Kalah is originally from Portland Oregon. She has spent time in New York, Boston, Miami, and Washington, D.C., and now lives in Costa Rica. Read about how she launched her own business in Costa Rica and why she made the big move.
Kalah, can you tell us about your childhood and how it influenced your decision to move to Costa Rica?
“I have always been very much a nomad. I was born in Portland, Oregon, to a single mom. My mom is white and my dad is black. We were in Portland till I was five, and then we moved to New York. My mom doesn’t like to stay still, so we moved a lot. At age nine, I had been to three different schools, and I told her I didn’t want to move again, so she promised we would stay within the boundaries of the school district.”
What does the concept of home mean to you?
“The concept of home has always been important for me to understand in my life. Now in Costa Rica, I have realized I was not meant to live a typical American life. I am now abroad in Costa Rica, and I love developing my base. I have been creating my own simple life here.”
How did you discover your love for Costa Rica?
“I moved to Costa Rica about eight months ago. I studied marine biology in college. I went to graduate school for marine policy. I got a master’s degree. I was on a very focused path, and I was going to be a marine biologist. I went to grad school in Miami. I was going to go to Washington, D.C., and get a job. I had everything planned out, but nothing went as planned. I decided to start doing things because I loved them. To start, I was bartending to pay my bills. On the side, I would do workshops and retreats in Costa Rica, and I started to develop my yoga practice. I did my yoga teacher training and became a trained Postpartum Doula. I kept coming to Costa Rica for workshops and retreats. I loved those trips. During these experiences I really started to fall in love with Costa Rica and the pura vida lifestyle.”
When did you launch your business and what is it?
“I launched my business in April of 2017 when I got hit by a big change. My partner told me she didn’t want to be in a relationship anymore, and my landlord told me they were selling the apartment, and I needed to move in a month. Everything got wiped out from under me, and I was hit with this vision of returning to nature, to Costa Rica. I knew I wanted to leave D.C., so I went to Costa Rica to visit and then realized I wanted to be there full time. That’s when I started my movement Pussy Consciousness.
I create a safe space for people to be supported through life transitions, so that they can actualize their inner knowing. It is my responsibility to listen, hear, and facilitate. Pussy Consciousness is a new level of feminine awareness. A shift in consciousness that harnesses and utilizes our deepest knowing as humans. Owning our truth in the way we speak, the way we work, and the way we live. Actualizing the truth that we are the portal to life itself. I use my experiences from being a yoga instructor, understanding of marine biology, and being a doula to teach workshops on feminine awareness and integration of our wholeness.
It has really been a journey moving to Costa Rica and starting this business. I am offering retreats, workshops, courses, and one-on-one trainings while living a five minute walk from the beach. I live in the jungle, next to the beach, juice bars, yoga studios, and I am doing what I love. My sense of home has never been so strong.”
Do you have any advice for people trying to do what they love and make it a business?
“Trust yourself and the parts of you that you tend to hide. Those hidden parts are the gems that need to be discovered and shared with the world. People are hungry for full expression and learning something new. I knew my sexuality was very powerful, but I would hide it and I would dim it down to make things easier for other people. I thought being a Postpartum Doula would be my business, but it has grown to be something else. I have opened up my full expression and my business has grown. I started Pussy Consciousness 10 months ago and it has grown in ways I didn’t even know were possible.
Some days I wake up, and I am in awe of the life I am living. I read somewhere that the chance of a person being born is 1 in 400 trillion, so that alone shows how important each person is, and, if the possibility of me being born became a reality, anything can become a reality.”
Do you plan to stay in Costa Rica and call it home?
“I see Costa Rica as my base. It is a place of peace and sanctuary. I have never had this sense of place before. My whole nervous system relaxes when I am here. There is a lot of magic that happens when we are in a resting state. I can do all of my work here because it is online. Long term, I have been looking into moving to the coast of Maine for summers.”
What does it mean to you to be powerful?
“The definition of power has been very manipulated and it has been tarnished. True power has been oppressed. Power often promotes hierarchy. True power is unbiased and nonjudgmental. True power cannot be created or destroyed. It can be buried and dug up. Power is the rediscovered strength of any oppressed group under the patriarchal system. Power will always rise and go through to the other end. Power is of nature. It is organic and self actualized. When someone remembers their true power, they come to life. Your impact is just a million fold because it has a ripple effect. It is authenticity. It is taking 100% responsibility for your life and experiences. Power is an amazing, beautiful aspect of self that needs to be remembered.”
Read more about Kalah and get in touch on her website www.pussyconsciousness.com or on Instagram @kalah.hill
