Dynamic and vivacious Kalika Yap founded her Santa Monica-based, award-winning branding and interactive design agency, Citrus Studios, in 1999. Her prestigious client-list includes Sephora, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, Norton Simon Museum, Getty Research Institute, St. John’s Health Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Armstrong Gardens, Norman Lear Center, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge UK, USC, UCLA, and literally hundreds of other corporations, museums, cultural and educational organizations, beauty, spa and fashion brands, and nonprofits.

Ms. Yap is an active member and supporter of joinFITE.org, NAWBO/LA, Entrepreneur’s Organization, EO | Los Angeles. She serves on the Board for Vconline.org and works with other national and community efforts that advocate for women in business. Among her many awards, NAWBO/LA named her a “Rising Star,” and Farmers Insurance named her an “Extraordinary Entrepreneur.” Citrus Studios was recently voted “Tech Firm of the Year” by the Asian Business Association, among many other accolades.

Ms. Yap calls Citrus Studios “design with a twist,” the twist being her set of Core Values, guiding principles which define Ms. Yap’s ethos and the philosophy of her agency. A few of these include:

• Be Humble
• Communicate Kindly
• Cultivate Wisdom
• Have a Positive Attitude and Fun Family Spirit
• Do More with Less
• Go Barefoot
• Keep Your Word and Have Integrity
• Sleep Under the Stars
• If Not Now, When?

She describes the studio’s core values as “my compass, because sometimes there is no map — we go places no one has gone before!”

Kalika Yap is a native of Honolulu, dances Hula, and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children, ages 2 and 4 years old.

Q: Aloha! Lets’ begin with time-management. In addition to all of the above, you also are a mom?

KALIKA YAP: Aloha, mahalo, yes, we have two little ones, and they keep me on my toes. I have always been organized, but now I really take care to create anchors and routines.

Q:…Like?

KALIKA YAP: Just as one small example, I take Spirulina blue-green algae, and Vitamin D, for energy and to keep my immune-system strong under pressure. My mom actually got me started with that. And I don’t work on weekends, although I easily could. I used to be a marathon runner, but now I enjoy walking with my kids and husband on Saturday and Sunday.

I’ve read that the brain can only work continuously for about 90 minutes, and then you need a break to continue at your highest function. I believe in taking breaks. This allows me to do small, personal things, not only for my family, but also for my business. For instance, I send out personal birthday cards to all my clients.

Q: Entrepreneurs are famous for being risk-takers. What about you?

KALIKA YAP: I am an intelligent risk-taker. I think this notion of risk-taking can be misinterpreted by entrepreneurs, especially in the beginning — they confuse it with being reckless. For example, as an entrepreneur, you have to pay yourself. It’s a common mistake to not pay yourself, so you think you’re saving money, because your P&L looks great on paper. This is false security.

Q: What other advice do you have for entrepreneurs who are starting out — or for job-seekers?

KALIKA YAP: The hardest work to get is new work. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t look on monster.com and all the rest. Of course you have to. But my own experience is that there often is gold under our feet and we don’t realize it.

My advice begins with this: Work your current contacts. Cultivate your current network or client base. Get inside of the heads of people you already work with. Think like they think. Get in touch with their needs. This will allow you to figure out what they need from you next.

It takes work. It’s more than visualization, although visualization is the first step. But, books like “The Secret,” with due respect, may have instilled a belief in magical thinking in people. Also a sense of entitlement. Simply wanting and wishing does not make anything happen.

Oh, also one bit of practical advice: “Purse on the floor, money out the door.” Don’t put your handbag on the floor. First of all, it’s not good for your bag! Second, it sends money out the door. That’s why I invented LUXE LINK®, which is this handy hanger for your bag. It hooks on your desk or table.

Q: Nice bag, by the way.

KALIKA YAP: Thanks, it’s a JAMAH bag, designed by Nancy Gale, another amazing entrepreneur!

Q: What has changed about your business during the past 12 years?

KALIKA YAP: You know, I’ve really simplified the way I work, and I don’t take things personally the way I used to. I think part of it was my Hawaiian cultural upbringing. I was so trusting and easy-going. As a result, I spent a lot of money on lawyers’ fees in those early years, because people took advantage of that. Now, I am still easy-going and trusting, but I always have a contract in place before we work together!

Q: What quality do you admire most in people?

KALIKA YAP: I admire people who never seem to have a bad day. I also admire forgiveness. And gratitude. These are qualities I cultivate in myself and my team.

Q: And what quality is the biggest problem for entrepreneurs?

KALIKA YAP: Not just for entrepreneurs, but for anyone, especially someone in an authority position: you have to be willing to accept responsibility for your actions. You have to hold yourself accountable and step up.

When you’re the boss, this also applies when someone who works for you makes a mistake. It happens. You cannot dodge the blame. If you’re the boss, in the largest sense, it’s your fault, and you have to embrace it, own it, and take responsibility.

Q: On the subject of employees, how do you decide who to hire?

KALIKA YAP: OK, this is my most favorite topic. I am a student of body language, and what are called “micro-expressions.” These are little flashes of truth that our faces and bodies send out. They last less than a second. But if you know how to recognize them, they tell you a LOT about people, especially when their micro-expressions contradict the words coming out of their mouths.

When someone starts stroking their own arms, or legs, or hair, they are self-pacifying, or trying to soothe themselves, which suggests discomfort or stress. It doesn’t always mean that they are lying, but you have to ask yourself, what in the conversation is making this person so stressed?

In meetings, we generally only see people from the waist up. This can be very deceiving. I try to get some sense of what’s going on under the table, below the belt! If they are tapping their feet, jiggling their knees, crossing and uncrossing their legs, again, we have an indicator of discomfort. If their hips and feet are angled toward the exit, then maybe they aren’t really committed to the conversation — they are preparing to flee the scene.

Hiding the lips — as in, squeezing the lips together so they disappear — is often a sign of disagreement, or of self-censoring, like the person is suppressing what they want to say. And showing off the thumbs is a sign of power and dominance.

So, my advice to entrepreneurs, and anyone involved in any kind of negotiation, is to be aware of your physical messages. Make sure your body is saying what you want to say. I recommend one of my favorite books, “What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People” by Joe Navarro.

Q: On the subject of feeling powerful, do you really recommend that people go barefoot?

KALIKA YAP: I do. In Hawaii, we call the energy of body and spirit “Mana.” It may be compared with Chi, or Q’I, or Prana. And this essential energy is felt most easily when we are barefoot. This is why Hula is always danced barefoot. And so, we have mani-pedis in our office every week as a perk for the team. It helps our creativity.

Q: I notice that you quote the great Rabbi Hillel in your Core Values.

KALIKA YAP: Yes, “If not now, When?” I also love the quote, which has recently been paraphrased by Madeline Albright, but really began with President Robert F. Kennedy, who referenced the poet Dante to say, “The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality.” Italian scholars now argue that Dante never wrote those lines, but they are still words to live by!

Oh — we’re about to have a birthday party. Want some cake?

Women’s lifestyle journalist, entrepreneur, visionary and Dermalogica enthusiast Claudia Chan is dedicated to advocating for women in ways which range from recreational fun with your girlfriends (she spent almost a decade entertaining women with Shecky’s “GIRLS NIGHT OUT” gatherings) to empowering and mentoring women. Her mission: “inspiring women to dream big to affect positive change in the world, while creating value-driven lives they love.” Based in New York City, Ms. Chan serves on the Board of Directors for FITE (joinFITE.org), NEST (buildanest.com) and she is the former President of Shecky’s, America’s #1 “girlfriend experience company.” She also is a 2011 Mentor for the national women’s advancement nonprofit, Step Up Women’s Network (suwn.org). Ms. Chan’s newest project is a syndicated online media brand and talk-show, launching on www.ClaudiaChan.com in the late fall of 2011.

Q: Who is a leader who inspires you – and why?

CLAUDIA CHAN: Oprah Winfrey would be # 1. She’s a self-made billionaire who built her empire based on her truest values and a desire to help others. Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, also comes to mind. She is getting a lot of media attention recently and she’s using that microphone to champion gender equality while encouraging women and girls to aim as high as possible, and offering practical advice based on her own experiences.

Q: What is your advice for an entrepreneur in the “bootstrapping” or start-up phase?

CLAUDIA CHAN: Spend on the items that get your business off the ground like: (1) building the product/service (the value proposition you bring into the world), (2) brand development (define what the brand means… the mission and core values that differentiate your business from others), (3) the most critical people you need (rainmakers, key management, and freelancers who are great at what you’re not).

Spend much less in the areas that do not move the needle like: (1) don’t rent an office if your team can work remotely, (2) replace pricey hardware with web based solutions, (3) opt for coffee meetings over expensive lunches or even conference calls depending on the significance level of that meeting. Remember, time is money too!

Most importantly, have a strategic plan that clearly lays out (1) your business vision and goals, (2) your sales, marketing, and product development plans and (3) your organization chart explaining who will be responsible for what and report into who. For start-ups, I like to create these plans seasonally… if you’re further along as a business you can plan for each fiscal year.

Q: The current economy can be a bit of a buzz-kill, even for dreamers who dream big. What do you say to an educated, professional, creative person with expertise and education, who can’t find work?

CLAUDIA CHAN: First thing to do is you need to do is stop complaining about how bad the job market is and work harder at the job search. Not so different from the last question… create a “personal strategic plan” for yourself: (1) define what you want, create a list of industries and kinds of jobs you might enjoy, and become more open to positions you’d never considered (2) define what you need to do to maximize the number of eyeballs that will see your resume. Are you visible on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and other social media and networking platforms? What job sites will you focus on for which jobs? Who can make introductions or pass on your info to the right people? (3) Work your butt off to execute your plan and put in the hours for research and networking until you get the responses and call backs.

I also recommend doing pro bono work for an organization that resonates with your interests or curiosity. Not only can it help you brush up on your skills, it may also bring new experiences and connections which may open you up to new possibilities and considerations. Not to mention, it will be rewarding to support a great cause! There are many great sources today to find pro bono work that’s right for you… check out my girlfriend Rachael’s site www.catchafire.org!

Q: What are your priorities, and how do you keep them in clear focus?

CLAUDIA CHAN: My mental and physical health, family and most meaningful relationships (boyfriend, dog, closest friends) and my work and its purpose on this earth. I’d like to say I prioritize things in that order but work usually sneaks its way to the front of the line.

It takes a lot of discipline. I have to constantly step “out of” myself… out of the weeds of a million things that must get done to re-prioritize when things get crazy. I have to separate my priorities from my to-do’s… and separate priorities of my work from the priorities of my life. What helps me to create this mental space is down time with my boyfriend and dog, as well as reading, journaling, and my yoga practice (I love anusara yoga at Virayoga in Soho or I do yoga from home via yogaglo.com).

Q: What do you consider to be the key to happiness?

CLAUDIA CHAN: I think happiness starts with respecting, loving and listening to your inner self. If you have this fundamental ability, you can more clearly and confidently access what you want… what makes you happy… what serves you. It’s easy to be influenced by what others or society says when the truth is that no one will know you better or care for your interests and desires more than yourself. And when we have a hard time connecting to what is inside and what we want, I think that’s when we need to give ourselves a time out (meditation, exercise, traveling, reading… connecting with our most trusted and inspirational friends… whatever will get us more connected to who we are). In the anusara yoga philosophy, we chant a phrase that translates into “bow to your inner guru… you are already what you seek.” I remind myself that every day.

Dr. Claudia Aguirre, Scientific Communications Manager for The International Dermal Institute and Dermalogica, will be traveling the world the next few months to visit our global “tribe” share new research, and introduce product launches, as well as represent our world-initiative for women’s microlending, www.joinFITE.org.

Her first stop this summer was Honduras and Costa Rica, which represent new markets for Dermalogica. A huge plus for our brand: Dr. Aguirre is fully bilingual, and represented the brand to consumers, skin therapists and media in Spanish as well as English. Dr. Aguirre was accompanied by Leanne McCliskie, Education Manager for Latin America and Caribbean. Both Dr. Aguirre and Leanne are based at the brand headquarters in Carson, California.

Q: What was your mission?
Dr. Aguirre: Our mission was to introduce the Dermalogica UltraCalming™ system to Honduras and Costa Rica, as well as to bring the FITE initiative to these new markets.

Q: What was the itinerary?
Dr. Aguirre: We began in Honduras, visiting the capital city of Tegucigalpa, then San Pedro Sula. Honduras is an emerging economy, and not yet a highly developed market.

Q: What was the message?
Dr. Aguirre: Skin care education is essential in this new demographic. The women I met complained frequently about products “burning” their skin, giving them a hot, prickly feeling. I recognized that these women are experiencing sensitization from washing their faces with bar-soap and water as well as lack of proper skin care.

Q: Sensitized versus sensitive?
Dr. Aguirre: That is correct. “Sensitive” is usually a term applied to very fair skin, usually of Celtic-Nordic heritage – someone like my colleague and travelling companion Leanne, who is light-skinned, with genes for red hair, freckles, light-colored eyes. She’s a Type I on the Fitzpatrick Scale used by skin care professionals. People with a tendency to burn, get allergies and have asthma are also prone to skin sensitivity and an inherent tendency to be reactive – blushing, flushing, reddening, itchy and prickly, even manifesting Rosacea.

Q: And this is not the case with the local people of Honduras.
Dr. Aguirre: Correct, generally speaking Hondurans have a rich mix of indigenous heritage from the Americas, melded with European, Iberian genetic content. Typically, this skin does not have inherent sensitivity.
The indigenous, genetic “expression” present in their skin would place them as a Type V on the Fitzpatrick Scale. Their later Iberian heritage, which may include North African and Middle Eastern, Arabian heritage in fact, would generally fall into Types III and IV on the Fitzpatrick Scale. The combined skin would be perceived broadly as “Latina” skin, skin of color, definitely in the honey-amber range or darker. Yet, they experience a lot of product-triggered inflammation, discomfort, and discoloration, which may become more or less permanent through hyperpigmentation. This is an acquired sensitization, as the result of stripping the lipid barrier and triggering neuropeptide release.

Q: By using soap?
Dr. Aguirre: Yes, primarily by using highly alkaline bar-soap on their faces every day. Also, because these women have deep natural pigmentation, they do not have a cultural awareness of the danger of UV. Decades of unprotected sun exposure also causes inflammatory response, as well as other damage. So the UltraCalming™ system was of great interest. We did live television, as well as staff trainings and some product demos.

Q: What about Costa Rica?
Dr. Aguirre: Costa Rica is a more urban market and a more sophisticated economy. When we visited San Jose, we did a number of events and interviews presenting the same basic content. But here, we also talked about stress and dehydration – more the complaints of city-people – and their effects upon the skin.

Q: What is the skin care market like in these parts of Central America?
Dr. Aguirre: European luxury lines are popular, especially skin care products from Spain. These are often lavishly fragranced and packaged. The idea that luxury is not a great thing is a cultural disconnect in Central America. Luxury is regarded as aspirational in these places, so we really have our work cut out for us there in terms of finding a foothold for the Dermalogica message of efficacy and results, versus perfume and pampering.

Read Dr. Claudia’s blog at: http://www.dermalinstitute.com/us/news/category/dr-claudia-aguirre/

And check this space – more soon on Dr. Claudia’s travels in the name of healthy skin.

Annet King, Director of Global Education for The International Dermal Institute, is always on the move. Born in the UK, her work in professional skin care has literally been a world-tour, and with no end in sight. Annet’s worked in many parts of Asia, as well as sailed the globe as a spa director for the cruise ship industry. Today, she is in demand as a global speaker, makes her home in Los Angeles, and has recently returned from a few weeks in Europe, visiting family and friends. Who better to set a few things straight regarding skin and summer travel? Here’s some insight from IDI’s go-go-guru for healthy skin on the fly.

Q: Why is air travel so tough on the skin?

Annet: It’s largely to do with the environment on the plane. There is zero humidity, recycled air, higher air pressure, airborne cleaning chemicals and fluctuating temperatures. Our skin, like the rest of us, is a creature of habit. Though highly adaptable, rapid changes and different environments upset the skin.

Q: How does the skin typically misbehave?

Annet: Usually, it gets crisp. Frequent fliers experience dehydrated skin, parched mucus membranes, like inside the nose, lizard-lips and dry hands. This all comes down to the lack of humidity, basically meaning no available moisture present in our surrounding air. This is ironic when you are flying through clouds, which are filled with moisture! We board the plane like juicy grapes and arrive as tired raisins, with our internal moisture literally sucked out.

Q: What about people with oily skin?

Annet: Oily and acne prone-skin can become oilier when you fly. Your face literally feels greasy when you arrive at your destination. The skin also can’t dispose of its internal waste products efficiently or easily when we are motionless in our seats for hours. So you may even have the unwelcome surprise of a few blemishes the next morning.

Q: So, do you recommend flying with a naked face?

Annet: Actually, no. If you’re taking a long flight, you may not want to wear make-up, or maybe apply your make-up more lightly than you might when you’re on home-turf. But I recommend that you do protect the skin with a nourishing, lightweight moisturizer, and carry on a small spritzer of a hydrating toner to use en route. Sometimes it’s hard to access a carry-on bag or even your handbag if the flight is full, so I immediately put the travel-sized spritz and my hand cream in the seat-pocket in front of me. Misting your neighbors is a great way to make new friends.

Also, you need a humectant balm in stick-form, which can keep lips supple, and also smooth out cuticles. Hands get really desiccated when we fly, since the poor things have no oil glands of their own.

Q: Any personal tips?

Annet: I like to put a few drops of aromatherapy-grade, pure Lavender Extract on a tissue, and just breathe it in during the trip. Lavender is a natural antibacterial, and I feel positive that it keeps everyone else’s germs at bay as we all wheeze in that recycled air. I have not yet been able to bring myself to wear a paper surgical mask on board, although this is not unusual on flights originating in Asia. Lavender also has a calming effect, so might help you to nod off.

I’ve known a few models who bring cotton or gel-embedded gloves when they fly. They apply a rich hand cream, then pop the gloves on, like they’re having tea with the Queen. Quite chic, I might add. You could do the same with feet and socks.

For overnight or long flights when I need to sleep, I replicate as best as I can my bedtime routine before I leave home. I brush my teeth, cleanse my face, spritz and apply a peptide-rich moisturizer. I always pump a bit of creamy cleanser that doesn’t require water for removal onto a few dampened cotton pads, and keep them in a plastic bag in my purse. Going through the ritual will help you to sleep without the need for an Ambien!

Also, when you are preparing your carry-on plastic zip-bag of travel-sized musts – leave about a half-inch of air at the top of each bottle. Otherwise, they’ll burst under pressure. Not pretty.

Q: What can we do prior to flying to keep skin happier?

Annet: Preflight, I exfoliate my face and body, then generously apply a body hydrating cream from head to toe. This helps cap in moisture and makes you feel a little cleaner for longer!

I also recommend that you have yourself a nice big hydrating drink of some kind before you get to the airport, like an antioxidant “green” vegan smoothie or a green shake. Green vegetables actually help the skin and tissues stay hydrated more effectively than plain water.

Buy more water once through security, two medium sizes are easier to handle than a giant bottle.

When in flight, don’t drink coffee or alcohol, because they’re dehydrating. The food served on planes is notoriously salty, which may make you feel parched, and may also make your face, hands and feet swell, especially when you’re immobile for hours at a time.

Actually, getting up and down is also good for your skin. It keeps the lymphatic fluid moving, and reduces the tendency toward puffy eyes.

Q: How about when you arrive at your destination?

Annet: Immediately wash your face with a cleanser, which is suitable for your skin condition. Unless you have given yourself a jiffy, tissue-off cleansing while in your assigned seat, I can guarantee you that your skin is filthy.

If you have the time, apply a vitamin masque (allow about 30 minutes) to help your skin rapidly recover and squelch any lingering free radicals. Put your feet higher than your head, with the lights out, while the mask works.

If you are tight on time, after cleansing, apply a hydrating serum beneath your usual moisturizer and lightly pat on an eye product. One that does triple duty and smoothes lines, reduces puffiness, lightens dark circles will quickly perk up your peepers. Do NOT slather on the products which hotel housekeeping has set out in your guest bathroom, simply because you are tired, and they are free samples.

If you’re headed out and the sun is still up, of course apply sun protection. In terms of other products you need, this depends upon your location, as well as your specific skin condition.

As a general rule, a trip is not the best context in which to try new products. Your skin is already confused. Stick with what you know, stay out of the sun -– impossible advice, I realize, for summer vacationers. If you do add products, such as a body product, stay with your usual skin care brand.

Q: What about the next day?

Annet: A good tip to get your body aligned magnetically to your new destination is to lie on the earth to kind of “ground” yourself in your new location, particularly if you have traveled into a different time-zone, or are visiting your in-laws.

Find a park or a beach, and just stretch out on your back on the ground and practice abdominal breathing. It will help to stop jet-lag. To help you to stop feeling “fuzzy” and tired, jump in the pool. Exercising and swimming under water– revive the sinuses by blowing the water out of your nose — is the best way to clear your head. Sounds odd, but it really works.

Dermalogica travel friendly products:
UltraCalming Cleanser, Antioxidant Hydramist, MultiVitamin Power Recovery Masque, Climate Control, Skin Hydrating Booster, MultiVitamin Hand and Nail Treatment, and Age Reversal Eye Complex.

Creative whirlwind Nancy Gale is a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur and fashion designer whose luxurious lambskin handbags instantly developed a following among Hollywood’s A-List, placing her JAMAH brand (jamah.com) on the radar of fashion editors everywhere. Vogue spotlighted JAMAH after Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were photographed with their numerous JAMAH bags (among their collection, they have rocked “The Nanny” bag, large enough for baby-gear). Courtney Cox, Diane Lane, Carrie Underwood and many other celebs carry theirs on and off-camera, placing JAMAH on the cusp of major-label status.

But Gale’s no stargazer. IN TRUE FASHION.org, the philanthropic, non-profit arm of her company, is at the heart of what she calls “Causecap” — capitalism which is driven by a cause.

Q – Dermalogica:
Can you elaborate on your idea, “Causecap”?

A – Nancy Gale:
It’s all about cause, commerce and consciousness. It’s great when companies donate a percentage of profits to a good cause, but my brand is actually built upon a foundation of fostering entrepreneurism. It’s not an add-on.

Q – Dermalogica:
What form does this take?

A – Nancy Gale
This begins with the fact that JAMAH bags are made in America. In fact, they are made here in Los Angeles. I have a personal connection with the process. When I walk into the factory I recognize that I have a personal obligation to everyone there. The larger aspect of this is IN TRUE FASHION, which is a hands-on, competition-driven mentoring program I offer to underprivileged high school students. The program fosters entrepreneurism, and empowers young people to excel and succeed in business, and in life.

Q – Dermalogica:
What’s the best part about being an entrepreneur?

A – Nancy Gale
I love that there is no denying accountability. You cannot blame someone else, or another department, when things don’t go right. When you are the company, you are completely responsible for what happens. This realization shuts down what I call “the excuse factory.”

Q – Dermalogica:
What advice would you give to someone considering becoming an entrepreneur?

A – Nancy Gale
Generally speaking, there is very little opportunity for this kind of advice, in the sense that one doesn’t become an entrepreneur, one is an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs have low tolerance for conformity and confinement.

I will say that not everyone is cut out for the life of an entrepreneur, which requires a willingness to feel vulnerable, take risks and tolerate ambiguity. It is not a path for one who feels flustered by the thought of inconsistency or the unknown.

Q – Dermalogica:
How do you measure your own success?

A – Nancy Gale
I ask myself, “Am I getting up every day and loving what I do?” The answer is a definitive yes. Also, my success is defined and validated by the fact that every corner I turn, there is someone who wants to help with IN TRUE FASHION, or simply takes an interest in the brand.

People say that fashion is a cutthroat business, and that nobody cares about anyone else. But this is not my experience. Richard Branson, founder of THE VIRGIN GROUP, met with a bunch of our IN TRUE FASHION students because he loves what we are doing. Even the big editorial we got in Vogue came spontaneously to me. I do not have a publicist. In fact, the email from the fashion editor at Conde Nast was in my junk folder!

Q – Dermalogica:
Are successful entrepreneurs always right-brain creative types?

A – Nancy Gale
I think that you have to be both right-brain and left-brain, and practice the cross-over. I have both facilities, and practice the interaction. I do think that the right-brain, creative process, which is where I am most comfortable, has an element of chaos. So to be sure I’m ready for the chaos, I try to keep my life organized and immaculate, down to my home and car. I make my bed the minute I get up every morning!

Q – Dermalogica:
What’s the greatest danger to entrepreneurs?

A – Nancy Gale
Not setting up a structured environment, which inevitably results in distraction and what I refer to as “justified procrastination.” This is especially true when working from home.

Q – Dermalogica:
Are you a born multi-tasker?

A – Nancy Gale
Actually, I feel that “multi-tasking” is a poor excuse for doing things inadequately. We take for granted how little attention we pay when we aren’t completely focused and personally, I don’t believe there is a middle. You are either paying attention or you are not! I do better with laser-focus. I try to work on one thing at a time, stay organized, and set clear daily goals. This is an important skill to impart to young people, who tend to be texting and tweeting when they should be concentrating.

Dermalogica interviews Kimberly Fowler, Founder of YAS Fitness Centers, creator of YOGA for ATHLETES® and author of The No OM Zone

Q: Dermalogica:
Your resume is amazing. How and why did you go from studying law, and from being a high-level executive in corporate America, to yoga?

A: Kimberly:
Well, thank you, I know it does sound like a “stretch” to go from being a lawyer to COO of a $200 million company to opening my own yoga studio (YAS Fitness Centers www.go2yas.com).

Yogis are famous for standing on their heads, but what I love most about yoga is how my it has allowed me to turn life itself upside-down, and see things from a different perspective which may not be immediately visible. I have called it the “athlete’s secret weapon,” which is why I started my own style of yoga called Yoga for Athletes® as a way to strengthen both body and mind. In fact, discovering yoga brought me back from serious injury and near-death, and for this I am truly grateful.

But, as my students and friends know, my approach to yoga has been called “irreverent.” In fact, I view life and humanity with great reverence — and also humor. Here’s my mantra: “No Chanting, No Granola, No Sanskrit.” My first book was called “The No Om Zone”( http://thenoomzone.com) and that goes double for “Namaste.”

Q: Dermalogica:
Speaking as an entrepreneur, what was the transition like, moving your focus from the business world to your own business, and to the yoga community?

A: Kimberly:
I think people don’t realize or want to acknowledge that “business is business” no matter what type of company you are running. Yoga now is big business, but back in 2001 I received a lot of flak from the yoga community about running YAS Fitness Centers like it was a business.

I was the first to integrate cardio, in the form of spinning, with yoga. This was, and probably still is, frowned upon by traditional practitioners. But, yoga with cardio is now a major fitness trend. And the success of my business, including my YAS DVDs, books and sportswear, tells me that I’m onto something good, in spite of the disapproval of many yoga-lovers. Knock on wood, my four current locations are booming, and more YAS studios are coming soon.

My departure from the ritualistic aspects of yoga is symbolic of what works for me as an entrepreneur, and as a person: I don’t listen to most of what other people tell me I should do. I listen to my own inner voice. I know that this is an attitude I share with Dermalogica’s feisty founder, Jane Wurwand — no wonder I love her products.

Q: Dermalogica:
You mention that yoga has been instrumental in helping you move past obstacles – please tell us more.

A: Kimberly:
Yoga actually found me, I didn’t search it out. I was hit by a car in a race, I broke my collarbone and my physical therapist was an Iyengar yoga instructor. She gave me all these “moves” to help rehab my shoulder and it worked! Within a few weeks of learning about yoga, I took my first teacher’s training. The practice of yoga was fascinating to me. Then, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, when I was in my last semester of law school.

The doctors gave me six months to live, and informed me that, even with surgery, I’d lose many of my faculties. I was in the hospital, hooked up to IVs, when I started listening to myself instead of the doctors. I was a competitive triathlete, and I especially loved running. Could I really agree to give that up? Instead of going under the knife, I called my friend Chris, who physically carried me out of the hospital amidst screaming protests from the nurses. My brain cancer was cured with alternative medicine, yoga being part of that recovery.

I’ve encountered obstacles in many areas of life, though perhaps not all of them were as dramatic as brain-cancer. For instance, when in my mid-40s, I decided that I would open my own yoga-studio. My friends were skeptical. The banks were not interested in lending me the start-up money. But being a successful entrepreneur means not being stopped just because someone says “No.”

Q: Dermalogica:
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs, especially women who want to do something on their own?

A: Kimberly:
“Just Jump!” I know it’s scary and it may not work out — 80% of new businesses fail. But the risk is better than regret; feeling that “I should have opened my own business.” Women actually own 52% of all small businesses, so we’re doing something right.

I also think that women in particular need to be willing to push back more. It’s a bit discouraging to me that Barbie, Cinderella and pink “girliness” are such dominant cultural influences today. (Another reason I love Demalogica: the minimalist packaging.) This kind of early programming of girls results in women who want someone else to take care of them.

The greatest teaching that I can give my students is that each of us must find our own way. No one will do it for us — in fact, they cannot do it for us, even if they want to.

Q: Dermalogica:
How do we get started? And how do we keep going when we feel lost?

A: Kimberly:
I get asked this a lot, as in “Kimberly where do I start?” First of all, be clear about your concept, what’s going to make you special. Ask yourself, “Why would someone come to my business?” and take the time to answer. Also make sure it’s something you’re passionate about. Owning and running a business isn’t easy, so make sure it’s something you love to do. That helps when things get tough! (And they will get tough.)