Tell us about the journey that inspired FaceGym?
I was living in the Hollywood Hills when the big financial crash happened and our board game (which she co-founded with Daya Fernandez and later sold to Hasbro) didn’t do as well as it should have done. The stress of ideating a concept as nuts as Hollywood Domino and bringing it into 120 Walmart stores in nine months, was so draining. My dream was shattered and I was a mess. My body was collapsing from lack of sleep, stress and I had borderline depression. I’d had no mentorship or advice, and at that point, I realised I needed to get out, so I booked a one-way ticket to India. “I decided I was going to travel the world to find out how to be successful and healthy. I couldn’t find balance; every time I did something in
business, it was all or nothing. Building a business shouldn’t cost you your health – I thought there must be techniques you can teach yourself to manage stressful moments. For me, it was about learning meditation and yoga.
I was in Rishikesh learning meditation when Gillian de Bono (editor of the FT’s How To Spend It) called and asked what I was up to. She was intrigued by the idea of walking away from corporate life and going on a huge journey of self-discovery. As we talked more, she decided I should go undercover as the spa and wellness industry was so unregulated, and said: ‘I want you to find out what is going on’. I literally couldn’t write a shopping list back then but she mentored me and for the next few years I would review without fear or favour, uncovering the good, the bad and the downright terrible underbelly of the wellness industry.
Describe some of your experiences?
I spent time at Uluru with the Aboriginals; in the jungles of Mexico and in the Amazon, working with local tribes, sourcing sustainable products. I was totally on my own, travelling on a one-way ticket like a backpacker. I would talk to people next to me at dinners, prayer groups, meditation sessions or on planes and plan my journey based on their recommendations and experiences. I met someone who told me about a fasting retreat in Thailand and I lived there in a monastery for weeks, drinking broth and learning how to alkaline your life and reduce the risk of cancer. I was mummified in pink clay- drenched bandages in Mexico and human wrapped (OnoMaki) in Japan. There were some scary moments, too – once, I was assaulted by a male massage therapist in Turkey - that made me aware of the shady stuff that can happen on the road less travelled, particularly if you are a young woman. There are also a lot of vulnerable women of all ages who think that a new face or a new nose is the ticket to a new life, and who are exploited by charlatan doctors, so It felt really empowering to reveal this side of the industry.
What prompted your lightbulb moment?
I had a series of really bad procedures over a three-month period [in late 2013] and looked terrible. I saw a different doctor every month and was given what seemed like a lifetime of injectables.