Olivia Strauss

Founder

Baking is a stress management activity I have been in love with since I was young. I began baking with my mom in our home kitchen, then moved on to baking summer camps, and finally, during my gap year, I was lucky enough to experience an internship, that quickly turned into a job, at a bakery near my home called Concord Teacakes. For my college years, I attended Emerson College part-time so I could continue to bake at my work on the side. Although baking is a strong passion of mine, I also bake to relieve stress and maintain my emotional wellbeing.

Stress baking is the process of using baking as an outlet for relieving stress and anxiety. Stress baking can work in different ways, but ultimately, the goal is to focus your mind on a task to achieve a calming and peaceful mindset. I have been stress baking since before I even knew what I was doing! Over the years, I learned that baking provides me with a stress management activity, a creative outlet, and it challenges me to focus which in turn decreases stress levels and can naturally increase dopamine and serotonin levels.

Participating in the Emerson College Entrepreneurship program gave me the most challenging, creative, and fulfilling year of college I experienced. Learning about what it means to be an entrepreneur was scary, exciting, and thrilling. I walked away from this program with an understanding of the type of entrepreneur I am, a full business plan and pitch deck, a one minute pitch, five minute pitch, pitch experience, and a cash prize pitch award from the Emerson College E3 Expo for my business idea and execution! This experience gave me my favorite learning experience at Emerson, not to mention a way to channel my passion into a real business. Now it’s time for you to bake your way out of stress too! And remember, life is what you bake it.