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

Hi Mickee, how did you come up with the idea for your business?

Mickee Yoginee Wellness stemmed from a very real need to heal my own body and has evolved multiple times over the last 9 years.

At the age of 20, my spine was deteriorated in two places leaving me in excruciating pain. The doctors’ recommendation for my healing was to take heavy doses of Vicodin and Soma, which as a college student simply did not work because they made me so sleepy I couldn’t make it to class. Knowing I didn’t want to be on pain medication and muscle relaxers the rest of my life, I sought out a Hot 26 yoga series that was know for spine health.

Within 3 practices, I was able to move about my day with significantly less pain. Within a week, I no longer needed the medication, and a month later I was signed up for my first yoga teacher training. I became a daily yoga practitioner and had better range of motion and body awareness than ever had before. I learned that I could heal myself.

The physical benefits of yoga were undeniable, but I found another realm of connection to self I never could have imagined. I was surrounded by spiritually inspired female teachers who taught me about our body’s vital energy, or chi. They taught me how to feel it, how to harness it, and how to balance it in myself through reiki.

I became reiki attuned in 2015, around the same time I was called to support women & families as a birth doula. In 2017 I launched my reiki practice in a clinical setting at a naturopathic health center who specialized in fertility support and women’s wellness. It was there I was introduced to and trained in the TCM healing modality of fire cupping.

In 2019 I felt called to shift my practice into a less clinical space and combined my offerings of Reiki, sound healing & cupping sessions into one beautifully balanced, peaceful private practice. Mickee Yoginee Wellness was born.

About a year later, I felt like I could help more so I decided to go back to school to study massage. It was here I learned Shiatsu, acupressure, circulatory and prenatal massage & absolutely fell in love with helping the body heal through sacred touch. My history with women’s wellness and fertility support inspired me to close my practice to men so I could focus on nurturing the female body in all her phases of life.

It sounds strange to say that I am grateful to have had a severe spinal injury, but without that call to heal myself, I would not have found my passion for helping other people heal themselves.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Since Mickee Yoginee Wellness has evolved over nearly a decade, it incorporates a wide variety of service and healing modalities into one practice.

When women come for a Holistic Bodywork session, they receive much more than a massage. We use bodywork, reiki, open dialog, and TCM techniques to target all layers of their being: physical, mental, emotional and energetic. These women leave with tools to nurture themselves outside of our session. Sometimes I give them yogic stretches, muscle testing/biofeedback, breathing techniques, book recommendations or affirmations to support them. Other times it could be something as simple as a recommendation to be barefoot more often or eat root vegetables.

There is no one size fits all with my practice, every session is uniquely tailored to that client, that day. My goal is to empower my clients to know that they are their best, most powerful healer. I am simply a helping hand.

I am most proud of my ability to flow with the practice as it feels the need to evolve. I follow what excites me and it always seems to bring abundance of love and amazing humans into my world. While of course there have been challenges along the way, the growth of my business has felt very organic. I am truly lit up by this work and love seeing that excitement reflected back at me in the women I get to serve.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

Oh gosh! This is a tricky one!!

I try my best to embody holistic, sustainable living and support other female business owners.

If I had a friend visiting me in Costa Mesa, I would start our day with brunch at Fermentation Farm because not only is their food delicious, they source locally and carry very clean, gut healthy yummies.

We would walk across the plaza to Fill Up, Buttercup! to stock up on all the non-toxic, ecofriendly body & home products in our reusable glass containers. The owner, Jamie, created Fill Up as a way to reduce single use plastic and bring the community together. Her shop feels like home and the staff feels like family so it is likely we’d stay there a while to chat.

A couple doors over is a sustainable bulk food shop, Amis de la Terre, where we could get some snackies to enjoy on our weekend. Next, we would head down to the beach to soak up some natural vitamin D and ground our energy in the sand.

When we are ready for dinner, we’d head over to Bear Flag, who catches all the fish they serve fresh daily, and perhaps have a cocktail if the evening feels right for it. It would be an early night with snuggles on the couch and a really good night’s sleep because it just feels so good for the body!!

Since we got plenty of rest the night before, we would start our morning with a yoga practice at RA yoga. Once we’ve showered and ready for food, we head over to Nourish Wellness Cafe for some vegan, organic, Ayurvedic foods and an authentic chai tea late. Cause yum!!

Perhaps we head back to the beach for a while to watch people surf and enjoy the coastline. When dinner rolls around once again, we head over to Gracias Madre for delicious vegan mexican food, gorgeous ambiance and delicious libations.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not be serving my community as I do without the mentorship and encouragement from Leah Lynn of Soul Factory. She was one of my favorite yoga teachers when I stared practicing, facilitated powerful reiki sessions for me and attuned me as a Reiki master. Leah has a beautiful energy, outlook on life and is one of the most supportive humans I know.

Website: www.mickeeyoginee.com

Instagram: @mickee_yoginee

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.