Episode 42 - Mela Vitamins - Ashley Harmon

Ashley Harmon, the visionary founder behind Mela Vitamins, takes us on her personal wellness journey through the realm of wellness. Her college years were marked by a challenging battle against PCOS and a deficiency in vitamin D, setting her on a determined path to develop supplements tailored specifically for Black women. Mela Vitamins stands apart with its holistic approach, forged through extensive research and enriched by insights from consumer focus groups and healthcare experts to address specific needs.

With an eye on the future, Mela Vitamins aims to be the go-to wellness brand for communities of color, expanding their product line and fostering education and community engagement. Ashley’s unwavering commitment to health empowerment shines through as she encourages us to reconnect with our bodies, advocating for self-awareness, step-by-step changes to take charge of our wellness journey and embrace the power of holistic, personalized health.

Quote from interviewee for callout box:

 "It's all a journey, and a very personal journey. And I think that we have to stop comparing ourselves to others. What works for someone else may not work for us."

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• The normalization of pain and discomfort can hinder individuals from recognizing when something is wrong with their health and seeking the necessary care or making positive changes.
• Listening to one's body involves making incremental changes, allowing time for effects to occur, and regularly checking in on energy levels, sleep quality, and other indicators of well-being.
• Small steps can have a significant impact on health, such as improving sleep quality which impacts energy levels, hormone balance, and cognitive health.

Check Out These Highlights:

• Ashley sparks and impactful conversation on how Black people often normalize not feeling well (6:21)
• Ashley explains the power behind making daily progress and healthy choices rather drastic, unattainable changes (8:40)
• Ashley provides some strategies to help people learn how to listen to themselves and their bodies when it is speaking to you (16:44)

Quotes:

• "It's daily progress. It's daily healthy choices, daily wellness choices versus this big huge goal or these really unattainable things."
• "I think that there's a lot of information that needs to be spread, but also, just for people to feel empowered to ask questions and speak up if they're not feeling well and that they don't have to feel like that."
• "The more you get used to it, the better you'll get at kind of learning what your body needs."