At 18, Kya Woods is already teaching other people how to slow down. A certified yoga instructor and recent Detroit Country Day graduate, she is building Harmony by Kya, a wellness brand making yoga, mindfulness, and mental wellness more accessible to young people, and she is only getting started.
Who are you, and what are you building right now?
"I'm Kya Woods, an 18 year old entrepreneur, certified yoga instructor, and recent graduate of Detroit Country Day School. Right now, I'm building Harmony by Kya, my wellness brand focused on making yoga, mindfulness, and mental wellness more accessible to young people. I've been able to bring Harmony by Kya into different youth and community spaces throughout Metro Detroit, but I see it becoming much bigger than individual yoga classes. I want to build a brand that represents wellness, community, and intentional living while showing other young people that you don't have to wait until you're older to start building something meaningful."
What was the moment you decided to actually go for it?
"There wasn't one perfect moment where I suddenly had everything figured out. It really came from realizing that yoga had become something meaningful in my own life and recognizing that I could use something I loved to serve other people. Once I became a certified yoga instructor and started teaching, I saw how people, especially young people, responded to having a space where they could slow down, breathe, and focus on themselves. That made me realize Harmony by Kya could be more than an idea. I stopped thinking about what I could do with it and started focusing on what I could actually build."
"You don't have to wait until you're older to start building something meaningful."
What does Metro Detroit mean to your work?
"Detroit is home, and so much of who I am was shaped here. I grew up surrounded by entrepreneurship, leadership, community service, and people who taught me the importance of giving back. Detroit also has this spirit of resilience and creativity that has influenced the way I approach my own work. A lot of the first opportunities I've had with Harmony by Kya came from organizations and communities here that trusted me enough to give a young entrepreneur a chance. As I grow and eventually expand beyond Michigan, I want Detroit to always be part of my story and the foundation of what I build."
What's something people your age get wrong about what you do?
"I think sometimes people my age see entrepreneurship through social media and think the goal is just to have a brand, make money, or make something look successful or aesthetic. Building something is a lot less glamorous behind the scenes. You have to be consistent when nobody is paying attention yet, put yourself in rooms where you might be the youngest person there, hear no, ask questions, network, and keep learning. I'm still learning too. I don't have everything figured out just because I started young. For me, entrepreneurship is less about being able to say I own something and more about creating something that genuinely helps people."
"Entrepreneurship is less about saying I own something and more about creating something that genuinely helps people."
What's next? What does the near future look like for you?
"The near future is really about expansion. I'll be starting at the University of Miami in January, and I'm excited to take what I've started in Detroit into a completely new environment. I want to continue growing Harmony by Kya, create larger wellness experiences and partnerships, and explore how the brand can evolve beyond yoga alone. At the same time, I'm interested in business, sociology, finance, and eventually law, because I want to understand both how successful businesses are built and how they can be used to create meaningful change. I don't have every detail of my future mapped out, and I actually think that's exciting. I'm proud of what I've built at 18, but I really feel like I'm just getting started."
