Lisa Wynne Salvatore’s office is in the modest parlor room of historic house in downtown Greenwich, but her list of certifications is sizeable.
Recently, during a chat in her office where she was accompanied by her dog Remy, a calming old-soul of a dog, the Greenwich-native who grew up on Patterson Avenue, the youngest of five, traced her career back to a part-time job as a teen at Boswell’s Drug Store on Greenwich Avenue for pharmacist Lawrence “Bud” White.
“I was fortunate to work at Boswell’s with Bud White as my boss,” she recalled. “I learned how to mix different types of skin creams, meds – you name it.”
At 16 she got a job at Health Mart, the health food store that was a mainstay of Greenwich Avenue for decades. There Salvatore developed an interest in organics.
Later she became a sales representative for different skin care companies, where she discovered a common thread, which was that people were reacting to chemicals and synthetic ingredients in skin care products.
With her insights about skin care products and organics, she went on to create a national brand of organic deodorant called Pure Pitz in 20210. Made in the USA in a certified organic lab, Pure Pitz is preserved naturally and never tested on animals.
Today many people in Greenwich know Salvatore as a sought-after licensed aesthetician, trained to administer facials and advise clients on skin care, which she has done for 40 years.
But, early on, she said, “Working in skin care, I recognized a pattern in working with people that there was something deeper than the aesthetics.”
She went on to become licensed and certified in massage therapy, where she developed an interest in aromatics and aromatherapy.
From there she studied nutrition at Institute for Integrated Nutrition at Columbia and became a certified healthcare counselor.
Along the way she completed a fellowship with naturopathic physician, researcher, and lecturer, Dr. Peter D’Adamo, author of the New York Times best-selling “Eat Right 4 Your Type” book series, and even attended Steve Chandler’s coaching school.
But she wasn’t done. Salvatore traveled to Sedona, Arizona to study at the Mclean Meditation Institute with Sarah McLean, acclaimed meditation and mindfulness teacher.
“I also got into sound and vibrational therapy,” she said, gesturing to the tuning forks on her desk. “That, along with magnetic movement, which is somatic release work.”
“We talk about the Megahertz of sound. What is the Megahertz of the rolling of the ocean lapping against the sand? It’s a 10 Megahertz. Why do we all love that so much? It’s because those ions are relaxing. This is how sound therapy becomes very potent.”
Today, Salvatore is licensed and certified in the fields of meditation, nutrition, aesthetics, aromatherapy, massage therapy and energy healing.
Having spent decades adding to her list of certifications, Salvatore describes herself as a life coach and mentor who lives for her clients’ “aha moments.”
“That’s one of my greatest pleasures,” she said of a client’s moment of insight or discovery. “In order for you to make a change, you have to think greater than you feel. That’s where neuroscience comes in.”
She explained that it can be easy to get stuck in patterns and some people need a little assistance with whatever it is they desire, even if they’re not sure what it might be.
“In order for you to make that change, you have to think greater than you feel,” she said. “That’s where Neuroscience comes in…This is where the rumblings of change start, but then the old reptilian brain stops you. That’s where I come in and say, ‘Let’s rethink this.'”
First Step
Salvatore said the first step for a new client is to schedule a conversation.
“I see where they’re really at and what is it that the person desires. Do they need help with diet? Do they need help with something that’s troubling them? And a lot of times people don’t really know.”
“You speak. I listen,” she said. “There is no judgement, just observation. I look at people – how they sit, that’s their breathing pattern. Do they speak really fast. Are they full of adrenal, are they stressed out? I want to know how you’re feeling.”
“Beauty is only skin deep. It’s all about transformation,” Salvatore said, adding that all her certifications mirror a move inward. “It’s like peeling back the layers of an onion…The only way out is by going inward.”
She describes her role as one of co-creator.
“We collaborate and then hopefully you soar. My greatest excitement is someone’s transformation,” Salvatore said. “We have to identify what’s the problem, and then how are we going to create a tool kit for you so you can learn how to make those transformations.”
Salvatore described some people as ruminators who spend a lot of time worrying unnecessarily. “That’s where I come in and give them tools – whether it’s sound therapy or learning meditation – it all depends on what you need.”
“After that, you want to help them write a script for a new life,” she said. “They can come back for a tune-up. I often do that with kids,” she said, adding that she works with people of all ages.
“In the end, how do we embody and embrace this new luminous, joyous life of yours?” she added. “It’s about going from survival mode – which is not a good place to be – to infinite possibilities.”
“We’re using such a small amount of our brain,” she said.
A huge lover of film, Salvatore said she has worked celebrities in Greenwich and even traveled twice to Scotland where she worked with someone from the cast of the TV series, Outlander.
“Actors really need this,” she said. “They have to go to a very vulnerable, often dark place, to do their work.”
Salvatore said she works with people of all ages.
As for Remy, Salvatore said, “Animals are one of the greatest teachers,” she said. “He has become part of my practice.”
Salvatore is an advisor to Wildlife SOS in India and has created some formulas for the wounds of rescued elephants.
“They are terribly abused,” she said, adding that she has also worked to raise awareness for the elephants in India and helped with fundraising.
“The elephants are a huge part of my life. Dogs as well. I think we all need to get out more into nature.”
Salvatore’s credentials are listed on her Emody and Embrace website, including becoming a Licensed Aesthetician at Christine Valmy International, becoming a Licensed and Certified Health Counselor at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, becoming a Certified Meditation Teacher at the McClean Meditation Institute.
Lisa Wynne Salvatore & Company is located at 28 Lafayette Place. There is plenty of parking behind the building. Tel. (203) 913-8126