Kali KO Reis: Boxer, Actor, Inspiration

Daybreak Star Radio sports producer Jermaine sat down with Kali KO Reis, pro-boxer and first ever Native American woman to be nominated for an Emmy. Kali someone who knows their way around an interview and I would recommend watching the full interview to get full enjoyment of listening to Kali talk about her experiences. She dives into her Fight for All Nations Slogans, her childhood, and talks about her maneuvering between acting and boxing in a way that should be heard from her.

Kali talks about how boxing and acting weren’t in her original plan, having wanted to get into paleontology due to an early love of the first Jurassic Park movie. But in terms of both, she realized that she found them because someone saw something in her. That faith in her made her work extra hard to prove them right, and now she is a two weight world champion

When Kali first started boxing when she was 13-14, she quickly realized it was, in a way, an artistic outlet. When she would go to the gym, that was all she had to focus on. She could forget about whatever struggles were happening for her outside the gym and let her mind focus on mastering her skills and giving her a sense of purpose.

Shifting to acting, Kali is currently nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her performance in the new season of True Detective. Kali has always used her platform to uplift important messages and issues, including MMIW. She continues this in her acting career. She notes that for kids, and also adults, being in shows means they get to see someone in media that represents them, and she helps hold the door open for those who come after her to do more.

One of Kali’s greatest strengths is the fact that she is a late round starter. This means that she gets better the more rounds go by. She gets faster, smarter, more determined, but starts a little later. Boxing taught her not only teamwork but accountability.

For youth who want to get into boxing or acting, Kali advises you to keep an eye on what you really want and make sure it is something that you want and not what others want for you. Understand why it’s something you want and know whether or not it’s something you need.

Keep up with Kali and what she has coming next!