Today, more than ever, wellness is at the forefront of societal discussions. From mental health to physical well-being, women are making significant strides in bringing about change, introducing innovative solutions, and setting new standards. Despite facing unique challenges, they break barriers, inspire communities, and are reshaping the very definition of health and wellness. In this series called women in wellness we are talking to women doctors, nurses, nutritionists, therapists, fitness trainers, researchers, health experts, coaches, and other wellness professionals to share their stories and insights. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Maya Crowne.
Maya is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Alkemis Paint. She began her career on Wall Street and has since turned her focus towards the wellness industry. She is fueled by her entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit, having worked with the Women’s Initiative for a Sustainable Earth (WISE) and the Women’s Venture Fund. She continues to work with those in need locally and helps organize aid efforts for causes she is passionate about.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
Iam the CEO and co-founder of Alkemis, the World’s First Wellness Paint! I have had a long career in finance and start-ups before starting Alkemis as a passion project in 2020. I love art, design, and color so much, these things speak to my soul as a self-proclaimed aesthetic. I have also been a naturopath and wellness enthusiast my entire life. I believe passion, self-acceptance, self care and how we intentionally consume products are all part of holistic wellness. We need to know ourselves to be the best (most well) version of ourselves.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
We manifested collaborating with and painting Design Miami/ in 2023! I have been going to the fair for the last ten years as a design enthusiast, but it was a true honor and privilege to be the preferred Paint Partner of Design Miami/ last year. Also, the team is a dream to work with!
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I think falling in love with an idea and/or the potential of something can always be a little dangerous, whether in the personal or professional realm. I remember when we first started I had hopes to collaborate with a certain individual, and I was so excited about the prospect of it and how it could potentially manifest that I wasn’t taking much of what was transpiring for face value. I kept hoping it would improve and eventually, we would get on the right track. Unfortunately, a lot of time was wasted trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. The lesson is, that sometimes these things aren’t fixable, and they are also not at all personal. There is nothing wrong with a square peg or a round hole. It’s just that in order for projects, collaborations, partnerships, etc, to be successful they need to fit and flow. Oftentimes, there is a middle ground that is mutually beneficial, and as long as everyone feels like they are getting something meaningful out of the collaboration and/or partnership, things have the right environment to thrive. Whenever there is misalignment this way, it’s best to redirect and don’t be afraid to let things go if they are not flowing.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
Alkemis is the World’s First Wellness Paint! Did you know that conventional paints are made up of roughly ~30+% acrylic/latex (which is plastic) these microplastics are the largest contributor to plastic pollution in the ocean, according to an article written by Forbes in 2022. Not surprisingly, these microplastics and all that goes into these conventional paints to keep them fungi/mold resistant, fire resistant, or simply to just color them have deleterious effects on our health. The biggest difference between Alkemis and conventional paints is the fact that the formula is mineral-based (rock) instead of petrochemical-based (plastic). Doesn’t it make sense to paint your space with rock instead of plastic? Especially given the current and very meaningful conversations around microplastics and their impact on our respiratory, endocrine, and general health systems. Furthermore, our unique and proprietary clear crystal quartz binder and pigments, such as hematite, goethite, and chromite, are actually designed to help improve the vibration inside of the home. These minerals have ancient healing qualities and are far better to put inside our spaces to promote activation and grounding as opposed to conventional synthetics.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing?
1. Use Alkemis Paint — this is obvious :) Why paint your walls with plastic when you can paint them with rock, minerals, and crystalline pigments?
2. Drink Water — I’m sure you are not drinking enough! We are water, the planet is water, drink more water.
3 . Remind yourself that the universe is working for you and not against you — on days when things are incredibly tough, I remind myself that this is happening for me, not to me. Always try to find the lesson.
4. Take supplements — In the wild world of entrepreneurship, it’s easy to lock yourself in your apartment and just work. A small thing I do for myself every day is take supplements that I know help my general performance. I’ve been really into whatever supports my mitochondrial health lately, and I find it really does improve my general energy and stamina.
5. Down time is self-care — of course, exercise and mindful movement are important factors to self-care and wellness, BUT so is downtime. Downtime can look like anything where you are proactively relaxing. For me lately, and I’m not necessarily proud of this, it has been just laying around watching TV. Listen to your body and force yourself to relax.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Be thoughtful about the products, furniture, and materials you use inside your home. Your personal environment is critical to your overall wellness. Environmental pollutants are huge contributors to all kinds of respiratory issues, autoimmune issues, and diseases like cancer. Ask yourself, why does this smell, what is this package in, and where did it come from? Don’t be afraid to educate yourself.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
1. Help will come in the most random places
2. When it comes to starting your own business — gut instincts are arguably the most important factor in making decisions, do not ignore them.
3. A good lawyer and a good financial officer and/or accountant are hard to find and very important. Do not skimp in these areas; they are worth every penny.
4. The more successful you become, different types of challenges emerge, things you never expected, and people you know will surprise you. Be as fluid as you can and try to detach from the things outside of your control.
5. Accountability, integrity, and self-awareness are not as common as we would like to believe when it comes to business.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Wow, they all mean a lot to me, but I will focus on environmental changes. Look around you; look at weather patterns, look at how much rain we’ve gotten in California, look at the record heat waves across the country, and the animal migrations (as an example, the Alaskan snow crabs). There is not one single scientist who argues the point about whether or not global warming is real, it is objectively real, and as soon as the polar ice caps melt, it’s game over. Think about ice cubes in a glass cup; if you put that iced water in an environment where ice can sustain it, but once it melts, it can’t turn back into ice in the same way. What breaks my heart is that there are so many technologies and brilliant people creating solutions to solve this issue, and yet we are not adopting these technologies fast enough. We are not funding these options in the way we should. We tend not to want to pay attention until it’s too late. We extract 94M metric tons of fossil fuels in the US to make interior paints on an annual basis. That is just paint. Why would we do that when we have other options? We have to do better.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
@alkemispaint
@mayacrowne
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
