Plant Person Profile: Rach Junard

Hi Rach! Tell us a little about yourself:

• Hi! I’m Rach, a queer Black femme living in Boston currently! I’m a digital fundraising expert, yoga instructor, and DEI strategist.

What are you reading right now? 

• Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Marie Brown

What's your must-have Plant People product?

• Definitely the Sleep Drops! It helps so much to regulate especially since we’re all at home and time seems a bit fuzzy right now. Having the sleep drops part of my routine has been such a grounding relief. 

What's your relationship to the world of "wellness"? 

• I think “wellness” as it stands now definitely has some work to do on making the industry not only inclusive, but accountable. I’m excited about all of the amazing people and companies I’ve met in this space who are committed to doing exactly that! 

 What do you love about it?

• Diverse backgrounds of what wellness means for you. For some it could mean establishing community care and for others it could mean solely focusing on their individual routine. All in all, they connect! 

What needs to be changed?

• Definitely the lack of doors being opened for folks. There aren’t general guidelines on how to be your authentic self, so brands and people typically float to the big names. There’s probably a fantastic wellness resource person or group right in your backyard and you may not know it! 

What's one thing everyone can do today to create a more equitable "wellness" world?

• I love love love doing quarterly “cleanses”. What I mean by this is that I look at who I am following on social media or whose newsletters I’m subscribed to. If they aren’t constantly expanding my knowledge or are of the same background I’m used to, I tend to unfollow or unsubscribe and seek out different voices and backgrounds of my own!  

What does a bright future of "wellness" look like to you?

• Wellness that expands to environmental justice, school justice, and collective liberation! 

Who are three people we should follow right now?

• Adriana Adele
• Annika Izora
• Hrblgy 

What's one daily mindfulness practice you'd recommend to a friend?

• Starting and ending my day with a gratitude list really helps to ground me! 

We love building community, and rumor has it, you do too! Can you tell us a bit about what you’re doing to build community?

• Yes, would love to! You Good, Sis? Is the collective that I co run with my amazing business partner, Jaylee Momplaisir! We started it three years ago as a space for Black and Brown women, femmes, and non binary/GNC to have a space to mentally, spiritually and physically check in. We do this by hosting monthly events, hosting live meditations with a therapist and offering connections whenever possible! 

What (or who) sparked the idea for You Good Sis?

• The need to create space for people who looked like me and wanted to see a space for themselves in the wellness world. Jaylee and I met at a book signing for Jessamyn Stanley---we were complete strangers! After bonding over drinks, we decided we needed to create a space for folks like us, and shortly after we hosted our first event. 

What most excites you when you think about what this community will be like a year from now?

• I’m so excited about the amazing partnerships and community members that have yet to happen and how that will increase our expansion of just how inclusive wellness can really be.