By Kim McLeod Flexney – Bask Remedial
It is an absolute pleasure to step out from behind the scenes this month and share a bit of my own story, my passion, and the heart behind my business, Bask.
My journey began in Mullumbimby, the “biggest little town in Australia,” embedded deep in the bush. My childhood memories are painted with crystal-clear creeks, untamed nature, and sprawling edible gardens where everything thrived. It was a paradise that taught me my very first lesson in sustainability: nature provides everything we need if we simply learn to listen.
Years later, as a mother of three navigating the modern world, I began questioning mainstream healthcare and the processed food industry. I wanted to know exactly where our food came from, how it was grown, and what we were putting into our bodies. I craved a return to the earth, but realism soon set in. I quickly realised I couldn’t grow or make absolutely everything. So, I shifted my focus to what I could do exceptionally well: cultivating therapeutic plants.
True sustainability isn’t about individual perfection; it’s about creating a circular ecosystem. When my backyard harvest began to yield more than my family required, the natural next step was sharing that abundance with others seeking clean, honest health solutions. That is how Bask was born.
Today, I cultivate medicinal herbs completely chemical-free, embracing the natural chaos of organic gardening. I’ve learned to accept that I have to share some of my plants with local pests, while other bugs act as tiny, helpful allies.
Behind the scenes at Bask, nothing goes to waste. Our chickens are the ultimate sustainability partners; they provide fresh eggs, devour our weeds, and offer incredible fertiliser. We crush their eggshells back into the soil and compost every scrap of organic matter, keeping our footprint remarkably small.
From this rich dirt, I harvest the herbs used to handcraft Bask’s signature herbal tinctures, tonics, and infused oils for our muscle relief creams and skincare. For the ingredients I cannot grow myself, I rely on a network of like-minded locals to source fresh flowers like calendula and native Gumbi Gumbi leaves. By picking and drying them myself, I stay anchored to the process and feel fully confident in how they were nurtured.
What started as a personal quest for health has evolved into a fortnightly market stall and a weekday clinic. Collaborating with local practitioners who refer their patients to me has been incredibly rewarding.
Helping others heal using the earth’s natural intelligence doesn’t feel like work. It is my passion, my life, and my contribution to a greener world.
