NutraWomen Wednesday: Shizu Okusa, CEO of Apothékary

Shizu Okusa went from “wealth” to “wellness” after leaving her Wall Street banking job behind to become a wellness entrepreneur with her brand Apothékary, which is shaped by the principles of Ayurvedic, TCM and Japanese Kampo medicine.

“In the East we brew mushrooms and adaptogens for days on end and then drink that, but in the Western world, at least today in the US, we’re just far too busy to be able to do that,” Okusa explained. “So Apothékary was created as natural alternatives to over-the-counter drugs and supplements but in a much more convenient way and a much more user-friendly way for the average Western consumer.”

Okusa’s upbringing shaped much of her desire to work in herbal healing, something that was instilled in her as far back as she can remember. 

“My dad's from Tokyo, my mom is from Osaka, and my dad was a Japanese garden landscaper. So building gardens and koi fish, ponds and waterfalls. And I grew up on a farm just because we had a nursery of all his trees and then my mom was a potter, so really using all the elements of the Earth.”

While Okusa said the entrepreneurship journey has been challenging, she is grateful she left her banking job behind and invested in a great team and herself.