Welcome to In Harmony with, our ongoing series where we invite those who inspire us to share their stories and the rituals that help them stay grounded.
This month, we spent time with Ronit Heimanson, Founder of Malibu Soul Fine Jewelry. We learned the inspiration behind her jewelry line, found out where she sources her vintage Levi’s, and the moments that spark her creativity.
You now call Malibu home, but you were born in Israel and moved at a young age. How did that experience shape your perspective on the world?
I was eight years old when we moved. I didn’t speak a word of English, and I had no idea what was coming. What I left behind in Israel was warmth—not just weather, but a way of life. The community, neighbors who knew each other without having to try, my best friend who lived three floors below me, my grandmother who was always in her armchair when I came home from school. When we moved, all of that disappeared overnight. America was big, and everything felt far away.
What that does to a child is complicated. I learned early to hold my feelings inside, to not take up too much space with my own grief. But it also gave me a deep reverence for belonging—for building a life that actually feels like home. I think everything I’ve made, including Malibu Soul, is in some way about that. About creating beauty that holds you.
What inspired you to start Malibu Soul?
My first piece of jewelry came out of one of the hardest periods of my life. I was going through my divorce, I was going to Burning Man, and I needed something to wear, so I made myself a pair of earrings. Those became the Rising Sun Hoops, which are still an anchor piece in the collection today. I had no idea that was the beginning of anything. I just needed to make something beautiful in the middle of the chaos.
I took a break after that. Life got hard in ways I’m still processing and will share more about eventually. But I came back to jewelry design with a completely different kind of clarity. This time it wasn’t just about making something for myself. It was about channeling everything I love about where I live—the ocean, the light, the way Malibu feels both effortless and intentional—into pieces that last. Heirlooms. Things you wear every day and eventually pass down.
What is one thing that surprised you about starting your own business?
How much of it has nothing to do with the thing you actually love. I’m a designer and a creative. I want to be thinking about a piece, about how the light catches it, about what it means to the woman who’s going to wear it. But running a small business means you’re also the accountant, the logistics coordinator, the content creator, the customer service department, and the sales team. All at once. Every day.
The content creation piece surprised me most, honestly. If you want people to find you and connect with what you’re building, you have to show up—on camera, consistently, vulnerably. That’s a whole skillset that has nothing to do with making beautiful jewelry. I’m still learning it. But I’ve also found that I actually have something to say, and that surprised me in the best way.
When you design your jewelry, do you have a specific muse in mind? Who is the Malibu Soul woman?
She’s someone who has lived something. She’s not dressing to be seen; she’s dressing as an extension of who she’s become. She’s layered in the best sense: she can be barefoot on the beach in the morning and dressed for dinner at night, and both feel completely natural. She values things that last. She wants a piece that means something, something she might one day hand to her daughter.
If I’m honest, she’s the woman I was becoming when I designed that first pair of earrings. And she’s the woman I’m still becoming.
How would you describe your personal style? Has it evolved at all over the years or remained consistent?
My uniform is a perfectly worn-in button-down and vintage Levi’s. That has not changed, and I don’t expect it to. What changes is how I style around it—the jewelry, a heel, a flat, something unexpected. But I always come back to that foundation because it’s just honest. It’s me.
My Levi’s come from Abierto here in Malibu. Amanda, the owner, sources the most incredible vintage, and I’ve been going there for years. There’s something about a vintage pair that fits in a way nothing new ever does. Like it was already broken in for you.
The jewelry is where I express everything else. That’s where the creativity lives. The clothes are the canvas.
What is a non-negotiable ritual in your day-to-day?
Taking care of my hands. I work with my hands constantly, and I’ve learned that when you do, you have to be intentional about it. Nail care has become less about aesthetics and more about how I take care of myself. Renaissance Nail & Cuticle Oil keeps my nails and cuticles strong, healthy, and soft. When you work with your hands, you notice them. Other people notice them too.
Beyond that, I protect my mornings. Before anything gets loud, I need at least a little quiet. That’s when I think best.
Your smoothies have become a signature in your “Day in My Life” videos. Do you have a go-to favorite?
Always the same base: one scoop of Ballerina Farm Farmer Protein Powder, a cup of frozen or fresh berries, and a cup of unsweetened almond milk. Sometimes, I add peanut butter if I’m in the mood for something a little more indulgent. It takes five minutes and it sets the whole day up right.
What does “living in harmony” mean to you?
It means not fighting your own life. For a long time, I thought productivity looked like pushing: more, faster, harder. And I ran myself into the ground doing it. What I’ve learned is that rest is productive. A slow Saturday morning, watering my garden, not answering anything—that’s not laziness. That’s maintenance. That’s how I refill so I can actually show up for the things that matter.
Living in Malibu has taught me so much of this. The ocean doesn’t try to be the ocean. Long walks, long conversations, letting things grow at their own pace. I’m still learning to trust that rhythm. But I’m getting better at it.
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Find Ronit:
Malibu Soul Fine Jewelry Website
Malibu Soul Fine Jewelry Instagram
Pesronal Instagram
Substack
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Interviewed & Photographed by Micaela Hoo, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, My July
