anne and anna: life should be free of shame
Anne Præstensgaard and Anna Reinholdt are the two founders of WOOM: a platform that wants to empower us to live a mindfully holistic life so we can be our best self. Their journey to this approach has brought both ups and downs - but as you will see in this interview, they wouldn’t have been here without any of their learnings. We can’t wait to follow WOOM - especially as they have made intimacy a part of their wellness universe. As they say: self-care doesn’t have to feel overwhelming but it’s essential to prioritise - because you are the most important person in your life. It’s safe to say we needed that reminder. Please go follow them on Instagram right here.
Hi Anna and Anne, congratulations on the launch of WOOM. Could you start by both telling us a bit about yourself?
Thank you. Our names are Anna and Anne and we are the founders of WOOM a holistic lifestyle platform. We both live at Nørrebro in Copenhagen and we are passionate about holistic health. Our goal is to support and inspire people to take care of their whole selves so they can live their best life.
And could you give us an introduction to WOOM?
WOOM is a holistic lifestyle platform that focuses on wellness in your health, spirituality, beauty and sexuality. A core part of WOOM is meditation and movement, as well as our workshops and retreats. We wanted to create a platform that is both online, so it is accessible for everyone not only people who live in Copenhagen by us, but we also offer in-person workshops and retreats. We truly aim to create a trustworthy and embracing community for everyone. Our wish is to combine all our interests and ways we believe can help you live a better life on one platform, so whether you are in a deep crisis and really need some help urgently or you just feel a calling to do something good for yourself – WOOM is for everyone. You don’t need any experience and there are no expectations for you, small things go a long way when trying to change your life and things don’t happen overnight. We wish to bring it down to a level where everyone can feel embraced and inspired. Your steps to living a better life can be big and bold but also small and steady – either way, just taking the step to prioritize yourself and focus on your well-being is a step in the right direction. We want to inspire people to really believe, that they deserve to feel good within themselves.
We've been following both of you for a while, also before launching WOOM together. How did your passion for self-care and holistic wellness start?
Anne: I grew up in Asia so my introduction to alternatives to western medicine came early on in my life. As a small child I remember getting reflexology, and when my sinuses were blocked they would put pressure on the tip of the big toe. My true passion was ignited when I got a severe concussion in 2018. It was my path to recovery that led me to take my self-care seriously and implement wellness routines, movement, and meditation in my life. It was also in my pain and hopelessness I found myself seeking out spiritual ways of life and how to create my own healing through energy. I have tried countless of treatments and health tips to regain my health, and I had to go through a long and hard path to see, that it was only within I could truly overcome my concussion and live my life how I would like it. I am forever a changed person because of this experience, and although I would never wish it on anyone, I don’t think I could be where I am with my self and in my life if I hadn’t gone through this life crisis. Everything is reassessed and I am so grateful for waking up without pain and having the freedom to do as I please. Your health is easy to take for granted when you don’t have to think about it, but being sick for so many years changed the way I view health, wellness and life in general.
Anna: My mother was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) when I was only six months old. Her passion for holistic health and alternative treatments grew, and it slowly became the whole family’s way to heal ourselves. I started acupuncture treatments when I was around 6 years. When I was sick, had any imbalances or felt discomfort, we would visit the most amazing Chinese family and they did acupuncture, moxa and healing.
In my teen years I struggled a lot with stress, anxiety, and low self-esteem. I don’t remember a lot from I was 15-18. My parents went through a very difficult divorce. I had a lot of trouble setting healthy boundaries, so in my early twenties I had a serious stress breakdown. I was so disconnected from my body and mind. I took one year off. Doing nothing but healing myself. Then I slowly came back to all the alternative treatments I grew up with as a child. Acupuncture, reflexology, healing, movement, and meditation. I was slowly finding my way back to my roots and inner strength. I am really proud of where I am today, even though there still is a lot of healing left. I will always keep exploring my inner and outer world, and I hope to inspire other women to choose themselves everyday. You are the most important person in your own life.
And how did your friendship and partnership grow?
We have known each other since we were 16 years old in gymnasium, however it took many years for us to become close. We had many mutual friends, so we kept spending time together and slowly we found out that although we are very different, we share many of the same interests and we always laugh when we are together.
Our friendship grew to another level when we both weren’t working due to my, Anne’s, concussion and my, Anna’s, stress sick leave. We were both a place in our lives where we would just spend hours together exploring and learning more about our interests and looking after ourselves. We would go on spiritual retreats together, practice yoga together, make our own small ceremonies and rituals together, go to the summerhouse, vacations, cook nurturing foods and take long walks.
Anna: I remember three years ago I asked Anne if she would want to write some articles for my website, because her interests were aligned with what I wanted to put out in the world. However Anne still had some recovering to do with her concussion, and she had not yet let go of the idea of a career as a lawyer. So, throughout the years we have talked about doing something together but never seriously until half a year ago I asked Anne again if we should work together. We talked about it but I wasn’t quite ready to let go of working under my name “Anna Reinholdt” so we let the idea go. A couple of months passed, and Anne started to take job interviews, so I thought this is my last chance if we are going to work together. I wrote to her and we met up the very same day. We started talking and didn’t stop for about 4 hours – 2 days later we were setting up our company. So even though it is completely new to us working on WOOM together, we have been unconsciously planning for this for years, that’s why we are completely on the same page about what WOOM is and where we want to go with it. It is amazing to share this journey with such a close friend, we have so much trust and know each other inside out. It truly is a blessing.
Self-care and wellness can, for some, feel like quite fluffy terms that can be hard to actually execute on an everyday-basis. Why do you think that is and how would you like people to tackle wellness?
We think it is because there are so many different ways to practice self-care and wellness and there is not one formula that fits all. We believe it is each person’s responsibility to find out what works for them and incorporate it in their lives, in order to live a full and healthy life. This responsibility can feel heavy for some and “fluffy” for others, and that is why we wish to inspire people with many different ways to take care of yourself. We don’t think one person can do all the things we talk about however their curiosity can be awakened and they can start their own journey in finding out how to live their best life.
Although there are many “fluffy” ways to enrich your life the facts are not at all fluffy the Danish Health Authority’s investigations show that our mental health is getting worse and worse, this includes stress, anxiety, self-worth, depression and more. We believe this is possible to improve and we would like to help. When WOOM speaks about health we mean it holistically – meaning the body, mind and soul. We need to see our whole selves with a body, mind and soul as one, in order to take of all the aspects of ourselves and in order to live a full life. Movement, meditation and community are great ways to improve your health and are integral parts of WOOM.
sitre is on a journey where we're moving sex out of the dodgy corners and into the wellness world instead. WOOM seems to do the same. Do you see intimacy as wellness?
Yes we definitely see intimacy as wellness. We believe that everyone deserves to live a life free from shame and guilt which are two emotions that often can be associated with intimacy. Intimacy is natural and being able to experience pleasure freely and authentically is uplifting. We definitely think the world is ready to embrace intimacy into the wellness world.
What changes would you like to see within the sex wellness area?
We would love to see more openness, in terms of pleasure and freedom sexually so people can embrace each other and inspire one another. And we would also like more openness with struggles in sexuality and intimacy, so people have the courage to speak up, get help and not feel alone. We want everyone to believe they deserve the right to pleasure, and that their sex life is not shameful or a source of guilt, on the contrary!
Has your idea of intimacy and the role of it changed as you became more in sync with your own wellness?
Anne: Yes I have become better at being aware and expressing what I desire. I know that my love language is touch, so when I feel a bit disconnected from my partner or short tempered I can take a breath and think – is it maybe because I am not feeling loved? Then i ask for a hug or to be massaged, or I try to be rational because I know my partners love language is favors, I think of all the kind things he has done for me lately (like cleaning the apartment or tucking our daughter to sleep almost every evening) and then I can feel my mood changing and I can feel connected to him again. I think knowledge is such a powerful tool in living a good life and learning about myself and my needs is a never ending process that keeps creating benefits. My other mantra with wellness in general is that it is my own responsibility to live a good life and incorporate good things in my everyday life, and I also use this in regards to intimacy – it is my own responsibility to enjoy, feel free and be seen – taking off the pressure from my partner to make me feel all those things but knowing I have his support when I need it.
Anna: In my teen years I felt very free and experimenting with intimacy, and I really enjoyed the spontaneous, energy based drive towards intimacy. As I grew older and came in a relationship, I started noticing the feeling of guilt and pressure growing. I don’t have a big sex drive, and I would always prioritize cooking for my partner, make tea, tidy up, or watch a movie together. But I do also know that intimacy is very important for my partner, so I’m very mindful of this. I wish to be met where I am and meet my partner in his needs, my wellness and sync with my body has taught me to accept how I feel and know my boundaries. When I feel some kind of lust, I really try to embrace it and feel it. Also I share it with my partner by sending a text or calling him. Generally I wish for more transparency when it comes to intimacy in our society. There is no shame if you don’t have a large sex drive or if you have a large sex drive, it can also vary day to day or month to month, I believe that intimacy and wellness is a lifelong journey. In order to live your best authentic life you must meet yourself where you are with no judgement and accept how you feel. Nothing is permanent and your sexdrive or lack thereof can come and go.
Finally: if someone wanted to start their sex wellness journey, what three simple steps could they start with?
First find out what is stopping your sex wellness journey? What resistance do you feel? Be curious. Write it down on a piece of paper or in your journal.
Second start meditating into this resistance. Try to feel where in the body the resistance sits, what it looks like, how it feels, just breath into it. Accept that you maybe have resistance, and with this acceptance see if you can let it go. Remember to be kind to yourself.
After meditating make yourself an empowering sex wellness mantra, that you can tell yourself when you experience resistance, when you want to feel pleasure or whenever you need to say it. Your mantra could for example be something like “I deserve to feel pleasure” or “I am proud of my sexuality”.
It really depends where you are in your life and what experiences you have had as to where to begin your sex wellness journey. These three steps are something you can do at home cost free. A good idea is to speak to a trained professional, your partner or a friend. Reach out if you need help, and remember to be kind to yourself.
Thank you Anne and Anna for being so honest with your own journeys. We can’t wait to follow WOOM.
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