Donnie Soddu grew up surrounded by rituals, whether they were formal traditions like attending church services or family routines, such as the daily care of the horses her paternal grandparents raised on their property.
Soddu says her early years of believing in a higher power as well as spending hours outside exploring, discovering, and playing in the woods taught her to trust herself. Yet, like many people, as she grew into adulthood, the connection to her spiritual self began to wane. Career and other responsibilities took precedence.
It was after the birth of her second child and a deep spiritual reawakening that Soddu turned what had been a longtime fascination with crystals into a fine jewelry brand. High Light Rituals, which Soddu established in 2023, recently introduced the Sacred Layers collection, and it speaks to people’s need for healing, optimism, and stress relief, she says.
“I believe that spirituality is an innate and integral part of being human, yet so many of us, myself included, lose our connection to spirit because of the world around us,” says Soddu, a certified shamanic crystal healer. “Creating a jewelry brand wasn’t my original plan. I simply knew I wanted to work with crystals and lift people up at all stages of their journeys in a way that felt most authentic to me.
“I wanted to offer something tangible, something people could easily meditate with and use to focus their intentions,” she continues. “Jewelry felt like the perfect medium for this purpose, since it would allow me to create pieces infused with crystals and high vibrational energy that could serve as conduits for inner healing and transformation.”
The path to High Light Rituals was infused with personal development through family and education. Soddu says a large extended family helped support her and her single mother emotionally and spiritually.
“The women in my family were always sharing books of affirmations, discussing spirituality, and drawing inspiration from Iyanla Vanzant. So from a young age, I understood that connecting with spirit was sacred, normal, and essential,” she says.
Soddu attended Foxcroft School, a private all-girls school in Middleburg, Va., on scholarship, knowing that she’d need part-time jobs if she wanted to enjoy any nonessential items or activities. Growing up less privileged than her classmates was challenging, she says, but it shaped who she is today.
“I learned how to be independent and not crumble under pressure. I learned what it means to be hungry, to compete respectfully, to prove myself,” says Soddu. “And along the way, I developed a deep empathy for those who feel marginalized or undervalued. I became skilled at reading people and understanding their true motivations, which has been invaluable in both my personal and professional life.”
At the University of Pennsylvania, Soddu studied psychology and the biological basis of behavior, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude. She went on to get her master’s degree in in medical science from Cambridge in the U.K., as a Gates scholar.
She transitioned from doing academic research as a student to managing clinical trials as a job. She pivoted to marketing in 2013, leveraging her skills in understanding people and consumer behavior to make the shift.
“A good friend from college vouched for me, which helped me land my first entry-level marketing role at BaubleBar,” Soddu says. That position familiarized her with product development, branding, and e-commerce.
She worked in digital marketing and customer experience for several companies, including Tula Skincare (from 2015 to 2018), Hatch Collection, which makes maternity wear and related products (2018–2019), and beauty brand Korres, from 2019 to 2021. She was working in marketing freelance when she was starting a family.
“I had been developing High Light as a personal creative project for some time, but it was only after leaving my full-time corporate marketing career that I decided to share it more broadly,” says Soddu, who is based in Connecticut.
For High Light jewelry, Soddu selects materials based on their unique vibrational properties, and she imbues every piece with energy through a meticulous blessing ritual that involves charging it with energy to heal and always serve the wearer’s highest good.
“I don’t see jewelry just as simply aesthetic,” she says. “I see it as a spiritual tool and a means of personal empowerment. Each piece I create is conceived with a specific intention, whether it’s for healing, protection, or manifesting abundance.”
Top: Donnie Soddu, founder and CEO of High Light Rituals, also works as a certified shamanic crystal healer and Reiki master. (Photos courtesy of High Light Rituals)
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