Welcome to Waking Up Well, a column where we hand-select people we admire and ask them to share how they start the day. We think morning routines are a crucial part of an intentional wellness journey and we’re fascinated by the practices of our favorite figures.

Kirsten Dickerson has been working for decades to amplify artisanal work and advocate for causes close to her heart. In fact, from the day she graduated from Baylor University, she headed to India to volunteer with Mother Teresa and Compassion International. Since then, she’s been the CEO and founder of the ethical fashion brand Raven + Lily, as well as a nonprofit president and thought leader in women’s empowerment and regenerative travel. She spent years doing both styling work in the film industry and working alongside global non-profits.

“Kirsten Dickerson has been working for decades to amplify artisanal work and advocate for causes close to her heart.”

Kirsten has traveled extensively to over 30 countries, starting with her studies in Africa and then living in Estonia shortly after the Soviet Union dissolved. All of this experience comes together in her latest work — her directorial debut, HANDMADE FUTURE, which features regenerative practices that honor traditional communities.

Her morning routine has been adapted to her nomadic lifestyle. She’s been traveling often for her Craft + Culture tours, as well as for the filming of HANDMADE FUTURE. Recently, her family moved from London back to the USA after almost five years in Europe, between Portugal and England. They returned to Texas for her husband’s career and to be closer to family. It isn’t every day that someone moves from London to Waco! For the past several months, they’ve been staying with friends and family until they make their final stop in central Texas, where they will be setting up a new home in a 1910 cottage around the corner from the local zoo. Kirsten’s morning routine is adapted based on wherever in the world she might have to be when she wakes up. She’s sharing with us what she’s figured out matters, no matter where she might be in the world.

5:00 am | Early rise 🌅

I often wake up between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. naturally (and partly because of perimenopause), but I don’t always get out of bed right away. My partner and senior Yorkie are still sleeping, so I lie there and begin to prepare my heart and mind for the gift of another day. I go to bed early, so this early morning works for me, and I rarely feel tired during the day.

5:30 am | Argan oil ritual 💧

I usually get out of bed about a half hour before the sun rises, so the time may vary a bit based on the season of the year. That is my favorite time of day because I love to hear and see the world wake up, too. I especially love to listen to the birds when the first dawn rises. The first thing I do is put my contacts in, splash cold water on my face, and then cover my face and neck in pure argan oil from a women’s cooperative in Morocco. I was in Morocco five times the past year, so it was convenient for me to pick up my favorite bottle of argan oil on each visit.

Two women sit together indoors; one holds a pink handcrafted flower, and the other kneels beside her. Buckets of pink dye and flower materials are on the floor in front of them.
A brown glass dropper bottle is placed in front of neatly rolled white towels.

5:40 am | Listening to bird song 🕊️

I sneak back into my room to quietly pick up my little Mushu, a 13-year-old blind Yorkie, to take him outside to do his business. This is the first moment I get to hear the early birds who sing just before that first glimmer of light. In London, there was a very sweet European robin that would visit me every morning. I considered her my neighbor, and she would perch near me and wait for eye contact to make sure I was listening. She was always the first bird to sing her little heart out before the first light.

Now that I am back in Texas, a chorus of native birds is singing each morning, and I love to discern the different bird calls. I am a former Texas Master Naturalist and look forward to getting re-certified now that I am back in the state. So yes, I am a bird nerd. 

A small dog lies on a black and white blanket atop a couch, with a fireplace and shelves in the background.
A northern mockingbird with gray and white plumage is perched on a thin branch against a blurred background.

5:50 am | Slow coffee ☕️

I always start my day with coffee and usually only drink it in the early morning. We use either a Chemex or a French Press — we are a slow-coffee household. Sometimes the Chemex feels a bit too slow, so lately I have opted for the press. Our coffee is always fair trade or direct trade medium roast. (I can’t be picky on the brand since I travel so much. I also sometimes only have access to instant coffee in places like Morocco. I take whatever I can get on those days!) 

5:50 am | Reading and reflecting 📖

After I feed little Mushu, I settle into a time of meditation and prayer. In London, I would sit in the conservatory while it was still dark and take time to pray, starting with a posture of surrender and contemplation. As the sun begins to rise, I read the daily Franciscan principles that help to guide my spiritual practice.

I follow Franciscan spirituality and commit to a rule of life that guides how I see, relate, and live with intention. There are 30 daily principles that you repeat each month. The core of this practice is based on humility, love, and joy that is expressed through contemplation and advocacy for the poor and marginalized as well as a deep love of nature and responsibility towards creation care. Even when I travel and, recently, as I have been nomadic, I still start my day with this time of reading and reflecting.

6:30 am | Couple time 🫶

My partner, Brandon, usually joins me in the conservatory, and in our new home, it will probably be the back screened porch. Together we enjoy a cup of coffee (usually my second) and do a daily reading from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. We have been practicing this morning liturgy together since 2018. The liturgy includes prayers, readings about saints/people of impact, a psalm, a song, and a scripture reading. Sometimes I pause to consider how many times we have done this together. It’s in the thousands.

People often ask why my partner and I still love each other so much and still enjoy each other so much after 29 years of marriage. I think this routine and commitment we make each morning have something to do with it. We also laugh a lot.

A smiling man and woman outdoors on a street, holding a bouquet with greenery and red accents. The sky is partly cloudy, and people and buildings are visible in the background.
A French press with brewed coffee sits on a wooden table in sunlight, with measurement markings visible on the glass.

6:45 am | Yoga routine 🧘‍♀️

We do a short morning yoga together almost every day after our liturgy reading. We pull out our mats (currently the Gaiam recycled mat) and hit start on our Down Dog yoga app. We discovered this app in London and still use a British voice to lead our yoga routine in Texas. 

A rolled-out blue textured yoga mat with a subtle mottled pattern and a small logo in the bottom corner.
A smartphone screen displays a yoga app interface with a timer set to 20 minutes and options for full practice and core strength boost, featuring a person doing a handstand.

7:10 am | Daily yogurt bowl 🥣

Right after yoga, we make a quick breakfast and have the same thing almost every day: A bowl of granola, berries, peanut butter and coconut yogurt plus a shot of ginger juice.

7:30 am | Remain unplugged 🔌

Done with breakfast, I take a quick shower and get ready for the day. I try not to plug in, read the news, or check messages until after I am ready. This helps me not to start my day feeling rushed or anxious about anything I read or saw. I start my day slowly, and it helps me to navigate a sense of peace and contentment no matter what the rest of my day may hold.

Since I move around a lot (there is a reason my company is called Artist & Nomad), starting my morning with this regular routine is the most grounding way I can navigate the different locations and expectations of the rest of my day. I love trying new things and taking risks, but I don’t know that I could do all that I do without this consistent morning routine. I am grateful for it and will continue it no matter what the future unfolds.

8:00 am | Visit my list and begin 🌱

I find a cozy spot at the dining room table and check my emails, socials, and phone messages. I do a quick pass to see if there is anything urgent I need to respond to, and then mentally plan. My days and weeks vary, so sometimes, I literally walk out of my room at a boutique hotel during one of my Craft + Culture Tours to greet the travelers. I adjust my breakfast routine to eat with the group at this time.

Other days at home, I dedicate my time volunteering at a local garden or community meal (putting my Texas Master Naturalist and Franciscan spirituality to practice), preparing for screenings for the documentary, mentoring an artisan global leader, working on admin for my company, or planning for one of my upcoming tours. After getting settled in our new Waco home, I look forward to carving out time each day to cultivate a food and native flower garden in my backyard. Since I am an empty nester, I have a lot of freedom to determine what I do and how I spend my time. I am grateful for this season.

A group of people in colorful traditional clothing walk on a dirt path in a rural Kenyan landscape, with bushes and trees in the background.
Poster featuring a line drawing of two hands threading a needle, with the text “HANDMADE FUTURE” and the question “Can Artisans Save the World?”.

8:45 am | What I’m adding in Waco 🐘

I am totally excited to add something very novel to my daily Texas routine. When we lived in London, we didn’t have a car so I had to bike, walk, or ride the train everywhere. It was so much walking that I didn’t need to do any additional exercise. When we made the decision to move back to Texas, I was really sad to let go of the walking lifestyle, so we found a cute cottage just around the corner from the Cameron Park Zoo and local community park! The zoo opens at 9 a.m., so I will have to start my walk about 15 minutes prior so I can be the first one in the gate.  I already have a membership and will be walking to and doing a lap around the zoo and then back home several times a week. I know it will be hot in Texas in the summer, so my routine of showering may have to switch to when I return from my zoo walk during those months.

Since we live in the heart of old Waco, once a week I will grab my bike and head to a local cafe, probably Pinewood or the cute one attached to Hotel 1928 that Joanna Gaines recently remodeled. I’m going to do my best to embrace a lifestyle that forces me to walk, bike, and take things slow. We are going to attempt to be a one-car family to force us to keep moving our bodies.

Thanks to Kirsten Dickerson for providing images for this piece. Additional imagery from Gaiam, Down Dog, Artist & Nomad, and Craft + Culture Tours.