Rachael Akhidenor: Bringing self-care to all
Words: Sarah Tarca // @tarca
Images: Courtesy of Self Care Originals // @self___care
Rachael Akhidenor, founder of Self Care Originals is a Scorpio sun, Virgo moon and Leo rising.
What were you doing at 24? Buried deep under three bottles of cheap white wine and Uni assignments? Cruising through first-job chaos and living solely for the weekend? I tell you what I definitely wasn’t doing, and that was creating a business that would disrupt the wellness world, challenge our viewpoints, and make us reassess our own privelege. Which is just some of what makes Rachael Akhidenor, founder of Self Care Originals, just damn special.
Tell us a little about your childhood…
I grew up in Melbourne, in a very hardworking family. Education and the values of family and discipline were highly emphasised from a young age. Being of mixed race, I grew up hearing about how privileged we were to live in a country like Australia, where education was accessible and society functioned well. As such, despite growing up relatively privileged, I was always very well acquainted with that privilege. My parents never wanted to protect me from realities of the world. To travel was wholly encouraged. I went to developing countries often.
My interest in self-care was sparked from my experiences travelling through Buddhist countries like Thailand and Laos. I saw monks sitting in meditation and chanting. Yoga was practised and talked about as part of a greater spiritual practice. I was always enticed by the different kinds of spirituality I saw and the practices that followed. From travel, my interest for the human condition was enlivened.
Rachael (right) and her sister, Michelle.
How was The idea of Self Care Originals born?
I am (still) currently at university, studying a double degree of Law and Commerce and a Diploma of Languages (Mandarin). Because of my lengthy degree (7 years!), I always engaged in creative work, almost as a refuge. I began copywriting, almost by accident really and had clients who were part of the wellness world. As such, my interest in self-development, spirituality and self-care deepened as I was required to write about it for clients.
My desire to start Self Care Originals came from the realisaiton of how little my peers knew about looking after themselves holistically. It was mid-2018 and ‘self-care’ was not the buzzword it is today. So I decided to create t-shirts with the words ‘Self Care’ on them as a way to get other people excited and familiar with the term. I was 21 at the time. None of my friends were talking about self-care but people liked the t-shirts. They began asking questions about what this term ‘self-care’ meant. It’s wild to see how much has changed since then and how different the conversation is now.
“Looking back, I recognised that I was often the only person of colour in yoga classes. I was the only person of colour in mediation studios and mindfulness seminars.”
How did it evolve from a tshirt idea to an inclusive wellness movement ?
At the beginning I didn’t take aim at focusing on making wellness and self-care more inclusive. The primary focus was just getting people acquainted with the term. But as culture shifted and changed, and this concept of ‘wellness’ became more elitist and exclusive, I began to feel a strong dissonance. As white lululemon-clad women became the ideal of wellness, I became so infuriated. Having been acquainted with the concepts of looking after yourself and looking inward since I was 12 years old, it broke my heart to see the way in which these really beautiful practices had been corrupted and twisted into this concept that society blindly accepted.
I first heard about race inequality and wellness from Monaj Dias, an incredible Australian mediation teacher and co-founder of mediation studio called Open. From when I heard him talk about it, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head and suddenly I saw it everywhere.
Looking back, I recognised that I was often the only person of colour in yoga classes, in mediation studios and mindfulness seminars. That’s when I decided to pivot Self Care Originals to really focus on inclusion and representation – to promote not only the concept of self-care but this idea of ‘self-care for all’.
What is your mission with Self Care Originals?
We want to promote the concept of ‘self-care for all’. We want to invite everyone into the conversation of what it means to live well, the importance of looking inward and caring for our whole selves. People often dismiss self-care as frivolous or just ‘face masks’. But its impact on our self-worth, self-love and self respect is potent, particularly for marginalized groups.
I think that our merch is a gentle nudge towards the concept of self-care, helping to make people more familiar and comfortable with the term. But, later in the year we will be furthering the conversation through an interview series, where we share candid conversations with people, like you and me, about themselves, their challenges, insecurities, fears.
you often refer to your merch as “wearable activism” – what does that mean?
Wearable activism is a concept I termed to describe the action of using clothing as a form of activism, to make a political statement or advocate for something, because we’re doing this every day, whether we are aware of it or not. So, I just thought, why not harness this practically unconscious act for social change. It’s fun and an effortless way to be spark a conversation.
“People often dismiss self-care as frivolous or just ‘face masks’. But its impact on our self-worth, self-love and self respect is potent, particularly for marginalized groups.”
What does self-care mean to you?
I define self-care as looking after my whole self – mind, body, spirit. It can range from activities to a certain mental state; depending on what I need at the time. It’s a very fluid concept but what constitutes self-care at any given time almost entirely hinges upon looking inward. My personal self-care practice constantly fluctuates depending on how busy I am, what I feel like and what I need. At the moment, it consists of walks, baths, seeing a psychologist, acupuncture and sleep. You’ll generally find me doing any one of these activities once a week.
“The ritual of lighting and burning incense can help with health and wellbeing of the mind, body and emotions.”
Where do you think that the wellness industry should start when addressing its inclusivity issues?
There are multiple ways in which we can address this issue. I believe that having a dialogue about the issue is a powerful first step. People talking about it is the spark that galvanizes change. I also believe representation is important, namely in the visuals and communications of ‘wellness’ and ‘self-care’. Ensuring that more and more people are being represented and being invited into the conversation.
And following that, what do you think the population of cisgendered, heterosexual white folk can do to help with their own self-awareness – and be part of the change?
Firstly, it would just be recognising their internalized perceptions of wellness. Asking themselves why they believe the image of wellness and ‘self-care’ is the way in which it is. Even noticing the messaging and visuals of the wellness and self-care brands they follow and support. It’s a powerful time because we as consumers have so much say in shaping brands and businesses. We are constantly affirming and supporting them through our dollars, likes and follows. Change can be made by being more discerning as to the brands and the businesses we choose to support.
Self Care Originals The Merch Tee in Yellow, $75
Self Care originals is not just about cultural inclusiveness – but inclusiveness across the board. How did you go about creating brand – and community – that did that?
I wish I could be doing so much more! There are so many people I want to speak to and highlight; so many conversations I want to share. Yet, like anything, I am just one person who works on this brand part-time, and as such, the growth is slower than what we usually would expect of brands with huge teams behind them.
For me, I have a very clear vision of where I see the brand going and the work it can do in shaping and changing the culture within wellness and self-care. I think being really clear on the brand’s values and making sure they were clearly communicated helped in attracting our beautiful community centred around those values.
You donate $5 of each product to Lifeline. Why was it important to you?
While we are social enterprise ourselves, I think it was important to donate a portion of the profits in any case. I’m a big believer in conscious business and using business to change the world for the better. I chose Lifeline because they are such an integral part of the Australian community and self-care is so intertwined with the conversation around mental health that it felt aligned.
What challenges have you faced when building the brand?
There have been so many, but the main challenge that comes to mind is a personal one. And that is, timing. I am very ambitious by nature. I want things to have been done yesterday. And so, grappling with time constraints I am under due to other commitments was a challenge. I had to accept that growth would be slower that what we expect in this modern world. I’m pleased to say that, two and a half years in, I have definitely relaxed on my ambition. It’s still there. But I am much more realistic and compassionate towards myself and my limitations. It’s been a learning curve.
I guess, what my professional background has largely taught me, is the benefit of grit and perseverance. It’s been a challenge. Everything appears so effortless from the outside; but what is not seen are the sacrifices and the 5am starts, chasing down orders while in and out of university lectures.
I believe that you don’t really ‘need’ any particular knowledge or expertise prior to creating something in the world. You just need passion, tenacity and the discipline to follow through and make it happen. It’s not something that is built for everyone.
I am super excited to share the Interview Series, which will be weekly written or video interviews. They are honest and vulnerable conversations about life and looking inward and self-exploration. I’ve wanted to focus on the content side of the brand for a while so I’m very eager for that; I think it’ll be really well received.
RACHAEL is a Scorpio sun, Virgo moon and Leo rising. You can follow her personally here, buy one of her self care originals tees here, or follow them on instagram
