MONA
VAND
August 08, 2025INTERVIEWS
Clean Girl Energy. Prancing Dog. Major Life Pivot. Mona Vand Gets Real on Wellness, Career U-Turns, and the Unexpected Magic of Dog Ownership.
In the world of wellness and clean girl aesthetics, Mona Vand is that girl. You’ve seen her serve glowing skin, greens on greens, and unapologetic realness on Instagram. But what you may not know is that the entrepreneur, former pharmacist, and now officially Mrs. Gary Vee, also happens to be one of the most stylish dog moms on the planet.
I (hi, Mandy 👋) sat down with Mona, and her mini but mighty pup, Rumi for a conversation about reinvention, intuitive career moves, skincare, spirituality, and why getting a dog might secretly be the most effective form of therapy no one talks about.
OK, so... you used to be pharmacist. And now you're building an empire rooted in clean living and self-expression. What was that pivot moment for you?
I think that the shift was just bound to happen because as a child I was creative; but I was told that you go to school to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer. And I wanted to be a news anchor. I loved television, but that was not an option for me. So, I majored in pharmacy because I thought it would be a good career choice. And I will say when I was in school, I loved learning about it, and I thought everything was really interesting. But once I graduated, I moved to LA where my dad and brother were living, and I immediately felt this gut feeling of I made a huge mistake.
And it was terrifying because I had over $100,000 in student loans. And I wondered: did I just waste all this time in my life these six years? So then I started working at different pharmacies hoping I'd find something in the pharmacy that was interesting to me. That didn't happen.
So then—thank goodness I was living in LA and I was in such a creative atmosphere—because a lot of my friends were doing all sorts of different things. Someone was like, One of my friends is a news anchor and she said "You should be the expert that comes on during flu season.” And I thought
“Maybe this could get me doing more television!” which I think is so fun. ”
That moment where your creative intuition finally gets louder than everyone else’s expectations… goosebumps. And you landed right in LA. So what happened next?
It basically sparked my interest in becoming an expert, and maybe just building leverage and having the flexibility to do whatever I want. And that was when I started taking hosting classes and exploring what else I could do. Meanwhile, social media just started building up then where there were a lot of beauty bloggers—and that sort of transitioned me into a space that I thought seemed approachable and just something I could actually grasp. So then that kind of became my new focus.
I love that you weren’t afraid to evolve as you evolved. You weren’t stuck in one version of “success.” That’s powerful.
Iut even since then, it's just been a transition into so many things. And I think my biggest goal with it was I didn't want to go to work every day and do the same thing because for me that felt unfulfilling. Whereas for other people, the stability might be great. I want to be able to always shift based on what I'm interested in. Now I'm really into clean eating and spirituality. So just having that flexibility has really been the biggest blessing.
“That's the thing with us millennials; not to pat ourselves on the back, but we really paved the way with this type of career."
OK let’s talk about your other half: Rumi. Tell me everything.
I’ll share something vulnerable: the first seven to eight months was really hard. I’d never had my own dog; and potty training was hard living in New York City on the 84th floor. But after that eight-month mark, everything just started shifting. It’s completely changed my whole life, and I feel like I love her more every single day. I never really knew that before I was a dog owner. You always think the puppy stage is the one you're going to miss, but you love them so much more as they learn you and you learn them.
And in terms of health and wellness, first of all, I'm sure you're aware of all the studies on how much animals can increase your happiness and reduce stress and reduce blood pressure. So that's just something on its own. But truly, I tell people if you need to be more active, get a dog. I never used to walk, I would just go to the gym and do my thing. And now, you have to take walks, and you have to get up for this little animal that's relying on you.
I swear there’s nothing like dog love. It sneaks up on you and suddenly you’re a full-on mom. And also: your daily walks with Rumi sound very Hamptons wellness retreat
She’s just so sweet and playful in the mornings; she’s still in her puppy stage. She’s going to be two in July.
And your schedule is no joke. Between your platform, business, health rituals, and now married life (!!)—how do you keep it all together?
The good thing is I prioritise health and wellness so much with Rumi. Listen, there are some days when I'm running out the door and I will have to use her dog walker or something. But I know that taking her for a walk is also taking me for a walk. So, it's good for both of us! So, there's really never an excuse. No matter how busy I am, I know that my number one priority is health and wellness and moving my body. So when you look at it that way, it's actually like she's just pushing me to do the thing I have to do anyway.
Every morning when I wake up to meditate, she jumps out of her crate – we don’t close the door or anything – and she'll sit on my lap and go back to sleep while I meditate for 30 minutes. Then, I make her breakfast right away because she's six lbs, so she needs to eat right away. She's tiny! So then I'll make myself food.
Usually I'll change, I'll do my skin care, and then we'll walk for sometimes 30 minutes, sometimes an hour, it depends. Then I'll change and go to the gym. So, that's usually my morning routine. And Rumi knows it well.
And let’s be real: Rumi’s style? Chicer than most humans I know. We’re honoured you both love PAGERIE.
Yes! Rumi is wearing her beautiful collar right now, and I get so many compliments on her leash and collar all the time. People always compare it to Hermes. I love that the leash hooks around my wrist because I feel like it’s safe, especially in the city. And then I carry her little biodegradable dog bags in the pouch that’s attached. And she’s just super chic! I don’t love cheesy dog clothes, or cheap materials, or plastic. So I like using natural materials like her leather leash and harness.
What is it about PAGERIE that aligns with your wellness values?
I would say natural is sustainable. So, that's one thing that matters a lot to me. And I think it never was something that I focused on, but the more spiritual you get, the more you care about everything around you and the more you meditate—it's just a given. I always tell people that even if you didn't care about the environment, you just will by default when you meditate because you can't not be conscious of everything around you. So, I love that PAGEIRE is natural and sustainable. Fashion is also really important to me, because I think it's a form of self-expression. I feel my best when I look my best. That's just how my energy and personality works. And when Rumi looks so cute with her nice leash, I feel like we both have a pep in our step.
If Rumi could talk (and I feel like she already does with her eyes), what would she say about her gear?
She would say, "Let's put the leash on and go for a walk!” As soon as I pull it out, she's so excited. She loves it. And you should also see her walk. She has the perfect posture and this little prance. So she probably feels really good in her chic outfits. It’s inspiring. I think, "Okay, she walks confidently. We need to all walk like that."
One thing I admire most about you is how boldly you’ve shaped your own path. What have been the biggest lessons?
I think one of the biggest things has been not doing what I think I should be doing, and instead just doing what feels authentic to me. Sometimes I think about if I would have done that more early on, how much further I'd be. I spent a lot of my time doing things that were close to what I wanted to do; but I mean, that's life. You always think about the things you should have done or could have done.
And I feel that your worth is just being you—whereas when I started, I was like okay, my value is that I'm a pharmacist. And while it did bring me a lot of value and gave people trust in me, I think just leaning into who I am as a person and just letting that come out versus thinking that was all I had to offer would have been better.
“I’ve learned how unique and authentic everyone's voice is. And I also think that as you go through your 30s you become so much more confident in who you are."
If someone in our community is reading this and thinking, “Could I really do something different with my life?” What would you say to them?
Be patient, and authentic! I wanted things right away, and even thinking something could take 12 months just seemed so detrimental—especially as a woman, because you think you start to lose value as you get older.
So much of it I thought was based on being young and beautiful, and that's not what people care about. Also aging gracefully is something I really value now. I think I used to be more afraid of aging that it would make me lose my brand identity or something, and now I just know it's just going to keep adding to it. So those things would have probably been nice to know early on.
It’s just about thinking about the things that really, actually make you happy and the things that you're passionate about—so when you're putting it out there, people can tell you’re authentic and passionate and that’s what makes them interested.
Again just by being authentic to me, I actually think right now more than ever, my online presence is the truest representation of me it has ever been. This is kind of the first time I feel like this is just me.
So what’s next? What’s lighting you up creatively these days?
I don't want to change anything about it. This authenticity is the direction I want to go and I feel so proud and happy with the content I put out. It truly makes me happy. I think that doing something for virality can be easy; you can follow every trend, but when you look at it, does it truly bring you joy? That's the feeling that I really like now. And I found that, and it hasn't derailed my career at all. If anything, it's made it better.
That being said, I have a few products I’m working on launching. And I do have some exciting things coming up that you can keep an eye out for in the fall, all aligned with clean eating and clean food and making that information as accessible as possible.
We’re obsessed with Mona’s vision of health as something stylish, spiritual, intuitive, and her ability to make major life shifts look as graceful as Rumi’s trot through Tribeca.
Because sometimes, the secret to wellness is… getting a dog.
SHOP MONA & RUMI'S
favourite PAGERIE products
SHOP MONA & RUMI'S
favourite PAGERIE products