How Candace Reels Spent $1,000 on Wellness

candace reels wellness diaries

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Welcome to Wellness Diaries. In this series, we send members of our community $1,000 to splurge on any product, service, or experience—as long as it’s something that can enhance health. 

This time, we’ve got intersectional feminist leader Candace Reels. She spent her $1,000 on liquid vegan multivitamins, a Heyday facial, and a community garden donation.

Meet Candace

She’s a Los Angeles native, intersectional feminist, culture curator, self-love advocate and founder of Female Collective, a global community that empowers, uplifts, and celebrates the female perspective. Through daily affirmations, cultural conversations and community events, she reminds women and non-binary folks everywhere they are loved, they matter, and they are worthy.  

Candace is also a Ness Card Legend. That means she’s someone who uses the Ness Card (and we just think she’s especially cool). Here’s what she’s loving about the card:

“I love that the Ness Card rewards me for taking care of myself. This year I made a promise to myself to truly take care of myself mentally and physically and the Ness Card is helping me do just so!”

Candace’s Diary

$169 Light Therapy Wand

Solawave Red Light Therapy Wand | 845 Ness card points1

“I’ve had my eye on this red light therapy wand for a while. I’ve read many reviews and asked many friends their thoughts before purchasing. Skincare has always been very important to me, so I love researching the latest and greatest in the space. Red light therapy keeps coming up, so I’m so excited to try out this device and see what my results will be.”

$98.60 Medicinal Mushroom Chocolate

Alice Medicinal Mushroom Duo | 493 Ness Card points

“I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately, and sleep is very important to me. If I don’t get enough sleep I just feel absolutely exhausted the next day, which makes it difficult to do anything productive. I’ve been hearing about this company, Alice, and how its medicinal mushroom products help people not only get a good night of rest but also stay focused throughout the day.”

$44.95 Liquid Vitamins

Mary Ruth Liquid Multivitamins | 225 Ness Card points

“I got really sick at the end of March, then again at the end of April. Like most people, I absolutely hate getting sick. In many ways, it causes me to become depressed, because I feel so unproductive. So I’ve been researching different multivitamins that will help support my immune system because I obviously need some help in that department. As someone who doesn’t love taking pills, I found this brand and decided to try out a liquid vitamin for the first time.”

$145 Facial

Heyday 50 Minute Facial | 725 Ness Card points

“A big part of my job is telling people to take care of themselves, mentally and physically. But to be honest, I haven’t been the best at that over the last couple of years. Self-care sometimes means treating yourself to things that you don’t do often, and I can’t remember that last time I had a facial.”

$129 Juice Cleanse

Raw Juicery Signature Cleanse | 645 Ness Card points

“I’ve been wanting to do a juice cleanse for a while, just for a quick refresh. So with lots of research, I found about this company and decided to finally do it!”

$200 Community Garden Donation

Compton Community Garden (@comptoncommunitygarden) | 400 Ness Card points

“Something that has always been important to my wellness journey is helping others with their wellness journey. It’s what I do every day with the Female Collective, by sharing daily affirmations to remind everyone how important, worthy, and loved they are. Compton Community Garden, an entirely organic, regenerative, and community-run garden, does the same thing for its community. When I found out that the garden needed donations to keep going, I had to help in any way I can. Being born and raised in Los Angeles, I want to make sure that communities like these continue to thrive.”

$150 Candles

Nette Scented Candles in The Magician and Suede Fringe | 750 Ness Card points

“One of my favorite things to do at the beginning of the day and at the end of the night is to light a candle. As a Libra, aesthetics are very important to me. Not only does everything need to look right, but it also needs to feel right, and for me, candles do both. Nette is one of my favorite candle brands—it’s non-toxic, uses incredible fragrances, and the scents don’t overpower the room.”

Total: $936.55 | 4,083 Ness Card Points

  • 1 Access to a Ness Card account is subject to credit approval. You must be at least 18 years old (or the age of majority in your state) and reside in the continental US to apply. An approved Ness Card application will result in a hard credit inquiry, which may impact your credit score.
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“This card is such an exciting addition to my wallet and it’s perfect for someone who values health and wellness but hasn’t found a credit card that rewards me for that. I love getting rewarded for wellness practices like sleeping, meditating, and moving my body—plus extra points on purchases at my favorite places like Whole Foods, ClassPass and sweetgreen. The app is easy to use and the card is designed for your definition of health and wellness, which I love. It’s flexible!”

Kira's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“It’s no secret that wellness is such an important part of my everyday life. I spend a lot of money to help fuel my love of running, recovery, nutrition and mindfulness, so the fact that I can now earn rewards for every dollar I spend with the Ness Card is amazing. My health always comes first, and the Ness Card makes that easy to do. It’s a win-win for everyone!”

Andi's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“As a new mum, wellness and self-care is a priority for me—so I can, in turn, be able to take care of my baby. I love the incentives that Ness offers for making healthier choices. And to be rewarded along the way for those purchases is such a plus!

Oh, and getting 5x point rewards on my Erewhon $20+ smoothie makes it a little more justifiable.”

Amrit's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“I made a promise to myself to find my joy again in 2023. For the past few years, I haven’t been taking care of myself mentally and physically because I’ve just been on the go and focusing on the future instead of being present. I realized that part of the reason I wasn’t happy was because I wasn’t taking care of myself. So, now with the Ness Card—which literally rewards you for staying on top of your wellness journey—I’ve easily been able to focus on my mental and physical journey. Using the card is now a part of my weekly routine, whether I’m buying groceries, going to therapy, spending a day at the spa, or treating myself to a delicious yummy meal.”

Candace's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“I love life with the Ness Card! The team behind the scenes work really hard to make it valuable and to create a sense of community, which you feel in every newsletter and hand-crafted partnership. The card itself encourages me to be even more curious about where I’m spending my money. It definitely incentivizes me to spend ‘healthier’, which is really unique. On top of that, getting points for taking more steps? There is seriously nothing like it.

David's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“My favorite thing about the Ness Card is that it rewards you for your healthy habits, and not all of them require spending. Yes, you can earn 5x points when you spend at any of their approved health and wellness merchants (think Erewhon and many of your other favorites) but you also earn points for being active daily! So now your sanity walks are literally paying off :) As someone who not only works in wellness but lives and breathes it, essentially most of my expenses live in that realm and with the Ness Card I can now be rewarded nicely for those purchases.”

Kirsty's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“I love that I have rewards to look forward to when I focus on my health and wellness. As a mom of two and full time photographer/creator, it’s hard to find time to prioritize my health and—as my body ages—I want to make sure that I’m treating it to all the TLC it needs (and deserves)! The Ness Card reminds me to take care of my mental, physical, and emotional health on the daily.”

Valerie's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“It’s refreshing to have a card app that is so easy to use. I can track my spending and rewards at the click of a button. I love getting a notification when I get extra points for getting a full night sleep or getting my steps in, though of course those are optional. I work a lot, and I feel like I get extra rewarded for taking the time to take care of myself – whether it’s therapy or simply cooking at home instead of dining out. The points accumulate really quickly, and I’ve already gotten a $1,000 credit at Erewhon in my first four months. I also go visit family in Europe a lot, and no one takes my card there, so it’s so convenient to be able to use my Ness Card without ever paying a fee.”

Mélanie's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“As someone who spends the majority of her money on wellness, the Ness Card is perfect for me! I love earning 5x points on purchases at healthy businesses that I was already making, anyways. The Ness Card also motivates me to get enough sleep, practice mindfulness and other healthy habits. The app is really user-friendly and I love watching my points add up. I am excited to redeem them for wellness-related items!”

Lauren's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“The Ness Card motivates me to keep up my healthy habits, and has helped me discover new brands and products that are in alignment with my goals. I’m not spending any more with my Ness Card, but the money I am spending on health and wellness is actually earning me rewards, benefits, and even cash back. And because Ness’s definition of a ‘healthy merchant’ is so generous, I’m able to recognize all of the small ways I practice self-care throughout the week. From buying fresh veggies to going to therapy to taking my supplements, the Ness Card is there to cheer me on: ‘Keep being healthy, girl. You deserve 5x points for that.'”

Melissa's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“The Ness Card rewards me when I spend money on health and wellness. Especially because so much of my wellness routine is spent being active, gardening, making food with my husband, getting a massage, or having some me time, it is nice to be rewarded for that with points that are with brands I shop at all the time anyway. It allows my wellness choices to work harder which I love.”

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