Imani Murray makes self-care social.
For Buckhead resident Imani Murray, self-care doesn’t have to mean an elaborate routine or expensive treatment. “Figure out what brings you joy or makes you feel calm. Everybody has five minutes in a day. It could be as simple as sitting outside or taking a walk,” Murray says.
Murray has a background in public relations, communications and marketing, and has worked within several industries. She’s also the founder of creative agency Leda & Co. that specializes in experiential marketing. In 2024, she launched The Self Care Lab, a community-centered concept that aims to make self-care more accessible, social and fun.
Here, we chat with Murray about self-care rituals, how community and wellness are intertwined and what she’s cooking up next for Atlantans.
What does wellness look like in your life?
I’m a Pilates princess! I’ve been going to The Daily Pilates in Buckhead for almost two years. I also love walking. Fridays are my dedicated self-care days when I try to stay off my phone more or put it on silent. It’s really about giving myself permission to do whatever I feel like I need that day.
What inspired the launch of The Self Care Lab?
It was a combination of my love for events and my self-care ritual of buying flowers on Fridays at Trader Joe’s that inspired the idea. Toward the end of 2023, I kept having conversations with people who were constantly on the go and not taking breaks. I realized people needed to be reminded that they’re allowed to pour into themselves.
How would you describe The Self Care Lab?
We create different kinds of group self-care experiences, from Pilates classes and walking to mocktail making and coloring events. We launched in April 2024 on National Self-Care Day with free pop-ups that included things like massages, flower bars, wine and mocktails, and affirmation walls. Everything is built around reminding people that they deserve self-care.
Why is community such an important part of wellness?
There’s accountability, but it’s also about meeting new people and having real, in-person interactions. When I moved here from New York in 2021, building a community was important to me. I think people are craving those connections.
You created a free weekly Walk Club. What does that entail?
Every Saturday morning, a group of women of all different ages meets on the Beltline outside Krog Street Market, and we walk about 5 miles. We talk, hang out, enjoy the scenery and get more than 10,000 steps in. It’s a great time.
What’s ahead for The Self Care Lab?
Every December, we do 31 Days of Self Care, sharing simple ideas people can incorporate into their lives. We’re also working on bringing our coloring-and-sip concept, which is kind of like paint and sips, to life and continuing to create men’s-only events. Self-care isn’t just for women. Men deserve that time, too.
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