Today we’d like to introduce you to Hema Jagada.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
As a child, I would watch my mother throw her spices into the warm, fragrant pots of food she would be creating. Cloves, fenugreek, and cinnamon would add warmth to the lentil soups called dals. Delicate cumin, coriander or fennel powders would be sprinkled onto the vegetables after they had finished cooking. Saffron and cardamom were folded into the soft freshly made paneer for her sweet delicacies.
When minor illnesses arose, out came the jars of ginger and turmeric. Turmeric was used to heal anything from a twisted ankle or soothe a sore throat. Ginger provided relief from an upset stomach, and then there were all kinds of blends to take care of pretty much any kind of minor ailment. It was a love affair with spices that started so long ago and it made up a large part of my cultural background.
My passion for cooking and being creative in the kitchen has been a constant throughout my life, and I have always been fascinated by the medicinal benefits of the spices. I definitely belong to the mindset that food is medicine. After the birth of my son, I delved deeper into the research behind the ingredients I was using, and everything seemed to point towards reinforcing the common sense approach of my ancestors to diet and lifestyle.
The evidence was clear; eating a plant-based diet, with freshly-made food is the best thing you can do for your body. To further my knowledge, I left my career in Corporate Finance and studied Ayurveda, which is a powerful, natural, and holistic health system which gives you the tools to live mindfully, and in accordance to the body’s innate wisdom and healing system.
During my study, I recognized the magnitude of what I was learning. Preserving the depth and wisdom of my heritage for my children is something that I see as my obligation. In looking at the current state of an over-burdened medical health system, and a plethora of miracle diets, it is evident that we need to move towards a time-tested, common sense approach to diet and lifestyle.
One that has space for self-care, and self-love through gentle practices, and allows for living according to our true nature. Nourishing the body and mind is an essential part of feeling whole and returning to a state of natural balance, and allowing the body to heal from within. Restore Simply is about just that. Restoring what once was, and doing it simply in a world that is increasingly fast-paced.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road definitely has not been smooth. After leaving the corporate world, I went through a process of soul-searching to identify what it is that truly mattered to me. After a few life experiences, I came to realize I want to be able to leave something meaningful and purposeful behind, something larger than myself. Taking the leap from something I knew, into the oblivion of the unknown was something that I now realize was scary for me.
To walk away from a beaten path, to create my own, felt like walking in the dark. Feeling my way around, I let the influences of everything that had made an impression upon me to filter into Restore Simply. As Steve Jobs once said, you can only connect the dots looking backward, and this definitely has been the mantra of my story so far.
In this process, I was slowly un-becoming me. The beauty of finding something which resonates with you at such a deep level allows you the freedom to shed the layers of everything that you thought you were supposed to be, together with the judgments and insecurities that once enveloped you. The path of entrepreneurship is filled with doubts, and moments, when you feel like you are in a vacuum.
What keeps you going is somewhere deep inside every entrepreneur is the strong conviction that there is a space in the landscape where you can dare to be you, and like the waves of the ocean, ebbing and flowing to the shore, the process of releasing and pulling back is something that is a daily challenge.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
At the core of Restore Simply is a desire to create a connection. My goal is to provide a framework under which clients are supported to live according to their true nature, and forge a lifestyle that honors their individuality, so they can create an internal connection of the body, mind, and soul.
When we allow ourselves to find our true and most natural expression of our core, it is the first step in finding a connection with each other, and with the natural world around us. Restoring the balance is the key to health and wellness. Through my workshops, I have had the honor of having conversations with so many people, and there is a common thread running through every story; that we are all more alike than we are different, and we all search for connection and a sense of community.
Through my workshops, sharing the wisdom of Ayurveda is a privilege. Our products support the body’s natural healing and detoxification systems, and through diet and lifestyle coaching, our clients have found clarity and inspiration in a convenient and simple format, which honors the natural rhythms of nature.
What were you like growing up?
Restore Simply really does encompass the multiple facets of my journey, and the various influences upon me. Deeply creative as a child, I would love creating and writing, and would usually be tucked away in one corner of the house for hours on end.
My mother had a strong influence upon my culinary experience, and I have always loved cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. Now with the knowledge I have about the unique properties of each spice and its interactions with other foods, and spices, it is a joy to be cooking, and I often feel like a conductor creating beautiful music as I create meals for my family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.RestoreSimply.com
- Email: info@restoresimply.com
- Instagram: @restore_simply
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/restoresimply
Image Credit:
Charlee Tabor – charleephotography@gmail.com
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