Darcee Rabinowitz is the founder of *Source & Self* and *Campus Rebel*, two ventures centered on wellness and mental health. *Source & Self* is an e-commerce platform offering a curated selection of clean, non-toxic products, while *Campus Rebel* supports mental wellness initiatives on college campuses. Drawing from her finance background and a passion for health, Darcee created this online marketplace to promote sustainable, health-focused living and student well-being. Get to know more about this growing e-commerce marketplace with a fierce focus and commitment to well being, and don’t forget to grab your discount! Welcome, Darcee!
Hi Darcee! Please introduce yourself.
Hi, I am Darcee Rabinowitz, a Chicago native originally from Evanston and I have resided in Glencoe for the past 20 years with my family of five, along with a few beloved dogs. We chose to settle in Glencoe because of its beautiful, close-knit community and the convenient access it offers to surrounding towns and vibrant city of Chicago.
You’re a female founder and entrepreneur, tell us about your most recent endeavor.
I am the founder of Source & Self, an online e-commerce company dedicated to health and wellness. Our platform serves as a personalized hub for everything clean and non-toxic for the body, mind and spirit. We have created a destination where you can find all the essential resources to elevate your health and well-being as you explore a world wellness with premium products and clean Indie brands from around the globe, all accessible from the comfort of your laptop or phone and delivered to your doorstep.
And your family….
Most of our extended family resides in the Chicagoland area, which is why we chose to raise our family here. My husband, James and I have been married 23 years as of this week. We met through mutual friends and through fundraising events in the city. During this time, he was embarking on his entrepreneurial journey with his new start up OCIUS, a company specializing in billing and utility management solutions, while I was in the financial industry on the trading floor in Chicago.
We are both proud parents of three children, often referred to as “Irish twins”. Our son, Jayson and daughter, Jordyn, are both 20 years old. Jayson is studying business at the University of Miami in Coral Gables while Jordyn is pursuing engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Our youngest by 13 months, Joey is currently studying business at Ohio State University.
We feel fortunate to have our parents nearby in Northbrook and in Skokie. Additionally, I cannot forget to mention our loyal and lovable dog, Oakley, who is our third English mastiff.
What are one or two fun facts to know about you?
Although I can ride a unicycle, I do not work at the circus.
My daughter taught me everything I know about rock climbing, from bouldering to technical climbs and we have traveled the world climbing from the Rocklands in South Africa to Kalymnos, Greece along with Zion, Yosemite, and Arches National Park.
Last but not least, I survived Coachella Music Festival and Burning Man in Black Rock City.
Let’s talk shop! Please introduce Source & Self and your newest iteration of the brand, Campus Rebel.
Source & Self is an extraordinary world of brands curated to nourish your body, mind, and soul- our online wellness hub is filled with pure premium products designed for every lifestyle. We source clean-living favorites plus indie brands from around the globe, cultivating sustainable solutions for people and the planet. Source & Self is the destination to find everything you need to elevate your health and well-being. Here’s what you’ll discover traveling through Source & Self on your journey through your World of Wellness:
- Over 150+ brands spanning categories such as skincare, self-care, home-care, hair-care, healthcare and pet-care.
- Carefully curated kits and gifting program, as well as building your own boxes.
- Membership programs and subscription box services
- Student Self-care partnered with Student Beans to give 40% students discounts to make it affordable.
- Snack Smash powered by Source & Self offers healthy snacks providing benefits like increased energy, improved focus, stress reduction, relaxation, and better sleep. It is a subscription box program for health-conscious people such as college students, sports teams, corporate employees, health clubs and summer camps.
Campus Rebel is our non-profit that supports a future of Mental Wellness on college campuses nationwide. This mission helps ensure that our future generation have the resources and community they need to thrive.
Your journey began on the trading floor in Chicago before transitioning into e-commerce wellness. How did your experiences in finance influence your approach to building and managing Source & Self and Campus Rebel?
I think I was able to leverage certain skills from the fast-paced financial industry where I began my career to adapting to the new challenges of an e-commerce startup. Quick decision making, as well as stress management and risk management. Understanding trends, doing a lot of research and market analysis can be applied to the e-commerce industry and the fast paced environment of the trading floors and the need for adaptability transfers to the e-commerce world.
Campus Rebel is a non-profit organization, so I had to learn a completely new set of rules and structure. I read lots of books, and utilized skills learned from volunteering, board positions and fundraising. The learning in this area is ongoing but we feel it is essential to our overall mission and commitment to our future generations.
What motivated you to focus specifically on students, and how do you envision Campus Rebel evolving in the coming years?
Overall, student self-care positively impacts well-being by fostering a balanced lifestyle that enhances both mental and physical health, ultimately leading to increased productivity and personal growth. Most students already incorporate self-care into their daily routines but we wanted to provide them with quality products sourced with natural ingredients that are safe for them and we knew busy students lack the time to compare and the money to buy quality products. So, we do the work for them with vetting and researching and found a partnership with Student Beans to bring deep discounts to students.
We will be doing more work on college campuses with Campus Rebel Inc in the upcoming year. We will be piloting our peer-to-peer mentoring program at the University of Illinois and working with our student affiliates to create awareness and support for mental health resources on college campuses.
As someone with a talent for identifying opportunities in the wellness industry, what do you look for when selecting partnerships or individuals to collaborate with for your brands? Any local partnerships?
We are looking for pure brands and products with the cleanest formulations. We aim to set new standards for the safety, effectiveness, and purity of personal care products because everyone has the right to know what is in their products and how those ingredients affect your health. Health issues are often linked to environmental toxins in our homes, diet and personal care products and conventional products often fall short when we take a closer look at their ingredients and where they are sourced. We will find that most products are laden with toxins, harmful substances, petrochemicals, fillers, additives, and micro-plastics. We hold products too a higher standard and vetting process. Selecting quality products that are organic and plant-based and truly clean.
A few of our local partnerships: Lifetherapy, Yasou, Dark Matter Coffee,MicroJoy, RBEL BEE,
And you’re passionate about creating opportunities for women entrepreneurs. We love that, of course!
Within our company we foster a culture of inclusivity that encourages collaboration and support among female employees and entrepreneurs. We have networking events, workshops, and speakers that highlight the achievements of women in business and showcasing success stories and providing tangible examples of what is possible and provide a path to achieve success. We hope to establish future partnerships with organizations that focus on women entrepreneurs, ensuring women have the financial backing necessary to launch and grow businesses as well as implementing mentorship programs within our community.
What’s on the horizon for Source & Self and Campus Rebel?
We are excited about focusing on Knowledge and Education this upcoming year. Our company is dedicated to advancing learning, knowledge, and community education and wellness and health. We are excited to introduce our new podcast, Well-informed, powered by Source & Self and hosted by Abby Starr Lewensohn from Glencoe. Well-informed aims to enhance overall health across all age groups by exploring three critical aspects: lifestyle, genetics and environmental influences. We will be speaking to experts as we share a journey of discovery and mutual support in many areas concerning our health and wellness.
Many of our health topics resonate across generations. The health of one generation can significantly impact the next, encompassing both genetic predispositions and environmental factors. As we explore generational wellness and foster inter-generational connections on our podcast, we aspire to improve health outcomes by learning, connecting and growing together.
We are also adding a membership program to our website where customers can get access to ongoing education through our content library, live webinars from experts, and workshops all designed to empower you through learning and knowledge.
Do you have a discount code you’d like to share with our audience of moms?
Yes! Use code MOMS25 on Source & Self.
Share your contact details with us!
You can learn more about Source & Self by heading to our website https://source-self.com/. Reach out via email at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
About our Meet of Mom Sponsor
A very heartfelt thank you to CNSMoms’ Meet a Mom sponsor, Lake Forest mom of three and owner of Gifford Law, a solo Estate Planning Firm (wills and trusts). Mary, we appreciate your support of local moms in our North Shore communities! Learn more about Mary by visiting her Meet a Mom spotlight here! Contact Mary directly here: [email protected].
