ALOHA
I’m Jenny
I’m a boy mom, long-time DJ, and have been plant-based since 2008. My friends know me to be a perpetual seeker of sunny days & sea salt, with an unapologetic obsession for barefoot beachfront hotels – and I love a good cup of tea.
As Seen In
Forever A Beach Girl
I grew up on the East Coast, and the beach has had my whole heart since before I could put it into words. Some of my earliest memories are from the Jersey Shore and Cape Cod – those endless days playing in the waves that always ended with ice cream nights shaped so many summers.
The ocean has always made me feel like myself. The moment my toes hit the sand, something in me exhales. I’ve chased that feeling my whole life.
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A weekly email you’ll actually want to open – filled with coastal travel, feel-good wellness,
and little reminders to slow down.
My Whole World
My mom showed me what a perfect beach day looks like before I even knew what to call it. My love of the beach started with her. This space is dedicated to her. She has been my biggest cheerleader every step of the way – and honestly, The Kai Life wouldn’t exist without her.
Walt and I took our first trip to Hawaiʻi together right at the beginning of our relationship, with his mom. We fell in love with the islands instantly. But what really stayed with us was watching his mom move through Hawaiʻi – the way she honored the land, the culture, the people. She taught us what it means to travel intentionally, and it forever shaped the way our family shows up when we travel.
Hawaiʻi has been woven into every one of our biggest moments since. Walt proposed at Tunnels Beach on Kauaʻi. Years later we eloped in that very same spot – barefoot alongside the waves. And not long after, we became three.
Becoming Kai’s mom changed everything. I remember laying with him that first month, just staring at him, feeling a connection I had never experienced before in my life.
Kai means “ocean” in Hawaiian. When I was pregnant, Walt and I each secretly made our own list of names we loved – and when we compared them, his name was on both lists. We knew instantly.
My Kai lives with his entire heart wide open and inspires me every single day to make this world a little more beautiful for his generation. The three of us are best friends, and have the most fun adventures together – we homeschool Kai and treat the whole world as our classroom.
In 2025, Walt and I went back to Tunnels to celebrate ten years together. It’s one of our favorite spots in the world and a place we are so grateful to return to as often as we can!
Sea, salt, sand and sun.
Movement Is My Medicine
Growing up, my world was classical ballet – and what it gave me more than anything was a deep, lifelong love of movement and how it connects the body and the mind.
When I moved to Colorado in my early twenties, I channeled that into opening a dance and fitness studio for women. Watching so many incredible women find confidence in their own skin through movement taught me something I’ve never forgotten – we are most powerful when we show up grounded and trust our own intuition.
That love of movement led me to yoga and Pilates, to becoming plant-based, and to a deep understanding of my own body that continues to evolve.
Wellness for me has never been about being perfect.
It’s about feeling good, giving yourself actual permission to rest, and treating self-care as the non-negotiable it truly is – not the last thing on your list.
What I know for sure is that nothing resets me like the ocean does. And I don’t think I’m alone in that. That’s what The Kai Life is really about – not just beautiful places, but how it feels to finally give yourself permission to be in them, and the way that kind of rest and restoration ripples into every single part of your life.
You deserve oceanside mornings.
Behind The Decks
In the early 2000s I met my husband Walt – he was already a DJ and learning how to play had always been a dream of mine. Once I started, I was hooked. It opened up a whole new world of performing and music that honestly nodded back to so much of what I had loved about ballet – the energy, the artistry, the beat of the music.
Nearly twenty years later I’ve built a career playing House and DnB as J|Adore – opening for world-class touring artists, playing Red Rocks, and traveling to places I never imagined I’d see.
My joy in DJing has always been in watching people come together on a dance floor and shaping their experience through the soundtrack I create with them at the heart of it. There’s something so powerful about the energy in a room when the music is right – truly, nothing like it.
Maintaining my own wellness practices off the dance floor is what has allowed me to show up for it fully for nearly two decades.
Fun fact – all three of us in this family are professional DJs.
How The Kai Life Came To Be
Life is loud, and the list keeps growing. As women, we say yes to everything and everyone we love – and somewhere in the middle of all of it, we stop making room for ourselves. I know this feeling intimately.
The ocean has always been my reset. The moment my feet hit the sand, something shifts. Stress loosens its grip. My body remembers how to breathe again. It’s not ever an escape for me, it’s a return.
The Kai Life was inspired by my son Kai, and by something I realized that changed everything for me: when women are truly thriving, the world feels it. The ripple effect is real. I wanted to do my part in creating a world that felt good for him to grow up in – and I realized the best way I could do that was to build a space that helps women actually fill their cups back up, myself included.
One slow, salty day at a time.
What You’ll Find Here
The Kai Life is built on the belief that wellness travel doesn’t look the same every time – and it shouldn’t.
Sometimes it’s a solo trip back to yourself. Sometimes it’s reconnecting with your partner somewhere beautiful. Sometimes it’s sparking those meaningful moments as a family or letting loose with friends. Whatever it looks like for you, it all starts with giving yourself permission to go.
Here you’ll find coastal destination guides, honest hotel stays, wellness practices, and intentional itineraries – all built around the belief that it all starts with giving yourself permission to go.
Whether you’re planning your first trip to Oʻahu or your tenth, dreaming about the turquoise waters of the US Virgin Islands, the jungle and reef of Belize, the magic of Puerto Rico, or a quiet coastal escape closer to home – I’ve got you.
In my salty, sunkissed, soft life era.
A Few Things About Jenny
☼ Plant based since 2008 and always down to meet up for some vegan sushi.
☼ Forever a window seat girl, no exceptions and no apologies!
☼ Currently learning Spanish and loving every humbling minute of it.
☼ Warm lemon water before anything else, every single day without fail for me.
☼ Beach or mountains – Iʻm picking the beach every time!
☼ A salsa dancing date in the rain with my husband in Puerto Rico on a 24 hour layover will forever be one of my favorite travel memories.
A Note On Traveling Intentionally
Every destination I cover here, I write about with deep curiosity and respect for the land, the culture, and the people who call it home. Walt’s mom Holly taught our family what it means to truly show up somewhere – with open eyes, curiosity, and care – and we really try to carry that with us everywhere we go.
Honestly? It’s made every single trip better. However the ocean calls you, I hope you’ll answer it with a full heart and the kind of presence that makes a place feel truly visited. I think you’ll find it stays with you in the best way.
More To Explore
If you’ve read this far, I’m so happy you’re here!
Keep exploring: