Meet Nina Echevarria

“Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Nina Echevarria

Nina Echevarria is the living embodiment of perseverance. As the CEO and Founder of Meli Micah Design Studio LLC, she doesn’t just create, she rebuilds with purpose.

Her journey is rooted in many years of rising above circumstances that could have broken her. Instead, they made her strong and resilient. What matters most to Nina is simple, powerful, and life-altering: making sure no woman or young lady ever feels like she must shrink to survive.

With roots in the Bronx and a heart full of fire, Nina is a designer, entrepreneur, and a builder, and most importantly, a woman who has faced the storm and chosen to build in its wake.

“Right now,” she shares, “I want the world to understand that although I've survived so much, I’m no longer surviving — I’m Alive and Thriving. I’m standing fully in my power and more unbreakable than EVER!”

Have you ever felt shattered, broken into a million pieces from every direction by friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, employers? Nina has. Life threw many storms her way from childhood to adulthood, but she learned to endure and overcome them all. Her childhood was steeped in the harsh realities of poverty, the constant worry about food and shelter. She grew up in a neighborhood where violence was a daily reality: domestic, sexual, gang, and gun violence, alongside the pervasive shadow of drugs and addiction. Enduring this built a unique kind of character within her, a resilience that would later allow her to guide others lost in their own storms.

She has witnessed the slow, relentless decline of someone deeply loved — battling chronic illness like renal failure, enduring countless dialysis treatments, and ultimately facing death. That profound helplessness and the trauma of seeing loved ones slowly fade left a lasting impact. This pain, coupled with the immense weight of others' burdens, their worries, fears, and anxieties led Nina to a mental breakdown: the breaking point after years of torment. Yet, even in her darkest moments, faith kept her secure.

It was by grace that she was saved. The raw experience of losing her father to renal failure while simultaneously having the sacred privilege of giving life as a kidney donor to her soulmate became the very reason she built her design studio. This was her true understanding of life and death: transformed into a new creation with a new assignment. Nina learned to walk through fire and rebuild what was broken, all to empower unseen youth in her community through art and design, just as her father, her first artistic champion, once nurtured her own creative spirit.

Today, Nina shows up every day with a mission to serve and help those who feel lost find their way through art and design. When she looks at the teen girls and boys in her community, she sees a reflection of herself. She sees their immense potential and greatness and is determined to show them their inherent value and worth. Nina is SLAYIN’ by building futures — not just in business, but in life, teaching the next generation how to thrive, survive, and come alive. Her pain is their pain. And though difficult, pain can be a powerful catalyst for growth, empathy, and a deeper understanding of oneself and others.

To Nina, empowerment means giving the power and authority to break barriers and rules, setting the tone for the next generation of young women and men. Empowered women strengthen each other and build one another up. They don't gatekeep because they don't fear or worry about controlling others. They are so secure in themselves that it makes others feel safe around them.

Nina’s dream is to build a safe place where one’s truth is fully their own, where words are not misconstrued or objectified, and where each person feels validated, worthy, and fearfully and wonderfully themselves. She hopes her story can enlighten those who are ready to be re-created through leadership, guidance, and lived experiences. She is planting good seeds in good soil — so the next generation can be rooted in purpose.

Connect With Nina via Meli Micah

Instagram: @meli_micah