Q: What is real beauty to you?⁠⁠

A: The sublime experience of the grand and mundane. Nothing is insignificant.

Q: ⁠⁠What is your morning routine?

A: With juggling a business, early morning is the only time I get to myself. I try to make it to a 6 AM pilates class and do a quick Wim Hof breathwork meditation session to ground my mornings. I put on Ricari Studios compression suit to help with lymphatic drainage. For skincare, I wash my face with the Metamorph Cleansing Balm, then use a red/amber/pulsating light Nuface device which has given me incredible results with an autoimmune disease related issue I've been experiencing. While working with the redlight, I read my Sonhab emails to plan craft chocolate production for the day. Then I use the Nuface microcurrent device to sculpt my face. I follow that with patting on Taos Blue Day Cream. The smell envelops me, connecting me with the earth.

Q: What is your idea of a healing space?

A: Spending time in nature. I love hiking and camping and bringing the High West Skincare Set with me.

Q: What is a sound bath and how does this create a healing space?

A: Soundbaths are an aural, physical, and mental experience in which you receive the sounds in a meditative state and feel the sound vibrations within your body. Depending on the instruments played, those vibrations can feel quite strong. Sound meditation can be a healing experience as a form of self care, exploration of consciousness, restorative yogic sleep, and to allow for space and time to process and release emotions. Some instruments can provoke a stronger emotional reaction while others can put you in a deep and restorative state of Alpha, Theta, and Delta brainwaves.

Q: How does the desert inspire you?

A: The desert is a place of duality. It is a wild landscape with a thriving ecosystem of plants and animals, but it is also a harsh environment. The monsoon rains and the smell of creosote rejoice as waterfalls form on ancient red rocks. In the Southwest, there are so many hidden beautiful mind bending landscapes, sacred areas. You are rewarded with solitude in otherworldly places if you are willing to venture down remote dirt roads and hike across rugged landscapes. This is what called me to live in the desert.

Q: What do you think about when you imagine the desert?

A: Mystery and vastness

Q: What does resilience mean to you and how do you nurture inner fortitude?

A: The biggest trauma in my adult life radically changed my perception of myself, my voice, and my own power. I had to use my voice as a tool to seek justice and reclaim my power. It was the hardest and most terrifying thing I've ever done but the strength I've gained from speaking out continues to shape me and shows up in my work. Resilience can mean facing your biggest fears - while absolutely terrified and walking directly through the fire to make it to the other side- in a new form, stronger than before. This experience led me to practicing sound healing and starting my bean to bar chocolate business. They started as therapy for my own healing- in physical, mental, and spiritual health. They're now my art and love letter back to the world.

When Kristen travels she take her AYOND routine to-go with High West Skincare Set.