arrival edit #1: building community outside of the bar scene, dark chocolate almond butter cups, and an energizing spring playlist
welcome to our first edition of The Arrival Edit.
Welcome to the Arrival Edit – our space to share what’s catching our eye across wellness, creativity, and the little, everyday things that spark something deeper.
We’re into the ideas and shifts that don’t always make headlines but matter anyway. What our community has been loving – the passions, interests, aesthetics, and ambitions of the women that make up Arrival. Because we are you.
We’re glad you’re here. If you enjoy today’s issue, please subscribe and share with a friend!
Since this is our first time doing this, we’re going to lay out the land for you a bit! If you have any questions or suggestions, leave ‘em in the comments below.
Our Substack will be published weekly – with four consistent pillars:
A Monthly Playlist – because sometimes, maybe you don’t want AI to curate your taste (looking at you, Daylist.)
A Community Spotlight – to platform the incredible women that are doing inspiring things at work, at home, and in life.
The Latest Research – because the research to back up creatine is constantly evolving - and we want you to have the latest research at your fingertips!
A Recipe – because taking your creatine doesn’t have to be boring.
Monthly Playlist
It’s spring – and with that comes a new energy, a new sense of creativity. We wanted to put together a collection of songs that represent just that. Maggie Rogers, Lorde, and Florence + the Machine are just a few of the powerhouse women that make up our May playlist this year. Give it a listen here.
This will be updated weekly!
Community Spotlight: Caite Opfer
Caite Opfer is a multidimensional creative, entrepreneur, and athlete based in Brooklyn. She’s the founder of Lime Social Club, which hosts weekly events in health, wellness and art – helping people try new things and meet new people outside of the bar scene. Lime currently has chapters in New York City, Boston, and Denver.
Introduce yourself, in your own words.
I’m Caite. In summary, I am a super curious builder. I like starting from scratch and just seeing what happens. I love art, athletics and building cool things. I’m Brooklyn based.
Tell me a little bit about Lime. How did that get started?
Lime is a social club, at least from the public's perspective. We orchestrate weekly events in health and wellness, mostly for people to make new friends and try new things outside of the bar scene.
I’m not sober, but Lime basically started because I hated how alcohol centric the city social landscape is. It’s always “let’s grab drinks,” and maybe you just don’t want to do that, ya know?We just try and make sure that people have an opportunity to have “recess time” as adults. I feel like “play time” is really important, that isn't necessarily always around alcohol, and I think that we've forgotten to have that as adults. We just go to work, we work out, and we sleep.
For brands, we also have a back-end side. We work with partner companies that make “better-for-you” products. It’s really cool to see the impact for brands, because we help in getting these products into the hands of people who are trying to actually do good for their body.
Was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew this was what you wanted to do?
It was. I call it an “accident on purpose,” because I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I had a business before this, actually, that made athleticwear – and that company and Lime overlapped by one month. But when I started Lime Social Club, I realized just how much I didn't like selling physical products, and how much more fun and fulfilling Lime kind of felt for me.
Within maybe four weeks, I very quickly realized that people were coming to my run clubs that I’d never met before. I wasn't posting anything special, I wasn't paying for ads, and I just felt like this was before the heyday of New York City run clubs kind of booming. So that need for friendship and finding people in organic spaces was just so apparent that I was like, “Oh, this is going to work.” Because one, selfishly, I wanted it to work for myself. And then, number two, I wasn't even trying that hard, and it was working. And so I had wanted to be an entrepreneur, but this definitely fell into my lap a little bit.
Do you work on Lime full-time?
Not yet. My dream is for this to be full time by the end of the year, if not middle of next year, but I also do freelance creative work. So I work with startup brands doing everything creative – most startup companies can't afford to bring on specialized marketing freelancers, so I act as kind of a catch-all, doing everything from ads to socials to videos to billboards and press releases.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My ideal day is that I wake up and go to the gym, before quickly walking my dog, and then I try and get in maybe five hours of work before taking a break. Most of my days are 10-12 hour work days. I think the nice thing about the work that I do, though, is sometimes I'm on the phone for an hour, and I'm able to walk my dog while on the phone, talking strategy. So it doesn't always feel like I'm working, even if I am. I also run so many events that make days move faster. Those are very time intensive, but they're fun and they're social, and I get to see people! And it’s fulfilling. Then I’ll come home, make dinner, and go to bed.
Do you have any routines or habits that help you stay grounded or focused?
I journal pretty much every day. I have this tactic I use. It's called “GAMES.” I love it.
An influencer I followed years ago had posted a reel about it. “GAMES” stands for gratitude, affirmation, manifest, envision, silence. And for those people who are super into goal setting, this is a really great way to do it on a daily basis in under two minutes.
I’ll just write out “I'm grateful for, I am affirming that, I envision myself doing these things to get to this manifestation…” and so on. It's not meant to be a very long exercise. It's just meant to recalibrate, that this is the bigger vision.
What’s something people often misunderstand about you?
I think that people think I get embarrassed. That’s not true. I still have moments where I'm like, “Oh, I don't want to do this,” because I find it embarrassing, even if it's something I really want to do. And I feel like sometimes when people meet me, they think I must be so fearless. But that's so far from true. I just continue to push myself. I'm scared 110% of the time – I just do it anyway.
Are there any supplements or wellness routines you’ve added to your daily life that have made a difference?
I take magnesium at night, which has definitely helped my sleep. I also take creatine during the day with my workouts. Most of the time I'll take it in the morning right after I work out, and then drink a bunch of water. I feel like I'm flooding my body with water in the morning a little bit, which helps me remember to stay hydrated for the rest of the day.
Then honestly, the biggest thing for me as an adult, is making sure I eat with coffee – just not having black coffee on an empty stomach. That really kills me. At the end of the day, I also just really try to make sure that I'm eating vegetables, fruits and meat – and nothing processed.
Where do you ideally see yourself in 3 years?
Oh my gosh, great question. I still see myself in New York for the time being, but I definitely see myself running my own business at that point and being able to actually write my own paycheck. But I also feel like in three years I’ll still be testing and trying and playing around with what's actually happening in life, but hopefully a little bit more sure of myself and confident in the fact that I am building something new and cool.
The Latest Research
Creatine + Your Cycle
We know our hormones affect everything — from mood and energy to hydration and mental clarity. So it makes sense that creatine might work differently depending on where you are in your cycle.
A 2023 study published in Nutrients looked at exactly that: how creatine impacts the body during the menstrual cycle. Researchers found that supplementing during the luteal phase (the second half of your cycle, when energy often dips) helped increase intracellular hydration — without causing weight gain or bloating.
“Creatine loading increased cellular hydration during the luteal phase — without impacting body weight.”– Nutrients, 2023
This matters because hydration at the cellular level supports everything from focus to endurance to recovery. And when our bodies are already working harder, a little extra support can go a long way.
Read the rest of the study here!
A Recipe: Dark Chocolate Berry Almond Butter Cups
Yes, of course you can take your creatine in water. But… you can also mix it into fun recipes.
We made delicious brain-boosting, dark chocolate berry almond butter cups this past week. Full of healthy fats, antioxidants, and of course your daily dose of creatine – these are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up to power you through the rest of your day.
Ingredients:
1 dark chocolate bar
2 tsp coconut oil, separated
1 cup frozen berries of choice (we used cherries)
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup almond flour
1 scoop vanilla protein of choice
4-5 servings of Arrival
3-4 tbsp almond butter
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
Warm the frozen berries over low heat with the honey, until they can be easily mashed.
Over low heat, melt 1/2 chocolate bar with 1 tsp of coconut oil.
Add the melted chocolate to muffin molds, before allowing them to firm up in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
While the chocolate is freezing, warm the berries over low heat with the honey. Mash them until they form a smooth syrupy paste, before removing from heat. Let cool.
Combine the almond flour, vanilla protein, Arrival creatine, vanilla extract, and cardamom. Slowly pour in the berries, stirring continuously. You want the filling to maintain some structure, so if it seems like it’s getting too liquidy, hold back on the berries.
Repeat step 2 with the other half of the chocolate bar.
Add the mixture to the chocolate molds, before topping off with the additional chocolate. Allow to set in the freezer for 1+ hour.