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In this episode of The She Lift Project, Cynthia Kirkpatrick sits down with Lisa Govro, founder of Big Heart Tea Co., to explore how a deeply personal mission turned into a nationally recognized, values-driven brand. Lisa shares the journey of building Big Heart Tea Co. from a trailer at local farmers markets to shelves at Whole Foods and boutique shops across the country, all while staying rooted in authenticity, ethical sourcing, and human connection. With a background in social work and a belief that healing should be accessible, Lisa explains how intuition, storytelling, and heart-led leadership shaped a business that refuses to compromise its values.
This conversation goes far beyond tea. Lisa opens up about self-worth, redefining success, resisting comparison, and learning to trust yourself as a woman, a founder, and a mother. She reflects on the courage it takes to say no, the importance of aligning business decisions with personal values, and how true leadership starts with self-belief. Listeners will walk away inspired to bet on themselves, embrace authenticity over perfection, and remember that success is not just what you build, but how you live while building it.
00:00 – Introduction
00:26 – Welcome to The She Lift Project and meeting Lisa Govro
01:12 – Betting on yourself and manifesting what’s meant for you
02:15 – The origins of Big Heart Tea
02:37 – From kitchen, classroom, and trailer to a tea company
03:04 – Making herbal healing accessible and fun
03:42 – Gatekeeping in wellness and breaking down barriers
04:21 – Ayurveda, food as medicine, and early wellness education
04:59 – How 2020 changed consumer awareness around health
05:20 – Selling tea from a trailer at farmers markets
05:55 – Tea, love notes, and creating human connection
06:55 – Why tea is a ritual and a sensory experience
08:09 – The importance of connection and community
09:00 – Self-love as a daily practice
09:51 – Why giving love to others helps us love ourselves
10:57 – Small gestures, love notes, and being seen
11:13 – “You Are Awesome” and affirmations in Big Heart Tea
12:09 – Doing the best you can with what you know
13:06 – Learning about supply chain ethics and fair compensation
13:58 – Organic sourcing, sustainability, and responsibility
15:00 – The complexity behind building a tea company
15:28 – Lisa’s background in social work
16:40 – Leadership, curiosity, and strategic thinking
17:11 – Moving to St. Louis and starting the trailer business
18:28 – Market research without knowing it
19:24 – Rebranding Big Heart Tea in 2017
20:27 – Trust as the most important brand value
21:22 – The long road to Whole Foods
23:23 – Trade shows, COVID, and unexpected opportunity
24:25 – Showing up even when it’s hard
24:57 – Being a founder without an exit strategy
26:37 – Redefining success through family and balance
27:24 – The pressure of tying identity to your business
28:35 – Self-worth, comparison, and resisting FOMO
30:13 – Measuring success beyond traditional metrics
31:04 – Redefining what “success” really means
32:11 – Finding niche markets and the gift industry
33:35 – Why tea makes the perfect gift
34:18 – Product naming and Cup of Sunshine
34:54 – Lessons learned and trusting your intuition
36:05 – Authenticity in a world of generated content
36:49 – Letting go of people-pleasing
37:30 – Pricing, values, and saying no to the wrong business
38:52 – Integrity as a long-term strategy
40:09 – Leading employees with care and intention
41:18 – Building culture and retaining great people
42:02 – Creating tea even non–tea drinkers love
43:19 – What makes Big Heart Tea different
44:30 – Loving your work without pretending it’s perfect
45:48 – Self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and women in leadership
47:25 – Normalizing the inner critic
49:03 – Tracking wins, failures, and growth
49:59 – Lessons from mistakes and long-term vision
51:27 – Values that stand the test of time
52:12 – Self-reflection, rest, and seasons of life
53:39 – What self-care really looks like
56:17 – What’s next for Big Heart Tea
57:25 – Entering the spa and wellness space
58:34 – Long-term vision and building a family business
01:00:37 – Letting your authentic self lead
01:02:12 – Embracing mistakes and growth
01:04:13 – Looking back at success
01:05:12 – Listening to customers and remembering your why
01:06:39 – Staying centered in your mission
01:07:15 – Bestselling Big Heart Tea flavors
01:08:14 – Matcha partnership in Japan
01:08:36 – Where to buy Big Heart Tea
01:09:12 – Final reflections and gratitude
01:10:19 – Closing thoughts and She Lift Project outro
Content Notice
This podcast and all She Lift Project content represents the opinions of Cynthia Kirkpatrick and her guests. The content here is for informational purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice – financial, legal, medical, or otherwise.
Views and opinions expressed in the podcast and across all She Lift Project media channels are our own and do not represent that of our places of work. While we make every effort to ensure that the information we are sharing is accurate, we welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors.
“I got to a point in Frank’s office where I realized there was kind of a ceiling. People that I had come in after me, I was training, were now moving up. And my ego got to the best of me. This is the dream job. Like, what happens after Frank Gehry? What could possibly be next after that?”
We’re catalysts for better conversation. And we know at Filament that the teams that we work with are not looking for the right answer, because there’s no such thing as the right answer. There is the next best answer to the questions that we’re asking.
“Research actually shows when there’s this lack of trust in a relationship, this lack of connection, the same part of our brain that processes physical pain gets activated when there’s an emotional pain. Right? And so if I’m feeling rejected or I’m feeling like I’m not part of the team or I’m not valued in any way, that part of our brain activates and says, like, pain. And so if you think about it in that way, think about the number of people who are walking around your office every day in pain.”
“Women in their 40s start to disappear from photographs because they think that they’re not young enough, thin enough, pretty enough. But the truth is that when you are in your 40s, you are leading a company, you’ve had children, you have a family, you’re doing things in your community. This is when you should be photographed.”
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