Tess Ghilaga is a writer, yoga teacher and creative living in New York. Her breadth of work includes lifestyle journalism, working as a yoga teacher, and collaborating with beauty and fashion brands and visionaries who want to find and express mind-body connections in their work.

The common thread throughout her career is how to alchemize our aches into beauty, wisdom and compassion. Tess’ knowledge about self-care, vintage clothing, and eco-conscious brands helps her clients stand out and succeed in competitive environments, where brand loyalty flows from authenticity and trust.

Starting in elementary school, Tess worked at her parent’s clothing boutiques in the late 70s and early 80s. Deeply influenced by the era’s fashion, music, culture and the magnetic pulse of New York City, fashion became an intuitive passion. Whilst the body makes a magnificent canvas for clothing, the human vessel can also be a container for trauma and pain.  Tess suffered a significant health challenge in her 20s, when she contracted a severe bone infection. After months of surgeries, hospitalization, treatment, and rehabilitation, she discovered Yoga as a modality to heal her mind and body. 

Once recovered, Tess rose through the ranks at Hachette Filipacchi, where she became New Media editor and oversaw the digital launch of numerous fashion magazines, including Elle Online, Mirabella and Top Model.  In her 30s, she endured a traumatic orthodontic accident that required multiple oral surgeries. This setback girded her resolve to advance her work in yoga and the healing arts to restore wellness and joy. Her core philosophy flows around the idea that the human body is a temple ─ it needs to be loved, cleansed and honored. 

Tess’ writing has appeared in Purist, Pilates Style, Shape, HuffPost, Mindfulness Journal, Gotham, Hamptons, Connecticut Cottages & Gardens.