Peiman Raf

Peiman is the Co-Founder of Madhappy, an optimistic lifestyle brand creating conversation around mental health.

On his morning routine.

Most mornings I’m up around 7. 

At the beginning of quarantine I was doing 20 minute meditations (every day for 60 days in a row). Now that we are (a bit) more in the swing of normal life - that has again become harder to do.

I also love to take a morning walk with my girlfriend when we have some time, instead of just rushing into the day.

The thing about morning routines is that we talk about what we do on an ideal morning, but I find that most of the time I only do some of that I hope to do (and that’s okay!). 

I’m not a huge breakfast person, so I typically skip it and try to get into the office around 8. A few mornings a week, I play tennis with a friend or bike with a group throughout the great LA canyons.

On Madhappy’s early days.

Right out of college, I moved to New York to start my career in investment banking. Within a couple months of starting my job, I got super sick. I felt super fatigued and foggy all the time. 

I decided to come home (to LA) for a few months to get better.

Over time, as my symptoms subsided (though I wasn’t able to ever get a clear diagnosis), I tried to figure out what I wanted to do next. 

This was the first time in my life that I felt I had failed and it was definitely a low point for me mentally. I decided not to go back and just a few months later, I ended up starting Madhappy with my brother and two other close partners. 

It’s funny that looking back, I was lucky to get sick.

If I hadn’t moved home we would have never started our business and my life would be a lot different right now.

Goes to show just how big of an impact luck can play in all of our lives. 

On leading with optimism.

Optimism is powerful. 

It’s truly been the driving force of both my life and what we’re building at Madhappy. Optimism is about how you act when you are feeling down, not just the way you feel when things are all good. That’s what I try to embody.

During the early stages of a startup, you are your brand. Everything you do is a reflection of your brand and vice-versa. 

At Madhappy, we’ve tried to create a brand that is admired culturally and makes a big impact in the world. It started with just a word and has grown into a real community of local optimists.

We create products and experiences that make people feel more optimistic. We use our platform to create a new conversation around mental health by making it okay to talk about.

That’s what we think our role is in the space.

On navigating relationships.

Relationships are really everything to me. 

I’m super grateful that I’m very close with both my parents and that I grew up with a great group of friends. 

I didn’t realize how important this would be in starting a business. Just having the right people supporting you on a journey really does make a difference.

You don’t appreciate it as much when you have great people around you, but it's clear that the wrong people around you can really bring you down.

On upgrading his health.

I’ve found it helpful to track my health as a way to keep myself accountable. 

It’s hard to find the right balance (too much tracking, too little) and I try to not be hard on myself by just looking at the numbers.

I think of it more as a guide: try to stand and walk everyday, try to workout most days, etc. With regards to tech, the Oura ring has been super helpful for tracking my sleep. During the day, I also wear my Apple Watch to track steps and exercise.

Again, just trying to nudge in the right direction more so than force my behavior. 

A few months ago I tried the Levels continuous glucose monitor. It was super fun testing different foods and seeing what worked better than others. Once in a while I’ll do a 24-hour fast as it seems to be clear that there are longer term health benefits (I’ve done one 72 hour one which was a lot harder).

On alcohol.

Over the past few years, I have become much more mindful of what I consume.

I definitely have found myself drinking much less these days. I feel better both physically and mentally when I keep my drinking to a minimum.

I’ve found a balance that feels right for me, I rarely drink, but can still enjoy getting a glass of natural wine with dinner here and there.

On his evening routine.

I leave the office around 6:30 PM. 

I’ll try to squeeze in a workout if I didn’t do one in the morning. For me, I like after work to be as relaxing as possible. 

I try to leave the work behind but like most of us, I find that pretty hard to do, especially these days. Most nights, I do my best to get some reading in and starting winding down around 10 PM. 

I definitely prioritize my sleep :)