I am thrilled to introduce you two of my favorite women in the holistic beauty scene today! Kerrilynn Pamer and Cindy DiPrima are the owners of CAP Beauty, a natural beauty boutique in the West Village of Manhattan. Kerrilynn and Cindy have been friends for twenty years and are on a mission to merge the worlds of wellness and design, something I can totally get behind.
I came across CAP when they first opened and have been a huge fan ever since. Since making the switch years ago to natural beauty and body products I was over the moon when they opened their doors. Kerrilynn and Cindy are incredible curators and are making natural beauty accessible, cool and doing it all with such great taste. CAP has been such a big part of my life and I was so honored when they agreed to be part of this series.
In this inspiring interview Kerrilynn and Cindy share how they moved through some of their biggest challenges, the importance of trusting your intuition, and the why developing daily self-care rituals is a must. Kerrilynn and Cindy are full of experience and wisdom to share for conscious entrepreneurs and are a shining example of what it means to run a meaningful business with heart, soul, and tons of love.
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How to you stay true to yourself?
KL: I am most in tune with myself when I’m sweating everyday and stopping for moments of reflection. It’s so easy to keep pushing and moving towards the finish line but I’ve realized that when I take the time to appreciate all the beauty and all that is happening I’m the best version of myself. Easier said than done, though.
CD: Honestly, I feel most like myself when I’m practicing yoga consistently. My body feels right, my heart is open and I’m just more at ease.
Do you make time for meditation and/or reflection? What are your go-to practices?
KL: Recently Cindy and I studied with Bob Roth of the David Lynch Foundation. I feel really blessed to have learned from him (he’s amazing!), and implementing this twice a day practice has proved to be invaluable. I’ve done Kundalini for years and love the quick shift I feel from just a 3 minute Kriya but the two times a day practice of TM feels just right to me. Consistency is something that I’ve realized is fundamental to me feeling my best. I’ll also work in my Kriyas and feel like I’m just adding to my wellness toolbox (a tip I learned from Lacy of Free & Native!) of feeling good.
CD: Meditation is a pretty new practice for me. I was never consistent with it until recently. A customer of ours, Natane Boudreau, introduced us to her incredible teacher, Bob Roth of the David Lynch Foundation. Learning TM has changed everything for me. It’s so simple and so efficient. I do 20 minutes twice a day and have already felt an incredible shift in my energy and focus. I don’t think I’ll ever go without it.
How do you stay grounded in the hustle and bustle of NYC?
KL: I don’t know if I have the best answer to this question. I can feel pretty overwhelmed in a place like NYC but also have a deep love for this place I call home. I live a stones throw from the park so make it a non negotiable to get there with my dog and husband as often as possible. If they can’t come with me, I head there on my own. I truly need nature around me and when I don’t have it, I feel the city pretty intensely.
CD: New York is an insane place to live but at the same time I find there’s a warmth among those of us crazy enough to live here. I think it’s a matter of shifting your perspective, creating a small town out of a big one and finding your niche. I’m lucky to be able to walk to work and lucky to live near the best Greenmarket in the city. We know our farmers, our local business owners and the street vendors near our home. And of course it’s important to leave the city too, to spend time in nature and really recharge.
What is the philosophy behind how take care of yourself?
KL: Be kind to myself, check my thoughts often and clean them up when needed. Move my body, exercise my brain and throw in some good loving with my husband.
CD: I like to focus on adding good habits and focus less on the struggle to give something up. Kerrilynn and I call it “crowding out.” When you commit to positive actions, the less healthful ones will fall away.
What do your self-care practices at work look like?
KL: I try to have all my practices have some element of self-care. We consciously created a company to share the this knowledge with as many as possible because we ourselves had experienced the power of this intention. At work this looks like palo santo burning, matcha brewing, mantras playing and the best, healthiest snacks being eaten. Might sound insane to some but to me it’s heaven!
CD: I work at CAP! When I was a stylist this would have been a LOT tougher to answer. It’s revelatory to work for a company where self care is the mission and to have a business partner and co-workers who share this priority. Eating well is vital. I like to follow a light to heavy style of eating so lunch is usually something simple like a big salad with tahini or a raw soup or smoothie from Gingersnaps. Of course we get hungry and so we stock the office with fruits and vegetables, ZenBunni and Freaky Health Co chocolate, raw crackers from Moon Juice and of course our Matcha tonics.
We schedule our workouts and meditations in the calendar. This is so so helpful. There will always be times when an important meeting trumps yoga, but if it’s in the calendar, I know it has to get moved to another slot.
We also hold group Kundalini sessions in the office. Like a quick Sat Kriya to recharge everyone. Kerrilynn leads and even Beba, her chihuahua joins in!
How do you strengthen your intuition?
KL: This is something I work on daily. I’m a very sensitive person and feel things deeply. I have learned to tap into feelings that are happening in my body. I think as women we are so often taught to ignore these feelings or push them to the side but I’m very focused on listening to the intelligence of my body. I’m always trying to learn the language of what my intuition is telling me.
CD: I had a coach for many years who taught me to simply start recognizing my intuitive hits as they happen. Even with simple things like realizing you were thinking of a friend moments before she calls you. When you become aware of how in tune you really are it’s easier to trust yourself.
Share some words of wisdom for women entrepreneurs.
KL: Find people you trust and admire and spend lots of time with them. Exercise often and have some really good playlists on repeat. Always refer back to why you started and stay true to your mission. Always focus on the why.
CD: Surround yourselves with people you love, trust and admire, and get clear about your mission. One of the first things Kerrilynn and I did when we created CAP Beauty is write a Manifesto. It’s still our North Star.
And push it. Moderation is overrated and the world doesn’t need more “good enough.”
Your current playlist.
KL: Sat Narayan, Kisser by Usher, Going to California by Led Zeppelin.
CD: I just listened to one of my old favorite albums Pavement’s Wowee Zowie. It sounded so great.
Share three books on your nightstand.
KL: City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg
Contagious Culture by Anese Cavanaugh
Inner Work by Robert Johnson
CD: The Conscious Parent by Dr. Shefali Tsabary
Holy Terror, Bob Colacello’s bio of Andy Warhol
The Bondi Harvest Cookbook by Guy Turland
Best advice you have ever taken.
KL: “Tomorrow is a new day” from my Dad.
CD: “Don’t worry about the future. It will never happen.” (Dechen Thurman said that during one of his great classes at Jivamukti.)
Name one of your biggest challenges and how you moved through it.
KL: My husband and I were having some challenges after being together for close to 20 years. Learning to be completely honest with each other allowed us to come out better on the other side. By embracing vulnerability I moved through that time with a power I never knew I had.
CD: Losing my mom at a young age. I was 21, she was 49. I’m still moving through it, but at the same time I don’t relate to the idea of “missing” her because I don’t feel like. i still feel like she’s gone. And really, she’s not. I honor her now by trying to be that good a mom to my own kids.
Current CAP beauty must-haves.
KL: May Lindstrom’s The Honey Mud, Romy Northover x CAP Smoothie Glass, Dr. Alkaitis Ageless Elixir, Moon Juice Green Crisps, Fiore Treate Cleanser, Tata Harper Replenishing Nutrient Complex, W3LL PEOPLE Universalist in Creamy Peony.
CD: Romy Northover 24K Matcha Pots , Strange Invisible’s Virgo perfume, Kahina Giving Beauty’s Prickly Pear Oil, infused Palo Santo sticks from Morphologically, Quinton Hypertonic marine plasma shots.
What are you most grateful for?
KL: My life and my health. And Beba, my sato from Puerto Rico.
CD: My family. The one I come from, the one I’m raising and the family that surrounds me at CAP Beauty.
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