Black Businesses to Support + Anti-Racist Resources

Over the past week, I have found myself trying to digest everything that has transpired regarding racism and our society today. It’s crazy to think that it takes people in all fifty states protesting and rioting for so many Americans to finally wake up to such poignant issues that have been going on for over four hundred years. Confronting racism and inequality comes with discomfort for many; however, without working through these uncomfortable feelings, we can never create real long-term change.

You may have noticed that my social channels have been somewhat muted as I’ve been focused on educating myself and sharing anti-racist information and resources with all of you. I’ve also spent quite a bit of time this week reflecting and discussing all of this with my children (both young adults), my friends, and other family members.

I believe we have the power as a community to take action and help drive long-lasting change so I created “The Glow Girl Hot List” of black-owned businesses in fashion, beauty, and wellness that I admire and support. I have also included a few important anti-racism charities to donate to, along with some great articles to read so we can all become better educated.

I am looking forward to sharing my curated list with you; it is definitely one you will want to bookmark. I have personally learned so much from all the incredible content being provided by many influential voices and fellow creators. I will be growing this list over time and making a conscious effort to expand my editorial and social media platforms to include more black-owned products and brands.

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
-Maya Angelou

Please click directly on the links to check out the websites and for more information!

FASHION

• Cushnie

• Fenoel

• House of Aama

• Jade Swim

• Leimere

• Lemlem

• McMullen

• Shop T.A.

• Undra Celeste

Art by @sacree_frangine on Instagram

BEAUTY

(CLEAN, CRUELTY FREE, VEGAN, OR ORGANIC BRANDS)

• Beauty Bakerie

• BeautyStat Cosmetics

• Beneath Your Mask

• Blk Grn

• Breed Love Beauty Co

• Briogeo

• Dehiya

• Feeding Smiles

• Fenty Beauty

• Foxie Cosmetics

• Hyper Skin

• Kaike

• Klur

• KNC Beauty

• Kubra Kay Skincare

• OUI The People

• Plant Apothecary

• Rosen Skincare

• The Lip Bar

• PAT McGRATH LABS

WELLNESS

• Blk and Bold

• Golde

• Herpothecary

• La Botica

• Liha

• Love Notes Fragrances

• Noirebud

• Sip Slow Tea

• The Cristalline

Art by @sacree_frangine on Instagram

WHAT TO READ

What To Do When You Are Called Racist by Washington Post

The “Some Of My Best Friends Are Black” Article by New York Times

The “I’m Not Racist” Defense by CNN

6 Questions to Stop Asking Your Black Friends Right Now on Instagram

How To Make Sure You’re Donating Effectively by The Cut

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh

DONATE HERE

American Civil Liberties Union

Black Lives Matter

Color of Change 

George Floyd Memorial Fund

Jack  and Jill of America

Minnesota chapter of the ACLU 

Reclaim The Block 

Ruling  Our Experiences

The Fab Lab

I hope this challenging time will bring true and lasting change to the world. It starts at home. So let’s listen, educate ourselves, talk to our children, and share our knowledge with each other. Please feel free to add resources in the comments below as this list is just the beginning. You can also DM me on Instagram @melissameyers so we can continue the conversation and work together towards permanent change! 

xxMelissa

Art by @picsome.ca on Instagram

Make SHIFT Happen: A Transformative Experience of the Mind, Body and Soul

What if I told you there was a place in paradise where you could go to physically and mentally reset? Say hello to Shift Mind Body Soul —a week-long holistic retreat with a small group of like-minded women that has the potential to positively impact your physical, mental and spiritual well-being. With guidance from some of the most renowned industry healers, culture changers and educators in the health and wellness sector, this luxe program aims to educate and rejuvenate.

Set against the stunning backdrop of the Four Seasons Wailea on the enchanting island of Maui, this unique immersive experience in the world of luxury travel can help you make a transformative shift and allow you to integrate what you learn back into your own daily life.

Founded by Nicole Fogel and inspired by her own self-care journey after a particularly challenging time in her life, Shift Mind Body Soul Retreat offers each participant an individual experience; a chance to break old habits and thought patterns over five days. This experience of a lifetime is not a week-long escape. It is a week-long transformation.

The SHIFT retreat is a luxury wellness experience with highly curated programming that focuses on overall emotional and physical wellbeing, transformation and the chance to become more self-aware. A mix of mindfulness training, fitness, spiritual connection, and holistic nutritional guidance complement each other to create the perfect environment for personal development and self-discovery. I was lucky to be able to share the magic of this experience with my blogging bestie Janet Gunn, The Grateful Gardenia. Together we laughed, cried, paddled, hiked and connected with so many inspiring women.

The first day entailed an excursion to watch the sunrise at Haleakala Summit followed by a full-day of off-site activities. We did these excursions the first few days of the trip followed by programs at the hotel for the rest of the week. The combination of wellness and fitness activities, healing techniques, and workshops along with eating health-conscious (and delicious) foods, worked together to assist in an overall personal reset.

Experiencing the Haleakala sunrise, participating in a walking meditation within a labyrinth, hiking some of the best trails in Maui, SUP, and doing yoga on the beach were some of my fave activities during the program! It felt good to get the endorphins flowing, and the collective group energy was exhilarating.

Since I am a tried and true foodie, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the magical Bamboo Grove picnic held at a private estate. They served the most delicious, organic food including a vegan passionfruit cake for dessert that was to die for!

Pictured: SHIFT Founder, Nicole Fogel, Erin Lotz, Elissa Goodman, Peter Crone, Lauren Roxburgh and Janet Gunn.

The workshops were educational and enlightening. It was wonderful getting to know and learning from some of the most inspiring and renowned industry thought-leaders, and educators in the world of health and wellness. Erin Lotz, Elissa Goodman, Peter Crone & Lauren Roxburgh shared their wisdom and offered some big takeaways for our lucky group of Shifters.

Erin Lotz, LCSW of Westside DBT, educated us on the importance of mindful awareness. Holistic Nutritionist Elissa Goodman spoke about her experience of beating cancer through nutrition and how we can improve our own gut health. Mind Architect Peter Crone showed us how to identify mental constructs that hold us back and how to change the dialogue within ourselves to improve life for the better. “Body Whisperer” Lauren Roxburgh taught her famous foam rolling class and educated us on the importance of alignment and pelvic floor fitness.

Hitting the pause button and having the opportunity to participate in this immersive program was life-changing for me. It helped me to peel away some emotional layers so that I could truly work on being the best version of myself. It was a chance to gain perspective on my life regarding what is working well and what is not. It also gave me the tools to take action and execute these changes upon my return back to LA.

This past year, I’ve been trying to figure out how to better manage my time and to create more balance in my life. After the type of mental and physical detox that Shift provided, I have been able to organize my days more mindfully and learned how to say no more often. I’ve been able to let go of old habits and patterns that do not serve me and adopted new ones that allow me to live a more enhanced life. We are always a work in progress. As my mother used to say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Because of the combination of experiences and self-discovery that I took away from every workshop and activity, I now feel a stronger connection to her energy since my return.

Shift’s program gave me the tools to live a healthier, more balanced, fulfilled life. I will always treasure this game-changing experience in Maui filled with breathtaking scenery, power spots, history and culture. It was the perfect venue to help me enhance my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to make SHIFT happen!

xxMelissa

Want to learn more about the Shift Retreat? Check out the video testimonial and other articles from the event below! *All photos are courtesy of Kelly Fogel. Video by Andrew Gallery.

Chalkboard Magazine: "I Went on a Holistic Wellness Retreat + Here’s What Happened” by Ruthie Ackerman. Forbes Women: "This Entrepreneur Turned Her Fight With Lupus Into A Wellness Movement” by Yola Robert

Click directly on the carousel items below to shop some retreat essentials:

Three Days in Dubai

When returning from our holiday in the Maldives, my family and I decided to break up the long flight back to Los Angeles by stopping in Dubai for three days. Since we had already traveled across the world, we wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to visit this vibrant, over-the-top city. Dubai is part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is incredibly diverse; with so many ex-pats and immigrants living there, it is one of the most international cities in the world. Dubai is also famous for luxury shopping, modern architecture, and lively nightlife. The most ideal months to visit are November through March. During this time you will have the best chance to experience mild sunny days, comfortable evenings, and low humidity. Read on for some of the highlights from our trip.

We decided the best way to tackle this Middle-Eastern playground on our first day would be with a private city tour to get to know the lay of the land. We were picked up at our hotel and taken by private car through both old and new areas. We drove through the shiny marina with its skyscrapers and yachts, then made our way onto the Palm Jumeirah, a man-made island in the shape of a palm tree and full of luxury 5-star, beachside resorts. 

From there our tour drove us by the Dubai Creek in Old Dubai. We stopped to explore the famous gold and spice souks. This area is quite touristy, but the gold souk is one of the largest retail gold markets in the world so it’s worth a stop to find something special to bring home. It’s also a great way to experience the juxtaposition of old and new Dubai. 

Since we were short on time, we couldn’t make it to Abu Dhabi (a little over an hour drive from Dubai) to visit the Grand Mosque, so we opted for a tour of the Jumeirah Mosque which is a perfect reflection of modern Islamic architecture and detail. This is a place of worship, so you are expected to wear modest clothing and a headscarf. I suggest packing one, but if you aren’t prepared they will give you a covering to borrow.

From Old Dubai, it was back to the modern city to experience the architecture of the Burj Al Arab. This seven-star resort resembles the shape of a sail and the only way to get a peek inside is if you are staying there or if you have a reservation at one of their fabulous restaurants. You didn’t have to twist our arms! We had a reservation waiting for us to enjoy a late lunch at this opulent landmark. The interior decor won’t be to everyone’s taste but it is definitely worth seeing. 

After a long day of exploring, we went back to our hotel to relax before heading to a late dinner at Bagatelle to enjoy some Parisian flair in the heart of Dubai. The highlight of the night was when my son Alex, currently in the music school at USC, was asked to help DJ there after dinner!

No holiday in Dubai would be complete without a desert dune-bashing adventure, followed by an authentic Arabian dinner under the stars. Once the thrill of soaring over the dunes in our four-wheel-drive landed us safely at the site, we experienced a culturally immersive evening complete with traditional entertainment, henna painting, and a Bedouin feast. 

Dubai is known as a luxury shopping destination so we couldn’t let our time here slip away without a trip to the world's largest mall. Inside, there are more shops and restaurants than you can imagine, a huge aquarium, ice-skating rink, and my very favorite…the world’s largest shoe store! I was in heaven shopping at Level Shoes and luckily I had a little bit of space left in my luggage so I could add to my shoe collection. It was also very interesting to see many of the local people wearing Dubai’s traditional clothing while shopping—the men dressed in dishdashas and women in abayas.  

The mall is so large it could take an entire day on its own to explore, but the Burj Khalifa was calling. Taking a trip to Dubai without going inside this iconic landmark would be like visiting Paris and not going inside the Eiffel Tower. It’s the tallest building in the world and looms above the skyline at 2,717 feet. The views from the 124th floor were truly breathtaking and with the Armani hotel right inside we had great dinner options. After dinner, we stepped outside to enjoy The Dubai Fountains performing their water dance to lights and music. A spectacular free show that rivals the original one at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Shop some Dubai essentials below!

This trip was a whirlwind, to say the least, and there was still so much more to explore. I’m just happy we decided to stop and get a taste of what Dubai has to offer. It’s a long flight, but worth it. 

xxMelissa