Meet Kia Phillips Nekol Gaskins | Co Owners of Glamourina

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kia Phillips Nekol Gaskins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kia Phillips, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
As mothers, entrepreneurs, and full time employees, our work life balance has changed over the years. Our brand, Glamourina, has gained tremendous success since the launch of our first collection in 2017. Each year we find ourselves constantly adjusting the balance between our home life and building our business. We have found that the most important thing to do is to learn how to turn off your work life so that you can be fully present in your home life, and vice versa.

Balance to us means devoting time to self care. Self care, or taking care of self, is the most essential and often left out part of maintaining a healthy balance in your work and home life. Every week we devote one day of taking care of ourselves, whether that’s going shopping, resting and relaxing, or unplugging from our devices. A healthy physical and mental state will allow us to create the balance needed for success.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
At 35 years old I wear many hats. I am a mother to a 6 year girl. I am the co owner of Glamourina. I am also a kindergarten teacher working with autistic children, as well as a certified personal trainer. Teaching is my full time job and career and the job that I am most proud of. I have always loved working with children and I have wanted to be a teacher since I was a child. After I graduated the University of Maryland in 2009 with a degree in Sociology and in African American Studies, I began my career as a preschool teacher.

A few years ago I decided I wanted to make change in my career. Health and fitness is also one of my passions so in 2016 I decided to get my certification in personal training. Training clients at the gym has perfectly with my desires to help people feel good about themselves.

All of my life experiences has led me to create Glamourina. My sociology background helped me understand society, teaching helped with my attention to detail, and personal training helped me understand how the body moves and what women like to wear while working out. I also noticed that there was a lack of diversity in the athletic apparel market. Women of color were almost non existent in apparel ads and I wanted to change that.

In 2016 I approached Nekol, a family friend and artist, about turning my blog into an ecommerce site. After a few months of brainstorming we decided to design a culturally inspired athleisure line that incorporated African prints with bold colors and soft textures. From our very first collection our goal has always been to showcase the diversity of Black women. All of our ads feature Black women of different shapes, sizes, heights and hues.

Our mission is to inspire women of color to live healthier active lifestyles through our culturally inspired activewear. We know that when you look good you feel good, and feeling good may motivate you to workout.

I want the world to know that Glamourina was started by two moms who come from different backgrounds but have a common goal of wanting to help the women in our community.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Right now I am very cautious about going out to a crowded area, especially while we are still in a pandemic. The great news is that Spring is right around the corner, which means warmer weather to do things outside.

I would first plan for a hike along the Billy Goat Trail near Potomac, Maryland. This trail leads to beautiful waterfalls and is perfect for a great workout with a gorgeous view.

Next we would have lunch at Bus Boys and Poets on U street. The food is amazing and the art and decor exudes 1930s Harlem Renaissance.

For dinner I would take my friend to the National Harbor and MGM Casino for drinks and a night on the town.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Our families were our first and biggest supporters. Our mothers, our young daughters, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles have all contributed to our efforts in creating a business from the ground up and growing it to be the brand that it is today. Our family members all deserve a little credit because they have not only supported our ideas and designs, but have also financially supported us through purchasing our apparel or through investment.

Website: www.glamourina.com

Instagram: @shopglamourina

Twitter: @shopglamourina

Facebook: @shopglamourina

Youtube: Glamourina