Introducing Body + Soul: Women-Founded and Wellness Forward

Body + Soul is a woman-founded wellness company focused on the principle of wellness beginning with self-care. 

Today's world is go go go. Women find themselves pulling double if not triple duty. We’re managing careers and raising families on top of various other life responsibilities. There's a saying, a woman is expected to work as though she doesn't have children, and parent as though she doesn’t have a career. It's a high double standard, one we accept with stoic determination and a gritty competence.

It takes sacrifice.

To be successful in multiple realms of life, we end up putting everything else ahead of ourselves. Whether out of duty or love, women become so used to trying to do everything, we often don't realize we're burning out until we suffer a mental, emotional or physical collapse. 

As a woman, I've experienced this. I was an executive at a tech company running multiple departments while spearheading our company’s new artificial intelligence division. I worked until the day before I gave birth to my son, and the only reason I didn’t work until we left for the hospital was because he was born on a Saturday.

Even after I had my son, my work demanded long hours. Most days I found myself sprinting out of meetings to pick up my son just minutes before the daycare closed, then going home to spend time with him and make dinner. After putting him to bed, I would continue to work into the wee hours of the morning.

My husband and I never discussed this as my role. I just assumed it once we had the baby. It was what needed to be done to do everything.

I would push myself so hard, running on very little sleep, having to make big decisions at the office, problem solve complex issues, and keep my cool dealing with problematic employees and difficult clients. My life was prioritized by what was most pressing, to what was on fire. Sometimes that pressure would build to the point I felt like I would explode. But since you can’t throw chairs through windows in polite society, I would sit in my car and take a moment to rage cry. Then I would go back out and soldier on.

My body already had various joint issues due to athletic injuries from my youth, and now with the post pregnancy weight, I had a hard time keeping it together, particularly under the weight of stress. I went to a doctor who sent me to a specialist, who told me I needed surgery and to take 2 Advil a day for inflammation. I already had stress-related stomach issues, so I wasn’t going to do that. I became fascinated with the healing properties of herbs and eastern philosophies on healing, creating my own botanical formulation in the form of a topical cream. It didn’t just help me with pain and inflammation. It helped me heal in a way that my chronic issues faded away and I could be more active. That was the birth of Miracle Sports Cream.

Over time, my fascination with herbs became a release and I created products that made me feel good. I began to take a nightly candlelit soak with my bath teas right before bed, a ritual that relaxed my body and released my mind from the weight of the world. These baths never lasted more than 30 minutes, but they put me miles away from my stress. My sleep dramatically improved. I wasn’t getting more hours, but I felt more rested. I was waking with better clarity and energy to tackle things. Not to mention, I loved the way they made my skin smell.

I also loved making plant-based facial remedies as part of my skincare routine. I have extremely sensitive and fickle skin. I felt with off the shelf products, if they didn’t hurt my skin, I was happy. Now, using my own formulas with herbs that were gentle as well as regenerative, they didn’t just smell good and make my skin feel soft, I was getting complemented for glowing skin. Being in your 40s, post baby, you get used to being ignored by men in public. But for the first time in a long time, guys at Starbucks were smiling at me, and I can only assume it was because I was glowing.

I realized it’s the little things you do taking care of yourself that keep your spirits high so you don’t burn out. It’s about treating yourself with love, giving yourself room to breathe, physically and spiritually recharging. It’s about knowing your limits, recognizing your boundaries, listening to yourself. Self-care is the conscious maintenance of your mind, body, and soul. However, if the stress is still too overwhelming, then you might have to consider a life change.

For me it was deciding to change my mindset from one of sacrifice, to commitment. What was I passionate about? What did I feel was most worthwhile to commit to? I enjoyed that I was good at creating things with herbs that helped people, and I wanted to spend as much time with my son as I could. So I walked away from my career and dedicated myself to Body + Soul.

Body + Soul is a company founded by women, empowering women. We make products that are good for your body and soul to remind you, you can’t take care of anyone else unless you take care of yourself first. While our products serve to nurture your body, our ultimate goal is to integrate your entire being, so you can be your strongest self, and go after exactly what it is you want in this world. And if men are feeling our message and loving our products too, we absolutely welcome them!

Thank you for joining us on this journey.

Warm Regards,

Julia Shih

Founder, Body + Soul