MoonStone is Moving to Longfellow
Making Magic and Meaning in a Queer-Centered Space
Burnout is something I think about a lot, partly because I lived it and partly because so many people who walk through our door are carrying it. When Megan reached out for this conversation, I was not sure how personal it would get. Turns out, pretty personal. We talked about what it actually looks like to build a business around wellness when you are still figuring out your own, and why closing the shop one day a week is one of the best decisions I have made. This episode surprised me with how much ground we covered in 30 minutes.
About This Episode
In June 2025, MoonStone MPLS owner Brenna Wernersbach joined host Megan Hadley on Balm in the Burnout, a podcast about sustainable living and recovery from burnout. The episode runs 30 minutes and covers the full arc of how Brenna built MoonStone from the ground up.
Brenna came to small business ownership from a background in psychology, where they worked as a licensed psychologist specializing in gender and sexuality. That foundation still shapes how MoonStone operates: as a space where people can explore wellness, connect with nature, and feel seen and affirmed, whether or not they have any prior experience with metaphysical practice.
The conversation gets into the practical realities of running a small shop, including how Brenna approaches burnout prevention by closing one day per week, the value of community collaboration in a retail context, and why self-advocacy matters for small business owners. Brenna also talks about MoonStone's move from Uptown to Longfellow and what it meant to land in a neighborhood they had called home since 2013.
Themes covered include work-life balance for small business owners, creating inclusive physical spaces, the relationship between metaphysics and science, and the kind of community that forms when people feel genuinely welcome.
MoonStone MPLS is located in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis at 3304 East Lake Street. Mention this podcast episode for a discount in-store.
As Featured On
Brenna appeared on Balm in the Burnout, Episode 6: "Making Magic and Meaning in a Queer-Centered Space," hosted by Megan Hadley (June 2025).
We're sharing the show notes here. Listen to the full episode at balmintheburnout.transistor.fm →
