We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melina Harrington. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melina below.
Hi Melina, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Holistic Wellness With Melina is a brand lead by following the art of nourishment. Our mission is to re-inspire and re-connect the cords with nature and the self. We are a holistic health focused brand, meaning we deeply believe and value the -whole- experience that is working together to create a state of health. This brand had been a seed planted for many years before it began it’s blooms, and was inspired by my own journey to wellness, after spending much time chronically Ill. Throughout my college studies, and my own experiences seeking health, I found that what was being fed to me felt incomplete, and artificial even. Diet and fitness culture certainly didn’t support my journey, though I had once believed this was the only way to achieve health. After many years of exploring my illness and helping others explore theirs as well, I found a common ground that for many, the pace that is being expected to be up-kept alongisde an increasing distance between us and nature was a root to feeling disconnected from the self. Chronic stress is running rampant in our world and the nervous system simply can’t handle it. Ontop of all that, we of course have food from labs, cosmetics, haircare, and body care all made from synthetic chemicals, and clothing from synthetic fibers and fast fashions designers. So, holistic wellness with melina was born. A brand dedicated to reconnection, and taking time to inhale and exhale. A brand that stands for realigning with our natural rhythms and the true essence of who we are and who we are meant to be. Holistic wellness with Melina is an Earth and people centered brand offering holistic health and healing services, women’s gatherings, play, nourishment, and soulfulliving, with a recent launch of an herbal and botanical apothecary line, brining skin and haircare right from nature to the bottle, all in mindful ways. We truly are so motivated to spread nourishment everywhere we go. A nourished world and a nourished self, is beautiful.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m Melina. I’m 27 and was raised in the farm lands of Maryland while having spent the last 6 years living away from my home state. Growing up, I largely struggled with feeling unwell, riddled with anxiety and health issues that interfered with every area of my life. I wasn’t sure what I needed or why my mind and body felt so unwell. It took me many, many, years of learning, studying, and practicing wellness to have learned that what I needed most was actual nourishment. No more chronic depletion from giving everything my all except for myself. Diets and harsh workouts, hustle culture and believing that the only way forward was to work harder and grind more. Until one day I realized that maybe I didn’t need to work harder. Maybe I couldn’t ‘hack’ and ‘hustle’ myself to the place I wanted to be. It started with just a single seed of thought and took me down the path of finding true nourishment and health. Since 2011, I have known that being in the wellness space was where I was headed and it took over ten years to land in a space that was right for me. I’m most proud of the way I have stayed the course despite discouragement and many failures, and for the way my brand is designated to down to earth enrichment and whole being nourishment. I want anyone out there listening or following my brand to know that although life poses many challenges and requires work at times, life can also be quite gentle, and that there is magic everywhere we are willing to see it. Nourishment is about realigning, and healing is possible.
Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?
We do! While our business isn’t sustaining us yet, we have a path forward for multiple sources of income. We have our online services and education as one stream, a physical product line with our apothecary as another, in-person retreats as another, and brand partnerships as another.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
Oh my! As a young and motivated entrepreneur, I truly had no idea what kind of costs having a business would come with, and that even includes simply being an online business with no physical product. This year with a physical product launch and as I get closer to my thirties has put so much into perspective for us. My biggest expenses have been education, and stocking my apothecary shelves with enough product and shipping supplies, but along that comes online expenses of websites and design platforms, and so much more! Our costs are still low as we are just getting started, but I have been able to fund all of my hearts desires from my career as a dancer! After a long run as a dancer, I was able to save up enough money to take some time away from work and pour everything into this!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wellnesswithmelina.net/
- Instagram: wellnesswithmelina
Image Credits
kayla villanueva (only some images)