Jessica Kjeldsen of Melrose District on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jessica Kjeldsen. Check out our conversation below.

Jessica, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I’d love to say I’ve got some picture-perfect morning routine dialed in, but the truth is, I’m not super rigid about it. I’m not really a routine-for-routine’s-sake kind of person. My mornings shift depending on how I’m feeling, where I’m at in my cycle, or what life’s asking of me that day.

That said, here’s a loose outline of how things usually go. I tend to wake up earlier than I ever imagined I would, sometime between 6 and 7:30am (yes, that’s a wide window, but honoring my body is kind of my whole thing). First stop: bathroom for tongue scraping, brushing my teeth, and a little cold water wake-up on my face. Then I head to the kitchen for a big glass of water and just… pause.

If it’s not already too hot outside (Arizona problems), I’ll step out for some sun on my skin, a short walk, or a quick meditation, something to help me drop in before the day takes off. My husband usually wakes up about an hour later, and we make our morning drinks together. He’s team Aeropress (French press coffee vibes), I’m all about a warm mug of cacao with maca.

From there, I feel into what I need. Sometimes that’s diving into work, sometimes it’s movement. Either way, I try to let the morning lead me instead of the other way around.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello hello! I’m Jess! A movement facilitator, Reiki master, and creator of Feral Attuned. I live between the woo and the world. At its core, my work is all about helping people come back home to themselves through the body, through energy, and through the parts of us we’ve been taught to quiet down or ignore.

Feral Attuned was born from a deep knowing that healing isn’t always soft or silent, it can be wild, raw, and alive. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt disconnected, burnt out, or like they’ve been living on autopilot. Through movement, ritual, and energy work, I create experiences that help you feel rooted, present, and deeply connected to who you are.

Right now, I’m working on expanding the Feral experience with new offerings that explore the divine feminine through archetypes, somatic practices, and Reiki healing. It’s powerful, playful, and deeply intuitive work. My favorite part is getting to hold space for those to come alive in ways they didn’t know they could.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was wild and soft all at once. I moved with instinct, not hesitation. I was bold, curious, and willing to take risks just to see what might unfold. I wasn’t trying to get it right. I was trying to feel it all, to learn, to grow.

I asked big questions. I spoke up even when my voice shook. I danced without needing a reason. I wasn’t afraid of who I was. In fact, I trusted her. Even in the mess. Even in the unknown.

Somewhere along the way, like so many of us, I started to quiet parts of myself. So I could hang out with the cool kids, get the job, be attractive, etc. I tried to be what others needed or expected. I got smaller in ways I didn’t even notice at the time. But the work I do now through movement, energy, and reconnecting with the body has helped me find my way back.

Back to the version of me who was brave, open-hearted, and unafraid to take up space. She’s still here. And if you’re reading this, maybe yours is too.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
You are the coolest kid I’ll ever know. Seriously.
Don’t let the world dim that spark or make you second-guess it. Even though you will.

There will be moments when you want to give up. And honestly, you will for a bit. But you’ll always find your way back.

Just keep trusting yourself. Keep being curious. And never stop playing.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
They think healing is something you can outsource. That someone else, some expert, some app, some AI is going to come in and fix them. Like there’s a shortcut to wholeness if you just track enough steps, sync your cycle to the moon and your smartwatch, and automate your nervous system regulation.

You can’t hack your way to healing. You can’t tech your way into embodiment.

So many people don’t trust themselves to just be. To make choices. To sit in the now. To actually enjoy the life they’re living. They wait for the perfect moment, the perfect version of themselves, the green light from someone else before saying yes to rest, to pleasure, to the joy hiding in the ordinary.

Real healing lives in the mundane. In the messy. In the untracked, unoptimized, beautifully human moments.
It happens in your body. In a breath. In spaces where you feel safe enough to go there, and witnessed enough to stay.

You are more powerful than any Oura ring, wellness tracker, or perfectly color-coded to-do list.
I promise you, you don’t need fixing. You just need space to remember who you already are.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Absolutely. I’ve gotten what I thought I wanted more times than I can count. And the tricky part? It does work—for a little while. You land the job, you move to the city, you meet the dream person and for a moment, everything feels shiny and right.

But then… something shifts. A new light hits the room. The thing you wanted starts to feel a little less like you. And suddenly, you’re looking around wondering, Wait, who am I in all of this?

I’ve felt that after landing the job at Columbia Records when I was 19. When I met the boy I thought I’d marry at 17 (spoiler: I didn’t). When I moved to Brooklyn (still pretty cool). When I stepped into the big-time Creative Director role. Each one felt like a win because they were. But they were also pit stops. Important chapters, but not the whole story.

All of them helped me see what the world told me I should want. And each one, in its own way, brought me back home to myself. Because sometimes you have to go all the way out to realize who you’ve been all along.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.feralattuned.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feralattuned
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/feral-attuned

Image Credits
Lexi Danser