A Day In Her Life Episode 146: A Day in Her Life with Rachael Dillon - Cofounder of Mary & Jane and mom of two, splitting time between MN and Costa Rica
Mar 31, 2026
Rachael Dillon, cofounder of Mary & Jane and mom of two who splits time between Minnesota and Costa Rica. She discusses training for marathons in tropical heat, running a tiny hemp-edibles startup with a focus on microdosing, and simplifying family life by living off local farms and limiting online shopping. She also shares daily rituals like early runs, bedtime stories, and balancing work across two countries.
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Marathon Training At Dawn In Costa Rica
- Rachel trains for the Boston Marathon by waking at ~6am to run long sessions in Costa Rican heat, sometimes up to 19 miles taking nearly three hours.
- She treats running as meditation and also surfs there, noting nature moments like stingrays under the board that force presence.
Small Team Role Clarity Enables Focused Work
- As a two-person startup, Rachel and co-founder Laura split roles: Rachel owns marketing; Laura owns product, letting them limit meetings and focus deep work.
- Rachel checks daily ad performance, influencer posts, and keeps mornings quiet to prioritize execution over meeting churn.
Local Food Access Simplifies Family Dinners
- Living in Costa Rica simplified meals: local organic farm deliveries and a daily fish vendor let Rachel cook simple, affordable dinners like two kilos of tuna for $25.
- Simplicity reduced planning stress and enabled flexible social plans while maintaining fresh, kid-friendly meals.
