*We aim to aspire to inspire as we chat to others, picking their brains, exploring their gifts and practices.
All posts are raw & unedited because f**k none of us are perfect & it is time to celebrate that - I'm here for the honest & real, you?
★ Who are you?
I’m Rachael – the founder and director of inclusive self-care brand, Self Care Originals. We create mental wellbeing tools, co-developed with psychologists, that bridge the gap between psychology and self-care.
★ What sets your soul on fire?
I feel most alive when travelling and exploring new places and spaces.
★ What is something most people don't know about you?
I’m a Scorpio sun, Leo rising, but my moon is in Virgo which means I am crazy organised. I love tracking and structure. Most of my life is run by a never-ending note in my notes app (if it’s not written done, I literally won’t do it). This includes my daily meditation practices, getting ready, work, and travel to social catchups. I track and log pretty much everything – from my wellness practices to personal finances.
★ What is your proudest achievement outside of work?
I think, my proudest achievement would have to be my relationship to life itself. I feel quite grounded in the knowing that I am spiritual being having a human existence, and that from this zoomed-out perspective, I’m quite clear on what really matters to me. Having this strong relationship with my spiritual self and the broader universe makes moving through life that little bit more easeful. This perspective truly impacts so much of how I move through the world.
★ What nourishes you?
People (friends, family, my partner). Community. Food and wine. And my personal practices (meditation, journaling, yoga).
★ Advice for anyone wanting to start in your field.
You are the biggest advocate for your brand. If you don’t think it’s a good idea, or needs to exist, then why would anyone else?
Oh, and keep going – it’s only a failure when you quit (or when you say it is).
★ What inspired you to start your business, and what motivates you to keep going?
I was inspired to start Self Care Originals after moving through a particularly difficult time in my life. I had been through a mental health and existential crisis. When going through that, I had been yearning to find a brand and products that spoke to me. I was looking for something that was relevant to my life (a young twenty-something woman-of-colour living in a fast-paced city). I was looking for something that was educative as well as compassionate – providing insight into what life means and how to navigate through it. I never found that brand or those products. So, after I had moved through that time, I decided to create it myself.
★ How do you balance your personal life with running a business, and what strategies have you found most helpful?
Balancing life as a business owner can be challenging. It’s definitely something I’ve had to grow into. I had to make contact with the awareness that the best way I can take care of my business is to take care of myself. From that perspective, instilling boundaries and practices is imperative to the health of myself, and therefore, my business.
I am very clear on work boundaries. I don’t blur the lines between ‘work’ and ‘rest’. If I’m working, I’m working. And if I’m resting, I’m resting. Tech health is super important for this. I rarely check my emails on my phone. Prioritising my own self-care is also incredibly important. I have a pretty considered morning and post-work practice that involves journaling, meditation, and movement.
★ How do you stay innovative and creative in your business, and what steps do you take to continually improve your products or services?
I stay innovative and creative by creating space in my life. I need space – stretches of time – to create and think. This isn’t always possible. However, I try to build in periods of time during the week where I can just do nothing. In those times, I’ll generally burn a candle, meditate, read, draw in my notebook, or look through a magazine. I also love travel and spending time with my partner or friends.
In a more tangible sense – if there is a task or challenge within the business that requires a fresh, creative perspective, I’ll ensure I have an entire morning, or an entire afternoon allocated to it. Even if it only takes an hour, it’s the spaciousness around it that allows the ‘answer’ to come through.
★ Being constantly creative, how do you find balance?
I find balance by instilling moments of rest into life. I resonate deeply with ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ symbol. Which is to say, I know that dualities exist in life – what goes up, must come down. My self-care practices give me that reprieve – whether it’s meditation, or movement in the form of yoga, pilates, or a walk, or having a bath, sleep, or simply watching real housewives.
I think, also, my perspective of balance isn’t just that of ‘work’ vs. ‘life’. I believe there are 6 core tenants to my life – my relationship with myself, my family, my partner, my friends, my community, and my work. As such, my sense of balance is dependent on my relationship to all these things. Again, I think this broader perspective of what it means to be in balance helps me feel really grounded and stable as I move through the world.
★ What is something you believe in that not everyone agrees with?
I believe in reincarnation – that our soul lives multiple lives.
★ What is your definition of success, and how do you measure it in your life?
Success, to me, is freedom. Specifically, freedom in the terms of time, money and self-expression. From this lens, it’s important for my financial success to come in a way that’s regenerative and sustainable.
I measure success through the abundance of emotional, spiritual, physical and financial wealth in my life – whether that be through the quality and strength of my relationships, tangible money and experiences earned, as well as overall health and wellbeing.
Prompts inspired by this chat
1. What is your definition of success, and how do you measure it in your life?
2. What inspired you to start your business, and what motivates you to keep going?
3. What is your definition of success, and how do you measure it in your life?
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