I’d been a night owl for as long as I can remember. Rarely did I sleep before midnight or 2am, and I most certainly didn’t wake up before 9 or 10am on my own accord. I believed that I got my best work done in the wee hours of the night, free of interruption and ample time to think. Some of the best papers I’ve written began at 12am and under the pressure of a deadline.

Recently, however, I began to question this way of thinking, which led me upon a quest that at the start felt so important, but in hindsight was shortsighted as my journey was longer than I expected. I’d thought that I was on a path to meditation, but little did I know that further along my way I’d find something truly enriching.

I started reading a lot about the ingredients in our beauty products, as well as the chemicals in our food, during my sophomore year in college. My curiosity was sparked when the Environmental Working Group (EWG) launched their Skin Deep database in 2004 and when I discovered the Seafood Watch consumer guides...These resources made me more conscious of what I was putting into and onto my body. At first, I monitored my products here and there, but mostly continued using many of the same brands due to a lack of availability of something purer.

I had a fascination with psychology from a young age and a strong desire to help others, to make a difference in their lives somehow. Little did I know the barriers to helping others I’d run into in the real world, however. I found myself trapped in an unbending medical system that focused all too much on dollar signs...