Brandie Kekoa
Walking Sunshine: Brandie Kekoa’s Joyful Mission to Heal Curls—and Community
A soft sunset pink glow warmed the podcast room at Fresh Scoop Studio. In the center of the set, Brandie Kekoa positioned herself into a blue cloth chair as though it were a familiar meditation cushion. Wearing a bright silk robe, she clasped her fingers around one knee, closed her eyes for a breath, then opened them with a brightness that brought a natural sunshine to the space.
We began with a simple introduction. “At heart,” she told the cameras, “I’m the curl healer. I teach women to love and rock their curls, unapologetically.”
The title is not marketing fluff. In her 15 years behind the chair, Brandie has rescued thousands of textured tresses from chemical straighteners and rigid beauty rules. Her Temecula natural hair salon, Be Kekoa, became such a pilgrimage site for curly girls that three years ago she certified other stylists in her technique; 32 now carry her methods and product line into their own communities. This spring she opened a second brick-and-mortar in Palm Desert and, as she told us with another sun-bright smile, “We’re already looking for a bigger space.”
Yet hair is only one thread in the tapestry.
Attached to her Old Town Temecula salon is Be Kekoa Apothecary, where shelves glow with small-batch facial serums, essential-oil blends, and cold-pressed soaps mixed by the same cosmetic chemist who formulates her curl products. Nearby, an airy nook displays a deck of daily “Afro-Mations” cards; thirty bright statements that remind the reader to breathe, celebrate tiny victories, and stand in front of the mirror and claim joy.
Why so many lanes? Brandie tilted her head, eyes closing as she gathered the right words, then nodded once; a gesture that always signaled a truth she felt in her bones.
“My mom was a real-estate broker, but her rule for every part of life was simple: if it doesn’t make you feel good, it isn’t right for you. Career, relationship, friendship, anything. Take a breath. If you can’t breathe easy, walk away.” The robe’s sleeves whispered as she lifted both hands, palms skyward. “So everything I build has to help somebody else breathe easier.”
Long-time Temeculans might be surprised to learn that the serene entrepreneur was once a self-confessed “wild child.” Brandie grinned at the memory. “I was the kid drawing on walls while the other kids played with toys. My mom says I destroyed everything.” The studio filled with her easy, bright laughter. The pivot toward calm came, she thinks, after marrying her husband, Koa, a gentle giant who “only roars when poked.” Two decades of his grounded presence taught her that peace can be chosen, practiced, shared, and protected.
That same protective instinct fuels her fierce advocacy for other small businesses. In 2019, she propped a laptop on her reception desk, added a clip-on mic, and began interviewing shop owners on Instagram Live. “There was a gap,” she explained. “Big brands get plenty of support. Meanwhile the coffee shop down the street donates brews to a youth-soccer fundraiser and nobody knows their name.” The series snowballed; each live chat introduced her followers to new artisans, bakers, yoga teachers, and floral designers, some of whom have since doubled or tripled their clientele.
This prompted us to ask, “Why give away your platform? You never ask for anything in return.” Brandie’s shoulders rose in that modest shrug. “If you’re blessed, you bless others. That’s how community works.” She closed her eyes again, thoughtful and steady, then opened them in full sunrise mode. “And frankly, it just feels good.”
Feeling good, she insists, is more than mood; it is strategy. During the pandemic, she wrote Bringing Joy Back to Your Business, a digital guide that walks owners through brand storytelling, intentional pricing, and energy management. “Joy is profitable,” she told the camera, voice tinged with quiet conviction. “Customers can sense it the moment they walk through your door.”
The guide is only the first chapter of her education branch. Virtual curl-care workshops are launching this summer as well. Meanwhile, the apothecary is preparing something special. “If you like wine,” she teased, eyes flashing, “just follow me.”
Through every new venture runs a single golden filament: joy as both compass and currency. She returns to the lesson often, each time planting her feet flat, spine tall, as if anchoring the thought in the room. “We can grow together,” she said, “by sharing what we know, by choosing projects that let us breathe.”
Asked for something Temecula residents might not know about her, Brandie offered a hometown confession: she attended both middle and high school here, and her children later walked those same campus halls. “I love it here,” she said softly. “It’s a beautiful community when you find the right people. I’m excited to watch it flourish.”
Anyone who doubts the city’s brightness needs only step inside Be Kekoa on a sunny afternoon in Old Town.
Follow Brandie’s journey at @brandiekekoa and @bekekoa on Instagram.
Watch her full interview here: Brandie Kekoa | Curls, Culture, and Community
