It Takes A Village with Delina Medhin

This episode is sponsored by Pura x Malala Fund Collection.
Shop Now pura.com https://pura.com/pages/malala-fund?srsltid=AfmBOoq5mKy6hkDrhGlbx26HO3GgrN68ZY8QkJWZWECUwa-lHjVBvb-l
I reflect on a re-energizing week in New York City and the emotional clarity that came from returning with fresh eyes. I talk about the energetic difference I feel between Brooklyn and Manhattan, then revisit the deeper purpose of It Takes A Village and season five’s focus on becoming the best version of yourself through honesty, healing, and community.
I explore the complicated nature of gratitude and explain why I don’t believe true gratitude can be forced. Sometimes gratitude exists alongside grief, anger, uncertainty, and sadness. Inspired by a conversation with my friend Denise Sanchez, @theguidedself . I share a “rage on a page” practice and how allowing myself to fully feel anger became an unexpected doorway into peace and emotional release.
I also recap attending Texture On Set and The Makeup Show/iArtist, sharing how surreal it felt to teach on stage in New York and realize I no longer feel attached to external validation or career ego, even while the Met Gala was happening simultaneously across the city. A meaningful conversation with James Vincent became a full-circle moment that reflected just how much my relationship to success, ambition, and self-worth has evolved.
Throughout the episode, I open up about grieving a recent relationship while simultaneously feeling deep gratitude for my life, health, friendships, and spiritual growth. I reflect on learning to hold duality of understanding that sadness, joy, anger, hope, and gratitude can all exist at the same time , and close with a heartfelt prayer of thanks.
I am hosting a free May 24th meditation and connection event in Los Angeles for listeners subscribed to my newsletter. Subscribe by visiting www.delinamedhin.com.
00:00 Pura Malala Intro
00:17 Welcome Back Village
01:28 Why Gratitude Is Hard
02:52 Rage on a Page
04:05 NYC Events Recap
07:42 Full Circle on Stage
11:32 Ego Dissolving Lessons
12:52 Pura Malala Ad Break
13:29 Choosing Presence and Gratitude
15:19 Not Knowing the Future
18:25 Wellness and Daily Practice
19:02 Grieving a Relationship
22:20 Holding Duality Together
24:38 Prayer of Thanks
26:47 Closing and LA Event Invite

Connect with Delina:⁠
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⁠TikTok @delinamedhin⁠
YouTube @delinamedhin⁠
Threads @delinamedhin⁠
Website ⁠www.delinamedhin.com

Mara Dumski, Chief Fragrance Experience Officer at Pura and former executive at International Flavors & Fragrances, joins us to talk all about building a career at the intersection of art, science, and emotion. With over 25 years at International Flavors & Fragrances, Mara shares how her background as a classically trained soprano shaped the way she understands scent and how she learned to “smell with her musical ear” while working alongside some of the world’s most legendary perfumers.She opens up about her unexpected leap from New York City to Utah to join Pura, a then-early-stage tech startup, and how she helped build a fragrance house inside a technology company from the ground up. From translating fine fragrance into air to redefining how we experience scent in our homes, Mara breaks down the artistry, innovation, and risk-taking behind creating immersive, emotionally-driven fragrance experiences.Mara also shares the deeper meaning behind scent—how it connects to memory, mood, and identity and why your home deserves the same level of intention as the fragrance you wear. She also takes us inside Pura’s most meaningful collaborations, including their work with the Malala Fund, where fragrance is used to tell stories of girls around the world fighting for access to education.Welcome to It Takes A Village with Delina Medhin, where inspiring founders & creatives share ‘who I built this with’. Have you ever asked yourself…“how can I be happier, healthier, peaceful, famous, powerful, or successful?” When you want change, your life will shift, you let go, and begin to trust other people. This new energy will attract new people & create momentum in your life that reveals your purpose. Awareness is life’s balancing tool and you are in the right place at the right time, always.00:00 Introduction03:45 Music to Perfumery06:26 Leaving IFF for Pura08:03 Founders Pitch and Vision11:09 Leap of Faith to Utah14:20 Nose vs Scent Designer15:43 Designing for Air Diffusion17:29 Favorite Scents and Collabs19:40 Building a Fragrance House24:03 Day to Day and Innovation26:50 Why Home Scent Matters28:18 Scenting Your Space28:50 App Schedules and Controls31:00 From Music to Fragrance33:01 Fragrance Pyramid Basics35:00 Formulating for Diffusers37:58 Clean Safety Standards39:54 Malala Fund Scents46:40 Why Pura Inspires48:43 Car Scent Breakthrough51:42 Mentors and GratitudeLearn more about Mara Dumski:Mara Dumski is the Chief Fragrance Experience Officer at Pura, where she leads the creative direction of scent development and experience design. Before joining Pura, she spent over two decades at International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), one of the world’s most influential fragrance houses.With a background in classical voice from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, Mara brings a unique perspective to fragrance, blending music, emotion, and storytelling to create scents that enhance how people experience everyday life.Connect with MaraInstagram https://www.instagram.com/maradwest/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mara-dumski-5231512a Connect with Delina:⁠Instagram @delinamedhin⁠TikTok @delinamedhin⁠YouTube @delinamedhin⁠Threads @delinamedhin⁠ Website ⁠www.delinamedhin.com

What is your relationship with exercise? Let me know below.During the pandemic I changed my relationship with exercise. I also introduced you to the trainer who stregthened that relationship who was on Ep.29 Tiara Howard, How Can I be happy in my body.This episode youre listening to is talking about the deep effect of Exercise. It has contributed to healing my depression and has been a natural way to produce Serotonin and Dopamine in the body. Be kind to your body and treat her to a good relationship.00:00 Welcome to Season Five00:26 Exercise for Feel Good Chemicals01:36 Simple Workout Mindset02:15 Exercise as Self Love03:29 Habits and Morning Routine Reset06:08 Workout and Mental Health08:17 Community Vibration and Body Care09:10 Family Culture and Fitness Legacy11:57 Self Regulation Without Substances12:43 Final Thoughts and Newsletter

Connect with Delina:⁠
Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/delinamedhin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@delinamedhin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/delinamedhin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://threads.net/@delinamedhin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Website ⁠⁠⁠www.delinamedhin.com⁠⁠
Get the Build Your Village Video eBook here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stan.store/delinamedhin/p/build-your-village-ebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Join my newsletter, This Made Me Think Of You: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.delinamedhin.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

I reflect on gratitude, community, and perspective while sharing a recent experience at a spiritual party. We also do a brief meditation together and I tell a personal story about a cracked tooth.

Timestamps
0:00 — Intro & Season 5 Theme0:48 — The Power of Giving1:00 — Moving to LA & Finding Community2:14 — The Spiritual Party4:12 — Reflections on Community & Energy
5:06 — Guided Meditation6:47 — Gratitude Brings You into the Present7:51 — The Cracked Tooth Story10:19 — The Universe Responds11:24 — The Reframe12:40 — Call to Action: Reframe This Week

Connect with Delina:⁠
Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/delinamedhin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@delinamedhin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/delinamedhin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://threads.net/@delinamedhin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Website ⁠⁠⁠www.delinamedhin.com⁠⁠
Get the Build Your Village Video eBook here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stan.store/delinamedhin/p/build-your-village-ebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Join my newsletter, This Made Me Think Of You: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.delinamedhin.com⁠⁠⁠

Sign up for my newsletter to find out the location of the LA Meetup -> www. ittakesavillagepod.com
In the first video solo episode, I’m opening Season 5 of It Takes a Village with the first video-recorded solo episode of the season. I'm reflecting on how this show has evolved, from recording on Zoom in the early days, to interviewing beauty founders in New York, to now stepping into a more produced format while still holding onto what has always mattered most to me: community.
I talk about what the last two years have looked like since moving from New York to Los Angeles, and how that transition impacted me in ways I didn’t expect. My style changed, my brand alignments shifted, and I found myself in a period where I wasn’t building or holding community in the way I once did. It took time, but I finally feel settled, grounded, and ready to create again in a more intentional way.
This episode is really about returning to that original intention of building a village, but doing it in a way that reflects who I am today. I share my plans to start hosting in-person gatherings here in LA, something simple like a hike or a beach walk, followed by conversation, connection, and support. A space where we can meet each other in real life and remember that we’re not meant to do any of this alone.
I also open the door for those of you who aren’t in Los Angeles. If you’re interested in an online version of this kind of community, I want to hear from you. And beyond that, I encourage you to create your own. Community doesn’t have to be complicated. It can start small. What matters is the intention to connect.
This conversation is also about loneliness, and the reality that so many of us are feeling it in different ways right now. My hope is that this season, and these gatherings, become a reminder that connection is still available to us, and that we have the power to create it.
If you want to stay close to everything I’m building this year, sign up for the newsletter at ittakesavillagepod.com. That’s where I’ll be sharing details about upcoming meetups and ways to be part of this next chapter.
I’m so grateful you’re here, and I’m really excited for what we’re building together.
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome to Season Five
00:54 How the Show Has Evolved
02:38 Moving to LA Changed Me
04:12 Making Space for Community Again
05:00 Planning In-Person Meetups in LA
07:19 Opening the Door for Online Community
08:37 Why In-Person Connection Matters Right Now
09:51 Start Your Own Community
11:00 Loneliness and Taking Small Steps
11:43 Closing + Newsletter

Connect with Delina:⁠
Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/delinamedhin⁠⁠⁠⁠
TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@delinamedhin⁠⁠⁠⁠
YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/delinamedhin⁠⁠⁠⁠
Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://threads.net/@delinamedhin⁠⁠⁠⁠
Website ⁠⁠⁠www.delinamedhin.com⁠⁠
Get the Build Your Village Video eBook here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stan.store/delinamedhin/p/build-your-village-ebook⁠⁠⁠⁠
Join my newsletter, This Made Me Think Of You: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.delinamedhin.com⁠⁠