Today we’d like to introduce you to Leila Caldera.
Hi Leila, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
The idea for Trilogy was born when me and my husband decided that we wanted to create a business together. Something that we could work on as a couple and something that would tailor to each of our strengths and talents. We knew that any business would consume all of our time, so we wanted to do something we felt very passionate about.
Trilogy is a combination of all the things we love! We wanted to create a business that brought about positive change in the world. We also wanted to do something that would make us feel satisfied and fulfilled at the end of each day.
Both of us are yogis, and we share a huge passion for healthy food. I had just completed a course in whole foods nutritional counseling, so I was eager to share the many health-promoting ideas and foods that I had learned about. Joe had been working in the health and healing industry for many years and was passionate about helping people to follow their own path of self-discovery. I was an avid Aerialist and Fire Dancer and know we had to incorporate that into the business too! Both of us had spent the previous few years traveling to many places in the world and had been to a number of life-changing festivals, these experiences inspired the need to create events that brought the community together is a healthy and healing way. All of this was the inspiration and motivation for creating Trilogy.
This was our first business venture together and we had to learn a lot along the way! As with the start of any new business – we didn’t know how we would be received in the community – we were also on top of a roof and we did fear that no one would ever find us and that the business would not succeed. It was a big risk but we took it anyway!
After many challenges along the way – We are now honored to have just celebrated our eighth year in business and we have been going from strength to strength from the day we opened! After just one year we outgrew our space and were very lucky when the space below became available, so we took over an additional 2000 square foot and we basically doubled in size, that was in 2016, once we moved our. yoga studios to the indoor space we opened up a beautiful Eco-Boutique called Totem, where we sell local and handmade goods, clothing, crystals and jewelry, books and journals, and other things. You can check it out online www.totemtrilogy.com. In 2020 we added a 30-foot yoga dome on the rooftop which has added a whole new dimension to the space, Trilogy is always growing and evolving, and it always keeps us on our toes!
Trilogy as you see it today is a buzzing hot spot! We have so many things happening there – from open mic nights, full moon drum circles, meditation classes, sound healings, craft nights, to name but a few! Our cafe is open 7 days a week and we have 10 yoga and aerial classes a day. We have become a hot tourist destination and we attract people from all walks of life. As a business, we are constantly evolving and transforming to be the best we can for our community.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have definitely been challenges along the way. The hardest part was during the construction phase, we had signed the lease on the building, and we thought that the build-out would take around three months. All of our budgets were based on the idea that we would be open by January 2014. We had huge problems with our contractors, the build-out took 9 months instead of three and cost three times as much as the initial quote!
On top of that – the licensing for the kitchen took so much longer than we had planned for and was incredibly complicated. Building a kitchen on the 4th floor of a building is not an easy task!!! We had been paying rent for 6 months before we had even opened, and this was the most stressful time as we only had a very small initial investment. Luckily, we were very busy from the first moment we opened so everything worked out in the end.
Trilogy was the first business me and my husband opened, so with no experience of the process we definitely had to learn along the way.
The funny thing is – everyone always says that the construction will cost double and take longer than you think, but we were a little naive in thinking that our story would be different! If we knew how long it would have taken, we would not have gone ahead with the business in that particular location because it would have been too much of a risk with such a small budget on the project. But thank goodness it all worked out for the best.
Once we opened, we have been lucky for no other major challenges, but running a business is NOT easy! We were always hoping that at some point the business would ‘run itself’ in a way – but to this date this is really not the case! It is a constant battle to keep everything running smoothly, with so many employees and such a fast growth we are constantly changing and evolving so all of our systems have to change too. It takes a lot of management. The business model is quite complex – the yoga, the cafe, and all the events we have, it’s a constant balancing act!
Obviously, 2020 and the Covid shutdowns were a huge challenge… but we made it through, and we feel so blessed to have been fully supported by our community during this challenging time.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Trilogy is definitely a one-of-a-kind type of business! We offer so many things. We are a restaurant, a yoga studio, a boutique, and an event space. Our restaurant is known for its unique menu of 100% plant-based food. We are one of the only places in San Diego to serve a 100% organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free menu. People come from far and wide to enjoy our food! We recently created our very own cookbook, which is available online here: https://www.totemtrilogy.com/collections/cookbook
Our yoga studio is the only studio in San Diego to offer infrared classes. We have four amazing studios including a rooftop deck with views out to the ocean, a 30-foot yoga dome, an infrared indoor studio, and a spacious Aerial studio. We offer so many types of classes – and we are most known for our Aerial yoga. A style of yoga that uses an aerial hammock to provide support for the body to stretch in.
Our unique space, with two floors, with our outdoor and indoor spaces hosts a whole array of community events. From yoga workshops, meditation classes, speaker series, movie nights, to full moon drum circles, ecstatic dance parties, poetry nights and so much more! We are a space that encourages performance art, so our events are filled with many artistic expressions of movement – including fire dancing and circus-style aerial arts. Our events are different than most since we are not the typical bar-style venue. We promote the idea of socializing and having fun in a healthy and nourishing environment, serving our health-promoting drinks and elixirs such as kefir soda, kombucha and cold-pressed juices.
As a company, we are most proud of continuing to support the community by creating space for people to be inspired to live a healthy lifestyle. We bring together like-minded people in a nourishing environment. As the business owner – I receive so many thank yous – and I hear so many stories of how Trilogy has been such a positive impact in their lives. It has a rich community and is an incredibly welcoming space to all. I am proud of our values as a business, always striving to be as eco–conscious as we can.
We attract a whole variety of people, who come together with a shared passion for a healthy and nourishing lifestyle.
Anyone who steps foot in Trilogy can see and feel how different we are than most other business. Where else can you come for a casual lunch and happen to catch some aerial dancing acrobats in full flow on top a roof?!? There truly is no other place like us. We are one of a kind!
The strong sense of community, especially between our employees, creates a supportive environment, we feel like one big family! We are a group of people all striving to make a positive difference in the world. We didn’t create this business because we wanted to be rich, we created it so that we could enjoy a better life and we can share what we love with the community. I believe this authenticity is tangible and is why we have been so successful.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
There are a lot of things that make me happy – I would say one of the things that guarantees me happiness is when I have the opportunity to be creative. Whether it’s a piece of art, a mural, a new recipe, or a fun and dynamic Aerial yoga class. I feel so satisfied after creating something new and the process of doing so fills me with joy and peace. When I am creating, I know I am on the right path. I think when we find our passion and we are living that passion, it is the ultimate joy, knowing that we are on track and feeling the deep satisfaction that comes along with it.
Creating Trilogy Sanctuary is the ultimate joy for me, over the last eight years it has given me so many opportunities to practice my skills of creativity, management, yoga, aerial, people management and so many other things. Trilogy employees are my family and community and everything about it all fills me up and leaves me feeling deeply satisfied, and SO proud of our achievements.
Other things that fill me up are family and friends, deep and meaningful connections, time in nature, and dancing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.trilogysanctuary.com www.totemtrilogy.com
- Instagram: @trilogysanctuary @totem_trilogy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trilogysanctuary/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TrilogySanctuary
Image Credits
Monique Feil
