Hi! I’m Kate Kordsmeier, the founder of Root + Revel. I live in Atlanta with my husband, Matt, our two cats, Scout and Boo, our puppy Finch (yes, like the book!) and our baby boy, Jackson.

For nearly a decade, I was a full-time freelance food and travel writer and recipe developer–you can find my work in over 125 magazines, newspapers and websites, including USA Today, EatingWell, Cooking Light, Travel + Leisure, Shape, FITNESS, Women’s Health, The Washington Post, Clean Eating, Vegetarian Times, Wine Enthusiast, SELF and Real Simple.

In October 2015, after being diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Leaky Gut Syndrome (IBS), and hypothyroidism, and subsequently healing my symptoms naturally, I created Root + Revel. Though I’m a food writer—it’s literally my job to eat and report on the world’s most delicious foods—and a food lover, who believes strongly that life is not worth living without fried chicken, cheese and wine, I’ve also seen firsthand the power of nutrition and how much the food we eat affects the way we feel. After my diagnosis, I was blown away by the rapid transformation I saw in my own body from simple, natural and holistic lifestyle changes. Truly, the food I ate and the natural products I used (and the toxic products I tossed!) have helped me live a near symptom-free life, and I wanted to share what I’ve learned with all of you.

Lopa van der Mersch is a bit of a startup addict. She co-founded two biochar climate solution companies, bringing the first biochar product to Whole Foods; worked with Richard Branson’s Carbon War Room in their startup phase; and has lobbied at the United Nations and spoken at TEDxBerkley.

After having her first child, she realized coffee wasn’t the type of energy she needed to power through and started Rasa, a functional coffee alternative brand bringing sustainable energy to humans with the help of adaptogenic herbs.