Metamorphosis of a Global Wellness Entrepreneur

It needed more than grit for this lass from Maharashtra’s Nandurbar,to upscale and find her foothold in the health and beauty sector in Mumbai to finally enjoy global footing in the highend luxury spa business.This international entrepreneur with innumerable accolades,despite her humble beginnings,had enough gusto to traverse from her remote and orthodox tribal district and carved her‘dream’ wide eyed and achieved it too.Meet Rekha Chaudhari,who dons multiple hats as MD,Oneline Wellness-a one stop shop for world class beauty and wellness products and services.Her patented lifestyle concept ‘The Mother’s Touch’,has been recognised by the World Health Organisation.As MD and partner at the JCKRC Spa Destination, she also owns the Caressa Day Spa India; besides setting up of high end luxury spas across the world. She is the first Indian in the wellness sector to have received Sorbon University’s(France) ‘Philosophiae Doctor Honoris Causa Field of Study’.Rekha, a Global Wellness Ambassador for India is also a social entrepreneur through her non-profit organisations - JSWE,GWD and Zep Foundation

As a child I was always thought of as a‘dreamy girl’and I believe that dreams are very important,says Rekha Chaudhari,Managing Director of Oneline Wellness.Her journey began some 25 years ago in the field of beauty of which the past 15years have been dedicated to the fitness and wellness industry.

Rekha Chaudhari is also associated with European skincare and spa brands such as RémyLaure,Phytomer,ASP and B.LAB and has treatments patented in her name such as the Geo Thermo Therapy and Rope Therapy.She runs education programmes for aspirants in the Spa and related hospitality sector via JSWE, under the umbrella brand - JCKRC Spa Wellness Education.JSWE has institutes in Nandurbar,Amalner,Kolhapur,Juhu and Navi Mumbai.

Taking a cue from the Marathi language–‘Zep'or‘Flight’,she has moulded a non-forprofit- Zep Foundation which is supported by JCKRC, aimed at youth from rural zones to find an identity of their own.The course is designed and based on Rekha’s own learning from her professional journey and interactions with foreign brands.The foundation also encourages aspirants seeking their own business startup by providing them with some seed capital in pursuing their professional dream.Through the foundation,her social business model envisages to empower woman and aspirants around her trademark of beauty-related products and services,offering close to 60,000 job opportunitiesfor women across India’s rural belts.

Not a Bed of Roses

Rekha realised that she had some affinity for cosmetics and the beauty sector when she had an opportunity to do her cousin’s wedding makeup at 14 years.She has definitely come a long way since.

“When I came to Mumbai to pursue a career in the beauty sector,it was toughand it was the same when I transitioned into the spa and wellness space.I just kept working hard as the road to success is not always smooth,” said Rekha.Around 2004,her association with the French skincare,Rémy Laure,opened up new doors when she was chosen to represent the brand in India.she eventually ventured into the Spa and Wellness sector.

While her journey began with a dream,it was fuelled by her own father, quite unintentionally.“Till 2002-2003,I was residing in the small town of Nandurbar and had a dream-like every woman.I believe everyone has some desire to grow and develop themselves and I too believed that I could do something in my life.”

The idea to foray into the beauty and health sector took shape some 40 years ago,when Rekha’s father had the vision to open a “VyamShaala” or a nascent gym for the girls in her native village at a time when girls in the orthodox communities of the district were forbidden to even play outdoors.She did join the gym but reminisces that “It was very difficult bringing the girls for exercises and was really a big challenge.By then,my father’s visions had already been sown into my mind and I always wanted to do something in the health sector.”

Her father was always supportive and Rekha found herself participating in various activities,be it in her community or being an active sportsperson at school too.Her father’s impactful theory that “Health and education are the two things that no one can take from you,”perhaps strengthened her belief in later days to start a wellness-related business opportunity.

Her carefree maiden days however transitioned drastically post-marriage at 18 years which bound her to domesticity in an orthodox environment. She was also a victim of fate as she had to support infanticide most unknowingly and without her permission. “I became a victimof a thought process that treats women merely for procreation and the need for a boychild.But, you have to accept that. This was a phase which is my past and which somewhere in my mind kept pushing me to do something,” said Rekha.

Recognising Opportunity

Opportunity knocked for Rekha, but in disguise and this time too it was triggered by her father’s ‘will’ – which emancipated from his need to do a common good for the society. He was on a mission to garner support and opportunity for 12th-grade academic toppers in his village and the surrounding district and would send them to Mumbai. This is how Rekha’s association with Mumbai struck in the first place.

“If you were to ask me about Mumbai in 2003 or earlier,I wouldn’t have been able to show it on a map as my travels were restricted to the nearby districts near my villages and the only big city that I had visited was Nashik.And, today as an official global wellness ambassador and a businessperson, my travel spans across 95 countries,” she said. “I am the first lady ever worldwide to have been invited by the Global Spa Summit in 2009, which focuses only on the top achievers from each country,”she added.

When the young 20 something Rekha set foot in Navi Mumbai,her first learning destination,she was however ridiculed for her almost non-existent English-speaking skills.Naïve as she was then she said,“I wanted to learn because I wanted to pursue my dreams in the beauty industry”.Despite being laughed upon,she did not digress from her own goals.“I wanted a gold medal from myself,from my dream and that’s what I accomplished”,said Rekha.

“Today, I have been working in the beauty and wellness industry and can line up different achievements.One such achievement has been in the recent registration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) with my patented concept - ‘The Mother’s Touch’.I was also invited by the Harvard and Oxford University to present my indigenous facial research therapy.” Rekha’s unique facial research for mother’s (post-child delivery) is significant and as she said,“I am the first author globally to have conducted this kind of research (based on Indian traditions).”

“The Mother’s Touch” is a patented concept that won Rekha global recognition from Har-vard University,John Hopkins and Oxford University.The concept is based on her research on the Indian pre-natal traditions, which has been published on the WHO platform.

Her strategy has been to transfer new innovations from their European partners and localise it to Indian conditions. Through their philosophy of continuous learning,they have been able to sustain a prime position in the industry.

“When I came to Mumbai to pursue a career in the beauty sector,it was tough, and it was the same when I transitioned into the spa and wellness space.I just kept working hard as the road to success is not always smooth”

Empowering Society

Rekha is her own inspiration and has started a movement to replicate the same for other women. “Just imagine if a 12th pass married girl with children, leading a typical housewife life can make the change and who currently travels globally making some differences to her chosen field; this can happen to every woman, you just need to take it up,” she said.

Rekha’s ZEP Foundation, provides livelihood opportunities to women from rural zones across the country. It offers counselling programmes for grandparents and parents of rural youths to empower them and provide employment as part of the wellness industry.“I have many schools in the villages where I am empowering and training children from tribal areas and giving them an opportunity in the metropolitan cities. I have transformed more than 1000 lives from these zones, and they are all working in either five-star hotels or top saloons and parlours across India. Besides,also supply beauty products to all 5-Star hotels along with running my luxury spa that provides employment too.”

Rekha has initiated Global Wellness Day celebrations in India which has been supported by several State Governments including Maharashtra and Rajasthan.“I have recently founded the‘The World Digital Detox Day’,which is essential for every human for their mental wellness- a concept which has gained acceptance worldwide and would like every Indian citizen to join this movement,” she said.