I Started My Day Like Akilah Releford Gould for a Week: 5 Habits I'm Keeping

Welcome to I Tried It Month, where we'll be publishing a new fashion, beauty, or wellness article every week that features a first-person account of shaking up an old habit, pushing beyond a comfort zone, or simply trying something new. Follow along for four weeks of storytelling, including everything from trying new beauty treatments to copying the most risqué runway looks of the season.

When I say I've always wanted to be a morning person, I'm not talking about the type that pops up full of energy and faces the day head-on. As someone who savors taking my time and discovering little opportunities for self-improvement here and there, I spend a good chunk of my time wishing time could slow down enough to give me a chance to enjoy it. Because humankind has yet to witness the invention of a time machine, I'm left looking for ways to maximize the moments I can control. If the pandemic taught me anything, it's that self-care should always be relevant no matter how hectic life can get. We all know how easy it is to slip into old, unhealthy habits and promise to do better next time.

That's why one of my biggest resolutions for 2024 was coming up with routines that allow me to slow things down, move through my day intentionally, and be kinder to myself. When met with the challenge of deciding what I wanted to do for Who What Wear's highly anticipated I Tried It Month, I settled on testing out the morning routine of one of the most successful and inspirational people I discovered in January 2023—content creator Akilah Releford Gould, founder of Mary Louise Cosmetics.

Since I first stumbled upon her TikTok page through #blackgirlluxury, she's stepped into the new roles of wife, creative director, and mother-to-be. Below, discover how I tackled Gould's pre-pregnancy self-care-driven morning routine, the key steps and products I used to make my version of it happen, and the end results. If you decide to give it a try, I can promise you'll be as surprised and delighted as I am with the results. Yes, her morning routine is just that good!

The Routine:

Gould's mornings start bright and early with wake-up times falling anywhere between 5:45 and 6:00 a.m. Before launching herself into a busy workday, she does a gratitude practice, something that I admittedly don't do often enough. This includes journaling, meditating, and just "waking up and saying thank you" before she moves through the rest of her day. I'm not sure if she's a natural early riser or if it's been learned through trial and error, but I admire her dedication to taking calm moments for herself. She's found a way to strike the delicate balance between wellness and her multifaceted career as a cosmetic founder, content creator, and creative director.

The Result:

I've wanted to discover solace in the silence, but I haven't always had the tools or drive to pull it off. It turns out that starting a workday with gratitude can foster an extra helping of positivity to carry me through the day. I finally broke open the lined journal and daily planner I've been keeping on my bedside table for a rainy day and spent the first few minutes after my morning alarm writing down five things I'm grateful for, setting my intentions, and taking note of what I hope to accomplish. This was followed by whichever guided morning meditation I stumbled upon on Spotify that led me through deep breathing exercises, affirmations, and stillness.

While rising at the break of dawn isn't something I would normally be drawn to, I was amazed at how much more time I had to myself in my mornings before switching on my "productivity autopilot," the driving force behind my work mindset. The controlled chaos of beauty editor Maya didn't exist until meditative Maya had a chance to set the tone for the rest of the day. Since following Gould's morning rituals for a week, I've found myself wanting to wake up earlier to get as much "me" time in my day as possible. My mornings may not always start while it's still dark outside, but I love being more of a morning person as opposed to my night-owl tendencies—consider me sold.

The Routine:

A Clif Bar and a hasty sip of orange juice when you already have one foot out the door won't cut it if your goal is to feel energized and driven throughout a day of work or leisure. Gould follows her gratitude practice by sliding out of bed to make breakfast and tea. (She, like me, isn't a coffee drinker.) Her meal usually consists of a bowl of fruit, turkey bacon, and a big glass of water. She prefers eating breakfast before her workout for an extra burst of energy. It's an altogether hearty and healthy meal I've been partial to in the past, and I completely understand why it was Gould's pre-pregnancy breakfast of choice.

The Result:

I'm notoriously horrible at eating breakfast before diving into work, so following Gould's morning routine was a welcome change to an otherwise hectic schedule. Following my gratitude practice, I committed to going downstairs to put together a meal. Rather than eating a bowl of blueberries alone, I used them as a topping with granola on a bowl of Greek yogurt. In the week I followed Gould's morning routine, I switched between my homemade yogurt bowls. I've yet to try turkey bacon, but I'm excited to add it to my breakfast rotation in the future. Perhaps the most important part of her breakfast is drinking a glass of water to combat the night's dehydration. I ended breakfast by pouring myself a cup of black tea and settling down to take a peek at my socials.

The Routine:

Depending on when Gould's meetings are scheduled, she has time blocked out in her morning routine for a workout session—either by taking a Level 2 class at Club Pilates or spending 45 minutes to an hour on the treadmill at Equinox Fitness Club at a 12 incline and 3.0 speed while listening to Beyoncé's Renaissance album. A combination of practicing Pilates and walking can do wonders for strengthening the core, increasing flexibility, improving posture, and managing stress. As a fellow Pilates girlie, I was extremely excited to get back into reformer classes following a break over the holidays. With no treadmill at my disposal, however, I decided to brave the winter weather to get in my cardio.

The Result:

When it comes to fitness, I'm no pro but am always willing to learn new skills. To follow Gould's workout schedule as closely as possible, I continued taking two reformer Pilates classes a week at Club Pilates as part of my membership and switched between mat Pilates and walking outdoors on my non–reformer Pilates days. (Equinox has yet to bring a location to Seattle.) My mat Pilates classes are completely free thanks to online classes by content creator and Pilates instructor Arianna Elizabeth. I also fell back in love with taking walks outdoors while following the routine and experiencing some gorgeous waterfront views. I may be a huge East Coast fan, but I'm always reminded of how much I love the unique natural elements of the Pacific Northwest.

The Routine: 

One of the most important habits to develop following a workout is taking care of your skin. Gould swears by a lineup of ultra-effective products from La Roche-Posay, Goop, Namesake, and Mary Louise Cosmetics, the cosmetic brand she founded during her junior year in college. While doing her skincare routine, she listens to Joseph Rodrigues on YouTube, who creates manifestation, goal-setting, and book-review content. It's no surprise that she doesn't skip her skincare routine. Gould's skin is always bright, even, and primed for the effortlessly elegant makeup looks that populate her Instagram page.

The Result:

Leave it to Gould to set elite skincare standards! It's safe to say this skincare routine goes unrivaled. Since passing into my mid-20s, I've noticed my skin tends to be on the dry side, and the cold, dry weather we've been experiencing lately in Seattle hasn't made things any easier. I'm extremely lucky to have thousands of products at my disposal, but there aren't many that I can imagine never transitioning out of my skincare routine. La Roche-Posay's Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Facial Cleanser and Namesake's Daily Moisturizer are two that have a choke hold on me.

The Routine:

Although every day is different for Gould, she usually starts work around 10 a.m. by diving into emails unless something demands her attention before then. With that being said, most of her heavy work is squared away by 3 p.m. How great is it that she's found a routine that allows self-care and slow mornings to take precedence over life's stressors? Of course, as she enters a new chapter in her life's story (she's a newlywed and soon-to-be mother), her mornings are bound to undergo slight changes to make room for even more exciting things.

The Result:

I was lucky enough to take the first week of the New Year off work to reset and recenter and couldn't have found a better time to give Gould's morning routine a try. While I didn't have any product testing, interviewing, or heavy writing to do, I took the time to establish new routines that would allow for maximum productivity when the time came to dive back into my beauty-editor lifestyle. I've decided to rely on both an online and physical planner to help me keep track of important tasks and allow me to maximize my "me" time in the mornings. Currently, my morning routine isn't identical to Gould's but is now heavily inspired by her methods of self-care. I couldn't have imagined a better way to start a new year than this!