I was met with this infectious energy as soon as I logged on to a Zoom call with Turiya Lafoucade. Running around her apartment, phone in hand, as she tried to finish making her tea to accompany her for the interview. “I am not any fancy person, so I don’t know if you want to record me or not,” Lafoucade says when she finally sits down with her dog. Rather than being “fancy,” Lafoucade appears laid back, both in the clothes she chose to wear and her attitude, which isn’t surprising given her island lifestyle. Known to her 2k YouTube followers as Kia Waves, Lafoucade is redefining what it means to create a fulfilling life. As one will find out from viewing her channel, Lafoucade doesn’t subscribe to the hustle culture that has been the status quo for far too long anymore. Instead, she subscribes to gentle living. I wanted to know more about what it means to live gently, how Lafoucade came to this lifestyle, and… Lafoucade was more than happy to answer my questions. Here’s what she had to say:
You have this series on your channel titled, “island diaries” where you show glimpses of your life on the virgin islands. What led you to creating this lifestyle and starting this series?
Basically, I’m from St Thomas (that’s where I live here on the island). But I was raised in the States in Georgia. And ever since I graduated, I went straight into working, and I’m very used to a hustle and bustle lifestyle. And I was just asking myself, “Do I want to do this for the rest of my life?” like I would work really long days from eight to eight at night, or eight to nine at night. I’ve always been in the sales industry, so it could be a bit brutal. And I just wanted a change of pace.
Also, there’s a lot of crazy things happening in the States. People are shooting up schools, grocery stores. If you look at people in their face, people are on edge. They’re struggling to provide for their family. Your average person just can’t make it. And so I just wanted to get away from all the stuff happening in the direct states, you know.
Okay, and so you say you were working in sales in the U.S. So what are you doing now on the Virgin Islands?
I’m in sales as well, but it’s just a lot shorter hours. And I have a side thing that I do as well; I sell home decor. And I think out here in the islands, you have to have hustles, because certain things are more expensive than in the States, but overall it’s just a lot better work life balance for me.
What has been the opinions of your friends and family with your decision to move to an island and build a life for yourself?
I would say my dad, he’s always been very supportive of me. But my dad and my very best friend were just kind of like, “You know, you have an opportunity…” Even my boss, he’s like, “You have an opportunity to work here for the next few years, and then you can live wherever you want, retire, like, save up all your money and then go, but you should be busting your butt in your 20s.” That’s the feedback. I understand where they’re coming from, you know, but it’s like I could lose my life tomorrow. Why would I continue to be here and just because I’m getting money? I don’t believe in planning so far ahead for the future. I think that it’s good to have perspective, but I don’t think you should be miserable for X amount of years so you could be happy during this time, because life is just so uncertain.
I always welcome feedback, but at the end of the day, we all have that gut and intuition where you have to live your life for yourself and do what’s best for you. So even if you walk away from something but you have your peace, that’s the most important thing. I had to make the decision that was best for me. And you know, my dad always supports me in what I do, he’s always going to give his opinion, and I appreciate that, but I had to make a big girl choice for myself.
Was that something you had to cultivate or it like an epiphany moment?
Well, I was brought up learning about the Bible, so I’ve studied so many religions and been on the search for that. I started to read the Bible as to what it is, because I feel like there’s so many people that are like, “Oh, I’m Christian,” or like, “Thank you God for this,” but it’s like, are you really living your life in a way that is reflecting, you know, the Bible? And I feel like no one’s perfect, and it’s not going to be to a T right — that goes for anything — but I feel like there’s a lot of people that are super materialistic, and then they want to talk about God and faith but it’s like no one talks about the sacrifices to how you got to that place and what goes on the back burner, because you can’t worship both things, like you can’t give 100% to both. You have to make a choice.
So when I started getting more serious about, like, reading and understanding and those kinds of things, I started to look at my own life, and I was like, “Where can I make changes in my own life to where I can just be happy.” Simplicity is the key. It’s just better to just be simple, to have a simple life. Like and you can have money and be simple, you know. But I just feel like the more you accumulate, the more things you have to worry about and stress about, versus the less you have, the more free you’ll be.
Another theme you have on your channel is the act of “living gently.” What exactly does this mean?
Living gently is just appreciating what’s around you and being present. I struggle with being present a lot, like, my mind’s always going. So I think when you choose to live gently, you choose to just take a second, listen to the crickets and the frogs at night, versus closing your screen and putting on music or whatever the case is. [Or] like how I’m making this cup of tea; this is my time I’m taking, I’m putting some condensed milk in my tea, and I’m stirring it, and I’m not rushing. And just taking out time to be thorough and observant in whatever your lifestyle and your day to day is and reducing rush, that’s what I would say is living gently.
Deep talks with aunt Grace — what is one piece of advice from your aunt Grace that influenced your life?
Auntie Grace is super important to me. She’s 92 years old, and she’s basically a business woman. She’s built her house and had her own business, and being an entrepreneur in the island is very tough, just because the government has so many regulations to get licenses and rent and so many things are very expensive here. So she did that, and she would tell me her story of coming from Grenada to going to New York and making $1.70 you know, stuff like that. Just putting herself out there, selling at the back of her truck. Now she’s enjoying the fruit of her labor. I’ve always appreciated her independence. So her biggest advice to me was to always go for it. You might fall, but you just go for it.
My mom taught me that too, just to be independent and to go for it. Life is short, you know, the world is wide. Just do whatever you want to do. If you fail, you fail, you have plenty of time. Every day is an opportunity. So if I was to lose my house or lose my job and my ends meet, I’ll figure it out. Even if I have to move back and then rebuild. You have every day, so you shouldn’t be discouraged by that. If you want to do something, put yourself out there. That would be the biggest advice that I’ve gotten from her.
This series is called “On My Terms” because it features individuals who are creating and living a life on their terms. So, I want to ask: For life to feel and look authentic to you, what terms are required?
I just have to be myself no matter where I am or the environment. Like, if I don’t feel like doing something, I’m not going to force it. I would say that that’s the most important thing, and just having that relationship with God, wherever I go. As long as I’m myself, and I have that relationship — which I will, because that’s not physical — so it’ll always be there.
I’m Just Curious — rapid fire questions
What is your go-to nostalgic show?
There’s so many. H2O, I would say, is my number one nostalgic show.
Favorite smoothie recipe?
Peanut punch Island punch. Basically, milk, bananas, peanut butter. I put dates, chia seeds and blend it up. If you’re feeling a little spicy, you could put some RumChata in there. It’s like a cinnamony eggnog. It’s alcohol, but it’s like creamy.
What is the scripture that keeps you grounded?
There’s a scripture… Revelation… well, I would say this keeps me focused on the future: Revelations three and four. It talks about God’s promise to humans that he’ll wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more. Neither will mourning nor outcry, nor pain, be anymore, and the former things would have passed away. That I think, is something that you read all the time when you’re reading the Bible, but until something happens to you or to your family, it becomes more real. It becomes personal to you. And so that is God’s promise to us.
What is your current beach read?
Current read is The Art of Seduction by Robert Green. It’s basically, like psychology, and less about your physical appearance and, like, actually seducing somebody. It’s like, psychologically. How are you a charming person? How do you get your point across to people?
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Tune of the week: Heart of a Child by Mereba
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