photos by Annie MacAller Photography and Emeth Photography

“ I genuinely love sharing my life as an open book, and the things that bring me joy along the way. I believe that everything is best when shared! Especially joy!”

Some people don’t just “have a lifestyle”, they live it fully out loud. Melina Nasab Keefe (@melnasab) is one of those people. She moves through life with a mix of discipline and lightness, grounded in her routines but never boxed in by them. Whether she’s in the saddle, teaching, training, or building something new, there’s a clear throughline: energy, joy, and a real love for how she spends her days.

That same spirit is what makes her a natural fit for the cover of Horse & Style, wearing Ela Jae: a jewelry brand founded by sisters Lindsey Bernhardt and Ashley Miller, created from a shared love of horses and design. Described as “for riders, by riders,” Ela Jae takes inspiration from equestrian details and turns them into pieces that feel just as at home in the barn as they do in everyday life.

Based in Orange County, Melina has built a world that blends fitness, fashion, the equestrian sport, and a joyful community. She is a personal trainer, pilates instructor, show jumper, founder of the clothing brand Cloud 100 Los Angeles, and the creator of a fitness device called Kangaboots. More than the titles, though, it’s the way she shows up in all of it that stands out: positive, expressive, and fully herself across every space she enters.

That sense of authenticity is exactly why this collaboration with Ela Jae jewelry is the perfect fit. The brand’s equestrian roots and thoughtful design language align seamlessly with Melina’s own approach to style: a mix of statement and subtle, playful and polished, always reflective of real life in motion.

At the core of it all, Melina’s world is about movement. She’s always riding, training, or sharing parts of her life online. She brings a sense of positivity and presence that people naturally gravitate toward.

Horse & Style: You wear many hats: fitness instructor, equestrian, entrepreneur, and influencer. How do all of those parts of your life come together to shape who you are?

Melina Keefe: Interestingly enough, while it seems like I wear many hats, they are actually all the same hat! Rooted by health & happiness at the core.

It started with fitness, at the base of the root, and through that avenue of my passions, the rest grew their branches.

I started my content creation career about 10 years ago, primarily in the fitness & fashion space, as I was (and still am) a private personal trainer who loved expressing herself through vibrant outfits. I then developed a fitness device (Kangaboots) which led the way for me to get back into hopping around on horses!

I genuinely love sharing my life as an open book, and the things that bring me joy along the way. I believe that everything is best when shared! Especially joy! So with all that, “influencing” is a natural branch that grew from the original root of who I am.

H&S: Horses have clearly remained an important part of your life. What is it about riding and having your two horses that continues to ground and inspire you?

Melina: Once a horse girl, always a horse girl. Even after my 6-year break from riding, getting back into it as an adult just re-ignited the pony kid in me.

The inexplicable bond between me and my horses, treating them like pets, and babying them is what keeps me grounded. The sport itself carries so many parallels to life, with valuable lessons that inspire me to look forward and take every day one step at a time.

While I am proud to say that I already have a very positive outlook on life, this sport only multiplies it. It teaches you that you cannot expect perfection out of yourself, nor your horse. You work together as a team, but you are emotional beings that face challenges sometimes beyond reason.

Every day is a good day, some are just better than others. I believe that everything Only Gets Better. “OGB” is the motto. So when things get challenging, I remind myself OGB. When things are amazing, I celebrate and look forward to life only getting better once again!

As we equestrians know, life with horses is a rollercoaster. You’ve got to train your brain to look at the peak ahead when you’ve ridden the drop. I promise, it really does get better!

H&S: There is such a strong sense of discipline in both fitness and riding. Do you see a connection between those two worlds?

Melina: Oh absolutely!! Equestrians are ATHLETES. What do athletes do to keep their bodies in performance shape? Train, recover, and maintain. This requires a routine, which requires discipline…exactly like what we do for our sport horses.

I am loving how much more “fitness focus” I’m seeing in the horse world these days! Keep it up, riders!! It’s extremely important to treat our bodies like we treat our horses.

My fitness advice: find a fitness routine that you like first. You are way more likely to stick with it if you enjoy it. Different things work for different people, and the one you enjoy is the one you’re meant to continue and progress in.

It does not need to be running, biking, swimming, etc…or maybe it does! What I’m saying is, it’s not one size fits all. Similar to a horse’s training routine, you find what works, and you keep doing that until it feels like time for a change.

The same goes for recovery, which is arguably even more important! I always say, “work hard, recover harder.” What is an active recovery routine that suits you? Massage, stretching, sauna, cold plunge? Of course, with rest and adequate sleep at the top of all this!

To sum it up, yes. The connection between riding and fitness is very strong. A strong rider out of the saddle is a balanced rider in the saddle.

H&S: Your personal style feels eccentric, but still polished. How would you describe your aesthetic?

Melina: Colorful, to say the least! I mean that both literally and figuratively. My style has evolved as I’ve gotten older, but one thing has not: my love for bright colors.

I heard a long time ago that it’s scientifically proven that wearing color makes people happier, so it stuck with me! Why not add a little extra joy to someone’s day, while also being your own mood booster? In the figurative way, my style is kind of all over the place. I just love leaning into whatever the moment calls for. I hope to inspire others to dress however makes them feel happiest, without the fear of being judged.

How you do anything is how you do everything. So if you start with confidence in how you get dressed in the morning, you can expect that confidence to follow you throughout the day.

H&S: Ela Jae is a brand rooted in equestrian heritage and refined design. What did you love most about wearing the jewelry for this cover?

Melina: I love Ela Jae jewelry because it fits my “colorful” style so well, even with just gold and silver. There’s something for everyone in their collection.

In my world, more is more! For me, I like to mix and match their statement pieces with their daintier pieces, as well as mixed metals. All while incorporating equestrian-inspired shapes like horseshoes, rein connectors, blanket buckles, and stirrups.

This variety is what defines my personal style. Horse-girl class with a little bit of sass.

H&S: As the owner of Cloud100 Los Angeles, you are also building a brand of your own. How has entrepreneurship changed the way you approach style, business, and self-expression?

Melina: Some designers build brands for the masses, and some designers build brands for their people. I am one of those who created my brand for my people. Your vibe attracts your tribe, and my tribe is full of people who are cut from the same cloth. We value self-love, we value comfort, happiness, and high-quality fabric kissing our skin.

Cloud 100 stems from a place of living in the clouds, and whole-heartedly believing that everything only gets better (OGB!)

We know that when you are on “cloud 9”, you experience utmost bliss and excitement. Pure happiness. But why stop the high at 9? It could be 100!

I created this brand as a passion project, led by my passion for sharing the things I love. Positivity, self-care, and cute colors to make the world’s frown turn upside down 😉

To answer this question in simple terms: building Cloud 100 hasn’t changed the way I approach style, business, or self-expression. It is the way I approach life, as a brand. I believe it will attract whoever it’s meant to!

H&S: Your audience follows you for more than one reason: fitness, fashion, lifestyle, and inspiration. What do you hope people feel when they engage with your world online?

Melina: Oh, I love this! I hope I make people feel like they’ve found their people. I hope people feel like their experiences are relatable, as I try to keep it very real on the internet, even if that means sharing my lowlights! I hope to be approachable enough for people to pop in and say what’s on their mind (be nice, now!), and open the path to friendship.

Mainly, I hope people feel like they, too, can express themselves however they please, both in and out of the saddle. Life is too short to live for the approval of others, and there is no better version of you, than you.

H&S: What does this moment, being featured on the cover of Horse & Style wearing Ela Jae, mean to you?

Melina: To be honest, it feels really surreal. It is such an honor, but it also feels really aligned with who I am, my purpose, and what I love sharing! I’ve always just wanted to bring people into this life I love.

Through gratitude, good energy (a little bit of delusion), and a colorful wardrobe, I’ve kind of just been doing my thing…so to see that reflected back in something like this is so special! And getting to wear a jewelry brand that complements my style so naturally makes the moment feel even more complete.

If you’ve made it this far in reading my interview, thank you! I hope you go rock the world the way you feel called to!

Melina Nasab Keefe represents a different kind of equestrian presence. She doesn’t really fit into one category, and that’s exactly what makes her interesting. She brings together athletics, realness, fearless fashion, and her life with horses in a way that feels true to how a lot of modern women actually live. With Ela Jae, it just blends right in. The kind of jewelry you don’t have to think too hard about, just throw on and go. A horse person’s dream!

Follow Melina on Instagram and TikTok @melnasab to see her world in real time. Expect lots of horses, smiles, and everything in between. You can also explore @cloud100losangeles for her loungewear brand, you won’t regret it!

This cover story originally appeared in 2026 Vol. 1. The full issue can be read online here.