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Laycilates utilizes her comprehensive knowledge of classical Pilates when curating each clients’ private studio session. At its core, the Laycilates method promotes muscular endurance, balance, flexibility & mobility. By incorporating small controlled but impactful movements, her unique modern method is proven to tone, lengthen & strengthen.
LACY LOONEY
Pilates Instructor, private personal trainer, and founder of Laycilates.
Tell me about how you both embarked on your wellness journeys, and how Courageous Wellness Collective came to be.
Aly:
Erica and I originally met through our Buddhist practice. We were social friends in that community. It wasn’t until years later that we realized we’d both gone through major health journeys in our 20s. I had a cancer journey and recovery, and Erica went through a self-love journey, which included struggles like body dysmorphia.
When we started sharing our stories, we realized so many people go through health challenges but often don't feel comfortable talking about them. There’s a lot of stigma. We thought if we felt empowered by sharing, maybe others would too. So we created a platform where people could tell their health stories and feel a little less alone, no matter where they were in their journey.
We launched our podcast six years ago as a passion project, and it’s grown from there. We’ve published over 370 episodes, we’re part of the Cloud10 Podcast Network, and we’ve interviewed all kinds of experts across the wellness space.
Beyond the podcast, Erica and I both went back to school and became Integrative Nutrition Health Coaches. I pursued advanced coursework in women’s hormone health, and Erica specialized in gut health, both areas that are deeply connected. We now have a private client practice, host events, and work to make wellness more accessible and community-focused. Courageous Wellness is really about giving people the tools to advocate for their own health because everyone’s needs are different, and wellness shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all.
Erica:
Yeah, Aly really covered it. I’ll just add that over the six years, we’ve evolved a lot. For example, Aly’s pregnant now, about to become a mom, and naturally the show has started leaning more into topics like hormone health, cycle syncing, fertility, and perimenopause as our audience has grown and changed too.
Personally, I’ve incorporated astrology into my coaching practice. It’s been really cool to watch how the show and our work continue to evolve along with us.
What areas of wellness are you most passionate about?
Aly:
I get really excited about accessible nutrition education. Often wellness gets repackaged as diet culture, and that’s not what we’re about. We want people to understand how to feel their best with a food-positive lens without falling into rigid trends. When people feel good, they move through the world differently, and that has a ripple effect. Especially for people with female biology, but really for everyone. Food can be a huge support tool and education around that should be accessible, not elitist.
Erica:
I totally agree. There’s a lot of overlap between our passions. I love the wellness space, like, I’ll happily drink an overpriced smoothie and take a boutique workout class, but it’s important to recognize that that isn't true wellness.
Community wellness is something I'm really passionate about. You can’t be truly well if your community is suffering. For instance, in West Los Angeles, one of the wealthiest areas, about 10% of people are food insecure. That’s wild. I want to bring wellness into the community: events, accessible education, opportunities for connection. True wellness isn't just about the individual, it's collective.
How do you hope your audience feels after listening to an episode, whether it’s about hormone health, gut health, or anything else?
Erica:
Empowered. We intentionally bring on a diverse range of guests, and we don’t necessarily agree with everyone. But we want to give listeners a broad range of perspectives so they can make decisions that are right for them. Whether it’s the pros and cons of birth control, veganism, carnivore diets, we present information, and they get to choose. Ultimately, it’s about empowerment through education and diversity of thought. Hopefully people feel uplifted too. Wellness should be fun, it’s not brain surgery. It's about living your best life.
Aly:
Exactly, we want people to feel confident in advocating for themselves. There’s so much noise and misinformation out there, and we hope to equip people with tools to navigate it — so they can trust themselves to know what’s best for them.
Have there been obstacles you’ve faced since starting the collective or podcast? How did you overcome them?
Erica:
Always. Honestly, having a partner makes a big difference. For example, Aly is going on maternity leave soon, and I’ll steer the ship while she’s out. Last year, when my mom passed away, Aly ran everything while I took time off. It really is like a marriage. She’s my work wife.
As for growth challenges: in wellness, being super dogmatic often gets the most attention, like "I’m 100% plant-based" or "carnivore all the way," but Aly and I live in the middle ground. We believe in bio-individuality. We can't tell people exactly how to live because there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. We’re not selling a rigid ideology, and our growth has been slower and steadier than if we had taken a more extreme stance, but I’m proud of that. We're authentic.
Aly:
After being in the space for a while, we’ve realized a lot of the big voices who seem so rigid online are much more balanced in real life. It's all branding and marketing, so we try to stay really grounded in reality and not get caught up in the hype.
What does wellness personally mean to each of you?
Aly:
Wellness for me is about feeling my best in any season of life so I can show up fully, for myself, my family, my community, my work.
Erica:
The first word that comes to mind for me now is courage. I think living a well life takes courage, to love yourself at every stage, to advocate for yourself, to evolve. Wellness doesn’t look the same in every season, and that’s okay.
How did you come up with the name Courageous Wellness?
Erica:
I don't think we've ever really told this story! We were brainstorming words and ideas that matched our mission and "courageous wellness" just clicked. As Aly mentioned, we met through our Buddhist practice. She’s been practicing for about 10 years, and I grew up in a Buddhist household. In Buddhism, courage is a huge pillar, so the name is kind of a nod to that foundation too.
What’s your overall mission with Courageous Wellness?
Aly:
At the core, we want to help people feel empowered to be their own health advocates, wherever they are on their journey. Whether someone’s managing PCOS, recovering from surgery, going through cancer treatment, or just wants more energy to get through the day, we want to give them tools to feel their best and trust themselves in the process.
Erica:
Starting the podcast in our late 20s, and now being in our mid-to-late 30s, I’ve learned that wellness isn’t linear. What worked for me at 29 doesn’t necessarily work for me now at 36. Wellness evolves as we evolve, mentally, emotionally, biologically. Different seasons of life have different needs, and that’s something I’m really passionate about sharing with our community.
Aly:
Exactly. Wellness shifts with life, and that’s a beautiful thing.
Meet Jennie
Hospitality Branding Expert
Regional Brand Manager, The LINE Hotel
So what does your career as a brand manager entail?
I oversee all the brand and creative for these properties: our brand partnerships, brand events, the overall aesthetic, the smell, just the overall experience when you walk into the space and how that feels. That includes activations focused mostly on community and building community, providing third spaces. We're lifestyle-focused, so a lot of our programming is built around four pillars: health and wellness, food and beverage, music and entertainment, and arts and culture.
How did you first get involved in the hospitality industry?
It’s funny. I grew up in a home that was an open door for the community. We always hosted events, whether it was a holiday, a barbecue, or any kind of celebration. My mom welcomed people from all walks of life. I didn’t realize it was preparing me for what I do now until I started this work. I began in hospitality at the Ace Hotel in New York. I'm originally from New York, and everything just started to fall into place—my passion for creativity, community, food, sustainability—all of that led me to where I am today.
And how did you come to focus on the branding aspect?
I went to school for marketing. While working at Ace, I was on the front office/operations side, but it was a lifestyle space. We had parties in the lobby, art exhibits in the gallery, a strong food and beverage program. We partnered with different chefs and hosted special dinners. I fell in love.
Then I became interested in all our brand touchpoints: marketing assets, fonts we used, the stories behind partnerships. Sitting in the lobby, I learned that people are deeply passionate about connection and third spaces. That drew me into brand and creative work, realizing you could reimagine what a hotel looks like.
In cities, hotels can feel like resorts, full of programming and activations, but they're also spaces for people to rest. The lobbies are like living rooms of the neighborhood. I’ve seen strangers connect, form friendships, start businesses, even romantic relationships. Two people met at one of our events and recently got married.
Also, at Ace, we partnered with Le Labo. We had key cards and business cards sprayed with Santal 33. That scent became a part of the memory of the place. That made me think of Abercrombie & Fitch. You could smell it before you even walked in. So, those experiential elements—smell, look, feel, story, art on the walls—they all matter.
What is your signature style and voice when it comes to branding?
It’s really about turning spaces into stories, crafting experiences that connect people, celebrate culture, and feel deeply intentional. I thrive at the intersection of creativity and community.
I bring together artists, chefs, brands, and experiences to create moments people talk about the next day and the next. I want guests to leave with that nostalgic, unforgettable feeling.
Recently, I saw a post on Instagram where someone wrote, “Who knew I'd be in town and my favorite photographer was doing a talk at The LINE?” That person had an amazing stay and also got to attend an inspiring community event. That’s what it’s all about: people feeling seen, creativity meeting community, and building something through hospitality.
Can you talk about a big challenge you’ve faced recently and how you overcame it?
One major challenge—especially working in corporate—has been proving the value of branding work when it doesn’t have a direct or easily measurable revenue impact. My work focuses on community activations and long-term brand affinity, which aren’t always trackable through traditional metrics.
For example, we might spend $5,000 on an event, draw 1,000 people, but only make $4,000 in food and beverage sales. Some might question if that’s a success, but it absolutely is. You're building new loyalty, new customer bases, long-term impact.
I’ve had to build systems to track that, like following up to see if guests who came to the event also booked rooms, or returned later.
Another challenge is operational support. We wear a lot of hats. I source partners, do pre-production, help with execution. Having more support would make a big difference.
Switching gears a bit—you have a personal brand outside of The LINE. Can you talk about that?
Yeah! I have a brand called Co-Host. It's about reimagining hospitality as a form of storytelling through curated experiences, design, and cultural and local connections. I collaborate with brands, creatives, and communities to create gatherings that celebrate diversity and elevate underrepresented voices. I’m also a chef. Food is a love language and a universal language—we all eat. I cook most of the food for Co-Host events. It’s rooted in my Caribbean heritage and serves as a way to build my personal brand and merge my culinary journey with hospitality. I also partner with other hotels to bring these experiences to their spaces.
Of all the things you’ve shared, which passion came first?
I think they came together. My passion for food and community was rooted in how I grew up. My family is full of creatives—from quilters to graphic designers—and we’d gather around food and conversation. Branding came later when I studied marketing in college.
Can you describe a distinct childhood memory where you realized you were a community builder?
I was living in Brooklyn, and I started hosting events at my home. I wasn’t cooking much yet, but I’d invite my chef friends to prepare meals. I'd create little prompt cards with a couple of discussion questions. We’d talk while the food was being made. That’s when I realized I loved bringing together people from different walks of life to have meaningful conversations.
Also, I went to camp a lot and had friends from everywhere. I naturally enjoyed connecting people. My friends still say I’m the connector. I’ll say, “You have to meet this person,” and now those people are friends. That’s how my community has grown.
Where’s your family from in the Caribbean?
My mom’s family is from Barbados, and my dad is from Costa Rica.
And you grew up in New York?
Yeah, in Westchester.
What brought you to LA?
The pandemic. I just needed a change. I call it the “Great Migration.” A lot of us from the East Coast came to LA. I didn’t have a plan. I picked a date and moved. And I’m so glad I did. LA gave me space to grow and to really listen to myself and discover my purpose.
How do you hope to empower others through your work?
I want to show people, especially people of color, that creativity has no single path. You deserve to be in spaces where you may not have seen yourself before, whether that’s leadership, luxury hospitality, or lifestyle branding.
We define culture. We define hospitality. We belong at every table. I dream of owning a ski chalet. I love snowboarding and want a space in Aspen that reflects our culture. I want you to walk in and feel the presence of the African diaspora. I also want to build a hospitality group that centers community and culture. I want people to dream big, take up space, and keep pushing.
I want you to make that ski chalet happen! We need some flavor!
Yes! I’ve gone to Black ski group events. They’re beautiful. But I want to own the space. I want our culture infused into it.