Rising Stars: Meet Kaile Teramoto

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaile Teramoto.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The importance of composting was instilled in me at a very young age through the teachings of my father who worked in agriculture and spent most of his free time in our family garden.

Growing up in Northern CA allowed me to experience a childhood filled with exploration through nature and living with earth’s elements. For this I am grateful and my journey, still unfolding, will forever be a full circle moment.

As I moved from Northern CA to San Francisco and then on to Los Angeles, I gravitated more towards my sustainability ideals and caring for what the earth provides when I noticed a disconnect from these actions around me.

In 2020, the pandemic hit and hit hard. The dim light it brought upon us all, in each community, that feeling, became the catalyst for my business partner, Stacy Huynh, and me to bring Westside Compost to life.

Westside Compost is an environmental initiative that promotes the value of composting and re-soiling to help close the food waste cycle and to inspire others to add nutritional value back into their lives.

Westside Compost has been recognized by Adidas, Office Magazine, Hypebae, Girlfriend Collective, Vanity Teen, Serving the People, Revolve, Community, and ShoutoutLA. The success of the initiative lives on and will continue to be used as a platform to help promote community-driven values and inspire the youth.

My own personal brand has blossomed through this and I recently created a beginner’s digital guide to vermicomposting.

As I lead a versatile life, my passion remains in conveying a deep message of my love for Mother Earth through visuals.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth? Not at all, I don’t think life in general is perfectly linear and smooth. Life is anything but that. It’s filled with emotion, twists, turns, failure, and imperfections. This is what interconnects us as humans and how we can relate to nature.

KI used to experience immense anxiety and panic attacks back in 2014. That gruesome time in my life took years to overcome and made me stronger than I ever thought possible. I chose myself, I accepted myself, and what came out of that time was immense growth and gratitude for everything, not just pertaining to my career. It is my driving force for everything I do. Normalizing failure, struggles, and sitting with the messiness of life is what I learned and hope to pass on to others who are dealing with similar emotional traumas. The feelings don’t last forever, with time all will heal.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a versatile woman, haha. If I had to put it into words, I would say I am a co-founder, sustainable advocate, entrepreneur, and content creator through many visual mediums. I love learning new things, concepts, and ideals. I am a very curious person, which has led and continues to lead, me to various business ventures. My strengths are in research and development, creative direction, post-production, and brand partnerships.

I am proud of my intuition, the innate feeling one has that even when the world or those surrounding you don’t seem to see or get it, you still do and know it will all work out in divine timing.

I think each and every one of us has unique qualities. Those that know this truth can then allow others to see their light.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Small positive, habitual patterns help you achieve goals and create discipline. Setting boundaries within your workspace and personal life are what keeps you grounded. Without failure, you don’t know the feeling of success.

Pricing:

• $10 Vermicompost Guide Book

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kailemoto.com and www.westsidecompost.com
• Instagram: @kailemoto @westsidecompost
• Other: kailemoto.etsy.com

Image Credits
Christopher Cloud Keith Oshiro Michael Donovan Kaile Teramoto