When you love your work and the people that you work with, it’s hard not to do amazing things!
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OCTOBER, 2016
Meet our Operations Team – making sure the back and front end of Kua Body runs smoothly and efficiently, allowing the massage specialists to deliver their best quality work.
This close-knit team of talented, creative and passionate individuals work together to provide outstanding client service and an unmatched experience from start to finish.
By combining each of their fortes, they make one powerhouse team dedicated to delivering the highest quality massage and wellness experience possible. Get to know our talented Ops Team – the people behind the ideas that drive Kua Body.
BRIAN K. GILLMAN
Brian has been leading the Ops Team since Kua Body’s founding days, and puts special focus on Kua Body’s big picture goals and the challenges of building the Kua Body “Experience”. We have been very fortunate to have Brian, who is an experienced entrepreneur and marketing expert, combining his strengths in strategy and execution – coming up with solutions and also bringing them to life.
Brian has a background in Journalism, launched a handful of start-ups, is currently a Realtor with Venture Sotheby’s in Pleasanton, Ca and has 15 years of experience in real estate, title, and mortgage industries. We sat down for a chat with Brian about what brought him to Kua Body and where he sees Kua’s overarching vision:
Photo courtesy of Dylan Studios
What inspired you to be part of Kua Body?
High quality, weekly massage has been a crucial part of my routine for over 15 years. Through massage I am able to reconnect with my imagination and ideas, which has been extremely beneficial to my entrepreneurial spirit. When the opportunity to work with Kua Body on business development and exapnsion, I was very inspired to figure out how to cultivate such a unique business model that brings together world class therapists with world class clients to truly help larger communities around the globe with such an impactful way to optimize well being.
I was drawn into Kua Body for two reasons.
One, quality and two, experience. The quality of the work and the experience of the therapists is second to none.
What direction do you see Kua Body going in the future?
I believe the Kua Body brand could be the category leader and innovator in the Bodywork space servicing affluent locations and neighborhoods (Malibu, Newport Beach, Scottsdale, …etc.). I also see an opportunity for custom-designed Kua Body apparel with specific form and function for KB’s world class clients.
Tell us about a passion you have developed outside of work and how it has influenced you?
I’m a self taught drummer and love all kinds of music. I’m really enjoying the new Bruno Mars song 24K Magic.
Drumming taught me discipline, and I leverage those disciplines daily.
For instance, I love my daily morning ritual that has become a habit of waking up at 5:30 am for a daily walk. Walking in the morning fuels my brain and body to perform at its best during the rest of my day. I follow my walk with a healthy green smoothie (kale, cucumber, celery, whey protein, raw almonds, a lemon, coconut oil, a banana, mint sprig and water). These simple habit-making behaviors stand at the core of how I live my life.
I am very passionate about self improvement and personal growth, and am excited to be volunteering at the Tony Robbin’s upcoming Unleash the Power event being held in San Jose, Ca.
Do you have any mottos with which you live your life?
I believe “Emotion comes from Motion”, which I interpret as the more you move, the more you feel.
JULIANA AND ASHA
We are very excited to announce our most recent additions to the Ops Team team: Juliana Stoy and Asha Raval. Juliana and Asha have backgrounds in design, creative direction and social media, and have worked together since college at their art studio Animal Spirit Design and on their fashion blog Valentina & Francesca. They are currently based out of the Los Altos studio – the flagship office.
JULIANA
Juliana is passionate about leading the design and branding process – maintaining Kua Body’s elegant essence from the inside out as Kua scales. With a keen eye for detail and a creative streak, she specializes in creating the sophisticated Kua Body atmosphere – working on everything from floral arrangement plans to sourcing the perfect interior design layout for the space to creating invitations, brochures and promotional material. Her many exceptional creative talents encompass promotional concepts, design, illustration, and photography. When she isn’t in front of a computer screen she enjoys reading, photography, films, muay thai, and exploring the gorgeous nature of the Bay Area of epic hikes.
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
London, but I feel like a California girl at heart!
What inspires you to be part of Kua Body?
I love the family oriented team spirit at Kua Body! Working together for the growth of Kua is an organic and collaborative process, and we always make sure to uplift each other through support and laughter along the way. Cultivating an environment of wellbeing for all of our clients who are often so stressed physically and emotionally is very rewarding, and it keeps the Ops team continually inspired!
Specifically, I help create and maintain a physical environment that communicates openness and serenity. When you enter the Kua Body space, you leave the stress of the day outside the door, and open yourself to pure unwinding mode. I am also responsible for the visual promotional material, which goes out weekly, and helps move Kua Body forward locally, nationally, and soon, globally.
How is Kua Body different from other wellness venues?
Kua Body and its original platform as the first-ever massage incubator allow for a very personalized client-therapist relationship, that continues to make it a desired sanctuary for the Silicon Valley community. This unique business model, as well as the continuous innovative work from within, will take Kua Body to the next level of expansion. We’ll keep you posted on our next big move!
ASHA
As the Social Media Lead for Kua Body, Asha creates and implements the social media strategies for Kua Body. She loves brainstorming sessions to create interesting, curated content for Body Talks, wellness advice on Facebook and curated photos on Instagram. She is fascinated by people and their stories, and loves bringing together the community within Kua Body. She has a weakness for super dark chocolate, amazing filet mignon, dancing whenever the inspiration strikes, personality tests, and beautiful and unique pieces of clothing that usually find their way onto her blog.
Where are you from?
Born and raised in the Bay Area, but went to college in London at Central Saint Martins school of Art and Design.
Tell us about what you do at Kua Body?
I look at social media for work in a similar way to how I look at it for myself personally: It’s a way to express yourself, get inspired, and connect with others you might not be able to meet. In that sense it’s very real and very human. Our feed at Kua Body is a reflection of the wellness aspects of humanity that all of our therapists are so passionate about, and I love being able to connect and share the wisdom of the team with the wider world. Being able to apply my creative skills and witness the evolution of the business side of Kua Body is especially satisfying.
How do you build company culture from the ground up?
It’s pretty natural! We’ve already formed a culture that’s inclusive, so now we are just building upon it. We have a very tight screening process, because we care so much about the working environment and well-being of our team. When we are conceptualizing a new idea, everyone can impact the process. Everyone enjoys collaborating and learning about all the different departments. The team here does a great job of communicating and staying true to the natural, inclusive culture that’s already organically forming.
How does your creativity apply to Kua Body?
Having a creative brain has wired me for creative problem-solving – a skill that connects two distinct areas of expertise and can translate potential solutions from one field to an unrelated area. Creativity is such a powerful entrepreneurial force, and our team is so lucky to have Upuia recognize that as an asset.
Last lesson you learned at Kua Body?
Just keep working and making! You’ll figure out your process and learn along the way. Plus the more you make, the less precious things are.
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BOOK YOUR MASSAGE
Kua Body Studios
Los Altos (650) 383-5209
Pleasanton (925) 405-5828
Email: info@KuaBody.me
