Jim Levin, MD.
The Visionary Behind GLO™
Jim Levin, MD.
The Visionary Behind GLO™
The visionary imagination of James (Jim) Levin, MD., began to take root in the 1970s, during his years as an urgent care physician. It was there, in the quiet moments between diagnoses and treatments, that he began to realize the power of storytelling as a form of healing, particularly for children.
When a young patient refused to open his mouth for a throat exam, Dr. Levin would gently ask, “Did you know that a magic flying horse sometimes appears in the throats of children? Shall we see if one is hiding in yours?”
Instantly, fear would give way to wonder. The child's mouth would open wide, enchanted by the idea that something magical might be waiting within. Over time, parents began calling, asking if there were pictures of the magic horse, as their children continued asking about the story long after their visit. That was the spark.
To extend the magic beyond the clinic, Jim began creating illustrated cards to accompany his whimsical tales and reflective poems. What began as a small gesture of care soon blossomed into GLO™, Inc., a quiet yet luminous greeting card company founded on imagination, healing, and joy.
He began distributing the cards to shops throughout Hawaii and the mainland, and, in the era before the internet and social media, he built the company the old-fashioned way: by making hundreds of phone calls each day. The dedication, perseverance, and self-discipline required to manifest GLO are a testament to Jim’s unwavering vision.
Notably, Jim never signed his name to the cards, and the artists he worked with, by design, remained anonymous. The intention was always for GLO™ to speak for itself, to radiate its message of light and love without the need for attribution.
The company was the first to incorporate hand-set Austrian crystals into greeting cards, adding a tactile brilliance that became its signature.
Over time, GLO’s messages of hope and beauty found their way across continents, translated into French, German, Spanish, Icelandic, and Japanese.
This website marks the first time that Jim’s identity, voice, and story are being shared publicly, a quiet figure now gently stepping into the light.
From the beginning, many gifted artists contributed to the early imagery of GLO™, each adding their own touch to the growing vision. That evolving journey ultimately led to a pivotal moment in 1986, when Jim met his wife and creative partner, Natalie, in San Diego, California. At the time, she was working as a freelance artist and graphic designer.
Their collaboration began when Natalie was hired to design key lines for custom-cut card shapes. What followed was a 20-year creative partnership and a 39-year love story, rooted in shared values of beauty, imagination, and devotion to something greater than themselves.
Natalie became the primary artist behind GLO’s beloved cards, painting with airbrush and acrylics in the early years, and later transitioning to digital media using Photoshop to bring Jim’s imaginative vision to life. Together, they produced more than 700 GLO™ crystal greeting cards, each one a work of art, each one a whisper of light, love, and possibility.
GLO is a celebration of beauty, imagination, and the quiet power of offering light and goodness into the world, shared gently, from heart to heart.
