Brave Customer Stories
Honey Duggan
the do it all mom
Honey Duggan is a mom to three young kids in the Upper West Side of New York City and a member of the Central Park Track Club. We chatted with her about her newfound passion for running and how Brave helps her make it through her crazy morning routine.
What does your typical morning look like?
I get up at 4:15 and then I try and be in the park (to run) between like 4:45 and 4:50. Then I go home and put coffee on and make Brave and start waking everybody up. We've got three small kids so they all still very much need us for so many things. And then it's just kind of like take a bite, go change a diaper, take a bite, get her shoes on, take a bite, figure out where the hell the bus is today.
So it's usually in that like 5:45 to 6:15 time that I make Brave and then I eat it. Sometimes I eat it right away or it takes me like that hour and a half or whatever to eat the whole thing because they just, you know, it's a lot of running around in the morning we're trying to get everybody ready. It's something that takes so little effort to do and it's so damn delicious. I think I say it every single morning where I’m like “okay, whatever the day brings at least I had a Brave meal for breakfast. Like, this should at least get me to lunch and then I can figure out what to do.”
Wow, you've got us blushing ;) You recently started running pretty religiously. How'd that happen?
My whole life growing up, I was an athlete. I was a competitive figure skater growing up, but I was never a runner. I did team sports, but I was never actually allowed to run because my coaches were always so afraid… like you get hurt enough with skating and then you add running. I tried so many times to be a runner and like either it wouldn't stick or, you know, I'd get hurt and have to take a whole bunch of time off.
Then, enter the pandemic. We took lockdown very seriously, and from like March 23rd-ish, you know, once they really started saying stay inside, we stayed in our apartment. We didn't even go out at all. And one morning on April 27th at about like 4:30 in the morning I got up and I said, you know what, this is the time for me to start running again.
So how's the new running life going for you?
This has become something that's really for me and only for me which I haven't really had since before kids. Running is really like the only way that I get some time to myself, not for lack of trying. And I was so concerned about getting hurt with running and I was enjoying it so much and it was doing so much for my mental health, and physical health, that like, I really started by just doing 10 minutes each day.
I'm getting faster and I'm like, putting the time in. I'm doing about 30 to 40 miles a week and I'm trying to get to that like 40 to 50 mile range. I knew too that CPTC (Central Park Track Club) was an elite club, but I just kind of started showing up and, and that was also something that's so great about them, they are just so inclusive. They’ve got Olympians, and I was really nervous the first time I showed up. I think I did that first six-mile run at like a 10:17/mile pace and everybody cheered for me. And it’s just like “wow, i found my club.”
Everyone eats it a little different... How do you like your Brave Overnight breakfast?
I like the mango coconut plain. I get really excited when I find the mango pieces because it's so sweet, but there's not too much of it. It's kind of like when you're a little kid trying to find lucky charms.
But when it comes to the apple cinnamon, I go a little overboard. If I've got the time, I'll chop up an apple, I'll chop up half a celery rib and it's something about like the crunchy cold mixed with the hot oatmeal and then a little bit of cinnamon on top, and it's just like perfect.
I don’t actually do it overnight. I'm not a big milk fan. I always do it with hot water. And it’s still only like two minutes to make. That's one of the things I feel like in the morning, like, with my mental bandwith, with being kind of spurted all over the place between if this one's ready for the bus, this one's crying because he needs a diaper change… I can turn on the boiling water and then set a timer for 2 minutes and it’s done.
What's your general philosophy on food?
We are very big on cooking in our house and trying not to eat too much in the the way of processed foods, but like it just gets hard at a certain point, especially with the three kids. There's only so much time and energy and clean dishes in the house to start with. So I do try and find ways to still make sure that I'm full. To still make sure I'm getting enough nutrition to actually survive our days. We’re always looking for things to make the day go more smoothly.
Meal prep is really tough right now because we're so tired time and the kids still need things. Like the kids will stay there and like, bang on the door and bring the door down to get to you!
So that's what I mean, that's another reason why these meals are so big for me. After a weekend, long run and I was dying and I was like, I'm sitting on the couch and it's like I can't make anything, should we just order anything? And he (her husband) goes "did you already have a Brave meal today? Do you want me to make you one?" And I was like "yes, please!" because you don't want to resort to just ordering burgers or something.
This has been such an awesome convo, thanks for taking the time, Honey! Any last thoughts?
I don't know why everybody isn't eating this because it's yummy and it's so good for you and it takes two seconds to make. Like everybody should be eating this, it’s probably going in all of the teacher’s little holiday bags at the end of year.