Welcome to my World

Hey how's it going?

I am so thankful you could be here. Filled with things of love & intent to create a shared space to grow. A community within and collectively here we are. True to heart, I am creative in all realms. I’m Marisa, an emotional writer, model/digital creator, vintage curator, and currently creative directing multiple entrepreneurial projects. I am a full supporter of all things women and supporting diverse communities. Whether it's for myself, my projects or for others I enjoy connecting and creating with individuality, intention, authenticity and purpose. My plan is to continuously connect to the world on a deeper level while encouraging others to come together in all aspects of life. 

Full time modeling led me to becoming an assisting beauty editor for a women’s based media company in NYC for a few years prior to transitioning to my blog. I had the pleasure of entering the beauty, fashion, and entertainment world. One of the best things I've ever done by the way. My whole journey through the industry has led me to launching this collective on shesgoldblooded. It’s the reflection of beauty and creativity I am witness to throughout the world and within us.

WRITING- Anything that translates from my hand to paper I want to share with the world. I’m absolutely sure of it. It's a direct connotation of what I feel and insight to who I am that may lead to asking you who are you? My writing has been published throughout various publications but that's not the end goal for me. I want my writing to be an experience for others that heals them and lets them walk away with a piece of love. I cover a bit of everything in my work whether its brand writeups, interviews, beauty talk, travel diaries, and much more. I create text that tells a story and conveys a message. I want to make you think, make you feel. What you walk away with can sometimes be better than where you had I must say.

CONTENT CREATION/SOCIAL STRATEGY- I know it's very common to see content sticking to a certain aesthetic or color scheme but for me when content is created organically the possibilities can be endless. My style is ever changing and growing which connects well with my audience. When you look at my work you're seeing my journey and spurts of spontaneity. The world is vibrant so I see the color theory within that. I create content for people to resonate with and see the organic story and relationship with the brands that I work with. There’s love there, there’s a story.  

”As a creator I get to curate and organize structured content that is innovative and brings fresh new ideas to the table regarding brands. It’s fun to work with brands on content as well as content for my socials because it opens the playing field of what we can create within the brand moving forward.”

VINTAGE- I bring the looks. I love style consulting and have always i almy whole life asking me where I got something. I decided to work on my own shop in hopes to open my own location in downtown Las Vegas of curated women’s pieces. I’m currently shooting editorials of looks I style to show people my appreciate and view on clothes. Not only do I admire the resell business but I love the uniqueness of what's being found, styled, and shopped.

BEAUTY COLUMN- My beauty column is very important to me. Growing up I was never educated to appreciate myself in my natural form & experienced being continuously overlooked by what everyone else’s standard of beauty was. Attending schools where people didn’t exactly look like me or people would comment on the way I looked left me in a space where I wish that I simply would have just had more education and support. All beauty related projects I’m working on have a bigger purpose.

TRAVEL- I absolutely love seeing new places and indulging in experiences. Meeting new people and having the opportunity to listen, learn then find out ways we can collaborate is the beauty of travel itself. Seeing the world and then showing it to others through my eyes within food, culture, fashion, and community. has always been a passion of mine. I want to share my travel experiences through documented text, photographs, music, recipes, and in multiple ways. My goal is to be able to travel more and change the travel patterns of POC so that they are inspired and eager to connect with outside communities. 

My rates for social content creation or collaborations? Please contact my direct email at 

info@shesgoldblooded.com

“The moment is gold, cease it.”- MB

Y7 STUDIOS CONVINCED ME CANDLELIT HIP HOP HOT YOGA IS MY FAVORITE WAY TO EXERCISE

If you think you know everything about yoga, think again. Y7 studio offers a fresh interpretation of your traditional yoga class. This hip hop studio has changed the way yogis get in their zone.

Sarah Levey and her husband Mason Levey created a ultra peaceful environment for those who care about their personal growth and taking care of themselves inside out. These two have opened up multiple studios all self-funded in just the last two years. If you’ve never been to a class, you definitely have to try it ASAP. You’ll walk out completely rejuvenated and motivated to kick ass.

Who doesn’t want to have fun working out to their own beat and feeling really amazing? I visited their new Williamsburg location and was super pleased with my experience. The establishment is super chic and minimalistic and the class I took was one of the best hot yoga experiences I’ve had so far. I sat down with the lovely Sarah at her new flagship to chat about her success at Y7, beauty tips, and exciting news coming up.

I’m always intrigued about the start up of such unique businesses. This woman is definitely making moves and I was dying to know the purpose behind it.

“It really started out being about finding a class for me, somewhere I felt comfortable,” Sarah said. “I wanted a space I felt at home. I’ve never been a big workout person. I just work out so I can eat more.”

Same, girl.

“I love yoga and everything it stands for,” Sarah told us. “I think it’s a lovely thing for your life overall. When we moved to New York, I was struggling to find a place to work out. I would go to these studios that were beautiful, brightly lit, mirrors everywhere and everyone was really skinny and I was like ooooo uh uh.”

Who hasn’t felt insecure in an NYC workout class?

“In reality, I’ll never look like [the people in workout classes],” Sarah said. “I felt it took the focus away from myself and I feel the practice should be about you. You should never leave a class feeling bad about yourself.”

I think Y7 really created a space for people to be comfortable with themselves in, I told Sarah. Something they can feel good about all around.

“Yes and I love that,” she responded. “My favorite thing is that we’ve been able to attract a really great male clientele and those guys are in there with their shirts off trying real hard. They’re not self conscious or worried about not being as flexible.”

Because as we now know, you can get the hang of yoga without any flexibility.

“Sometimes I hear people say they can’t do yoga because they’re not as flexible,” she said. “But here we help you get over your fears. It’s fine here. No one is looking at you. It’s great to me that people are comfortable to explore their own practice.”

I was starting my second flow during class when Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” started blasting and I knew I had found my type of yoga class. This altogether answered my question of why the use of hip hop in Y7’s classes. Sarah claimed in the past classes were so boring and quiet, she needed something to motivate her.

“With hip hop that’s just, what I like to move to and what gets me going,” Sarah said. “We use the beat of the music to drive the pace of the class. As you build that’s what you match your breath to. Usually by the third flow, I’m like dead, but then that one song come on and it motivates you to push yourself. Hip hop is such an amazing culture and community. It’s really resonated with my clients and that’s the music I work out to so why wouldn’t [ we use it in classes]?” 

Another cool thing Y7 Studios added to their classes is the use of infrared technology, which from experience I believe does really amazing things for the body. Hot yoga classes can be difficult but this form of heated yoga has made it easier to push through.

“It was so problematic doing other hot yoga classes because it was just hot air pumping into the room and I would be so humid and sticky I couldn’t breathe,” Sarah said. “Infrared heat is dry heat and heats the molecules in the air versus blowing hot air into the room… Think Arizona vs. Miami. Infrared goes into the cellular level and heats you from the inside out. You would have to do way more traditional hot classes to get the benefit of just one infrared class. It improves circulation, rids toxins, refreshes nutrients and it allows your body to recover quicker.”

So other than the new flagship opening in Williamsburg, what’s next for Y7? They’re opening in Tribeca early January, and Silver Lake in Los Angeles soon, too. They’re also looking at other cities between the coasts.

“I’m a midwest girl so we have an eye on Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, and Austin,” Sarah said. “Expansion in the works!”

Of course, we had to ask Sarah for some beauty tips too.

“My dear husband always wakes up before me and get my coffee, that’s our special thing,” she said. “I can count on him for that. My morning always starts with coffee, I can’t do the tea. I like to get a workout done in the a.m. when I’m not heading to meetings. I always wash my face with a Cetaphil skin cleansing bar, not the gel. I follow with a witch hazel toner and a Glossier moisturizer, that’s it.”

Her skin can attest to that. She truly looks amazing and so healthy. You can check that out in her online shop and also sign up for classes/search for a location near you here. 

Sarah Levey alongside her husband Mason Levey.

CYNDI RAMIREZ’S CHILLHOUSE IS A NAIL SALON AND SOCIAL CLUB ALL IN ONE

So this past weekend I took a much needed vacation because sometimes you just need a breather away from the nonstop city life ya know?

Well here’s the catch, I didn’t have to deal with an airport or spend over 150 bucks if I didn’t want to. I took a trip for two hours to the Chillhouse.

Yes, my gem of a vacation that left me indefinitely relaxed and ready to get back to work Monday was located right on the LES. Everything about this place is so aesthetically and mentally pleasing.

You might have seen the dope nail designs from Chillhouse floating around Instagram or at New York Fashion Week. But this is not your traditional cafe, nail shop or massage parlor. Cyndi Ramirez has created the ultimate fab experience for anyone needing some quality pampering any day of the week whenever’s convenient for you. Massages, manicures, and matcha is what I indulged in during my experience at Chillhouse with a side of intellectual conversation and trap soul music.

The manicure I received was so amazing. I loved being able to customize my own colors with the option of tons of cool designs they offer. I was hooked after one day and had to get a membership. I sat down with Cyndi to talk about her newfound success in the beauty industry!

How has opening Chillhouse changed your life?

Oh man, what a question! Well, for starters, it has changed the way I see the beauty industry entirely. I have a newfound respect for it, and the people who work in it. I have also found appreciation for all kinds of business, not just big business. For us, it’s just as important that the person who buys a cup of drip coffee has the same experience as the person who hosts an event.

Second, it’s opened up so many doors and opportunities that would never have been possible had I just stayed in the digital world. Having a physical space is hard work, but the opportunities are endless if you think big picture and create fun experiences for your customer, whether that be an individual or a brand we’re partnering with. I’m excited to see where Chillhouse leads us!

What was the main goal for you when opening Chillhouse?

To be a leader in wellness innovation. For us, it’s not just about the massage you receive or the polish on your fingers, it’s about creating a full-circle lifestyle business that’s both attainable and inspirational. How we’ll be taking this philosophy and expanding it remains to be seen, but whatever it is it’ll be special and hopefully unique to Chillhouse.

Any tips for young entrepreneurs?

I always say find a void and fill it. There are countless industries that need improvements, and products that have yet to be made. The only way to stand out from the noise, is to make it.

One piece of upcoming news or surprises?

We’re excited to be expanding our café offerings; we’re typically thought of for our spa services but honestly, the cafe is equally as special and the new goal is to be a destination for not just your morning matcha latte, but for that drink that’ll improve your skin quality, your stress levels, and countless other health benefits.

We’re also adding 9 new designs to our nail art lookbook, also courtesy of Lady Fancy Nails, and will revamp the overall design of the lookbook. You’ll just have to wait and see!

Also also! Our membership is just going to keep getting better and better. Our goal here is to partner with like minded brands to expand offerings to our members, and maybe one day open up the membership to tiers as well.

How has social media helped the success of your business?

I knew social (particularly Instagram) for us was going to be #1, so I started our Instagram account several months before opening, and acquired a few thousand followers before even introducing what we were. Our followers were intrigued/curious, but knew immediately they would resonate with the brand. Those people who have been following us since the very beginning are some of our best customers now.

Do you see Chillhouse expanding to other markets? If so where would you like to open another location?

Absolutely. I can see us in a couple of major cities, but I’m not ready to share where yet.

What’s your secret obsession?

I have too many, but embarrassingly I’m going to have to admit rewatching “Friends” episodes before I pass out is definitely an obsession. It just puts me in a good mood. What can I say?

What are your go-to beauty products and beauty tips?

Currently using Bumble and bumble’s new repair hair line religiously (Save the Day and While You Sleep). For my skin, I’m making every little bit of my La Mer moisturizer last, and I also have a serious obsession with Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir. I’ve been a loyal customer for over 10 years. It’s always the last thing I put on my face before I leave the house.

Here’s some photos of the location and a online link to memberships etc. http://chillhouse.com/monthlydose/