Kanoe Pelfrey in Her Own Rhythm

Kanoe Pelfrey cannot be defined by a single role. A professional snowboarder representing American Samoa, a model, an actress and an entrepreneur, she moves freely between worlds that rarely seem to intersect. Her life unfolds between the mountains of Switzerland and film sets, international sporting competitions and the shores of Hawaii, where her understanding of ambition, community and personal freedom first took shape.

As the first Polynesian woman to compete in a Snowboard World Cup event, Kanoe has already challenged conventional ideas about who belongs in winter sports. But her story is about more than breaking boundaries. It is also about the deeper, quieter work of understanding herself, finding strength after disappointment and learning to measure success by something greater than public recognition.

Raised on the Big Island of Hawaii, she has maintained a deep connection to her Polynesian heritage and the values of ohana: family, community and responsibility for one another. These principles remain at the heart of who she is, whether she is competing professionally, bringing a character to life on screen or building a business in industries traditionally dominated by men.

Today, as she prepares for the release of her film Dark Little Secrets and continues to pursue her sporting goals, Kanoe is entering a new phase of personal growth. She is less concerned with meeting other people's expectations and more interested in living in harmony with her own values.

In her interview with ELLE Uzbekistan, she discusses the lessons Hawaii has taught her, the courage to begin again, the relationship between femininity and strength, and why self-worth should never depend on someone else's approval.

Which side of your personality feels most natural to you today?

Right now, I feel most natural in modeling and acting. There is something peaceful about entering a creative state where you are simply doing what you love, without analyzing every movement or decision. In those moments, I can lose myself completely in the process, and that freedom makes me feel even more creative.

My new film, Dark Little Secrets, will be released soon. I spent most of the summer at home on the Big Island, preparing for the role by playing tennis and riding horses. It was an interesting experience because I now feel particularly in tune with this side of myself.

Of course, every creative environment brings its own challenges, but I feel I now have a better understanding of how to handle them. There is a particular kind of confidence in feeling comfortable within the process itself, rather than constantly worrying about the outcome.

How did growing up in Hawaii shape you?

From a very early age, we are taught to respect others and take responsibility for our ohana, animals, belongings, the land and the ocean. We are taught to be attentive and caring, and to make the people around us feel that they are part of a community.

A sense of community is incredibly important in my culture. When natural disasters, medical emergencies or other serious difficulties arise, people come together to help their neighbors. There really is an understanding here that we are responsible for one another.

But we are also taught to appreciate life's simplest moments. Even a cup of tea in the sunshine can remind you how much there is to be grateful for. You understand that love and laughter can heal, and that inner peace and calm need to be protected.

I think Hawaii taught me to remain true to my values, even when life gets difficult. Sometimes it is incredibly hard to find a reason to laugh or feel happy, but I always try to return to that way of seeing the world. That is how I want to live, treat people and perceive everything happening around me.

What gave you the courage to choose your own path?

Knowing what I want. Sometimes that knowledge alone is enough to keep moving forward. I have realized that overcoming the fear of failure is one of the most important things you can do for yourself.

I went through one of the hardest years of my life, in terms of my dreams, love and life in general. There were moments when things turned out nothing like I had hoped. But sometimes failure really does make us less afraid. Once you have been through that kind of experience, you begin to understand what it takes to recover.

You realize that you can start again. The results may not come immediately. You may work incredibly hard and still feel that your goal is a long way off. But hope, faith and discipline give you a reason to keep going. I believe that if you consistently work on what truly matters to you, it will eventually bring good results.

What has changed in the way you understand yourself?

I care far less about other people's opinions now. When you are younger, it can feel as though someone else's opinion has the power to determine your future. But over time, you realize that many of those people will barely matter in your life a few months or years later. They become supporting characters in your story, rather than the ones who determine its direction.

It does not matter how influential someone is or what position they hold. You need the courage to stand up for yourself, especially when something goes against your values or the person you want to be. I have learned not to see those situations as missed opportunities. Sometimes something simply is not right for you, and walking away is the right decision.

What matters is how you behave, how you respond to difficult circumstances and whether you can look back on your decisions years later without regret. No one should make you feel insignificant simply because you are standing up for your own interests. You do not have to prove your worth to everyone around you. You need to believe in yourself, keep growing and build a life that is right for you.

What have competition and the creative industry taught you?

The creative world has shown me that, by nature, I am a peaceful person with a playful imagination and a great deal of creative energy. It has also taught me that I am much stronger than I once thought.

When you experience loss at a young age, and then again as a young adult woman, it can affect you in ways you could never have imagined. There are moments when sadness changes the way you perceive everything around you.

For me, creativity became a way of transforming those emotions into something else. Returning to what I truly love helped me find happiness again. It reminded me that, even after difficult experiences, I am capable of finding joy once more.

Sport taught me something different, but just as important. In a competitive environment, it is easy to become focused on what everyone else is doing. But I realized that the most important competition is the one with myself.

Every day, I want to become a little better. I want to be stronger, learn new skills or at least move one step closer to my goal. That process has helped me understand not only how resilient I am, but also how much potential I have yet to discover within myself.

What does confidence mean to you today?

Confidence means believing in yourself regardless of other people's energy or opinions. My relationship with confidence has changed a great deal over the years. I have realized how profoundly the way we see ourselves can affect our lives. When you direct positive energy toward yourself, you begin to feel capable of things that once seemed impossible.

For me, confidence is not about being the loudest person in the room or constantly showing what you can do. It lies in having a strong relationship with yourself and believing that you can move forward.

How did you separate your self-worth from external approval?

I grew up surrounded by successful people. I watched some of them become entirely focused on recognition, achievement and reaching the highest levels of international success. But what struck me most was that, even after achieving all of that, some of them remained unhappy. It made me think about what success should really mean.

Of course, recognition is wonderful. It feels good when people appreciate your work or notice your achievements. But I never wanted those things to determine my worth as a person. I know that I deserve respect, love and kindness regardless of my professional results.

Today, I try to practice recognizing my own worth from within. I want to trust my judgment and understand my value without constantly needing approval from the outside world.

That does not mean I am indifferent to other people's opinions. What my ohana, my loved ones and the people I share my life with think matters a great deal to me. But there is a difference between respecting someone else's perspective and allowing it to define you.

I often think about the little girl I once was on the Big Island. She sat on the beach and watched the sunset. She was simply happy to be alive. She loved herself and knew that she had value in this world.

For me, that image represents freedom. No matter how much my life changes, I always want to return to that feeling. I want to remain a woman who still recognizes herself in that little girl. Ultimately, my self-worth is defined by how I treat other people, how I treat myself and whether I find the strength to keep going even on the hardest days. Passion for what I do, discipline and kindness matter far more to me than any external measures of success.

What does living by your own rules mean to you today?

Making decisions that reflect my values and who I am.

What are women taught to doubt about themselves, or made to apologize for? And what have you learned to embrace in yourself?

I think many women are taught, in one way or another, to apologize simply for existing as they are. We often find ourselves in situations where we are treated without proper respect, where our abilities are questioned or where we are expected to diminish ourselves to gain other people's approval.

I work in sports and industries dominated by men, so I have experienced that attitude firsthand. Women are sometimes made to doubt their abilities, hide their ambitions or apologize for qualities that should never require justification.

One of the things I have especially learned to embrace and value in myself is my femininity. I do not believe that femininity in any way limits my ability to succeed in a competitive or traditionally male environment. On the contrary, I enjoy bringing that energy into places where people may not be used to seeing it.

I have been told many times that I would not be able to do something. In snowboarding, people said I would never be able to get above the lip of the halfpipe. Then they said I would never land a 540-degree spin. Next, they said I would never get more than three feet above the halfpipe. Eventually, in Laax, I reached a height of eight feet.

People laughed at me because, unlike many other athletes, I had not grown up in the mountains. But every time someone said I would not succeed, it gave me another reason to keep working.

I encountered similar attitudes in business. In construction, agribusiness and technology, I heard endless explanations of why certain things were supposedly impossible for me. Rather than accepting those limitations, I focused on finding unconventional solutions and simply did my work.

That experience taught me that other people's underestimation should not determine your future. Women are intelligent, strong and capable of incredible things. We should be able to pursue our ambitions without constantly having to justify our presence or prove that we deserve to be where we want to be.

What would you like to say to every woman reading this interview?

You are good enough to try anything you want. You do not need to be perfect before you begin. You simply need to give yourself the chance to move toward what truly matters.

I like to think of life as an audition. You will inevitably face rejection. There will be opportunities that do not work out, people who do not choose you and moments when everything turns out differently from what you imagined.

But that does not mean you should stop. Keep moving forward. Believe that you can become the person you want to be and achieve what matters to you. And, most importantly, remember to enjoy the journey itself.

Model — Kanoe Pelfrey
Creative Director, Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist — Renee Dunn
Photographers — Jennifer Morgan, Isis Monteux, Bogdan Seredyak, Tokyo Masil, Ksenia Vasileva, Subodh Agnihotri, Anil, Tit Viscek