With her finger on the pulse of health, wellness, and luxury, Burke Williams Woodland Hills Vice President & General Manager, Diane Kim, understands the need for self-care. When the Southern California native first accepted a front desk position at Burke Williams, she immediately felt a sense of community among the staff and was inspired by the supportive company culture.
Through her many years with Burke Williams, she has been recognized for her innovation and ability to nurture potential within the company and the community. In addition to being featured in the 50 Fabulous Women issue in THE Magazine, Kim has received numerous honors for her commitment and dedication to improving the quality of life for the members of her community.
Kim also sparked Burke Williams' work with Villa Esperanza, which garnered great attention including awards and recognitions from U.S. Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano, the California Legislature Assembly as a Woman of Distinction Nominee, the Pasadena Mayor's Committee for Employment of People with Disabilities, and the Pasadena Police Officer's Association.
Now leading one of California’s premier day spas, Kim shares her thoughts on growing within the company, Villa Esperanza, and why self-care is vital to a healthy, happy lifestyle.
How did our journey with Burke Williams begin?
I initially took a part-time front desk job at Burke Williams in West Hollywood and instantly noticed what a tight-knit community the company had cultivated. Burke Williams was very supportive and willing to work with my schedule as I was working as an actress at the time. As I started a family, I realized the significance in having a company that valued me as a person and not just as an employee and chose to move up within the company and watched it grow with me.
You brought the Villa Esperanza program to Burke Williams in 2009. What led you to the program and how is it being incorporated into Burke Williams to this day?
After seeing a news story on T.V. about a company who employed staff with developmental disabilities, I was really inspired. I sought out the local resource center and found Villa Esperanza in Pasadena. Villa Esperanza is an organization devoted to the care and education of a diverse disabled population of children, adults, and seniors. I immediately began brainstorming how we could employ Villa clients at the Pasadena spa. Working with the Villa Esperanza program has been one of the highlights of my career—I am so proud of the individuals we work with and are proud of their accomplishments both within Burke Williams and in their personal lives.
I’ve watched Greg Guerrero, who we hired in 2009 to work in our laundry room, succeed at Burke Williams and turn a job into a career. He has grown professionally and personally and is now one of the leads in our distribution department in Pasadena. Since his employment, Greg has grown to become more independent. He is now a proud husband and father of a 2-year old daughter. Since Greg, we have employed seven clients from Villa Esperanza, four of whom are currently working at our Pasadena and Woodland Hills locations.
How do you keep staff motivated?
I’ve worn a lot of hats during my time at Burke Williams. I am currently a Vice President of the company and head the Woodland Hills location. I love being able to work directly with the staff on a daily basis. One of my top priorities is to always make sure the staff feel well-taken care of. The winter holiday season is definitely our busiest time of year. As an example, one of the things we do is feed the staff. The management teams make it a point to be in the break room every day making meals for everyone – this way the staff can spend their break resting, eating and connecting with each other. I want to make sure our staff enjoys their working experience at Burke Williams much as we would like our guests to enjoy their experience with Burke Williams. We cannot ask our employees to deliver exemplary service if we, as leaders, do not provide it to those around us.
Whether it's your staff or clients, you always ensure everyone takes time for self-care. Why do you feel self-care is an important part of health and wellness?
In a day and age where everyone is “go-go-go” all time, we need to take time to stop and take a breath. Self-care is not only vital to our mental and physical health, it allows us to keep up with our busy schedules. Wellness is defined as the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, especially as the result of deliberate effort. Whether we take a nap, socialize with friends, read a book, go to the spa, when we give time to ourselves to rest and rejuvenate we can give more to what and who we love. Our bodies are just like any other machine that needs regular maintenance – we need to take time to hit pause and recharge our batteries. I am proud that I get to be a part of that for so many at Burke Williams.
