Chakra Earthsong has always approached life differently.

Since childhood, she had been a seeker with an imperative to find her own method of doing things. Then, as an adult living in Ojai, California, she stumbled upon a way to help others improve their well-being: Earthsong had been experimenting with fermentation for a long time and began making water kefir at her kitchen table. She was blown away by its digestive and immune benefits. She began refining her creations and, with the help of her business partners, winemaker Bill Moses and sales strategist Robert Adams, the idea came to fruition. In 2009, the trio launched KeVita, a fermented drink line including water kefir-based sparkling probiotics, kombuchas and apple cider vinegar-based tonics. Today, the brand continues to grow by leaps and bounds.

Here, Chakra Earthsong describes how full engagement is the root of her happiness:

Live The Process: Have you always been interested in health and healing?

Chakra Earthsong: Yes, I have been interested in health and healing from a young age and knew that I needed to find a different way to live, eat and learn how to process my feelings. At age 13, I began my lifelong journey as a vegetarian. Soon after, I discovered Dr. Ann Wigmore, founder of the Hippocrates Institute, and a wide-range of therapeutic practices. My life experience changed radically.

LTP: How did you come to found KeVita?

CE: I had been a longtime fermenter of raw goat’s milk kefir, although I’m allergic to dairy and could only tolerate a small amount. In 2008, I discovered water kefir, which is a fermented product made without dairy. I fell in love with it; it really spoke to me. One of my first formulas became KeVita Lemon Ginger, which we launched into the marketplace in early 2010.

LTP: What separates KeVita from other drinks of its kind?

CE: KeVita is in a class of its own; there really is nothing else like it. It's the first and only sparkling probiotic kefir drink in the marketplace that is fermented with water. We also have our Master Brew Kombucha line and our KeVita Tonics, which include apple cider vinegar to support cleansing.

LTP: Aside from drinking your own drinks, how do you keep yourself feeling healthy and balanced?

CE: I eat a high prana, organic diet and I love movement, especially freestyle dancing, such as 5 Rhythms and Soul Motion. I have a strong yoga practice and love wilderness hiking. In addition to meditation, I find spending time in nature deeply nourishes my being, as does my relationship with my son and my 30-plus-year marriage to my soulmate and life partner.

LTP: What does happiness look like to you? 

CE: To me, happiness is a deeply felt sense in one’s core that all is well and, oftentimes, thriving. It's an internal, direct knowing that I’m in fully engaged in my life’s path.

LTP: What does it mean to you to “Live The Process” and how can we all do that more each day?

CE: To me, “living the process” is being fully engaged with life, in real time. It's bringing my attention and awareness to each moment, as much as I can. Day-to-day, I find choosing to breathe, pause and reflect calibrates the nervous system.