Announcing our 2020 Wild & Beautiful Award Winner: Loi Medvin

If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ve probably heard us reiterate our motto, Wild. Beautiful. This two-word motto is a core pillar of what we do and who we are as a company.

What Wild & Beautiful means to us

It represents our transparency, innovation, and intention as a company, along with our mindfulness of the planet. It also encapsulates our interactions with each other; the heart of Wild and Beautiful, ultimately, is one of love and humanity.

These core values extend to our community as well; that’s how our Wild and Beautiful Award was born. It was a chance for our customers and fans to nominate an individual who embodies and exemplifies our three core values in their everyday lives.

And now, at long last, the day has come. So without further ado…

Introducing our 2020 Wild & Beautiful awardee

We’d like you to meet Loi Medvin, a somatic psychologist from Sebastopol, California, who embodies our core values. She reflects Wild through sheer appreciation of nature; one of her superpowers is seeing beauty in people and things. And she defines Beautiful as the ability to feel whole, complete, confident, secure, and grounded—”moving through the world in that way,” she says, “is beautiful.”

Check out our interview with Loi below.

How do you stay inspired?

A lot of self-care, which includes moving my body and being in nature.

Also, being embodied. I’m a somatic psychologist, I teach a lot and also practice what I preach, about really checking in with myself, and then allowing the stuff that comes up to be felt and moved through.

Other ways I stay inspired:

• When nourished, so that I have a strong base
• Seeing people who struggle (and thrive) in adverse conditions
• When community comes together, people helping one another—especially during fire season in California
• By planting a thriving garden from seed and seeing things grow—like my 1st zucchini!

What does Wild and Beautiful mean to you?

When I think of “Wild”—I think of nature watching and blow in trees, listening to the leaves—tuning with nature and tuning in to myself.

When I think of “Beautiful”—I think of when someone is really connected to themselves and source; grounded, centered, or whatever they call it—when you’re in that place, you shine! You feel whole, complete, confident, secure, and grounded—moving through the world in that way, is beautiful.

What do you do for a career, for fun?

• Practicing somatic psychologist
• Dance
• Connection with my daughter or friends for a walk, hike, or a meal
• Camping
• Movement is a big piece of what I do for fun

Who do you feel you are today? Has there been an event that has defined your life?

I am an ever-evolving human, still in the process of learning, growing, and healing. I had a pretty bad concussion and convulsions about a years ago, I’ve had other major things shifted life, but this made me stop and shift out of this kind of masculine way of doing. I literally had to stop pretty much everything that I was doing. All of the needs as a single mother, and graduate school, I had to be in the masculine way of doing. Since then, I had to learn how to stop first and gradually move, but be slower about it, making sure that I don’t overexert or I will have symptoms. This was the biggest redefining thing in my recent life, shifting into feminine, receiving, and surrendering rather than pushing and doing.

What as your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

The concussion was the biggest one lately. It made me change my life so entirely.

Where do you find beauty in your day to day life?

All over the place! One of my superpowers is seeing beauty in people and things. Right now, I’m sitting outside and looking at the eucalyptus tree in my neighbor’s yard, a really tall old one, and there is a crow sitting in it just kinda hanging out looking around. The way it moves its feathers, and the way the wind is rustling the leaves in the trees, that is really beautiful to me.

Also, beauty on another level, hearing that my daughter wrote up my nominations, that’s really beautiful to me.

Do you have any mantras or principals you live by?

I strive to be kind and compassionate in my life and work—honoring myself and own my needs and boundaries. Also, honoring and giving respect to other people and also to our earth.

I strive to live in “right relationship”.

What are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about being an example, and teaching how to be those principals that I shared. I’m passionate about helping people connect to themselves, others, and the earth. Along with being passionate about our environment, mental, emotional, and physical well-being of all the creatures.

Nominated by her daughter, Wynn

Here is what Loi’s daughter, Wynn had to say when nominating her mother for our Wild & Beautiful Award.

How do they embody Wild?

She (my mother) has never fit into traditional molds, I was born in a bath tub at home and we lived in a van until I was three, exploring the United States. She left home at a young age and traveled the world until she got pregnant with me. I remember being tiny and watching her dance with her whole being lighting up the room. Wild and free. She knows the names of plants and animals around her as well as their healing properties. She had never let anyone else define her, wild is an understatement.

How do they embody Beautiful?

My mother is the most beautiful woman I know. Her beauty comes from the kind words she speaks and her love for the world and all of its inhabitants. She brings a bag to collect trash with her on every walk (for over 20 years now). She compliments strangers and sees beauty in everything. My mother empowers others in her work to heal themselves and by being a bright light. Her beauty is much more than skin deep.

Congratulations, Loi. You truly represent Wild. Beautiful. inside and out!