Chloé Pierre, Founder of thy.self

Honesty and light to all readers! Hello! I am a dedicated Mother, Founder of the disruptive and inclusive wellness platform and community thy.self, a relatable content creator and also a digital marketer specialising in culture and wellness. I was born in Essex, raised in London and ready to travel the world with my baby and change the outlook of my family and followers. I am obsessed with culture, history and moulding the future in a way that hopefully sits on the right side of history. I know I am the best part of my ancestors' wildest dreams and I want to honour them with the life I lead, the words I say and the actions I take.

I was inspired to start thy.self when I realised just how exclusive, intimidating and biased wellness spaces, facilities and teachings in the western world are. It felt wrong to my core how inaccessible something as inclusive as living better and feeling better was and sort out to do my part in changing this, so that in some way, there could be a shift in the future. I had no idea it would have grown to what it has today.

The highs have been building a genuine community which is authenticated with relationships with ourselves and others that continue to grow and stand the test of time. The highs have also been making a real change around the industry and within individual lives. 

The lows are definitely the lack of funding and sometimes having to explain over and over what inclusive and sustainable wellness actually means and telling our story and mission to people who want to disprove our theories although the stats and sometimes the lack thereof and research is the very proof we have. Honestly, another low is not having a benchmark to work towards and not being taken seriously because I am a Black female founder and proud to be one and not to be tokenized.

My style is growing and changing, especially with growing older, my business and becoming a mother. I lean more into luxury items whereas before it was a treat. However overall my style is practical and simplistic but then I think I will always personify being a baddie and I like to feel sexy as there is confidence in owning that.

That any one of us is an expert or authority. None of us are. Once we remove the ego and build authenticity, wellbeing as an industry can thrive without capitalism. We can actually make a wide change which should be what it's about, not conserving secrets which have never belonged to us to benefit the few. Wellness is a fundamental human right, to all human beings. There is also not one face, one body, one skin type, or one way to think and be wellness, it's in us all and around us everywhere.

I have to practice gratitude daily - my life and existence aren't about being popular, it's about making positive changes so I ground myself in this regularly and practice gratitude for being able to do this authentically. Secondly, it's to be in nature and to appreciate it, without it, we really cannot survive nor exist. Thirdly, as a Black woman, it's learning to respect and embody rest in all forms and seek out ways to help me rest better so I can keep going on my mission.

I have a turbulent relationship with jewellery as I am allergic to costume jewellery and I'm super emotional and protective over sentimental pieces. I cherish the jewellery given to me as a baby and the gifts given to my son in his first year of life. I look forward to passing this down and getting him to respect the privilege and stories surrounding each piece. I think as a Black family and being second and third-generation Brits, we are really privileged to have these pieces in our family and keep memories alive.