Lookout opinion writer Marisa Messina’s résumé is impressive: She has three Stanford degrees and has worked for Fortune 500 companies. But her most intense work is learning to take care of her own body and brain and figure out “the good life.” Here, she invites you into her work-in-progress wellness journey, which includes farm fields and the acupuncture table.
Marisa Messina
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Yoga improved my life — now I’d like to make yours better, too
Marisa Messina started practicing yoga as a preteen and now, at 29, has become a certified RYT 200 teacher. She continues to marvel at the mental and physical benefits of yoga and wonders why this healing practice is not available more widely, particularly to those who could benefit most. She aims to change that in Santa Cruz.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
My Stanford education was best in class, yet left big ‘life skills’ gaps
Marisa Messina went to private schools and attended Stanford University for college and business school. But, she writes, she still finds her education lacking in fundamentals, particularly life skills — like handling personal finances, doing home repairs and dealing with emotions. She wonders what a proper modern education should include — and who is responsible for filling in the holes.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A million dollars or a million otters? Should I take a big pay cut to help the planet?
Marisa Messina had a plumb job in Seattle’s tech industry after she graduated from Stanford University. Now, six years and a Stanford MBA later, she realizes her passion is environmentalism. She thinks she can use her skills to make a difference. But she’s shocked at the low salaries offered. She wonders what it means for our world when serving the planet is not financially sustainable.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I failed at surfing, but Elkhorn Slough’s otters changed my life
Marisa Messina, an MBA student at Stanford, wanted to be a surfer, but could never quite get vertical on her board. She stumbled into kayaking and fell in love with the harmony she observed among the creatures at Moss Landing’s Elkhorn Slough. Here, she takes us on her journey and urges us to imitate and learn from the animals, plants and algae that surround us.