Building a solid self-care category isn’t that easy and I’ve been searching for a long time for valuable makers with a modern take on mental health to add to our catalogue. After all, it’s not that long ago I was in need of guidance myself just before I founded AIRE goods. I can tell you from my own experience that following your true passion and heart isn't always easy but it’s absolutely worth your time in taking the journey to getting there.

Sorting out the best fit for AIRE goods, and in line with my personal values, from the massive choices of self-care tools out there has been quite a challenge. During that search, not so long ago, I came across this contemporary, beautifully written and visualized Guide to make mental health more approachable. When I read the story of the three founding women behind the brand and learned it was build on their personal experiences and knowledge, I knew this beautiful Guide had to be shared with the rest of the world.

I’m so extremely proud to exclusively launch the Indwell Guide in Europe at AIRE goods. To celebrate the launch, I asked Esther, Hatty and RaeJee about their mission and learn more about the women behind this impressive guide.

"We wanted to bridge the gap between self-help at home and being in a therapist’s office by creating a guide that could sit on people’s coffee tables, reminding everyone that mental health should be a part of the conversations in our everyday lives."

 

What is your brand’s philosophy?

Indwell is a lifestyle brand that is dedicated to making inner wellness within reach through mindful products that nurture the mind, body, and soul.

Who are the women behind the Indwell Guide?
Hatty J. Lee is a licensed psychotherapist and Brainspotting practitioner who has been practicing for over 11 years. As the founder of a psychotherapy group practice in Los Angeles, California, she has met with over a thousand people from diverse backgrounds in psychotherapy, counseling groups, and wellness workshops. She supports people to deepen connection with themselves and the most important people in their lives. She also writes about mental health on her Instagram account @hattyjlee and her work has been featured in multiple editorials, including Women's Health Magazine and Reader's Digest.
 

ReeJae Chi is a master certified life coach who received her training under the International Coaching Federation. Her practice, @CreateFull, primarily focuses on her expertise in leadership and career coaching. She helps individuals become unstuck and guides them to reach their full potential by helping them identify their dreams, strengths, and roadblocks so that they can reach their personal and professional goals. Alongside her passion for coaching, ReeJae is a Design Director with experience in the creative industry for over a decade and had the honor of designing the Indwell Guide.

Esther Choi has been a visual artist professionally for over a decade. She considers creativity as a lifestyle, bringing her perception of people, things, and places together to reveal the beauty of humanity through photography. In addition to nurturing her online community @eslee, she teaches workshops to help people unlock the power of their voice through photography. Her style is sophisticated, minimal, and surreal, but is constantly evolving with her as she encounters new parts of herself.

How does the Indwell Guide work and what are the benefits?

We developed an 8-step process, with each step focusing on learning a mental health practice that has been consistently part of our work to support people toward inner wellness. Each step includes approachable mental health education, guided exercises, journal prompts that you can incorporate into your daily life, tips from a therapist and life coach, and visual art that invite inner calm. We intended the practices to be learned in a specific order, as each step builds upon the next. (1) We start with the practice of grounding your nervous system as a foundation toward wellness. (2) We then explore the power of embodying presence in our lives. (3) We provide a guide to recognizing your emotional and behavioral patterns, with prompts to support you to explore how your past, identities, and personality affect your current experiences. (4) We encourage you to reclaim new narratives grounded in truth and peace. (5) We support you to identify practical actions that you can take that are aligned with your truths. (6) We explore practices that support healthy relationships. (7) We discuss the importance of dreaming as part of our well-being. (8) We then end with the practice of moving beyond self-care to collective care for the world.

Engaging in these mental health practices informed by our lived experiences, professional practices, and science, one day at a time supports your well-being and the well-being of the world.

Taking time for myself means
Hatty: Approaching the day slowly, steeping my favorite hojicha tea, cooking a delicious meal with my family, and spending the day on my favorite lounger to read a book, write, or dabble in interior design.
ReeJae: Going out on a date with myself and doing something nice for me.
Esther: Keeping boundaries and saying no.
On my reading list
Hatty: Permission to Come Home by Jenny Wang, PhD.
ReeJae: Hero on a Mission by Donald Miller.
The most beautiful place I’ve ever visited
Hatty: Too many to name, but Wengen in the Jungfrau region in Switzerland definitely high on my list.
ReeJae: Turkey.
Esther: Machu Picchu, Peru.

“You can’t change what’s going on around you until you start changing what’s going on within you.”

The one thing I cannot live without
Hatty: My google calendar and being in nature :)
ReeJae: Iphone.
Esther: Phone.
On my Bucket list
Hatty: I want to take an entire year off to travel the world with my family one day. I also want to create more wellness experiences integrating art, design, and storytelling to make mental health more accessible.
ReeJae: Travel to every continent with my family.
Esther: Bringing my parents from California  to Washington where I live right now.
I get my inspiration from
Hatty: Journeying with people in their lives, reading about people's stories of couraging in the world, and being in beautiful spaces.
ReeJae: Nature, art, books, and mentors.
Esther: Pre-Covid: Traveling. Currently: My pastor’s sermons and the work of
people in my creative community.

 

The one word that describes me most
Hatty: Mindful.
ReeJae: Optimistic.
Esther: Empathetic.
On my playlist right now
Hatty: Butter - BTS :)

My motto
Hatty: “When you get your inner life in order, everything else falls into place.”
ReeJae: “You can’t change what’s going on around you until you start changing what’s going on within you.”
Esther: “Give thanks in all circumstances.”
What nobody knows about me
Hatty: I have 6 piercings and I don’t drink coffee :)
ReeJae: I have a secret obsession with paper goods – I own too many notebooks and planners.
Esther: I wanted to become a secret agent when I was 22.

“When you get your inner life in order, everything else falls into place.”

"The Indwell Guide is our debut product, but we are so excited to expand into a lifestyle brand that makes the journey to inner wellness approachable and enjoyable. Thank you so much for interviewing us. We are so thrilled to have you as our first partner to share The Indwell Guide in Europe."

The Indwell Guide at _aire studio

I encourage you to take your own journey towards self-awareness with me, embracing the Indwell Guide every day. I’ll be sharing my experiences in the next couple of weeks and I hope you’ll be sharing yours too - connect with us via Instagram or share your experience below.

Visit the Indwell dedicated brand page to learn more about the Guide or leave your comments, thoughts and questions below.

With love,

Esther - founder of AIRE goods

Tags: Conversations Makers Self-care