Wunderwell Founder Lauren A. Hersh on Holistic Health and Slowing Down

Wunderwell is a service that provides information about holistic health practices and helps people in the DMV connect with practitioners. Founder Lauren A. Hersh talked to us about starting Wunderwell and the self-care of slowing down. Note: This interview is a part of our 20 Masters of Mindfulness, Movement + Connection roundup, which ran in our Winter 2021 issue.

Tell me about your journey and how it brought you to your current role.

My holistic wellness interest started in my early thirties when I realized the deleterious effects of the use of hormones in birth control pills over a long period of time. I realized that I had grown up in a different paradigm of what good health looks like, focusing more on external appearances and putting a Band-Aid on any internal signals from my body. That’s when I decided to take back control and tune into my body to get to the root of my concerns. I now felt more interested in becoming my own health advocate, seeking out alternative methods to support my system and trusting my body’s innate capacity to heal. Through my exploration of various modalities and positive results, I was excited to spread the word to my family, friends and community at large. My passion led me to create Wunderwell, an online platform dedicated to providing information resources and connecting individuals with holistic practitioners.

How are you practicing and prioritizing self-care, especially mid-pandemic?

Like many people, the pandemic has opened the opportunity for me to slow down my usual pace of life, giving me additional space to pause and nurture my mind, body and spirit. I take more time with my morning and evening routines of meditation, journaling, visualization and reading. It’s also provided the chance for me to further expand my education in the health and wellness space and become certified as an integrative nutrition health coach over the winter.

What does self-compassion mean to you, and how do you incorporate it into your practice?

To me, self compassion means tuning-in and being kind to yourself. For many years I would push myself into overdrive with my fitness routines, scheduled commitments and desire to control my health. Nowadays, I’m more mindful in my intentions, focusing on slower, low-impact movements through yoga and Pilates to sustain my longevity. I am no longer rigorous with my routines, but pick and choose what feels right for my body at the moment. I also honor simple moments of gratitude throughout my day and appreciate the beauty in letting things unfold naturally rather than forcing an outcome.

Learn more at www.wunderwell.com and follow @wunderwell on Instagram. 

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