Living THEIA Balancing Ambition Creativity and Sanity

Launching a fashion brand is never easy but doing it while holding down a full time job is a feat that demands extraordinary focus and resilience. Kayla, the founder of THEIA, navigates this balancing act with brutal honesty and an unflinching commitment to her vision. Her weeks are unpredictable, guided less by schedules and more by instinct and bursts of inspiration. Discipline is hard motivation is fleeting and yet she finds ways to carve out moments for creativity whether it’s during lunch breaks, commutes, or late into the evening. For Kayla, every action is driven by passion and a desire to stay true to herself while building something that matters.

You have launched THEIA while holding down a full time job. Can you walk us through what your weeks look like, how you carve out time, what sacrifices you make, and how you balance the demands of both worlds?

Honestly, no week is the same. I’ve learned really quickly that motivation is not a reliable source and discipline is hard AF. As someone who is both diagnosed and struggles very badly with OCD, it’s not always a party. Trying to tie in both who I am now and who I want to be can be really difficult. Presently, I try to live in inspiration. I’m inspired by everything and I find that gives me the best push to get shit done. I don’t time block due to the fear of letting myself down but I do allow myself to create as soon as I get the ‘feeling’ to do so which sometimes looks like working on THEIA during my lunch breaks, before work, after work. Even listening to relevant podcasts on my commute home. Whatever can keep my business stamina up. 

At what point did you realise that the energy required for THEIA might outstrip what you thought possible? Have there been moments of burnout, and if so, how did you recognise them and pull back?

There has been tons of burnout which majorly comes from my full time job. Working in a Mega Flagship fashion store in the second biggest city in the UK comes with both expected and unexpected pressure. Luckily, I find that I’m a very self aware person and I can always recognise when something isn’t feeling right. Trying to keep myself grounded and is the best receipt for someone like me. Although it isn’t always possible to pull it back as fast as I want to, I try to stay optimistic and remind myself that if THEIA wasn’t in my future, I wouldn’t have created it in the first place. 

Mental health is having a moment in public discourse, but the pressure of being a young business owner can still feel isolating. Have you had to adjust your mindset or adopt routines to protect your mental wellbeing?

100%. Hustle culture is ruthless. This whole no sleep, no time to eat, eyes falling out of your head vibe is really not for me. Adapting my non negotiable needs to what I feel like is achievable for me has been really important. 

How do you manage the emotional highs and lows, when a drop sells out or someone praises your work, but then there is criticism or a slow period? What keeps you centred?

This is still something I’m learning to deal with. The slow periods are real and are visibly connected to effort or lack of effort but even during slow periods, I still get wonderful messages or story tags from people who love the brand even when it’s not my favourite thing at that moment and that keeps me going. It reminds me that I have a real good thing here and other people believe it too. 

Are there things you wish you had known before starting THEIA, about the logistics, costs, team, or branding, that might have eased the early grind?

Speaking on hustle culture again, I wish social media showed the REAL culture of business. As I said, hustle culture isn’t for me but I do think that it’s a huge part of business and has a level of being relatively important. It just needs to be done right with wellness being no1 in order to get through it. 

When work, both your job and the business, bleeds into your personal life during weekends and evenings, how do you draw boundaries? Or do you?

I struggle with boundaries a little more than I like to admit. Presently, I just work when I want to work. If that means working on my brand straight after the 11-hour work day (2 hours commuting included), that’s what I’ll do. I rely heavily on feeling and obsession and that’s what keeps me going. 

Financial pressure is often the unseen weight for creatives launching a fashion line. How have you navigated funding, pricing, and reinvestment for THEIA without compromising your vision or your sanity?

It’s really difficult. THEIA is still self funded through my full time job without external investments. Obviously this means that things are a lot slower than I’d like but it’s really important to me that THEIA stays 100% mine for as long as possible. Sure, there may come a day where external investments are the only option to continue to level up but until that happens, I’m happy to keep going how I am. Less pressure and I don’t owe some big rich people money. 

What does success look like for you personally compared with success for THEIA as a brand? And has that definition changed since you began?

The definition hasn’t changed. For me, success is being able to create whatever I want, whenever I want and live seamlessly doing that. I know that when that happens, I’ve made it. It’s something that I use as an anchor to keep going. I believe that THEIA is the surfboard and I’m riding the waves. 

Who are your support systems, such as mentors, friends, family or collaborators, and how have they helped anchor you through the most stressful phases?

My mom, who was on the first THEIA x Hinton collab cover, and my boyfriend are my absolute rock. They both believe in me, more than I believe in myself sometimes. They remind me all the time who I am, what I stand for and why I created THEIA. They look after me when the pressure of balancing everything means I struggle to look after myself, they push me when I’m playing small, they remind me to touch grass. I couldn’t ask for better people in my life to be on this journey with. 

Looking ahead, do you envisage slowing down in order to scale sustainably, or do you feel pressure, internal or external, to grow as fast as possible and at what cost?

I definitely feel the pressure both internally and externally to grow as fast as possible. With the potential of virality, the expectations to vomit content and be present ‘25/8’ is insane but I try to not to let it phase me that much. Scaling sustainably has meant that my customer loyalty and retention is a lot better because my customers genuinely love the product. Not just because it’s the ‘next big thing’ but because of the story, the quality and who I am. I’m not someone that’s chronically online, and I don’t want to be. I’d rather post with purpose rather than because I’m trying to get X amount of views in X amount of time. I like to be in the shadows, to hide and trying to be an online business owner whilst doing that is super hard but I’m not willing to compromise on who I am for the sake of anything. If it’s meant to be, it will be. Regardless. 

The journey has come with its fair share of obstacles. Burnout from her full time role and the pressures of running a growing brand have tested her limits, but self-awareness and a strong support system keep her grounded. THEIA remains self-funded, a deliberate choice to preserve independence, and she is unapologetic about resisting the constant demands of digital virality. Success, for Kayla, is the freedom to create without compromise. Through the highs of sold-out drops and the lows of slow periods she continues to prioritise wellness, authenticity, and sustainable growth. THEIA is more than a brand; it is an extension of her identity, a reflection of her discipline, obsession, and unwavering vision.