I started Merigold to empower women to pause. As a nurse, mother, wife, natural food chef, and nutritionist, I’ve seen firsthand the toll constant striving takes on the body—it’s true, the body does keep the score. I didn’t want my daughter growing up thinking she needed to participate in the incessant hustle to be worthy. I knew I needed to be the example.
The name Merigold has a lot of personal meaning behind it. I grew up for some of my middle school years in Papua New Guinea (PNG). PNG is beautiful and living there was a life changing experience. There was a “me” before PNG and there was a “me” after. Living there at such a transformational age shaped how I see the world—how I see beauty and women. Meri means woman in Tok Pisin, the main trade language of PNG. Women in PNG are strong, fierce protectors of their families; they are smart, hard working, and undervalued by the culture as a whole. Their stories are always with me and PNG will always be a part of my story, my learning, me becoming me. Marigold flowers hold a special place in my heart. The medicinal marigold flowers are known as calendula and are believed to have amazing healing properties. Marigold’s also play an important role in Dia de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico—the ancestral homeland of my husband and daughter.
Merigold is about honoring ourselves so we can be more present for those we love. My little family fuels me to become a better version of myself. I want to advocate, grow, and find the beauty around me and in myself so I can teach, model, and ultimately make a better world—and future—for other women.
