The Woman Behind Aviator Nation: High Performance, Wellness, and Taking Risks w/ Paige Mycoskie

what really makes us different is it really is an authentic brand. I mean, I surf and snowboard and hike and do all the things that are on the patches, you know, like my life is really directly inspiring the designs and it's always been that way. This is the Pursuit of Wellness podcast and I'm your host, Mari Llewellyn.

What is up, guys? Welcome back to the Pursuit of Wellness podcast. Today, in this episode, I sit down with one of my close friends, Paige Mikoski, the visionary founder of AVA Tenation. She is absolutely incredible. I've been so honored to get to know her on a personal level. She is

In person, like one of the most special people, she is not only a creative visionary, but just someone who is super, super involved in her business to this day, and also just has really great boundaries and disciplines in her life day today that make her a really high performer.

Aviator Nation is a brand known for its iconic 70s inspired made in America fashion. Paige takes us through her journey from childhood and early creative sparks to taking the leap and launching Aviator Nation in 2006. She shares insights into building a lifestyle brand, staying true to her vision and managing the growth of a company with 20 locations across the US and 650 employees.

We also discuss her personal wellness routine and the importance of nurturing relationships. I feel like this episode with Paige was such an interesting one because she has really paved her own lane in entrepreneurship. It is so rare that you meet someone with such a large, successful brand who has no intentions of selling it, has taken no outside investments and

really has stayed true to who she is from the beginning. Paige as a person encompasses what AVA donation is as a brand. And I think she's a really special person. And I think we can all learn so much from her. So let's hop right into this episode with Paige. Paige, welcome to the pursuit of wellness.

Thank you. This is crazy. We've been talking about this for a while, and I'm so honored to have you on today. You are the founder of AVA Nation, one of my favorite brands, and I think the world's favorite brands. You are one of America's wealthiest self-made women.

And I have the had the privilege of getting to know you on a personal level, which has been really, really interesting for me because I admired you so much from afar before. And now knowing you personally, it's pretty insane how hands on you are with your business to this day. And I also really admire your discipline and boundaries you have in your day to day life. So we're going to talk about all of it.

Amazing. But I'd love to start at the beginning and hear just a little bit more about your childhood and kind of what shaped you into who you are today. Sure. My childhood is so interwoven in what I do. It's actually pretty interesting. I'm really lucky. I grew up with two grandmothers that were super just impactful in my life. They lived in the same town as I lived in growing up, so I spent a lot of time with them.

And I really believe that a lot of who I am came from spending that time with them. So my dad's mom was an artist, super creative, had a sewing machine, had a whole art studio, made everything you can imagine. She made her own clothing. She made her own drapes. She did stained glass art, like everything. And every time I would go over to visit her, she would say, hey, what do you want to learn today?

And so I just like thought that was normal, you know, that like you're constantly learning things and I could not wait. That was my favorite thing is to go over and we would go to the craft store and she would be like, just pick out some hobby that you wanna learn. And we would go to that section where they have all the books of like, you know, how to do everything basically. And so not only did I learn a lot just from those days with her, but I also learned that you can do anything, you know? I mean, there was never a limit.

on what I could learn. And I would ask her a lot of questions. So I think that today, I'm sure we'll get into it, but with my team, everyone knows that they can't come to me and say, oh, that's not possible, because they have learned that I'm just gonna be like, we'll figure it out. And my thing is like, okay, if I can figure out how to do the thing you're telling me is impossible, then you're in trouble.

You know, and usually I can figure it out. So they're like, okay, fine, like that, to shake. You know, like I'm not going to tell you something's not possible because you're going to figure out how to do it and then I'm going to look like an idiot. So anyway, I learned a lot of that from my grandmother, also patients. You know, she was really just thoughtful and slow and took time doing things and read the instructions and taught me to read the instructions and

You know, and then my other grandmother, my mom's mom, it was very like just life of the party, like super like strong character. She had this like positivity and enthusiasm about her that I just thought was magnetic.

And so I always kind of wanted to be like her. She was like the best athlete in school every year. She was also very competitive. She was a big athlete. She also did a lot of games. She would always have friends over to play games. And I think I got that from her. I'm all about activities.

being competitive and stuff and everyone just loved her and I always thought you know like just that energy that she has like I want that. And so yeah so I grew up with a couple amazing grandparents and then my parents are also amazing. I think that I grew up in an environment where again you know my parents never really told me no you know they were like

Okay, you want to do that? I give it a shot. Figure it out. But they did want me to figure things out for myself as well. My dad was a surgeon. He was also a team doctor for the Texas Rangers. So he was always, he was working a lot. He was just constantly working. And my mom was a stay at home mom for a long time, but she did teach like fitness classes and she health and wellness was a big thing for her. And I think, you know, so I learned

For my parents, my dad was all about the hard work ethic. He was very focused and driven. And then my mom was super into wellness and taking care of your body. And every single day, I remember we had a home gym growing up luckily. And every single day, she was in the gym in the morning and stretching and stuff at night. And I think that seeing that was a big thing for me too.

What I love about you is I feel like you have married the creativity and the drive and the business mind together. When you discovered that you loved art and you were creative, did you have a vision for something big? Like, did you know you were going to do something big or was it sort of like you worked your way up?

I think that I didn't really know it was going to be big until I saw it really selling in the stores. I think that when I was just making clothes, it really was just a passion. It was fun. And I think that at a young age, you don't really understand that your passion can be your job. I mean, now I feel like

You know, when I grew up, there was no social media, there was no Instagram. So it's like, you know, I don't think that we had as much messaging people, you know, doing great podcasts like yourself and stuff, like teaching us, like, you know, we can actually do whatever we want, you know? So I think that it was just a passion for me in the beginning, but as soon as I put it, as soon as I was out and about wearing it and people were approaching me, and then I did, you know, a street fair where I'm sure you've heard if you've ever, if you listen to how I built this, you,

heard that, but basically I did a street fair and I sold $8,000 with a close in a day. And my first boutique I shipped to Fred Siegel sold out in a weekend. And as soon as I saw that, I was like, this isn't just my job. This is going to be huge. I could see how passionate the buyers were about it. And I did a little bit of work in retail. So I'd been around fashion a little bit, just working in stores and stuff.

And I could see the difference in the customer coming into my store when I worked in Abit Kinney the first location and they were obsessed with it. It wasn't just like, oh, this is cute. I was like, oh my God, I love this. The fans of the brand have always been so passionate about it. And I think that's what made me think from an early stage that it was just going to be huge.

I feel like that's because it's so different and it's so bold and it's almost like a lifestyle. When you see someone else wearing it, you almost feel like, oh, we're going to vibe because we're in this group. Well, you know, a lot of people have even told me consistently that when they wear the clothes, it makes them feel better. I've had women tell me, you know, it makes me feel athletic when I'm wearing it, or it makes me feel like

people actually do come up and say, Hey, I love what you're wearing. And so I do think the brand kind of has this vibration, you know, around it. And I don't know if it's like the colorful designs or just, you know, when you're comfortable, you feel more confident. And I think it's super comfortable. So I've had a lot of people tell me that it makes them feel good. And I love that. I think that's amazing.

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I also feel like when you wear AVA tenation, you are colorful and loud and bold. And I think a lot of times in like messaging with fashion for women, it's like everyone looks the same. We're all doing the clean girl aesthetic or whatever it is.

And when you're wearing aviator nation, you're like taking up space and you're kind of like, this is me. And I really love that. I feel like you're very much like that. And you're just such a representation of your brand. Can you talk a little bit about the moment you decided to quit your job and go all in on aviator nation? Because I think a lot of people listening who maybe want to do their own thing, that's the part where they get stuck. It's like, how do you take the leap of faith and take the risk and go all in on yourself?

Yeah. Yeah. So I was working at a surf shop. I was a buyer's assistant and that was my kind of nine to five. I was doing photography on the side. I went to school for photography and I was doing that like just random gigs. And then I was writing for magazines because I was really into journalism.

So I had a bunch of different jobs. And essentially, when I was working at the surf shop, I was as buyers assistant, like seeing a lot of clothing. And I just noticed that I was constantly wanting to change things. I'd be like, I like what they're doing here, but I would do it in this color and I would change this.

I had all these ideas at work. Finally, I actually bought a sewing machine with a couple hundred dollars that I got as a gift from my grandparents for my birthday. As soon as the sewing machine arrived, I bought a couple books on how to do sewing basically. I had no idea what I was doing. I remember literally the first night that I started to explore how to make patterns and make clothes.

I was literally obsessed. I stayed up all night and then I would go to work the next day and then I would come home and I just couldn't wait to get home and work on the ideas that I had. Once I realized I could make my own clothes and I was obsessed with it and I was literally staying up all night, something a light bulb went off in my head.

This is crazy. I've never been so passionate about something before, and I'm just having so much fun. It doesn't matter if I'm tired, it doesn't matter if I mess it up. I can't wait to redo it. It was a different level of passion that I'd ever experienced. I was still working, but I decided that I wanted to do

something where I could put it out there. And so I got a booth at a street festival for $500. And I sewed as much clothing as I could between signing up and going there. And so for a couple months, I made clothes. And then I went to the booth, I hung up all my clothes. And in one day, I made $8,000 at this street festival. And that was the moment where I realized, OK, this is actually something I can make money doing.

And that is when I quit my job. And I think that a lot of people are worried about quitting their job to do their passion. And I really encourage doing the same. You don't have to quit your job to start. You can be doing both at the same time.

And that's a nice cushion, because if it doesn't work, then you can move on to something else or whatever. But so I always tell people, just be prepared to be a little tired, because obviously you're doing this on your downtime, but it's worth it. So take your downtime, put it into your passion, and if you find that it sticks,

Um, then don't be afraid to really go for it. You know, you have to, you have to take risk and jobs are always going to be there. You can always go back and get another job. Yeah. I agree a hundred percent. And I also think there's a season in life where you just need to be tired and you need to grind it out. And if you're in your early twenties, like do it now. And I think taking that risk and making that decision is what sets.

People apart like that's what makes successful people successful It's like being willing to be scared and take that risk I kind of in a similar position was working at orange theory fitness so that front desk I was getting there at three in the morning to open up making minimum wage But I was posting my fitness stuff online and starting to grow that on the side And I was really nervous to quit at first which feels silly now But at the time I was like

Or what do you mean? This is my job. And that was the best thing I ever did was going all in on my brand. So for anyone listening, I feel like this is such a great story, an example of taking a leap of faith that might feel crazy, but if you feel good about it and you're having fun and you're passionate, the sky's the limit.

How did you land on the name? The name. Okay, so it's actually a funny story. My favorite movie growing up was Top Gun. Okay. And I was obsessed. I had the movie poster in my bedroom. I watched the movie all the time. So in the movie, I mean, the primary sunglasses that Kelly McGillis and Tom Cruise were, the aviator, the Ray Van Aviator.

And so I just thought that was how you're cool. You know, you were aviator shades. And so I've always been really into sunglasses and specifically aviators and I had a whole vintage collection of aviators in my bedroom. I go to flea markets a lot and stuff. So they were like kind of on a shelf in my room.

when I was sitting there trying to decide what to name the company. And I was looking at the sunglasses and I was like, I love the word aviator. It's just like, I didn't really associate it with being a pilot or whatever. I was just like, I like that word. And I was like, the sunglasses really just make you kind of elevated. Like when you put on a pair of cool shades, I just always thought, well, that just takes your whole vibe to the next level. And so aviator, I was like, I love that.

And then I was thinking about what I wanted the brand to do. And it was interesting that I thought about this from such a young age, but I really wanted it to bring people together. And the way that people were approaching me when I was wearing the clothes and how passionate they were, I was like, it would be so cool if I could create a brand that really brought people together that are like-minded. And so that's where nation comes in, is that I wanted it to be

like a collective group of people that had rad style. And I used to say rad clothes for rad people. That was kind of my like my tagline when I was starting. But it was all about bringing people together. And then the word aviator is just, you know, now you're saying that I'm like, is the jacket is kind of like pilot style? No. Yeah, maybe. I think I just like that style. Yeah. I've always loved patches. I mean, his jacket was patches in the movie. Yeah. It has like an undertone of that vibe.

Yeah, I just realized that. And then you don't, you have the furry ones. Yeah, I do. I have the Shirley and Collar ones. Yeah, yeah. I know I'm obsessed. Yeah. I'm curious. So I know a lot has changed since you founded. I mean, you founded in 2006, right? Yes. So a lot has changed since then. And I think a lot of people now, when they start companies are like at the forefront of it.

And I know you kind of made a decision to be a little more behind the scenes. I see now you're like in the campaigns and obviously you're like on the ground literally building the stores. But what was your decision behind like being the face of the company?

Yeah, I think that I realized that, you know, the whole fashion world is obviously super saturated. And I think that what really makes us different is it really is an authentic brand. I mean, I surf and snowboard and hike and do all the things that are on the patches, you know, like my life is really directly inspiring the designs and it's always been that way. And so I think that it's important that people understand that this isn't just

me trying to make stuff that looks a certain way. This is really a lifestyle brand that I'm making things that feel good when I get out of the water and when I'm done snowboarding or when I'm traveling. I designed this jacket and all of our puffy jackets to get really tiny when they're traveling because I love to travel and I don't want a giant suitcase. And so I think that me being at the forefront really shows people that

you know, this isn't just a random thing. This is like someone's passion and they're doing, you know, what they love. And I think it's interesting for people to see that story. I also, it's funny, like the last couple of years I've been running into young girls and they come up to me and they're telling me how inspired they are. And I don't know like how they knew about me or saw me maybe on Instagram, I guess. But it's funny because that makes me feel so good. And I'm just like, wow, like,

If I'm inspiring these young girls, and I've even had people send me letters that say that they're trying to start young girls trying to start a clothing brand because of me. And I'm just like, OK, I need to be in the forefront here because this is what I'm doing. And I want people to know that they can do it too, especially the young girls.

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It's awesome that you are doing podcasts and talking about this. I mean, I listened to an episode of yours, I mean, three years ago before I even knew you and I was so inspired by everything you were talking about. And now on TikTok, I would love to show you some of these brands coming out on TikTok. There's one in particular, I think her name's Strawberry Milk Mob and that's the name of her brand. And she does these super cute bikinis and these girls are like packing the boxes every day and really like in the weeds. Yeah.

And it's just so, I mean, it's so cool what these young people are doing now with TikTok. I mean, the way that you build a business is so different now. I'm sure even compared to what you did back then. But yeah, I think you, now that I even know you personally, you are such, you are your brand. Like every time I see you running on the trail or we have dinner or whatever it may be, like you are a theater nation and it's just really freaking cool. And you're also incredibly,

Hands on like i don't think people even realize to the extent that your hands on i don't think i even realized until i walked in your house the other day and you are like sending out a cyber Monday email and i was like what is going on like i hope you don't mind me saying that's fine i think it's fun for people to know it's insane like guys this is.

I mean, this business is huge. Like you are so incredible. And I'm like in your house and you're sending out a Cyber Monday email. What is your ethos behind being so involved to this day? Yeah. So, you know, the thing is obviously I love it. And I love the creative and people are mind blown when they find out that I still design everything. And I do have some assistant designers that help me at times.

But I really do all the creative still. I approve every single print, every single die color, all of it. But the business side of it is really fun for me too. And so there's that that I'm actually having fun doing it. But on top of that, I really feel like I am so closely connected to every aspect of it in a way that nobody that works for me really is. So when it comes to the super, super critical thing, like the Cyber Monday email or the Black Friday campaign,

Sure, I could hire people to do it, but are they watching the sales reports at the level that I am? They certainly don't know what we did the last five years and exactly what created more clicks and more push through, whatever. A lot of times it's a gut instinct, but it's also just

Knowledge of like okay like I know every single skew so like I know that if I do this and do that and what I can look at a sales report in five minutes that I think a lot of people would take hours to look at because I have the skews memorized like you know and so I'm like okay in five minutes I can do an immediate report on like 10 things that are happening in real time.

I can look at what's in my factory in real time. I know what's easy to make in case we sell through it too fast or like I have kind of this collective knowledge. And so yeah, so I just feel like, you know, I and also, I mean, the really major things, you know, I think that

It's important for the person that's the most passionate and has the most knowledge to be doing them. So why would I give that job to somebody else? That's a huge element. And there's a lot of things that I do give to other people. But when it comes to choosing the designs and the things that I think are most important are ultimately the product quality.

So I always approve every little tiny bit of that and then designing it. And I have actually had people try to design things for me. I have hired assistant designers and been like, okay, give it a go. And I honestly just never like it.

It's weird. Design is something for you. The way that my brain works, I can just come up with an idea so much faster than it takes for somebody to work on it for a week. So even though it seems crazy, I just, again, I'm having fun doing it and I'm doing a good job at it. So why would I change it? So I'm just like, if it's not broken, don't try to fix it. And I'm just like a crazy person. I work a lot of hours.

And you did your own photo shoot in Aspen this past summer, right? How was that? It was awesome. I definitely felt a little scared and a little stressed leading up to it because I think the day I woke up for the shoot, I realized I'm like, wow, I didn't hire a photographer.

It's me. I've paid all these people to be here. I've done all these things and now I have to push the button. And if I don't push the button the right way, then all of this goes to waste. And so I had a lot of pressure on myself, but I am a strong believer that if you're not feeling that super adrenaline and you're not feeling like you're challenging yourself and you're growing, then you're not really living.

And that's kind of an undercover thing of my whole life is like, I don't like to just take the easy way out. Like I like to go hardcore. And it had just gotten to a point where I felt like I needed to challenge myself this year. I was feeling a little bit like monotonous routine. And I was like, you know what, I'm gonna do the photography. I wanna see if I still have it, you know? And I had to like learn new equipment. I mean, even though I went to school for photography, like we had film cameras back then, you know? So I had to really learn equipment and,

all these things so it was like I kind of got to learn a new skill and you know when the photos when I was posting the photos for the holidays like it was so rewarding. So there's so many elements of that it's like a lot of times people do what they think is the easier way to do it.

But they're not feeling that reward that after doing something that's super hard and challenging and I just feed off of that. I sleep better at night when I feel like I just crushed it. You have to just level up constantly. I think that that's a big thing with me is every year I set goals that seem almost unattainable.

Um, and I'm super competitive and without those goals and without feeling like I just have to do something crazy, you know, like I'm just not really like loving it as much. I think that's like a really good lesson in general. Cause I mean, a lot of people in your position would probably just sit back and be like, Oh, I've kind of done it now. Like there's really, I mean, financially, there's no reason for you to keep going, but you do anyway.

For you, is that more of a like, like what does success look like for you? Is it a happiness thing? Is it like you're constantly pushing yourself? Yeah, it's absolutely. It's truly not about the money and it never has been. And I always tell people, you know, when they're starting out, like really try to not think about the money because

Obviously, that's the biggest thing that takes into anybody's mind is like, how can I do this and make money? You really can't, you know, you can't let that get in the way. And the money always will come if you're on the right path and you're working hard always to help people that. But so for me, I think now it's really just about feeling like challenged and that I'm growing, you know, I think, I mean, I'm 19 years and now

And obviously, fashion companies don't stick around for very long. I mean, it's really rare for them to stick around as long as we have. And I think that, so I have that in the back of my head that I have to constantly be leveling up and doing things better and keeping the customer excited. But yeah, personally, I feel like success for me is really about waking up every day. And when I sit down at my computer being excited, I still to this day

You know, I work out every morning and I can't wait to get the computer to get to the computer. And that's just kind of like crazy to think about that it's been 19 years that I felt that way, but really like I'm usually in a run recording thoughts and ideas. I'm like, I still have these thoughts and ideas and I can't wait to sit down and like,

write out this plan for something or send these emails to people. And I think that just feeling excited about that is success. I think also, as you get older, just feeling good and feeling healthy is super important to me. So I also feel like that's a huge part of my life is balance because I did go through a time in my life where I was really

just total workaholic and not focused on my health and wellness. And and now I really do feel that I'm in a really great place of balance, you know, like taking time for my friends and family, you know, doing things that I love in nature, even though I love the work so much, like I'm really taking care of myself too. And I think that's important.

If you don't mind me saying, I know you've said you have no interest in selling your business. Right. What is the thought process behind that? And like, where do you, like, what's the vision for aviation?

Yeah, I think that I've, of course, been approached and been offered a lot of money. And I think that because the money is not the driver, I feel like I'm just having so much fun with it and it's doing well. And I think that the best time to sell and the best time to take investors

is when you really need it. For example, if I couldn't figure out something that I wanted to do, I would take on a partner that specializes in that. I think that that makes a ton of sense. But if you really feel like you don't really need help from the outside,

The only thing that's going to come from money is a lot of pressure, you know, because ultimately if somebody is going to invest in your business, they're probably, if it's doing well, they're going to want you to continue running it. So all of a sudden you have a boss, you know, and it's like, is that really what you want? And maybe you do. Maybe you don't mind having a boss. I'm the kind of person that really likes to make last minute decisions. Like, I mean, every day I make decisions to change dialogues. Y'all be like, hey, like we're dying all that stuff in white. I actually want to change it to blue because I'm just feeling like I want more blue right now.

a board of directors is not going to be okay with that. You know what I mean? I'm just feeling it, guys. I'm just feeling it. And right now, I can just be feeling it and do whatever I want. And I love that. If I had to run it by 10 people, that wouldn't be fun for me. So again, if I needed the money really bad, if the company was struggling and I needed the money or I needed a specialist to come in and help me, then I would consider a partner. But yeah, I just love the freedom of being able to do whatever I want.

And it's working. And I think that ultimately you said, like, what is the plan for Avian Nation? I mean, my dream is for this to be around forever. I would love for my future children to be running the business and my best friends or whoever it is. I want it to continue forever and always be relevant, always have new products coming out.

And so when I make a big decision like that, like should I sell or should I take an investor, I think about what's gonna make it last forever. And I don't think that's the answer because I think that people that come in and buy fashion companies, a lot of times they're more concerned about the bottom line naturally. And so they're gonna do whatever it takes to make the product cheaper and faster and that's definitely not the best quality. And quality for me is what's really gonna keep this brand alive.

I agree. And I think in the business world, raising money has become super glorified. It's almost like to people, it's the first step before you can even have a business. And Greg and I very recently took a partner to make our drink, but before that, we were 100% self-funded, never took an investment.

Honestly, I think that is the best way to go about it. And I, as you said, it was never about the money at the beginning. It was, oh, I found fitness. I'm obsessed with it. I want to talk about it and show other people how to do it. And something good came out of it. And I think that really is the best way to start a business. And I think if you start with the mindset of I need to raise X amount of money, I want to sell it for this much. You're kind of setting yourself up for failure. Yeah.

Because it's like, did you even want to start in the first place? And I, at a certain point, I think that motivation will fizzle if that's how you start. So I 100% agree. I'm curious when talking about your routine and you mentioned wellness being a huge part of your life now as a high performer.

Day to day. What are some of your non-negotiables when it comes to wellness boundaries? Like, how do you structure your life to feel your best and show up as your best self every day? Yeah. Um, there are several things that I do. I, first of all, I try to not do any emails or messaging until I work out. I like to give myself my morning of, you know, just myself because I found that if I get into my email box and on my cell phone, like,

you know, I'm clouded with everything else going on. And so I try to kind of wake up and first thing I do is fitness, you know, and it just gets me going. I always get good ideas when I'm working out. I do like to kind of work out alone. I like group fitness classes, but lately I've been jogging a lot. So it either has to be like a lot of music or just kind of solitude where

you know, I can then enter the next stage. I do butter coffee every morning. I think that, and I've done that now for a couple of years, and you know, I do the MCT oil and the butter and coffee, and I think that intermittent fasting has become a huge part of my life. I am a huge believer in it, and I do major intermittent fasting. I pretty much do like the warrior method. It's like 12 to 13 hours, 14 hours of not eating, and

And basically, I wake up in the morning, I have my coffee, and I don't eat all day. And a lot of people are mind blown by that. But I just really believe in it. It's like for me, and maybe everybody's different. I don't know that there's a one-stop shop. But for me,

It allows my brain to just be so focused. And on the weekends, I actually go to brunch and stuff, because I love going to brunch. And I can tell a difference on the weekends. When I go to brunch and I have a big meal in the morning, I feel so groggy, not creative, tired. And I enjoy the food and the meal, but I can't really have my day. But when I do the intermittent fasting, I'm super laser focused and clear.

And so anyway, that's been a huge thing for me. And then at night, I really like to wind down to jazz music and I kind of do the opposite. During the day, I'm all about power music and I don't know, a little bit of EDM, all kinds of stuff like that. And I'm just like, go, go, go. And then when I get to the end of my day, I hit the jazz.

Super chill. I do sauna cold plunge religiously. I also really believe in that. And I'm trying to think what else. I mean, I'm a big believer in eight hours of sleep minimum. I try to go to bed early. But yeah, like really keeping the fitness thing going has been huge. I think that, you know, I think that if you're taking care of your body, your mind really, your mind and your spirit really follow.

I actually don't meditate but I'm trying to get into that. I think that I need that whenever. I used to take a trip to Bali every January after Christmas and I would do a lot of meditation there and I know how powerful that is and I just haven't really been honestly making enough time for it.

Yoga and meditation, I think, is really important. At the end of the day, it's all about balance. If I'm going to go hardcore for some of the day, I need to also go super chill. I say no to a lot of things. I'm not super social, but when I am, you'll never see me on my phone.

Super present at every meal and every time Jess and I sit down, you know, I'm just like a hundred percent focused on her and I think that that's good for a relationship is to really like take time during the day like when I'm done with work I'm done with work unless it's like black Friday weekend and I'm sitting there like

editing the website every five minutes, which is true. There are those times when you're like hardcore and I'm like, hold on, the purple hoodie sold out. I've got to move the black hoodie further up so people see it and they don't get frustrated. I really am. I'm the one behind the scenes actually merchandising the website when we have a big sale because I just am obsessed with it.

But yeah, like when I'm with friends and family and I nephews baseball game, like I'm watching every shot he takes, because you know, when he makes that goal, he's gonna look at me and I don't wanna have my head and my phone, you know? So I think that it's really important to be present with the people you love. I think that relationships are huge. And so, you know, being present with the people I love when I'm with them allows me the space to be completely into my work mode when I'm at work.

Yeah, I think you are really good at boundary setting. Greg is too. I've said this to you guys before, but you and Jess remind me of me and Greg because Greg is, I mean, he does one social thing a week. So I have to be very selective with the one thing and he sets boundaries. He doesn't like to like chat when he's doing things and, you know, whenever I see you running on the trail, you're like headphones in like, Hey, and then you just keep going. And I respect the shit out of that. I think when you

are such a high performer and you need to show up and be your best every day and you're managing a 650 person team. You don't really have time for things like that in your brain. So I respect that. And I think that's a really valuable part of this lifestyle. You mentioned prioritizing relationships. I know you're engaged to Jess, the love of your life. She's sitting in the room right now. We're both looking at her.

She's like a huge reason we're here today, honestly. So shout out to Jess for making this happen. She's always telling me to be more in the camera. I think it's a good thing. I really do. And I think hearing this story is going to make a huge impact on people. But how do you prioritize Jess? How do you make time for her? What are some certain rituals you guys have around your relationship to make sure you're getting enough quality time?

Yeah, I think that, you know, really at the end of the work day, I try to not work later than I have to. So like if I am having a day, like the other day, you know, I was feeling pretty good about everything at like two o'clock. So we went shopping, you know, and she's always like, hey, can we do something? And, you know, sometimes I can't, but I really try to recognize those days when I am pretty much finished with my work early, because there are days when I have to work really late.

Anytime I have free time, I really would love it to be with her, and so I try to prioritize her above everything else. I mean, if she's busy doing something else, then I would maybe call my friend or whatever, but it's always first like, okay babe, are you available to do something? I'm free. At night, we pretty much always have dinner together. Sometimes we have plans with friends, but for the most part,

We always have dinner together, so that's kind of a ritual of sitting there and talking about our day. We sometimes work out together. We used to work out together more. I think now we kind of do different things. But whenever we're driving in the car or we do the sauna together sometimes and we talk, I think that just really communication is so important in a relationship. And I think that

you know, making plans together and just talking about like how everything's going in their life. You know, it's important to make that a priority. And also, you know, when we travel, it's usually just her and I like focused on each other and we try to not be on our devices and stuff like that. So I think that when we do travel together, that's like a big bonding time for us.

I love it. I think the dinner ritual's good. Greg and I do that too and it's a really nice way of like coming together. Yeah. And if there's a week where he's at work or he's, you know, doing things with the team, I really feel it. Cause I'm like, Oh my gosh, where's my dinner? Cause even if we're in the same building, I never see him and I, I so relate to that. Um, can I ask about wedding prep? How's that going? Wedding planning, wedding prep.

It's going good. I think that I have realized about myself that I love to put on a major show. It's funny because I used to love to host people and have parties and stuff at my house in Venice when I was younger.

I think that I really do love to entertain and I love to host. And so the wedding has become the ultimate gathering. And I think it's funny because I always say like, you know, you're going to like plan as much as you have time for it. And like we had over a year, we got engaged and we have had now where the weddings in like three and a half months or something.

So for the last year, nine months or whatever, you just think about it all the time, every detail. And I'm also a perfectionist. And so I want everything to be super dialed and perfect. And so it's fun. But there are so many details. And we're making it a whole weekend, not just a day. So there's Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday.

It's a whole thing. And so I want my guests to feel just like they're attending something that they've never experienced before. And so I don't know why I'm making this like the grandest thing. But I just feel like there's not many opportunities in your life where you really just are just going to go balls to the wall on entertaining people. And so I'm just going to send it.

And yeah, so we found a place that we're both obsessed with and that was kind of the start of it. And now, you know, we're just like dialing in every little detail and just trying to make it the most perfect experience of our life. And so it's going to be so fun and I'm very excited about it. I know you have a lot of surprises up your sleeve.

Yeah. I don't want people to know. I'm also really into people not knowing what's coming. I'm scared. Yeah. I have to get my outfits. I know. I'm so excited that you'll be there to share it with us. I also don't know if I'm going to be pregnant or not. So that's true. The outfits have to be stretchy or cut out or something. It's true. You might be.

Yeah, so we'll plan for that. Let's see. I'm so excited and I'm so honored that I get to be there and I'm so honored that you came today and shared your story. I think you are truly one of a kind. When I think about you, I don't even know how you exist because I think you are so creative, so talented, so kind. I admire you in so many ways and I'm so lucky that I got to meet you in Jess this year. I think it's one of the things I'm most grateful for, honestly.

It's rare that you cross paths with someone where you feel very connected and very close right away. So, I am so lucky. Can you tell everyone where they can find AVAtonation? Yeah, AVAtonation.com is our website, and you can follow me on Page My Casky.

Instagram and Aviator Nation Instagram, but I will be trying to post a lot more on my feed these days. I actually have a fun little experience that's coming up for the holidays. I'm going to be building. I'm going to share with you something kind of a secret.

But I've decided that I want to make a giant gingerbread house that is an aviator nation theme. I'm going to make it from scratch. I'm going to cook the gingerbread and dial it all in and do it all myself. So I'm going to be documenting that and posting it on my feed. So I'm going to do more creative things for my followers.

I think you should put that on TikTok, too. Yeah, maybe. I feel like a time lapse of that would be so fun. Wouldn't that be so fun? So sad. Because I built all these stores. I'm like, I should build a gingerbread house that's like a store. It's basically a mini store. And maybe you'll turn that into a real store. Maybe. And you also have 20 storefronts now. I do. Do you know the city's off top of your head? I can try. I can try. Basically, I started in Venice and then it was Malibu, Manhattan Beach.

And then Colorado, I did Aspen and Veil. And then I did Miami, I did Austin, Texas. I did Brooklyn, New York, just opened. I also have a store in the Hamptons and Soho in New York. Oh, San Francisco, I have three locations. I have one in Mill Valley. How about another? One in Hayes Valley.

Um, and one on Haight Street, the corner of Haight and Ashbury, uh, Laguna Beach and La Jolla. Yup. Orange County. I've been to the one in Laguna actually. Have you? Yeah. I feel like am I hitting all of them? Gorgeous.

Nashville. New, Nashville. Yes. Nashville just opened recently. You don't have one in London yet, do you? I don't. I have no international stores yet, but we're starting to look and think that that would be fun. I think that would be sick. Yeah. Can't it be straight? Yeah. Sick.

Totally. I'll have Hawaii, North Shore. Oh my gosh. Oh, I don't even know that. Yeah. Okay. Well, for anyone listening in any of those places, go check out the store's page like paints them herself. Yeah. And Paige, thank you so much. Thank you. This is fun. Thanks for joining us on the Pursuit of Wellness podcast. To support this show, please rate and review and share with your loved ones.

If you want to be reminded of new episodes, click the subscribe button on your preferred podcast or video player. You can sign up for my newsletter to receive my favourites at maridowellen.com. It will be linked in the show notes. This is a wellness-loud production produced by Drake Peterson, Fiona Atix, and Kelly Kyle. This show is edited by Mike Fry. And our video is recorded by Louise Vargas.

You can also watch the full video of each episode on our YouTube channel at Mari Fitness. Love you power girls and power boys. See you next time. The content of this show is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual medical and mental health advice and does not constitute a provider-patient relationship. As always, talk to your doctor or health team.