Our Team

Amy McKelvey is our Chief Energizing Officer (CEO). As an integrative herbalist, natural products consultant, and marketing professional, she brings to our team a passion for living with purpose coupled with a deep respect for the human body and nature.

A long time natural supplement user advocate, Amy first became aware of Economic Adulteration while working with her now R&D partner, Lora Xiong. "That day almost fifteen years ago was a game changer for me. When Lora first showed me her analysis of numerous extracts like Ginkgo, Bilberry, and Pomegranate and how they were being spiked with cheaper material, I was shocked. To learn that most brands were not demanding rigorous and constant adulterant screening was deeply disappointing."

"From that day forward I started looking at brands differently and shopping differently. her vital way wants to advocate for the consumer in order to inspire action against the adulteration of botanical material, and the distribution of inferior products for financial gain."

As an herbal practitioner, Amy's work is passionately focused on women and providing herbal knowledge free of charge. Her main mission is to bridge the gap between those who are unfamiliar with or unsure of herbal supplementation and those with practical everyday experience.

Amy is a member of the Women's Medicine Collective, American Herbalist Guild, and a mother of two daughters. She works tirelessly to motivate her team and believes that hard work is energizing – if we allow for adequate rest and restore time – and true self care.

Lora Xiong is our chief scientist and Director of R&D. She began her career in Quality Control and has worked in the supplement industry for over 15 years growing some of the most respected QA/QC programs that exist for validation of ingredient purity and finished product integrity.

"My interest in food and health dates back to high school. I always wondered about the nutrients in food and was fascinated by the science of building a balanced meal and ingredient quality. I went on to earn a BS in Food Science and later an MS in Nutrition Science from San Jose State University." Now a busy mother of three, Lora is a published scientist with three US Patents on novel dietary ingredients and testing methods in her name. To balance the demands of life she relies on running, plenty of playtime with her children, wholesome meals, targeted supplementation, and quiet time.

"To be working for a company that's committed to robust processes to help customers answer just the sorts of questions I had early on – brings me great satisfaction. At her vital way I can offer the assurances that are needed and the efficacious products that people deserve"

Reference of US patents:
• USP 7,959,963
Method for producing grape extract with high ORAC value, and grape extract so produced.
• USP 8,343,565
Method for producing grape extract with high ORAC value, and grape extract so produced.
• USP 8,076,156
Isotopic signature carbon tracing method to discern shellfish-based glucosamine from corn-based glucosamine.

Publication: Xiong, X. et al. (2008). The Optimal Requirement of Essential Amino Acids and Its Efficacy in the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) Maintenance Medium. Nematology 10 (4), 539 - 544.