Meet Kira Cahill and Olivia Dahan of Bold Box in West Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kira Cahill and Olivia Dahan.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Bold Box was founded after a “lightbulb” moment where we realized our friends, families, and community were seeking us out for advice on starting an eco-friendly lifestyle. We have both worked with Oceana, the world’s largest ocean conservation organization, since 2006. With this conservation work came a wealth of knowledge. We were learning how our planet is suffering at the hands of humans and desperately wanted to do something to help make a change. So really, for us, Bold Box was a necessity. We realized that we had an obligation to do our best to try and make being eco-friendly appealing to the masses—to make it fun, affordable, and chic.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No! There is no yellow brick road to living an eco-friendly lifestyle! Yes, we all know the basics, but it’s the process of maintaining those basics that can be difficult. We were purchasing products from a multitude of websites, were spending too much money, and were frustrated with the mislabeling and “greenwashing” that is occurring. We have learned that being prepared and planning ahead are key in maintaining an environmentally friendly life. For us, we were constantly frustrated if we forgot to bring our reusable items with us, or simply had to go with the flow of life’s demands that day. Accepting and relaxing into the idea that no one is perfect, and that mistakes happen, makes the whole journey that much easier. It’s ok to “mess up,” and our philosophy on life is to try and be better day by day. The entire process of living an eco-friendly lifestyle can be daunting and overwhelming, so we have learned (and advise) to take time and go in baby steps.

We also learned the power of the word “no.” It’s ok to say “no” to a straw or being the only one of your friends who brings his/her own bag to the grocery store. Just because you’re using the word “no” and refusing to use certain products etc., doesn’t mean that you’re judging, it just means that you’re restructuring your life to look a different way. That was a big realization for us and for our friends.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are an eco-lifestyle subscription box company and online store! We give our customers the tools to kickstart, maintain, and build an eco-friendly life. What does that mean? It means each box contains items from the following categories: personal care, home, wellness, and on-the-go. When starting Bold Box, we wanted to re-brand what it looks like to be environmentally friendly. We wanted our boxes and products to be full of color, fun, and mostly, affordable. There’s this stereotype that if something is good for the environment, it has to have a burlap vibe and cost a ton of money. Life should be lived colorfully.

At Bold Box, we believe that being environmentally friendly is easier (and more fun) with a community, which means our customers have a large data-base of like-minded individuals to lean on. For us, having each other made making better decisions easier. Our community is FUN.

We are beyond proud of our incredible customers and how they are each building an eco-friendly life that’s unique to their lifestyles and schedules. It’s so exciting to watch as people begin to use, and love, the products. Secondly, something we pride ourselves on, is being completely honest, all the time. We are honest about how we mess up, constantly fail at recipes, and are on our own environmentally-friendly journeys. We are always positive, but don’t sugar-coat things. A lot of people in the environmental community live up to these very high standards that feel unattainable, and take massive amounts of time and effort to maintain—we are humans, who are simply doing our best, and are fully open about that.

What were you like growing up?
Olivia: Growing up in southern California, I felt a huge connection to the ocean and was a complete water baby. I did rowing, sailing, swimming, junior lifeguards, am PADI scuba certified, and dabbled in surfing (but quickly learned I was terrible). Even though I was a very introverted child, I always found (still finding) myself in leadership roles. I’ve realized I’ve always been a go-getter, even when it is completely out of my comfort zone. I was introduced to Oceana in 2007 when I was in high school and then started the first collegiate branch of the organization at Connecticut College. Kira and I met through Oceana and founded the Oceana Young Leaders Council in 2016 and now, BOLD BOX! I’m also a film producer and have been working in the business for over ten years. I love developing project ideas and seeing the stories come to life. Film production and environmental conservation have always been my main two interests and I am so lucky to live in LA where I have the opportunity to focus on both of my passions.

Kira: Oh, GEEZE. I was the little girl wearing a tutu while hanging with the boys. I grew up as the kid with a hundred extracurricular activities, so the fact that I’m still running around like a chicken with my head cut off and a hundred ideas makes total sense to me. Like Olivia, I grew up by the ocean, and it’s always been a place of solace for me. The ocean is where I’ve gone to laugh, to cry, to love, and to be alone–it’s my happy place. I’ve always been an introverted extrovert, and have always felt like a bit of a contrasting being–growing up I didn’t know where I fit in…I was the loud theater kid who also loved sports, but was fiercely competitive and friends with the “quiet nerds.” All of these contradictions kept me growing up interesting (my parents will probably give a tired laugh when reading this because I’m sure I was exhausting). I have been involved with Oceana since I was 16 and am an advanced Scuba Diver, was a professional dancer before the age of 18 and tried to join a football team (I didn’t make the cut, don’t worry). My parents raised me with a deep love of philanthropy work. How does anyone properly sum up growing up? It’s weird, I was a nerd who still got invited to parties, I ate a lot of spaghetti, wore my hair in a bun almost every day, loved Lizzie McGuire and Cheers, and volunteered.

Pricing:

• $45 for the “Bold” Box quarterly
• $75 for the “Best” Box quarterly

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beboldbox.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instgram.com/beboldbox
• Facebook: facebook.com/thebeboldbox
• Twitter: twitter.com/BeBoxBold

Image Credit:
Photography credits: Gabriel Sousa

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