Sunday Edition #53: Brendan Murdock

To honour Pride, Sunday Edition is keeping it close to home this week. We had a chat with our founder, Brendan Murdock, about the importance of mental health in the queer community and how businesses can meaningfully engage with the spirit of Pride all year round. 

Why did you choose MindOut for anatomē’s summer charity drive?

I chose MindOut because they’re doing such amazing work creating a safe space for young queer people to talk about how they’re feeling: the challenges of coming out, the challenges of finding their place in the world.

And as a young gay man growing up in Ireland, that space didn’t really exist. 

How was a focus on mental health integral to the founding concepts behind anatomē?

Mental health anchors everything we do at anatomē. We’re an apothecary. We’re using essential oils and scents to underpin your wellbeing, whether it’s your sleep, grounding you in the morning, or helping you focus in the afternoon— all of those things lead to a happier person. 

I recognise the stress and strains of life, sometimes it’s completely overwhelming. So we create scents that help and support your wellbeing. I’ve always been passionate about scent, food, and nurturing the senses. It’s what makes us happy, it’s what makes us comfortable. 

There is a sense these days that some businesses will put up rainbow bunting if it helps their profits, but their depth of support for LGBTQIA+ people is somewhat shallow.

As a business owner who is also a part of the queer community, how do you think businesses can meaningfully engage with the spirit of Pride— both in June and beyond?

It’s important to create an environment where you can talk, express yourself, and be relaxed in your own physicality. And coming into anatomē, that’s something we’re trying to create and deliver for our audience. 

I think, as a business owner, it’s really important not to overstretch and commercialise the space.

So I think you do it in a natural, gradual process. It’s meeting your customers, it’s meeting the wider community.

And we have to recognise something important: a lot of people coming into our space at anatomē have the financial accessibility to enjoy our products. So I think partnering with charities, seeking opportunities in our community is crucial. And that’s why this season we’re working with MindOut.

We will be donating 10% of our sales to MindOut during the whole month of July. 

Click here to learn more about MindOut and how you can support their work.