The Holiday Issue

In a culture that weaponises the ‘grind’ as a measure of worth, Idia Aisien is introducing a vital counter-narrative: the luxury of restoration. Through her brand, Rich Sleep, Aisien is challenging the pervasive ‘hustle’ ethos — a cycle that disproportionately demands labour from Black women. She reframes recuperation not as a guilty indulgence, but as a radical act of self-preservation. For Aisien, rest is a prerequisite for sustained excellence.

As we close out another relentless year, her message arrives at precisely the right moment. This holiday issue is an invitation to pause and breathe. We invite you to consider rest not as the opposite of productivity, but as its foundation. In the pages that follow, we explore what it means to truly restore ourselves. In these times, it might be the most revolutionary thing we can do.