We need more companies and entrepreneurs where at their very cores it is kindness and sustainability. As we have followed the journey of Minska for almost a year now, it felt natural for us to ask Outi Ellilä and Henna Perkkiö to share their insights about holistic health for our wellbeing blog series. Minska is a pioneer in media that shares insights on holistic health in such a diverse way that we feel confident in saying that everybody can find some inspiration there, from tasteful and nutritious recipes to articles about the climate crisis and mind.
How does Minska define holistic health?
At Minska, holistic health is based on the Body, Mind and Spirit-thinking. An individual cannot feel good if the mind is full of black thoughts and negativity. However, positive thinking does not come from forcing it. We humans are physical, emotional, and spiritual creators and these three aspects need to be taken into account when thinking about holistic wellbeing, even though the tools might vary from individual to individual.
A human being that feels good is better for the environment too. - Minska
Even though wellbeing always starts with an individual, it doesn’t have an endpoint. At Minska, they believe that when a person feels good, he/she is better for the environment as well. For one, the journey might start from finding yoga and moving on to nutrition, but for the other it might be the other way around. At some point, you might notice that your personal wellbeing is not just about how you feel but how your environment supports it; what kind of relationships you have, and how the physical environment works for you. In the end, you might notice that it is natural to start thinking about the globe as a whole, and then take action to consider the climate.
This might sound a bit egocentric but this is how we humans function; the motivation to change must come from the inside, not outside. It isn’t enough that we know the climate crisis is a serious thing; we need a personal way to take action.
Outi, the Co-Founder and CEO of Minska, sums up wellbeing as listening to your intuition and heart. On the surface, this might sound cheesy or a bit hippy, but actually it is rather courageous to let your inner voice guide your decisions despite what people around you or society might think or say.
The best things in life happen when you bravely do the thing you were born to do. - Outi, Co-founder & CEO of Minska
Henna, the other Co-founder and Head of Sales & Operations, points out how her definition of holistic wellbeing was very different now than what it was five years ago. Before, holistic health was only about sports and healthy food, whereas now it is more about being happy and satisfied with the choices made in daily life. We are allowed to be happy about the actions we make! Before every decision, Henna asks herself if the choice is increasing her happiness or not, and this all begins with wellbeing in mind.
How does holistic wellbeing show at Minska?
As stated at the beginning of this article, holistic health is at the core of Miska as a company. Their mission is to connect good companies and great people for a sustainable and healthy future. They want to inspire individuals one piece of content at a time to expand their thinking and mind towards greater sustainability and personal wellbeing.
Minska offers not just tasty recipes and interesting articles about wellbeing, but also yoga courses. Right now they are launching an online store with a mission to be the most responsible online store in the world. At first, Minska is going to launch various healthy food items but also 150 Finnish natural cosmetic products. The selection grows on a weekly basis. Every company must fulfil the strict sustainability criteria and not every brand made it to the online store due to transparency issues.
Wellbeing at Minska is not just about choosing the most sustainable items. Outi and Henna both agree that wellbeing must start inside the company, in the company’s culture. Both founders of Minska are mothers, and thus they understand the meaning of family and free time. All employees of Minska are encouraged to take care of their wellbeing and take time to recover.
Before wrapping up this long article, we were eager to find out how these awe-inspiring entrepreneurs take care of their wellbeing and, despite the busy start-up life, have time for their families and friends.
Wellbeing in Henna and Outi’s life & choices
Henna couldn’t have said it better; you will never be ready with searching for balance and you must make decisions for your wellbeing every day. Sleep is probably the most important thing but Henna takes a stand for healthy and nutritious food, too. Outi, on the other hand, is a single mom to a beautiful six-month-old baby girl and explains that the wellbeing and balancing between work and home start with healthy choices; namely sleep and nutrition. She says that lately it comes down to a core philosophy of mastering peace of mind. In practice, it is about the ability to live for your own choices and concentrate on the positives.
Balancing between things is never easy but it's a constant learning process with your own mind. We might as well trust in what goes around comes around; when you do good, you get good. It is unnecessary to hang on to negative feelings and thoughts, and if you approach everything with a more optimistic attitude, it can have an enormously positive effect on your quality of life.
"You will never be ready with searching for balance; you must make decisions for your wellbeing every day.” - Henna, Co-founder & the Head of Sales & Operations at Minska
Henna's favourite wellbeing routines are a cold shower or dip in the ocean, doing yoga to calm the mind and body, and dancing. Dancing is a great way to move your body but also to completely let go and goof around a little. Taking her bike to work is an almost meditative routine that helps her shift from work-mode to home-mode and the other way around.
Currently, Outi’s favourite tools to increase holistic health in her life is practicing gratitude and being present in the moment. Every evening, she gives thanks for the things she feels grateful for. She also practices seeing the time spent with her baby girl as restoring moments instead of just a compulsion.
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We feel very grateful that Outi and Henna took the time for our interview and we hope you feel as inspired as we do after reading this article. Go and take a look at Minska’s brand new online store. For every purchase, Minska buys a piece of Finnish forest to protect the lungs of our globe.
If you have some extra time, write down in the comments what your thoughts are about holistic wellbeing. We would love to continue discussing the topic with you.
Love,
Ama, Essi & Elsa
Edited by Alex Burchell
