Lifestyle

Deisy Suarez-Giles on Beauty, Female Empowerment and Philanthropy

Published

5 years ago

November 17, 2020

The beauty and spa industry is inarguably cut-throat. It’s no easy feat for newcomers who are trying to make their name in cosmetics and skincare arena, when you’re competing with beauty giants who have been decades-long key players of the game. But Deisy Suarez-Giles braved the odds and came out on top with her namesake label.

A believer that she is more than just a businesswoman, she built her company for reasons tied closely to her core values — inspiring and empowering individuals through the transformative power of wellness and spa. We caught up with the founder as she has just dipped her toe launching her second DESUAR SPA location in Los Angeles, to discover what success means to the girl boss.

Name: Deisy Suarez-Giles
Profession: Founder and CEO of DESUAR SPA, AUTHOR and PHILANTHROPIST
Start up since: 2010

Tell us about your business. What do you do?

I like to believe that I am able to be part of something bigger in my role as the Founder and CEO of DESUAR SPA, esthetician and philanthropist. The brand was founded with the intention of inspiring and empowering individuals through the transformative power of spa and wellness.

Wellness Spa provides a universal language of happiness, self-love and creativity, and I learned this through my philanthropic work. I had the unique opportunity to volunteer at the Living Water Children’s Centre in Tanzania, Africa where I applied my touch therapy to healing orphan children.

DESUAR Spa has continued to grow, providing clinically proven skincare procedures, ultrasonic, chemical peels & microdermabrasion facials, and Suarez-Giles’ very own “secret” body scrub formula, along with massage treatments, spray tanning, body scrubs, soak rituals, wraps, and waxing services. DESUAR Spa offers healing as well as high-end relaxing treatments fit for royalty, be it massage, waxing, facials, body scrubs, saunas, or even CBD treatments.

DESUAR SPA encourages self-love, inner power and realizes the different definitions and expressions of beauty and wellness: each product and service is designed with unique aspirational affirmations, so that the individual feels uplifted when using our products or services.

Tell me about your best and worst day at work?

As an entrepreneur, no one day is exactly the same, but my favorite kind of days are the ones in which I am able to feel and see that my services are serving as a source of confidence.

My so-called worst days are the ones where I feel I need two of me and more hours in a single day. I am extremely hands on with all areas of the business from concept development to product formulation, management and distribution to ensure every addition to the DESUAR SPA portfolio speaks true to our values: to empower and inspire all those who use our services and products.

Looking back now, what would you have done differently?

I’m a big believer in everything happens for a reason. I always believe that every failure shouldn’t be labeled as a failure, but rather a step towards being a better version of yourself. If I have to do it again, I will do it the same all over again.

What is a normal work day like?

While I wouldn’t categorize this as a ‘normal’ workday, I’d say my days usually consist of: speaking with my staff, liaising with, working on new formulations and products, creating new menu, and engaging with my community via social media.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start up?

Starting something up is one of the most fulfilling, but also one of the most challenging things you will do. It will push you to your utmost limits, but will also be unbelievably gratifying. My advice would be to take a chance on yourself, set your sights on the goals you want to accomplish, believe in yourself no matter what anyone else says and take the first step in the right direction. Never stop learning, continuing education is a must to be able to stay current to new trends and changes in consumer behavior.

What are your goals for 2020? And in the near future?

It’s full speed ahead at the moment in terms of expansion and growth in order to be accessible to our customer. We are also working on several new products to add to the collection. I aim to launch my Skin Care products, along with my second book as an author called “Holy Skin”, in December 2020. Lastly, I am fully involved in my new outdoor spa concept, in order to adapt to the new normal and be able to continually provide wellness services that people need and want. Especially now during these difficult times.

How hands-on are you?

Extremely! I’m involved in every aspect of the business from hiring, training, management, conceptualization to formulation and distribution. Every service that is in our spa has been inspired by my experiences through my philanthropy, travels around the world, and as an esthetician and massage therapist. With that being said, I am very fortunate to have a team that I can consult with and support in making each product and wellness treatment a reality.

How do you define success? Do you consider yourself being successful?

My definition of success is being able to make someone feel empowered and indestructibly confident in themselves, be it through the application of one of our services or through my voice.At this very moment in time, I would say that success is a journey and I still believe that for myself, there is more to come.

With her entrepreneurial spirit and emphasis on education, it is no surprise that Suarez-Giles has been featured in Forbes, LA Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, NBC, ABC News, Zoe Report, Voyage LA, Spa Insider, Well and Away, DTLA Weekly, LA Magazine, Medium, Thrive Global, and MTV. She has also worked with many Hollywood celebrities and sports figures. Success is important to Suarez-Giles but philanthropy also has an important place in her life.

Lifestyle

Confronting Propaganda: Street Smart Documents Honest Reactions to Gaza Indoctrination Footage

Published

6 days ago

November 6, 2025

Michelle Langton

Photo Courtesy of: Street Smart

Byline: Michelle Langton

In a recent project, the Street Smart team gathered 20 strangers and presented them with propaganda footage from Gaza that has circulated widely online but remains largely unfamiliar to many audiences. The aim wasn’t to provoke outrage or test media literacy in a classroom setting. It was to capture raw, unfiltered emotional reactions to material that reveals how narratives are formed at the source. The resulting video offers a candid look at how people process shocking content and how their perceptions shift when they see what is rarely shown on mainstream platforms.

The Structure of the Experiment

The format was simple. Participants were seated and shown a series of clips from Gaza, including children’s programming and broadcasts containing intense ideological messaging. No background information was provided, and viewers were not instructed on how to interpret what they were seeing. After watching, they were asked for immediate reactions.

The footage elicited a wide range of emotions. Some viewers were stunned by the content, admitting they had never seen anything like it before. Others expressed disbelief, questioning why this kind of material isn’t more widely discussed. A few were visibly shaken, saying the experience fundamentally altered their understanding of the situation.

By presenting the footage without narration or added commentary, Street Smart allowed participants’ genuine responses to emerge. The experiment revealed how propaganda can affect an entire generation. It can shock, unsettle, and force people to reconsider their assumptions.

Why This Project Matters

Sage Fox and Dorani aligned the purpose of this experiment with Street Smart’s broader mission of challenging prevailing narratives and encouraging critical thought among younger audiences. In an environment where footage spreads rapidly across digital platforms, propaganda can shape public opinion long before context catches up.

By showing the Gaza Indoctrination footage in a controlled setting and recording uncoached responses, the team aimed to expose the emotional and cognitive impact of this type of content.

“The first reaction is often the most revealing, because it shows how powerful images can be without context.”

The Range of Reactions

While each participant brought their own perspective, several themes emerged. Some expressed sympathy with the imagery itself, saying it was emotionally powerful.

One participant said, “It makes me question what I see online every day. How much of it is shaped this way?”

Their comments highlight how propaganda resonates differently depending on prior knowledge and exposure. Many viewers have simply never encountered such footage directly.

Street Smart’s Approach

This project continues a pattern established by Sage Fox & Dorani’s earlier videos. Rather than relying on experts or lengthy analysis, Street Smart focuses on real people and their honest reactions. The approach is simple but effective. Present potent material, listen to what people say, and share those moments with a wider audience.

The Gaza Indoctrination footage experiment fits this model. It doesn’t attempt to draw final conclusions or offer political commentary. Instead, it documents how people respond when they’re exposed to narratives that are usually filtered through intermediaries.

Implications for Media Literacy

Beyond its viral potential, the video raises broader questions about how people interact with powerful imagery online. Propaganda operates on emotional reflexes. As this experiment shows, those reflexes are often unexamined until they’re brought to the surface.

Sage Fox & Dorani hope that projects like this push audiences to think more critically about what they see and share.

“The purpose is not to tell people what to believe. It is to remind them that every image comes from somewhere, and that source matters,” they said.

Next Steps for Street Smart

As Street Smart’s platform grows, Sage Fox & Dorani plan to conduct similar experiments in different contexts. They intend to use their direct, street-level approach to highlight how people react when presented with challenging material.

The Gaza footage project is one piece of a larger mission. The team uses simple methods to shed light on complex issues. By focusing on authentic reactions, they continue to build a unique space in online media that blends cultural investigation with raw human response.

A Window into Unfiltered Thought

“We showed 20 strangers real propaganda footage from Gaza — and filmed their unfiltered reactions” is not a dramatic exposé or academic study. It is a clear, unmediated record of how individuals respond when confronted with material designed to persuade. In that restraint lies its strength.

By documenting these moments, Street Smart shows how awareness can begin with a pause. A brief space between seeing and believing.