Creators and Magic Makers • Stephanie Slater

Please tell us a bit about yourself and the work that you do.

I am a mum of two (and a half-baked bun in the oven!) and the co-founder of Asklé. Asklé is a digital platform that connects women to expert women's health practitioners. We support women of all stages and ages to gain access to the support they need and then prescribe products made just for them. 

Through your work/business what is the impact that you hope to make and why?

Asklé is just the beginning for us. My husband and I also host a podcast called the Asklé Modern Family Podcast where we chat all things business, family and health (including spirituality). We have very candid conversations about raising a family, building a business, our relationship and how to navigate life together. We feel this is a really important platform to hear from both a husband and wife about the realities of life. We don't glaze over the hardships or how we navigate such tricky waters. And this is at the core of Asklé. Even through our consults and then prescribed products, we recognise and validate what so many women are going through, and we empower them with knowledge so they can make informed decisions! By supporting women, giving them a place to feel validated and heard, permission to take up space and value who they are as individuals, we believe everyone will benefit. 

How would you say you arrived into finding your purpose?

Asklé was born out of my own experience with PND 6 months after the birth of my second child. I used to cry, a lot, but I thought I was just overwhelmed - I had a toddler, a newborn, a husband who was travelling for work and if he wasn't travelling, worked all day every day, and my family and friends were in Melbourne while I was living regionally.  It came to a point where my closest people told me it was time to see a Doctor. After completing the Edinburgh PND scale, I was diagnosed with PND and handed a prescription for antidepressants. Though there is a time and place for medication (I have a background in Psychology) I didn't believe this was the right, first course of action. And so I looked into what other synthetic things we take and their impact. I looked into what supplements women often take (and there is very little out there in the postpartum space) and what ingredients were being used. This is when we learnt about the difference between Folic Acid and Folate. Folic acid, being synthetic, cannot be fully absorbed by people with the MTHFR gene, of which 40-60% of the population have. There have been correlations between the malabsorption of Folic Acid and miscarriage and PND. We had two miscarriages and then diagnosed PND - coincidence? Maybe. I did a DNA test and sure enough I have the genetic mutation. My frustration came from the disempowerment I felt from the healthcare system and the lack of knowledge that was passed on to me. That's why Asklé was born. We want women to access pharmaceutical-grade, nutritional medicine, made with high quality ingredients at therapeutic dosages, with a formulation that is actually prescribed for them.  

How do you balance your social life, work life, health, family?

This is a tricky one - with a third baby on the way, I have to be honest and tell you I struggle. I am learning how to say no and how to have firm boundaries. I have done a lot of work on myself and am working through my engrained 'people-pleaser' traits, which I think is fairly common for a lot of women, especially mums. I am also learning to prioritise my own health and wellbeing, which includes rest, doing things that fill my cup like catching up with friends for dinner, spending quality time with my family, and knowing when to switch off from work. Which is a lot easier said than done!

What do you do in order for you to carve out some time for yourself?

My husband is really good at supporting me with this - he has always been a firm believer in putting your own oxygen mask on first, and he pushes me to prioritise myself (even when I push back). I always thought carving out time for myself meant being busy during that time - being 'productive' - but what I have come to realise is that I actually need to stop, to breathe, and to rest. Sitting on the beach with my feet in the sand and listening to the waves, really fills my cup. As does pilates, being with friends, spending quality time with my family, listening to music loudly (often let it go... not sure if you've heard of that one?!)

What do you do to get yourself into a state of creativity?

I don't have a specific activity or process, but I can definitely notice when I need the space. So rather than manufacture creativity (either at the desk or through a predetermined activity) I love to just decide impulsively. My husband has become really good at this too (he is my cofounder) so sometimes we will just say to each other "should we call it?" and if we're both feeling uninspired, we will get out into nature, or go see a movie, or just do something completely different to the environment we have been in. If it's just one of us who is feeling this way, then we will do what nurtures our soul (i.e. go to the beach and breathe). It is often in these unstructured, unplanned moments that creativity strikes!!

If you were to share something about your business/work to a stranger what would it be?

Asklé is more than a digital platform and is more than prescription nutritional medicine. Through Asklé, we provide a space for women to finally feel heard, to be given permission to take up space, to be reminded that they are worthy and that they are deserving of attention, validation, and the highest level of care. Regardless of where you are at in life, Asklé can meet you there, and will hold your hand through the ups and downs, and the significant changes that occur throughout a woman's life. Whether you're trying for a baby, Post Partum, experiencing severe PMS, or going through perimenopause and beyond, we promise to be there for you, and only you. 

See Instagram post here.