Interview with Sabin Lakhani, founder of Kokorology
Sabin Lakhani is the founder of Kokorology, Codex, Re and Style Alchemist. In this interview she shares her journey to wellness, how she became a coach, founder and tech entrepreneur. She also imparts her tips on how to incorporate more balance and wellbeing into our life and how crucial it is for individuals to understand what wellness means for them.
How did your journey lead you to being a tech and wellness entrepreneur?
I embarked on my tech journey at IBM, overseeing substantial consulting projects. This experience eventually propelled me into roles at Hyperloop One and involved digitising the operations of Spectrum Watches in Jubilee Stores. Alongside my tech endeavours, I was fortunate to deepen my expertise in the wellness industry, a field I'm immensely passionate about. I eventually transitioned into wellness full time by becoming a wellness entrepreneur and triple certified coach with therapeutic yoga, nutrition and deep health coaching.
My wellness journey traces back to my childhood which was shaped by meditation sessions with my grandmother. These formative early years later sparked my journey into wellness as a tool to increase my quality of life, and to me founding Kokorology, Codex, Re and Style Alchemists.
What does wellness mean to you?
Wellness is a profoundly important but often misunderstood concept. It's often reduced to a focus on eating for aesthetics, rather than nourishing our bodies for vitality. My upbringing offered a different perspective. We prioritised balanced, predominantly vegetarian meals without strict limitations. Our goal was to keep our systems in harmony, especially given our family history of cholesterol and diabetes.
Cooking together as a family was a cherished ritual, as it ensured we felt our best. Eating out, on the other hand, left us sluggish. We practised many health hacks and natural remedies in our family, but one that particularly stands out is my grandmother's daily meditation practice, which became a cornerstone of my well-being routine as an adult. By including me in her daily practices, she passed down this tradition that I hold dear.
So Wellness to me, is rooted in these time-honoured practices and the wealth of accessible knowledge surrounding it. As an adult, I've sought to organise and integrate these principles into my life. Now, as a coach, my mission is to share these methodologies with a wider audience. While knowledge is a key component, the true essence of wellness lies in connecting the dots and putting wisdom into action. This has been my dedicated pursuit for the past five years.
Why did you launch your main company kokorology?
I was looking for what to name my company, which would encapsulate the essence of wellness, and a friend came up with Kokoro. This word is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, signifying heart and spirit. Yet, it holds even greater depth, encompassing the harmonious alignment of heart, mind, body, and soul. Through years of practice and working with clients, I've come to understand that wellness transcends a mere Vinyasa flow or diet regime. It's a multifaceted journey which influences all aspects of our lives.
However, there's no formal education for wellness. While we have biology, chemistry, and various sciences, there is no education on how to incorporate wellness into our daily lives from an early age. This realisation led me to coin the term Kokorology, which is an exploration into the philosophy of the alignment of heart, mind, body, and soul.
We're amid a surge of painkiller dependency, often stemming from well-intentioned doctor's prescriptions. This epidemic arises from a lack of genuine self-awareness. We're quick to slap on band-aids in the form of pills, neglecting the root causes of our afflictions. If you fracture a bone, you see a specialist to fix it. But what about the aftermath? Are you left relying on painkillers for months, or do you seek a health professional to rebuild resilience and acquire techniques to support your body?
This is where deep health, biohacking and neuro wellness play pivotal roles, because they audit your environment, enabling you to implement choices that enhance your quality of life. Thus Kokorology emerged from this wellness gap in our society with the mission to bridge this gap, gather knowledge, and to make it an integral part of the human experience.
What is your overarching goal with launching Codex, Re and Style Alchemists?
In pursuit of Kokorology's mission, I noticed many other gaps in the wellness industry. However you cannot run everything under one brand, otherwise things will become confusing for people. This spurred me to introduce sub brands within Kokorology, providing a more comprehensive and specialised wellness experiences. The wellness industry is a multi billion dollar industry primed to become a multi trillion dollar industry in the next 10 years. So there is a lot of room for growth, exploration and innovation.
Re:
Re was born to make wellness accessible through events. Our community programmes cater to a diverse range of individuals, with some being non-profit initiatives and others profit-driven. Recognising varying affordability levels, we've structured different offerings, enabling individuals to choose what aligns with their means. From high-end events to accessible entry-level memberships, we aim to accommodate all.
Moreover, Re collaborates with offices and NGOs, extending wellness to both corporate and non-profit spheres. For instance, we're actively partnering with NGOs to integrate wellness elements into refugee camps. Additionally, we're teaming up with multiple NGOs in Portugal to establish community fridges in Lisbon, ensuring that everyone has access to food and water. Through nutrition, movement and emerging wellness modalities, Re serves as a conduit to make wellness an attainable reality for all.
Style Alchemist:
Style Alchemist is a dynamic endeavour centred around the art of self-branding. It challenges and addresses toxic narratives in the fashion industry regarding body image, which lead to fat and skinny shaming. We believe it's crucial to break free from these rigid standards and celebrate the uniqueness of every body. Through Style Alchemist we want to change the narrative around labelling people based on appearance. Everyone has their own body type, and that's something to be embraced and celebrated.
Our mission with Style Alchemist is to merge the realms of fashion and wellness and empower individuals to construct their own narratives. When you step out into the world, your style sends a message, a silent declaration of self. This encompasses everything from your hair and nails to your skin, attire, accessories, and even your posture – a complete embodiment of your style and essence.
Codex:
Codex is an innovation project that helps clients to find their preferred wellness partner. There is a huge gap in the wellness industry again, which makes it hard for newly certified coaches to find their footing. New coaches often struggle with tech and marketing solutions, which are imperative for them to grow their business. Because they need to focus on so many different elements, this hinders innovation within their coaching specialties and prevents them from identifying crucial gaps in the wellness industry.
Codex removes these challenges by directly connecting coaches with clients. This encompasses both traditional and non-traditional sports, as they are integral to overall wellness - encompassing movement, nourishment, healing, and pausing. Codex’s mission aligns with Kokorology, promoting holistic well-being through these essential pillars.
How has the alignment of heart, mind, body and soul impacted your own life?
I once took great pride in my appearance, but recently, I fell into some unhealthy habits that led to weight gain. This shift in my body image brought to light some underlying mental health issues, including depression. For someone who prides themselves on their health knowledge, this realisation was tough to accept. However, it also granted me a deeper understanding of myself, my habits and what truly promotes my well-being. This experience, though challenging, has ultimately been a catalyst for growth and self-discovery.
Through this experience and coaching my clients, I learnt some crucial facts about our personal wellness journeys:
You cannot address your diet unless you address your mind.
You cannot address your mind unless you address your body movements.
You cannot address your body movements unless you address what you eat, so you can have more energy.
Each facet is intertwined, you can't tend to one without the others. It's a holistic process, with your body, mind, spirit (your heart) and soul all requiring attention and harmony. They're interconnected, each influencing the other in a continuous loop.
It's also crucial for individuals to understand what alignment signifies for them and how to sustain it. I am so grateful that I am able to use my own experience to help others and to coach them to find their own alignment and their own unique path to wellness.
What would you recommend someone wanting to start their own wellness journey?
Understand it first. Understand what wellness means to you first. And do not fall into the trap of Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, or Tiktok. Really work with someone to understand what wellness means for you and the tools that can support you on your journey. It will save you so much trouble, energy and money in the long term. First understand what wellness is and then understand what works for you.
Are you looking to take hold of your health and incorporate wellness practices into your life?
Book a discovery session with Sabin to find the best solution for you:
