July 29, 2025 • 36 mins
As athletes, and often as women, we're frequently told we must fit ourselves into a nice neat box of what society defines our role to be. Luckily, Kristine Anigwe never subscribed to that belief. Now the former WNBA player is building her fashion empire, one she started when she was still an active player. KA Originals has been in the spotlight as both she and many stars around the W have rocked her fits. In this episode of The PowHERful Podcast, Anigwe shares how she cultivated multiple passions simultaneously, how she'd never be where she is now without Candace Parker, and how we can all embrace every side of ourselves to create the life we want to live.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello friends, and welcome to the Powerful Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm your host Aja McCord.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
In this podcast, we introduce you to powerful women who
are changing the game in and outside of their field
of play.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
These are women's stories.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Women who happen to be doing things that many of
us can only dream of, but the lessons and inspiration
they share is universal.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Hello friends, and welcome back to the Powerful Podcast. I'm
your host aj McCord, and we are telling you the
stories of some of the most badass women and Olympic,
extreme and outdoor sports. And today we're headed to the
w The WNBA is on the rise, and a big
part of that is because of the fashion and the
tunnel fits and how much we get to see of
(00:41):
these players outside of who they are on the court.
The person who's been ahead of the curve on that
front is Christina Niguey. She is a former WNBA player,
currently a fashion designer, a consultant, owns her own business.
And in this episode we talk about how to embrace
yourself as a whole human being and how oftentimes as
(01:02):
athletes we get put in boxes and we get asked
to stay there by society, and she said absolutely not.
We talk about the inspiration behind some of the most
iconic tunnel fits that your favorite player has probably worn.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
And I hope in this episode you really.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Are reminded of how important and critical it is to
embrace every aspect of yourself, because there is not a
single element of who you are that is a mistake
or that is a distraction, but it is a part
of building a life that you love.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
And that's what I.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Think Christine has done, and it's an example that I
think the rest of us would really be wise to follow.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
So I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Christina and Egue.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I am so excited to be joined now by somebody
who is the definition of multi talented. She was the
Freshman of the Year when she was a Cal Golden Bear.
She was drafted the WNBA in twenty nineteen, played for
the Wings, the Sparks, the Mercury. She has her very
own fashion brand called Ka Originals, which can be spotted
(02:08):
in many a tunnel around the w being worn by
your favorite player most likely, and then of course recently
launched Design to Be Seen, which is a course back
at Berkeley. So okay, add professor to the title. This
is Christine Anigue. I am so excited to have you
on the podcast.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Welcome, Thank you so much. I'm so excited that you
invited me, and yeah, I can't wait to get this going. Girl.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
We got to start with the fact that I just
listed off like fifteen different lanes of life. We are
talking basketball, we are talking fashion, and it all works together.
So explain to us how all of these things are
different aspects of just who you are. How did Christine
come to be a baller, a fashion designer, and somebody
(02:58):
just embracing every aspe that.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
I think, like you have to go back to just
like being an athlete, and like how like multi dimensional
you have to be being playing basketball in itself, And
so going to Berkeley being able to be around so
many talented people, I was able just to like learn
so much from them. So when in my transition when
I got drafted, I realized, wait, I kind of want
(03:23):
to do I kind of have other passions that I
want to do, and I'm at the highest point of
like being a basketball player, Like I'm in the one
percent at that point, and I really really really wanted
to dive deeper into just different avenues I was interested in. Yeah,
I started my clothing brand first, and then I was
(03:45):
able to get clients and work with different people around
the league and have them start their own brand. So
it was just like so many different things that I
was doing all at once, and like now it's finally
starting to slow down and I'm finally taking a step
back from what I've been able to do off the
court and just appreciate everything for what it is.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Yeah, I want to get to that, because that's a
really important transition, especially for somebody who has hustled for
so much of their life, to take that step back.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
But before we get there.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
I want to go back a little bit to the
beginning of what she mentioned, which is starting Ka Originals.
And obviously that stems from a love of fashion in
some aspects.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
So where did that come from?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
When did you start realizing, oh, I really like you know,
fashion and designing and being dressed a certain way for
certain events, Like how did you start embracing that?
Speaker 4 (04:36):
I would have to say my mom when I was
in middle school, it was so hard for me to
find clothes, so hard to find things that fit my body.
And she was so so so so keen on research, research, research, research,
and she didn't want me going to school looking like
less inferior than anyone else around me. So we did.
Like first I started wearing gap, like in middle school.
(04:58):
Gap they had a line for women, and I'm like,
is that the only place where I'm gonna be able
to shop? I'm in, I'm middle school. I wanted to
wear like the Claars and like the pink, and those
those brands didn't fit me. So I already knew that
I was like in a unique position. And we did
a lot of for it was the shoes for me,
Like first it was the shoes, and then it was
(05:20):
the jeans, and then it was the tops and the dresses.
So when you started balancing on different things, that just
wasn't fitting me. And I was trying to find my
style in middle school with my mom, and then like
high school, I was like, this is a problem. Like
high school of was like, okay, I'm six two. I'm
six two, six three. I was growing so fast and
(05:42):
I was six two by my freshman year of high school.
Imagine like six two and could not find anything that
fit me.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Geez, I mean, I am I have empathy, but at
five four, I actually cannot relate.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
I never hit a gross.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
That's okay, that's okay. Like for me, it was more
like I realized that if I'm having this problem, I'm
pretty sure a lot of other women are having this
problem too that they're just not speaking about. So I
was really I was honestly, really happy that I had
someone that was just like pouring so much into me.
(06:22):
And I realized that like a lot of people don't
have that, a lot of people don't have someone that's
gonna take them shopping, go after school shopping with them,
create a list of brands that fits you, that fits
your body type, that looks good on you. And I
was learning about proportions and colors that fit me because
I can't wear pink. I can't buy pink jeans. You know,
I'm six to two, So the jeans that I'm wearing
(06:42):
needs to fit me for the rest of the school.
You're not need to be able to wear them with
multiple different outfits. So I was building like capsules in
high school. And just like my whole high school experience
was so unique as well, because I was playing basketball.
I played three sports. I did track, I did volleyball,
I did basketball, and I had to change clothes after
(07:05):
every sing, Like it was just a lot Like I
had events I was going to, I had after school
programs I was going to. So I was really active
trying to find my style as well. And like I
credit a lot of that to my mom creating a
safe space for me and allowing me just to like
be as creative as possible. And I think that's what
started my whole thing of like athletes not being one dimensional,
(07:27):
you know well.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
And to tie into a little bit of your mom's style,
which has sort of infiltrated into the style that you've
started creating. You were born in London, raised in Phoenix,
and your mom is a very sort of high fashion
She was, I believe, helping you get ready for sort
of these big parties as kids and stuff like that. Right,
So where does the inspiration drawer Where did it draw
from your mom when she was starting to dress you
(07:50):
as a kid.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
With my mom watching her get ready for work, I
would wake up. She went to work around seven am,
so around six thirty six am she got are getting
ready and I would like sneak in her room and
I would just watch her and how she was the
outfits together, and it just fascinated me how she was
able to put so many different things together, and she
had like a capsule and a wardrobe, and she was
(08:13):
able to like put colors together, and she really layered
her clothes. And being in corporate you kind of have
to you have to be able to go within with
the blazer and then like have the button up or
the linen top, and then like you have to be
able to take that off because it gets hot in
the office. So, like, I was just learning how to
dress like that at a very young age, and I think,
(08:34):
like that's like probably my bread and butter is like
dressing super modern, just because like that's how she dressed
like and I really wanted to be like her. But
you can't do that in high school, like people are
staring at you, like why are you You're not You're
not going to the office, We're going to class. So
you know, I had my struggles and we pushed through that.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
And you said it started with the shoes, right, which
led you to sort of designing your own version of
a very popular shoe.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Tell me about.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
That, Yeah, Heale's that was my.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
I went.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
We went to London that year. My mom bought me
and my siblings. I have three siblings, and we all
me and my me and my older brother were the
same size. So that was that was already.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Says with a rolled I for those of you who podcast,
her eyes rolled back in her head.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
I think this might be problematic. So my brother wore
the same size from middle school. I was like, okay, Like, okay,
I guess we're going to be sharing shoes. He cut
that down, he was like, I'm not sharing shoes with you.
So we had our separate clauset, separate wardrobe. I would
sneak sometimes and get his stuff. But back to the healings.
(09:51):
I designed my healings because they didn't have a size eleven,
so you had a custom order a size twelve and
I really wanted a white pair. They did not have
my size, and so I had a design one for myself.
And that's kind of like I just thought that was normal. Again,
(10:12):
thinking that this is normal because I'm not really talking
to my friends about these challenges. I'm having my bunker.
I'm kind of just going with the flow with it.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
So what how did you design? Like? Did this heally
go from design to execution?
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Like?
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Were we wearing our own shoes that we designed and built.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
It took like four weeks. They kept coming back to me.
They were like, okay, like we don't have this color.
This says how it looks. I was making the prototypes,
I was I think like during that time converts and heelies,
you were able to design custom shoes, custom colors, but
off the shoes, so you were able to design the
color and they would add like an additional like ten
dollars per color. You would add per color. They would
(10:54):
add that. So I was like, I was trying to
get all light. But then I'm like, my am kid,
So I started adding like different colors and it came
up to like a crazy amount of My Mom's like, no,
you are not buying a pair of shoes for that
much money and you're only gonna wear them probably five times.
And then I realized, you know, when the heey comes,
(11:17):
the wheel is so big, and of course my heel
was massive. My heel was so huge, and I couldn't.
I could not, for the life of me, actually roll
in them, and ended up being an investment that was
just for design for the house.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
You're like, it's actually it's all going towards the future.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Mom, don't worry about it because this is my first
lesson in design and how we have to make sure
the prototypes match you know, what envisions in my head.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
That's incredible and I love that.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Your mom just embraced that side of you and was like, hey,
I get it. Like you're tall, you're six to two.
They don't make all these clothes, and so let's figure
out what you want and go out and build it right,
like to a certain extent.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Obviously in the budget exactly.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Like here's your parameters. Everyone needs to know P and L.
This is like early business as well as passion. But
then you go to college, you play at Berkeley, you
win Freshman of the Year, you get drafted in twenty nineteen,
you play for a myriad of teams including the Wings,
the Sparks, the Mercury, and Ka Originals is born out
of something that you've faced in the w when you realize, oh,
(12:33):
this problem was actually not just a high school problem,
this problem is continuing into my adult life. Yeah, tell
me about how KA Originals was born.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
With k Originals. It was it started off as like
a passion project, Like it was something like like we're
talking about this whole conversation just for myself, like I
wanted things that fit me, that I felt confident in
that I could wear to bens and I could wear
in the tunnel, that I could wear just like feeling comfortable,
(13:05):
like I felt like I was. I felt so foreign
in my clothes. And I would go shopping and I
would see like people models and five ten and I'm like, well,
I'm six four and I'm at that point. I'm in
my first year. I played in Turkey and imagine the
sizing being smaller in Europe, so nothing fit me. And
(13:26):
my first year, I didn't bring any clothes with me. Wow.
I didn't bring any like going out clothes or like
leisure clothes. I just brought my basketball sweats and my
shorts and my sports bras. And I was like, okay,
I'm here for work. And that was like the first
time and I was like okay, like I don't feel
like myself at all, Like I don't feel not that
(13:46):
I didn't feel feminine, I just didn't feel like I
was able to do things outside of working out because
I didn't have like clothes to go anywhere. And it
wasn't until like I was like, okay, let me start,
let me try shop so I would go shopping. I
would go in the stores. Nothing fit me. I was
like okay. I was like, okay, let me try different places.
(14:09):
And I realized that I'm going to have to learn
how to create pieces that fit well in my body
and make me feel confident. And I never and I
from that was the first lesson of going overseas, like
it's not just about playing basketball, Like I actually want
(14:29):
to do other things. And I learned that, like within
the first couple of weeks when I was out there.
People don't really tell you that you can actually have
a life when you play abroad. You don't have to
just like have this tunnel vision focus. You can actually
like build a lifestyle where it's not like the highs
and loads of bastball hitting you. You can maintain a
nice lifestyle by just like experiencing the culture. And that's
(14:52):
what I did. I ended up meeting some of my
best friends out there, sharing these different problems and creating
a collect that for myself, I was able to help
so many other people at the same time.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Yeah, you experienced a need and then said, wait a minute,
I actually have the skill set to solve this problem,
which sounds like such an if A plus B then C.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
But I think it's such a it's such a.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Statement to your mom and the way you were raised
and your own bravery and your own sort of courage
to say why not me? Like why am I going
to wait for someone else to solve this problem?
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Why don't I do it?
Speaker 4 (15:36):
And I think a lot of people were trying to
solve the problem. But my problem wasn't that the clothes
didn't fit my waist. It was that the clothes weren't
long enough. And I wanted ka originals to be like
to fill a gap. You know, like everyone can start.
You can you can start a collection, you can start
a clothing brand, but you can start anything, but like
(15:58):
what are you feeling? And for me, it's all about
like do I feel good wearing this?
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Like?
Speaker 4 (16:05):
Do I feel seen wearing this? Do I feel comfortable?
Do I feel confident? And that's literally what I wanted
to do, Like that's all I want when I wear
my clothes. I want to feel those three things like comfortable, confident,
and scene. And I think, like if you can do that,
and like if you can fill that gap in like
someone else's like life, like you're okay and.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Yeah, well, and it's so cool because I feel like,
you know, in my competitive life around a lot of gymnasts,
that wasn't a problem that our community was dealing with, right.
If anything, it was kind of the opposite. We were
these small, stocky athletic builds. And then but you in
the W You're looking around and you're going, wait a minute,
this isn't actually just a me problem. I'm looking at
(16:50):
my teammates, I'm looking at my peers, and I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Oh, we're all kind of struggling with this.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So how did it go from Hey, I'm going to
design some clothes for myself, I'm gonna wear them.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
I'm going to really feel.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
You know, comfortable, confident, and scene to saying, oh, wait
a minute, now we have we have players from around
the w wearing a KA originals fit in the tunnel.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
What was that growth journey about?
Speaker 4 (17:15):
It was so special, Like for me, like designing was
never about the clothing. It was about like the feeling
and like for people to feel like their needs are
being met, you know, and when the people were buying KA, like,
I ended up selling my first the first collection in
weeks if not months of me launching that line, and
(17:38):
I was able to do that with my teammates. They
really believed me. They poured so much into me. And
I remember being teammates with Kandice Parker, and I learned
a lot of basketball from her, but I learned a
lot about just her business mindset. And if I had
not been on that La Sparks team, I don't think
KA Originals would have existed. So my second collection was
(18:03):
Colors from Tennessee. But I don't think I ever told
her this, but I made two orange suits. One was very,
very fitted and then one had like this like element
of street wear in it. And it was like a
thank you to her, like thank you for allowing me
to be myself, because if I had not played in
LA that year, I would never have started K Originals
(18:25):
because I realized been in there like basketball, yes it's
a vehicle, but also it's a place for you to
find yourself, find your voice, find your passion and try
to do something better for other people.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
And that Candice Parker taught you that.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
So much like she gave me books, she gave me
so much confidence. Like at that point I wasn't playing much,
but for some reason I ended up getting really close
to her and her daughter and her family, and just
seeing everything that she's been able to do with her platform,
I wanted to do just a little bit of that,
you know, Like I wanted to do a little bit
(19:05):
of that, and in my own way, I wanted to
do something for people that again like they're they're not
represented in the market of fashion as much as like you,
Like you said, like a five seven to five to
ten woman, like that's what's considered tall. I'm six four.
My friends are like six five and six six. They're
coming to me for advice. And I had to learn
(19:27):
a lot about proportions during that time, a lot about styling.
So I had a designer mindset, and then that designer
mindset turned into a stylist mindset, and the stylist mindset
turned into consulting. So I've been able to balance in
different lanes of fashion but stay so rooted to like
what I'm doing because I've seen someone do that, like
(19:47):
I've seen Candice do that, like with her platform, be
the best basketball player she could possibly be, but also
be a mentor, also listen, also pour into others, And
that's what I wanted to do with my platform.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
I feel like, it's such a testament not just to
Candace and the legacy that she's building just by the
locker rooms that she's been a part of, but it's
also really that ability to embrace being a whole human being.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
You know.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
I think so often we sort of get put at like, oh, hey,
this is the one thing that I'm like really good at,
I'm really passionate about in this season. But if you
don't cultivate all these other things that keep your cup filled,
then this one thing that you're really passionate about, really
good at, and is serving as kind of the main
(20:34):
thing at the time, it's going to end up sucking
sort of the life out of you, right, And I
think we see that with burnout in corporate America.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
We see that with athletes who lose the love.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Of the game somewhere along the way, and instead it
sounds like Candace and now you And it's certainly something
that I feel like I'm still not very good at,
but I'm trying to embrace it more and more. Is
embrace every aspect of who you are. Don't have to
fit in a box. Just because you're an athlete. It
doesn't mean you can't also be a designer and a
(21:07):
consultant at the same exact time. And to quote Brenee Brown,
she always says, two things can be true at the
same time. And when you let that sink in, that's
when you start feeding into your purpose. That's when you
really start stepping into this is who I am. This
is not only what I'm providing for myself and my people,
but like Candice, this is.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Now how I'm inspiring then everyone around me.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
To be the best version, the wholest, the most whole
version of themselves.
Speaker 4 (21:36):
I really love that, and I love that you kind
of like tied that into like your personal story too,
and like being able to be like multi dimensional. And
I say that all the time because that's what it is.
But I also think that a lot of players are
prepped to be basketball players. A lot of athletes are
prepped to be athletes, but what after They're not prep
(21:56):
for the tools and the skill sets that they're going
to need to plan life that they can sustain after
playing the sport. And that's why I started doing this,
and I started taking this seriously and also too, like
when you're creative, people are like, oh, that could be
a distraction to your craft and it's like, but that
being creative is simultaneously helping me be a better athlete
(22:17):
because it's given me like that balance, and it's giving
me the courage to be better for myself, you know.
And I think like when you're in school, when you
go to like when I was at Berkeley, I saw
so many people being themselves unapologetically. They're like, I'm gonna
dye my hair pink and walk around and I'm still
(22:37):
going to be the smartest person in this room, and
you're not going to judge me because I'm going to
work ten times harder. And you really have to like
dig deep into yourself to finish what you start. And
so when I started KA Originals, people were like, is
that going to be a distraction, And oh, she's like
pouring so much into her into designing. And you know,
when I started K Creative Consulting, I took a step
(22:58):
away from the WNBA so I can like be an
expert at this. Like I wanted to become an expert
because like what I'm doing it's not like it's not
a hobby. It's not like a creative out Yes, it's
a creative outlet, but it's also a business. And I
wanted to respect my business by becoming an expert in
(23:18):
different categories to make it stronger. And I could not
have a learned that without playing in a WNBA, without
playing with good teammates, because the teammates it's what makes
that experience the best. Like, if you have great teammates,
people that love you and respect you, you're going to
go further than just being on a quote unquote good team.
(23:39):
And I think, like the work that I do, it's
not about me. I say it all the time, It's
not about me. It's literally about people. Like I've seen it.
I've seen people come to me and they're like, well,
I might not have the budget, and I'm like, okay,
Like I have a course for you, Like take this
course that might help you. You might not have the budget,
but education without a budget is sometimes what you need
(24:00):
to learn a lot because, like you said, like when
you're trying to really create an ecosystem that helps others,
it's gonna take a lot of work, a lot of knowledge,
a lot of expertise to make sure that it's built properly,
or you're gonna waste a lot of funding and a
(24:21):
lot of resources and a lot of time and not
get anywhere. So that was my whole thing.
Speaker 3 (24:27):
And it's such an important lesson and it's so beautiful
that it's a lesson that you're willing to share, right,
because I think so often there's this element of like
either maybe one of two things.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
One is like I did.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Something wrong and I don't want to admit it, or
I did something wrong, or like I had to do
this the hard way, and so you behind me also
have to do this the hard way, right, And I
think what you're talking about is completely rewriting.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
That narrative and saying, hey, mistakes are gonna happen. I'm
as shame of it. I learned from it, and here's
how you can avoid it.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Because my goal is not just to make Ka Originals
a billion dollar company. Yes that's great, like let's go out,
get the bag, get the money, but you can do
the same thing, and like, my success is not threatened
by you having to learn your own lessons as opposed
to repeating mine exactly.
Speaker 4 (25:23):
And like, because I wear so many hats, I sometimes
like it's a sass. I'm like, what's not the best purchase?
Like can you actually do you actually have to buy
that but also like I have to come from a
different point of view where it's like maybe like that's
how they're expressing their creativity. No, I don't want to
like diminish them, and I don't want them to feel
(25:44):
like I'm trying to erase that part of themselves. So
when I speak to my clients, it's so that's why
sometimes people call me a holistic stylist, like chrisy it's
too deep, okay, Like I'm like, I just really feel
like in so many different avenues, creatives and sports, like
they just don't trust themselves because that's how we're wired
(26:08):
in a sense of being over prepared. But when you're
being creative, you don't have to be over prepared. You
just have to trust your instinct and you just have
to build. Yeah, and every single day when you build,
you're going to get somewhere. So that's how I do
with styling. That's why I do it when I do
my consulting services. That's what I do with this course.
(26:29):
It's just building, step by step building, and then like
at the end you'll see the result. Maybe in the
middle you might want to stop, but if you keep
pushing through that fatigue and that discomfort of not feeling
your highest, the highest version of yourself, because when you're building,
you're not going to feel the highest. You're going to
feel so low sometimes and you're going to want to
(26:50):
quit because I wanted to quit. But in every single
service that I offer, I want people to come out better,
even if you don't work with me again, come out
better than how you came in working with me. And
that's all I want to offer with the services that
I provide and just being in the space because I
know a lot of people take, but I want to
give back, but also grow and build for myself.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Yeah, And it's such a again, two things can be true. Right,
you want to grow and build for yourself, and also
you want to help grow and build for your clients.
And I think you mentioned something about creatives and sports
and it's something that hits so home for me because
I feel like, even with the building of the powerful, right,
I saw a gap in the storytelling around female athletes,
(27:34):
particularly in some of these sports that don't catch that
spotlight all that often, which up until right and still
the WNBA is like grossly undervalued, but up until a
few years ago, it was even more egregiously undervalued.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
It was hard to.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
Watch games on TV your rookie year, it was hard
to find them. It was hard for people to you know,
like you have to. There was a very core group
of us diehard WNBA fans and now it's becoming way
more mainstream, which is fantastic. But my whole goal with
building the Powerful is how do we fill that gap
of storytelling right making sure that people get invested in
(28:10):
the human being underneath their favorite teams jersey, because that's
how they're going to follow the athlete to Turkey, to
Mexico to wherever they're playing overseas in the off season,
and then all of a sudden they come back. The
w is stronger because these fans have become so much
more invested in who the athlete is as a person
and not just did the Wings beat the fever or not?
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Right, Like that's such a surface story.
Speaker 4 (28:35):
Like you said, like brands in media need to start
investing investing in the athletes, not just as athletes and performers,
but in the full aspect, like the full being of
an athlete. And I think like when you start seeing
(28:56):
athletes as humans, as people, as people that are relatable,
story starts coming out, because if you're speaking to me
about X and O's, I probably wouldn't have popped on
this podcast. I'm like, but it's because it's a storytelling
And I really can appreciate when a story's being told
and you're coming from an authentic place, and I really
(29:18):
do appreciate, like I've met so many people in medium
PR that are coming from a good place and they're
authentic and they're really trying to pull more. And I
think that's why the WNBA is so special. But I
also think that when you're able to peel I mean
a little bit more and look deeper into the WNBA,
you're going to see a lot of talented women who
(29:39):
are so creative and so passionate and so proud of
what they do outside of just putting on the jersey.
Then you start getting even better stories.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
And you are the example of that, which is so incredible.
And I'm so glad that Candice Parker inspired you, that
your mom helped invest in you, and that you yourself.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Christine.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
We're brave enough to step into that purpose because we
are so much better for knowing who you are as
a person than just seeing you throughout a few years
in the WNBA.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
So I'm so grateful for all of the.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
Things that you have done to just embrace and showcase
being a whole human being because we are truthfully better
for it. And I hope that from listening to your story,
others are inspired to embrace every single aspect of who
they are.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
You do not have to be in a box. You
can be multi dimensional. You will make mistakes, but there
are people out there who are trying to make sure
you don't make the same ones they did, and that
is exactly what else can you ask.
Speaker 4 (30:40):
For, exactly, And thank you for inviting me on this
podcast again, Like, I'm just so appreciative of people that
are like digging deeper, going past the surface and trying
to get stories that are relatable because I think and
I know that, I know the fans appreciate it because
they want to follow athletes, and I work with so
(31:00):
many amazing athletes. I've worked with the amazing athletes that
are I have so much more. But they're never asked
the question, so they're not going to give you the
answer that you want.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Yeah, Well, I'm so excited to see what you do
next with KA Originals, what you do with your course
at Berkeley, how you continue to invest in the next
generation of WNBA human beings who happen to be great
at basketball but really good at other things too, And
just see where you go from here, because I know
that your journey is in the middle of it, and
we're so lucky to get a chance to glimpse this
(31:30):
and to learn from the hardships that you have shared
and the struggles that you faced, and also makes me
so much more invested in the successes that I have no.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Doubt are coming down the future.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Yeah, we're going to transition really quick because this is
the next segment of the podcast, and you want to
talk about somebody else who was brave and did something
that had not been done before but embracing their whole
selves the sports bra This is the segment called something
to sip On. So Something to sip On is where
you tell me your favorite cocktail or mocktail.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
I want to know.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
When you're in your creative zone or when you're just
off the cord after a practice, what do you sipping on?
Speaker 4 (32:06):
I honestly don't. I rarely drink alcohol, but if I'm
gonna sip on anything, it's gonna be red wine. I
love red wine, any type of wine. I'm I'm on
that healthy, healthy but fun type of vibe.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Yep, girl, I love the mocktails. These days, they are
coming up, mocktail.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
They're coming up with some really good ones that aren't
like super sweet, but have like a little bit of sparkle,
a little bit of something at the end of the
day that just makes you feel like, oh, this is
a treat.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
I did a day, well done, I get a treat, right.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
I do love them. I love a pineapple mocktail. I
do try to stay away from them sometimes because they
can get a little addicting. So you're like, that's not alcohol,
but it's sweet and it's good, and I try to
stay awake and try to plower my sugarcount. But I
do love a pineapple mocktail. And I do love a
red wine, A good red wine.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Perfect perfect. I love that.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
And then our next segment is called powered Up. So
this is where we talk about what keeps you powered
up for your sport or for your career. In this case,
I want to touch a little bit on what kept
you powered up when you were in the w and
then a little bit on what keeps you powered up
now as a creative, as an entrepreneur, as a business owner,
as all the things, Because my gosh, you have to
stay powered up somehow. So as a fashion designer, what
(33:23):
is the one thing you cannot live without?
Speaker 4 (33:25):
As a fashion designer, I have to be in nature.
I have to be like at a like weekly, if
not monthly. I try to go to a botanical garden
because that's what grounds me. I get a lot of
my inspiration, but by being out by a beach, botinical garden, flying,
I love. I love traveling just because I got to
see the layouts and I get to like just compare
(33:48):
different areas to each other. But that's my that's that's
my go to. I like, I need to touch some grass,
you know. I need to be outside and to be
in the sun something I am.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
I am a girl who has a little bit of
mermaid in her so I I know a lot of it.
Speaker 3 (34:03):
Yeah. I need to be in water at some point
or another to get refueled. What is the one thing
that we need to know about the intersection of fashion
and the WNBA right now?
Speaker 4 (34:15):
The intersection of fashion WNBA, I do think we need
to be looking deeply at the WNBA Tunnel page. I
love that they post consistently. I love Melissa. She's the
owner of the page, and she really does do a
good job by storytelling on that page. And you can
see your favorite WNBA players, what they wear, the brands
(34:38):
they wear, and everything in between. If you go over
there and look at her account is grown tremendously and
she just keeps a current.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
So yeah, and if y'all don't think that people's outfits
tell a story, you have not, you're wrong, Like, yeah,
there's no I have no I have nothing to say
other than it's inaccurate. So learn the story behind the
fit because oftentimes you'll learn something, well, you'll learn something
about the person that you're excited to watch walk through
the tunnel. And then the last question for powered up
(35:08):
is what is the one piece of advice you would
tell that girl who worked so hard to design her
own set of Healey's what's the one piece of advice
you would give her?
Speaker 4 (35:19):
Honestly, I would just tell her to keep going, like
it's okay to be early to the table. You know,
a lot of people aren't going to understand you. A
lot of people might think you're weird or you're just
like you're just everything might be in your head. But
keep going, keep proving people wrong, keep proving people right,
and stay close to the ones that are pouring into you.
(35:42):
That's my advice I would give her, and I still
give her.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
I'm still doing that every single day.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
That's that's the the on the mirror when I'm getting ready.
All right, Christine, this has been the powerful podcast. I
want to know what does powerful mean to you?
Speaker 2 (35:57):
Powerful?
Speaker 4 (35:58):
Is this collaborating community. I love. I love a good community.
That's what makes me feel powerful when I know that
I have my community behind me and rooting for me,
supporting me and giving me that extra inch to get
to where I need to be because I can't I can.
I could never do this alone. I without my community,
I would be nothing. And being able to grow with
(36:21):
them and being able to watch for them to watch
me grow and has been just amazing.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
Well.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Thank you so much for being part of our powerful community.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
It means the world to me and I'm so grateful
that you took the time to do this podcast, share
your story, and I cannot wait to see the next capsule,
the next fit, the next place.
Speaker 4 (36:39):
Thank you so much. I love this.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Yeah, thank you everybody for watching the Power for listening
to the Powerful podcast.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
We'll see y'all next week.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
This is a reminder to check us out every Tuesday
everywhere you get your podcasts. And if you really enjoy
this and don't want to miss an episode, be sure
to hit that subscribe it
Hello friends, and welcome to the Powerful Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm your host Aja McCord.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
In this podcast, we introduce you to powerful women who
are changing the game in and outside of their field
of play.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
These are women's stories.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Women who happen to be doing things that many of
us can only dream of, but the lessons and inspiration
they share is universal.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Hello friends, and welcome back to the Powerful Podcast. I'm
your host aj McCord, and we are telling you the
stories of some of the most badass women and Olympic,
extreme and outdoor sports. And today we're headed to the
w The WNBA is on the rise, and a big
part of that is because of the fashion and the
tunnel fits and how much we get to see of
(00:41):
these players outside of who they are on the court.
The person who's been ahead of the curve on that
front is Christina Niguey. She is a former WNBA player,
currently a fashion designer, a consultant, owns her own business.
And in this episode we talk about how to embrace
yourself as a whole human being and how oftentimes as
(01:02):
athletes we get put in boxes and we get asked
to stay there by society, and she said absolutely not.
We talk about the inspiration behind some of the most
iconic tunnel fits that your favorite player has probably worn.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
And I hope in this episode you really.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Are reminded of how important and critical it is to
embrace every aspect of yourself, because there is not a
single element of who you are that is a mistake
or that is a distraction, but it is a part
of building a life that you love.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
And that's what I.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Think Christine has done, and it's an example that I
think the rest of us would really be wise to follow.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
So I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Christina and Egue.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I am so excited to be joined now by somebody
who is the definition of multi talented. She was the
Freshman of the Year when she was a Cal Golden Bear.
She was drafted the WNBA in twenty nineteen, played for
the Wings, the Sparks, the Mercury. She has her very
own fashion brand called Ka Originals, which can be spotted
(02:08):
in many a tunnel around the w being worn by
your favorite player most likely, and then of course recently
launched Design to Be Seen, which is a course back
at Berkeley. So okay, add professor to the title. This
is Christine Anigue. I am so excited to have you
on the podcast.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Welcome, Thank you so much. I'm so excited that you
invited me, and yeah, I can't wait to get this going. Girl.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
We got to start with the fact that I just
listed off like fifteen different lanes of life. We are
talking basketball, we are talking fashion, and it all works together.
So explain to us how all of these things are
different aspects of just who you are. How did Christine
come to be a baller, a fashion designer, and somebody
(02:58):
just embracing every aspe that.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
I think, like you have to go back to just
like being an athlete, and like how like multi dimensional
you have to be being playing basketball in itself, And
so going to Berkeley being able to be around so
many talented people, I was able just to like learn
so much from them. So when in my transition when
I got drafted, I realized, wait, I kind of want
(03:23):
to do I kind of have other passions that I
want to do, and I'm at the highest point of
like being a basketball player, Like I'm in the one
percent at that point, and I really really really wanted
to dive deeper into just different avenues I was interested in. Yeah,
I started my clothing brand first, and then I was
(03:45):
able to get clients and work with different people around
the league and have them start their own brand. So
it was just like so many different things that I
was doing all at once, and like now it's finally
starting to slow down and I'm finally taking a step
back from what I've been able to do off the
court and just appreciate everything for what it is.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Yeah, I want to get to that, because that's a
really important transition, especially for somebody who has hustled for
so much of their life, to take that step back.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
But before we get there.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
I want to go back a little bit to the
beginning of what she mentioned, which is starting Ka Originals.
And obviously that stems from a love of fashion in
some aspects.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
So where did that come from?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
When did you start realizing, oh, I really like you know,
fashion and designing and being dressed a certain way for
certain events, Like how did you start embracing that?
Speaker 4 (04:36):
I would have to say my mom when I was
in middle school, it was so hard for me to
find clothes, so hard to find things that fit my body.
And she was so so so so keen on research, research, research, research,
and she didn't want me going to school looking like
less inferior than anyone else around me. So we did.
Like first I started wearing gap, like in middle school.
(04:58):
Gap they had a line for women, and I'm like,
is that the only place where I'm gonna be able
to shop? I'm in, I'm middle school. I wanted to
wear like the Claars and like the pink, and those
those brands didn't fit me. So I already knew that
I was like in a unique position. And we did
a lot of for it was the shoes for me,
Like first it was the shoes, and then it was
(05:20):
the jeans, and then it was the tops and the dresses.
So when you started balancing on different things, that just
wasn't fitting me. And I was trying to find my
style in middle school with my mom, and then like
high school, I was like, this is a problem. Like
high school of was like, okay, I'm six two. I'm
six two, six three. I was growing so fast and
(05:42):
I was six two by my freshman year of high school.
Imagine like six two and could not find anything that
fit me.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Geez, I mean, I am I have empathy, but at
five four, I actually cannot relate.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
I never hit a gross.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
That's okay, that's okay. Like for me, it was more
like I realized that if I'm having this problem, I'm
pretty sure a lot of other women are having this
problem too that they're just not speaking about. So I
was really I was honestly, really happy that I had
someone that was just like pouring so much into me.
(06:22):
And I realized that like a lot of people don't
have that, a lot of people don't have someone that's
gonna take them shopping, go after school shopping with them,
create a list of brands that fits you, that fits
your body type, that looks good on you. And I
was learning about proportions and colors that fit me because
I can't wear pink. I can't buy pink jeans. You know,
I'm six to two, So the jeans that I'm wearing
(06:42):
needs to fit me for the rest of the school.
You're not need to be able to wear them with
multiple different outfits. So I was building like capsules in
high school. And just like my whole high school experience
was so unique as well, because I was playing basketball.
I played three sports. I did track, I did volleyball,
I did basketball, and I had to change clothes after
(07:05):
every sing, Like it was just a lot Like I
had events I was going to, I had after school
programs I was going to. So I was really active
trying to find my style as well. And like I
credit a lot of that to my mom creating a
safe space for me and allowing me just to like
be as creative as possible. And I think that's what
started my whole thing of like athletes not being one dimensional,
(07:27):
you know well.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
And to tie into a little bit of your mom's style,
which has sort of infiltrated into the style that you've
started creating. You were born in London, raised in Phoenix,
and your mom is a very sort of high fashion
She was, I believe, helping you get ready for sort
of these big parties as kids and stuff like that. Right,
So where does the inspiration drawer Where did it draw
from your mom when she was starting to dress you
(07:50):
as a kid.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
With my mom watching her get ready for work, I
would wake up. She went to work around seven am,
so around six thirty six am she got are getting
ready and I would like sneak in her room and
I would just watch her and how she was the
outfits together, and it just fascinated me how she was
able to put so many different things together, and she
had like a capsule and a wardrobe, and she was
(08:13):
able to like put colors together, and she really layered
her clothes. And being in corporate you kind of have
to you have to be able to go within with
the blazer and then like have the button up or
the linen top, and then like you have to be
able to take that off because it gets hot in
the office. So, like, I was just learning how to
dress like that at a very young age, and I think,
(08:34):
like that's like probably my bread and butter is like
dressing super modern, just because like that's how she dressed
like and I really wanted to be like her. But
you can't do that in high school, like people are
staring at you, like why are you You're not You're
not going to the office, We're going to class. So
you know, I had my struggles and we pushed through that.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
And you said it started with the shoes, right, which
led you to sort of designing your own version of
a very popular shoe.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Tell me about.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
That, Yeah, Heale's that was my.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
I went.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
We went to London that year. My mom bought me
and my siblings. I have three siblings, and we all
me and my me and my older brother were the
same size. So that was that was already.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Says with a rolled I for those of you who podcast,
her eyes rolled back in her head.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
I think this might be problematic. So my brother wore
the same size from middle school. I was like, okay, Like, okay,
I guess we're going to be sharing shoes. He cut
that down, he was like, I'm not sharing shoes with you.
So we had our separate clauset, separate wardrobe. I would
sneak sometimes and get his stuff. But back to the healings.
(09:51):
I designed my healings because they didn't have a size eleven,
so you had a custom order a size twelve and
I really wanted a white pair. They did not have
my size, and so I had a design one for myself.
And that's kind of like I just thought that was normal. Again,
(10:12):
thinking that this is normal because I'm not really talking
to my friends about these challenges. I'm having my bunker.
I'm kind of just going with the flow with it.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
So what how did you design? Like? Did this heally
go from design to execution?
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Like?
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Were we wearing our own shoes that we designed and built.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
It took like four weeks. They kept coming back to me.
They were like, okay, like we don't have this color.
This says how it looks. I was making the prototypes,
I was I think like during that time converts and heelies,
you were able to design custom shoes, custom colors, but
off the shoes, so you were able to design the
color and they would add like an additional like ten
dollars per color. You would add per color. They would
(10:54):
add that. So I was like, I was trying to
get all light. But then I'm like, my am kid,
So I started adding like different colors and it came
up to like a crazy amount of My Mom's like, no,
you are not buying a pair of shoes for that
much money and you're only gonna wear them probably five times.
And then I realized, you know, when the heey comes,
(11:17):
the wheel is so big, and of course my heel
was massive. My heel was so huge, and I couldn't.
I could not, for the life of me, actually roll
in them, and ended up being an investment that was
just for design for the house.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
You're like, it's actually it's all going towards the future.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Mom, don't worry about it because this is my first
lesson in design and how we have to make sure
the prototypes match you know, what envisions in my head.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
That's incredible and I love that.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Your mom just embraced that side of you and was like, hey,
I get it. Like you're tall, you're six to two.
They don't make all these clothes, and so let's figure
out what you want and go out and build it right,
like to a certain extent.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Obviously in the budget exactly.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Like here's your parameters. Everyone needs to know P and L.
This is like early business as well as passion. But
then you go to college, you play at Berkeley, you
win Freshman of the Year, you get drafted in twenty nineteen,
you play for a myriad of teams including the Wings,
the Sparks, the Mercury, and Ka Originals is born out
of something that you've faced in the w when you realize, oh,
(12:33):
this problem was actually not just a high school problem,
this problem is continuing into my adult life. Yeah, tell
me about how KA Originals was born.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
With k Originals. It was it started off as like
a passion project, Like it was something like like we're
talking about this whole conversation just for myself, like I
wanted things that fit me, that I felt confident in
that I could wear to bens and I could wear
in the tunnel, that I could wear just like feeling comfortable,
(13:05):
like I felt like I was. I felt so foreign
in my clothes. And I would go shopping and I
would see like people models and five ten and I'm like, well,
I'm six four and I'm at that point. I'm in
my first year. I played in Turkey and imagine the
sizing being smaller in Europe, so nothing fit me. And
(13:26):
my first year, I didn't bring any clothes with me. Wow.
I didn't bring any like going out clothes or like
leisure clothes. I just brought my basketball sweats and my
shorts and my sports bras. And I was like, okay,
I'm here for work. And that was like the first
time and I was like okay, like I don't feel
like myself at all, Like I don't feel not that
(13:46):
I didn't feel feminine, I just didn't feel like I
was able to do things outside of working out because
I didn't have like clothes to go anywhere. And it
wasn't until like I was like, okay, let me start,
let me try shop so I would go shopping. I
would go in the stores. Nothing fit me. I was
like okay. I was like, okay, let me try different places.
(14:09):
And I realized that I'm going to have to learn
how to create pieces that fit well in my body
and make me feel confident. And I never and I
from that was the first lesson of going overseas, like
it's not just about playing basketball, Like I actually want
(14:29):
to do other things. And I learned that, like within
the first couple of weeks when I was out there.
People don't really tell you that you can actually have
a life when you play abroad. You don't have to
just like have this tunnel vision focus. You can actually
like build a lifestyle where it's not like the highs
and loads of bastball hitting you. You can maintain a
nice lifestyle by just like experiencing the culture. And that's
(14:52):
what I did. I ended up meeting some of my
best friends out there, sharing these different problems and creating
a collect that for myself, I was able to help
so many other people at the same time.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Yeah, you experienced a need and then said, wait a minute,
I actually have the skill set to solve this problem,
which sounds like such an if A plus B then C.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
But I think it's such a it's such a.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Statement to your mom and the way you were raised
and your own bravery and your own sort of courage
to say why not me? Like why am I going
to wait for someone else to solve this problem?
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Why don't I do it?
Speaker 4 (15:36):
And I think a lot of people were trying to
solve the problem. But my problem wasn't that the clothes
didn't fit my waist. It was that the clothes weren't
long enough. And I wanted ka originals to be like
to fill a gap. You know, like everyone can start.
You can you can start a collection, you can start
a clothing brand, but you can start anything, but like
(15:58):
what are you feeling? And for me, it's all about
like do I feel good wearing this?
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Like?
Speaker 4 (16:05):
Do I feel seen wearing this? Do I feel comfortable?
Do I feel confident? And that's literally what I wanted
to do, Like that's all I want when I wear
my clothes. I want to feel those three things like comfortable, confident,
and scene. And I think, like if you can do that,
and like if you can fill that gap in like
someone else's like life, like you're okay and.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Yeah, well, and it's so cool because I feel like,
you know, in my competitive life around a lot of gymnasts,
that wasn't a problem that our community was dealing with, right.
If anything, it was kind of the opposite. We were
these small, stocky athletic builds. And then but you in
the W You're looking around and you're going, wait a minute,
this isn't actually just a me problem. I'm looking at
(16:50):
my teammates, I'm looking at my peers, and I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Oh, we're all kind of struggling with this.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So how did it go from Hey, I'm going to
design some clothes for myself, I'm gonna wear them.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
I'm going to really feel.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
You know, comfortable, confident, and scene to saying, oh, wait
a minute, now we have we have players from around
the w wearing a KA originals fit in the tunnel.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
What was that growth journey about?
Speaker 4 (17:15):
It was so special, Like for me, like designing was
never about the clothing. It was about like the feeling
and like for people to feel like their needs are
being met, you know, and when the people were buying KA, like,
I ended up selling my first the first collection in
weeks if not months of me launching that line, and
(17:38):
I was able to do that with my teammates. They
really believed me. They poured so much into me. And
I remember being teammates with Kandice Parker, and I learned
a lot of basketball from her, but I learned a
lot about just her business mindset. And if I had
not been on that La Sparks team, I don't think
KA Originals would have existed. So my second collection was
(18:03):
Colors from Tennessee. But I don't think I ever told
her this, but I made two orange suits. One was very,
very fitted and then one had like this like element
of street wear in it. And it was like a
thank you to her, like thank you for allowing me
to be myself, because if I had not played in
LA that year, I would never have started K Originals
(18:25):
because I realized been in there like basketball, yes it's
a vehicle, but also it's a place for you to
find yourself, find your voice, find your passion and try
to do something better for other people.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
And that Candice Parker taught you that.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
So much like she gave me books, she gave me
so much confidence. Like at that point I wasn't playing much,
but for some reason I ended up getting really close
to her and her daughter and her family, and just
seeing everything that she's been able to do with her platform,
I wanted to do just a little bit of that,
you know, Like I wanted to do a little bit
(19:05):
of that, and in my own way, I wanted to
do something for people that again like they're they're not
represented in the market of fashion as much as like you,
Like you said, like a five seven to five to
ten woman, like that's what's considered tall. I'm six four.
My friends are like six five and six six. They're
coming to me for advice. And I had to learn
(19:27):
a lot about proportions during that time, a lot about styling.
So I had a designer mindset, and then that designer
mindset turned into a stylist mindset, and the stylist mindset
turned into consulting. So I've been able to balance in
different lanes of fashion but stay so rooted to like
what I'm doing because I've seen someone do that, like
(19:47):
I've seen Candice do that, like with her platform, be
the best basketball player she could possibly be, but also
be a mentor, also listen, also pour into others, And
that's what I wanted to do with my platform.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
I feel like, it's such a testament not just to
Candace and the legacy that she's building just by the
locker rooms that she's been a part of, but it's
also really that ability to embrace being a whole human being.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
You know.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
I think so often we sort of get put at like, oh, hey,
this is the one thing that I'm like really good at,
I'm really passionate about in this season. But if you
don't cultivate all these other things that keep your cup filled,
then this one thing that you're really passionate about, really
good at, and is serving as kind of the main
(20:34):
thing at the time, it's going to end up sucking
sort of the life out of you, right, And I
think we see that with burnout in corporate America.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
We see that with athletes who lose the love.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Of the game somewhere along the way, and instead it
sounds like Candace and now you And it's certainly something
that I feel like I'm still not very good at,
but I'm trying to embrace it more and more. Is
embrace every aspect of who you are. Don't have to
fit in a box. Just because you're an athlete. It
doesn't mean you can't also be a designer and a
(21:07):
consultant at the same exact time. And to quote Brenee Brown,
she always says, two things can be true at the
same time. And when you let that sink in, that's
when you start feeding into your purpose. That's when you
really start stepping into this is who I am. This
is not only what I'm providing for myself and my people,
but like Candice, this is.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Now how I'm inspiring then everyone around me.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
To be the best version, the wholest, the most whole
version of themselves.
Speaker 4 (21:36):
I really love that, and I love that you kind
of like tied that into like your personal story too,
and like being able to be like multi dimensional. And
I say that all the time because that's what it is.
But I also think that a lot of players are
prepped to be basketball players. A lot of athletes are
prepped to be athletes, but what after They're not prep
(21:56):
for the tools and the skill sets that they're going
to need to plan life that they can sustain after
playing the sport. And that's why I started doing this,
and I started taking this seriously and also too, like
when you're creative, people are like, oh, that could be
a distraction to your craft and it's like, but that
being creative is simultaneously helping me be a better athlete
(22:17):
because it's given me like that balance, and it's giving
me the courage to be better for myself, you know.
And I think like when you're in school, when you
go to like when I was at Berkeley, I saw
so many people being themselves unapologetically. They're like, I'm gonna
dye my hair pink and walk around and I'm still
(22:37):
going to be the smartest person in this room, and
you're not going to judge me because I'm going to
work ten times harder. And you really have to like
dig deep into yourself to finish what you start. And
so when I started KA Originals, people were like, is
that going to be a distraction, And oh, she's like
pouring so much into her into designing. And you know,
when I started K Creative Consulting, I took a step
(22:58):
away from the WNBA so I can like be an
expert at this. Like I wanted to become an expert
because like what I'm doing it's not like it's not
a hobby. It's not like a creative out Yes, it's
a creative outlet, but it's also a business. And I
wanted to respect my business by becoming an expert in
(23:18):
different categories to make it stronger. And I could not
have a learned that without playing in a WNBA, without
playing with good teammates, because the teammates it's what makes
that experience the best. Like, if you have great teammates,
people that love you and respect you, you're going to
go further than just being on a quote unquote good team.
(23:39):
And I think, like the work that I do, it's
not about me. I say it all the time, It's
not about me. It's literally about people. Like I've seen it.
I've seen people come to me and they're like, well,
I might not have the budget, and I'm like, okay,
Like I have a course for you, Like take this
course that might help you. You might not have the budget,
but education without a budget is sometimes what you need
(24:00):
to learn a lot because, like you said, like when
you're trying to really create an ecosystem that helps others,
it's gonna take a lot of work, a lot of knowledge,
a lot of expertise to make sure that it's built properly,
or you're gonna waste a lot of funding and a
(24:21):
lot of resources and a lot of time and not
get anywhere. So that was my whole thing.
Speaker 3 (24:27):
And it's such an important lesson and it's so beautiful
that it's a lesson that you're willing to share, right,
because I think so often there's this element of like
either maybe one of two things.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
One is like I did.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Something wrong and I don't want to admit it, or
I did something wrong, or like I had to do
this the hard way, and so you behind me also
have to do this the hard way, right, And I
think what you're talking about is completely rewriting.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
That narrative and saying, hey, mistakes are gonna happen. I'm
as shame of it. I learned from it, and here's
how you can avoid it.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Because my goal is not just to make Ka Originals
a billion dollar company. Yes that's great, like let's go out,
get the bag, get the money, but you can do
the same thing, and like, my success is not threatened
by you having to learn your own lessons as opposed
to repeating mine exactly.
Speaker 4 (25:23):
And like, because I wear so many hats, I sometimes
like it's a sass. I'm like, what's not the best purchase?
Like can you actually do you actually have to buy
that but also like I have to come from a
different point of view where it's like maybe like that's
how they're expressing their creativity. No, I don't want to
like diminish them, and I don't want them to feel
(25:44):
like I'm trying to erase that part of themselves. So
when I speak to my clients, it's so that's why
sometimes people call me a holistic stylist, like chrisy it's
too deep, okay, Like I'm like, I just really feel
like in so many different avenues, creatives and sports, like
they just don't trust themselves because that's how we're wired
(26:08):
in a sense of being over prepared. But when you're
being creative, you don't have to be over prepared. You
just have to trust your instinct and you just have
to build. Yeah, and every single day when you build,
you're going to get somewhere. So that's how I do
with styling. That's why I do it when I do
my consulting services. That's what I do with this course.
(26:29):
It's just building, step by step building, and then like
at the end you'll see the result. Maybe in the
middle you might want to stop, but if you keep
pushing through that fatigue and that discomfort of not feeling
your highest, the highest version of yourself, because when you're building,
you're not going to feel the highest. You're going to
feel so low sometimes and you're going to want to
(26:50):
quit because I wanted to quit. But in every single
service that I offer, I want people to come out better,
even if you don't work with me again, come out
better than how you came in working with me. And
that's all I want to offer with the services that
I provide and just being in the space because I
know a lot of people take, but I want to
give back, but also grow and build for myself.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Yeah, And it's such a again, two things can be true. Right,
you want to grow and build for yourself, and also
you want to help grow and build for your clients.
And I think you mentioned something about creatives and sports
and it's something that hits so home for me because
I feel like, even with the building of the powerful, right,
I saw a gap in the storytelling around female athletes,
(27:34):
particularly in some of these sports that don't catch that
spotlight all that often, which up until right and still
the WNBA is like grossly undervalued, but up until a
few years ago, it was even more egregiously undervalued.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
It was hard to.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
Watch games on TV your rookie year, it was hard
to find them. It was hard for people to you know,
like you have to. There was a very core group
of us diehard WNBA fans and now it's becoming way
more mainstream, which is fantastic. But my whole goal with
building the Powerful is how do we fill that gap
of storytelling right making sure that people get invested in
(28:10):
the human being underneath their favorite teams jersey, because that's
how they're going to follow the athlete to Turkey, to
Mexico to wherever they're playing overseas in the off season,
and then all of a sudden they come back. The
w is stronger because these fans have become so much
more invested in who the athlete is as a person
and not just did the Wings beat the fever or not?
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Right, Like that's such a surface story.
Speaker 4 (28:35):
Like you said, like brands in media need to start
investing investing in the athletes, not just as athletes and performers,
but in the full aspect, like the full being of
an athlete. And I think like when you start seeing
(28:56):
athletes as humans, as people, as people that are relatable,
story starts coming out, because if you're speaking to me
about X and O's, I probably wouldn't have popped on
this podcast. I'm like, but it's because it's a storytelling
And I really can appreciate when a story's being told
and you're coming from an authentic place, and I really
(29:18):
do appreciate, like I've met so many people in medium
PR that are coming from a good place and they're
authentic and they're really trying to pull more. And I
think that's why the WNBA is so special. But I
also think that when you're able to peel I mean
a little bit more and look deeper into the WNBA,
you're going to see a lot of talented women who
(29:39):
are so creative and so passionate and so proud of
what they do outside of just putting on the jersey.
Then you start getting even better stories.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
And you are the example of that, which is so incredible.
And I'm so glad that Candice Parker inspired you, that
your mom helped invest in you, and that you yourself.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Christine.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
We're brave enough to step into that purpose because we
are so much better for knowing who you are as
a person than just seeing you throughout a few years
in the WNBA.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
So I'm so grateful for all of the.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
Things that you have done to just embrace and showcase
being a whole human being because we are truthfully better
for it. And I hope that from listening to your story,
others are inspired to embrace every single aspect of who
they are.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
You do not have to be in a box. You
can be multi dimensional. You will make mistakes, but there
are people out there who are trying to make sure
you don't make the same ones they did, and that
is exactly what else can you ask.
Speaker 4 (30:40):
For, exactly, And thank you for inviting me on this
podcast again, Like, I'm just so appreciative of people that
are like digging deeper, going past the surface and trying
to get stories that are relatable because I think and
I know that, I know the fans appreciate it because
they want to follow athletes, and I work with so
(31:00):
many amazing athletes. I've worked with the amazing athletes that
are I have so much more. But they're never asked
the question, so they're not going to give you the
answer that you want.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Yeah, Well, I'm so excited to see what you do
next with KA Originals, what you do with your course
at Berkeley, how you continue to invest in the next
generation of WNBA human beings who happen to be great
at basketball but really good at other things too, And
just see where you go from here, because I know
that your journey is in the middle of it, and
we're so lucky to get a chance to glimpse this
(31:30):
and to learn from the hardships that you have shared
and the struggles that you faced, and also makes me
so much more invested in the successes that I have no.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Doubt are coming down the future.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Yeah, we're going to transition really quick because this is
the next segment of the podcast, and you want to
talk about somebody else who was brave and did something
that had not been done before but embracing their whole
selves the sports bra This is the segment called something
to sip On. So Something to sip On is where
you tell me your favorite cocktail or mocktail.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
I want to know.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
When you're in your creative zone or when you're just
off the cord after a practice, what do you sipping on?
Speaker 4 (32:06):
I honestly don't. I rarely drink alcohol, but if I'm
gonna sip on anything, it's gonna be red wine. I
love red wine, any type of wine. I'm I'm on
that healthy, healthy but fun type of vibe.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Yep, girl, I love the mocktails. These days, they are
coming up, mocktail.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
They're coming up with some really good ones that aren't
like super sweet, but have like a little bit of sparkle,
a little bit of something at the end of the
day that just makes you feel like, oh, this is
a treat.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
I did a day, well done, I get a treat, right.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
I do love them. I love a pineapple mocktail. I
do try to stay away from them sometimes because they
can get a little addicting. So you're like, that's not alcohol,
but it's sweet and it's good, and I try to
stay awake and try to plower my sugarcount. But I
do love a pineapple mocktail. And I do love a
red wine, A good red wine.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Perfect perfect. I love that.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
And then our next segment is called powered Up. So
this is where we talk about what keeps you powered
up for your sport or for your career. In this case,
I want to touch a little bit on what kept
you powered up when you were in the w and
then a little bit on what keeps you powered up
now as a creative, as an entrepreneur, as a business owner,
as all the things, Because my gosh, you have to
stay powered up somehow. So as a fashion designer, what
(33:23):
is the one thing you cannot live without?
Speaker 4 (33:25):
As a fashion designer, I have to be in nature.
I have to be like at a like weekly, if
not monthly. I try to go to a botanical garden
because that's what grounds me. I get a lot of
my inspiration, but by being out by a beach, botinical garden, flying,
I love. I love traveling just because I got to
see the layouts and I get to like just compare
(33:48):
different areas to each other. But that's my that's that's
my go to. I like, I need to touch some grass,
you know. I need to be outside and to be
in the sun something I am.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
I am a girl who has a little bit of
mermaid in her so I I know a lot of it.
Speaker 3 (34:03):
Yeah. I need to be in water at some point
or another to get refueled. What is the one thing
that we need to know about the intersection of fashion
and the WNBA right now?
Speaker 4 (34:15):
The intersection of fashion WNBA, I do think we need
to be looking deeply at the WNBA Tunnel page. I
love that they post consistently. I love Melissa. She's the
owner of the page, and she really does do a
good job by storytelling on that page. And you can
see your favorite WNBA players, what they wear, the brands
(34:38):
they wear, and everything in between. If you go over
there and look at her account is grown tremendously and
she just keeps a current.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
So yeah, and if y'all don't think that people's outfits
tell a story, you have not, you're wrong, Like, yeah,
there's no I have no I have nothing to say
other than it's inaccurate. So learn the story behind the
fit because oftentimes you'll learn something, well, you'll learn something
about the person that you're excited to watch walk through
the tunnel. And then the last question for powered up
(35:08):
is what is the one piece of advice you would
tell that girl who worked so hard to design her
own set of Healey's what's the one piece of advice
you would give her?
Speaker 4 (35:19):
Honestly, I would just tell her to keep going, like
it's okay to be early to the table. You know,
a lot of people aren't going to understand you. A
lot of people might think you're weird or you're just
like you're just everything might be in your head. But
keep going, keep proving people wrong, keep proving people right,
and stay close to the ones that are pouring into you.
(35:42):
That's my advice I would give her, and I still
give her.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
I'm still doing that every single day.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
That's that's the the on the mirror when I'm getting ready.
All right, Christine, this has been the powerful podcast. I
want to know what does powerful mean to you?
Speaker 2 (35:57):
Powerful?
Speaker 4 (35:58):
Is this collaborating community. I love. I love a good community.
That's what makes me feel powerful when I know that
I have my community behind me and rooting for me,
supporting me and giving me that extra inch to get
to where I need to be because I can't I can.
I could never do this alone. I without my community,
I would be nothing. And being able to grow with
(36:21):
them and being able to watch for them to watch
me grow and has been just amazing.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
Well.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Thank you so much for being part of our powerful community.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
It means the world to me and I'm so grateful
that you took the time to do this podcast, share
your story, and I cannot wait to see the next capsule,
the next fit, the next place.
Speaker 4 (36:39):
Thank you so much. I love this.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Yeah, thank you everybody for watching the Power for listening
to the Powerful podcast.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
We'll see y'all next week.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
This is a reminder to check us out every Tuesday
everywhere you get your podcasts. And if you really enjoy
this and don't want to miss an episode, be sure
to hit that subscribe it
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