April
Just a little FYI before we get started on the moving love podcast episode, I want to give you a little gift. Gray and skincare has gifted me a promo code so I can give you 15% of your online purchase of skincare that is made with superfoods that are vegan and will leave your skin feeling divined from the outside. It is results driven and you will see the difference even just after a few usage. So go to great and skincare.com and use the promo code move with love 50 so great and skincare.com and use a promo code mov e w i t h L O V E, one five to get 15% off your purchase. Go treat yourself treat your whole family you will not regret it here is to conscious skincare. Enjoy the Episode

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the move with love podcast. I am your host and your guide April Miranda, to inspire you and empower you to move with love and not fear. Today. I am so excited to be able to interview with Creighton, who is the founder of great and skincare greatest personal involvement in the wellness world as a vegan chef and yoga practitioner led her to discover that the topical application and bioavailability of superfoods on her client's skin had noticeable results. This sparked the evolution of her minimalist luxurious brand of high performance skincare, where you'll find all of your favorite actives like botanical, retinol and collagen, probiotics, vitamin C and even gemstone crystals. You bet. Oh, so thank you, Raven for joining me today. How are you? I'm fine. I'm, I'm I'm actually welcome to my messy office. And I'm fiddling around as they usually do, like there will eventually get to the right the right there. That's a little bit better. I'm having I'm trying to. I'm notorious for helping other people to be healthy. And then I forgot to take care of myself. So I'm doing a little refresh. I have a little probiotic beverage. A shout out to crazy deeds, I've there's no affiliation. By the way. I just found this. And it's a probiotic, sparkling prebiotic, rather, cherry cola. I associate cherry cola as something very, very unhealthy. But this is actually it's an amazing, amazing ingredient lists like no added sugar.

Graydon
And so cheers,

April
chairs. I just have water.

Graydon
All good. And I'm always drinking out of mason jars. So

April
they're

going Yeah, and I see that. Yeah, you're already showing that you're like a product of the product. You ready drinking this probiotic. And you're talking about pro I saw some videos where you have like probiotics in some of your skincare. Sure. Yeah. And like, I am obsessed with the product because it is super foods and not just ingesting it. What you saw, like the benefits of putting it on your skin. Right to

Graydon
a Yeah, absolutely.

April
So I heard that you were a vegan chef. You were a yoga practitioner. I want to hear the story like what were these transformative events that led you to where you are today?

Graydon
Yeah, it's super good question. Because I've had so many oddly disparate things. I shouldn't say happen like I allowed them to happen. We're not just like, victims of our debt destiny of but you know, but little did I know that something that I was doing then would help something you know, although it it is kind of cool. Looking back. So back in. I don't want to date myself, but let's put it this way. I'm a little older than you. And I'm, you know, I'm okay with that. But I'm Sam you're in or I'll put it in context. I have a 22 year old son. So

April
you're looking fabulous.

Graydon
Thank you. I'm just looking at my COVID error actually, I am dying, dying. I mean, I honestly I don't want to say I'm not good at I don't feel competent cutting my own hair. Oh, like, like, can I think I need to like a tree him up. Anyway, so I know that COVID had like, I don't know, haircut

April
since like 2018 and November. So a while

Graydon
ago, a while ago totally while ago, and, you know, I'm like, okay, my hair elastics are somewhere else. So I'll just go with COVID hair. And what you see is what you get. And you know, like not like that the non makeup skin, which is challenging sometimes, you know, actually look at yourself on a on a regular basis on calls and be like, oh, yeah, I think sometimes what we think we look like looking mirrors very different than what we get, like real real life, especially when you're not like you don't have the good lighting. And, you know, I'll love that. So but that's all part of learning to love ourselves. Which is definitely something I suspect that you talk about.

April
Man. Yeah, yeah, it's Yeah, I feel as though that's the secret sauce. You got to start there.

Graydon
It's an ongoing process. Yeah. But back to my story. So yeah, I, I went to art school in the 90s. So yeah, don't do the math on that. But the amazing thing was that art school took me to Southern California. So believe it or not, my family actually was like, Yeah, okay, go, we'll figure out the, you know, like the tuition, which was, you know, what, to go to school in the States. And really, so I got interested in art and design, and really my background before that was in women's studies. So, you know, it's ironic that I'm, or it's not ironic, but it's odd that I'm in business as an entrepreneur without any business background, and without any chemistry, or marketing. Right. So how did I end up here? But as I'm sure I could ask you the same question you knew would be like, well, 15 years ago, I was doing this, and I had no idea that it would lead to this. So but you know, it's like, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. But besides going to school and getting exposed to design and cool things, that one of the most compelling aspects of living in Southern California, with the holistic community. And I, the other thing that I I should mention that as a precursor to that was my side hustle. In undergrad was cooking. So I've always cooked in restaurants. And not I've never not like greasy spoons. I've never been like a line chef, I've always been interested in pastry. So like one of the first, like certificate programs I did was a pastry course in San Francisco. Like, before I was even 20. And I was really lucky to be able to travel and learn. And that is, one thing I'm really grateful about. My family allowed me to experience things. And also even when I was little, we lived in France. So I was I've always been really exposed to great food. And that's not really it's not a surprise that the food element of things is, is a pervading theme in what I do in skincare as well. So, um, so I got involved. Once I graduated from school, I needed to get a job. And, you know, suddenly I was like, I had an MFA, like a fine art graduates Fine Arts degree, which is wonderful, not very employable. I was not thinking about practical things. At that point in my life, I regret that I wasn't because I think I would have been helpful to learn some basic business and marketing skills that, you know, whatever. I ended up learning that on, later on in my life, but I needed to earn a living and because I really didn't know I didn't want to come back to Toronto. I shouldn't say that. I mean, I'm very grateful to live in Toronto now. We're blessed, wonderful country to live in. But but you know, it was like I was living in, I moved around from Pasadena to Topanga Canyon to Orange County to Hollywood and then landed in Santa Monica on 17th Street in Montana, which is probably doesn't necessarily mean anything to you, but I was like, 17 blocks away from the ocean. Yeah, it was pretty nice. And like a really cool strip. And you know,

April
yeah, my sister lives in LA so like, yeah, the Santa Monica areas like bumping. Yeah. Oh, fun. So you were living there?

Graydon
I was and um, And I two things were happening. And just to frame this, although this is gonna make me look ancient Starbucks wasn't even a thing. Can you imagine? Like think like, they're like I my 22 year old son, you he was like the thought of like not having like coffee shops everywhere was like mind blowing to him or Whole Foods. Oh, okay. I know, like, quite different. And so. So I always knew that I could rely on my culinary skills to, you know, work in a restaurant or, or do whatever I think I think that is actually really my gift and like, in another life, I probably would have become like a full blown chef. But, you know, I had a lot of, you know, people have resistance about that. So I always did it on the side and I created a little company called divine dishes. I still have the business card somewhere where I have it. I should should have brought it up for this call. But my original phone number, like this was before websites, it didn't have an email address. I literally go to like a coffee shop to like, I didn't have a laptop. So that

April
the staples or whatever they went to I went to

Graydon
use was called Kinkos Oh, yes. Okay, like, I know, right? So 90s. So, you know, I know I'm almost embarrassed admitting it. But um, so I started to do I had a home delivery business and I was making healthy food for people who had health problems and, and that was really healing to me because I had experienced years and years of eating disorders. And my relationship with food was really loaded. Like I loved it. I love creating with it. I love the alchemical processes with especially with pastry and like there's nothing nothing is beautiful was like a beautiful pastry cream and wearing like the new foyer and creating beautiful things like the coolies. That butter. Like it's just hard. It's so many things that just gave me a lot of pleasure. But, you know, French cuisine is not always the healthiest choice. I love it. I know, I know. I morphed that into this divine dishes Company, which was really, basically all of that before the buzzwords of like Whole Foods or even veganism in a cool way.

I just started was almost more macrobiotic, but which was also if you read like macrobiotic is, you know, a very simple Japanese way of approaching food, to rebalance your system and to give you your chi back, like it's very good for people who who are who need to really reenergize themselves. Like if you if you've got like fibromyalgia or like chronic autoimmune. It's a way just to. So I was eating like that. And then I was I was like, Okay, well, I'm gonna just start delivering meals to people. This was before home delivery was that thing. And I still am friends with my LA, you know, people and they're like, great, and you're a trailblazer? You were doing this before, like, all of these boxes, right? And deliver it now. I mean, full disclosure, I was using my kitchen, I wasn't using a commercial space. So that those are definitely a no, no, but I wasn't doing it in a scalable sense. But I hadn't enough clients to like cover my rent and

and then I then there was a really cool vegan restaurant in Santa Monica called Real Food Daily, which only closed a few years ago it was, it was hip, it was cool. They had you know, like that, you know, the route like that twig tea, but then you could also get like, a lovely cup of saqi you know, all plant based, so I was loving that. And I was like, Oh, this is why this is why I was meant to be in, in Southern California so that I could, you know, figure out how to heal myself, actually figure out a way to make a living, like create a not just a living but create abundance for myself. And then also I really got involved in the yoga community. And that was just also like, oh my gosh, I was in my body for the first time ever. Wow, eating disorders are so disassociated with themselves like to actually feel and connect. So all of these things were coming together and I was like, Wow, I'm I was finally becoming who I am. That makes sense. Yeah.

April
And what um, what inspired you to go to yoga? Like I I also had my path that led me to a yoga teacher that I didn't even see coming up. I mean, it's Yeah, between the dots and kind of connecting and going with the flow. And so what led you to your first yoga class?

Graydon
And an old boyfriend?

April
Yeah. Maybe even how he played a role in the store? Yeah.

Graydon
You know, somebody I met through art school, who's now like, an emergency doctor somewhere and New York, I don't know, we haven't really kept in touch. But um, yeah, but you know, every, every relationship, there's always something that you get from some relationship and, and the yoga was definitely, that that was a lifetime, I could just remember lying on the mat, or on a block for the first time and feeling my pelvis, like, open up and like tears, just, I wasn't even crying. But it was, I think my body was releasing. So pretty profound. And as much as I love Toronto, that just wasn't happening in Toronto. You know, it just, I think, maybe I would have event it would have eventually come. But I realized that I really needed to go through that. And all of these experiences, were pretty profoundly important to lead me to where I am now. So I'm giving, I'm trying to, maybe you're getting more information than you need. But no, but this is the

April
juicy stuffed like the story behind great and skincare the story behind you. Because all of those layers make you who you are today. And you know, like with my with the mantra be like, move with love. Like, yeah, like just kind of following that innate wisdom in your heart. And just hearing these different milestones that lead you toward to where you are today. It's like, I want the audience the listeners to know that it isn't point A to point B. Like it's not a linear path. You know, and so, even just sharing your certain like, Yes, like this is, this is the stuff so no need to give any shared version.

Graydon
You know what, I may go over in time I'm warning you. Oh,

April
I'm okay. You're okay.

Graydon
I think we're good.

April
Okay, so after yoga, yeah. Yeah. So

Graydon
yeah, a couple of things. So that was pretty profound. And although a certain part of yoga is just like moving your body Asana, and I was at the time, most interested in Ashtanga, which is a fairly vigorous practice, totally not my thing. At the moment, I do need to do yoga. But I actually need more restorative yoga just to ground and energize myself. But there's often, you know, some spiritual healing that goes along, really with yoga. Besides the physical, you know, we forget that this is an ancient practice that really actually adolescent boys were supposed to be doing in India, like not even like this whole, North American Association of yoga is still a little bit ridiculous. Yoga was really to get you in a meditative state so that you could open yourself up to other to other realms. So that started to creep in as well, because I've always had a conflicted relationship with spirituality, just sort of like fed Christianity, like this is what you know, but never felt never felt right. felt uncomfortable with it. And I really wanted more of a connection to spirit. So you know, I remember doing my first sweat lodge with a shaman on a like in Topanga Canyon, like on this massive boulder over the full moon. Like, I was really lucky to be able to do these things many years ago. I'd have some bananas, like, truly Extra Terrestrial experiences that you know, yeah, I know baby that guy and I love this time. So I remember with the Shaman was that like if you've ever been have you done a sweat sweat lodge before?

April
I haven't yet know but you

Graydon
know you it's it's besides sweating and being really super hot. You have to like get down like I just realized that love again like I remember that. So it was so hard for me to say that I needed love and I was worthy of love in my life and that just correct me open so simple. Like you know I you have a you have a child I have a son and like I would always be like you know I love you. But I think parents older parents just never could just didn't love their children in an open way that I think more modern parents do and so I realized I was like literally loved starved and and then you know looking for love and not the right place. is, and of course, now it's almost like a cliche, but you can't get some love connection going on with yourself, it's hard to get that with someone else, you know, in a way, it's hard to manifest the things that you want in your life. So that was a, that was a big one for me still even thinking about it as I remember the vulnerability connected with that moment. But also, I got to know some really cool people through yoga, and one of one of the women who I got to know is a facialist. So celebrity esthetician, I guess you could say. And again, I It's crazy, but there was no website, there was no email address, like I totally lost touch with her. But I made my potions. Like, again, totally, I'm not recommend that anybody does this, because you really shouldn't be using a certified lab to produce any product that you give to somebody else. But all DIY, you know, kitchen creations. Like, I remember discovering goji berries, like over 20 years ago, 25 years ago, and, and like goji berries, cool and like matcha, and stuff like that things that are totally mainstream now, but there wasn't even a name for superfoods back then. And so I would like whip up these fruit coolies, which I would also use to exfoliate my face, just think of like the natural fruit acids and everything like that. So I was getting great results, my skin was better than ever. And my friend who is the esthetician was using these products on her clients, and she was getting really good results. And we did have that, like we looked at each other, you know, when I was doing a drop off with her, and she's like, you know, your stuff is actually really good. Like, my clients are super high maintenance. And they really like them. Like, you know, like, what's the, what's the secret sauce, like and I was like, just this and that. And it was like one of those moments that we both looked at each other like the I could say it a little bit more articulately now. But the bioavailability. And the you know, of what we now call super foods is visibly impactful on one skin. And that always sort of stuck to me like, I've never seen skincare like this

April
around you. And like when when Petra was talking about it, I'm like what, like, I was instantly intrigued. And thank you for sharing these, your your gift with us because like Chris and I were like, You look younger, like I like, you know, as new parents, we're like, tired all the time. And it's like, myself, like, I look like I'm aging. Do you know what I mean? I saw myself like, I look tired. My skin looks tired. You know what then certain using certain using great and like, oh, like and my skin is so sensitive. So I was I was hesitant but I'm like no, no, it's super foods. It's vegan. I'm like this. For us.

Graydon
It's very Yeah, relatable. Like it's this is not a scientific thing to say. So I don't you know want to put it out there as a science. But it's almost like your skin knows that it's food for it and is happy to eat I have this funny, funny expression that I say to some people or my my son sometimes like your skin gets hungry, betta good food. Like I asked myself, I asked some people that I know like, what does your skin feel like eating today? What does it want for breakfast? Because what it wants for breakfast, or your what you would call your am skin regimen, you know, is different than what it wants for dinner, or maybe wants a smoothie in the morning and a cocktail at night. right like so. And of course, you know, we're not literally feeding our skin cocktails at night. I'm not against the occasional cocktail. But to that sort of that it's just my way of approaching things. So I do and we can I can demonstrate this if you want but I do often squirt you know two or three or more products in the palm of my hand and just you know with my fingertip blend them together a skin smoothie or you know at night a skin cocktail. I love that. So yeah, it you know, I mean, fast forwarding, like I'm taking a bunch of different steps. But I realized eventually when I started the line and it was like an actual thing and there were a lot of hoops to jump through before we actually created a line or I should say I say we because I'm lucky to have a team you Now, but I after we, after I created products with a lot of what I would call superfoods or I think, generally speaking, anybody could go through our ingredient list and be like, yeah, superfood superfood superfood check. The other thing that I think the the real added piece that is important now is that we are also formulating with clinically proven botanical ingredients that mostly, that are mostly mainstream anti aging actives. And that's a big step, because I think people want to know that they're going to get the efficacy, not just the, the clean part of the equation. People People want to eat well, and they want to exercise and they want to get all the right sleep and do all of those things. Because people like No, such a cliche, but you know, health is the new wealth. We want to live longer, we want to have a better quality of life, and we know that we can probably achieve that by our lifestyle choices, you know, not not plastic, not just plastic surgery, you know, or medical skin treatments. Like if you can actions. Yeah, you know, and I'm not, by the way, I'm not even dissing that, like To each their own. But, you know, I think it's, most people know that, you know, like, you can't go to a restaurant without seeing a kale salad, or an avocado or some smoothie, or green tea somewhere. Like it's even permeating, you know, five star restaurants, it's like people are eating healthier, like there's still crappy junk food out there. And I don't think that will ever go away. But people are looking ways to add in Whole Foods and plants into their diets. And there's a huge scale of that. But so that's great, but people want to know that they are going to work. So I say it's not just look it's look and feel your best or feel first and look your best. So you we so adding in the clinically proven superfood ingredients is a very important part about what we do now. It's not just like a smoothie in a bottle. There is proven efficacy. And I think in terms of being you know, transparent to our customers that's that's important that they know that like, you know and we have a lot you know all the information on our site like we are very much an ingredient driven line so you can do a deep dive on any you need the active and chances are we have it Yeah, and I love it now let's sorry go ahead.

April
Yeah, so I love how you're not just ingredients bass you are results. Like yes, like yeah, my husband I we have been seeing the difference. You know, and both of us have really sensitive skin we both have had it's been like a science experiment we've had to go to like the dermatologist even emergency dermatologist like because it would be like I would go to Sephora be like okay, what do I use or shoppers or you know what I mean? And then it would end up having to go to the dermatologist for pelvic This makes no sense, you know, in the different brands and I'm like, it would be exhausting. But that's why I love your simple it's minimalist but still so luxurious, that it does feel good. Like it is like when you would can mix products because it is all safe. You know what I mean? So I would

Graydon
I do I always want to err on the cautious side. I think it's genuinely clean line. There's a lot of there's some controversy about clean beauty and what it means are some brands are all about non toxic this and non toxic that I really am not interfere mongering. I just don't think that's that's a useful thing because it makes other people and other brands sound bad. And that's not necessarily the case. There's, there's there's a there's room for a lot of different ingredients and brands in the proverbial sandbox. And I to use my grandmother's expression. I really just oh my gosh, I feel like I'm gonna sneeze. There's like pollen. Oh, this could be noisy. It's okay. I have my door open and the tree Volans around this time of the year always get me. So I'm a very loud sneezer. So this is why it's taken. Me is just you know, when you feel it anyway, so a lot I lost my train of thought there but

April
um, something that your grandmother was saying.

Graydon
Yeah, so I just don't stick to my knitting. So to say, like, this is what I do. Like, if you like it, that's fantastic. If you don't like, lucky for you, there's like tons of amazing brands to choose from. And I really do think that the rising tide lifts all boats, I have often referred customers to competitors who might have something that we don't. So I don't feel insecure about that. But what we do is really blend the best of the best superfoods with the best of the best of cosmetic science.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai