Meet Alena Mauhs | Actress & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alena Mauhs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alena, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
While I have many habits, the most important ones to me regard my health, such as sleep, diet, and exercise. I know it’s a conventional answer but feeling my best truly helps me to do my best.

For sleep, I must get 9 hours of sleep, not only to prevent burnout and brain fog throughout the day, but also as a woman it helps keep my hormones balanced. Ideally my sleep schedule is from 10 or 10:30pm until 7 or 7:30am, but you know things and schedules change so let’s just say that’s the dream sleep schedule.

For diet, I am vegetarian and I pretty much have been my whole life, so it is vital that I keep in mind what goes in my body throughout the day. I tend to stick with the same foods if I am cooking at home, which kind of helps me stick to my schedules and habits, otherwise sushi is my go-to when out. My morning is the most important habit, overall. It consists of sitting and waking up in my living room, with a warm matcha or earl grey tea with almond milk. If there is one thing I make sure to do every single day, it’s this.

For exercise, I fell in love with pilates and agree a few years ago, and it has definitely helped me feel my strongest. It’s a workout, but it also is kind of like therapy because I get to sit with my thoughts while doing slow movements for an hour. I like to do this 3 times a week.

Outside of health, the best habit I have is writing anything down on a checklist in my notes app whenever it comes to mind, that way I don’t forget about it. Then I get the satisfaction of checking it off once it’s done.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I grew up just outside New Haven, Connecticut, and let’s just say that my hometown was less driven by the arts. I’ve been drawn to acting since my childhood, but it was something that felt so far out of my reach. I would hear ads on my local radio station about “winning the chance to be on Disney Channel,” and as much as I yearned to tell my mom that I wanted to enter those contests, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Luckily, I had a different artistic outlet [synchronized swimming] to keep me centered, but it was simultaneously a sport so it was more socially acceptable. I was a competitive synchronized swimmer for about 10 years until I went to college, then took a forced break because of a fractured nose. Today, I still perform very occasionally with the Aqualillies. This break from synchronized swimming forced me to venture into different fields and explore who I really am, and let the part of me that’s been hiding all this time out, while also going to college.

I started out at UCSB in biology and then psychology, because my parents preferred me studying a STEM field, but finally into my third year of college I decided to bite the bullet and switch into the film program at UCSB. Once again, I owe this all to Delta Kappa Alpha, the organization I joined as a freshman. I found my artistic voice and passion all over again, the same one I had as a child listening to the radio. It helped to be surrounded by likeminded individuals, as well. We took turns working on each other’s projects and fueling each other’s ideas. After I graduated in June 2024, I was proud to have worked on over a dozen short films with my closest friends, and Santa Barbara is the true home where I fell in love with acting.

Acting has always felt like an escape, but not in the way people might think. It’s not about running away from myself—it’s about stepping into different lives, understanding people in a way that goes beyond words. I’ve always been drawn to those small, quiet moments that say everything without saying much at all. It helps that I also have past experience in psychology.

There’s something incredibly raw and vulnerable about performing. I love exploring people—the parts of us that we try to hide, the emotions we don’t fully understand until we have to express them on screen. When I’m acting, I’m not just pretending to be someone else, I’m digging into the truth of that character, finding pieces of myself in them, and vice versa. It’s about finding what you would do in the given circumstances, and merging it with the character.

One particular project I am incredibly proud of is a short titled “Theatre Kid” (directed by Liam Burns). I was the female lead of this film, as well as the producer, and it was one of the most rewarding projects I have been able to do. We’ve participated in three reputable film festivals thus far, and I like to believe these achievements and opportunities are just a small window into what I can accomplish in the future.

While nothing in life is simple, it’s easy to lose yourself if you don’t keep your momentum going. The most important lessons I’ve learned in the past 4 years are to:

1) Never let anyone’s opinions dictate what you want to or can do.
2) Continue to meet people, no matter how much of a stranger they may be.
3) Being kind and friendly with everyone you come across will bring you far in life.
4) All of your goals in life are never embarrassing.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ah! Los Angeles is so big, yet so small and homey at the same time. I have my favorite places, but I still feel like I barely know the city.

For ease I am going to put this in list form.

Breakfast:
– Phil’s Deli and Grill in the Farmer’s Market
– Great White
– Verve Coffee Roasters
– Alfred Coffee
– Stereoscope
– Beachwood Cafe
– Met Her at a Bar
– Swinger’s Diner
– Pann’s Diner
– Sidecar Donuts

Lunch/Dinner:
– Ugo in Culver City
– Roots Indian Bistro on Melrose
– Met Him at a Bar
– El Cartel tacos on Wilshire
– Taqui Taqui in Mid-City
– Din Tai Fung
– Gracias Madre
– Donna’s in Echo Park

Shopping/Thrifting:
– Westfield Century City
– The Grove
– Jet Rag
– Melrose Trading Post
– Public Estrellas
– Silverlake Flea
– Rose Bowl Flea

Activities:
– The Getty
– Swimming at Manhattan Beach
– Hiking to the Hollywood Sign
– Academy Museum
– Peterson Automotive Museum
– Griffith Observatory (sunset specifically)
– Hiking Mulholland Drive trails
– Dinner at Chateau Marmont
– Greystone Mansion and Gardens

Workout Classes:
– Megaformer Studio on La Cienega
– Carrie’s Pilates on La Cienega
– Silver Springs on Melrose
– Suavecito Boxing in Venice

I also would love to take them outside of Los Angeles to nearby places, such as Santa Barbara and Joshua Tree (obviously only one). Both are a 2-3 hour drive outside of LA, with beautiful landscapes and places to visit. While LA is great, I love showing my loved ones the scenery changes, from city to city.

Some places outside LA include:
– Joshua Tree
– Madonna Inn (SLO)
– Downtown Santa Barbara
– Crossroads Cafe in 29 Palms

Overall the best places to people watch are the most crowds places, such as The Grove or Westfield Century City (Westfield has better places to lounge). The best places to see LA scenery are the Hollywood Sign or Mulholland Drive hikes. Overall, these are all my favorite places in LA.

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?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to the cinematic society/organization I joined on a whim during my freshman year of college at UC Santa Barbara, Delta Kappa Alpha (DKA). At the time, I was studying biology and psychology even though I knew I wanted to go into the arts, I just couldn’t land on a route to take. A friend of mine told me about DKA one day before the Spring 2021 application was due, so I went home that night and submitted as fast as I could. From there, I met all my closest friends that I have now, whom I also consider to be incredible filmmakers that I got the chance to grow alongside. I’ve acted in and produced almost a dozen films now, and I give all the credit to DKA and the people who introduced me to the world of film.

I would also like to dedicate the shoutout to a second person, my partner, Liam Burns. He joined DKA a season after me, but his short was the first film I ever worked on. And from there we have been together for over 3 years now, and he continues to encourag me to do everything I’ve ever aspired to do.

Website: https://alenamauhs.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/alenamauhs

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alenamauhs

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alenamauhs

Other: IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm14545421/#

Image Credits
SLO Film Fest: Namu Williams and Brittany App