Meet Kai Boyer, an extremely self motivated and driven person, who believes she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to and constantly strives to improve herself by expanding her mind in new areas of knowledge and expertise. Boyer loves learning new things about herself and human behavior through self reflection, journaling and helping others understand their habits and tendencies. As an entrepreneur Kai Boyer believes everyone has to keep their eyes and mind open to all the new possibilities that are out there in an ever changing and evolving world.
Boyer provides a lot of services through her coaching, including a weight loss program, strength training, high performance sports training, interval training, post-surgical rehabilitation, and mean plan building. The main philosophy of her training is the concept of Kaizen, which is about little improvements over time.
What inspired your dedication to fitness and wellness?
Growing up as an athlete all my life I was always extremely active and I loved to train. I love the rush working out gives you as well as the aesthetic and health benefits of it. Being dedicated to fitness and wellness has been ingrained in me from a young age and has always been a part of my daily routine.
What do you find are people’s top fitness concerns and what advice do you give?
A lot of people come in and think if they simply start exercising their entire body will drastically change over night and get frustrated when they don’t see major change in the first few weeks. Weight gain and unhealthy habits don’t happen overnight and changing them doesn’t either. Healthy weight loss and lifestyle change takes time to take effect.
Healthy lifestyle change is a combination of eating clean, having enough protein while not having too many sugars, sodium and carbs in your diet along with exercising daily for at least 30 minutes. Drinking enough water and getting enough sleep are two major components in lifestyle change that are often overlooked.
Being healthy and in shape goes far beyond just going to the gym for an hour or two per week, it needs to be instilled in every element of your lifestyle.
How can people introduce fitness into their lives for the long-term?
Introducing fitness and wellness into your life is a matter of daily commitment and making small gradual changes ingraining them to your daily routine. You have to set aside specific time on your schedule to work out or do cardio or even stretch, if it’s an intangible ‘I will work out later’ it most likely won’t happen. Having something definite and consistent on your schedule is how it becomes a successful habit.
Tell us something about your book who’s it for and what is it about?
The Kaizen Journal is for literally anyone who is ready for change in their life and wants to create and build new empowering habits. The Kaizen Journal is about personal development, it breaks down small steps of daily self improvements that help you address and overcome fears and hesitations that go along with positive lifestyle change. It’s a great self development project as YOU create and design the changes YOU would like to make in your daily routine and it keeps you accountable to the resolutions that you set for yourself.
Any tips you want to share from your book?
Start with just a single step towards success. Don’t try to take on any big overwhelming commitments that you cannot stick to for the long term. If there is something about yourself you want to improve or better, take just the first single step towards setting yourself up for success and be sure to commend yourself for taking the first step in the right direction. If you start small you will have less resistance and a higher likelihood of success.
What are the easiest habits you can build to become healthier?
Set a bed time. Get in the habit of getting enough rest and you will be amazed how much better you feel.
Eat clean. Try to get rid of all the saturated, processed and fast food in your life. Your body will thank you
Drink A LOT of water. Try for at least a gallon per day.
You will be AMAZED how much better you will feel with just those 3 simple steps. Don’t go more than 2 days without exercise and pick an activity that you ENJOY.
What are your top tips for endurance and recovery?
I can’t stress enough the importance of a proper warm up and cool down before and after a work out or cardio session. It is crucial to do a warm up to prevent injuries but also foam roll and stretch post work out to help with recovery. Doing something to rehab your body each day even if it is 10-15 minutes will make you feel better and sleep better.
What are your hobbies and how do you de-stress?
I love to rock climb, hike, and ultimately be outside and be active. I de-stress by doing things I love with friends and loved ones. I think time is a priceless commodity that you cannot get back and must be spent wisely.
Top 3 sources or books for inspiration you would recommend.
One Small Step Can Change Your Life – The Kaizen Way- By Robert Maurer
Living Forward by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkay
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Best quote about fitness you find most relevant to your style.
What you put in is what you get out. If you’re not ready to do the work, don’t expect to get results. It takes a lot of time, dedication and making the right choices to be able to not only get in shape but stay in shape. Fitness and being healthy is a lifelong journey not a 30 or 60 day challenge.
Hardest thing about staying motivated?
The most difficult part of staying motivated is even on those days where you are tired, and a trip to the drive thru sounds a lot more enticing than the gym you still get there and make it happen.
I believe having variety in your exercise routine is super important so you do not burn yourself out from doing the same thing day after day. I always encourage my clients to have a mix of activities from strength training at the gym to running the stairs at the beach or hiking on the weekends, there are countless new ways you can have fun and still be active.
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
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