NEAR EARTH — One of the Vasha trademarks is - you’ve been everywhere. You’ve been around when the original urban run crews formed, you ran races everywhere and have been active behind the scenes on more things people know. Please give us a bit of a highlight reel of your journey.

Vasha — My life is too whole to make the story bite-sized.

Therefore, I like to introduce myself and my purpose by starting with my name. Naivasha is the name given to me by my father after serving in the Peace Corps in Kenya. The name means "rough water," or a body of water large enough to heave action. It is one of the few freshwater lakes in East Africa where land, sea, and sky species live harmoniously. My sisters adorn more common names, but mine carries a weight and purpose that has always steered my vessel. I've had numerous jobs merely for the art of learning skills, but my sole purpose has been in alignment with my name. I am actively resourceful, refreshing, and a reservoir where many find peace. A fresh body of water—thunder in the desert.

In my lifetime, I have been a pageant kid, make-up artist, club promoter, thespian, display designer, music video director, wellness magazine creator, holistic nutritionist, ultra-marathoner, corporate media creative director, agency owner, event producer, and farmer. Instead of waiting my turn to play a part on TV, I learned how to turn my life into a sitcom. Each day is a new lesson, and I do my damnedest to document every piece to tell the story of an alternative journey.

NE — You’re living on an island now, you’re having a very active lifestyle and now you’re farming too. Whenever I speak with you it feels like I'm talking to a modern version of one of the great Greek philosophers. Aristotle emphasized the unity of the mind and body. He argued that physical health and mental well-being were interconnected, and a harmonious life involved the balanced development of both.

Vasha — Curiosity is a major driving force in my life. I've never received the truth as a final act- I've always rushed the stage to look behind the curtain. On the concept of working, I was never able to comprehend why so many adults were unhealthy due to their careers. The math of that equation didn't add up. The same outlook that prevented me from procuring student loans is the same force that refused to let me work myself to death. If my everyday job is a passion, why would I sacrifice my health to have it? If I'm to work in this body forever, why would I compromise peak performance for a deadline? The mentality around this became a simple response to anyone insistent on getting me to work overtime, "I can't work if I don't work." This concept holds strong in all areas of life. If life is a battlefield, defeat is inevitable if unequipped. If each day is a chance to chase my dreams, I must show up ready to run. If the foundation is not staunch, the building will fall. Form is more important than strength. I've always looked at the scale of my why and use that to keep balance. It's greater than mental and physical endurance- emotions and spirituality equally fill spokes in my wheel of progression.