Meet Valerie Shortt & Camille Chavez | Holistic Wellness and Healing Vendors

We had the good fortune of connecting with Valerie Shortt & Camille Chavez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Valerie Shortt & Camille Chavez, what inspires you?
Both of us are inspired by the cyclical ways of nature through the seasons of the year and throughout life. We use this inspiration to create our products as they coincide with different needs during different cycles. We both have a deep connection to the land and the earth where we grow, tend and collect herbs and flowers. We both plant physical and metaphorical gardens in the spring and harvest our bounty in the fall. We use the winter time to rest and reconnect with ourselves, and the summertime to execute new ideas and utilize the fullness of our potential. We also know and respect the natural process that happens throughout life and beyond. Camille is an experienced psychic-medium that has been trained in the art of mediumship and psychic readings. We both feel a connection to this duality in life, and it too guides & inspires us in our healing and spiritual journey.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We are Valerie and Camille and we run Magikal Maiden. Overall, we are both spiritual healers and herbal practitioners. Our art is in what we create (including salves, balms, oils, kits, etc.) and in the services we provide. We both work with energetic healing and metaphysical divination. Camille is an experienced psychic-intuitive reader and clairsentient medium. Valerie’s works with astrology, herbal and plant medicine and tarot/oracle readings. We are most proud of how we have built our business from the ground up since 2018. We have come a long way in our journey together. We both traveled over 300 miles from our hometown in the Bay Area to San Diego and have gained so much experience working at pop-ups and gaining clients. The journey has not been the easiest, but it is so rewarding looking back at how much we have achieved together and separately. In many ways, we overcame challenges by trial and error. We learned what was important for pop-ups and what we needed to prioritize and how to keep our own energy leveled in hectic times. We’ve learned how to operate more professionally, connect with our clients on a deeper level and how to work as partners to co-create healing for others. Our goal together is to help others and introduce a more natural and connected way to growing and healing. We hope to facilitate healing energy for others in big and small ways as our journey continues.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Valerie: My favorite place to take visitors is Sunset Cliffs in Ocean Beach. This beach is what inspired me to move to San Diego in the first place. I also love Harland Brewery for a good iced matcha pastries and then get a juice or a smoothie at Rad Habits in South Park. I also love going to SDMake Cafe in North Park – they are an urban farm, restaurant, and events/catering company that helps provide paid, real-world work experience for low-income refugee and immigrant women and youth. I love to support their cause and their garden is beautiful all year long! I also love speakeasies and some of my favorites are False Idol, Nobel Experiment and Mothership. Where I live in North Park, there are so many fun places to eat and drink in walking distance such as Deja Brew, Part time Lover, Olympic Cafe, Swamis, Love Song and so much more!

Camille: For quick burger bite after drinks in North Park, I love the Friendly. It has a local touch and really affordable food and cocktails! Then I love going to Mujer Divina in Chula vista for coffee and taquitos. It’s women and Latina owned! I then love the Church of Herbalism in Chicano park to get medicinals for mind, body & soul enrichment of all kinds. I also really enjoy Modrn Medicine for ayurvedic drinks and food. They have amazing cacao drinks and drinks personalized for different energetic intentions. I love going to Barrio Logan and Chicano Park in general for all things culture and art.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We’d love to shoutout our dear friends Mariana Covarrubias and Vannak Seang of Deja Brew Lounge in North Park. In the beginning of us getting started as a small business, they were essential to our success and a jumping off point for getting out in the real world. Valerie lives close to Deja Brew and became a regular during the pandemic. During that time she became close with the owners and developed a friendship with them. Once Camille moved to San Diego, they got to know both of us, even hiring Camille for part time work to help her get on her feet. They eventually offered us a space to vend at one of their pop-up events and a permanent spot in their shop to place our products. They have always been generous, kind, supportive and encouraging when it comes to our business and we are forever grateful for them.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MagikalMaiden

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magikalmaiden/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MagikalMaiden2018/

Image Credits
Michelle Shortt