Hawanatu Bangura
"Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn't mean you can, should or need to do it alone."
— Lisa Olivera
Hey there! I am one of the minds behind Rejuvenate, a workplace wellbeing program that supports employees to connect to themselves and each other, discover their purpose and feel a greater sense of belonging, productivity and performance.
I was born in Sierra Leone but migrated to Australia as a teenager when a civil war brewed in my home country.
Coming to Australia presented not only opportunities that I never once imagined when I was in Sierra Leone, but also great challenges with the new life in front of me. Faced with the trauma of war and the challenges of settlement in my new home, I developed a deep-seated anxiety.
I did not realise that I was struggling from anxiety because I used to believe that the worries and stresses I experienced on a daily basis were normal.
However when I started studying social work, it all felt like a mirror was held in front of me, shedding light to the struggles that I shrugged off as normal circumstances.
Through the help of psychological support, I started my healing journey. I learnt the importance of nourishing my mental health and adapting a wellbeing practice.
Seeing how that journey immensely helped me find a better point of view in life, it has been my mission to learn and share practical wellness resources to others.
I have started with the initiative called Inner Essence Program. It was built to address women's mental health and self-worth. However as women shared stories about how stressful and challenging their work weeks are and how these stressors are affecting other aspects of their lives, I knew right then and there that this was not enough. I realised that I can make this program better.
Then 2020 happened...
It was during the pandemic when the issue around employee mental health was given the spotlight. We, humans, spend one third of our lifetime at work and even during the Covid crisis, we were still bound by the pressure of meeting deadlines and turning in outputs despite the ongoing global panic.
A lot of companies thought that the work-from-home setting eased up the mental pressure of their employees but with the thinning boundaries between work and other aspects of the latter's lives, their assumption isn't always the case. Sometimes, adding more workload could just drown a person closer to a mental breakdown.
When mental health struggles are not addressed, they can lead to major long-term issues, including lack of workspace productivity and efficiency.
A better approach is a proactive one that takes preventative measures before a mental health crisis occurs.
This is what I aim to deliver.
My mission is to provide powerful wellbeing practices to help people nourish their mental health and stay resilient in face of struggles and challenges, resulting to a more balanced, focused, grounded and better life.