Awaken and Align

When most people think of healers in wellness, they probably imagine a brunette white women, with a minimalist aesthetic and well-curated brand identity — an industry standard for success. As a dynamic healer of color, who practices Reiki and Breathwork, but also works in Tech and admits to drinking champagne and indulging in tacos, Maryam doesn't fit that image. Despite the discrepancy between her identity and that of the majority of healers in this space, she still knew that she belonged in the healing world and became determined to find her own place in it. In this episode, Maryam and I chat about spiritual awakenings, reiki, breathwork, unblocking white fragility, white privilege, conscious capitalism, and that wellness should be accessible to all.

Hayley is a mom to two boys, a wife, and an innovator. While she was a lawyer working at a prestigious law firm in New York City, she had the instinctual feeling that there was more to life than working 100 hour weeks. It wasn't until she became a mother and was seeking support from other moms, she realized that parenting groups were antiquated. There were no adequate platforms to communicate with other parents. She took the leap and quit her job as a lawyer and started working on Ellie App full time. With the Ellie App, Hayley seeks to provide parents with an easy way to share tips and build a community of supportive parents.

Adelle Archer is the co-founder of Eterneva, a startup that's introducing a new way to memorialize our loved ones and pets by turning their cremated ashes into memorial diamonds. Adelle started out in politics because she was always drawn to impact work but she knew she was made for entrepreneurship. It was through grieving for her friend and mentor's passing that the idea of Eterneva was born. Eterneva's goal is to open up the conversation of death, grief and change how we memorialize our loved ones. All while disrupting the diamond industry.

Melissa Burr was raised in the Willamette Valley. After completing her Bachelor of Science degree, Melissa intended to practice naturopathic medicine before discovering her true passion was in wine. She studied winemaking and fermentation science at OSU and interned during harvest for several local wineries before becoming production winemaker for Cooper Mountain. In 2003, Melissa joined Stoller Family Estate as the winery’s first dedicated winemaker. 

During our chat, Melissa talks about getting her dream job at Stoller only to find out she was pregnant with her first child. What it's like being in a male-dominated industry and how she balances her work and life.  

Yuna, aka mom, is my role model. She was the first woman I knew who decided to take a risk and start her own business despite people telling her she was crazy. Her dream was to have her own hair salon but she also needed her benefit job that offered her and her family security. She worked two jobs for over twenty years while being a mother and a wife. Just three months ago, she finally retired from her full-time job and now, she is focusing solely on her side-hustle. It hasn't been an easy road but through passion and grit, she always had faith that one day she would fulfill her childhood dream.  

Angel Quintana is a business mentor, astrologer, holistic health practitioner, and author. As the founder of Holistic Fashionista, her mission is to support Lightworkers in bringing their message with the world. Supporting soulful brands around the globe in the growth of their online businesses since 2010, Angel is passionate about sharing the rituals and strategies she’s used to grow her own business so your rise to success is smooth and prosperous.

The former fashion designer (and once 22 year battler of psoriasis), has written several books on spiritual business practices, holistic healing, and 5th dimensional living, is the originator behind the concepts Signature System® and Kismet Client® and credits much of her creativity to deep conversations, utilizing the power of tarot and astrology, and performing rituals to manifest anything her heart desires with her divination tools and handmade elixirs.

I really wanted to keep myself out of this podcast and focus on sharing the stories of the women that I meet. However, so many of you, the listeners have messaged me and asked me to share some of my experiences that have led me to quit my job, start this podcast and become an entrepreneur. So this episode is for you. Hopefully, I answer your questions and you get more insight into my story. Thank you all for your continued support. 

Mary McCarthy is the face behind the hand behind Not Engaged. Since its inception, her comedy has appeared on Good Morning America, The Skimm, Rachael Ray, Sunrise Australia, Elite Daily, and many more. Mary is also the creator behind the series The Goodpie Girl, which was a Network Notes selection at the HBO sponsored ITV Fest. She is a New York based actor and writer. 

Melissa has lived in all four time zones in the contiguous United States. A former actor in Seattle, WA, Melissa now resides in NYC as a content creator. She produces and co-hosts the We're Not All Ninjas podcast with Alex Chester and Rachel Liu. The Asian American ladies watch Hollywood films that either features an Asian director or Asian actors. Then they critique it and rate how well the movie represented Asians. She is also the managing editor of The Hapa Mag. Melissa speaks about being HAPA (Half Asian/Half White) in America and educates us on how we can be more inclusive.