Bringing together luxurious French skincare with green California living, Valerie Grandury, founder and CEO of Odacité, a French play on the word audacity, found herself rethinking the meaning of wellness when she was diagnosed 15 years ago with breast cancer. “Cancer was a major wake up call,” she wrote on the Odacité website. “I realized that if I wanted to heal, I needed to change everything.” And that is exactly what she did, starting with quitting her job and heading back to school to become a health and wellness coach. Today, Grandury is focused on creating an effective skincare line that is free from toxins. She is also intentional on how she lives her life, eating a plant-based diet, eliminating toxins from her environment, and managing stress. Here, she shares the role wellness plays in her own life.
What does wellness mean to you?
Waking up in the morning full of energy, passion, and gratitude for this new day to come along with beautiful experiences.
What are your favorite things to do to maintain your personal wellbeing?
I have come to understand that the only way I will commit to maintaining my personal wellbeing is to schedule it in my calendar. So, I set times that are non-negotiable, just like important meetings. 5 a.m. daily meditation, followed three times a week with hiking and 6 p.m. yoga three times a week.
Is there a specific fitness activity that you love and why?
I absolutely love starting my day with 20 minutes of meditation. This morning ritual is an inward journey that sets intentions for the day with more inner peace, clarity of mind, and happiness. I started meditation 15 years ago and it was like discovering a secret door that had always been in my house. A door that allows you to enter a welcoming healing space full of recomforting light. I roll out of bed when it is still dark, and I sit outside on my deck (thank you, California, for your yearlong gentle climate). If it’s a bit cold, I wrap myself in a blanket, close my eyes and go inward. An early riser rooster resonates in the distance and a few birds begin to sing as the morning wild sage cradles my breath. I become my own refuge and my own light.
What is your favorite healthy food, and do you have a favorite way of preparing it?
This is hard to choose because I could really write a book about all the wonderful options I enjoy. And maybe I will. A quick and easy one with big benefits for anyone is Chia pudding. Chia seeds are delicious, and they deliver a real wealth of nutrients. For example, they contain more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, and more omega 3 than salmon, all without cruelty to animals! Chia seeds are also a godsend for feeding your skin from inside. I prepare this simple recipe at night for a breakfast of champions: Soak chia and goji berries with plant milk overnight in the fridge. Et Voilà! Start the day with beautiful nutrients.
What is your favorite healthy beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), and do you have any insider tips for preparing it?
There is always some beverage fermenting in my kitchen. Fermented foods are so beneficial to your gut flora and wellness in general. I alternate between Sauerkraut (love the juice), Kombucha, Rejuvelac, and Tepache (my new fave). Tepache is the easiest to do and can be done by anyone! I also love that it recycles the peels of the pineapple, which I always hate to waste.
- Take a gallon glass jar.
- Add the peel from one pineapple.
- Add one jar of raw honey (or 1 cup organic brown sugar).
- Cover with water.
- Set to ferment for 3 to 5 days depending on temperature.
What is your greatest wellness achievement?
Fifteen years ago, I was told that my chances of survival at five years were very minimal after being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. This prognosis pushed me to reinvent everything and work with integrative doctors to add a lot of healing modalities to my fight. I quit my job, moved away from pollution to live in Topanga (a canyon between LA and Malibu), adopted a raw vegan diet, started yoga and meditation, and removed all the toxins from my environment. So, my biggest wellness achievement is for sure to be healthy and cancer-free against the odds. This journey back to health was the inspiration to create Odacité and to pioneer what is now known as the clean beauty movement.
What person in wellness do you most admire and why?
There is a book that was game-changing. While I never met Candace Pert, her book Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine is so essential to understanding how our emotions and thoughts scientifically affect our health at a cellular level. When I speak about removing toxins from my environment as core of my healing journey, I also speak about addressing those negative emotions and thoughts that create havoc in our health just as much as pollution and environmental toxins. This book has the rare power to change the way we see our wellness.
What is the best piece of wellness advice you have ever received and from whom?
T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., definitely has the best advice on the benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet for our own health and that of the planet and future generations to come. I switched to a plant-based diet 15 years ago and experienced how healing it was to me at a physical and mental level. A plant-based diet is also the best way to support the glow and freshness of your skin.
What do you think is the most exciting wellness innovation you have recently discovered?
I don’t think there is a miracle innovation. Wellness is a holistic consistent journey. Depending on what resonates for you, where you live, how much time you have or what tools you have in a world of possibilities. Resonance is the key to consistency. I LOVE meditation, but I understand that it can be very challenging for someone else.
What is your idea of balanced healthy happiness?
I like to think that balance is a destination, and it is the journey that counts. Each stage of life has priorities, so set the priorities that make you happy now. Know that as life unfolds, they will evolve and change to bring balance throughout your whole life.
What do you think is the most overused word or words in wellness?
Amazing! It is so overused in wellness and in every way! I also catch myself saying it, too, and it drives me crazy! It is like a placeholder to describe anything or anyone without really understanding what makes it/him/her so special.
Do you have a secret health or wellness tip you would like to share?
Not a secret, but a reminder that the root of all wellness is at least seven hours of restful sleep.
What is your favorite self-care routine?
Skincare of course. This is in my French genes and why I created Odacité. Skincare is a pleasurable “me pause” in a busy life with instant gratification. Taking care of your skin goes much deeper than the surface of your body. It is opening a restorative “rendez-vous with yourself” to nurture your skin and your soul. And the adage, “Look good, feel good,” is so true!
What aspect of your wellbeing do you struggle with the most, or would most like to improve?
Stress is definitely my struggle. It comes with being an entrepreneur and making a difference! There is no hierarchy in stress, as stress is stress whether it is positive or negative. You can see how stressful it is to plan a marriage even though it is a very happy event. There is always something urgent, exciting, and important on my to-do list. Adrenaline and cortisol are often triggered as my day always feels too short to achieve everything I want to do. This is why my meditation practice is so vital.
How do you celebrate small victories?
Small or big victories are always a good occasion for Champagne—I’m French after all!
What brings you joy?
In the last three years, I have discovered a new heightened level of joy I had never known before, with the arrival in my life of five grandchildren. This generation is going to save the world and they are my inspiration in everything I do.
