Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanna and Grace Park.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We’re two sisters from Los Angeles. We started Instagramming and blogging about fitness two 1/2 years ago. We would always take the same group fitness class and “fight” over who would post the photo first on their Instagram. We decided to start a joint fitness Instagram to talk about our fitness journies. Our approach to fitness is that it doesn’t have to be serious. We believe fitness can be fun and that life is all about balance, hence our name – Exercise with Extra Fries. Over the years, it’s evolved into more than just our workouts. We’ve recently started talking more about our relationship with each other and what it’s like to work with your sister.
Has it been a smooth road?
No.
Coming from a traditional Korean family where we’re expected to pursue careers in medicine and law, we had trouble explaining to our family what our job entails. Our parents just saw us taking photos and constantly being on our phones. But over the past 2 1/2 years, after a lot of communication, they have a better understanding of what we do and support us.
To the young women just starting their journey, be authentic. People can tell when you’re not being yourself, and it shows in the work you produce. We’ve tried out “trendy” things that are not in line with our brand and it didn’t work. It wasn’t enjoyable creating the content, and people didn’t respond well to it.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Exercise with Extra Fries story. Tell us more about it.
We’re known for our fun, light-hearted approach to fitness. We’re not fitness professionals or athletes, we’re the regular people that enjoy working out and creating a healthier lifestyle. We try to showcase different aspects of our lives from fitness to socializing with friends. We partner with brands that have similar messaging as us and products we support.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
Apps:
– Asana – Organizing our day-to-day tasks, deadlines, and shoot schedule.
– UNUM – Laying out our content calendar. We love this app because it’s viewable on multiple devices and high-quality images can be downloaded.
Podcasts:
– The Skinny Confidential
– The Influential Podcast by Julie Solomon
Contact Info:
- Website: www.exercisewithextrafries.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: exercisewithextrafries
- Facebook: exercisewithextrafries
- Twitter: exercisefries
Image Credit:
Paris – @paris_okphoto (Olga and Kirill), Beach – @karliecolleenphotography (Karlie Colleen)
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
