My name is: Melissa Medvedich.
I’m known as: Founder and creative director of Supernal.
My expertise is in: Aromatic botanical beauty/skincare and graphic design.
I stay physically healthy with: Walking. I am a die-hard pedestrian and walking has always been my preferred method of transportation and relaxation. I can organize my thoughts, meditate or daydream. I go through periodic spurts of doing light jogging or taking barre classes, but it always comes back to walking as far as I can and taking in the sights around me.
I also try to stay super hydrated and well-rested. I generally drink at least two liters of water a day and try to get at least seven hours of sleep a night. Recently, I am back on a bone broth kick as a nourishing late afternoon nosh. Growing up, I went to my mom and grandparent’s family business every day after school. My Chinese grandmother always had bones simmering on the stove. Whatever soup was created from the stock was my childhood after-school snack, which I understood was to help me grow strong and was also a cure-all for any sickness or ailment. My grandparents are both in their 90s now, so there must be something to it!
I keep my emotions balanced with: There are so many things I deeply enjoy, like a salt and crystal bath, usually using a recipe by Deborah Hanekamp, or a few minutes of Vedic meditation. But aromatherapy and acupuncture have been the most transformative practices for helping me to feel grounded and balanced. I think about the power of smell: how the odor of smoke can signal danger or the aroma of baking might evoke a positive memory. The right scent can be extremely therapeutic in helping to relieve stress and promote calm. For me, as an aromatherapist, using essential oils or naturally-extracted plant essences is a way of harmonizing the health of the mind, body and spirit.
With acupuncture, I was a devotee for life after my first session, over a decade ago. On the physical side, it immediately relieved minor aches and pains and promoted better digestion and deeper sleep. On the spiritual, it allows me a moment to really feel in, and aware of, my body and have that time on the treatment table for my mind to be still and quiet.
I’m intellectually stimulated by: Color and symbols. Books at the top of my desk pile are Josef Albers, Interaction of Color; An Atlas of Rare & Familiar Colour, The Secret Lives of Color and The Book of Symbols, Reflections on Archetypal Images. I think about color and shapes a lot, actually, probably an occupational hazard from spending most of my career as a graphic designer.
I was recently transformed by: My first trip to Joshua Tree, which, sadly, wasn’t as recent as I’d like it to be, but was remarkable enough that it was still the first thing that came to mind. It’s one of those places I knew I would love before I got there, being around the beautiful old trees, climbing the rocks, having the company of my love, my husband, and being shown around by one of our dearest friends, Julia. What a special day.
In the last six months, the ritual that has become so important for me is: Applying my Cosmic Glow Oil, morning and night. I have always thought of myself as some sort of visual creator, which, at different points in my life, has meant helping to create a tangible magazine and, later, make content that might only live on a digital device. To have created something tangible again, literally with my own hands, that I can feel and smell, brings me so much joy that I cannot even begin to articulate it. Taking a moment for myself, at the start and end of my day, to enjoy the oil’s aromatherapeutic scent and nourish and care for my skin has not lost its magic on me.
Here’s how you can do it too: Everyone is different, so if face or body oils are not your vibe, I’ve always found that taking a quiet moment in the bath or shower with a single drop or two of essential oil and a few deep breaths is a simple and grounding ritual.
It helps me live my process because: Taking a moment for myself helps me be my best for myself and others around me.
Take a “Moment” to learn more about Melissa Medvedich’s journey here.
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Photo by Stefano Giacomello