Meet Anusha: Founder of Sanctuary Beauty and Bath

Anusha’s story is SO unique and I am honored to call her my instagram friend. Be sure to check out her store, Sanctuary Beauty and enjoy learning from this amazing woman!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career

I grew up in South Africa and moved to the States 14 years ago, before that I lived in the UK for 4 years, as you can tell I love to travel and have always felt that the best way to get to know a new place is to live there:) I met my husband here in the U.S. (if I didn’t I would probably still be traveling). I have 2 kiddos who are 4 and 6yrs  and keep me on my toes. I have a background in healthcare and used to practice Occupational Therapy at a Physical medicine and rehabilitation hospital.

I love working with people and helping them. After having my first baby I experienced postpartum depression and decided that it was best for me to stay at home and focus on taking care of my baby and getting better emotionally. It was during this time that I researched and experimented with essential oils. I created essential oil blends to make body butter and bath bombs to help reduce my anxiety and tension and used them consistently. I was also intentional about being present during my evening shower/bath times. I didn’t rush and took the time to listen to my breath, breathing in the aromatherapy from essential oils and just relaxing releasing the tension from the day. Those moments (when I got them) were so therapeutic.

How does your community of women you surround yourself with support you?

I have a few wonderful women in my life who check in on me and make sure that we get a chance to grab coffee or lunch and talk about the challenges of motherhood, business, and just life. Being a solopreneur is fun and I love it, but it can get lonely. Face to face catching up time is so valuable to me.

Why do you think it’s important for women to have quality, natural products for self care?

So many answers to this question

Have you heard of the terms body burden and greenwashing? Greenwashing is a ‘form of brainwashing” that’s happening in the beauty and food industry. Where companies use creative branding to trick consumers into thinking they are choosing a healthier option. so words like ‘all-natural’ or ‘sustainable’ are placed in the forefront on labels and until you actually read the ingredient label you then realize it may not be the best ‘natural option’. There are so many ingredients that cosmetic companies don’t have to reveal to the public for eg a fragrance can have hundreds of harsh chemicals mixed together to create a scent and companies can just write the word ‘fragrance’ on the bottle-sounds harmless right? They are not required to list all of the nasty chemical used to make that fragrance.

Body Burden: refers to the total accumulation of toxins in your body which can be anything from dangerous metals like lead or mercury, to pesticides, unsafe food additives which can be found in beauty products. Our bodies have self-cleansing mechanisms, but we expose ourselves to more toxins than your body can eliminate, they can build up in your fatty tissue and organs this really affects your health.stresses on your health.I want to help women reduce their body burden by educating them to prioritize their health by choosing natural products. There are so many genuine natural beauty products that are good for you, all you need is a minute to read the labels.

What do you wish you could go back and tell your younger self re: your career aspirations?

Follow your gut and not what others think you should do. It took me many years to get to this point of starting a business, Which I’ve always wanted to and I’m loving it.

What is your career-related mantra? 

This one comes from Marie Forleo- “Everything is figure outable”