MEET THE TEAM
Monica
Co-Founder
Growing up mixed meant learning that identity—and hair—doesn't always fit neatly into one box.
Monica and her sister Marina grew up with Spokane Tribal heritage through their father and First Nations heritage through their mother, with a little French ancestry in the family mix as well.
With ethnically ambiguous features, Monica is often mistaken for being Hispanic, Persian or Italian. She sees the similarities people recognize in her as a reminder that our features can cross cultures—and that you can't assume where someone comes from simply by looking at them.
Monica has always viewed her ambiguity positively. She loves and appreciates different cultures and believes we have far more in common than we have differences. Her mixed heritage isn't about choosing one part of herself over another, but embracing all the pieces that make her who she is.
Her hair has its own version of that story. Neither straight nor curly, it can be flat at the crown, wavy at the ends and different from one section to the next. For years, she tried to make it conform. Today, she'd rather work with her hair than make it something it isn't.
That perspective helped shape the community Monica and Marina want to build through Sister Sky—a place where mixed heritage is celebrated, different stories are welcomed, and no one needs to fit neatly into a category to belong.
For Monica, embracing your roots means embracing all of them.
Marina
Co-Founder
There is no one way to look mixed—and Marina and her sister Monica are living proof.
Marina and Monica have the same parents, the same family roots and the same mixed heritage, yet they don't necessarily look like sisters at first glance. Marina is lighter than Monica, a difference that has always been a natural part of their family. Their story is a reminder that heritage isn't measured by skin tone or by whether someone looks the way others expect them to look.
Their differences extend to their hair, too. Marina's hair is long, thick, strong and coarse, with a tendency toward dryness, dullness and tangles. Those needs made her an especially demanding product tester during the development of MinkiSoft™. She pushed for formulas that gave her hair the moisture and conditioning it needed while leaving it soft, smooth and healthy-looking.
For Marina, being part of Sister Sky is about celebrating the many ways our heritage can show up—and recognizing that no one else gets to decide how much you belong based on what they see.
There is no one way to look mixed. There is only your way.
Melody
Operations Support Specialist
You don't have to look the part to belong.
Melody is of Spokane Tribal and Irish heritage and grew up in her Tribal community. Yet throughout her life, she's heard a familiar comment: “Oh, you don't look Native American.” She knows what it's like to be part of a community, family and heritage while looking different from many of the people around her.
For Melody, those experiences have reinforced something important: belonging isn't determined by whether you look the way someone expects you to look. She describes herself as being “in the middle”—fully connected to where she comes from, even when others may not immediately recognize that connection.
Her hair has its own version of being in the middle. Straight in some places, wavy in others and curly in others, it refuses to fit neatly into one texture category. For years, Melody tried layering oils, sprays and creams to manage all those different textures, often ending up with too much product and heavy buildup. MinkiSoft™ helped her simplify her routine and care for the mix of textures on her head rather than trying to make them behave like one.
Melody's story reflects something at the heart of Sister Sky: you don't have to look a certain way—to others or even within your own community—to know where you come from and where you belong.
You belong to your story, even when others can't see it.
Sophia
Operations Support Specialist
You don't have to choose which part of your heritage counts.
Sophia carries three distinct Indigenous heritages: Spokane from the United States and Pauquachin and Blackfoot from Canada. Each is part of who she is, and she has never believed that honoring one means leaving another behind. For Sophia, being mixed means carrying all of her family, cultures and histories with her.
That connection comes alive on the powwow trail. A champion jingle dress dancer, Sophia has grown up dancing, traveling and building relationships throughout Indian Country. She treasures the many relatives, friends and communities she has come to know along the way—a reflection of something she understands deeply: we can belong to more than one place and still be wholly ourselves.
Her long hair is part of that journey, too. Years of balancing powwow dancing, college and a busy social life have made simple, consistent haircare important to her. MinkiSoft™ gives Sophia a routine that helps keep her long hair soft, smooth and cared for without making haircare complicated.
For Sophia, Sister Sky represents something bigger than the products. It's a place to celebrate all of who you are—without having to decide which part of your story matters most.
You don't have to choose one side. All of it belongs to you.
