Meet Kaylene Kaiser | Entrepreneur

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

Hi Kaylene, how does your business help the community?
My business is centered around empowering the incredible women of Los Angeles. As history serves, the entrepreneurial space has been male-dominated with female entrepreneurs being the outliers. While the world is changing and evolving- there is still such a need for a place where women can connect with one another, cross-industry collaborate, and find resources to help them become more successful leaders within their field- in an authentic way. I don’t subscribe to the belief that we should have to sacrifice parts of who we are to be successful, contrary to what society has told us.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been lucky enough to be in the hospitality industry and various leadership positions for over a decade. I’ve worked with some of the most fascinating people and learned from incredible colleagues. My favorite part of any position that I held was helping people cut through what was holding them back and finding what motivated them to move toward their goals. I loved seeing people tap into their potential and see what happens when they do. Ironically, I had wanted to build a business focused on empowering women for as long as I could remember, but was always too afraid to try.

The biggest ‘a-ha’ moment for me was when I was flown out to NYC for a job interview with a very cool company and was eventually offered the position. They had counter-offered my salary requirement with more money than I had asked for, which was amazing and humbling. But internally, I felt no excitement. It was a major gut-check moment for me that stopped me in my tracks and was a signal that no job was going to give me the fulfillment I had been looking for. Not only had I been severely undervaluing myself monetarily, but I realized that I was going to have to take a risk and make a bet on myself. I put notice in at my current position the very next day and started building The Wisery LA.

Since then, I’ve been laser-focused on my mission to empower women through authentic leadership. I’m most excited for future of the company and I’m proud of myself for showing up and doing the work. Holding oneself accountable can be the most difficult thing and there have been plenty of times where I’ve let imposter syndrome get to me, if I’m being honest. In those moments I remind myself how far I’ve come and how far I have to go. I have big plans for the future and I hope to help as many people as possible, and that always snaps me back into action.

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?
This is a great- but tough- question. Like any good Angeleno I am hesitant to give away my favorite go-to’s for fear of “blowing the spot” but alas, here I go. If you’re a burger eater, there is no better burger in LA than The Apple Pan. I’ve been red-meat-free for almost two years now and it’s the only burger that I ever miss. My favorite bookstore is Small World Books in Venice, and the best museum is a toss up between The Museum of Jurassic Technology and Griffiths Observatory, though they couldn’t be more different. Who doesn’t love a classic breakfast diner experience at the great Ocean Diner, or a delicious Italian dinner at The Bottle Inn, both in Hermosa Beach. I would recommend getting taco’s at Sky’s Gourmet Tacos in Mid City and don’t forget dessert at California Donuts, or for something a little more posh, Bottega Louie.

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?
Wowza! Yes! I want to say thank you to all of the phenomenal women I’m lucky enough to have in my life who have inspired me to start this business in the first place. There are also so many women that I have never met that I genuinely look up to. Rachel Rodgers, for one, who wrote the book: We Should All Be Millionaires. I have read that book four times, seriously. She is a woman who inspires me to go after exactly what I want with no shame. I recommend that book to all of my friends. Read it!

Finally, my husband, James, who believes in me like no one else and supports me in everything I do.

Website: www.thewiseryla.com

Instagram: @thewiseryla

Image Credits
Joseph Moreno