Hello, My Age Is: 37
The Type A CEO’s Guide
to a Happy, Relaxed Glow
Nathalie Walton | CEO of Expectful
Before starting as the CEO of the pregnancy and postpartum meditation and wellness app Expectful, Nathalie Walton was pregnant and not having an easy time of it, with a high risk of preterm labor and unexpected breakouts. “I never really had blemishes, but then I got pregnant and did,” says the San Francisco mom of two-and-a-half-year-old Everett. “I wish I’d had some of the skin care then that I’m using now, especially my favorite, the goop vitamin C serum—it’s the spiciest, definitely doing the most work. I’ve been getting all sorts of compliments on my skin.”
Her skin issues were the least of her worries. “I found out at 20 weeks that I was at high risk for preterm labor, meaning I could give birth at any moment,” says Walton, who adds that her healthy habits—yoga, a 20-year pescatarian diet—made her diagnosis feel even more perplexing. On top of that, she felt brushed off by her doctors, who offered no advice on what might be done to improve her outcome. “Black women, whatever their socioeconomic status, are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than White women and historically haven’t been monitored or listened to as closely as White women.”
Like any (self-proclaimed) type A person, Walton went down a rabbit hole researching what she might do at home to support herself—and came across Expectful. “Within a week of meditating with the app, I was more stable—and I ultimately made it to term, which no doctor had thought was possible,” says Walton, who had no affiliation with the app when she started using it. For the Stanford business school, eBay, Google, and Airbnb alum, the job at Expectful was the perfect fit career- and spirit-wise. “We now provide over 400 meditations geared toward everything from trying to conceive to your first days postpartum,” she says. Expectful also hosts virtual events with lactation consultants, midwives, pediatric sleep specialists, Pilates and yoga instructors, and pelvic floor therapists, and even a class on hypnobirthing (a method that uses hypnosis and other deep-relaxation techniques to help manage pain and anxiety during birth—Walton used it during her labor). At $13 a month, it’s beautifully affordable.
Walton’s tips for graceful, easy aging involve, among other things, hot-tub date nights, a miracle eye cream, and a touch of lazy-girl makeup.
1
Travel
We spent our babymoon at Amangiri in Utah. It’s my all-time favorite destination. Up next, we’re going to Jamaica. My absolute dream in life is to live in Paris permanently or for at least a year.
2
Soak—it’s the easiest way to relax at home.
I’m a big bath taker: A bath just instantly calms you down. I have an inflatable hot tub on our roof deck—best pandemic purchase ever. We’ve used it probably five nights a week for the past 18 months. My husband goes in a lot more than me because he’s pretty athletic, but we go in together once or twice a week—the perfect date night.
goop Picks
3
Sweat to feel beautiful.
I feel best—strong, powerful, sweaty, no makeup—after the adrenaline high of a great workout. I love doing Pilates or yoga, boxing using Rumble, or just going for a run.
4
Have an exfoliation schedule.
EVERY DAY
I wash my face with the cloudberry jelly cleanser in the shower; it’s the perfect amount of exfoliation and feels great against my skin. Plus, I saw that Gwyneth loves to exfoliate every day.
After washing my face, I smooth on this flower acids toner. I love the slightly tingly feeling—I can feel it working its magic as a base coat, prepping my skin for the products I’ll put on after.
SUNDAY NIGHTS
Once a week, I do a deeper exfoliation with this glow peel. The first time I tried it, I felt big tingles and thought, Oh, I need to put moisturizer on to counteract this. But I didn’t and left it on overnight—and woke up with a really nice glow.
5
Color wakes you right up.
I’m lazy—there’s so little time, between schlepping to day care and the Zooms. Saie Slip Tint evens my skin out, and I add a bit of blush and lip balm.
-
Saie
Slip Tint
goop, $35SHOP NOW -
goop Beauty
GOOPGENES Clean Nourishing Lip Balm Trio
goop, $42SHOP NOW -
goop Pick
Westman Atelier
Baby Cheeks Blush Stick
goop, $48SHOP NOW
6
Have a hair uniform.
I wore braids until I was 30—and realized I didn’t know how to do my own hair. I was like, If I have a child, I need to know how to do hair. So at 30, I transitioned to wearing my hair naturally. But now I’m back to braids. They last a long time; I only need to get them done three times a year. You get a blowout—the hair needs to be straightened right before—and get the braids.
goop Picks
7
Listen to your mom on sun protection.
My mom has aged really well, which is partly genetic, but she did always tell me to wear sunscreen. I didn’t listen for a long time, and then when I started using vitamin C—morning and night—I became more conscious about protecting my skin and started wearing sunscreen more regularly. I like Supergoop; it feels like you’re putting cashmere on your face.
8
Let your child nourish you.
Watching Everett grow is both beautiful and challenging, for him and for me. He gets frustrated: He wants to wear pajamas all day—onesie pajamas—and we just started potty training, so that doesn’t work. He also sings to me now—the ABCs, but I’ll take it.
Recommended Reading
Hello, My Age Is: 51 | Grey Hair Is Gorgeous, Full Stop
Hello, My Age Is: 44 | Face Oils and Cartwheels Are My Secret
