We had the good fortune of connecting with Anna Ayvazian and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anna, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

I started thinking about venturing out on my own in 2020, during the pandemic. It was a scary time for us all and I saw a need. I didn’t think of it as a business venture, per se. I saw it as doing something I love for the people in need. The initial drive was to help others in the way I wanted to, without any reservations or restrictions, and to help in any way that I could. It started very small, but quickly began to grow, as the need for mental health treatment began to rise. Starting anything new is really nerve wrecking and scary. But it was really exciting at the same time.

What was only a thought, a wish, a hope… I pray turns into something long-standing and successful.

What should our readers know about your business?
Meliora Wellness Center is a holistic, one-stop wellness center. The word Meliora comes from Latin origin and means, “for the pursuit of better.” The infinite butterfly in the logo symbolizes transformation (metamorphosis), hope, endurance, so we focus on ‘infinite’ improvement, progress, change and betterment. The idea behind my brand, was to create a space where people can heal on many levels. I conceptualize all my clients from a trauma informed lens, and as the great author of the book ‘The body keeps the score,’ Dr. Bessel van der Kolk noted, we carry our stressors, traumas, difficulties, worries and pains in our bodies. The healing needs to be all encompassing. The hope is to help people gain relief and healing emotionally, spiritually and physically.
Meliora Wellness Center offers therapeutic services, psychological evaluations, supervision and consulting. But we also are in the process of expanding, to offer wellness services, such as therapeutic massage, restorative yoga and other healing practices. Imagine coming to a therapist, releasing emotional pain and then having a therapeutic massage waiting for you in the next room, so your body can also feel relief and ultimately heal. The area in the body where people carry stress will be the focus of this therapeutic treatment. There is a vast amount of research showing beneficial effects of therapeutic massage on stress, sleep patterns, depression, anxiety, and trauma, as well as various medical conditions including enhanced immune function. I am very excited about this next step.
This process has not, and is not easy. I have learned a lot in my long years of working in the public and private sectors. All my experiences have prepared me to take a leap of faith and make my dreams a reality. It excites me and makes me proud to have this vision slowly come to life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh boy… there are so many places to explore, but we would first take the train to Santa Barbara for a weekend. I love SB… breakfast at Caje Coffee Roaster, Farmers Market, Urban Flea Market and some shopping. Have to visit The Sacred Space (before they close) for some much needed meditation and relaxation. At the end of the weekend we would go to Salt Caves for a relaxing session, do some wine tasting and dine by the fire pit at Zaytoon. Because I love massages, it would be ideal to enjoy a wonderful massage at The Raven Spa in LA and maybe dinner at Barton G… just because their food presentation is out of this world.

I love discovering new places… we can also find some new spots together!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

My faith and my mom, who is watching over me from Heaven, have been my light in the darkest of days. My family and loved ones have been there supporting me, encouraging me, helping me fight my fears and rationalizing with me to keep me grounded. I am forever grateful to you all! Ser, without you I would still be where I was; you are making this happen with your gentle but firm push, no joke. I am eternally indebted to those who taught me, mentored me, guided me and educated me. I was lucky to have amazing professors, teachers, supervisors who helped me, in their own way, get to this point in my life and career. I am indeed forever grateful.

Website: www.meliorawellnesscenter.com

Instagram: @meliora_wellness_center

Image Credits
Shaverd Yan Photography

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