No Bullsh*t Self-Care: The People to Know
It’s not that sinking into a bath surrounded by candles isn’t great Or a slab of chocolate before bed. Or that six-step skincare routine when we can be bothered. But sometimes we need more than to light a candle and have a bath to feel ok.
There’s nothing wrong with dropping your paycheck on sound baths and superfood powders if that’s your thing. But the self-care industry (currently worth $4.5 trillion) has got a way of making us believe we need those things to be well. Being kinder to yourself can be as simple as getting a decent sleep. Turning off notifications. Maybe tidying your room or stirring greens through your pasta. The bath salts? They smell nice, but let’s focus on setting healthy boundaries first.
As part of our #PledgeforGood, we’re spotlighting the self-care heroes keeping wellness real, inclusive and are changing self-love for the better.
Health
You don’t need a halo to be healthy. Yoga teacher and body positivity advocate Jessamyn Stanley encourages people to curse, fart and fall over in her classes on The Underbelly. Stay down if you want. And while you’re there, flick through her books Every Body Yoga and Yoke, about how lessons from your downward dog can be used off the mat.
Up your food self-care game with Sophia Roe. Yes, the Brooklyn-based chef makes fun, plant-based recipe videos (her pickle brine sauteed mushrooms are on repeat in our kitchen). But she also talks about feelings, food justice and loving your leftovers. Tuck into the conversation on her Counter Space series.
Lifestyle
Did you know a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope? That a camel library carried books to 22,000 kids in Ethiopia? Give your thumb a break from doom-scrolling and pick up The Happy News, Emily Coxhead’s quarterly paper crammed with positive stories., Even better: free copies are sent to schools and a tree is planted for every subscriber.
Leaning into the bad as well as the good, wellness platform thy.self proves that self-care doesn’t have to come with a price tag. Founder Chloé Pierre has carved spaces – online and IRL – for the kind of community and good conversation that make wellbeing more inclusive. No expensive candles, no spa days. This is #wellnessforall. To that end, she’s also launched thy.self Men.
Careers
We’ve all seen the “no worries if not” email memes (guilty) and read the articles on burnout culture. Cue The Foreword. Co-founders Lileth and Arabella throw out the one-size-fits-all idea of success and, instead, say do a little self-work in office hours. Expect no-nonsense advice on overcoming self-doubt and toxic positivity, prioritising the to-do list and memes that have every overworked millennial hitting share.
If that rings true, you should probably check out F*ck Being Humble. Through pep talks, workshops and a book (think of it as your new career bible), founder Stefanie Sword-Williams discusses the value of self-worth, networking and why self-promotion isn’t a dirty word.