Meet Christina Garcia Reddy!

This newsletter, we sat down with Christina, an Oula instructor in LA, to learn more about her life. 

What’s your story? What’s your Oula story? 

I work three jobs. I do learning development at Amazon. I’m a life coach and executive coach. I also teach Oula. That may seem like a lot of different careers but at the center of it all it’s me helping people and building community and spreading joy and happiness. I feel like that’s what I’m called here to do.

I found Oula in Montana when I was there for a wedding in 2014. It was the first time I’d ever heard about it or seen it but I knew immediately I had to do it. I flew back home, I canceled all my plans (they were pretty big plans!) and I booked the next trip to an Oula training. I’ve been dancing ever since!

What Oula song is on your playlist most often and what do you like about it?

There’s a couple! 

“Va Va Voom” by Nicki Minaj. I love it because there’s different components - it’s sexy, but there’s balancing for your core, too. 

The other one I go to is “The Wild Life” by Outasight. It’s one of my signature songs. Everyone loves it, it’s fun and easy, and it sets the tone for the day.

An Oulakin is visiting LA for the first time ever! What should they do/see/eat?

If you come in the summer, you have to go to the Hollywood Bowl. You can picnic there, you can watch a concert, it’s one of my favorite things to do!

I’m also obsessed with Disney, so you’d have to go to Disney in my world, but I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

You have to visit the beach - Venice Beach, Santa Monica. There’s tons of restaurants, it’s super walkable.

You can hit museums, you can dance, I’ve got all the scoops of where to go to dance that’s not necessarily pretentious Hollywood.

If you want a few specific recommendations - try DAMA in Downtown LA. Any taco truck is a must stop - most of them are legit. You could also try the Alibi Room for a chill bar and Asian fusion fusion. I’m a foodie, so if you want more specific recommendations for the neighborhood you’re in, reach out!

What book/podcast/tv or movie do you recommend for fellow Oulakins?

A book I would recommend is “The Work Happiness Method” by Stella Grizont. She studies positive psychology and how to be happy. It’s focused on work but’s really relevant to all aspects of life.

With TV, I watch something and go in hard. When “Hacks” came out I watched it as fast as I could. 

This quarter’s affirmation is “I am Earth.” What does that mean to you?

It’s twofold for me. For me it means being grounded, connected and rooted. It’s a reminder to me to stay balanced, stay connected to what really matters and focus on that. Whenever I get overwhelmed and confused I go back to the things that I value, and that can lead me in the right direction.

The second thing I think about is community. What I do is a ripple effect and can spread everywhere. When you are a good person and you lift other people up they will then do that to people they know. We can all give back to the circle of life.