Pursuit of Wellness - The Woman Behind Aviator Nation: High Performance, Wellness, and Taking Risks w/ Paige Mycoskie

Episode Date: January 2, 2025

Ep. # 162 In this episode, I sit down with Paige Mycoskie, the visionary founder of Aviator Nation, a brand known for its iconic 70’s-inspired, Made in America fashion. Paige takes us through her journey, from her childhood and early creative sparks to taking the leap and launching Aviator Nation in 2006. She shares insights into building a lifestyle brand, staying true to her vision, and managing the growth of a company with 20 locations across the U.S. We also discuss her personal wellness routine and the importance of nurturing relationships. Leave Me a Message - click here! For Mari’s Instagram click here! For Pursuit of Wellness Podcast’s Instagram click here! For Mari’s Newsletter click here! For Paige’s Instagram click here!  Aviator Nation Instagram click here! For the Aviator Nation Website click here! Sponsors:  Visit clearstemskincare.com and use code POW at checkout for 20% off your first purchase. Again, that’s code POW for 20% off your first purchase on clearstemskincare.com. It's time you own your health. To join Function Health, go to functionhealth.com/pow and use code POW100 to skip the waitlist. Available up to 1,000 listeners. Get cozy in Quince's high-quality wardrobe essentials. Go to Quince.com/pow for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. That’s Quince.com/pow to get free shipping and 365-day returns.  Topics Discussed 00:00:00 - Introduction  00:02:56 - Paige’s childhood and backstory  00:06:55 - Discovering her creativity  00:12:59 - Quitting your job and taking a leap of faith  00:17:09 - Naming Aviator Nation  00:19:30 - Being the face of a company 00:22:48 - Staying involved of your business 00:26:53 -  Aspen photoshoot and challenging yourself  00:29:02 - What does success look like?  00:31:34 - Knowing when to look for investors  00:35:04 - Paige’s high performance wellness routine  00:39:50 - Prioritizing relationships  00:43:03 - Wedding planning  00:45:18 - Where to find Aviator Nation 

What really makes us different is it really is an authentic brand. I mean, I surf and snowboard and hike and do all the things that are on the patches. My life is really directly inspiring the designs and it's always been that way. This is the Pursuit of Wellness podcast and I'm your host, Mari Llewellyn. What is up guys? Welcome back to the Pursuit of Wellness podcast. Today in this episode, I sit down with one of my close friends, Paige Mykoski, the visionary founder of Aviator Nation. She is absolutely incredible.

I've been so honored to get to know her on a personal level. She is in person, like one of the most special people. She is not only a creative visionary, but just someone who is super, super involved in her business to this day, and also just has really great boundaries and disciplines in her life day-to-day that make her a really high performer. Aviator Nation is a brand known for its iconic, 70s inspired, made in America fashion. Paige takes us through her journey from childhood and early creative sparks to taking the leap

and launching Aviator Nation in 2006. She shares insights into building a lifestyle brand, staying true to her vision, and managing the growth of a company with 20 locations across the US and 650 employees. We also discuss her personal wellness routine and the importance of nurturing relationships. I feel like this episode with Paige was such an interesting one because she has really paved her own lane in entrepreneurship. It is so rare that you meet someone with such a large, successful brand who has no intentions of selling it, has taken no outside investments,

and really has stayed true to who she is from the beginning. Paige, as a person, encompasses what Aviator Nation is as a brand. And I think she's a really special person, and I think we can all learn so much from her. So let's hop right into this episode with Paige. Paige, welcome to the Pursuit of Wellness. Thank you. This is crazy. We've been talking about this for a while and I'm so honored to have you on today. You are the founder of Aviator Nation, one of my favorite brands, and I think the world's favorite brands. You are one of America's wealthiest self-made women.

And I have had the privilege of getting to know you on a personal level, which has been really, really interesting for me, because I admired you so much from afar before. And now knowing you personally, it's pretty insane how hands-on you are with your business to this day. And I also really admire your discipline and boundaries you have in your day-to-day life. So we're going to talk about all of it. Amazing. But I'd love to start at the beginning and hear just a little bit more about your childhood

and kind of what shaped you into who you are today? Sure. My childhood is so interwoven in what I do. It's actually pretty interesting. I'm really lucky. I grew up with two grandmothers that were super just impactful in my life. They lived in the same town as I lived in growing up, her own clothing, she made her own drapes, she did stained glass art, like everything. And every time I would go over to visit her, she would say, hey, what do you want to learn today? And so I just thought that was normal, that you're constantly learning things. And I could not wait. That was my favorite thing is to go over. And we would go to the craft store and she would be like, just pick out some hobby that you want to learn. And we would go to that section where they have all the books

of how to do everything, basically. And so not only did I learn a lot just from those days with her, but I also learned that you can do anything. I mean, there was never a limit on what I could learn. And I would ask her a lot of questions. And so I think that today, I'm sure we'll get into it, but with my team, everyone knows that they can't come to me of questions. trouble. And usually I can figure it out. So they're like, okay, fine, like that, touché, you know, like, I'm not going to tell you something's not possible because you're going to figure out how to do it. And then I'm going to look like an idiot.

Yeah. So anyway, I learned a lot of that from my grandmother. Also patience, you know, she was really just thoughtful and slow and took time doing things and read the instructions and taught me to read the instructions. And, you know, and then my other grandmother, my mom's mom, was very, like, just life of the party, like, super, like, strong character. She had this, like, positivity and enthusiasm about her that I just thought was magnetic. And so I always kind of wanted to be like her. She was, like, the best athlete in school every year.

Like, she was just, you know, she was also very competitive. She was like the best athlete in school every year. She was also very competitive. She was a big athlete. She also did a lot of games. She would always have friends over to play games. And I think I got that from her. I'm all about activities and being competitive and stuff. And everyone just loved her. And I always thought, just that energy that she has, I want that. I thought, you know, like just that energy that she has, like I want that. And so yeah, so I grew up with a couple amazing grandparents and then my parents are also amazing. I think that I grew up in an environment where, again, you know, my parents never really told me no. give it a shot, figure it out. But they did want me to figure things out for myself as well. My dad was a surgeon. He was also team doctor for the Texas Rangers. So he was always,

he was working a lot. He was just constantly working. And my mom was a stay at home mom for a long time, but she did teach like fitness classes and she health and wellness was a big thing for her. And I think, you know, so I learned from my parents, my dad was all about the hard work ethic. He was very focused and driven. And then my mom was super into wellness and taking care of your body. And every single day, I remember,

we had a home gym growing up luckily, and every single day, like she was in the gym in the morning and, you know, stretching and stuff at night. And I think that, you know, seeing that was a big thing for me too. What I love about you is I feel like you have married the creativity and the drive and the business mind together. When you discovered that you loved art

and you were creative, did you have a vision for something big? Like, did you know you were gonna do something big or was it sort of like you worked your way up? I think that I didn't really know it was going to be big until I saw it really selling in the stores. I think that when I was just making clothes, it really was just a passion. It was fun. And I think that at a young age, you don't really understand that your passion can be your job. Now I feel like when I grew up there was no social media, there was no Instagram.

I don't think that we had as much messaging people doing great podcasts like yourself and stuff, teaching us we can actually do whatever we want. So I think that it was just a passion for me in the beginning, but as soon as I was out and about wearing it and people were approaching me, and then I did a street fair where, I'm8,000 with the clothes in a day. And my first boutique I shipped to, Fred Siegel, sold out in a weekend. And as soon as I saw that, I was like, this isn't just my job. This is going to be huge. I could see how passionate the buyers were about it. little bit of work in retail. Like the people, the fans of the brand have always been so passionate about it. And I think that's what made me think from an early stage that it was just going to be

huge. I feel like that's because it's so different and it's so bold and it's almost like a lifestyle. Like when you see someone else wearing it, you almost feel like, oh, we're going to vibe because we're in this group. Well, you know, a lot of people have even told me consistently that when they wear the clothes, it makes them feel better. Like I've had women tell me, you know, it makes me people have even told me consistently that when they wear the clothes, it makes them feel better. I've had women tell me, you know, it makes me feel athletic when I'm wearing it. People actually do come up and say, hey, I love what you're wearing.

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Again, I did this myself and I cannot stress enough how simple and easy it was to do. And I encourage everyone listening, no matter how old you are, testing can be the difference between a long healthy life and not. I think knowledge is power. And I think this could be one of the best things you can do for yourself. It's now FSA and HSA eligible, transparent pricing, comprehensive testing. It's time you own your health to join Function Health. Go to functionhealth.com slash pow and use code POW100 to skip the waitlist available to up to 1,000 listeners. I also feel like when you wear Aviator Nation, you are colorful and loud and bold.

And I think a lot of times in like messaging with fashion for women, it's like everyone looks the same. We're all doing the clean girl aesthetic or whatever it is. And when you're wearing Aviator Nation, you're like taking up space and you're kind of like, this is me. And I really love that. I feel like you're very much like that and you're just such a representation of your brand. Can you talk a little bit about the moment you decided to quit your job and go all in on aviator nation. Because I think a lot of people listening

who maybe wanna do their own thing, that's the part where they get stuck. It's like, how do you take the leap of faith and take the risk and go all in on yourself? Yeah. Yeah, so I was working at a surf shop. I was a buyer's assistant and that was my kind of nine to five. I was doing photography on the side.

I went to school for photography, and I was doing that, like, just random gigs. And then I was writing for magazines, because I was really into journalism. So I had a bunch of different jobs. And essentially, when I was working at the surf shop, I was, as buyer's assistant, like, seeing a lot of clothing, you know? working at the surf shop, I was, as buyer's assistant, seeing a lot of clothing.

I just noticed that I was constantly wanting to change things. I'd be like, I like what they're doing here, but I would do it in this color and I would change this. So I had all these ideas at work. machine with a couple hundred dollars that I got as a gift from my grandparents for my birthday. As soon as the sewing machine arrived, I bought a couple books on how to do sewing, basically. I had no idea what I was doing. I remember literally the first night that I started to explore how to make patterns and make clothes. I was literally obsessed. I stayed up all night, and then I would go to work the next day and

then I would come home and I just couldn't wait to get home and work on the ideas that I had. And once I realized I could make my own clothes and I was obsessed with it and I was literally staying up all night, like something, a light bulb went off in my head that like, this is crazy. Like I've never been so passionate about something before and I'm just having so much fun. is crazy. to do something where I could put it out there. And so I got a booth at a street festival for $500 and I sewed as much clothing as I could between signing up and going there. And so for a couple months I made clothes and then I went to the booth, I hung up all my clothes and then one day I made like $8,000 at this street festival. And that was the moment where I realized, okay, like this is actually something I can make money doing and that is when I quit my job. festival.

You can be doing both at the same time. And that's a nice cushion because if it doesn't work, then you can move on to something else or whatever. So I always tell people, just be prepared to be a little tired because obviously you're doing this on your downtime, but it's worth it. So take your downtime, put it into your passion. And if you find that it sticks, then don't be afraid to really go for it. You know, you have to take risk. And jobs are always gonna be there. You can always go back and get another job. Who cares? I agree 100%.

And I also think there's a season in life where you just need to be tired and you need to grind it out. And if you're in your early 20s, like do it now. And I think taking that risk and making that decision is what sets people apart. Like that's what makes successful people successful. It's like being willing to be scared and take that risk. I kind of in a similar position was working at Orange Theory Fitness, so the front desk.

I was getting there at three in the morning to open up, making minimum wage. But I was posting my fitness stuff online and starting to grow that on the side. And I was really nervous to quit at first, which feels silly now. But at the time I was like, well, what do you mean? Like this is my job. And that was the best thing I ever did was going all in on my brand. So for anyone listening, I feel like this is such a great story and example of taking a leap of faith that might feel crazy.

But if you feel good about it and you're having fun and you're passionate, the sky's the limit. How did you land on the name? The name. Okay. So it's actually a funny story. My favorite movie growing up was Top Gun. And I was obsessed. I had the movie poster in my bedroom. I watched the movie all the time. So in the movie, I mean, the primary sunglasses that Kelly McGillis and Tom Cruise wear, the aviator, movie poster in my bedroom. whole vintage collection of aviators. They were kind of on a shelf in my room when I was sitting there trying to decide what to name the company.

I was looking at the sunglasses and I was like, I love the word aviator. I didn't really associate it with being a pilot or whatever. I like that word. I thought about this from such a young age, but I really wanted it to bring people together, you know? And the way that people were approaching me when I was wearing the clothes and how passionate they were, I was like, it would be so cool if I could create a brand that really brought people together that are like-minded.

And so that's where nation comes in, is that I wanted it to be like a collective group of people that had rad style. And I used to say rad clothes for rad people. That was kind of my like my tagline when I was starting. But it was all about bringing people together and then the word aviator is just, you know. Now you're saying that I'm like, is the jacket,

it is kind of like pilot style, no? Yeah, maybe. I think I just like that style. Yeah. I've always loved patches. I mean, his jacket was patches in the movie. Yeah. It has like an undertone of that vibe. Yeah, I just realized that. And then you don't you have the furry ones? Yeah, I do. I have the Sherling collar one. Yeah. Yeah. No, I'm obsessed. Yeah. I'm curious. So I know a lot has changed since you founded. I mean, you founded in 2006,

right? the stores, but what was your decision behind being the face of the company? Yeah, I think that I realized that the whole fashion world is obviously super saturated. What really makes us different is it really is an authentic brand. I surf and snowboard and hike really a lifestyle brand that I'm making things that feel good when I get out of the water and when I'm done snowboarding or when I'm traveling. I designed this jacket and all of our puffy jackets to get really tiny when they're traveling because I love to travel and I don't want a giant suitcase.

And so I think that me being at the forefront really shows people that this isn't just a random thing. This is like someone's passion and they're doing what they love. really shows people that this isn't just a random thing, this is someone's passion and they're doing what they love. It's funny, the last couple years I've been running into young girls and they come up to me and they're telling me how inspired they are. I don't know how they knew about me or saw me, maybe on Instagram, I guess. But it's funny because that makes me feel so good.

And I'm just like, wow, if I'm inspiring these young girls, and I've even had people send me letters that say that they're trying to start, like young girls trying to start a clothing brand because of me. And I'm just like, okay, I need to be in the forefront here because, you know, like this is what I'm doing and I want people to know that they can do it too, especially, you know, the young girls. It is gift giving season and Quinta lets you treat your loved ones and yourself to everyday luxury at an affordable price.

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milk mob and that's the name of her brand. And she does these super cute bikinis and these girls are like packing the boxes every day and really like in the weeds. And it's just so, I mean, it's so cool what these young people are doing now with TikTok. I mean, the way that you build a business is so different now, I'm sure even compared to what you did back then. But yeah, I think you, now that I even know you personally, you are such, you are your I'm sure even compared to what you did back then. Now that I even know you personally, you are such, you are your brand. Every time I see you running on the trail or we have dinner or whatever it may be, you are Aviator Nation and it's just really freaking cool.

And you're also incredibly hands-on. Like I don't think people even realize to the extent that your hands on, I don't think I even realized until I walked in your house the other day and you were like sending out a Cyber Monday email and I was like, what is going on? Like, I hope you don't mind me saying that. No, that's fine. I think it's fun for people to know. It's insane.

Like guys, this is, she is, I mean, this business is huge. Like you are so incredible and I'm like in your house and you're sending out a Cyber Monday email. What is your ethos behind being so involved to this day? Like you are so incredible and I'm like in your house and you're sending out a Cyber Monday email. What is your ethos behind being so involved to this day? Yeah, so the thing is obviously I love it and I love the creative. People are mind blown when they find out that I still design everything. I really feel like I am so closely connected to every aspect of it in a way that nobody that works for me really is.

So when it comes to the super, super critical thing, like the Cyber Monday email or the Black Friday campaign, sure, I could hire people to do it, They certainly don't know what we did the last five years and exactly what created more clicks and more push through. A lot of times it's a gut instinct, but it's also just knowledge of, okay, I know every single skew. I can look at a sales report in five minutes of this collective knowledge. And also, the really major things.

I think that it's important for the person that's the most passionate and has the most knowledge to be doing them. So why would I give that job to somebody else? That's a huge element. And there's a lot of things that I do give to other people. assistant designers and been like, okay, give it a go. The way that my brain works, I can just come up with an idea so much faster than it takes for somebody to work on it for a week. Even though it seems crazy, I'm having fun doing it and I'm doing a good job at it. So why would I change it? You know, so I'm just like, you know, if it's not broken, you know, don't try to fix it

And I'm just like a crazy person like I work a lot of hours and you did your own photo shoot in Aspen this past Summer right? Yeah. How was that? It was awesome. It was I definitely felt a little scared and It was awesome. I have to push the button, you know? And if I don't push the button the right way, then all of this goes to waste. And so I had a lot of pressure on myself, but I am a strong believer that if you're not feeling that like, you know, that super adrenaline and you're not feeling like you're challenging yourself and you're growing, then you're not really living.

And that's kind of an undercover thing of my whole life is like, I don't like to just take the easy way out. then you're not really living. And that's kind of an undercover thing of my whole life. I don't like to just take the easy way out. I like to go hardcore. I was feeling a little bit like monotonous routine. I'm going to do the photography. rewarding. So there's so many elements of that. You have to just level up constantly. I think that that's a big thing with me is every year I set goals that seem almost unattainable and I'm super competitive and without those goals and without feeling like I just have to do something crazy, you know, like I'm just not really like loving it as much.

I think that's like a really good lesson in general because I mean, a lot of people in your position would probably just sit back and be like, Oh, I've kind of done it now. Like there's really, I mean, financially, there's no reason for you to keep going, but you do anyway. For you, is that more of a like, like what does success look like for you? Is it a happiness thing? Is it like, you're constantly pushing yourself? Yeah, it's absolutely, it's truly not about the money and it never has been. And I always tell people, you know, when they're starting out, like, really try to not think about the money because obviously that's the biggest thing that takes into anybody's mind is like, how can I do this and make money? You really can't, you know, you can't let that get in the way.

And the money always will come if you're on the right path and you're working hard. Like you really can't, you know, you can't let that get in the way. And the money always will come if you're on the right path and you're working hard. I always tell people that. But so for me, I think now it's really just about feeling like challenged and that I'm growing. You know, I think, I mean, I'm 19 years in now and and obviously fashion companies don't stick around for very long. I mean, it's really rare for them to stick around as long as we have. And I think that, you know, so I have that in the back of my head that like I have to constantly be leveling up and doing things better and keeping the customer excited. But yeah, personally, I feel like success for me is really about waking up every day

and when I sit down at my computer being excited. I still to this day, I work out every morning and I can't wait to get to the computer. And that's just kind of crazy to think about that it's been 19 years that I felt that way. But really, I'm usually in a run recording thoughts and ideas. I'm like, I still have these thoughts and ideas and I can't wait to sit down and like write out this plan for something or send these emails to people. And I think that just feeling excited about that is success. I think also, you know, as you get older,

like just feeling good and feeling healthy is super important to me. So I also feel like that's a huge part of my life is balance. Because I did go through a time in my life where I was really just total workaholic and not focused on my health and wellness. And, and now I really do feel that I'm in a really great place of balance, you know, like taking time for my friends and family, you know, doing things that I love in nature, even though I love the work so much, like I'm really taking care of myself too. And I think that's important. If you don't mind me saying, I know you've said you have no interest in selling your business. Right. What is the thought process behind that? And like, where do you like what's the vision for Aviator Nation?

Yeah, I think that I've of course been approached and been offered a lot of money. And I think that because the money is not the driver, I feel like I'm just having so much fun with it and it's doing well. And I think that the best time to sell and the best time to take investors is when you and it's doing well. And I think that the best time to sell and the best time to take investors is when you really need it. When you need, like for example, if I couldn't figure out something that I wanted to do, I would take on a partner that specializes in that. I think that that makes a ton of sense. But if you really feel like you don't really need help from the outside,

change dialots. that really likes to make last minute decisions. I want and I's working. My dream is for this to be around forever. I would love for my future children to be running the business and my best friends or whoever it is. I want it to continue forever and always be relevant, always have new products coming out. Should I sell or should I take an investor? I think about what's going to make it last forever.

I don't think that's the answer because I think that people that come in and buy fashion companies, a lot of times they're more concerned about the bottom line naturally. They're going to do whatever it takes to make the product cheaper and faster and that's definitely not the best quality. And quality for me is what's really going to keep this brand alive. I agree. And I think in the business world, raising money has become super glorified. It's almost like to people it's the first step before you can even have a business. Greg and I very recently took a partner to make our drink, but before that we were 100% self-funded, never took an investment. And I think honestly, I think that is the best way to go about it.

And as you said, it was never about the money. At the beginning it was, oh, I found fitness, I'm obsessed with it, I want to talk about it and show other people how to do it. And something good came out of it. And I think that really is the best way to start a business. And I think if you start with the mindset of, I need to raise X amount of money, I want to sell it for this much, you're kind of setting yourself up for failure. Because it's like, did you even want to start in the first place? And I, at a certain point, I think that motivation

will fizzle if that's how you start. So I 100% agree. I'm curious when talking about your routine and you mentioned wellness being a huge part of your life now. As a high performer, day to day, what are some of your non-negotiables when it comes to wellness boundaries? Like how do you structure your life to feel your best and show up as your best self every day? Yeah, there's several things that I do. First of all, I try to not do any emails or messaging until I work out. I like to give myself my morning of just myself because I found that if I get into my email box and on my cell phone, I'm clouded with everything else going on. And so I try to kind of wake up and first thing I do is fitness, you know, and it just

gets me going. I always get good ideas when I'm working out. I do like to kind of work out alone. I like group fitness classes, but lately I've been jogging a lot. So it either has to be like a lot of music or just kind of solitude where, you know, I can then enter the next stage. I do butter coffee every morning. I think that and I've done that now for a couple years and you know, I do the MCT oil

and the butter and coffee and I think that intermittent fasting has become a huge part of my life. I am a huge believer in it and I do major intermittent fasting. I pretty much do like the warrior method. It's like 12 to 13 hours, 14 hours of not eating and basically I wake up in the morning, I have my coffee and I don't eat all day. And a lot of people are mind blown by that. But I just really believe in it. It's like for me and maybe everybody's different. You know, I don't know that there's I'm brain blown by that. And maybe everybody's different.

I don't know that there's a one-stop shop, but for me, it allows my brain to just be so focused. And on the weekends, I actually go to brunch and stuff because I love going to brunch. And I can tell a difference on the weekends. When I go to brunch and I have a big meal in the morning, I feel so groggy, not creative, tired. And I enjoy the food and the meal, but I can't really have my day. But when I do the intermittent fasting, I'm super laser focused and clear. And so anyway, that's been a huge thing for me. And then at night, I really like to, I like to wind down to like jazz

music and I kind of do the opposite. Like during the day, I'm all about like, you know, power music and I don't know, a little bit of EDM, like all kinds of stuff like that. And I'm just like, go, go, go. And then when I get to the end of my day, I hit the jazz and super chill. I do Sonic Cold Plunge religiously. I also really believe in that and I'm trying to think what else. I mean I'm a big believer in eight hours of sleep minimum. I try to go to bed early but yeah like really keeping the fitness thing going has been huge. I think that you know I think that if you're taking care of your body, your mind really your mind and your spirit

really follow. I actually don't meditate, but I'm trying to get into that. I think that I need that whenever. I used to take a trip to Bali every January after Christmas and I would do a lot of meditation there. And I know how powerful that is. And I just haven't really been honestly making enough time for it. But yoga and meditation I think is really important.

You know, at the end of the day, it's all about balance. If I'm going to go hardcore for some of the day, like I need to also go super chill. Yeah. I say no to a lot of things. I'm not super social. But when I am, like you'll never see me on my phone. Like I literally am super present at every meal and every time Jess and I sit down,

I'm just like 100% focused on her. And I think that that's good for a relationship, is to really take time during the day. When I'm done with work, I'm done with work. Unless it's like Black Friday weekend and I'm sitting there editing the website every five minutes, which is true. There are those times when you're hardcore. editing the website every five minutes, I'm obsessed with it. But yeah, like when I'm with friends and family and my nephew's baseball game, like I'm watching

every shot he takes because you know when he makes that goal, he's going to look at me and I don't want to have my head in my phone, you know. So I think that it's really important to be present with the people you love. I think that relationships are huge. And so, you know, being present with the people I love when I'm with them allows me the space to be completely into my work mode when I'm at work. Yeah, I think you are really good at boundary setting. Greg is too, I've said this to you guys before,

but you and Jess remind me of me and Greg, because Greg is, I mean, he does one social thing a week, so I have to be very selective with the one thing, and he sets boundaries, he doesn't like to chat when he's doing things. And whenever I see you running on the trail, you're like, headphones in, like, hey, and then you just keep going. And I respect the shit out of that. I think when you are such a high performer and you need to show up and be your best every

day and you're managing a 650 person team, you don't really have time for things like that in your brain. So I respect that. And I think that's a really valuable part of this lifestyle. You mentioned prioritizing relationships. I know you're engaged to Jess, the love of your life. She's sitting in the room right now. We're both looking at her. She's like a huge reason we're here today, honestly. So shout out to Jess for making this happen. She's always telling me to be more in the camera. I think it's a good thing.

I really do. And I think hearing this story is going to make a huge impact on people. But how do you prioritize Jess? How do you make time for her? What are some certain rituals you guys have around your relationship to make sure you're getting enough quality time? Yeah, I think that you know, really at the end of the workday, I try to not work later than I have to. So like if I am having a day like the other day, you know, I was feeling pretty good about everything at like two o'clock. So we went shopping, you know, and, and she's

always like, hey, can we do something? I really try to recognize those days when I am pretty much finished with my work early, because there are days when I have to work really late. Anytime I have free time, I really would love it to be with her. And so I try to prioritize her above everything else. I mean, if she's busy doing something else, then I would maybe call my friend or whatever, but like it's always first like, okay, babe,

like are you available to do something? Like I'm free, you know? And at night, we pretty much always have dinner together. You know, sometimes we have plans with friends, but for the most part, we always have dinner together. So that's kind of a ritual of sitting there and talking about our day. We sometimes work out together.

We used to work out together more. I think now we kind of do different things, but whenever we're driving in the car or we do the sauna together sometimes and we talk, I think that, you know, just really communication is so important in a relationship. And I think that, you know, making plans together and just talking about like how everything's going in their life, you know, it's important to make that a priority.

And also, you know, when we travel, it's, it's usually just her and I like focused on each other and we try to not be on our devices and stuff like that. So I think that when we do travel together, that's like a big bonding time for us. I love it. I think the dinner rituals good. Greg and I do that too. And it's a really nice way of like coming together. Yeah. And if there's a week where he's at work or he's, you know, doing things with the team, I really feel it. Because I'm like, oh my gosh, where's my dinner?

Because even if we're in the same building, I never see him. And I so relate to that. Can I ask about wedding prep? How's that going? Planning wedding prep? It's going good. I think that I have realized about myself that I love to put on like a major show. A show.

Yeah. It's funny because I used to love to host people and have parties and stuff at my house in Venice when I was younger. And I think that I really do love to host people and have parties and stuff at my house in Venice when I was younger. I think that I really do love to entertain and I love to host. And so the wedding has become the ultimate gathering. And I think it's funny because I always say, you're going to plan as much as you have time

for it. And we had over a year, we got engaged and we have had now the wedding's in three and a half months or something. have time for it. It's fun, but there are so many details. There's not many opportunities in your life where you really just are just going to go balls to the wall on entertaining people. And so I'm just going to send it send it. And yeah, so we found a place that we're both obsessed with. And that was kind of the start of it. And now, you know, we're just like dialing in every little detail and just trying to make it the most perfect experience of our life. And so it's going to be so fun and I'm very excited about it. I know you have a lot of surprises up your sleeve. Yeah.

I don't want people to know. I'm also like really into people not knowing what's coming. I'm scared. Yeah. I have to get my outfits. I know. I'm so excited that you'll be there to share it with us. I also don't know if I'm gonna be pregnant or not.

So the outfits have to be like stretchier cut out or something. That's true, you might be. Yeah, so we'll plan for that, let's see. I'm so excited and I'm so honored that I get to be there. And I'm so honored that you came today and shared your story. I think you are truly one of a kind.

When I think about you, I don't even know how you exist because I think you are so creative, so talented, so kind. I I think about you, I don't even know how you exist because I think you are so creative, so talented, so kind. I admire you in so many ways and I'm so lucky that I got to meet you and Jess this year. I think it's one of the things I'm most grateful for, honestly. It's rare that you cross paths with someone where you feel very connected and very close right away, so I am so lucky. Can you tell everyone where they can find Aviator Nation? Yeah, aviatornation.com is our website.

And you can follow me on Paige Mykoski, Instagram, and Aviator Nation Instagram. But I will be trying to post a lot more on my feed these days. I actually have a fun little experience that's coming up for the holidays. I'm going to be building, I'm going to share with you something kind of a secret. But I've decided that I want to make a giant gingerbread house

that is an Aviator Nation theme. I'm going to make it from scratch. I'm going to cook the gingerbread and dial it all in and do it all myself. So I'm going to be documenting that and posting it on my feed. So I'm going to do more creative things for my followers. I think you should put that on TikTok too. Yeah, maybe I feel like a time lapse of that would be so fun. So sad because I built all these stores.

I'm like I should build a gingerbread house. It's like a store. It's basically a mini store. Yeah, and maybe you'll turn that into a real store. Maybe and you also have 20 storefronts now. I do. Do you know the cities off top of your head? I can try.

I can try. Basically I started in Venice and then it was Malibu, Manhattan Beach. And then Colorado, I did Aspen and Vail. And then I did Miami. I did Austinpen and Vale. And then I did Miami, I did Austin, Texas. I did Brooklyn, New York, just opened. I also have a store in the Hamptons and SoHo in New York.

Oh, San Francisco, I have three locations. one in Hayes Valley and one on Haight Street, the corner of Haight and Ashbury, Laguna Beach and La Jolla, Orange County. I've been to the one in Laguna actually. Have you? Yeah. I feel like am I hitting all of them? What, Jess? Nashville.

New, Nashville. Yes, Nashville just opened recently. You don't have one in London yet, do you? I don't. I have no international stores yet, but we're starting to look and think that that would be fun. I think that would be sick. Yeah.

Carnaby Street. Yeah. Sick. Totally. I have Hawaii, North Shore. Oh my God. I didn't even know that. Yeah.

Okay. Well, for anyone listening in any of those places, go check out the stores. Paige like paints them herself. And Paige, thank you so much. I think, yeah, this is fun. Thanks for joining us on the Pursuit of Wellness podcast. To support this show, please rate and review and share with your loved ones. If you want to be reminded of new episodes, click the subscribe button on your preferred

podcast or video player. You can sign up for my newsletter to receive my favorites at marieliawelland.com. It will be linked in the show notes. This is a Wellness Lab production produced by Drake Peterson, Fiona Attucks and Kelly Kyle. This show is edited by Mike Frye and our video is recorded by Louise Vargas. You can also watch the full video of each episode on our YouTube channel at Mari Fitness. Love you, Power Girls and Power Boys. See you next time.