I founded The RYT Skincare after 10 years of experience as a licensed pharmacist. When I wasn’t working 12 hour shifts in the pharmacy, I was tucked away in a gym, lifting weights and building my physique. Growing up I was a classically trained ballerina, so genetically, I was always a thin girl. As an adult, I wanted to gain weight, but without jeopardizing my health. So, if I was going to build some curves, I realized that I needed to build some muscles. With this goal, I ventured into the world of competitive fitness and bodybuilding, eventually becoming a professional athlete in the IFBB Pro League. This chapter of my life is really what became the catalyst for change in my perspective of healthcare and wellness.

There’s so much discipline required for competing—discipline I had never applied before in my life—clean eating, balanced nutrition, consistent weight training (sometimes twice a day), and drinking more water than I ever knew my body could hold. Tough stuff. But the beauty of that entire process is it afforded me fresh insight to how well the body functions when treated properly. Not only was my physique built like something I never imagined, but I also realized every time I was in competition prep, my skin was living its best life!! Yesss! I didn’t grow up with great skin, so naturally, that made me your typical “product junkie,” trying all the latest drugstore skincare products and using makeup to cover up my blemishes and flaws. But the revelation that if I take the best care of my body, not only will I feel good, but I’ll look good… that sparked something in me!

Meanwhile, back at the pharmacy, I found myself becoming the pharmacist that counseled most enthusiastically about ‘how to get OFF your meds!’ That counsel didn’t sit well working in an industry that thrives off of medicinal dependency. The stress of trying to continue generating revenue for the pharmacy while encouraging our patients to modify their lifestyle began to wear on me. I knew it would soon be time to make a career move into something more in line with my passion for patient care and wellness. In 2018, I enrolled in esthetics school to obtain a deeper foundation of skin education, and I became a licensed esthetician soon after. During that time, my fascination for ingredient knowledge grew, all while my pharmaceutical mind was connecting the dots. 

Remember, I was your typical “product junkie”, so I knew I wanted to develop a new line of products—one that improved the skin while providing education on wellness and general self-care. But the vision for The RYT Skincare came to me during my own personal journey of discovering power in my flaws. “Reveal Your Truth” is the mantra. I went through some trials that caused me to emotionally retreat and close myself to the world around me. I didn’t want to be seen. I didn’t have anything significant to say. And overall, I lost a bit of myself. Then that sneaky little thing called pride made its way in and would not allow anyone to see me slipping. I hid behind my makeup and a smile, I carried on with my travels, I “did it for the Gram,” and led everyone to believe I hadn’t missed a beat. However, the act didn’t last too long because sure enough, I got tired. Exhausted.