It’s a different feeling of excitement I want to say. There are some festivals I’ve been to more than 8 years in a row. With those festivals, I get excited to meet the attendees and see new sets I haven’t seen there before. I definitely get reminded of that feeling of wonder and awe when I meet someone who is there for the first time. I get excited for them. To be honest though, I still have trouble sleeping the night before every festival I go to. I’m like a little kid sometimes. Tiny Dancer absolutely loooooooves it when I wake her up at 8AM jumping up and down and saying we need to get ready for a festival when gates don’t open until 6PM. I just can’t help it.

Baehanchan and lisamariesedano  - What has been your favorite festival/event?

This question is incredibly difficult to answer. It’s like asking someone to pick their favorite child. There are so many cool aspects to so many different festivals and I really feel weird focusing on one. If I had to though I’d mention Electric Forest. Electric Forest last year literally changed my life. I love when festivals expand on the culture and provide ways for attendees to enhance themselves so much further than just experiencing the amazing music they have to offer. With Electric Forest’s art and performances you can immerse yourself into an entirely new world. Not only that but they also have programs and activities that both allow you to expand your mind and connect with other attendees in so many different ways. One of my favorites is Her Forest, it focuses on empowering women and it’s incredibly inspiring.

 

bejoux_How tall are you? You inspire me to wear tall shoes!

I’m 5’7” I don’t normally wear platforms but I love the shoes we bring in and tried wearing them for the first time at Beyond Wonderland this year. It wasn’t too hard to get around and I enjoyed how cute they were and being taller, but you definitely won’t catch me wearing them at a festival with rocky or bumpy terrain.

ladyravepool - What is the best advice you have to give to other women business leaders in the rave community, trying to start their own or be apart of something huge..what would you tell the up and coming ladies to focus on most?

If you’re starting your own business, cultivating a team of people who will complement your strengths and have the same vision as you are the most important advice I’d have to give. As a leader, you need to understand that you’re not going to be the best at everything and it’s going to take a lot of trust on both sides of your working relationship. The most solid foundation for that is shared vision and a passion for your goal.

If you’re looking to join a team, be confident in the skills you’ve acquired thus far no matter how far along you are in your career. Really figure out what it is that you bring the table and don’t be afraid to articulate that when you’re reaching out or networking. I can’t tell you how many times people have reached out to me and expressed that they “just want to be involved” and “would be willing to do anything” in order to be a part of our brand. The people who really stand out to me are those who are upfront about what they see themselves doing and the experience they offer. If your dream job doesn’t happen right away, find opportunities that you believe are a step in the right direction. Work hard at those opportunities no matter what they are. I got my first job the day I got my driver’s license at a Coldstone Creamery. I became a Shift Leader there within a few weeks, and I would never have realized some of the leadership skills I learned when I was just 16 years old helped shape the managerial skills I have today, many years later. Your dreams won’t work unless you do, and your hard work will put you where luck will find you. I got very lucky in my career so far, but I would never attribute all of it to luck. Don’t ever give up on yourself.

anananananananananana - Do you have a mantra to motivate yourself? Or a book or something that just pumps you up to keep doing what you do?

Two things drive me more than anything in life. The first is being an unconventional woman in business and supporting other women doing the same. My team is more inspirational to me than they’ll ever know. They are some of the smartest, most talented women and I have the amazing pleasure of leading them. Secondly, you could say my life motto is, "work hard, play hard." I am definitely the type of person to put my career first always and never stop working or striving to be more efficient and better at what I do. At the same time, I’m driven by my passion for festivals and when I’m not in the office running meetings and juggling projects, I’m on the dancefloor womping until the sun comes up or in the desert dancing under the moon.

lahefa - When did you start raving? And what drew you into the rave culture?

I’ve been into dance music since the early 2000s. I grew up in Seattle and went to a few underground parties at a pretty early age. Kids in my high school made fun of me for liking “techno” and driving around in my car blasting 9PM by ATB after football games. My first massive was HARD Haunted Mansion in 2009 at the Shrine and my first Southern California event. I was completely enthralled by the number of friendly people I met. When I was younger, I was a lot shyer and introverted than I am now. You would never catch me dancing on stage or talking to thousands of people on Snapchat about how much I love the community that we are involved in. Something about the community and the culture I experienced then and at all the events I went to following made me feel like I belonged to something bigger and that this was a place where I could show my true self. I wanted to share this feeling with the world, and somehow couldn’t shake the notion that this wasn’t just something I was going to be passionate about, it was something I was called to do.

Xxby_belxx - What inspires your outfits or ideas?

To be honest, I don’t think I’m the most stylish individual who works at iHeartRaves. There are days I wake up and I wish I could wear my pajamas to work. I like to focus on the business and analytics over the creative side most days. So when it comes to dressing for festivals, I like to just kinda go with the flow and wear what makes me feel good over everything else. When I’m matching with my team that’s when the crazy styling comes out. There’s usually spreadsheets involved - it gets intense. In terms of iHeartRaves inspiration, we let our customers show us what they want. We’re always listening to feedback and bringing home ideas we come up with at festivals when talking with our customers. I’m also incredibly inspired by all the ravers who have created their own brands, like Rolita Couture and Lunautics. It’s a huge goal of mine to continue to discover these brands and help use our voice in the community to give them a spotlight to grow.

Brittanyyyannn - How did you get into Iheartraves/INTO THE AM? Did you go to school and get a degree in anything? If not, would you?