Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Lori.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started modeling at the age of 9 but wanted to continue with school and get my degree. I graduated from the University of Florida with my bachelors in Psychology because I had always wanted to become a therapist of some sort. Towards the middle of my college experience, I realized how badly I wanted to model and began shooting for fun and building my portfolio. After I left school and returned to South Florida, I had been nannying full time and modeling any chance I got. I started to gain traction online and go viral building a social media following of over 2 million followers. I was able to quit nannying and focus on my modeling career. I feel so blessed for my experiences; from being featured in various Playboy spreads and being in the running to be Cyber Girl of the year, being in over 60 print magazines (many of them covers), flying around the world for photo shoots, doing runways, music videos, promotional modeling, commercials, and meeting so many amazing and talented artists. I am still shooting today, although I have slowed down a lot. I am currently focusing on some Art Basel projects and focusing more aligned brands with who I am today, podcasting, my YouTube channel, and my deep love for helping people. I had begun to realize that my calling wasn’t just being an artist and creating but helping others with their spiritual journey, plant medicine, and overall healing. I started to feel lost in the entertainment industry and sometimes the darker side of what comes with it. I became a reiki master/teacher 7 years ago and have been building my spiritual practice ever since. One could say, I am finally using that degree but in a much different fashion. I have been in the plant medicine space for the last almost 10 years now and became a psychedelic integration coach because I am so passionate about what they can do for people. I have studied Kabbalah, sound healing, reprogramming the mind, and other holistic modalities. I love being all things because we are multidimensional spiritual beings. We came here to create and heal and I hope through my art or practice, I can help anyone who feels like they need guidance to become their higher selves.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not be smooth by any means. The entertainment industry can come with a slew of challenges because it is so competitive, I would say overall mental health and body image issues are extremely common. Comparison is the thief of joy they say, but as we know with the growing age of social media, it’s almost impossible today to not compare yourself to others. I have even had awful things be said to me by photographers. Nobody who has achieved greatness, got all yeses in life. I also think because social media is always changing and evolving, things like magazines or other modeling opportunities faded. People will always try to get ahead, sometimes in ill intentioned ways. You may also feel pressured to do things to reach the “fame and fortune’. I am not perfect in any way but I have always tried my best and tried to take the long road by sticking to my moral compass and boundaries.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I think it’s so hard to say “What do I do?” because I do so many things. I have never wanted to be boxed in to just one thing. I like doing anything that peaks my interest. I am a model, singer, songwriter, influencer (even though this is a new aged term), I am a reiki master/teacher, spiritual coach, I used to be a professional dancer, the list could go on for days. I think people mostly know me for my modeling career. Big hair, petite or funsized but big personality. I am most proud of my resilience. In a world where you’re constantly picked apart or told you can’t do things, I have always beat the system so to speak. “You have acne, you are too short, you are too skinny, you are too fat, you are not pretty enough”…all things I have been told and yet I have walked runways, done high fashion, modeled for major magazines and companies, despite all the odds. I am fully natural minus a small amount of botox lol. My hair is real and mine, my long nails are real and mine, I have never had plastic surgery, I was always the smallest girl in the room amongst the other models…and even though I have been mean to myself and always struggled with body dysmorphia, I somehow know I am unique and meant to have done all the things I accomplished. I have always been respectful and cheered others on. I understand we all are here to leave our mark and be ourselves and I encourage that.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Absolutely. There really so many amazing supporters in my life. My family has always fully supported whatever I have wanted to do in this life and for that I am so grateful. They may have not understood everything fully but have always had my back and that’s really special. I also have a really solid support of friends which is so important in this life. Being online can feel like endless trolls or bullies, so it’s important to have your friends. I have had other models also help me, whether that be landing my first Playboy spread, getting me fun and important modeling gigs, connecting me with the right people to expand and grow my business, I have gotten really lucky.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://melsmystics.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/MelissaLori
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OfficialMelissaLori
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/IamMelissaLori
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MelissaLoriofficial
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2V8ErDB27f7oMnmvrKo88S?si=1SlKkem_T9-3qtOOYf20Nw
