Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Melody Paniagua of Flushing

Melody Paniagua shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Melody, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I am filling this out as we approach the end of October overjoyed by what’s to come to kick off November. I am participating and running in my first ever marathon. It just happens to be one of the most famous marathons in the world in the city where I am a native, and that’s NYC. The nerves and the jitters are real. Joy is the biggest emotion I feel.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I am so thrilled to be in this virtual space with you! My name is Melody (feel free to call me Mel). I am a NYC based Latina from the Dominican Republic currently living in Queens, NY. I am a Bilingual School Counselor in an NYC Public School serving Middle School students, and a Small Business Owner, which was the opportunity that brought me here. I am the owner and creative behind Making Magical Candles, my Etsy Storefront, and physical business centered around creating intention candles, and wellness hubs/forums locally in NYC. I started Making Magical Candles in December 2020 with the mission of making wellness accessible, tangible, and connected to the spiritual. This has blossomed into an extensive candle collection, wellness events serving NYC-based women, online forums/workshops, and participation in various popup events.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
The best way to answer this question is to define a moment early on that made me feel magical and instilled hope/drive for a better future. Coming from a single parent household, the financial challenges often dictated conditions and access to resources. An additional layer to this was also not speaking the language. The moment where I felt most magical, most powerful, was learning English and getting to lose myself in that gain in the most enriching way and that was through literature. The first book(s) I felt made me feel powerful, gave me hope, and also changed a lot of the way I viewed myself as an only child, came through the Harry Potter series. One of the most fondest memories come from growing up with the series, and always awaiting a new book in the collection!

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
One thing for sure would be: “your feelings are your superpower.” I feel like I held back so much and silenced myself based on how I would sound, how I would make others feel, or the fear of coming off as too emotional. I wish I trusted in the power of my voice sooner as advocating, and taking risks, has completely changed the trajectory of my life.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is MOST DEFINITELY the real me. I speak to children everyday on the value of being themselves, speaking their truth, learning accountability and personal responsibility, so they always show up as the best version of themselves.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
There is nothing more luxurious and more expensive than your inner peace. This year I got the blessing to finally get my own place. I have the privilege of living on my own in NYC and there is nothing that makes me feel most at peace than coming home to the ambient lighting the candle warmer provides, and the warm scent of the life that you have worked so hard to build, and continue building.

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