Show Up: The Ethos Behind WildBoard

I went to the beach one morning for a sunrise photo shoot of our product, and I forgot to bring the product. Classic. I stood there for a solid five minutes furious with myself, really disappointed that I had botched something so simple. And then I watched a pelican scoop up its breakfast, and I buried my feet in the sand, and I started sculpting big floppy clown shoes out of the mounds, and something shifted.

I realized I was not showing up for myself at all. I was doing the exact opposite. I was tearing myself apart over product shots that could wait, on a morning I was lucky enough to be watching the sun rise over the ocean. The moment I let it go, I showed up for myself anyway. That is the whole idea behind WildBoard, so let me explain what it means.

Show up, for real

Our ethos is two words. Show Up. For myself and for my people. Whatever you are imagining that to mean, you are probably right. It means being there for the people you love, and it means being there for yourself too, especially when your brain is busy telling you that every waking second has to be productive or it does not count. I have to re-choose this every few minutes, because anxiety is loud. But it is the North Star for how we live and how we are building this company.

Food as the thread

The reason we make a snack at all is that food is how people show up for each other. The board on the counter when someone comes over. The bag you toss to a friend. The spread in the middle of the table on a Friday night when you texted a few people and said just come over, no plan, no perfect menu, burgers on the grill and a board in the middle. Some of the best nights we have had started exactly that way. Food is the thread, and WildBoard is meant to be one small, everyday version of it.

Our whole bucket list is one line

We spend so much of summer treating it like a list of ways to be better and more interesting. This year we let that go. Our entire summer bucket list is one line. More time with our people. Everything else is noise. Most bucket lists read like a criticism of how you are already living, like you are boring and need fixing. We would rather ask a different question. What lights you up? What makes time disappear? For us, the answer is showing up, for ourselves and for each other.

That is what we are really building here. Not just a savory trail mix cluster, though we are very proud of the snack. A small, repeatable way to show up for the people you love, and for yourself.

Show up for your people. Show up for yourself. Bring the board with you.

Keep reading: Why We Started WildBoard, The Appetizer Board, Unbundled, and Aperitivo Hour, in a Bag: The Story Behind Our Three Flavors.

From our board to yours, Amy.