PURE LEAF ICED TEA AND ELAINE WELTEROTH CALL ON MOMS TO SAY "NO" TO THE "DO-IT-ALL" PRESSURE OF MOTHERHOOD AND SAY "YES" TO WHAT MATTERS MOST IN NEW "NO" GRANTS CAMPAIGN

Second Annual Pure Leaf "No" Grants Program Doubles 2022 Commitment; Provides Financial Support and Access to SeekHer Foundation's Resources for Moms

PURCHASE, N.Y., May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Pure Leaf Iced Tea announced the second year of its "No" Grants program, developed to support women who want to say "no" more in life - and dismantle the barriers standing in their way. This year, the brand is partnering with NY Times Bestselling-author, award-winning journalist, TV host, and new mom Elaine Welteroth to address mothers who feel they can't afford to say "no" to the immense pressure of doing it all. From balancing everyday household tasks like packing lunches and folding laundry to tackling daycare drop-off before an early-morning meeting –saying "no" as a mother is often discouraged. Nearly 2/3 of moms have questioned their value because they were overwhelmed with "doing it all."¹ To help address this issue, Pure Leaf is doubling its "No" Grants commitment from last year, with a total of $400,000 in grants to help support mothers ready to say "no," so they can start saying "yes" to what matters most to them.

To mark this year's campaign, Pure Leaf is debuting a new spot starring Elaine, exposing how the "perfect mom" facade is an unrealistic archetype that pressures women to say "yes" to do it all. In fact, society's expectations don't change when a woman becomes a mother; she is expected to juggle everything that was already on her plate, in addition to her new responsibilities as a mom. The spot, which will be featured on Elaine's Instagram and can be viewed here.

Applying for a "No" Grant
To apply for a "No" Grant, mothers can visit www.PureLeaf.com/NoGrants and share how a "No" Grant would make a difference in their life and what "no" to doing it all and "yes" to what matters most means to them. In addition, each applicant will be granted access to a "No is Beautiful" self-guided resource and online community for moms to celebrate "no" in motherhood. 

"Society puts so much pressure on moms to do it all, while not providing enough information or access to support them through the crazy journey of motherhood," said Elaine Welteroth.  "Pure Leaf shares a lot of the same values that I do about supporting women, especially mothers, and is bringing awareness to all the invisible labor and the tax of motherhood.  I'm grateful to partner with them to give moms actual, tangible resources to help support them with the "No" Grants Program, because we recognize you can't just tell moms to do less or to say no to doing it all.  I hope this program will help more moms show up for themselves by giving them an opportunity to get extra financial resources and determine how to free up their time in a way that makes sense for them."

The 2023 program follows the success of Pure Leaf's inaugural "No" Grants program last year, which received over 10,000 applications and awarded over $200,000 in grants to support women saying "no" in the workplace. The "No" Grants are part of Pure Leaf's larger, three-year, $1 million commitment to fund partnerships with like-minded organizations and initiatives to support women.

"When we launched 'No' Grants last year, we heard from thousands of women, many of them moms, who felt they couldn't afford the luxury of saying 'no' to what didn't serve them – especially against the immense societal pressure to do it all," said Julie Raheja-Perera, General Manager, North America, Pepsi Lipton Partnership. "We knew we had to do more to reach more, so we're bringing 'No' Grants back this year and doubling the number of grants to support moms in saying 'no' so they can say 'yes' to what matters most to them. We're honored to partner with Elaine, a force and role model for many, to help us open this dialogue which is crucial in enacting real change. As we continue to embrace the word 'no' – both in our Pure Leaf tea products and in life – we hope to inspire more women to embrace their version of 'no.'"

SeekHer Foundation will again serve as the official non-profit partner supporting the Pure Leaf "No" Grants. Founded by Dr. Monica Mo, PhD, the SeekHer Foundation works to bridge the gender gap in mental health through advocacy, research, and support for emerging leaders impacting change in their local communities and beyond.

Since its launch in 2020, the Pure Leaf "No is Beautiful" platform has encouraged people everywhere to reclaim and embrace the word "no," both in iced tea and in life. In its products, Pure Leaf says "no" to artificial flavors, tea powders, and concentrate, and anything that doesn't make it taste better. Beyond our teas, "No Is Beautiful" aims to inspire women to say "no" to the things that aren't important, so they can say "yes" to the things that are.

For more information on Pure Leaf and "No is Beautiful," please visit www.PureLeaf.com or follow @PureLeaf on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. 

ABOUT PEPSICO
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $86 billion in net revenue in 2022, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo. 

ABOUT ELAINE WELTEROTH

Elaine Welteroth is an award-winning journalist, TV host, and author of the instant New York Times bestselling book "More Than Enough," which won the 2020 NAACP Image Award for outstanding literary work.

At age 29, she was named the youngest editor-in-chief in Condè Nast's history. Under her leadership Teen Vogue evolved into a platform that elevates marginalized voices and amplifies political discourse. After spending more than a decade climbing the ranks of magazine journalism, Elaine can now be seen on television weekly doling out fashion industry advice as a judge on Bravo's "Project Runway." Her MasterClass on redesigning your career debuted in 2021 and has helped thousands navigate career transitions. Her popular new advice column "Ask Elaine" appears in The Washington Post, exploring how to navigate pivots in life with more ease and less angst.

In addition to The Washington Post, her writing appears in The New York Times, British Vogue and TIME. She is a new mom living with her husband in Los Angeles.

ABOUT THE SEEKHER FOUNDATION
Founded by Dr. Monica Mo, PhD, the SeekHer Foundation works to bridge the gender gap that abounds in mental health, through advocacy, research and support for emerging leaders who are impacting change in their local communities and beyond. SeekHer works with a community of advocates and allied organizations that are passionate about building a better world for women to thrive in together. SeekHer is an advocacy project powered by WellSeek, a social impact collective that's reimagining communities & workplaces to better support women's mental health.  

Media Contact 
Chloe Hager| Edelman
[email protected]

¹ SeekHer Shift Report

SOURCE Pure Leaf Iced Tea