Strong Woman Spotlight: Lopa van der Mersch of Rasa

by Belinda McCall, Founder of WomanBeeWell.com

-Lopa van der Mersch

She's a fierce and feisty momma that experienced what she calls her "own 2020, in 2015". Her stress levels were at an all-time high from "leaving a cult, death in the family, 2 emergency surgeries, a move across country, and a huge falling out with my family"... oh and then she a baby. She needed some serious soothing and caffeine, but without the caffeine!

I caught up with Lopa to talk about how she tackles life's not-so-little challenges with grace (and adaptogens!) and why supporting women's wellness is important to her.

For those of you that haven't yet heard of Lopa and her company Rasa, or if you want to know the story behind the woman, you're in for a treat! Here we go!

BELINDA: HOW DO YOU AND RASA SUPPORT WOMEN'S WELLNESS?

LOPA: Let's get a little deep here, shall we? (she says with a smile)

Being a woman in modern society is full-on. You're implicitly expected to have a thriving career and a strong personal brand; to push against the patriarchy (or live under its pressure on you, or both); to have a wide social network, maintain a social media presence, ideally have a passionate relationship or at least be looking for one, exercise, pay your bills, eat vegetables, stay on top of the doomscr--er, news, give to causes you believe in, AND text your friends back?? And if you have kids, raise them to be securely attached, healthy, well-rounded individuals who aren't addicted to screens. [whew!]

And that's not even counting the navigation of poverty, racism, ableism, homophobia, and countless other systemic stressors.

It's no wonder we're exhausted, and that for so many of us, our drug of choice is coffee.

The thing is, when used to overcome tiredness, coffee is a way of overriding our body's signals—we need nourishment. Replenishment. A break for a breath in our days.

There is a saying in Traditional Chinese Medicine that "coffee borrows energy from tomorrow to fuel today."

Ultimately, coffee is a way for us to extract more resources from our body than they can sustainably give. Sound familiar...?

We [at Rasa] formulate every blend to ensure that we are genuinely nourishing and replenishing your body while energizing. Even our new Calm blend—which is intended to chill you out more than energize—is still going to help with long-term energy levels, as it replenishes your energy reserves.

None of this is a replacement for a more sustainable lifestyle and a system that doesn't suck us dry...but we've heard time and again that the herbs in Rasa help women deal with the stressors of life with more access to their best selves. Moms say they're more patient with their kids, wives say they are better partners, we've heard women say it's helped them get through school or through the stresses of being an essential or healthcare worker.

Our Spicy Rose blend has reinvigorated many a listless libido, and we're told has even helped bring a few new humans into the world. (wink wink)

Fundamentally, we're helping women actually nourish themselves in a delicious daily ritual. Fingers wrapped around a warm mug, inhaling the delicious aroma...women—and all genders!—can take a deep breath in and know they are deeply nourishing themselves with every sip.

B: Wow, and this is why you are our Strong Woman Spotlight! You are right, there is so much expected of women, and it's exhausting for us to feel "successful" or even just "okay" with such high expectations. And because of your deep understanding and awareness of this, and what we truly need in order to nourish ourselves, Rasa exists. I'm so grateful for you and for Rasa!

B: ASIDE FROM ALL THE STRESSORS YOU JUST MENTIONED, WHAT EVENTS IN YOUR OWN LIFE INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE RASA?

L: In 2015, I had what I “fondly” call “my own personal 2020”—I left an (actual) cult, had two emergency surgeries, moved across country, had a death in the family, and a huge falling out with my family. And then I had a baby.

To say my energy was, ahem, #FUBAR....was a major understatement.

Many moms drink coffee to get through the early years, but when I tried coffee as “the answer” it seriously messed me up—we're talking panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, anxiety. Turns out, coffee was NOT the answer for my fried nervous system!

I tried the available alternatives and…meh. None of them ticked all my boxes: energizing, delicious, gluten & grain-free, tons of health benefits. The “perfect” coffee alternative didn’t exist, so I decided to change that.

I partnered with an herbalist and together we created Rasa, combining the best herbs from Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine, & Western Herbalism.

I launched Rasa when I was postpartum with my second son. I swear to you these magic herbs are responsible for the sustained energy that has allowed me to heal from my #personal2020 while attachment parenting two young boys and running a high-integrity, fast-growing company.

And now, what started with me elbow-deep blending herbs in my kitchen has become a movement that has changed the lives of tens of thousands of people.

B: You have truly created something beautiful and beneficial with Rasa. It is true that the best inventions are created from necessity! Many entrepreneurs, inventors, and visionaries experience setbacks.

B: WHAT WERE THE CHALLENGES OR SETBACKS YOU FACED WHEN STARTING OUT? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?

L: Oh man. I had, and continue to have, so many! Launching Rasa while postpartum with my second son, while dealing with PPD/PPA, was a challenge all unto its own. On top of that, we had all sorts of operational challenges as well. I remember our first co-packer telling me after months of challenges trying to do our first production run," Most people would have given up by now."

They say that perseverance is one of the most important qualities of successful entrepreneurs, and that has been proven correct in my experience as well. There are MANY times where I wanted to throw in the towel (soaked with my tears).

When inspiration had run thin and I wasn't sure if I could keep going, it was always our customers that would loom in my mind. I'd think, "I CAN'T give up, for Helen who just said Rasa is helping her survive the switch to homeschooling, or for Janet who is reinvigorating her love life with her wife and got a cup of Rasa tattooed on her back, or for Heather who feels that Rasa Bold gets her through her long shifts as a nurse."

The other important thing is mindset. If you get derailed by everything that goes wrong, you're going to have a short run as an entrepreneur of any kind. If you see obstacles as a necessary part of the process, it's going to help a lot. My husband and I would look at each other, roll our eyes and shrug and say: "Well, there's some more tuition for us!"

Think about it like this: how can anything truly great be created without some testing of its creator?? Obstacles build your capacity to handle more.

B: Oh yes, I love that. You are absolutely right. Thank you for sharing the story behind your startup story and for those pearls of wisdom! I too am a firm believer that perseverance and a positive mindset are essential for success in just about anything in life. These are words that I think so many women need to hear right now.

It's evident to me that you are a clear supporter of women and women's wellness in particular.

B: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU TO SUPPORT WOMEN ON THEIR PATHS IN WELLNESS?

L: Um, is "death to the patriarchy" an appropriate response here?

I kid, I kid. Sort of. 😜

In all seriousness, though, I think that we're in the midst of a necessarily-changing paradigm, and I feel that women's wisdom is critical in ensuring we get to a healthy, balanced place as a society. And we can best access our wisdom when we feel well!

B: WHAT IS ONE PART OF YOUR OWN WELLNESS ROUTINE THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND FOR OTHER WOMEN TO TRY, AND WHY?

L: I'm a longtime student of Ayurveda, and Ayurveda loves oil! I put warm oil in my nose every day and it helps me to breathe better, is a quick, easy way to gently soothe my nervous system, and even help with dark circles and eye dryness as the oil nourishes the tissues within.

B: IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE OUR WOMANBEEWELL READERS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?

L: That's enough blabbing from me! 😝 I'll leave you with a few of my favorite quotes:

- Anne Frank

-Khalil Gibran

B: Lopa, I want to thank you so much for sharing your time and energy with me today. I am certain that your words have connected on many levels with any woman reading right now. You have certainly inspired me to continue doing what I do to support women and to help them honor their unique versions of wellness.

And now, I think I'll have a cup of Rasa!

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