Meet Kupah James

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kupah James. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kupah, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Looking back at my childhood, there was quite a bit of misfortune and undesirable circumstances. Prejudice, bullying at school (jr high/high school), some family disfunction and poverty were difficult obstacle to overcome. I’m not convinced I’m fully over them, more-so I work to cope with them and use them as fuel for positive self talk and an optimistic projection into the world. I try to keep it simple inside my overthinking mind and remind myself to be the thing I would like to see in the world. Well that is a transparent, open minded, opinionated, giving, dude with a health sense of “don’t step on my J’s” and think you are not going to hear about it. I call it balance, lol. Joking aside I truly believe that my resilience comes from a fundamental core believe that I while I’m not completely in control of every situation or circumstance I am in control of my response. When I think about what kind of mark I will leave on the world, it brings me peace to know I show up everyday for myself and those around me. I am committed to living a life I’m proud of and if I believe that then quitting isn’t an option and resilience is my only path to fulfillment.

Image description

Image description

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I entered the entertainment world of Private Party Djing in my early 20s. With there being so many kinds of Djs these days please humor me while I unpack what “Private Party Djing” is… I throw parties for clients and bring the energy, open format music which means I can and do play just about anything. I have Dj for two presidents but never Coachella (would love to one day). I have done everything you can imagine for parties – weddings, bar/bat-mitzvahs, corporate, school, night clubs, lounges, pool parties all of it. What makes my sets different is that I play to the crowd. My job as a Dj is to tap in with the crowd and either provide a vibe for them or feed off of theirs. The energy of my parties is always positive, appropriately loud and I blend genres seamlessly so all you have to worry about is being present. Don’t like hip hop music cool your tits, I’m going to play EDM sooner or later but its coming, so is Latin, Amapiano and Remixes, sit tight and enjoy the ride because #IAmTheDj. I have a monthly party at RoosterFISH (Abbot Kinney) First Saturday of every month from 4p-8p come see me for yourself. If you’re having a party or know an organization looking to add some talent who “gets it” send them my way or forward this article to them.

Fitness came as I phased out of competitive sports. I played 8 years of soccer and Division III Basketball during my undergrad. Landing a job with a local gym as I graduated, I soon cross paths with Equinox and just like so many others, I was SOLD on the brand, they seemed like “Fitness Excellence”. Skipping 16 years of coaching fitness – The last 4 years I have been changing lives all over Southern California with my own Signature Format “BootKAMP”.

BootKAMP is a Group Fitness Experience… MY WAY. This is work, Not a Vacation. Built from the basics, 45min of non stop movement, focus and camaraderie. Each klass is total body, strength/conditioning w functional fitness in mind. Im coaching Mobility and extending active lifestyles. Stairs killing ur cardio, come cook these Climbers; Stationary for long periods of time , snag a set of Dumbys crush these Squats. Athletes, former athletes, Mums, Dads, Celebs and Peasants come get familiar when we hit those signature JAX in every warm up! My purpose is to serve the people, it’s my favorite shit. Form and Technique are observed and corrected when needed. Watching a member find that mind body connection thru proper queues a coaches dream. Sure personal training is cool but BootKAMP is a VIBE. Where can you BootKAMP – right now Im Partnered (non-exclusive) with Equinox (full circle) I host BootKAMP 12 times a week across 7 Equinox locations. If youre not a member look me up online and send me a DM, I’m always guesting new Kampers to come and try BootKAMP and Check out Equinox while you’re there.

BootKAMP is currently seeking partnerships, collaborations and other fitness activations. I would love to see BootKAMP offered at Resorts, Destination Locations and even join forces with other coaches and organizations to host Retreats both local and foreign. If any of this is in your wheelhouse, reach out and let’s chat. Help me spread BootKAMP. The best way to keep up with events, classes, dj sets is to join my Newsletter – My team and I work hard to NOT bore you and send you meaningless content. Join my email list link from my IG Bio.

Image description

Image description

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Im going to keep it 100 with y’all… Stop adding Patience to this list… Go for it, chase it, don’t accept no for answer and never never never let anyone tell you your dream is small or insignificant. Ahem (clears throat)… Now to answer the question, 3 things I would put on this list would be Self Awareness, Effective Communication, and Discipline… theres so many things left off this list but let’s dive into these today. Self awareness embodies so many related qualities and skills but assuming you’re picking up what I’m putting down, it’s about knowing who YOU are. Not your social media persona but you.. not your parents or spouses image of you but YOU. Having a real sense of oneself can do so much of your success and ability to remain resilient, avoid distractions also help you when making large decisions. Being able to rely on oneself for honest feedback is a huge advantage.

All communication is NOT good communication in fact we all continue to fall victim to miscommunications each and every day. Try to establish your ways of effectively communicating, then seek others who might communicate similarly. However everyone is different and that’s what makes living so cool. You can meet so many different types of people and energies. Point being that you will have to communicate with others who do NOT communicate the same way you might, in these cases you want to try and find a balance that works for all parties to keep the peace rather push your ways onto another. That usually won’t end well and sets all parties involved back a few steps, halts progress and often times causes damage to all involved.

Discipline is something you have to breakdown from feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities instead of motivated by them. There are parts of Djing and Coaching fitness that I don’t love, but I understand that I won’t evolve for my members or grow with my audiences if I don’t remain diligent in my disciplines. Create routines for yourself but build in FUN. I never any to-do lists that have anything FUN in them. I literally build in fun when planning my week or starting a new project. Total transparency – I do NOT love answering questions about my “Why”. They force me to sit down and dig deep, Im not a writer so I feel nervous that my writing won’t express my thoughts feelings as well as I “think” I do when conversing. That said – sharing my life, energy and story with y’all is such a Wonderfull opportunity to connect on a different lever outside of fitness and without loud music in the background. So as much as I might not “love” staying still for 45min (always feels like 45hours haha), its my discipline to the cause and to the community that I have built and that I’m inviting you into. Thanks to Voyager for reaching out and providing me an opportunity take part.

Image description

Image description

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

As a Dj I am looking for Dj agencies and Booking Managers to expand my reach. I want to Dj internationally (again), Throw more parties. Party Planners are usually top of the food chain, getting my name and list of services on some Preferred Vendor list is priority number one. If any readers feel inclined to help us make those connections I would be most grateful.

As a Fitness Coach I am also looking to expand BootKAMPs reach and come in contact with as many students of fitness and enthusiasts as possible. Connecting with Resorts, Fitness Spaces, Wellness organizations and Fitness Products as a way to collaborate and exchange services while delivering Dope Experiences each and every time.

The best way to connect with me is through my Website (KupahJames.Com) or Instagram (KupahJames). Looking forward to meeting ya.

Contact Info:

Image description

Image description

Image Credits

JENI Lin, Jesse DeYoung, Alo Moves.

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Tactics & Strategies for Keeping Your Creativity Strong

With the rapid improvements in AI, it’s more important than ever to keep your creativity

Productivity
From Burnout to Balance: The Role of Self-Care

Burning out is one of the primary risks you face as you work towards your