Indie-stry Guru: Laney Crowell of The Moment

In this new series, we’ll be sharing with you our ‘Indie-stry Gurus’. These gurus are paving the way where no one previously has, walking a path much less traveled, or building a legacy totally different than the rest. They are thought leaders and provokers from all different industries - beauty, wellness and beyond. They’re the people who ask not just “How?” but “Why?”, and most of all, they’re empowering others with knowledge, education and inspiration.

Kicking off our series is founder of The Moment, Laney Crowell. We talked to her about launching her website, her outlook on wellness and her sources of empowerment.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. My name is Helane Crowell. I was named after my grandmother, and my nickname since I was little has always been Laney. I am mother to a very sweet nine month old and run my own business where I consult with brands on their social media strategy and content. I also run The Moment, my website dedicated to redefining beauty. We focus on beauty foods, wellness from within, and of course, non-toxic beauty products.

We view you as an Indie-stry Guru of your field, which means you've paved a way no one previously had, or you're paving a way much different than the rest. What is your path or your journey, and what does it represent? For me, my path represents my journey of getting to know myself again. I spent years working in the corporate fashion and beauty world trying to be someone I wasn’t. Leaving my job and talking about what I’m curious and passionate about is my path to living my most authentic self and really finding my voice again.

Was there a pivotal point in your life that changed the trajectory of your journey, or the path you thought you should be on? When I decided to start my website. I’m always creating and dreaming, but this was a big commitment. I remember having to defend why I would take time away from my lucrative consulting business to start my website. I just felt like it was in my heart and what I was meant to do. From there, so many doors have opened and I feel like I am on my destined path.

What was the turning point for you that ultimately led to you starting The Moment? When I realized that no one was talking about beauty in the way that I was looking for. Beauty is a big, deep, spiritual topic, but people mainly just talk about products. Also, people look at Clean Beauty as niche. I see it as the future of beauty.

How do you define wellness? What does your wellness practice look like? I define wellness as being present, kind and peaceful. My wellness practice changes everyday but it always involves a morning meditation and eating high vibration foods.

What are your Top 5 Favorite Wellness products or practices?

1. My journal. When I’m feeling lost and ungrounded, spending 20 minutes writing changes everything. I quickly get to the root of what’s bothering me.
2. My bath. I’m big on bath rituals. I find them to be incredibly spiritual. I use bath salts, candles, dried flowers, face masks, and crystals to make the experience really restorative.
3. My skincare routine. Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish -- in fact, it’s the opposite. When I take a few minutes to pay attention to my skin and what it’s doing, and then treat it appropriately, I start the day on the right foot. I use my Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser, followed by a face oil, eye serum (right now I’m using Indie Lee’s I-Waken and loving it), and then sunscreen.
4. Meditation. I start every day with at least 10 minutes of meditation. It’s my medicine.
5. Positive thinking audiobooks. I listen to The Secret, The Law of Attraction, The Return to Love, and others, on repeat. They shift me in a really major way.

What are your morning and evening rituals? In the morning, I like to mediate. At night, I like to spend a little extra time on my skincare and then take a little Lord Jones CBD Tincture before going to sleep. It’s expensive but it’s been so major for me and my wellbeing.

How has motherhood shifted or reinforced your view on wellness? So much yes. I know that everything I do now she sees, so I need to be my best self. Any time I engage in negative talk, stress, overthink, I step back and ask myself, is this something I would be proud of her seeing? If the answer is no, I stop immediately. It’s also enforced my desire to succeed in my work. If I’m going to be spending time away from her, I want it to be for a really good reason. I also want her to grow up seeing a positive role model of a powerful mother.

What does empowerment mean to you? Listening to your truest inner voice.

Can you think of a challenging time in your life and share how you overcame it? Wow, too many to count. Leaving my corporate job was a big challenge for me. It was very emotional. I got over it by persevering and believing in myself, ultimately refusing to fail.

What advice that you would give your younger self? Be yourself. Believe in your power.

Who is a mentor or someone in your field that you look up to and why? I’ve always admired Tara Foley, the founder of Follain. She’s such a true and kind person, and so, so smart. I really admire everything she’s created and she’s been such a friend through my whole process of creating The Moment. Successful people who are genuine and nice, and don’t spend time with you just because you have money, or a lot of Instagram followers, are the people I respect the most.

Are there any exciting news or upcoming projects that you would like to share with our readers? We have a series coming out on The Moment that I’m so excited about. It’s called “What Does Clean Beauty Mean?” and we’ve interviewed incredible experts in the field. I’ve found that it’s such a grey area and people are always questioning what it means (and I think it means a lot of things), so I wanted to bring some clarity to it for people and offer different viewpoints.

A few just for fun - what’s your spirit animal? A dolphin. I actually thought I was a fish when I was younger. That’s how much I love being in the water! And, dolphins love being around their family, which is my happy place.

What’s something that you wish more people knew about you? I can’t think of anything! I’m an open book on social media!

What’s your guilty pleasure? Binge watching TV shows and staying up too late.

Beverage of choice? Cashew milk matcha latté made at home with Anima Mundi Coconut Creamer.

What’s your mantra you’d like to share with others? Be light. Be Love. Let Go.

Photography Credit: Belathée Photography