Well+Good was created to answer all the questions our friends, friends of friends, and perfect strangers wanted to know about health, beauty, fitness, and well-being, as soon as they found out what we did for a living.

As two journalists on this beat for national magazines—and how beauty products, alternative medicine, and spa practices work (or fail to)—we noticed that these topics weren’t really being reported in New York City for New Yorkers. So we put the spotlight on the huge yoga community here, called upon the New Yorkers crazy for kombucha to explain themselves, recognized that green markets are as beloved as museums, and saluted the battle between two top-rung Spinning studios that’s approaching Mets vs. Yankees level.

As a result, we’ve become a wellness wire service. We get New Yorkers’ pressing self-care questions answered from local experts like acupuncturists and nutritionists, vet affordable and accessible well-being experiences, and cover journalistically what people here do in their own lives to feel well and good. Wellness culture is alive and well in NYC. In fact, it’s Well+Good.

Founders

Alexia Brue was a contributing editor at Luxury SpaFinder and Spa magazines and is the author of Cathedrals of the Flesh: My Search for the Perfect Bath (Bloomsbury). She has an MA in arts & culture journalism from the Columbia School of Journalism and has written for the New York Times Magazine, Vogue, and Conde Nast Traveler among others. Alexia has appeared on the Travel Channel, NPR’s All Things Considered, BBC Radio, and more.
Wellness Habitat: West Side Highway running path, Chelsea Market, Sunrise Mart, Flywheel, Equinox, Foot Heaven, and Moomah
alexia@wellandgoodnyc.com

Melisse Gelula is the former editor-in-chief of SpaFinderLifestyle.com, spa beauty editor at Luxury SpaFinder Magazine, and travel editor at Fodor’s Travel Publications. She has an MA in English Literature from the University of Toronto and has completed six years of training as a psychoanalyst. Melisse has written for such publications as Departures and Budget Travel and has been featured as an industry expert in the New York Times and on CNN.com, the Travel Channel, E! News, and more.
Wellness Habitat: Prospect Park 5K loop, CoreFusion anything at Exhale, Flatbush Food Co-op, and Julia March
melisse@wellandgoodnyc.com

Contributors

Bora Chang was part of the staff at Real Simple and Blueprint, and has contributed to Glamour, Women’s Health, and Bon Appetit, among others. She currently works as a pastry cook in a Union Square basement kitchen.
Wellness habitat: Third Root Community Health Center for acupuncture, Hudson River Park for running, greenmarkets, any place that sells kombucha for less than $3.99.

Lisa Elaine Held is a part-time student at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, where she has reported on health, the social implications of disease, and the environment. She worked in nonprofits for the past several years, where she developed a passion for wellness as a vehicle for creating healthy and peaceful individuals and communities.
Wellness habitat: Astoria’s Natural Market, Kempo, and anything else that can be done in my living room

Kathleen Kincaid is an online product management, social media, and user experience design consultant with experience in content and tool driven websites. She’s worked for Microsoft, Yahoo!, Real Simple Magazine, Condé Nast Digital and numerous start-ups.
Wellness habitat: NYC’s ice skating rinks, rollerblade-friendly roads, and tennis courts

Jerusha Klemperer is the program manager for Networks and Partnerships at Slow Food USA. She’s the editor of the Slow Food USA blog, a contributor to the Huffington Post and Civil Eats, and blogs at www.eathere2.blogspot.com.
Wellness habitat: Printing House Fitness, The Shala, Kula Yoga Project. Last summer she learned how to ride a bike.

Hillary Leeb, a soon-to-be graduate of Dickinson College, has already worked for Budget Travel Magazine and SpaFinderLifestyle.com, where she penned a piece on benefits of wine over “healthy” resveratrol drinks. At Well+Good, Hillary contributes to the Events Calendar and holistic how-tos.
Wellness habitat: Equinox, Om Factory, running in Central Park

Allison Richard is a YogaWorks-certified, vinyasa-loving teacher at several studios around NYC and is a writer for YogaCityNYC, Yoga Digest, Ideal Bite, and Yogi Times Magazine.
Wellness habitat: The Natural Pet, Union Square Greenmarket, The Wine Therapy, Red Flower, jogging in Central Park

Susan Smart is a nomme de plume for a California-born ballet dancer-turned-yogi who goes undercover for Well+Good. She loves the deep haven of calm and quiet that yoga gives her from the stress of the city—plus the sweat and discipline of it.
Wellness habitat: Kula Yoga Project, The Shala, West Village Yoga

Got a story idea for us? Write us at tips@wellandgoodnyc.com