Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Parkos.
Hi Melissa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your Story and how you got to where you are today.
Our Story Collectively, this has been a long time coming. A vision for fresh, convenient options in the St. Croix River Valley has been something we have been dreaming up and working towards for longer than either of us would like to admit. Our separate visions came together as things in our world seemed to split during the pandemic. We realized that convenient, fresh, wellness-boosting options and a soul that help support and build our community was something we were craving. We decided on The Goodery because it is much more than offering product – it is about Doing Good, Spreading Good, and being Good (as good as we can).
Melissa:
Sometimes I joke that I am a serial small business starter. I love to create something from the ground up. Putting in the sweat (and often tears) to see it come to life is incredibly rewarding for me. My career started at the corporate level – I worked for many years at Best Buy Corp, holding roles in Supply Chain, Purchasing, and Marketing. There were even a couple of years that I worked Internationally in China, Turkey, and Mexico City. I always say that these roles helped give me the well-rounded experience to run my small businesses.
After I had my amazing kiddos, I started a marketing consulting firm for small businesses as a side gig. I loved it – I started realizing that I was inserting myself into all aspects of the business – not just marketing. When an opportunity came to own my store while living outside Chicago – I leaped and opened Jori and June (a women’s clothing and accessory store). After one more move back to Minnesota (yes, I moved a lot – every three years, a new state.) I ended up opening the second location in beautiful downtown Stillwater. I loved having a store downtown and seeing and meeting new customers daily. At this point, I had the store for 5 years, and my kids were starting to get way more active in sports and activities. With the lease coming up, I decided not to renew and to focus on them. If there is one thing to know about me, I am an open book. I truly believe that being authentic, transparent, and vulnerable is something to be celebrated.
Today, we live in a world that displays and promotes unrealistic expectations – especially for women (and moms). My goal has always been to use the platform of my businesses to showcase “real-life” situations, which means sometimes they are good, but sometimes they are not – and that is OKAY! Fast forward to where we are today. If you meet Emily, you will instantly feel a connection. She is one of the kindest souls I have ever met – incredibly intelligent. We both connected on the challenges of running a household, maintaining a business, and raising children. We find ourselves researching and practicing healthy life choices (as much as possible) in our own lives and wanted to join efforts to bring this to others. The first thing we wanted to introduce was the juices and cleanses. This is one way to simultaneously get a lot of good into your body. We all lead busy lifestyles that we often forget to take care of ourselves. But, I always say that to be good for others, I must first be good to myself. Do we claim to be THE experts?! Heck no. What we do know is there are so many of us out there trying to get through each day. We are so excited to start this journey with all of you – and to see how the Goodery grows. Always remember to Be The Good.
– Melissa Parkos
Emily:
At 16, I lost my mom to cancer—she was far too young, only 40 years old. Because of that experience, health and wellness from a preventative standpoint became a priority to me. Whole foods, good sleep, regular exercise, mindfulness, time outdoors, and focusing on presence over perfection have long since been strong interests. Easy stuff—right?? It is not always easy in practice, even with the strongest “whys” behind it. As you likely know, sleeping with a newborn is often a little too zippo. When my oldest kiddo, Geno, was born, I wasn’t taking care of myself as well as I should have been.
My body wasn’t happy and was depleted after 9 months of pregnancy and a zombie walking through the first couple of months with a newborn. Warning signs started popping up, and I ignored them. Throughout a couple of months, in and out of many doctors’ and specialists’ offices, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, and I realized quickly that it was time to focus on myself again. Throughout her wellness battle, my mom had introduced me to juicing, so I understood the benefits (though, as a kid at the time, I didn’t fully grasp the importance). Later, her juicer came with me when I moved away from home. It was time to get that baby back in action. Juicing became a big part of my journey back to health but was just one piece of the puzzle. Based on recommendations from my doctors and natural medicine practitioners, it was not only important but necessary that I take better care of myself. Through a process of cutting out all the bad (even my morning coffee—ugh), pouring all of the good nutrients in, sleeping more (I had to lean into my “village” for this one big time), moving my body more, and working through my stressors differently.
I allowed my body time to heal and, in turn, send my autoimmune condition into “remission”. And I can happily say that going 4 years without a symptom made that 3-6 month reset so worth it! Woop Woop! Not everyone needs to jump into such a big reset, but for me, that’s what worked, and because of that reset, I can live in a more balanced world again as long as I am mindful of getting enough of the good stuff and keeping the not so good habits in check. My body is stronger now and can handle me throwing it for a curveball here and there. It has become clear that what we put into our bodies and how we care for them truly does matter, and if we listen just the slightest to our bodies, they will tell us what we need and let us know when they need more love. I truly believe that balance is possible.
Wellness isn’t black and white—One good choice leads to another good choice, so keep taking small steps in the right direction, and your mind and body will thank you. My husband Dave and I moved around quite a bit before settling here—something Melissa and I have in common. After a few years wandering through MN, the Netherlands, Wales, and CO, 5 years ago, we decided to call Stillwater our home after falling in love with its charm. We have 2 boys, 2 cats (Dolce & Louie), 2 turtles (Sticker & Sam), and our most recent addition–rescue pup (Flynn). After staying home with our boys for years, I started to dabble in some consulting work and then jumped in head first, realizing how much I loved it. Now, having spent the past two years consulting with local small businesses, helping them through their pain points, and helping to grow—I am so inspired every day. There is just something about the connection and passion in small business that I have fallen in love with. That local, small-town feel, this community, the people, and the beautiful friendships we have built here have become very important to us, which brings us to this next adventure.
Melissa and I met at a kid’s birthday party—our kiddos brought us together first. I was instantly intrigued by her ability to run multiple successful businesses in multiple states while still being present in her family life and friendships, all while somehow making it look effortless and graceful. The more I got to know her, the more I realized that this is something she works at and is intentional about. She is incredibly strong, disciplined, and purposeful, allowing her to succeed in many different spaces. Our instant connection (and lots of sideline time together on the lacrosse fields) led to many real conversations about our struggles in trying to do what’s best for ourselves while striving to be sure we are doing right by our kiddos simultaneously. Out of these conversations, our similar busy schedules, shared passion for local and small businesses, and common desire to make good choices for ourselves and our families, The Goodery came to light—easy and convenient good choices for busy people, a source of encouragement in our community, and your reminder that (big or small) every single good choice matters. Grateful for the opportunity to be on this life journey with all of you!
-xoxo, Emily
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting up and owning a small business– things never go as planned. The nature of small business means there will always be ups and downs, things are constantly shifting and changing, and we are constantly problem-solving. Our biggest hurdles and challenges have been licensing, equipment, supply chain, costs and margins, and scaling super quickly. That is part of the small business journey, being prepared to learn and make shifts as necessary day in and day out.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Goodery Co.?
The Goodery offers fresh pressed juices, cleanses, and other convenient wellness products to help make healthy choices simple. Our entire menu was created with health and specific wellness needs in mind, using primarily just fresh fruits and veggies, never any preservatives, additives, or yuck. Since than we have explanded into natural skin care, gifts and more.
We love surprises, fun facts, and incredible stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?Contact Info:
- Website: www.thegoodery.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGooderyCo
Image Credits
Naomi Leister
