Women In Wellness: Stella Rubin of Lure Essentials On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Practice Natural Wellness: While we can’t discredit the contributions of science and modern medicine to help us stay healthy, you should never dismiss the “old ways” of natural healing. While doctors will always say they know what’s best, it’s not always the case, and many modern medical treatments come with an increased risk of side effects. Always listen to your body and don’t dismiss the effects of holistic treatments and remedies. Due to increased recognition of the power of these treatments, alternative healing is widely available in most communities today.
As a part of our series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Stella Rubin, Founder of Lure Essentials.
Stella founded Lure Essentials in 2014 with a mission to empower consumers to take control of their own health and wellbeing. Dating back to her childhood in the Ukraine, she experienced firsthand a remarkable ‘ancient’ technique called cupping or ‘banki,’ a practice her grandparents skillfully used to relieve common cold and congestion. Conscious of the public’s perception that cupping causes ‘bruising’ marks and relies on fire and glass jars to create vacuum suction, she thought “there must be a better way!” This is when she set out to create user-friendly silicone cupping kits so that anyone regardless of age or experience can enjoy this remarkable holistic modality in the comfort of their home or on the go.
Stella’s entrepreneurial journey started in childhood, and she’s been a serial entrepreneur ever since. Recently, fueled by the success of Lure Essentials, she and her husband Igor, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts practitioner and athlete, also co-founded a new brand for athletes called GameOn.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you share with us the story about how you first got involved in fitness and wellness?
My journey started in a very personal place. My husband is an athlete, and throughout our marriage, I watched him suffer numerous sports injuries, not to mention the various aches and pains that come from vigorous activity. It was difficult to see him dealing with so much discomfort, and I started exploring natural pain options. It was difficult to find consistent, effective relief for him, so I became committed to coming up with a solution. My research led me to something my husband and I both experienced during childhood: an ancient, but very powerful modality known as cupping. One of the main goals behind cupping is to target specific areas of pain or discomfort and treat them from the inside out, both to ease pain and promote healing. As children, our parents and grandparents would use cupping on us to battle common cold symptoms, so we were familiar with its effects. Once I started thinking about the many benefits of cupping, I couldn’t stop — I began studying the practice in earnest, learning as much as I could about how cupping works, and how to transform the practice by applying ancient cupping techniques to more modern treatments and applications. I found cupping to be effective for not only pain, but also for maintaining general good health, easing stress and tension, and improving skin health. The more I explored and tested, the more benefits I found, which lead me to create the first ever line of DIY cupping systems on the market for self-care to help address any number of health and beauty goal safely and effectively at home.
Can you share the most interesting story that has happened to you since you started your career?
It was very exciting to discover how many professional athletes, including Olympians, utilize Lure Essentials products! Not only am I thrilled to know that Lure Essentials is able to help provide relief to such top-tier talent, but it really speaks to the fact that cupping can help you maintain good health and ease pain no matter what level of physical exertion you undertake. I couldn’t ask for a better testimonial!
Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or takeaway did you learn from that?
During the product-testing phase of development, I ended up being the guinea pig quite often, and sometimes I got a little goofy. When we were testing out our conical GLAM facial cups, I had a very silly impulse to attach one of the cups on my forehead, right between my eyebrows, and I left it on for a few seconds. The minute I detached the cup, I realized, much to my horror, that I had given myself a nice red hickey right in the middle of my forehead. As embarrassing as that was, it ended up being a great learning experience. After that little incident, we included a disclosure in all our instructions to always use lots of facial oil and keep those face cups moving at all times so no one else would end up with a surprise hickey.
Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the fitness and wellness field? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?
To become a wellness specialist, it’s natural to think that you need an advanced degree in nutrition or physical therapy to be considered an expert. But, in truth, there are many ways to educate yourself in the field of health and wellness. I believe that I am an authority because I identified a problem and sought a solution. It was not a hasty solution, and it was not done on impulse. I surrounded myself with experts and mentors in the field, extensively studied the practice of cupping, and kept my ears and my mind open. There’s a famous saying by Malcolm Gladwell that says anyone can become an expert in anything by dedicating 10,000 hours. While formal education is important, I believe that hands-on learning and dedicated research go a long way toward achieving expertise.
Through years of study, practice and research, my contribution is to offer safe and effective natural solutions to people at different stages on their journey towards improving their health and wellness goals. Cupping has been transformational for our family and now it’s my mission to share it with the world. Many consumers are not aware of additional benefits of this remarkable modality that steams from easing pain in back, neck, supporting healthy immune and respiratory function, aiding in digestion to improving aging skin and reducing the appearance of cellulite. I’m proud to offer a line of products that has the potential to help so many.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My first and biggest source of inspiration is my husband, Igor. Igor’s life-long dedication to martial arts is what initially lead me to seek solutions for naturally treating physical pain. Igor holds two black belts — one in Tae Kwan Do and the other in MMA, in addition to being a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. During his athletic career in combative sports, he was no stranger to injuries. Since both Igor and I experienced the benefits of cupping therapy growing up in Ukraine, I suggested he try cupping for his rotator cuff injury. Shortly, Igor discovered that not only did he find immediate relief with simple silicone cups placed around his shoulder, but also that cupping helped speed up his recovery time which got him back on the mats practicing martial arts quicker. At that point, I realized that I may have found a solution that can benefit not only athletes, but also millions of people in search of pain relief. aving experienced results firsthand, Igor was receptive and supportive of my crazy idea to bring a little-known ancient healing method to a modern market.
Though cupping is not a new practice, when I first began to develop Lure Essentials there was very little knowledge of cupping as a solution for general self-care use. It was a long road, and Igor stepped up to the plate and helped tremendously with house chores and carrying for our 3 children, while I spent upward of eighteen hours a day to develop the brand, attend business conferences, trade shows, and travel overseas to visit our factories.
Having Igor’s support was instrumental to my success as an entrepreneur. He gave me confidence and power to build a business from scratch and I am forever grateful for his support. A few years ago, Igor left his corporate job in investment banking to join me in running Lure Essentials. Today, it is our mission to spread the ancient wisdom of cupping and make safe and effective products available to everyone.
We all know that it’s important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, exercise more, get better sleep. etc. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion, what are the 3 main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?
The first, and often biggest, excuse people fall back on is time. There’s not enough time to exercise, prepare healthy meals, or take a moment to de-stress. It’s true that most people deal with a grueling everyday grind, between work and caring for a family, but it’s important to understand, now more than ever, that self-care and self-love are not luxuries. They are necessities for physical and mental well-being.
Procrastination is another blockage we often face. People like to set goals, but it can be difficult to follow through. It’s common to say, “I’ll start my diet on Monday” or “I’ll start running next month.” When you put a delay on your well-being it gets easier and easier to neglect it altogether.
Finally, I find that a lot of people are intimidated by the idea of initiating self-care. They don’t know where to start. They may be eager to eat healthy, but unsure of the best diet plan. Exercise is a common goal but finding a regime you’ll enjoy may seem an impossible task. It may be overwhelming to break an old habit and try something new. Even something as simple as taking vitamins can lead to doubt over making the right choice. My advice for this is to start slowly and make changes that feel right to you. Throw out all your junk food and load up on fruits and veggies. Start a walking routine before you commit to running. Try to limit screen time and go to bed at the same time each night to promote healthy sleep. Remember, a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.
Can you please share your “5 Non-Intuitive Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing?” Please share a story or an example for each, and feel free to share ideas for mental, emotional and physical health.
Banish negative thoughts: I have a personal non-intuitive trick I practice often. We all know mindset is the key to achieving our goals. Your state of mind can lead you down the path to success or create roadblocks to prevent you from reaching it. Whenever I doubt myself or start to feel down, I remind myself that negativity has no place in what I’m trying to accomplish. In order to take control of those thoughts, I picture them as a computer program that has gone bad. I imagine myself hitting “DELETE” on my mental keyboard and erasing those negative thoughts. This is very self-soothing, and I will consciously repeat, “DELETE, DELETE, DELETE” until I feel I have purged the negativity and arrived in a better head space. I’ve been using this trick for years, and it has served me well.
Maintain good posture: Good posture is a secret weapon — not only is it beneficial for your body, it can also put you in a better head space. Practice keeping your spine straight and your shoulders relaxed. Good posture prevents tension from building up and will also help you look and feel more confident. The more you practice good posture, the more natural it will become, and you’ll find that your whole body will benefit.
Exercise your facial muscles as much as you exercise your body: People hold a lot of stress in their faces. Clenched jaws, furrowed brows, and a pinched expression are all evidence of tension. It’s important to let that tension go, and once you do you’ll be amazed at how much more relaxed you become. Practice simple facial movements designed to loosen tight muscles and let that tension drain away. Not only does it feel great, your skin will thank you by radiating with youthful glow and a smoother, lifted, and sculpted appearance too!
Stretch your muscles: Stretching isn’t just something you should do before exercise. You should stretch every day to keep your muscles long and limber. Without stretching, you may find that you feel ‘frozen’ in certain areas, and that can lead to stress and even injury. Cupping is a wonderful addition to daily stretching, as it helps lengthen your muscles, release fascial adhesions, promote healthy circulation and lymph flow, all of which are great for general well-being.
Practice Natural Wellness: While we can’t discredit the contributions of science and modern medicine to help us stay healthy, you should never dismiss the “old ways” of natural healing. While doctors will always say they know what’s best, it’s not always the case, and many modern medical treatments come with an increased risk of side effects. Always listen to your body and don’t dismiss the effects of holistic treatments and remedies. Due to increased recognition of the power of these treatments, alternative healing is widely available in most communities today.
As an expert, this might be obvious to you, but I think it would be instructive to articulate this for the public. Aside from weight loss, what are 3 benefits of daily exercise? Can you explain?
-Exercise is essential for good mental health. When your body produces endorphins, you’ll experience a natural lift in mood that can do wonders for both your mental and physical well-being. Regular exercise may help reduce or prevent anxiety, offer relief from depression, improve your mood, and be an overall benefit to your mental health.
-Exercise benefits your organs and physical health. Regular exercise is crucial for a healthy heart, good lung function, bone density, and maintaining muscle mass as we age. There is a proven correlation between muscle mass and healthy aging. Having good muscle mass is crucial to maintaining your strength as you age. The stronger you are, the better your quality of life.
-Exercise may help improve sleep quality. Many people underestimate the role healthy sleep habits play on your mental and physical health. Restful sleep will not only help your body operate without feelings of daily fatigue, it will also help you stay more mentally alert. When you exercise you burn energy, which is a great start to a good night’s sleep.
For someone who is looking to add exercise to their daily routine, which 3 exercises would you recommend that are absolutely critical?
Walking or running. Both are easy to do, require no equipment, and can be implemented into a daily routine pretty easily. Walking is a great way to boost your heart rate and improve your circulation. It also builds up your stamina so you can move on to running, which has incredible cardiovascular benefits. A brisk walk or a light jog each day is a great way to improve your health and help beat stress.
Planks. Planks are another simple, equipment-free option for improving your health. Doing a series of planks each day will help straighten out your posture, increase your coordination and balance, focus your mind, build up your core strength, and improve your overall flexibility.
Strength training with weights. Lifting weights regularly will help you build muscle and strength. You don’t have to be able to bench-press two-hundred pounds, even simple weight training will help you increase your strength. The best part of weight training is that it’s flexible. Start small with lighter weights and work your way up as your endurance increases.
The most important thing to remember about exercise is that it shouldn’t be a chore. Find a physical activity you enjoy, whether it’s dancing, golfing, or Pilates. If you have fun while you’re exercising, you’ll be more likely to stick with it.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story?
Both Lifespan by David Sinclair and Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari have been tremendously influential. They both speak to the nature of being human, the limitations of the human race, and how we overcome them. Lifespan explores the idea of longevity and poses the question, “is aging necessary?” It offers an alternative view on aging and presents it as an illness rather than an inevitable decline. Sapiens gives a detailed history on humankind, from our physical development to social interactions, and brings up the fascinating idea that humans are rapidly evolving into “gods.” It will leave you questioning whether “humanity” will even exist in the future. It’s a captivating look at the human race, and it offers a great deal of insight as to how we came to be the society we are today.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
If I could start a movement, I would create a campaign geared toward teaching the importance of self-care and the power of natural wellness in schools, so children would be able to recognize the importance of a healthy mind and body as early as possible. When self-care becomes a way of life during childhood, the result is healthier adults. We launched the #GetCupped movement to empower people of all ages to take control of their health and well-being. Despite the hashtag, this movement is about so much more than “getting cupped.” It’s an invitation to dedicate time to practicing self-care and also explore a variety of natural modalities.
Can you please give us your favorite “life lesson quote?” Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
“If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you are right.” — Henry Ford. This quote speaks to me because it is succinct and honest: everything is in your hands. You have full control over your life and your goals. With action and a positive mindset, you can make incredible strides. The entire time I was developing the Lure brand, this concept was paramount in keeping me focused, inspired, and on the right track.
Is there a person in the world or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why?
I would love to share a meal with Dr. Josh Axe who is a certified doctor of natural medicine and a co-founder of Ancient Nutrition, a successful supplement brand. After we watched Dr. Axe’s video presentation and read his blog post praising cupping therapy as an alternative medicine for pain, immunity and digestion, our team reached out to him to review some of the cupping systems we developed to do the same. We were extremely honored to see Dr Axe and his wife Chelsea praise Lure Essentials cupping kits in their Instagram Live, and it would be so interesting to speak with him again about our journey and how this ancient practice has finally hit the mainstream and recently caught on in the United States and other Western countries. I would love to pick his brains about new developments in natural medicine and how alternative medicine brands can stay on the cutting edge.
Readers are invited to join the #GetCupped Movement at LureEssentials.com and follow Lure Essentials on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube at @LureEssentials.
Thank you for these fantastic insights!
Women In Wellness: Stella Rubin of Lure Essentials On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Suppo was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.