Rachelle Robinett of Pharmakon Supernatural: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A Founder

You’ll make it. This is the only one. Because: I already had the drive, the dedication, and the vision. I had already embraced the constancy of change that life is; I was ready! And had no illusions about it being easy. Knowing that I would make it this far would have been a gentle breeze of ease when things felt shaky. Thankfully, I have enjoyed the wild ride through and through.

As part of our interview series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A Founder”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rachelle Robinett, RH (AHG).

Rachelle Robinett, RH (AHG) — Herbalist, Educator, and life-long naturalist — is the founder and sole, self-funded owner of Pharmakon Supernatural — a New York-based, globally-spirited company dedicated to modern herbalism education.

In leading Supernatural, Rachelle combines holistic herbalism experience with today’s health science and an understanding of both individual behavior modification and wellness industry zeitgeists to create life-changing health for thousands of people every day.

Rachelle has been studying the relationship between plants and people her entire life, around the world. In addition to directing the operations of Supernatural, Rachelle writes, consults, and offers professional consulting for companies in the wellness and food industries.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I have been on this path my entire life, I just didn’t realize it until several years ago when I began working for myself. From as early an age as I can remember, I have been fascinated with the effects of what we take in through our senses — from light and sound to food and air and ideas — on our experience as human beings. As a kid, I avidly pursued ideas of truth, spirituality, consciousness and what I called “ness” — the subtle, unnamable sort of magic that exists between minds, bodies and nature. That quest led me through the world’s religions, into practices like yoga and plant medicines, biohacking, magic, meditation and more. But, the pursuit was private and never something I intended to make a career. Until (long story short) enough people began asking me to share what I knew. I had requests to be a health coach before I was even in a business as one! I also didn’t like the term “health coach” and it took many years of private practice and business-building before it was clear that Herbalist was the most accurate term for the very, very holistic work that I do. That, and entrepreneur.

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?

There are too many to mention! I kid, but not really. I moved to New York with nothing in my late twenties which sounds young now and felt old then. And, as they say, if you don’t have New York experience, you don’t have any experience. So, I worked every odd job I could while finding an apartment and building a life from there. I was laid off multiple times, supported a starving artist boyfriend, went to too many fashion parties and really got kicked around by New York for the first several years.

A sucker for challenges, at the height of my making great pay in the industry I moved to NYC to work in (fashion), I quit and started working for myself. If you can endure (or, better yet, if you like) constant change, then entrepreneurship is a great gig. I’ve been doing it nonstop for seven (I think?) years now and every day is still completely different from the last. (I LOVE it.)

Having built Supernatural from literally nothing (no funding, no loans, just a dollar at a time) there is actually no way to communicate how resourceful, dedicated, and resilient I’ve had to be. And, every entrepreneur has their own version of that line, I believe! The degree of uncertainty has been immense. The surrealness of succeeding (so far) is so moving. And the pleasure of doing just about anything I want now is priceless. :D

Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?

My Dad. Without hesitation, my Dad gave us the nature and nurture of more grit than I’ve met in anyone else to date. It’s sometimes a bit like having rocket fuel in the veins. (And that is why I don’t need caffeine.)

So, how are things going today? How did grit and resilience lead to your eventual success?

Never a day without so much gratitude for being able to say that things are going GREAT! Supernatural has become so much; it’s so special and I could not be more proud of it. We’re online, and we have an apothecary for people to visit in person. Our line of herbal gummies is available nationwide and expanding every day. My private practice has become so full that I’ve scaled into online and on-demand video classes in order to reach all the people. My team is the raddest people I know and so much fun to work with. And, the community rallied around us is everything. This little-big world is a universe!

Grit and resilience were THE requirements for this to work. As well as resourcefulness, creativity, vision, and divine timing, of course.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

Very early on, I received a note from one of my first clients in which she detailed for me how our work together had started a cascade of changes in her life that lead to a new career, home, relationship, personal style, and even ethics. She’d found her calling, her self-confidence, and herself. Needless to say, that motivated me for a long time thereafter. Not every change Supernatural and I create for people is as transformational as that one, but they each can be! And every little note of thanks — or mention from the community that their daily life is simply better now — makes all of the hustle very worth it, and reminds me that we are doing something special.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

I’ve burned myself out twice in seven years and intend to never do it again. There is rarely anything more important than our health and when something is, it’s probably someone else’s health (not work). Time management is a major priority for me. I never (seriously) compromise on sleep, food, or hydration. I almost never (like maybe a few times a year) compromise on exercise, which is my mental health must, and also one of my greatest joys in life. I recommend a few things for maintaining work-life-balance:

Plan every day, and week in advance.

Do the most important thing first thing in the morning.

Seriously consider email office hours.

Use all the app-timers to limit mindless social media, over-emailing, etc.

Schedule everything, if it helps you eat, hydrate, or breathe appropriately.

Get offline. I schedule long blocks or full days offline every week.

Take active recovery seriously. Unfortunately, Netflix isn’t recovery!

Consider an annual retreat, or more often if possible. (I travel alone once or twice a year for total resets.)

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I grew up more quickly than was ideal and have been parenting myself from a too-young age. I often thank both my childhood self for enduring, and tending to life with such care amid hardship — and my future self for returning “home” to provide the tenderness and place to play that little me needed.

My parents for everything they taught me, and my partner who lives with my reality (and provides a consistency of pure love that still makes me laugh in disbelief)!

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Supernatural exists to improve people’s lives by improving their health. I always sum up my work as, “I teach people how to be healthier with plants.” The implications of that can be so major — from life-changing on an individual level to revolutionizing healthcare and bettering our relationship with and care for the planet. I simply hope that our small everyday doings ripple far and wide.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started leading my company” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

You’ll make it.

This is the only one. Because: I already had the drive, the dedication, and the vision. I had already embraced the constancy of change that life is; I was ready! And had no illusions about it being easy. Knowing that I would make it this far would have been a gentle breeze of ease when things felt shaky. Thankfully, I have enjoyed the wild ride through and through.

Can you share a few ideas or stories from your experience about how to successfully ride the emotional highs & lows of being a founder”?

• Live in flow! It’s all impermanent, so I aim to reside in both gratitude and readiness to find another way at any moment.

• It’s also important to (try to) find the line between what’s personal and professional. Part of my business is my personal brand, so that distinction is often really difficult to make! But I definitely aim to keep my emotions out of business decisions, and vice versa. (An ex once told me that he was afraid of me “in work mode” — heh.)

• To say that another way, perhaps: I’d suggest investing in other outlets and inputs for emotional gratification when possible. Also, therapists, mentors, advisors, mindfulness, and other hobbies are always great ideas. More perspective is more!

• So is diversifying. I tend to have too many things going at once but I’ve never regretted having nine irons when a couple break and someone steals one and … I don’t know how to finish that metaphor but you get it.

• Lastly, my business is health so I live that work-life balance.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

www.ursupernatural.com (subscribe to my newsletter!)

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