Rachael and her sister Megan Rapinoe are both lifelong competitive athletes who want to help others ... [+]
In 2010, Rachael Rapinoe – sister of U.S. women’s national soccer team captain Megan Rapinoe – had to hang up her own soccer cleats. As a professional athlete and performance coach fighting injuries from a lifetime of competitive sports, she had become dependent on addictive prescription and over-the-counter drugs—even though they made her feel awful and held back her performance on the field.
As she began seeking out natural alternatives, Rapinoe tapped into the power of all-natural ingredients. She discovered that high-quality hemp extracts and plant compounds could redefine health and wellness for her, helping her to not only manage pain but also sleep better and combat stress naturally.
Inspired to bring this solution to other active people — especially women – Rachael Rapinoe launched Mendi in 2019, with her sister Megan as an advisor and fan. Mendi creates products made from local hemp and plant compounds sourced in Oregon. The gummies, tinctures, and topical solutions are designed to assist those being held back from feeling their best by stress, poor sleep, and pain. Being a female and LGBTQ+ owned company, Mendi also is committed to ensuring that diverse athletes have an opportunity to invest.
Rachael Rapinoe is the founder of Mendi.
“I am both a natural born athlete and competitor in soccer, basketball, track and field, swimming, biking, running — you name it, I’ve done it,” says Rapinoe. “I have pushed my body to the limits, experienced many injuries and opioid use over the years, and have come to understand that smarter, healthier full body recovery can lead to a much more fulfilling life.”
With Mendi, Rapinoe seeks to empower athletes and people with active lifestyles to feel their best physically and mentally. Equally, she aims to build a safe, approachable, compassionate and bold brand championing women and marginalized communities in the cannabis, sports and cultural landscape.
Rapinoe says she knew from a young age that her work would be a conduit for healing. “Whatever my career path looks like, it will always have a foundational purpose of helping others feel their best,” she says. “Helping others tap into a better and healthier version of themselves has always been my guiding light.”
Mendi creates high quality hemp products to help people heal, manage stress and sleep.
The greatest challenges of following this career path in founding Mendi has been the personal responsibility it brings. “We offer healing to people, and that can come with a heavy burden,” Rapinoe explains. “I hold myself and my company to a very high standard. We feel so much compassion for our customers who are struggling. With all the hurt and pain in the world, we would love to heal all of it! Sometimes the work we do doesn’t feel like enough.”
And yet Rapinoe is rewarded daily in seeing how Mendi is sincerely increasing peoples’ quality of life in ways they never thought possible. She says, “I feel alignment with my heart and soul. It is very difficult for me to compartmentalize different aspects of my life. In other words, I am a wholehearted person who wants to live a wholehearted life – thankfully, my work with Mendi aligns nicely.”
Rapinoe has this advice for the next generation of female entrepreneurs: “Be exactly who you are and don’t try to fit the mold of any stereotype. The world hasn’t been built for us to succeed, so don’t worry about ruffling feathers. Use your voice, use your power, and use your influence. Walk with confidence in knowing that the numbers don’t lie; when women are invested in, protected and given equal opportunity, everyone benefits.”
