Meet Angeliki Papadakis

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angeliki Papadakis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Angeliki, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My family had a restaurant and we all worked there. My Dad owned it, my uncle co-managed it, my mom did the flower arrangements, my siblings, cousins and I served customers.  My Dad is big on service and instilled that in all of us at the restaurant and at home. At the Papadakis Taverna, he spoke of the “heart of a servant” and the difference between that alignment and just serving people food. We all loved the place he built and everyone learned how to work hard together.

I also grew up training in different genres of dance & choreography with Cynthia & Patrick Bradley at the San Pedro City Ballet.  Dance technique involves physical and mental discipline that are drilled in during training.  These experiences at the restaurant and the studio taught me a work ethic I have been able to apply in school, as an attorney and now as a business owner.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I have two.kiddos 6.5 and 8.5 years old. I’m married to the wonderfully fantastic Simon Ford and I have a Weiner dog named Cpt. Weeny.  I also own and operate a yoga studio in Torrance, Kefi Yoga at 23812 Crenshaw Blvd. This place was born organically out of the community we formed during the shutdowns in 2020.

Kefi (κεφι) is a philosophy. It is a Greek term that has no direct English translation but encompasses the spirit of joy, passion, euphoria, and enthusiasm. Kefi is an overpowering emotion you have when you completely let go in the moment, release inhibitions, and allow yourself to joyfully feel the life pulsing through your body and soul. I felt this concept encompassed what I wanted to impart to the community through our practice.

April 1, 2021 was the first day we were allowed to open the doors to our studio. We built our student base from the ground up with amazingly dedicated and knowledgeable  instructors.  We offered the first three classes for free that first year. In April 2022, we doubled our square- footage taking over the neighboring unit in our business center. The first three yoga classes at our studio are now a nominal fee of $3.00. We love getting curious students that want a practice for their minds and bodies.

The thing that sets us apart from other studios is the level and quality of instruction here. We don’t just give a class. We get in the trenches with our students and guide them verbally, demonstratively and physically with concise, clear & detailed instruction into the whole anatomy of their individual practices, including the mental, emotional and spiritual side. Each instructor we have is experienced, dedicated, passionate, and skilled at communicating how students can expand the horizons of their practice off their mats and into their lives.  This blurs the lines between their formal asana practice here and the informal practice of yoga as their daily mindset, philosophy and lifestyle.

We hope to continue to expand our horizons and reach more members of the South Bay community, teaching them how to tap into innate skills we all have as humans that serve the very foundation of our wellness.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Acute dedication is necessary to launch and sustain a small business of any kind but especially in the service industry.  Generosity is always an important foundation of being a good human.  It fosters appreciation from all those around you and brings their best intentions to the forefront. Finally, communication is key in any service oriented industry. Being clear, concise, direct and authentic with your customers and staff is paramount.  This allows understanding and a more seamless functioning along with fostering space so people feel they have the ability to voice their authentic selves and be heard.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents, my family and my husband have unequivocally supported me in all endeavors. Whether it was the pursuit of my legal career, putting on dance productions at the University of Southern California, quitting the legal arena, or starting this yoga studio, they have been there for me physically, emotionally, mentally and financially! My parents, siblings and cousins all practice yoga here. My brother Petros promotes us on his radio show. My brother Taso, also an avid yogi/meditation practitioner as well as a freelance photographer and videographer, helps us with promotional content. My little brother Demetri is going to cultivate a succulent garden for our entrance. Their presence here, their love and their support lifts me up, holds me up and fills me up!

Image Credits
Taso Papadakis