Wellness is a personal journey.

Funke Braithwaite is the founder of Eudaimonia Wellness, an African lifestyle community championing holistic well-being in Africa and the diaspora. She’s also a content marketing consultant who helps small brands tell compelling stories and achieve their goals.

She loves tennis, reading, and is passionate about travelling and seeking inspiration and growth around the world. She deeply values intentional living and nurturing meaningful relationships, ensuring that she and the people around her are the happiest and healthiest they can be.

In this interview, she talks about her wellness lifestyle, her work at Eudaimonia Wellness, and shares valuable self-care and wellness tips for women.

What personal wellness practices have you found most transformative, and how do they influence your work?

Two things come to mind: my spiritual practices and my hobbies.

I'm a Christian, and a big part of my day is grounded in my spiritual practices. I start my day with God—whether with a quiet time like meditation, reading my Bible, or prayer. Things like these remind me of who my source is and where my identity comes from. 

I have the mind of Christ, so God gives me ideas. He also gives me the ability to think and act in the ways he has called me to, so my spiritual practices transform me daily. 

My hobbies are a big part of my identity and day-to-day life, and they're also tied to my work. I'm an avid tennis player; I've been playing for a few years, and it's my entire personality now. Playing tennis in the morning helps me start my day on a big Serotonin-propelled high. Tennis is a mentally challenging sport, so it keeps my mind sharp and ready to take on the day. 

What does a typical day in your life look like?

I like having quiet time in the morning; it sets the tone for my day. So I either read my Bible straight up, join prayer calls I like, or listen to a guided prayer. Then, I get ready to exercise. That's usually going to the gym, a fitness class, or tennis.

Another big part of my routine is catching up with my mom. My mom and I are super close, and we catch up every single morning. It's such an amazing time for us to share insights. We talk about our dreams, what God told us the night before or during our quiet times, and anything on our minds.

Afterwards, I have a healthy and nutritious breakfast (on most mornings) and then plan my day. I've been enjoying using Notion. I use the Productivity Method Notion Planner and it helps me plan out what I'm doing for the day. Then, I get my day started. 

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in promoting wellness? How have you worked on them?

My biggest challenge isn't promoting wellness; it's within myself. How? I'm on my journey; naturally, much of that flows into Eudaimonia Wellness. As I've navigated this journey, I've come into myself more. I've made mistakes that have affected my output.

But God is empowering me to understand that the ups and downs of my journey are exactly what people resonate with and are inspired by. So you don't always have to promote the best part of your journey; it's important to tap into the bad days, too. Those real, honest insights are where people's lives are altered. 

What strategies do you use to implement wellness initiatives?

There's still a lot of stigma around mental health, especially within Africa. Eudaimonia Wellness is focused on education, destigmatising mental health, and calling out harmful cultural norms and narratives.

One of my goals when I created Eudaimonia, especially in the relaunch, was glamorising wellness. In this generation, a lot of people glamorise vices. Toxic things like drug abuse and toxic relationship cultures are made to look cool and funny. Everything is a meme. But Eudaimonia, through content, provides an avenue to show you that there's life on the other side of toxic coping mechanisms. There's a cooler, healthier, and more interesting life in wellness. 

Wellness often comes across as serious or idyllic, but people seek real people and experiences to connect with and be inspired by. Hence, Eudaimonia tells real but interesting stories about healthy living, so people know there are other safe and healthy ways to cope with life.

How do you measure the success and impact of your initiatives?

I'm working on not allowing myself to be motivated by only numbers and external metrics. Based on my current revelation and understanding, I measure by purpose.

We all have a purpose and specific giftings and callings, so if I'm showing up in my calling and doing it excellently—and in timely obedience, that's a good enough metric for success. I'm trying to live to please God and bring his kingdom to Earth in whatever capacity he needs me to. As long as that is being fulfilled, I am successful.

Do you think wellness is subjective? Or is there a general standard for wellness?

Wellness is subjective because it's a personal journey. 

How I would engage with wellness would be different from how someone who lives in Bali, Indonesia or London, England would, because we all have different cultural norms. We have different lifestyles, upbringings, environments, perspectives on the world, and so on.

Therefore, subjectivity is important, because it makes people feel seen and helps them contextualise their journeys. You can emulate someone's journey, but you can’t copy and paste. You also can't generalise. It's a take-what-you-need approach.

How do you think the conditions of Nigeria influence the wellness of its citizens?

I'll speak about it from two places: the great and not-so-great. This is coming from someone who's lived here and also lived abroad and has seen the benefits and setbacks in my wellness journey. 

The not-so-great part is the stress, lack of infrastructure, and day-to-day grind of living. I'll speak specifically about living in Lagos because that's my experience. But even as a Nigerian, so many fundamental infrastructural, economic, and social issues affect the quality of life one can live. 

It's easy for me to step into wellness. You know, sit in a chair and get my hair washed by someone. I talk to them about how I'm starting a wellness company, but they're thinking about how they'll be able to afford the rising cost of food and transportation. They're not thinking about journaling or going to a Pilates class. 

Even from my privileged position, I recognise that there are setbacks to the quality of life that you can live. If you look at Maslow's hierarchy of needs, you have to focus on certain things first. I can focus on my wellness to a more intentional degree because I can serve my basic needs, unlike the average struggling Nigerian.

On the flip side, there's a lot of beauty and resources we can gain from being in Nigeria that support our wellness journeys. For instance, the weather. Sunshine is a huge mood booster. Also, our culture promotes community, so there's not much fear of isolation or loneliness—which is prevalent in the Western culture because of their individualistic nature. 

Plus, I enjoy organic and fresh food and ingredients at affordable prices. Yes, we're in a cost-of-living crisis, and the cost of food has skyrocketed, but compared to living in food deserts in the Western world—where you can hardly get access to organic and healthy food—most of the food we have access to in Nigeria is fresh. Things like this have had amazing benefits for my wellness journey. I feel like I live a higher quality of life here.

A common notion about successful women is that one cannot have it all: a great career, a loving family, and a thriving social life; something has to give. What do you think?

You can have it all, but you can't have it all at once, so you have to plan your life. For me, that means being led by God.

God can give me a vision for my life and show me different things I'll have. I understand I can have all those things, but maybe not in the way or time I think. There shall be seasons where you can do one thing more than others, and that's just a part of life. 

In essence, you can't have every single thing you want at the same time in the highest capacity. Some things will have to be surrendered and sacrificed. 

What three books would you recommend to someone and why?

1. The Bible: It's a life manual. There's so much in there. 

2. Atomic Habits: That book helped me understand that I can be whoever I want to be if I put the right habits behind it.

3. The Defining Decade by Meg Jay: It explores all the different areas of your twenties. Meg Jay is a psychologist, and her book covers different experiences of clients she's had in therapy. The greatest thing I learned from that book was that your twenties are not wasted, even if you're not building a perfect and idealistic life. Your 20s are a defining decade, and you're learning and becoming. The little things you're doing now are setting you up for the future. 

Recommend mindfulness techniques that can be done anywhere at any time.

1. Listen to uplifting and calming music.

2. Listen to podcasts or audiobooks. 

3. Reading is also an amazing decompressor.

What easy-to-implement wellness practices can women incorporate in their daily routines?

1. Don't check your phone immediately when you wake up. There was a time in my life when I wouldn't check my phone before 10am, and that was transformative because I was the main character of my day, and I could fully focus on myself. I know this isn't realistic for everyone, but you can start with less screen time.

2. Take social media breaks. 

3. Schedule time for self-care. It's great to have something to look forward to. For instance, I go for a facial and a massage every two weeks. 

4. Exercise. Keep your body moving. If you're struggling to start exercising, start with something very simple for a short time. When I wanted to get into consistent exercise, I would just run on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I did that for 30 consecutive days, and that helped me to start craving movement in the morning.

What are some tips for women to develop healthy sleeping habits and improve their sleep quality?

I have a really amazing relationship with sleep. I don't know if there are tips because I've never really had to create any sleep hack, but I'll share things I think can help. 

I've recommended a Deep Sleep Pillow Spray to some people, which has worked well. I recommend essential oil rollers that stimulate relaxation as well. I also have specific teas that help me relax. There's one from Twinings called Inner Peace; it has ashwagandha in it. That tea puts me straight to sleep. There are sleep teas, too. They don't have sleeping tablets or anything; they just have a combination of different herbs and other ingredients that stimulate sleep and calm. 

Aside from these, you should have a routine. You have to set your life up in a way that encourages a healthy sleeping schedule. Stop working a bit earlier so you can have dinner earlier; then, you can have 30 minutes before bed when you get off all screens. That's something I do when I feel like switching off. I go off all screens and read or lie there praying or meditating until I drift asleep. 

Besides, I think a big part of insomnia is mental, so I'd recommend speaking to a sleep therapist. Intentionality is a major part of wellness. Try to understand why you're not sleeping well; then, you can learn to push past it.

What are some effective strategies for managing stress and anxiety?

1. Exercise. Exercising helps me to clear my head. 

2. Have a good support system. Whether that's your local church, relatives, or friends, have a community that can be a safe space for you to share your anxieties. It HAS to be safe. It has to be a place where you won't be judged but encouraged, listened to, and heard. 

3. Go to therapy. There's nothing wrong with you if you need therapy. Sometimes, I feel like I'm fine, but it'd be great to talk to someone and get clarity on where I am with certain things. 

Generally, invest in yourself. A lot of mental health issues come from a place of neglect. We don't prioritise or take care of ourselves. We live for achievements. We live for accolades. We live for other people's validation, so often, we forget about us.

You don't rest enough. You don't eat well. You don't exercise. Of course, you'll feel depressed. You haven't left your room or cleaned it in weeks. Of course, you'll feel burnt out. 

Therapy is a great way to make that mental switch. It's showing up for yourself and understanding that things need to change. From there, you can start taking small and actionable steps to align yourself and get things in a better place.

What future trends do you foresee in the wellness industry?

I've been feeling a strong pull towards the outdoors. There was a mass digitalisation of industries during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was amazing—that was how Eudaimonia Wellness was birthed. But I think people are looking to gather and indulge in practices and activities purely from a place of enjoyment. So, I see the wellness industry opening spaces and opportunities for people to gather and explore shared wellness goals. 

How can Bluxies Incorporated collaborate with Eudaimonia Wellness?

We can host physical events together. Also, Eudaimonia is big on storytelling, and that's another way Bluxies Incorporated can collaborate with us. We can platform everyday people and tell their stories around wellness and other different topics. There's so much value we can gain from each other by collaborating and sharing insights.

Whew!

Style? ✅

Beauty? ✅

Impact? ✅

Brains? ✅

Unbelievable liquidity? ✅

4 + 4? ATE.

Chatting with Funke was really fun! We’re sure you’ll find her insights as refreshing and impactful as we do.

What stood out to you in this interview? Tell us in the comments!

To learn more about Eudaimonia Wellness, check out their Linktree. You can also connect with Eudaimonia Wellness on Instagram.

Ciao!