Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaylee Koslowske.
Hi Kaylee, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My professional story starts with a BA of Chinese Studies, then a consistent schedule of recreational dance and yoga training, then professional Thai Yoga (Thai Massage) training, then a Doctorate of Natural Medicine degree, and now ongoing professional dance training. In 2018, I started my own business practicing and teaching Thai Yoga with Ayurvedic assessments and Tapping Therapy (EFT). I took a break from the business around 2021 and focused on training and performing in dance. My personal creative outlet is writing and creating music. I have been writing and singing since I first could, and developed an affinity for writing poetry and lyrics. My goal is to turn my ideas and creations into live performances and recordings with musicians and dancers. I dance because I like to explore moving my whole body in different ways, and I seek any action that helps me grow awareness and understanding of myself. Dancing is one of the few forms of active expression that incorporates equally the mind and the body, and the dancer requires an awareness of self and space. The body is actually the mind in a physical shape, which means the body is a significant indicator of who someone is, what their priorities are, and what history they have, all of which I learned to understand through dance, yoga and Thai Yoga. Dance and Thai Yoga training have helped me become more confident in who I am. I credit Laura Armenta of Armentality Movement Arts Center for guiding me in my professional dance development and personal growth.
I also really love cooking and eating good food, and I love sewing and designing my own clothing style.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My struggles have always been internal and emotional. In 2017, I endured 3 months of severe symptoms after a concussion, and I consider that challenging time a liberation that led me to explore the core of who I am. Trapped in literal darkness and stillness with only my thoughts, I discovered the only action I could take without exhaustion or pain was to record my voice. Those initial recordings of talking turned into singing, and as I healed, I was able to include instrumentation and gentle sounds. My initial song ideas did not have drums because the abruptness of the beat was too overwhelming for my concussed sensitive brain to process peacefully. Additionally, since I could not write or read without pain, I sang the poetry I created, turning my ideas into lyrics. I had the luxury of time to experiment with sounds, effects and harmonies, which broadened my creativity with songwriting. The concussion had also required me to quit a ridiculously unfulfilling job and begin my training with Thai Yoga and become more enthused with dancing.
I also have hirsutism, which developed slowly over time from puberty onward, and I do not consider it a challenge or an obstacle. Having hirsutism did not prevent me from having opportunities or achieving goals. I have no pain or limitations physically or mentally. I believe women with facial and body hair are as common worldwide as men, and patriarchal social expectations are the only reason hair is distinguished by gender. In my adolescent years, I was aware of the wispy mustache I bleached and unibrow I plucked. As I continued into adulthood, I noticed more hair appearing in more places, long hairs coiling around my navel, nipples and chest, all of which I considered easy to manage and remove. Then my neck, chin and side burns joined the revolution and sprouted hairs of their own. These areas were more noticeable and less normal to me. I plucked more hair more often, then moved on to waxing to cover more surface area. I let my leg and armpit hair grow because I was spending too much time removing the serious offenders. I learned that people still liked me, maybe liked me more, when I had leg and armpit hair. Every day was a visual sweep of all the hairy areas. It was a lot of time wasted on hair removal, but I thought I looked normal. When 2020 came alive, I stopped seeing people in public, and so I decided to stop removing all my hair. It was really an easy decision because I cared more about my actions and ideas. It took me years of looking in the mirror to really identify myself with hair because I knew myself much longer without it. Some people stare at me in public places, but not as much as I expected. Children are more interested in asking me questions. I keep my hair for two reasons: 1. I have better things to do with my time and money, and 2. I want to show people, especially children, that confidence in yourself is important, as is questioning society. Regardless of how I look, I continue to learn more about myself and achieve my goals, and I would say hirsutism has expanded that learning. I want people to value each other based on their actions and ideas and priorities rather than projected appearance.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I train and perform professionally as a dancer. (Yes, with the facial hair)
I am the Assistant Director at Armentality Movement Arts Center.
I teach classes and workshops at Armentality Movement Arts Center.
I co-authored and self-published a book titled “When the Bee Stings” available on Amazon. https://a.co/d/4i8gfz1
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I have learned so far is to always learn. When we close our minds, we limit our capabilities. I continuously find ways to be a student, either to learn something from the beginning or continue learning more in depth about what I think already know.
Another most important lesson I have learned is that I have the power to change myself however I want whenever I want. We are never fixed to an original state unless we choose to be, and it is actually quite difficult to stay the same without any changes. For one, the body physically will not allow stagnation, which is why many people develop illness as they get older. For a while when I was younger, I convinced myself that I was only destined to be whatever I had been. I had horrible posture from anxiety. I believed I did not deserve love or happiness or success and that I was only alive to help others achieve their goals. I also knew that I had many untapped talents and potential, and I convinced myself that those could never overpower my insecurities, because my insecurities were who I really was at my core and I was destined to be like my mother. Once I ditched that belief, I began to focus on my talents and as I became more confident, I realized I could have any life I put my mind to. Through dance training, I became more aware of my posture and developed new behavioral patterns to realign. I thought I had to be socially busy for my personal busy-ness to matter. It happens now, my life is personally busy and socially quiet, and I am building the confidence I need to achieve the personal and social goals I want.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kayleeunity.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaylee.unity
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kayleesunity8746
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-300190173
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@travelthaiyoga
