i first discovered kai (specifically the eau de parfum) through a pure barre studio back in 2011, and i remember just instantly experiencing scent memory. the smell felt like hawaii. i was 21 years old and was still developing my own personal taste when it came to scents that felt like “me”, and kai has always resonated how i want to feel: light, refreshing, effortless.

how do you embody kai’s “breath*life*flow” lifestyle?

being a small business owner, i take absolutely nothing for granted. things change and shift daily, and choosing / learning to be adaptable and embrace the ebbs and flows of business and life has become a staple of who i think i am at my core.

what are your favorite, must-have kai products?

my top 3’s:

eau de parfum: it’s the thing that got me into kai in the first place! just the absolute classic staple!

perfume oil: always in my travel bag, super light and easy! it gives 0 excuse not to feel great about how you smell!

reed diffuser: sets the mood for positivity, calm, and freshness in the home and work!

how did you start your career? and how did you end up with your current role?

i started my career with pure barre when i was in college. i worked 3 jobs simultaneously in order to graduate with 0 debt, and one day my roommate presented me with the opportunity to work at (a then unknown) business called pure barre. without knowing anything about it, i jumped at the opportunity. after graduating, i moved to los angeles to pursue singing & songwriting, and decided that my best bet to support myself would be to open my own studio in order to have flexibility with my personal scheduling. fast forward, and here we are celebrating the 8 year studio anniversary along with the release of an original song. i’m a firm believer that simply saying “yes” to the unknown and taking a leap of faith will always move you towards where you’re meant to be.

what color nail polish are you wearing right now? 

i’m currently wearing a custom iridescent chrome nail polish from la par nails (@la_par on ig). one of the awesome benefits of my studio, pure barre north hollywood, turning 8 is the connections i’ve made with local and national brands alike, and how passionate and likeminded our partners are. the owner of la par, lisa, is incredible and gifted me with a manicure (complete with a hand-drawn chrome infinity symbol) to be on theme with our “be infinity” event. it’s a small thing, but completely special to me because i rarely take time to get my nails done, so i feel exceptionally spoiled and equally grateful!

morning person or night owl? 

where’s the love for midday people? hah! i definitely am an early riser (4:30am-6am daily alarm), but it doesn’t mean that i necessarily enjoy it. i do try to get the majority of my work done before 11am, and then the remainder of my day gets to be fluid and flexible. i think that’s an important tip for productivity (as well as the reason why i’d categorize myself technically as a “morning person”)— front load your day as much as possible and you’ll always feel some level of success!

describe your perfect day. 

my perfect day is the one in which i’ve accomplished something and embodied “health”. so, i have to hit all 4 quadrants of health for it to be perfect: mental (mind), physical (body), emotional (heart), and spiritual (soul). every morning when i wake up, i take a few minutes to warm up my mind & soul by doing a quick french lesson and reading something spiritually stimulating. then, fuel myself well with electrolytes, collagen, and supplements before heading to a workout. post workout, i sit in the sauna for about 30 minutes and plan out my most necessary “to do list” items. back home, i’ll knock out as much work as possible before giving myself an hour-long break to walk to the beach and back. usually, i’ll multitask and write lyrics or melodies on my beach walks. that all (in a perfect world) would be done by 1pm. that, to me, is perfection. then i have the rest of the day to finish work, record music, find meaningful conversations with family or friends, prioritize skincare / self-care. that, my friends, is a beautiful day.

what do you love most about where you live? any secret spots you love to go to?

due to being shutdown for a year during covid, i chose to give up my apartment and move home to huntington beach so that i could continue paying my employees during our closure. although that has come with its own challenges (living over an hour away from my business), i’ve really worked to embrace the temporary situation and see the beauty of being able to live in a place as stunning as huntington beach. 

i have two favorite places in huntington beach: one is the rock jetty that’s at the edge of dog beach, and the other is lifeguard tower 28. there’s rarely anyone there, so not only does it feel like a private beach, but these are the best places (in my opinion) to view the sunset, journal, sing, etc. i’ve written some of my best songs in these places, and i truly credit them for restoring my soul when i’ve gone through any dark periods in my life.

what’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done?

while i could easily say that simply opening pure barre north hollywood at the age of 24 was the most adventurous / terrifying thing i’ve done, i honestly think that is trumped by throwing together this “be infinity” event. on a whim, i came up with the idea to message 300 individual brands that were complementary to one another (80+ of whom agreed to partner with us) as well as write, record, and release a theme song for the event. it’s the most unusual and somehow perfect pairing, and by far the most creatively adventurous idea i’ve ever come up with in order to blend my two passions: health and music.