Angela Mavridis: Starting Over, Going For It, and Keeping in Balance

Angela is the founder of Tribali Foods, makers of organic frozen burger patties of assorted creative flavors. The story of her entrepreneurial journey will inspire you to persevere through adversity and stay focused and resilient in pursuit of your dreams.

Several years ago, Angela found herself a divorced mother of three young children, compelled to immediately switch from stay at home mom to breadwinner. She also was coming off a 35-year stint as a vegetarian and endurance athlete and experiencing what she described as a “hard drive crash.” In search of improved health and vitality, she cooked up a steak, took her first bite of meat in decades and loved it (condolences to those vegetarians who say the return to meat and are grossed out). This meal was the catalyst for Angela to transform her diet and dive deep into the primal/paleo scene, and also set the stage for her eventual entrepreneurial adventure.  

She started buying quality meats at Whole Foods, getting a meat grinder off Amazon, and experimenting at home with assorted exotic burger patties. After all, her family is in the restaurant business and she spent decades working at her father’s hamburger stands in Southern California. Soon, her friends were begging for more and the butchers at Whole Foods were wondering what she was doing with all of her purchases! This led to a meeting with national Whole Foods buyers, who loved her samples and concept, and told her that if she could go start a business and get a product to market, they would place a big order. How’s that for marching orders?! 

Angela immersed herself into this project, has enjoyed great initial success, and is eager to continue growing. However, we all know how difficult it is to maintain balance in modern life, and Angela has had some awakenings and recalibrations along the way that are valuable to reflect upon. She conveys that with the company’s destiny riding on her shoulders, she has to be in top physical and mental form, well rested and refreshed at all times. Witness her participation in pitch contests, where she endures a Shark Tank-like interrogation to attract potential investors. For this reason, she has established winning patterns and routines, such as making time for a daily walk, along with regular outings with her kids away from the frenzy of the office. She is committed to taking care of herself from the inside-out, and hearing about how she is making it work will inspire you to do the same. Angela’s journey will remind you that while the road to success isn’t easy, there is no doubt that it is always worth taking a leap of faith to pursue your passions...and hey, while you’re hard at work, super busy chasing your dreams, why not order a couple of Tribali burgers to keep in your freezer, so you can ensure that you are keeping yourself nourished, energized, and healthy! 

TIMESTAMPS:

Angela Mavridis was a vegetarian until she started her successful business. [05:25]

Where did the name Tribali come from? [09:39]

She did not have any digestive issues when she switched after 35 of vegetarianism. [11:05]

After her making patties in her own kitchen, she was discovered by Whole Foods. [14:33]

Being a single mother, she has learned about balance. [22:56]

We are strongly influenced by the behaviors of people around us. [29:34]

Angela compares her life in Greece with her life in U.S. Big Difference! [31:33]

Angela had a good awakening when she discovered how much she was spending her time in her business rather than with family.[38:08}

Brad and Angela point out the importance of meditation. [41:40]