What I Do
Over the last 10 years, Kayla has established herself as a versatile and reliable creative writer, reporter, and editor with dozens of outlets, start-ups, and private clients for whom she has covered health, lifestyle, shopping, beauty, fitness, and more. She has also conducted celebrity interviews—most notably with stars like Hilary Duff, Sterling K. Brown, and an entire season’s worth of RuPaul’s Drag Race queens. All of that work is bolstered by a solid foundation—she earned a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Ohio University where she specialized her studies in public health and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Below are details about her skillset and services, as well as some of her favorite works.
-
Writing in our digital world is multi-pronged—it takes not only the finesse of words but that of analytics and algorithms. From search engine optimization (SEO) to Google Discover to Apple News, Kayla has worked with editors to craft stories that are both compelling and suited for metric success. She also has experience working in (often finicky) content management systems. Below are author bio pages that host her latest clips:
-
Kayla has held multiple contract editing positions with national outlets including Prevention, PEOPLE, The Wildest, and others, in which she assists lead editors with copyediting, headline optimization, keyword prioritization, and refining pieces with proper editorial style and grammar. She’s taken on workloads of up to eight green writer-written pieces per day and has been praised for her keen eye and quick turnarounds.
-
Writing and editing for e-commerce strategy requires a specific skillset and awareness that Kayla has developed as a writer who “grew up” alongside editorial commerce integration. That’s what makes her great at identifying worthy products to cover as it relates to an outlet. The detail-oriented nature of commerce writing (which hones in on product descriptions and hyper-specific linking) has also strengthened her editing eye.
-
Kayla has goals of expanding her writing beyond journalism. Catch her taking creative craft classes with local orgs and attending poetry open mic nights while she figures out that portion of her path. Related: She also has a lot to say on Substack.
-
Olympic Snowboarders Faye Gulini Thelen and Meghan Tierney Daniel Talk Getting Back to Sport After Having Kids
My interview with Olympic snowboarders about following their dreams for themselves and their kids.
-
How Oksana Masters Gets Ready for the Paralympics Is a Solitary, But Empowering Ritual
Oksana Masters, the most decorated winter Paralympian of all time, shares her race morning routine.
-
The Health Benefits of Drinking Alcohol May Be From Skunked Science
A print-turned-digital reported feature in Prevention.
-
My Thai Massage Experience Was Nothing Like 'The White Lotus'
A first-person account (including video footage) of a Thai yoga massage in Cincinnati, Ohio, published at Outside Online.
-
Scientists Say Walking This Much Cuts Your Cardiovascular Disease Risk
One of many study analyses for Prevention supported by field-leading medical doctors and broken down into digestible, actionable information.
-
The Best Cat Litters We Tested Nix Strong Odors and Persistent Dust Clouds
For PEOPLE: Original reporting, testing, and a detailed breakdown of the best cat litters, including inputs from a veterinarian and experienced cat mom of three. (Me!)
-
4 Brain Games to Keep Your Mind Sharp, According to Therapists
For Yahoo! Life: Therapists provide simple exercises to maintain (and potentially improve) memory with age.
-
8 Online Dating Horror Stories From People Who Eventually Found Their Person
First-person accounts collected over many Reddit deep dives and survey interviews for SELF.
-
Netflix’s ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ Shows Just How Scary Health Misinformation Can Get
For Outside: I watched Netflix’s dramatization of true events and asked doctors to share their thoughts on the rapid spread of medical distrust and misinformation.
-
Gwyneth Paltrow Revealed This Surprising Kitchen Gadget Was One of Her Favorite Gifts
A celebrity-pegged e-commerce write-up for PEOPLE.