I Got This: How Veena Crownholm Finds Calm Amid Chaos in the Kia Sorento
The right car is key, and the Kia Sorento shows us why.
You know that magic connection you have with someone when you first meet and discover that what matters to you most is just as important to her?
That’s the feeling I got when I met crafter and DIYer Veena Crownholm.
Disclosure: This post is part of “I Got This,” a content series sponsored by Kia and featuring craft expert Veena Crownholm and the Kia Sorento. Veena shares her strategies and the car features she relies on so she can focus on the most important things in her life.
What did we connect on? All the things in a car that make life easier, seamless and richer.
Things that allow us to say yes to our kids. To say yes to work assignments. And yes to the road trip we’ve wanted to take. When Veena and I started to compare notes on the Kia Sorento hybrid X-Line SX Prestige that she’d been driving, it was clear that we get a little excited about the same things: tech that empowers us, features that let us move faster and room for everyone and everything.
Meet Veena Crownholm, DIY Craft Queen
If you watch the local news in Los Angeles you’ve probably seen her making Easter baskets, turning random plates in to elegant serving pieces, showing how to put together the perfect gift for teachers or toddlers.
The first time I saw Veena cutting, glueing and applying ribbons to a project I was hooked. Sock bouquets? Adorable. Wreaths for every season? So elegant. A homemade piñata? The perfect party guest. I was hooked.
Veena makes it look easy, but she makes everything look easy: she’s hands on with her sons Eddie and Max, she convinces her husband Ryan to take part in her adventures and she hasn’t met a rescue dog or cat she didn’t want to bring home—though her dog Blanca and cat Milo are the only ones that made the cut (so far).
She’s a California girl and that means life is robust and busy and of course, a lot of it is lived in the car.
I Had to Know Veena’s Secret
It’s organization, of course. This idea plays out throughout her life, from the incredible craft closet where all her magic is made, to her TV-ready kitchen where she shoots segments for QVC to rolling storage that allows her to take her crafting supplies with her. But so are aesthetics, comforts and conveniences for her family.
She approaches everything the same way: assessing what she needs, then figuring out how to make it work.
This approach also plays out in her car.
Life in LA Is Busy and the Right Car is Key
Enter the Kia Sorento HEV X-Line SX Prestige, a hybrid 3-row SUV with features and conveniences that simplify complicated lives. Veena partnered with us to shoot a video series about her life and how the Sorento plays a part in it.
When I got to Veena’s house for our shoot day, she was excited to show me what she liked best in the Kia Sorento. It started with wireless Apple CarPlay; she could simply connect her phone once and then it connected to the multimedia system instantly every time she got into the car, which can be a dozen times in a single day (if you know, you know).
She was also excited to show off the hands-free lift gate that opened and closed as she stood behind the car or walked away after filling the cargo area with her craft totes.
She loved the USB ports on the seat backs that allowed her son Eddie to easily recharge his phone. And the sliding center row seats that made for easy access to the 3rd row even when Max’s car seat was installed.
Cruising Around Veena’s LA in the Kia Sorento Hybrid
During our shoot day we tagged along as Veena took her sons to their activities, went to Pilates, made some crafts for a TV shoot and took her kids and husband, as well as the dog and the cat, to the park.
Seeing her actually use so many of the Sorento’s features was nice. The first thing she did was pop her phone into the wireless charger and check that Apple CarPlay was active on the screen so she didn’t miss a call.
Other Tech That Veena Relies on For Daily Driving
Here are more tech features in the Kia Sorento that Veena relied on as she ran through her day:
- The Sorento’s hybrid fuel economy and quiet performance made driving more comfortable, conversations with her sons a little easier and she didn’t have to stop for gas
- The blind spot camera view made it easier to share the road with bikes, runners and lots of cars
- The digital rear view mirror was the perfect solution when she packed the rear of the car with craft supplies; she could still see clearly to back out of her driveway or the parking lot at school
- The hands-free lift gate was used over and over (and over) again
- The surround view camera allowed her to see all around the car before starting to back up or drive off
Probably the biggest thing was the flexible seating for six. Eddie and Max really loved the captain chairs and Ryan had plenty of head and leg room in the driver’s seat. “He wouldn’t even get in my old car because the space was so tight,” Veena said of her last car. They all appreciated having more space for everyone to stretch out.
What Did I Love About Veena’s Time in the Kia Sorento?
As we were finishing up the video shoot, Veena gathered some crafts that she planned to take with her for a TV segment. One of the craft flowers had come apart, so she whipped out her glue gun, plugged it into the household outlet on the center console and made the repair.
That’s the ultimate in organization: Having the things you need in a place that’s secure and accessible and to have the right tools on hand, too; in this case, the household outlet that allowed her to make a quick fix without having to figure out a workaround. Clearly, she’s got this.
More About:Car Culture