SOM OSU: Our Origin Story

SOM OSU started because something in my body felt off for a long time.

Not in a dramatic way. Just a steady sense that I was running myself down and ignoring it. I was tired more often than I wanted to admit. My digestion was unpredictable. My energy came in short bursts and disappeared just as quickly. I kept pushing through because that felt normal.

For years, I treated discomfort as something to manage rather than something to listen to. If something felt wrong, I looked for a quick fix. I prioritised convenience and kept telling myself I would slow down later. My body did not agree.

The years before SOM OSU

Living in Melbourne in your early twenties has its own momentum. Late nights turn into early mornings. Social plans stack up quickly. Drinking from Thursday through Sunday feels ordinary when everyone around you is doing the same thing.

That was my routine for a while. Sleep was broken. Meals were whatever was easiest between shifts and plans. I told myself it was balance because it looked social and familiar. Looking back, it was just exhaustion dressed up as normal life.

I stopped drinking gradually. There was no single moment that forced it. I just reached a point where I felt inflamed, anxious, and disconnected enough to stop ignoring it.

Once alcohol was gone, everything else became clearer. My sleep still felt unsettled. My digestion never really calmed down. I had just enough energy to get through the day and not much left after that. I realised I was present physically but checked out mentally, moving through routines without much awareness.

Trying to do better

My response was to change everything at once.

I started training regularly. My days began early. I walked, moved my body, and planned my meals. Grocery shopping replaced takeaway. I paid attention to how food actually made me feel instead of eating whatever got me through the day.

During that time, I spent a lot of time watching African and South Asian wellness creators talk about food, culture, and health. What stood out was how ordinary it all was. Plant-based eating was not a trend or a cleanse. It was just how people had eaten for generations.

That perspective stuck with me. It helped me reconnect with my own cultural background and with the idea that nourishment did not need to be extreme to be meaningful.

I was still intense about it. I still pushed myself. But for the first time, I was paying attention.

Somewhere between burning myself out and trying to repair the damage, the idea for SOM OSU started to form. I did not want wellness that felt unrealistic or performative. I wanted something that fit into real life. Something supportive, not demanding.

Going back to the source

In April, I sold my entire wardrobe at Camberwell Market. It was not symbolic. I just needed a reset.

That same week, I filed the trademark for SOM OSU and booked a one-way flight to Sri Lanka. I did not have a finished plan. I only knew I needed to understand where the ingredients came from and how they were traditionally used.

Sri Lanka is where SOM OSU connects back to its roots.

I spent time with growers, producers, and herbalists who treat food as something practical and intentional. I watched aloe vera harvested by hand. I learned how sea moss is prepared slowly, without shortcuts. There was care in every step, not because it was marketable, but because that was how it had always been done.

Seeing that up close made a difference. A lot of what the wellness industry sells as innovation is simply repackaged tradition. Often stripped of context and care.

SOM OSU came from sitting with that contrast and deciding to do things properly.

Traditional Sri Lankan wellness

In Sri Lankan households, wellness is not a separate category. It is part of daily life.

Meals centre around vegetables, herbs, roots, and plants used consistently rather than occasionally. Food is seasonal. Herbs are used early, not as a last resort. Digestion, sleep, and energy are treated as connected, not isolated problems to solve one at a time.

What stood out to me was how calm it all felt. Health was not about doing more. It was about maintaining balance and paying attention before things became problems.

That way of thinking changed how I approached my own health and how I wanted to build SOM OSU.

Why SOM OSU exists

SOM OSU exists to support nourishment that respects the body.

Not exaggerated promises. Just carefully sourced products made in small batches, designed to be used consistently.

Every product is something I use myself. Something I looked for and could not find done properly. Each one is built with respect for traditional use, while meeting modern standards around testing, sourcing, and safety.

Built slowly, on purpose

SOM OSU has been built slowly.

That was intentional. After years of doing everything at full pace, I wanted to create something sustainable. Something that did not rely on shortcuts or pressure to scale quickly.

There was no corporate backing. No fast launch. Just research, mistakes, learning, and a lot of patience. Every decision was made with consideration for the people involved and the land the ingredients come from.

Looking ahead

SOM OSU was not created to sell an identity or tell you how to live. It exists to support your routines in a way that feels manageable and honest.

Thank you for being here. And thank you for taking the time to read the story.

Elisha, Founder, SOM OSU