WELLNESS

Empowered: A Motivational Journal for Women by Michaela Renee Johnson

Review By Britain Campbell Art submitted

The first thing I noticed about Johnson’s motivational journal for women is how cute the design is. There are colorful doodles and quotes placed all throughout and it really makes filling this book out more enjoyable.

In the journal, Johnson points out different aspects of what it takes to achieve your dreams, or at the very least, to prevent yourself from getting in the way of achieving them. She gives you prompts, motivational tips and little (fun!) exercises to try to help you set goals for yourself.

Her wording is descriptive and provides a clear understanding of what she is saying to you and (for the exercises) what she suggests you draw, practice, etc. I believe she made a smart decision making a journal versus a normal selfhelp book mainly because a journal allows someone to organize the jumbled thoughts in their head by putting them down on paper. It allows the person to think more clearly and deeper about the subject matter, which I would argue is important for it to be effective.

The length of the journal is not intimidating, coming in at about 140 pages, which makes it a more likely “pick up” than others may be.

Overall, Johnson created an eye-catching, inspirational journal that I believe many women would enjoy.

2020

CALLING ALL 2020 BRIDES! WE WANT TO FOCUS ON YOU AND YOUR SPECIAL DAY

IN BRIDES MAGAZINE 2021.

SUBMIT PHOTOS & THE STORY OF YOUR SPECIAL DAY TO NEWS@ DAILYLEADER.COM.

Medspa: Getting rejuvenated

Day spa, medical clinic opens in Brookhaven

Area residents who want to reverse the signs of aging or repair damaged skin no longer have to drive to Hattiesburg, Jackson or the Coast to visit a medical spa.

Brookhaven Medspa opened in late April after Gov. Tate Reeves gave the go-ahead for cosmetics-related businesses to open after the first blast of the coronavirus eased off. Business has been brisk since then, with an unexpectedly

Story By Robin Eyman Photos Submitted

high number of clients booking treatments to rejuvenate their skin or take years off their appearance, owner Dr. Ryan Case said.

A medical spa is a combination of a day spa and a medical clinic, offering the best of both — a relaxing spa experience with treatments, procedures and expertise only found at a doctor’s office.

Brookhaven MedSpa is in the historic McGrath building, constructed in the late 1880s on South Railroad Avenue, where the McGrath family owned the largest department store between New Orleans and Memphis.

The spa occupies 2,000 square feet of space in the 200 block of South Railroad. The space has an airy, relaxed atmosphere and décor that accentuates historically unique tin pressed ceilings, mullion and transom windows, hardwood floors and high ceilings.

Opposite page, Dr. Ryan Case is flanked by his staff, from left, Tessa Bradford, Caroline Mills and Lindsey Foster.

“I remodeled to keep the historical relevance of the building, and I wanted it to have a different feel, not real stuffy or formal, but a relaxing, upscale place,” Case said.

Considering COVID-19, he’s been pleasantly surprised that the staff’s schedules stay full and Medspa has a lot of repeat business.

“I guess part of the popularity is that people are hearing from friends and colleagues on Zoom meetings and they want to look their best,” Case said. “I’ve talked with my counterparts in major cities like Dallas and they’ve seen an increase in clients too.”

A number of local residents who used to go out of town for these services are now using MedSpa, he added.

Case and his aestheticians (staff trained in the beautification of skin) offer numerous services. They include microderm abrasion, HydraFacial, Juvederm gel injectables and Botox. Also available are facials, waxing, eyelashes, and laser treatment for hair removal, facial rejuvenation and tattoo removal.

Medspa also sells ZO medical skincare products created by Dr. Zein Obaji and Jane Iredale’s natural skincare makeup.

The most popular treatment

HydraFacial, a name-brand treatment, is by far the most popular treatment at Medspa, Case said.

“There are a lot of spinoffs or buddy brands available, but the materials used in HydraFacial are more expensive than some of the knockoffs,” he said.

HydraFacial is a medical-grade resurfacing treatment that deep cleans, exfoliates, hydrates and moisturizes the skin.

“HydraFacial involves using a vacuum and different serums to pull off outer layers of skin, clean the oil out and minimize wrinkles,” Case said. “The treatment infuses the skin with different serums to give the skin a hydrated, dewy look.”

Case said the success of HydraFacial grew nationwide after word got out that a lot of movie stars have the procedure done before they get in front of the cameras. It makes the complexion glow and brightens it up.

InStyle magazine’s website touts HydraFacial as one of the most popular treatments performed nationwide in medical settings.

Case has more than 10 years’ experience in using injectables for facial rejuvenation and is a member of the Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

“Nothing reverses the signs of aging like medically-administered skincare treatments and products,” Case said.

He is a board-certified otolaryngologist specializing in the treatment of ear, nose and throat disorders, allergy and immunology, and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. Case also can perform facelifts.

His experience with cosmetic treatments is an outgrowth of his ENT practice and his medical training at the University of Mississippi. His training included four years of med school and five years of residency.

The Brookhaven native, who graduated from high school in Long Beach, met his wife Wendi in college. Both were interested in medicine. She decided to become a stay-at-home mother because of the hours involved in being a doctor.

The couple married 18 years ago, and have a 17-year-old son, Corey, and a 13-year-old daughter, Olivia. The family attends Faith Presbyterian Church, where Case is a deacon. His wife is involved in charitable organizations.

In 2012, Case bought out Dr. Joseph Mooney’s ENT practice and the McGrath building, which housed a bank after the McGrath department store closed. Mooney had owned the building since the 1990s.

“Training in ENT encompasses facial plastic surgery, cancers and pediatric problems,” Case said. “There are training programs for doctors who want to exclusively do plastic surgery after a year or two, and that’s more common in urban areas.”

“I wanted to practice the full practice of ENT and knew I wanted to live in a city of this size, but I didn’t realize this area is a right fit for a medical spa.”

How MedSpa was born

Case was offering aesthetic services at his 8,500-squarefoot clinic and was surprised to see an increasingly high demand for cosmetic appointments. The owner of a music store next to the clinic in the same building wanted to move to a smaller space, so Case began plans to remodel the space and open Medspa. Interior doors allow Case to go back and forth from the clinic to the spa.

“The timing was right,” he said.

Tessa Bradford, his senior aesthetician, has gone through advanced training and is also the spa’s laser technician.

Lindsey Foster is the spa’s newest aesthetician, and Caroline Mills is the marketing and patient coordinator.

Case likens taking care of your skin to going to a gym.

“If you come in and get a procedure, your skin will look good, but if you don’t take care of it, the good look will go away,” he said. “Using skincare products tailored to your type of skin makes a

Dr. Ryan Case says it’s a privilege to be that involved in the lives of people who want medical cosmetics.

difference. Coming back at intervals makes a big difference. We have a lot of return business.”

Medspa has been practicing safety precautions because of the coronavirus. Case wants to hold an open house when the health scare eases up. He wants people to feel comfortable coming in off the street and asking questions. He also wants the waiting room to be more like a relaxed living room.

“It may sound hokey, but medical cosmetics is a little bit like an art form,” Case said. “It’s neat to see people come in and express how they want to look different and then know that they’re satisfied. It’s a privilege to be that involved in somebody’s life.”

Jason McDonald and Timothy Gipson run the Great Mississippi Tea Company.

The Great Mississippi Tea Company

Local tea farm gains world-wide following

Story & Photos By Hunter Cloud

Rows of tea plants grow in a quiet field off of East Lincoln Road.The occasional car passes by and honks to a waving Jason McDonald, who is CEO and founder of The Great Mississippi Tea Company.

Just 15 years ago, McDonald and his husband Timothy Gipson were living on the coast of Mississippi when Hurricane Katrina struck a deathblow to McDonald’s timber farm in Walthall County that he had inherited.

“Seventy-five percent of the timber was destroyed,” McDonald said. “Knowing we were going to inherit this farm, we knew we wanted to come up with something that could withstand hurricanes.”

McDonald said he didn’t want to be a cow farmer. When he traveled to Savannah, he was handed a tea bag saying America’s only tea garden based out of Charleston, South Carolina.

It was in Charleston where McDonald realized that the tea plant Camellia Sinensis was a great fit for the hot and humid climate of Brookhaven, Mississippi.

“The only problem is we saw a working farm and said ‘that looks easy,’” McDonald said. “We didn’t understand what it took to get there.”

What it took was a few mistakes such as planting at the wrong

The Great Mississippi Tea Company is nestled in southeastern Lincoln County.

time, and planting in areas where an army worm nest destroyed a few rows of tea plants.

While the company is led by McDonald, an honorary colonel in Kentucky according to a framed letter in their home, it is a group effort as Gipson has learned more about tea to help his husband.

“Jason wanted to jump off into something else.” Gipson said “Then I just supported him to do it. As we started doing more and more, I learned more about the tea.”

Together since 2005, it wasn’t until 10 years later they were married. An article in The Daily Leader on July 3, 2015, states that Gipson and McDonald were the first legally-married same sex couple in Lincoln County.

The two laughed in the kitchen of their home as they tried to explain the complexities behind being together for 15 years and only being legally married for about five of those years. McDonald said they had the license for a year before they were married.

“We are married, if he claims me,” McDonald said.

The processing stage of making the tea is done by Gipson and takes a couple of days. When Gipson first started he would write things down in a notebook. The notes are no longer written down by hand as Gipson pointed to a Microsoft excel spreadsheet on a computer screen. He said that everything is quantitative because it’s easier to teach people numbers.

Now the couple have not only hit full stride with their business but are tackling a new challenge during the Coronavirus. Typically they would be giving tours of their tea farm and the tea production process, but due to social distancing they can not do so.