Place of Love

Wellness expert and raw food chef Sophie Jaffe has dedicated herself to making it easier, more inspiring, and more delicious to achieve optimal health. Now as a mother of three, the Philosophie founder continues to show her children (Leo, Kai, and Noa) how to eat, move, and breathe from a place of love.

MINI | Thank you for inviting us into your home! Tell us about the place!

SOPHIE JAFFE | I’m so honored to have you join me! I LOVE our home. It took a while to get it to the place it’s at now, but it’s truly what I’ve always envisioned my home to contain. The aesthetic and energy are cultivated from our family values, my personal style, and the place I want to raise children. I love the openness of the space especially the kitchen and living room. They flow effortlessly with each other, making it easy to move from yoga flow in the living room to cooking and creating in the kitchen. What I was originally most excited about with this house was the blank page it offered. I embraced the opportunity to change the space to reflect the new journey my family had taken together. We are in love with the home we have created. The clean, sleek modern approach with design pieces really embodies the kind of person I am. Everything is functional and kid-friendly, but it also truly inspires me to create and manifest.

MINI | Do you have a favorite room in your home?

SOPHIE JAFFE | I honestly love every room in the house. I mean, Noa’s nursery? Come on! Too cute. I would sleep there every night if I could. My room with Adi has the best bed and we’re always snuggling in it as a family almost every morning. As I mentioned, I really love our living room and kitchen. It acts as my office/workspace and truly holds such special moments with family and friends. It’s where we host gatherings, create, share conversation and play.

MINI | What are some of your favorite elements in your home?

SOPHIE JAFFE | I found a beautiful Frances Loom vintage rug for the living room that complemented the sleek, mid-century modern aesthetic. Adi found the most perfect dining room table at Rove Concepts and everything exploded from there. We found a gray/navy couch for the living room that matched our counter stools offering an easy flow from the kitchen to the living room. We added a lot of greenery and hung up Adi’s guitars— it adds character to the space.

MINI | What are some of your favorite elements in your kids’ rooms?

SOPHIE JAFFE | I’m obsessed with Noa’s nursery. It’s everything I wanted for her. It’s very nurturing and super functional. The crib will transform into her toddler bed and everything is made from sustainable and safe material.

MINI | Let’s talk motherhood! What has surprised you most about motherhood thus far?

SOPHIE JAFFE | Motherhood is a constant challenge and surprise. It’s easily been the hardest job I ever faced, but also the most blissful and rewarding.I love the way the kids echo what I do, from the good to the bad and everything in between. It helps act as a mirror for me. It helps me every single day to be a better person, and I learn so many lessons from them on the daily. I’m constantly surprised by their talent and ability to tap into the environment around them. The boys are easily able to pick up on situations and understand what’s going on in the world. I’ve had very honest and real conversations with them; it truly fills me up. Experiencing this new life again with Noa has been incredibly wonderful. I can already see her learning and evolving. I can’t wait to see what she conquers in this life.

MINI | You’ve often said that you manifested your daughter, Noa. Tell us about that!

SOPHIE JAFFE | I’ve talked about having a little girl for YEARS. Ever since Leo, I imagined a baby girl coming into our family and completing our little tribe. I dreamed about her. I put in all the work I could to manifest her. Adi and I did research on the Shettles Method and put in serious work on our relationship. We had to be absolutely sure we were ready to bring in another human soul and completely disrupt our lives. I then turned to my own self and worked out all I needed to physically, mentally, and emotionally before bring our little angel into this world. It took years and years of deep work, but I truly believe I brought this little girl into reality. Our family feels whole and complete.

MINI | Was your pregnancy with your daughter similar or different to your previous pregnancies?

SOPHIE JAFFE | SO different. I don’t know if it was because I was younger when I had the boys or because it was a girl and my hormones were flowing like crazy but this pregnancy was a challenge. The most intense change were my cravings. Everything I love on a daily basis like coffee and smoothie bowls suddenly disgusted me. Instead, I was craving donuts and snacks. It was a challenge, especially being a face in the wellness community. My mood levels were off as well. I turned down a lot more social outings and events, I rarely left the house, and dramatically cut back on yoga or my usual workout routines/classes. I think that was how it was meant to be. Noa has been such a change to the life Adi and I created with the boys. The challenge of the pregnancy only solidified the huge transition we were about to undergo.

MINI | What is your greatest parenting worry or fear?

SOPHIE JAFFE | That they grow up too quickly. It’s hard to undo traumatic events. I pray every day that they don’t have to live through any of that.

MINI | What is most important to you in raising your kids?

SOPHIE JAFFE | Honestly, it’s keeping them pure, curious and above all, feeling satisfied and loved.

MINI | What have you found to be hardest aspect of motherhood thus far?

SOPHIE JAFFE | It’s challenging trying to balance it all— my work, social life, the boys, being a wife and now, raising a newborn. I’m constantly being pulled in a million directions so it’s all about figuring out what I need to focus on in each moment and what will serve me the best. I show my kids how to eat, move, and breathe from a place of love: love for themselves, their communities, and their larger world. And the same goes for me! I do everything from a place of love— which means working out because I actually love the movements that I’m having my body do, or eating because I love how the food tastes and how it makes me feel.

MINI | Where have you seen the biggest changes in your life since becoming a mom?

SOPHIE JAFFE | Friendships. Boundaries. As a mom, I’m clear on my energy levels and what I just don’t have time for anymore (aka BS). It’s recognizing when I need to say no and being completely okay with it.

MINI | As a raw food chef and wellness guru, tell about your wellness philosophy. What does your diet look like?

SOPHIE JAFFE | Instead of creating a “healthy diet” based on limitations and rules, I cook from a place of love— love for myself, my family, and my world. I eat because I love how the food tastes and how it makes me feel. The moment you do something that’s “good for you” without having any passion for it is the moment that it loses some of its power. So it’s simple: I find recipes for nourishing dishes I can’t wait to make, buy organic fruits and veggies from local farmers who pour their passion into their food, and savor each bite for the gift of vitality that it is.

MINI | What is your food philosophy when it comes to feeding your kids?

SOPHIE JAFFE | I’ve passed on healthy eating habits and wellness practices to my kids by teaching them the value of food and the importance of their health.

MINI | We love your new podcast with your husband! How has your relationship changed since you’ve become parents?

SOPHIE JAFFE | Our relationship has essentially been nonstop parenting so I don’t really remember a time before being parents. I suppose we could party more pre-parents and also travel whenever we felt inspired to. It takes way more planning now and it’s far less fun.

MINI | We know how tricky it can be, so tell us your secret! How do you two keep such a strong bond while managing busy careers and parenthood?

SOPHIE JAFFE | It’s tough! We’ve learned to really listen to each other and understand each other’s moods. We know when we’re in it and ready to connect and when we need to back off and give each other space. We schedule date nights and weekends away with each other even if it’s just a hotel in LA. It’s important to take time away with your partner and truly give the space to connect.

MINI | What helps you to juggle motherhood and career?

SOPHIE JAFFE | The hardest challenge is balancing it all. I used to feel so stressed about making sure that everything in Philosophie was moving forward while also being the best mother and wife I could. One day, it hit me— as long as my kids are safe, happy, and healthy, that’s all that truly matters. Everything else is an added bonus in life. There’s never going to be enough time in a day. There’s so much, too much to be done. And I really want to do everything that I can; I want to share wellness with as many people as I can around the world, but I also want to feel free, like I can hike, dance, and play with my kids without being chained to my laptop all the time. I want to stop and smell the roses, and as a huge believer in the power of balance, I think everyone should be able to.

MINI | If you could give your kids one piece of advice, what would it be?

SOPHIE JAFFE | Embrace this life. Never stop being ambitious, strong, and compassionate. Ask questions, seek guidance, and don’t see this as a weakness. Build a strong group of people around you and be there to support one another. Success and happiness is not a finite resource, there’s more than enough for everyone.

ON MY NIGHTSTAND Salt lamp, Palo Santo, a few books like The Book of Awakening.

FAVORITE KIDS BOOK Have You Filled A Bucket Today?

BEFORE KIDS, I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD Want to be asleep before 10 pm.

IF THERE WERE MORE HOURS IN THE DAY, I WOULD Treat myself! Maybe a massage or a facial.

IDEAL DATE NIGHT A walk on the beach followed by a Malibu dinner and wine, connecting and dreaming together.

FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANT Cafe Gratitude or Make Out.

ALWAYS IN MY FRIDGE Nut mylk, fruits, veggies, kombucha, chocolate (always, always, always).

FAVORITE KIDS MOVIE The Little Mermaid.

photography by JULIE SHUFORD