Women on Bikes SoCal August/September 2013

Image: Kirk Saylin of Saylin Studio. Hair & Makeup: Toni by Michelle Salemi, Michelle's Makeup by Michelle Salemi & Hair by Vanessa Benevanate both of Atlantic Studio. Toni's vintage 1970's bike courtesy of The Bicycle Stand, Michelle's vintage 1970's bike is Melissa's regular ride.

May is National Bike Month, but it's also Mother's Day and this month we are so very pleased to bring you an interview with Michelle Molina and her daughter Antonia. In honor of the upcoming "Vintage Bike + Fashion Show" at BikeFest Michelle and Antonia recently dressed in 70's inspired hippie bohemian wear and jewelry from the super chic local "Twig and Willow" boutique for a photo shoot with the very talented Kirk Saylin to help celebrate Long Beach's love of bicycling and our rich vintage culture.

Michelle Molina and her husband John Molina (CFO of Molina Healthcare) are one of the most dynamic and community committed couples in Long Beach. Michelle has served as the Chief Executive Officer and owner of PeacePartners since its inception in May of 2003. Prior to the creation of PeacePartners, she served as a teacher in grades 4-8 and administrator for the Paramount Unified School District in California for ten years. She has been a PeaceBuilder since 1994 and a PeaceBuilders trainer and curriculum developer since 1998.

Michelle Molina is also managing partner of Millworks, a socially-responsible investment, development, and property management in downtown Long Beach. Their current projects include a South Pine entertainment district restaurant resell and a $60 million adaptive reuse of the former Press Telegram newspaper building and the historic Meeker-Baker building on 2.5 acres of North Pine property. She is a member of HOPA, Historic Old Pine Association, and participates in many North Pine charitable and arts projects.

Daughter Antonia Molina is the reigning Miss Teen Long Beach and will be attending Orange County School of the Performing Arts this fall with a focus on creative writing.

The entire Molina family embodies a wonderful spirit of active living and demonstrate regularly how easily the bike can be utilized for fun, errands and exercise.

MB:  Antonia why do you think having May as "National Bike Month" and special events like May 11^th’s “BikeFest” celebrated here in Long Beach are important to engaging people in a bike-friendly and active living conversation.

Antonia:  My favorite part of where I'm from is the fact that for a city of this size, it's such a tightly woven community and I love that. The more we inform people about how bike-friendly the city is, the more likely is it that someone will go, "Hey, I need to go to ____, and its only this far away, and there's bike paths and bike lanes, and it's better for the environment and my health, so I should ride my bike!" People sometimes assume that riding your bike around is a bigger hassle than it actually is.

MB: Antonia in your role as the new Miss Teen Long Beach what message would you like to share with fellow teens in your new leadership role?

Antonia: The biggest thing I think young girls can do is to stop being so judgmental towards one another! So many teens are afraid to be who they are because of all the negativity that comes with being yourself. They tell us constantly to express ourselves and to not be afraid of people that tease you, but it's so much harder than they make it out to be. I guess that's the biggest thing I'd like to teach people. Beauty comes in every shape and size and color. 

MB: Antonia tell us about your current bike and your favorite places to ride with your family & friends.

Antonia:  I have a navy blue Cafe 8 by Felt Bicycles. Just this past weekend a friend and I rode to Shoreline Village-- according to MapQuest that's 4.36 miles one way.  With my family, we ride to Mom's Cafe at Mother's Beach on Sundays for breakfast.

MB: Michelle you are a woman who wears many hats! You’re a wife, mother, the CEO and owner of PeacePartners and Managing Partner of Millworks and many philanthropic endeavors. How does your own commitment to active living for yourself personally help you stay grounded and healthy with such a busy schedule?

Michelle: I could wax poetically here about the mind/body connection, however, this is a simple example of the laws of physics.  Bodies in motion; stay in motion…bodies at rest; stay at rest.  I have a lot of energy and I owe that in large part to my physical movement.  I thank Lisa and Casey Kammel at Executive Fitness for that.  And once you feel you are capable of a higher level of physical activity, you try a lot more adventure.  We kayak, paddle board, bike and hike as a family, and my  son and I add indoor rock climbing/zipline, ice and roller skating and camping as the "adventure" members of the family.

MB: Michelle enjoy riding your bike locally with your children – how does this help you model both good active living behavior as well as being a good steward in the community?

Michelle: When the kids were little we had a bike trailer, as they grew up we had a trail-a-bike for Giovanni and Toni was on her own, so it was something we experienced as "going on a bike ride".  Now that we are all mobile, we still do that, but have added the commuter aspect.  Giovanni actually has two bikes; a motocross bike for fun, school and stunts, and a single speed/fixed gear that he uses for training and junior lifeguards.  It has bright orange handle tape and purple pedals…that says a lot about who he is.  Watch out Long Beach.