Makena Sommer was raised in Los Angeles by a family shaped by art, design, and fashion; her grandfather in the interiors of Hollywood's most iconic properties, her late uncle an executive at Burberry. Her own path started earlier than most, training under Soviet Olympic coach Vladi Sapozhkov. From childhood, she trained and often competed alongside athletes a decade her senior, simultaneously conducting research on the cardiac cycle in women's swimming performance. That early scientific curiosity carried into her Summer academic work at UCLA, where she studied East-West integrative medicine with a focus on the Female Athlete Triad and PCOS. Her passion for research continued throughout her time in New York participating in various seminars and initiatives whilst getting her degree.

She brings early entrepreneurial experience building and scaling a consumer app globally, and currently operates and invests privately across women's health, women’s performance, and sustainability.

In front of the camera, she has walked runway for Colley Designs and Phoebe Dragseth, shot editorial with Natalie Gordon, appeared in a music video for platinum-certified artist Gunna, and campaigned for Andréa Bernholtz's swimwear label sold at Four Seasons Maui. Off camera, she advocated through hands-on work with the TGR Foundation, and for neglected equestrians in Central Park. Currently, for UCLA’s Center for East West Integrative Medicine. With a career path of innovation and various arts intertwined, Makena takes inspiration from Hedy Lamarr.