In episode 243, Kestrel welcomes Julia Perez, the creator of Jae and Leona, to the show. Through her company — Jae and Leona — Julia offers small batch, plant + botanical skin care products, as well as in-person facial treatments. She is also an intuitive esthetician, energy healer, and model.
"Self care should be an everyday thing, and it almost should be an every moment thing — like every thing that you’re doing is with intention to support yourself, to preserve yourself, so that you can then continue to go on to live your life’s purpose, whatever that may be." -Julia
Have you felt like you’re hearing a lot more about *self care* over the last year or so?
I mean, let’s be real - the last year+ has been intense on so many levels - from COVID-19 to the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement after the murder of George Floyd to job insecurity to economic difficulties … it’s been a lot. And with all of that, there has been a heightened need to find ways to care for ourselves, in order to keep going.
But one of the things I notice is how much the *growth* of self care has been directly aligned with capitalism - you know, it’s companies marketing products to us, as these things we have to have to take a break, or something we need to help us rest or do something for ourselves.
When, there are so many ways we can slow down without buying anything new.
This week’s guest reminds us that self care doesn’t mean retail therapy — and that self care can be little things that we do for ourselves on a daily basis. She shares more on her work as an intuitive esthetician, how she released her own skincare line during the pandemic, some of the ways her own heritage has been built into her products, and what skincare as liberation means to her.
Quotes & links from the conversation:
Julia’s favorite ingredients?
“There are 2 ingredients — one is tamanu, which is a nut that comes from the South Pacific that has incredible healing properties, and the other one is tulsi which is sweet basil. But both of those ingredients actually have links in history to my own heritage — my Dad is from Guam, so from the South Pacific, a lot of Natives actually used those two ingredients or those plants to do their own healing. In my research, I wanted to create a link to my own heritage and healing and really investigate and be connected to that.”
“I hope that many businesses can really step away from the scarcity model — of like ‘you need to buy this right now or it’s no longer going to be available for you’. You know, not only is that mind frame and that model toxic, but it also doesn’t support others that may not be able to make that investment at that moment, and is kind of exclusionary in a lot of senses.” -Julia
Jae and Leona's Awakening Hydrosol
Jae and Leona's Bare Face Cleansing Oil
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for all things sustainable fashion for larger bodies
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for all things skincare + self care
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S02 Episode 101 | BECKY EARLEY + CIRCULAR DESIGN
S02 Episode 100 | NADINE FARAG, ONE WHO DRESSES + PERSONAL STYLE AS SUSTAINABILITY
S02 Episode 99 | PROCLAIM + THE NUDE REVOLUTION
S02 Episode 98 | SILKROLL, FASHION + THE SHARING ECONOMY
S02 Episode 97 | THE ZIRAN + XIANG YUN SHA SILK
S02 Episode 96 | BANGS SHOES, OPPORTUNITIES OVER THINGS + KIVA
S02 Episode 95 | RECESS CITY, A NEW YEAR + ETHICAL INTENTIONS
S02 Episode 94 | ZANNI, PERFORMANCE FABRIC + DESIGNING TO LAST
S02 Episode 93 | COYUCHI + THEIR CIRCULAR SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE
S02 Episode 92 | THE ACCIDENTAL ICON ON FASHION, IDENTITY + PERFORMATIVE STYLE
S02 Episode 91 | PROUD MARY + ARTISAN MADE VS ETHICAL PRODUCTION
S02 Episode 90 | COTOPAXI, LLAMA WOOL + QUESTIVAL
S02 Episode 89 | FARMGIRL FLOWERS + DIRT ON THE FLORAL INDUSTRY
S02 Episode 88 | TARA + THE ERA OF CUSTOMIZATION
S02 Episode 87 | PHLUR + REIMAGINING FRAGRANCE
S02 Episode 86 | RECONSIDERED + DRIVING POSITIVE BEHAVIOR CHANGE
S02 Episode 85 | THE GOOD TRADE + SOCIAL GOOD
S02 Episode 84 | SALT GYPSY + SUSTAINABILITY IN SURF CULTURE
S02 Episode 83 | NAADAM + "THE WORLD'S FAIREST CASHMERE"
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