Meet Jodi Mannis

We recently connected with Jodi Mannis and have shared our conversation below.

Jodi, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I believe that creativity is a continuous journey & it evolves as we do as a person. I like to surround myself with a community that inspires my heART, always wanting to explore experiences of wonderment for all the senses, keeping my mind open to different perspectives & most importantly I have learned to sit in discomfort because that is where the light shines in. Its all about maintaining a positive mindset & being open to the possibilities of the world around me!

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Born and raised in Los Angeles, I like to refer to myself as a “unicorn” because there are not so many of us who can say we are truly an Angeleno! If I had to use a few words to describe myself I would say I am an Urban Hippie with a Gypsy Soul. It’s always so strange to try to encompass how I got here and who I am— because I am just being me and just like my crystal cookies, I don’t really fit into any specific category.

I am a creative soul, a women, a designer, an idealist, a thinker, a doer, a dreamer, a daughter, a sister, a friend & most importantly a mama of two inspiring kiddos. After my divorce, I was looking to get back into the creative space but kept being told I was “irrelevant” & being asked where I had been since I worked in a different field for my fulltime job while still freelancing design as a side hustle so I could focus on my young family. I used baking & cooking as apart of my healing journey & always shared the kitchen with my kiddos for connection & obviously its apart of my love language. Valentine’s Day 2018- 6 year post divorce, I created my first crystal cookie not for a brand but actually for my kiddos.

The creation of the first crystal cookie was seamless; as I now look back fondly & realized each and every cookie is the perfect mix of all the parts of me– which is authentic to the brand itself.

the heARTist+ the mama+ the believer.

I created something different, a feast for all the senses, something that speaks to so many, in so many different ways- which I believe is very hard to do in this day and age. Not only did I create a beautiful cookie that can be admired visually, I also created a delicious cookie that invites you to stop for a moment to be present– & you can’t help but make you smile while admiring them — a cookie is something of comfort, soul food if you will– each Good Vibes Crystal Cookie reminds you to hold onto hope of the unimaginable– as it can be obtained– because if I can create a cookie, thats a crystal, thats a cookie you can be anything too!!

So when you ask what’s most exciting about my brand– I would say “it is EVERY DELICIOUS MORSEL!”
Starting at the buttery sweet shortbread bottom, balanced with a slight salty chaser, to the silky frosting center, topped with a very slight confectionary sugar crunch that is hand painted/crystal infused — Good Vibes Cookie Co is here celebrating our uniqueness and reminding is that life can be perfectly imperfect and still be wrapped in gold.   If that isn’t enough to get your taste bunds flowing, each box is baked with Sweet intentions even down to the unique packaging.  We added the component of crystal healing to each and every cookie– so when you purchase a Good Vibes Crystal Cookie, not only do you have a beautiful and delicious cookie, but you receive the crystal meaning with each and every cookie.  Be it an individual cookies like the XL shaped heART, or something so special like our 6 cookie chakra box — we make the most unique gift out there to delight anyone from your friend who likes shiny fashionable beautiful things, the foodie or even the crystal totting hippie — or if you are like me, all of the above.   Good Vibes Cookie Co really is something that needs to be experienced first hand– seeing is truly believing that a cookie can be sparkle with heARTistic flair & still be delicious & meaningful.

In the past 5+ years since the creation of our first small round crystal cookie, I can say that the evolution of the brand & our Good Vibes community is anything but your basic batch. Not only are we innovators offering so many unique shapes & sizes of our crystal cookies, we are proud to share in crystal healing magic offering a unique activation of Crystal Readings for Events using our crystal cookies. We like to say that this is the most “palatable” way for anyone to lean into crystal healing 😉 Baked with love in Los Angeles, CA- our heARTS know no bounds & travel all over the USA for personal deliveries, catering corporate events and also appearing in person for crystal readings. No matter the size of the event— we will be there to support your shine!

The holidays are approaching and we are so excited to be apart of the gift giving experience for everyone on your list & being apart of your celebrations. Be it for a holiday party or just a day of celebrating everyday magic, we look forward to expanding past our wildest dreams in hopes of global expansion — I wasn’t kidding about that idealistic heART of mine 😉

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Resilience + Idealism + Tenacity

Hitting rock bottom at mid life was the scariest thing I had ever been through.
I had to choose to pick myself up, to remind myself all he amazing dreams my younger self had where still possible & make that sharp pivot.

I think the hardest part was allowing myself the space to reimagine the meaning of life, what I wanted my legacy to look like & not what the societal confines had created for me. I am so grateful for the support of my family & friends who always believed in my magic– always cheering me on, reminding me to to not only chase my dreams but being behind me every step of the way no matter how hard the hills have been to climb. My immediate family has always created a community that is not only the biggest gift not only the biggest gift for me, but also for my kiddos — because when it is all said and done, its not the money that tells your story, its the human connection that paints the beautiful landscape of your life.

I do believe that my story is one of hope — and if someone hears one of the many parts and it gives them support during their darkest days and reminds them to move forward. It was finally leaning into and embracing all the beautiful pieces of myself – some broken, some shinning & piecing them all back together with gold (both literally and figuratively- Wabisabi style) For so many years I was playing it small, but it wasn’t till now that I have allowed myself to step into the arena and shine– to be and do what others have seen in me all a long.

Good Vibes Cookie Co is the biggest gift I could have ever “baked” for myself— which in turn has now been a gift and story of hope for others to plant their own seeds and keep blooming. I am hopeful that the Good Vibes Cookie Co brand can one day help facilitate a nonprofit to help dreams and doers like me– to help pave a road for others since I have been told so many times that that I am “too much” or to “simplify” my brand. Life isn’t simple– so why should your cookies be?!?!

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The biggest gift my parents gave my sister and I is the daily reminder that everyone deserves to be seen, heard & celebrated.

I grew up with two working parents– who worked together in their own small business… who instilled the work ethic & moral compass that I share today though Good Vibes Cookie Co.

So as you can imagine– #couplegoals is literally a thing in my world. My dad came from bare beginnings, but the union of their two heARTS built not only a home & successful business but also a community we can still call “home” today even after they retired years ago.  My parents owned and ran a small business my whole life, that I worked in with my babies in tow before & after my divorce.  This is the business I learned my work ethic from, I learned how to relate with others of all communities & am so grateful to aided me to having the space & time to lead to the creation of Good Vibes Cookie Co.

My parents each shined in their own way– but what they did together was show me & everyone they came into contact with that anything is possible when surrounded by the right people & support their light. As I grew, so did their business & I am so lucky to have seen both my parents take so many people under their wings & support them in their own ways … so much of what they both did is mirrored in my business, the way I live and how I choose to raise my kiddos.

The only competition they ever had was to make everyday better than the last … we were raised on community — that helping others was more important that the dollar signs in your bank account. That dreams can be reality— This was something that my grandparents instilled in them & I am hopeful it will follow through my legacy and beyond.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Formal Portrait of Jodi Mannis- Photographer Liz Bretz All other pictures Good Vibes Cookie Co

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