Page 101 - KZN Top Business Women 2019 eBook

Everything will be ok;

you’ll figure it out.

in an indirect route to a destination. “The Wend helps I have a lot of passion and drive which will help me
Owner and Director, you to get to where you want to go, for example, to be extremely successful in the long term.”
of The Wend experience the Northern Lights, without having to

sacrifice too much – not many people have the luxury Melloney feels proud with what they’ve accom-
ELLONEY RIYNVIS is the owner and of physically being able to get up and go,” smiles plished so far, her company being only one year
director of The Wend, a mental wellness Melloney. old, and paving the way in a brand new industry.
Msolution involving Virtual Reality (VR), She qualifies that she would like to achieve more.
which uses technology to simulate the relocation The world’s leading health epidemic “In the great scheme of things, we are not helping
of someone from their current reality to a selected Melloney’s typical day involves marketing, customer thousands of people just yet – we really want to
environment of their choice. The Wend is the first services, product development and ‘a bit of the fun help reduce this epidemic on a world-wide scale,
company in South Africa to conceptualise the use of stuff’, she says. However, The Wend’s evolution has and when we’re doing that, I think I’ll have a bit
this technology for addressing mental ill health such not all been fun, and it’s a concept that took hold more satisfaction.”
as depression, stress and anxiety. Because Melloney when Melloney, struggling to overcome the trauma Family and friend support network
is using VR to bring her clients back to nature, a of a violent home invasion had, in her words “hit rock
soothing environment, she has called her product bottom”. She was constantly reliving the experience Achieving a work-life balance is something she
‘Virtual Relaxation’. which haunted her and sucked her into a downward finds challenging sometimes and admits it would

Providing an escape spiral of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She be impossible without her family and friend
support network.
was at a point of desperation, “needing to escape,
Studying with Jill Farquhason after leaving Durban get strong again and find healing from the inside”, Her husband is supportive, and encourages creative
Girls’ High, Melloney always anticipated having her when the appropriateness of this technology developments, challenging her to ‘think out the box’
own health spa, but life took a different direction occurred to her. and grow the business with new product ideas.
when she and her husband returned from travelling
on the ships to open a dance studio. “When it started Having first-hand experience of mental unwellness She sings praises of her father who is “there for me
running beautifully and I realised that I didn’t have to because of her trauma, Melloney has set her sights every step of the way, with helping with my children”,
be as hands on, it was time for me to move and start on addressing the global mental health crisis. and Melloney is adamant that she wouldn’t manage
my own venture”, and The Wend clearly encompasses Economic loss of billions annually in South Africa her little ones without him.
Melloney’s vision, hopes and future aspirations. through sick leave due to depression is enormous, Melloney also has huge gratitude for her friends
and Melloney quotes the World Health Organisation from whom she gets unconditional support.
After starting the business a year ago in the statement, that mental unwellness is the world’s
spa industry, Melloney is now offering healing leading health epidemic. Her advice to her younger self would be first, to say:
therapies and relaxation to the medical industry “Everything will be ok; you’ll figure it out”, and second,
with the focus on, mental wellness, pain relief, pre/ Do business correctly “save money!”. She points out that starting a business
post procedure anxieties, rehabilitation and many Melloney’s inspiration comes from her business is expensive, and they’re now at a stage when they
other wellness areas. On a lighter note it is also partner, her mother. “A wonderful woman, very need investors to be able to transition to phase two.
available for patients experiencing boredom while down the line; you cannot fault her on her honesty, However, recognising that spending the money
recovering in hospital or waiting in doctors rooms her integrity and her work ethic, and this is mirrored
for scheduled appointments. The Wend provides an in the operation of the company. She is a role model she did while earning as a dancer shaped her as a
person, and gave her the experiences she needed
escape through VR – an immersive 360-degree real on a daily basis. to get to where she is, Melloney concludes that it’s a
environment – which is medically proven to help
people heal faster. Melloney does not differentiate between men and kind of ‘catch 22’ situation. “Besides”, she adds with
women in business to be successful, She feels that, a smile, “I’m pretty blessed with how everything’s
‘Wend’ is a traditional English word meaning to travel “You’ve got to do what’s right for you as a person... turned out so far.”

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