How I Thrive: Virtue Labs Founder & CEO Melisse Shaban

How I Thrive: Virtue Labs Founder & CEO Melisse Shaban

How I Thrive takes an inside look at founders, entrepreneurs and leaders and the behind-the-scenes self-care work they do to in order to live balanced, happy lives. Today's edition is with Virtue Labs Founder Melisse Shaban, who believes in taking calls while walking and a good facial (which she'll travel for). 

Name: Melisse Shaban

City: Raleigh, NC

Company: Virtue Labs, a  biotech haircare brand based on its exclusive, human-identical Alpha Keratin 60ku® protein born from regenerative medicine, and clinically proven to repair damaged spots along the hair shaft, giving you your healthiest, most beautiful hair possible.

Role: Founder & CEO
Beyond the role: I love to hang out with my family including activities like skiing, diving, fishing, and watching sports.

Morning routine:

I talk to my finance team first thing pretty much every morning. Then I get the kids off to school, have an espresso (or four), and dive into my daily Zoom calls.

The first thing I do after work:  

I like to get in a good walk or run to wind down after work. If I’m lucky, I can work one in mid-day as well.

Dinner ritual: 

I get dinner prepped around 4 p.m. so it's mostly out of the way. My family prefers pretty clean food—no fussy sauces or that kind of thing. It's pretty straightforward: Meat, vegetable, salad, and a lot of outdoor grill. Depending on the kids’ soccer practice, the kitchen opens around 6 p.m. and closes around 9. The bar, however, can have additional hours of operation based on the night.

Nighttime routine:  

Before going to sleep, I do my skin care routine and apply my Virtue Topical Scalp Supplement, and then try to find a little space in between the various kids and dogs that always seem to crowd my bed.

Self-care guilty pleasure:

I love my facialist, Vicki Moran in NYC. But on a more regular basis, a bath and a good Netflix series.

Workday self-care hack:

Sometimes I'll walk while on calls. Since we’re at home pretty much all the time now, I sneak in a break to play with the dogs—we have four, and they all have distinct and funny personalities. And I catch up on CNN, although depending on the news cycle, that can actually backfire.

How do you define self-care?

Good company and hearty laughter!

Favorite childhood toy or hobby:

Kickball or anything that involved sports. I was a Sporty Spice!

State of your (email) inbox: 

Full! 

Want to kick your self-care game up a notch? Subscribe to Silk + Sonder today.

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.