Category: Amazing Humans

Every dollar we spend is a vote for the kind of world we want to live in.
Our consumer choices have never been more critical. By shifting our support away from global corporations whose business models often prioritize profit over planetary and human well-being, we can actively empower small businesses, independent practitioners, and purpose-driven organizations that are truly making a difference.

Here is a list of products, services, brands and organizations I love, many created by amazing humans I feel grateful to have connected with in this lifetime.

🎨Arists, Makers & Creators

Makers

• Silver Slag & Stone – jewelry made from hand-foraged stone and slag from Lake Michigan, available online and in-store alongside other local artist creations in their storefront in Sutton Bay, Michigan.
• Waffles & Honey – Handcrafted gemstone jewelry designed and made in San Francisco.
• Mark Montano – US-based artist, interior designer, DIY-crafter, and creator.

Gifts

• Inner Compass Cards – carefully designed decks that combine ancient wisdom with a modern, minimalist aesthetic to help you quiet your scattered and overthinking mind and reconnect with your inner clarity.
• Simply Gilded – Hand-designed boutique stationery, washi tapes, and artfully-created planning tools.

Artists

• Olga Rybalko – Ukrainian-Canadian artist known for landscapes, cityscapes and pieces filled with emotion and narratives.
• William D. Higginson – Australian-born, Canadian contemporary surrealist artist – creating art that he hopes makes the viewer think with introspection, evoke emotions, and ask questions, enabling you to look deep within.
• Halim Flowers – American artist, writer and activist; Also the CEO of Artonomics, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering artists with financial literacy
• Mika Revell – Chinese-American multimedia artist exploring the complex relationship between symbols of power and commodified objects, contrasting the ominous and alluring.
• Madhvi Patel – American abstract artist based in Arkansas.

Photographers & Videographers

• Julian Walters – New York-based commercial and travel/documentary photographer.
• Florian Tomasini – Brazil-based Photographer, videographer & filmmaker helping brands and social projects.
• Kate Enno – Australian-based editorial, commercial and fine art photographer.
• Victoria Nyquvest – Canadian wedding and event photographer.
• Adam Bennett – Photographer and academic based in the UK, combining landscape photographs with research, exploring themes relating to land use, ecology and notions of heritage.

Apparel & Travel Goods

• Oya Femtech Apparel – innovative activewear that protects sweaty skin from the infections that regular activewear causes.
• Sauri – niche running brand based out of LA
• Love41 &Saddleback Leathers – high-end, quality-guaranteed leather bags and accessories that donate profits to support orphans, widows, and street children in Mexico, Rwanda and other areas.
• Db Bags – backpacks, carry bags, luggage, and accessories for urban people who love outdoor lifestyles and travel. Environmentally aware Norwegian B-Corp with a commitment to sustainability and responsible production.

Book Stores & Boutiques

• The Last Bookstore – Located in DTLA, worth a visit if you’re even in Los Angeles.
• Papercuts Bookstore – Bookstore in Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA
• Soul Bungalow – Hermosa Beach (LA)-based boutique specializing in thoughtfully curated wellness products, dazzling crystals, inspiring art, and unique treasures to uplift your spirit.
• MuMu Mansion – Los Angeles-based fashion and lifestyle brand that curates a unique collection of new and vintage apparel, jewelry, and home goods.

Local Chefs, Markets, Small-Batch Food, Drinks and Nutrition

Chefs, Restaurants

• Fat Cheeks Hawaii – Honolulu, Hawaii, casual, mom-and-pop eatery co-founded by Levina Moy, crafting lobster rolls and other East Coast specialties, plus burgers and seafood dishes.
• Bridgetown Roti – Los Angeles, women-owned Caribbean American restaurant founded by Chef Rashida Holmes.
• To Live for Bakery – Plant-based bakery (their Nanaimo bar is incredible) in Vancouver, Canada.
• FoMu – Earth-inspired desserts, including vegan ice cream, cookies and ice cream cakes. Locations found around Boston.
• Cicada Coffee Bar – Down-home Vietnamese cafe serving banh mi, noodle salads & pastries, plus coffee & specialty drinks in Cambridge, MA.
• Sophie Sucree – Vegan pastry shop offering breakfast, plus sweets such as cookies, cupcakes & scones in Montreal, QC, Canada.

Products

• Ranch & Rifle – Veteran-owned company offering premium, American-made spices for grilling and wild game cooking.
• Seed – Clinically-studied probiotic formulations designed to support the microbes powering your health.
• Mamma Musey’s Pierogis – delicious, Gibson, BC-based pierogis with vegan options available at farmers’ markets in the GVRD (Vancouver) region.

Farmers Markets & Stands

• Coquitlam Farmers Market – put on by Grow Local Society in Coquitlam, Canada
• Historic Downtown LA Farmers’ Market – Southland Farmers’ Market Association in downtown Los Angeles.

🌱Holistic Health Practitioners, Retreats and Centers

• YogiAthlete – Chicago/LA-based former football player-turned yoga instructor, focusing on bridging yoga & athletic training.
• Satya Holistica – Ecuador-based wellness practitioner specializing in massage, holistic therapies, reflexology, yoga, and meditation.
• The Fat Yogis – Co-operative of functional yoga teachers offering trainings, classes and tools.
• Serra Vida – Retreat center and conscious vacation destination in Portugal offering self-catered short and long-term stays accompanied by a daily program of mindfulness as well as a number of retreats and trainings throughout the year.
• Durga’s Tiger School for Tantra Yoga Arts Shamanism – Internationally acclaimed yoga teacher training school that offers transformational programs in Tantra Yoga, Shamanism, and Arts based in Quito, Ecuador.
• Orenda Retreats – France-based, women-owned series of holistic wellness retreats focused on empowering women through nature, movement, and self-discovery.

Adventures & Travel

• The Blonde Abroad Escapes – Female-owned and operated, all-female, bespoke travel tours and educational retreats for the adventurous female traveller
• Nautilus Sailing – American Sailing Association school, specializing in week-long live-aboard sailing courses around the world
• Portiate Charters – Algarve Region, Portugal, family-owned sailboat charter, including skippered & bareboat. Modern fleet of sailing yachts, catamarans & motorboats. Half day, full day, multi-day cruise.

💖 Community Minded & Non-Profit Organizations

• Eat Move Meditate – nonprofit empowering people to eat healthy, move their bodies, and meditate through accessible health and wellness.
• Grow Unwind Connect – a non-profit global wellness initiative based in Compton, California, dedicated to promoting holistic health, personal development, and community engagement through various programs and activities, particularly within the educational and athletic sectors.
• CNOTE – A financial technology platform that offers impact investing solutions for individuals, corporations, and foundations. It connects investor capital to mission-driven financial institutions, such as CDFIs and credit unions, which in turn fund community development projects in underserved communities.
• Catalyst Conversations – Boston-based organization providing free public programming in the greater Boston region, focused on hosting provocative conversations between artists, scientists, and the public.
• Save the Harbor / Save the Bay – a non-profit organization that works to protect and restore Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, and the region’s public beaches, while making them accessible to the public through free programs and events.
• Open Paths Counseling Center – a non-profit organization that provides affordable and culturally affirming mental health services to underserved communities in Los Angeles.
• Homeboy Industries -Nonprofit that provides formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated individuals with free services, job training, and support through social enterprises to help them redirect their lives and become contributing members of the community.

Other Resources, Orgs & Individuals

• Book List by amazing humans who have positively impacted my life.
• LA2050 Social Impact Gift Guide – 90+ products and experiences sourced from local nonprofits, sustainable makers, cultural establishments, and small businesses in Los Angeles.