and, of course, mom life! Plus, make sure to read to the bottom, for an exclusive NHM’s discount!
Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in the North Houston area?
Before moving to The Woodlands as a kid in 1996, I lived in Highland Ranch, Colorado and was born in Medina, OH. I never thought after leaving “The Bubble” that I’d want to come back, but 8 years in Houston post-college and with #2 on the way – it seemed like a good idea for our family. Turns out it was the BEST decision ever!
How many kiddos do you have and how old are they?
We have Isabella, 5, and Mia, 3.
What are your favorite local things to do? (with kiddos or just for mom)
Wow. When I am asked that, it is hard to pinpoint! We move so fast all the time that currently, we have loved going to Cineopolis as a family. We feel that it gives us a good chance to wind down and relax. We also like walking to many of the parks in the area, one of our favorite things about The Woodlands.
As hard as it is to find the time, what’s something you do just for yourself?
Crossfit at Crossfit Salute in Spring – I wouldn’t say it’s just for me, because it is helping with the longevity of my life; however it is the best way to start my day at 5AM.
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
I was a Division 1 college basketball player at Tulane University! And, my full time job is actually in Insurance. I have been an Employee Benefits Consultant for 12 years at Unum. I promote a lot of the wellness (what I eat, workouts, etc) on my social media pages because I truly believe that if people became in charge of their own health, they’d actually see lower health insurance premiums and medical costs. Of course, that’s just ONE benefit to being healthy, but so many overlook that actual bottom dollar cost.
When did you open the door to Clean Juice The Woodlands and what was the inspiration behind this business?
We opened the doors in April 2019. We moved to The Woodlands (back for me) in November 2017. I was 8 months pregnant with our second, Mia, in November and was looking for some fresh pressed and cold pressed juice nearby. Unfortunately, there were no options within 25 minutes and they weren’t organic. My husband, Nick, had always wanted to open our business and he just said one day, ” Why don’t we open a juice bar?”. From there, we researched tons of juice bar franchises and fell in love with Clean Juice because of the USDA Organic differentiator and the faith based background – you will find scripture verses on our bottles and throughout the store.
What products and services does Clean Juice offer, and what sets your juice bar apart from others?
Clean Juice offer USDA Organic Cold Pressed and Fresh Pressed Juice, Smoothies, Acai Bowls, Toasts (including my fave: avocado), Wraps, Green Bowls (salads inclusive of quinoa) and Wellness Shots.
What sets us apart from other Juice Bars & Smoothie shops:
Clean Juice is the first USDA-certified organic juice bar franchise in the country. What does that mean? Is being certified organic really better for you? Is it more than just a seal?
Organic produce is healthier, safer, and more sustainable than foods grown in conventional farming practices. Clean Juice only uses USDA-certified organic ingredients. Other juice bars may only use limited organic ingredients or no organic ingredients at all. But our commitment is to the highest quality nutrition possible, which you can only get with certified-organic fruits and vegetable.
We firmly believe that organic isn’t just a trend, it’s a return to tradition. Pure food, grown as it should be, and improving people’s lives one bite at a time.
Do you have any other business or creative endeavors? Please Share!
Clean Juice has really opened my eyes to cleaning up my diet and improving my overall health and wellness. In March of 2020, I became a Clean Beauty Advocate for Beautycounter and a JuicePlus Partner. Beautycounter bans 1800 harmful chemicals from our skincare and beauty products – our skin is our largest organ, so this is important! Clean Food and Clean Beauty was a natural fit. JuicePlus provides fruit and veggies in a convenient capsule/chewable, which makes it great for my girls and it allows us to get even more produce in our diets on a regular basis. Most recently in January 2021, I joined a ground floor nutraceuticals company, QSciences that offers an entire suite of Full Spectrum Hemp products.
What I’ve learned is that our environment is toxic and what we put on our skin matters. Our food, no matter how well we eat, is also nutrient depleted so we need help with getting more fruit and veggies so why not consume convenient capsules and multivitamins to support our bodies? In addition, I’ve grown to appreciate what hemp can do from a mental and physical state to help with focus, anxiety, and recovery. I truly love it all!
Going back to what’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you… I DO sleep! 🙂
The other endeavor is that we are the Area Developers for Clean Juice in Texas and Louisiana. We help others with the dream of opening their own Clean Juice during the development and life of their ownership.
How do you “balance” being mama and a business owner? Do you experience the dreaded “mom guilt”?
Balance – ha! Some days it is completely off balance and I feel like there is not enough hours in the day. While my husband is the Owner-Operator of Clean Juice The Woodlands, I am in charge of Social Media and Marketing for our business and it becomes very time consuming. We try to focus on quality time rather than quantity of time. We also like to lead by example because we are more of an influence in our actions to our kids that we know.
Any Deals, Events, or Specials North Houston Moms can be on the lookout for?
Every single Monday, we offer FREE kids smoothies with the purchase of any Adult item worth $7.95 or more. For North Houston Moms, we will also give 10% off of One-Day cleanses when you mention North Houston Moms!
What is the best mom advice you’ve ever been given or the best advice you have for new moms?
Best advice I have been given is to trust your gut and kids are resilient. What I would offer to new moms: Lean into God. When times are good, when times are bad, lean into Him. He is always there to support you, even in the middle of the storm.
To learn more about Megan:
Clean Juice The Woodlands: https://www.cleanjuice.com/locations/woodlands/
Clean Juice Franchise: https://cleanjuicefranchising.com/juice-franchise/texas/
QSciences: http://shop.myqsciences.com/meganpepitone
Beautycounter: http://beautycounter.com/MeganPepitone
JuicePlus: https://meganpepitone.juiceplus.com/