Addiction looks like the *two women in the photo above (Hi!). Addiction impacts every aspect of every life it touches. It’s not just a headline in the news: it is OUR life and every life in-between.

*Trinity is only addicted to kisses and bully sticks. She doesn't need rehab as we did.

As alcoholics and addicts in recovery, Rachael and I are beyond excited to partner with Unshattered to help end the vicious cycle of addiction with our limited edition line of bags made by addicts on the important road to recovery.

Unshattered is a nonprofit organization that makes bags out of high quality, repurposed textiles by employing women fresh out of rehab where Unshattered gives them a second chance.

Every bag is made from a selection of our one-of-a-kind handwoven Guatemalan Huipil. Unshattered’s talented and newly sober women craft a cosmetic bag lined in gorgeous faux leather. Every bag features intriguing and powerful messages both seen and unseen.

Inside each bag is a secret message  — concealed and sewn into its fibers.

These messages are written by the women who made the bag, and it says something meaningful to her.

The bags are also named after those who are still struggling with their addiction.

Finally, Unshattered employs the Japanese art form of Kintsugi, turning each bag into a powerful message. Kintsugi is a method of filling cracked pottery with gold lacquer. As a philosophy, Kintsugi treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. Unshattered weaves some golden thread into every product as a nod to this ancient practice. It reminds us that, just like the pottery, we are all more beautiful for having been broken.

What happens when women empower other women? The possibilities are endless. Karlie Kloss started a computer coding camp for young girls. Serena Williams is the face of the “girls make the first move” dating app, Bumble. Glennon Doyle, with her charity, Together Rising, empowers women to be more authentic, compassionate, and socially conscious. But what about empowering women who struggle with addiction? We don’t get to hear about that a lot, and it is so important. That’s why we’re partnering with Unshattered.

We are always proud to be entrepreneurs running Holistic Habitat, but we are even more proud to be empowered women who are using our passion after fighting our own battles with addiction. That’s right, Rachael and I are both alcoholics and drug addicts in recovery. To us, advocating for social change through our brand is a core mission, and Unshattered is a perfect example of an organization with the same core mission. Unshattered gives us the power to provide meaningful work for addicts, empowering them to stay sober and to keep a job. It also allows us to deepen our commitment to help women in Guatemala by paying them fairly for their beautiful textiles and repurposing them into meaningful manifestations of hope.

A bag from Unshattered is not just any bag; there are three “secrets.” First, there is a secret message inside each bag — concealed and sewn into its fibers. Each message is written by the woman who made the bag, and it says something meaningful to her. Although you can’t see the message, we love that each bag has its own individual message of empowerment. The messages might have a bible verse, a mantra or how many days its maker has been sober. It’s deeply personal to carry around someone else’s inner thoughts and feelings about overcoming the greatest struggle of her life, and the women of Unshattered want to share that strength with you.

The bags are also named after those who are still struggling with their addiction. Unshattered wants to honor those who are still in search of the recovery that its team members have found. We love that Unshattered is way more than a recovery-focused nonprofit because, in this sense, it is also a community that wants to empower those who are still struggling. By sharing their names with the world, Unshattered is tearing down the stigma of “a junkie” and promoting the recognition of addicts as people, not addicts as just addicts.

The final secret of the bags takes a Japanese art form and turns it into a powerful message. Kintsugi is a Japanese method of filling cracked pottery with gold lacquer. Unshattered weaves the golden thread into every product as a nod to this ancient practice, but the reason is not simply for aesthetics. It reminds us that, just like the pottery, we are all more beautiful for having been broken.

We hope that you love these bags and what they represent as much as we do! We started this company on the basis of always being ethical, and we feel like we can only do that if we are representing these impoverished and struggling groups of women. By uplifting and empowering them, we start to make a small dent in the stigmas and inequality that surround women all over the world. Let’s do our part.