NAA Advisory Board Highlight: Jaya Savannah

Jaya Savannah is a savvy, soulful, and spirited NAA Advisory Board member with her finger on the pulse of the holistic business and healing arts sector. In addition to her work as a speaker and writer, Jaya is a business strategy coach and the self-proclaimed ‘Chief Inspiration Officer’ of Jaya Savannah International, which provides services for holistic entrepreneurs navigating the changing waters of doing business in the 21st century. We love Jaya’s no-nonsense approach to helping us figure out how to weave through the shifting paradigm and unite wellness and beauty in the emerging field of nutritional aesthetics. We asked Jaya about growing trends in the skincare and nutrition industries, as well as the NAA’s future plans. We love her enthusiasm about the NAA’s goals and hope you also find inspiration in her words!

The Nutritional Aesthetics Alliance:

What excites you the most about The Nutritional Aesthetics Alliance?

Jaya Savannah:

I’m really excited to see that the NAA is putting holistic principles to work in a professional organization. It’s groundbreaking. On the one hand, we have holistic aestheticians who have been promoting a natural approach to skincare for many years. On the other hand, we have holistic health physicians and nutritionists who bring their considerable expertise to the market. As individuals, both kinds of practitioners have been getting trained and working in cross-disciplinary ways. It’s been a natural evolution of awareness and interest that comes from studying the body in a holistic way. Yet professionally speaking, there has not been a formal integration of these interests within the industry until now. The NAA is acknowledging from an organizational standpoint what we know to be true from a physical one—that health and beauty are one.
While metaphors like that really light me up, I’m also excited about the practical benefits our members will receive. Access to leading edge education. The knowledge bank of the NAA founders and Advisory Board members is extensive and I’m really looking forward to the educational programs ahead. Certification will be adding whole new levels of benefits for members. The competency gained is worthwhile in and of itself, but certification will also serve to advance careers and give members the recognition they deserve. Membership will also serve as a connection point for those who want to network, form alliances, even create companies together. This is so very much needed and I’ve been reading appreciative comments from those who feel at last—they have found their ‘tribe.’

The NAA:

In what ways are you already seeing nutritional aesthetics (integrating nutrition and lifestyle changes with skincare and holistic spa treatments) happen in the industry, and how do you see this trend affecting nutrition and aesthetics in the future?

Jaya Savannah:

The trend of nutritional aesthetics is a fairly recent one. Granted, there have been practitioners doing some of this work for a very long time. Yet a trend is the big wave of popularity that comes after the initial surges created by the pioneers. I think it has risen out of the larger trends of healthy eating and using natural beauty products. For example, the natural product market (foods and personal care combined) was $137 billion in 2012. That was a whopping 9% increase compared to the conventional product market that has had under 4% gains. Once you start thinking about what goes in your body, it’s only natural to start thinking about what goes on your body. Considering that aestheticians represent a growing industry (40% job growth rate predicted for 2012-2022 according to the ) then it makes absolute sense that many of them are part of the natural food and beauty product movement, and incorporating those practices into their business. If you’re getting healthy and see proof of it in your skin, of course you want to share that with your clients.

I also have to give credit to the health and beauty bloggers who have gone on to become certified health professionals. There is a sea of misinformation from unqualified people, but there has also been a grassroots uprising of people (mostly women) who started a hobby blog and then advanced themselves into credible professionals. This phenomenon is like nothing the industry has ever seen before. It’s exploded over the past 10 years and we have some bootstrapping business women really helping our communities get healthier.

I’m keen to see where this trend will be going. It’s been somewhat unformed to date in that practitioners need to stay within their scope of practice and licensure. Everyone is trying to find their own way. I think the biggest trend we will see is that nutritional aesthetics will become its own field of practice. NAA certification will help with that, but I think we will also continue to see lots of dual certifications as practitioners pursue specific modalities that interest them. I predict we will see big growth in:

Nutritional aestheticians promoting healthy lifestyle packages. Instead of working one appointment at a time, I think practitioners want to support their clients beyond what happens in the treatment room. I predict more coaching style packages that also include facial services.

Oncology aestheticians working in partnership with Naturopaths or Integrative MD’s. Unfortunately, melanoma rates have been rising an average of 1.4% per year. Patients are seeking alternative treatments that include healthy lifestyle changes.

High performance holistic aestheticians. I know full well that many holistic aestheticians only practice non-invasive procedures. That trend will continue to rise in the industry, but I predict the biggest consumer demand, therefore the biggest trend will be in facial treatments that produce fast results with natural products. While some will not philosophically agree with that, that is where the most money will be made in the future.

The NAA:

Complete the sentence: “For optimal skin health, I wish people would do more of ___________________, and less of ___________________.” (Feel free to elaborate as much as you wish!)

Jaya Savannah:

For optimal skin health, I wish people would:

Recognize that what you see on the outside reflects your health on the inside.
Look for changes in the health of your skin, not just do a vanity scan for wrinkles.
Make the connection between your emotions and skin. That “mystery rash” may teach you something about yourself.
Use more natural products whenever possible.
Teach these things to your children from an early age.

I wish they would not:

Use tanning beds. It’s not the 1980’s and there is no excuse for doing “a little” damage to your skin that way.
Go to sleep with makeup on. Yes, even when it’s really late.
Think make-up remover wipes are a replacement for facial cleanser. Really, just read the package again. It says “makeup remover.”
Use micro-bead exfoliation products. The plastic ends up in our water and if mama earth isn’t healthy then we can’t be either.

We want to publicly thank Jaya for being part of our Advisory Board, and for so generously sharing her passion and perspective with all of us! We so grateful to Jaya and her fellow NAA Advisory Board members for working alongside us and offering their wisdom and guidance as we create quality, curated educational offerings for NAA members. You can learn more about Jaya Savannah and our other Advisory Board members HERE.

The NAA’s mission is all about articulating a shared vision and creating a space for open dialogue and collaboration not only with our Advisory Board, but also with you!

We want to hear from you!

Please share in the comments below: How does Jaya Savannah’s prediction of the way that nutritional aesthetics will shape the aesthetics industry compare with your own? Please complete the sentence: “For optimal skin health, I wish people would do more of ___________________, and less of ___________________.”