Our Team

Maggy is an accomplished Spa and Wellness executive with 25+ years of experience in the spa and wellness space, providing her tools to weave together key components of culture, programming, innovation, operations, leadership, and financial success. As an innovative thinker and do-er, Maggy’s passion is collaborating with owners, architects, interior designers, and others involved, to bring a concept to life by crafting the visual story and creating spaces that are desirable to both work and experience. This collaborative approach produces intentional spaces with purpose. Cultivating spaces for people to thrive, to grow and be better has become a focus and the purpose behind the work that she does.

Nicole is an entrepreneur, startup advisor, avid yogi and amateur creative. In her current position as COO of Honua Hawaiian Skincare, she leads operations and marketing, which means she may be fine-tuning a new formula one day, ensuring the latest products make it to stores and e-commerce sites the next day, or planning one of the Honua’s annual sustainability events another day. Before making the career jump to consumer and beauty, Nicole was an investment banker and passionate renewable energy and sustainability devotee, holding senior positions at Citigroup, Inc. and SolarCity.  She lives in the thriving city of San Francisco, keeping very busy as a mom to two tiny humans and is usually found planning their next adventure.

Brett has worked as an executive in the beauty industry for over ten years working with multiple sustainable skincare, sunscreen, and wellness brands. As the former COO of Soleil Toujours in Bronxville, NY, Brett helped lead the brand to international recognition including a successful launch in Sephora. Brett lives in Lake Forest, IL with his two teenage children that he loves to travel with. He is a mentor for Lake Forest High School’s business incubator program, guiding kids in their curriculum that involves creating unique entrepreneurial ventures from inception to launch. He is dedicated to sustainability initiatives including packaging, ingredients, carbon offsets and the preservation of our oceans and coral reefs. Prior to moving to Lake Forest, Brett lived in the San Francisco Bay area where he worked in technology with multiple startups. 

Kate joined Ojai Valley Inn’s spa management team in 2010. Her passion for excellence in luxury spa experiences paired with her innovative spirit have helped strengthen the renowned reputation Spa Ojai holds in the industry. In recent years, Kate has expanded wellness programming at Spa Ojai to include creative, spiritual, and nutritional elements and has introduced signature experiences that are exclusive to Ojai. Additionally, her role includes identifying, developing, driving passion for green initiatives; focusing on opportunities to make the Ojai Valley Inn a more sustainably-minded organization. Under Kate‘s leadership, Spa Ojai has been awarded the Preferred Hotels Pineapple Award recognizing Leadership in Sustainability for the 2017 Single-Use Plastic Free initiative and won an ISPA Innovation Award in 2018 for a Holistic Approach to Workplace Wellness Initiative. She has a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of California, Santa Barbara and eight years of previous spa and wellness leadership experience with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

Michael is CEO of One Well World, a group of companies, including a non-profit, 501(c)3 charitable foundation. Among them is NaturalBeautyGroup.com, an eCommerce spa product boutique, OM4 Organic Male, and haia. He holds an MSOD in organization and design and development from Loyola University’s School of Business in Chicago, specializing in work systems engineering. With more than 22 years of experience in healthcare administration, Michael maintains an interest in integrative health and wellness and has led several building projects and service implementations bridging traditional and nontraditional therapies in the hospital setting. After his career in healthcare, Michael purchased and operated a 16-room destination inn and spa in La Conner, WA, where he became interested in spa product development to fill a glaring gap in the market—men’s skincare. Now 12 years later, Mike saw another glaring unfulfilled niche – inclusive beauty and founded the gender-agnostic brand, haia (Happy as I Am) in 2021. His broad expertise in marketing, brand development, best-practice operational systems design and management has served him well in his entrepreneurial life. In his spare time, mike loves being out in the natural world and considers it essential to maintaining a healthy, unbiased perspective.

Bio coming soon!

Di’s career has followed many paths over the past 30 years, all driven by her passion for the wellness industry. As Corporate Spa Director for Canyon Ranch, Di led new and existing operational projects as part of the development team, implementing Canyon Ranch SpaClub Las Vegas, Canyon Ranch onboard Cunard’s QM2, the Canyon Ranch Living brand, and the Canyon Ranch Skincare line. She was also a member of the executive team that launched Cortiva Education, a national vocational massage school in North America.

As an industry advisor and founder of Spa Mojo, LLC, Di thrives on working across a variety of projects that support business owners, brands, and management teams in bringing their visions to life. She collaborates with architects and interior designers to ensure spaces are operationally sound, with the flow and functionality needed to support programming, staffing needs, and the ultimate guest experience.

Known for “thinking outside the box,” Di upholds the highest standards of integrity while mentoring and collaborating with others. She is a strong advocate for training and education to drive financial success, prioritizing the need for sustainable environments—all while emphasizing the importance of having fun and staying motivated while getting things done.

Margaret Lora is a distinguished senior executive with over 25 years of experience in general management, sales, marketing, and operations within the luxury hospitality and wellness sectors. Her career spans a diverse range of roles in hospitality spas, med spas, and day spas, where she has cultivated unmatched expertise in every facet of the spa and wellness industry. Starting as a receptionist, Margaret quickly fell in love with the field, building a career rooted in passion, dedication, and a deep commitment to excellence.

Throughout her career, Margaret has significantly influenced the spa and wellness landscape. She has managed luxury spas and fitness clubs, developed operational strategies, and strengthened brand identities for some of the industry’s most renowned names. Notably, she managed one of the first medical day spas in New York City and played a key role in launching the first Hilton Grand Vacation Club Spa in NYC. As the National Operations Director for Exhale Spa, she oversaw 21 locations, ensuring operational excellence and delivering exceptional guest experiences across all properties.

Margaret’s journey also brought her to the serene Mohonk Mountain House. Surrounded by lush forests, tranquil lakes, and majestic mountains, she discovered the profound connection between nature and well-being. This transformative experience ignited her passion for sustainability and eco-friendly spa practices—a philosophy that continues to shape her approach to wellness today.

A crowning achievement in Margaret’s career is her role as co-founder of Wonders of Wellness (WOW) Spa Consulting. In this capacity, she leads efforts to push the boundaries of the spa and wellness industry. Through WOW, Margaret is redefining spa and wellness experiences by integrating sustainable practices, innovative treatments, and holistic approaches into luxury spa management.

With her hands-on operational background and a strategic focus on brand development, Margaret remains a thought leader in the spa and wellness community.

Milana Knowles is a highly accomplished marketing and business development executive and the founder of MK Consulting. She partners with distinguished brands in the luxury beauty, elite wellness, and high-end hospitality sectors. Her expertise lies in crafting bespoke strategies that amplify brand presence, elevate client experiences, and establish exceptional positioning through innovative market approaches that drive growth and measurable client acquisition.

Recognized for her proficiency in luxury brand strategy and her ability to design impactful marketing initiatives, Milana has a proven track record of transforming client experiences across the spa, health, and hospitality industries.

With over two decades of experience in international B2C and B2B wellness, she specializes in aligning brands with emerging market trends, developing strategies that foster customer loyalty, and cultivating sustainable, long-term partnerships.

Milana’s strategic vision and deep understanding of the wellness and luxury sectors have positioned her as a leader in advancing high-end wellness innovations that resonate with both clients and consumers.