Team Members

HNS Los Angeles Team Katie Halchishick is the founder of Natural Models Los Angeles, Healthy is the New Skinny, and the Perfectly Unperfected Project. A native of Wyoming, she attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where she studied painting. Katie began her modeling career with the Ford agency, and was also signed to Wilhelmina and Click. She has modeled for Target, Wal-Mart, Macy's, Nordstrom, Torrid, Kohl's and numerous European catalogues. She worked across a range of sizes, from 6 to 14, before finding her healthy, strong ideal. Katie discovered what many before her discovered: that there's almost no work for models sized 6-12, in the "no-woman's land" between straight-size and plus-size modeling. As a consequence, Katie was inspired to start her own agency that would feature healthy, beautiful models all across the size spectrum. In 2010, she and her boyfriend, photographer and model Bradford Willcox, founded Natural Models L.A., the first agency of its kind. As a working model, an entrepreneur and a passionate spokeswoman for beauty, self-esteem, and good health, Katie is leading a national movement to transform how young people see themselves and their relationship with their bodies. Bradford Willcox started out in Los Angeles as a model with LA Models and worked as a personal trainer to the stars. After meeting Katie at a Christmas party in 2004 the couple has been together ever since. Bradford is a fan of the natural, beautiful female body, and he was a key element in helping Katie feel good about her body and teaching her the best workout and nutrition regime for her body type. Bradford has made the transition from model to photographer and has a gift for capturing each person's unique beauty and style. Bradford feels strongly that guys can work to be a part of the solution to the body image problems girls are facing -- and make more of an effort not to contribute to this problem. Boys need healthy role models as well, and Bradford is a great guy whom other guys look up to. Lara and Alicia Miramontes are co-founders of being LA, LLC, a health consulting company providing comprehensive nutrition and fitness programs and workshops, which enable and inspire young women to lead healthier, more active lifestyles. Their programs emphasize the importance of nutrition and fitness from a perspective of bio-individuality; every client requires a personalized approach that takes into account one’s unique background, lifestyle, preferences, and goals. Lara and Alicia will be leading the health and fitness division of Healthy is the New Skinny and showing girls fun being healthy can be! Lara and Alicia are originally from Mission Viejo, California and now live in Los Angeles. They graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2008 with business degrees in Finance, but later followed their passion for nutrition and fitness. Both are Board Certified Holistic Health Counselors, accredited through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. They have their Certified Personal Training Certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine and have received advanced accreditation in health counseling from the Purchase College at the University of New York (SUNY). They also serve as nutrition advisors for the Cooking With Athletes charity. HNS New York City Team Lauren Fox was born and raised in New York City on the Upper West Side. While still in high school, Lauren began to model. In her senior year she spent more time in New York's nightclubs than she did in school and was so skinny that clothing samples couldn't even be pinned enough to fit her. After years, and many struggles, Lauren put on some weight and left modeling behind to pursue an acting career. Today, Lauren is a working actress on stage and screen, a cabaret singer who performs regularly at New York's Metropolitan Room, a writer, and the co-founder/owner (along with her sister) of Alice's Tea Cup, a New York City teahouse with four locations. In the fall of 2010, Lauren and her sister Haley wrote the Alice's Tea Cup cookbook, published by Harper Collins, and in it's second printing. Purely for health reasons, Lauren eats a mostly raw food diet, but treats herself (at least 3 times a week!) to scones, cake, or a fabulously decadent meal, because today she's all about balance and happiness. Lauren runs, does yoga, and takes as many opportunities to walk instead of ride--after all, New York is the best walking city! Lauren is so proud to represent Healthy is The New Skinny in NYC, and is looking forward to reaching young people with her story, in the hope that she can empower and change the way we all look at our bodies and ourselves. Annalaina Marks comes to the Perfectly Unperfected Project from Erie, Pennsylvania. Her breakthrough into the industry came with her appearance on America’s Next Top Model (cycle 3), and she soon signed with Wilhelmina for modeling and with Innovative Artists for acting and commercial work. Annalaina has appeared in print campaigns for Champion, Under Armour, Clairol, L'Oreal Matrix, Target, and Pepsi; her commercials include Travelocity, Wheat Thins, Gatorade G2 and Chase. She can be seen currently in an Olay ad. Annalaina’s film work includes "Made of Honor", "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past", and the upcoming movie "The Courier" with Jeffrey Dean Morgan. She has appeared on television as a guest lead on CBS’s "Blue Bloods", "Gossip Girl", "Lights Out", and "Kings." An All-American water polo player and swimmer, Annalaina was initially surprised when she moved to New York by how few modeling jobs were available for athletes. She is happy to have witnessed a tremendous change in the industry in recent years, and now does most of her print work for sports-themed clients. Annalaina struggled for many years with severe acne. She knows first-hand what it’s like to struggle with self-doubt and low self-esteem. She knows the journey to self-love because she’s lived it out, and is now in a place where she accepts herself as genuinely perfect in her imperfections. Because of her experience, Annalaina has deep compassion for teens who are struggling with self-loathing, and is committed to reaching out to them, to sharing her own story of transformation, and to being a genuine role model for young people in pain. Passionate about volunteering, she and her dog Joey are a certified therapy team with the Good Dog Foundation. Annalaina also volunteers with NYCares. She and her boyfriend live with Joey and Stella (their other dog) in Brooklyn.

PUP Program Overview

  The Perfectly Unperfected Project offers a multi-media, multi-platform outreach to secondary school and college audiences; presentations can be adapted for teens as young as 12 as well as for adults. Our team includes modeling industry professionals and renowned experts on self-esteem and body image. Our presentations are often most effective for single-sex audiences, reflecting the reality that while both boys and girls struggle with body image issues, those issues manifest differently. The PUP team can adapt easily and successfully to a mixed assembly as well. We also offer a special program for parents and teachers, designed to help them understand the pressure their teens are under – and to empower them with tangible, practical tools to help the young people in their lives. PUP models and experts share images and stories designed to get to the truth behind the airbrushed photos that are the staple of our industry. Young people compare how they feel on the inside to how models look on the outside – but they’re comparing themselves to an illusion. Students come away with extraordinary insight into the business of beauty – and the realization that real beauty is much more diverse than they may have believed. PUP presenters interact with students after our presentations with giveaways, photo shoots with our models, and much more!   Bullying In recent years, we’ve become aware of the tremendous problem of bullying in our schools.  What we don’t always notice, however, is how much of that bullying is about appearance.   Insults about looks and weight are among the most common types of bullying, particularly when a girl is the victim. Healthy is the New Skinny confronts this appearance-based bullying head on, exploring the damage it can do.  Research shows that hurtful comments made by boys have a greater negative impact on young women’s self-esteem than insults that come from female peers.  Unfortunately, many young men don’t realize just how much harm their words can do.  Our program challenges boys and girls alike to recognize the way in which the unattainable beauty ideal drives bullying culture.  And we  offer valuable tools to students, teachers, and parents to bring appearance-based bullying to an end.  

Student Ambassador program

Healthy is the New Skinny (HNS) is actively recruiting high school students for our exciting ambassador program. Ambassadors represent the HNS message to their schools and communities, living out the commitment to health, beauty, and the pursuit of self-acceptance. What We Ask: you take the lead on bringing Healthy is the New Skinny’s “Perfectly Unperfected Program” to your school you serve as the liaison between HNS and your school administration you promote HNS on Facebook and other social media you recruit other ambassadors from within your school – and at neighboring schools you build excitement and promote our event at your school (we’ll help!) and most importantly… you commit to living out the HNS message! What You’ll Get: a free makeover and modeling photo shoot a featured Ambassador Profile on our website public recognition of your role in bringing us to your school the opportunity to model for the HNS store college recommendations (and, if applicable, community service credit) What You’ll Learn: leadership skills that stay with you for life how to transform your relationship with your own body, with food, and with fashion tools for healthy living that you can pass on and share with others how you can change the world before you leave high school

Booking info

If you are a student who is looking to bring PUP to your school please e-mail us or call 323-334-0467 about becoming a student ambassador and our staff will provide you with a PDF file that you may present to your principals. If you are a parent or teacher who is looking to bring PUP to a school near you please e-mail us and we will provide you with the PDF file that you may present to the school board or school principals for approval. PUP is committed to working to make our program affordable to junior high and high schools as well as colleges. We offer a variety of packages as well as manageable fundraising strategies to bring us to your campus.Contact us here for booking rates and options and we will respond as soon as possible!