S05 Episode 243 | Julia Perez of Jae and Leona on separating self care from capitalism, launching a skincare line during the pandemic & advocating for skincare as liberation

<p class=""><img src= "https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/show/99761/Ep243-JaeandLeona-final-libsyn.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="600" /></p> <p class="">In episode 243, Kestrel welcomes Julia Perez, the creator of Jae and Leona, to the show. Through her company — <a href="https://jaeandleona.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">Jae and Leona</a> — Julia offers small batch, plant + botanical skin care products, as well as in-person facial treatments. She is also an intuitive esthetician, energy healer, and model.</p> <p><strong>"Self care should be an everyday thing, and it almost should be an every moment thing — like every thing that you’re doing is with intention to support yourself, to preserve yourself, so that you can then continue to go on to live your life’s purpose, whatever that may be." -Julia</strong></p> <p class="">Have you felt like you’re hearing a lot more about *self care* over the last year or so?</p> <p class="">I mean, let’s be real - the last year+ has been intense on so many levels - from COVID-19 to the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement after the murder of George Floyd to job insecurity to economic difficulties … it’s been a lot. And with all of that, there has been a heightened need to find ways to care for ourselves, in order to keep going. </p> <p class="">But one of the things I notice is how much the *growth* of self care has been directly aligned with capitalism - you know, it’s companies marketing products to us, as these things we <em>have to have</em> to take a break, or something we <em>need</em> to help us rest or do something for ourselves. </p> <p class="">When, there are so many ways we can slow down without buying anything new.</p> <p class="">This week’s guest reminds us that self care doesn’t mean retail therapy — and that self care can be little things that we do for ourselves on a daily basis. She shares more on her work as an intuitive esthetician, how she released her own skincare line during the pandemic, some of the ways her own heritage has been built i