Merina Ty-Kisera has been passionate about health and healing since childhood. her commitment to mind-body health stems from her childhood disability from developmental dysplasia and the experience of decades of pain. Ty-Kisera graduated high school with the a Who’s Who among American High School Students and college with the CCEBMS award for outstanding journalism and college cable programming. Upon graduation from UMASS,Amherst, she moved to Los Angeles, and worked in the television and film industry. She wrote for many health and wellness programs including KLOS LA. After a few years toiling in Hollywood, (small fish, big pond) she was not so gently encouraged by her father to get her MBA, which she dutifully did with her focus on international business. Ty-Kisera worked in corporate world writing business plans and marketing strategies and consulting with various internet companies and startups. Upon relocating to San Francisco, she was offered a consulting position with Levi Strauss & Co, where she restructured their worldwide operational workflow procedures, which integrated and unified every department and process across the company. After a fruitful decade in the Bay Area, Ty-Kisera was offered the Chief Operating Officer position for a medical devices company back in southern California. Although reluctant to leave beautiful San Francisco, the offer was too good to refuse. During her tenure as COO, she increased their revenue 65% and developed standard operating procedures for FDA, supply chain and manufacturing. it was grueling work and didn’t spark her passion. She began to develop mysterious health issues and she knew it was time to move on. So, back to school she went. to pursue her love, alternative medicine. she got her master of science in Acupuncture and Oriental medicine and specialized in Worsley Five Element acupuncture which is based on emotional and spiritual health of the patient. Ty-Kisera’s practice, Merina Wellness, specializes in releasing the root cause of stress, increasing stress tolerance, and helping patients move through the psychosocial/emotional issues underlying their symptoms. Once she was introduced to essential oils, she pursued certification in aromapoint therapy. Then after two years of testing, she developed her own version of acupressure with essential oils to empower her patients. She teaches AromaPoint Alchemy to her patients and the community. She happily lives in Asheville, NC with her partner and pets. (Neleke, I would like to have this rewritten before it is published, THANKS!)