Down to business: Chloe Pierre, thy.self

Chloe Pierre is the founder of thy.self, a community Instagram platform and brand that encourages diversity in the wellness industry, looking at both mental and physical health.

Celebrating the launch of her website, we spoke to Chloe about her career journey and the importance of being change she hopes to see.

Readers Digest: How did your business get started, and how would you best summarise what you offer? 

thy.self started off with a lot of research into the market and was birthed through honest community conversations with an intimate group of influencers and women around self-care and wellness.

We offer companies and the wellness industry as a whole access to a diverse community of influencers that they have yet to tap into because they don't know how to find people authentically. For the thy.self community member, we offer all-round 24/7 support around wellness and advice on actualising their self-love and self-care.

I am a marketer by trade, but the most important skill I carved out is my understanding—of consumers, how to communicate with them and to understand what they want and then deliver it.

RD: How does your work compliment your personality? 

I love helping and educating people—I enjoy communicating on every level, all the time!

With this company, I’m able to do this every day and hopefully leave an imprint on the lives of those I connect with every day through thy.self—that's why we are so trusted.

RD: How does thy.self differ from other wellness sites? 

We are first and foremost diverse to the core. We understand who and how wide our community is, we try not to leave anyone out and we cut through the corporate jargon with our tone of voice.

We encourage real conversations and one-to-one experiences through our events, partnerships, and social media content. It's 360 realness that other wellness sites haven't bothered to access.

RD: The ethos behind the brand is all about creating space in the wellness movement for those who may feel otherwise excluded—who are you hoping the brand will speak to, and how are you going about making the brand accessible to a wide audience?

So far, the brand has received great feedback from people who feel like we understand what they are going through in their daily lives. I hope that thy.self continues to speak to everyone and reaches those in the most isolated of areas both in the UK and internationally.

We are making the brand accessible by going into the communities others are not and bringing them on the wellness journey with us.

RD: It is clear that the conversation surrounding racial inclusivity particularly needs to be an ongoing one, but many people say they are still reluctant to speak out for fear of saying the wrong thing. What tips would you give to people looking to practice effective allyship? 

It’s all about education. There is so much information now at everyone’s fingers thanks to the internet—allyship is not a one-time subscription, so it takes consistent research and education to be an ally.

These societal structures have been around for such a long time that the work to break them down will take time and a lot of hands-on deck. This is not a black or brown person's issue—it’s a human issue and needs to be considered as one.

Educating ourselves sometimes means making mistakes, but if everyone is to really put in the work, the mistakes will be less common and less ignorant. 

RD: What does a typical workday look like for you? 

I wake up around 7.30am every day, shower and get dressed as I would for a normal day of office work. I have breakfast whilst on a video call or webinar and then get straight into approving the social media calendar, seeking new business, writing brand partnerships briefs and answering direct messages.

I say this, but there really isn't a typical day, as I could be delivering an Instagram live stream during "lunch", answering the door for influencer deliveries or taking some much needed time to meditate—it all varies.

RD: What are your favourite and least favourite parts of the job? 

I love answering messages and pre-planning content that I know will go down well with our online community.

As with most creative founders, I don't enjoy writing business projections very much, but I want to get better at it as it will help me ensure thy.self survives the pandemic and beyond.

RD: What do you like to do to switch off? 

I like to walk, read, exercise or connect with my favourite people—my friends, my online community, my real-life neighbours and my granny.

Read more: How to build a community with your neighbours

RD: What has been the most valuable business lesson you’ve learnt so far? 

Don't wait for anyone else's approval to create something. Also, make a note of everything—what you say, what someone else says, how much you’re spending.

RD: And what has been your most tangible achievement? 

Being booked for work simply through word of mouth, such as our collaborations with Monki & Nike. Those felt like really big moments.

RD: If you weren’t involved in wellness, what career do you think you’d be in? 

I'd still be in marketing. I love being able to connect, educate and influence people. The marketing industry and those within it can choose to do good or not with their work and budgets—I choose good.

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Read more: Down to business: Thought Bubble

All images courtesy of thy.self

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