We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Laura Chodola. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Laura below.

Laura, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

My journey into the wellness beverage world began long before Elec’trik Kids. In 2005, my husband and I founded tealish.com, a tea company rooted in our love for creating tea blends that inspire wellness and connection. One of my greatest joys as an entrepreneur has been crafting drinks that are not only healthy and nourishing but also genuinely delicious. My own children grew up sipping herbal teas, and over the years, I’ve searched for creative ways to keep them happily hydrated.
Like many parents, I faced a familiar frustration: water bottles would come home from school untouched, and convincing my kids to drink plain water felt like a daily struggle. At the same time, I was innovating with tea powders for tealish, and it became clear that the next chapter of my entrepreneurial journey should focus on kids—a wholesome, hydrating, and parent-approved option that children would actually love to drink.
That’s when the vision for Elec’trik Kids really came alive. Kids today are busier and more active than ever, and proper hydration is essential not only for physical energy but also for mood, focus, and overall well-being. Yet so many of the “kid-friendly” beverage options on the market are loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients. Parents deserved better choices, and kids deserve products that make healthy living feel exciting and empowering.
When I connected with my partner Carmen, another mom equally passionate about nutrition and raising strong, healthy kids, the idea crystallized. We bonded instantly over our determination to create something vibrant, fun, and nourishing—something that could support growing bodies and active lifestyles while also helping kids develop lifelong healthy habits. Out of this shared passion, Elec’trik Kids was born.
Our hydration powders solve real challenges for families: helping kids drink more water, replenishing electrolytes after sports and play, supporting mood and focus, boosting strength and energy, and reducing sugar intake—all in a way that feels fun and empowering. Parents can feel good knowing their kids are making healthy choices, and kids feel excited because Elec’trik tastes amazing and makes them feel great.

Laura, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been innovating in the beverage industry for over two decades, driven by a simple but powerful belief: healthy drinks should be both nourishing and delicious. The idea for Tealish was born after I left law school, searching for something more meaningful—a path that aligned with my heart. Along the way, we discovered the power of tea in our own wellness journeys and were inspired to reimagine and modernize tea culture, creating blends that reflected a fresh, innovative approach to wellness and connection. Over the years, tealish has grown from a small shop in Toronto into a beloved brand sold across Canada, known for pioneering unique tea blends that inspire joy and self-care. That journey gave me a deep understanding of product innovation, consumer behavior, and how to build a brand that resonates with people on an emotional level.
Now, with Elec’trik Kids, I’m taking that experience and applying it to one of the most urgent health challenges facing families today: children’s hydration. Research shows that more than half of kids are inadequately hydrated, and the beverage industry has not given parents better options. As both an entrepreneur and a mom, I saw the need firsthand. My kids often resisted plain water, and I knew there had to be a better way—something wholesome, functional, and fun.
I am passionate about creating innovative solutions that inspire change. With Elec’trik Kids, I’ve taken the lessons from Tealish—crafting beverages that people love while keeping wellness at the center—and built a brand designed to transform how families think about hydration. Alongside my co-founder Carmen, we have created a product that not only tastes great but also empowers kids to make healthy choices. Together, we’re moms on a mission, and that authenticity is what resonates so strongly with parents.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the biggest pivots I’ve made in my career came after nearly twenty years of building and running my tea company, tealish. For two decades, I poured my heart into creating innovative, wellness-focused tea blends and growing a brand that inspired connection and self-care. After closing our retail stores and shifting more into wholesale and e-commerce, I was ready to create something new, and excited to take everything I’d learned and channel it into a new direction – developing a superfood instant tea brand that would bring functional ingredients and convenience together.

But just as we were preparing to launch, a competitor tried to block us from manufacturing. It was an incredibly challenging and disheartening moment — after over a year of development, it felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me. However, that experience taught me a lot: about resilience, protecting your ideas, and the realities of bringing new products to market in a competitive space.

Those lessons turned out to be invaluable. When I later began working on Elec’trik Kids, I was able to apply everything I’d learned — from product formulation and branding to navigating partnerships and supply chains. This new venture feels like the perfect blend of my background in wellness and my passion for innovation—now channeled toward kids. With two active little ones of my own, it couldn’t be a more fitting or meaningful next chapter. It was a true pivot — not abandoning what I’d built, but evolving it into something new that felt more aligned, exciting, and full of purpose.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Several books have had a major impact on how I approach management and entrepreneurship, shaping both my mindset and day-to-day decision making.

“The Science of Scaling” by Dr. Benjamin Hardy helped me think more systematically about growth—how to align vision, leadership, and team focus to scale with intention. It also reinforced the importance of goal setting and strategy, and that setting big goals is the key to scaling successfully.

“Day Trading Attention” by Gary Vaynerchuk shifted my thinking around modern marketing and brand building. It’s a reminder that attention is the most valuable currency, and that creativity, speed, and authenticity are essential in connecting with audiences today. It’s influenced how I approach content, storytelling, and staying culturally relevant.

“Basementality” by Ben Weiss inspired me on a more personal level. It’s a story about grit, humility, and starting from the ground up—values that deeply resonate with my own entrepreneurial journey. It’s a great reminder that success comes from perseverance, purpose, and maintaining a scrappy, underdog mentality no matter how big the business becomes.

Together, these books have shaped my belief that great leadership blends self-awareness, storytelling, and resilience—and that building something meaningful starts from the inside out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.get-electrik.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getelectrik/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575842529685
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-chodola-6324bb16/

Image Credits

Eli Gorin

– credit to the two images of the kids and the founder image