ATHLEISURE LIST | ESCAPE

When you're on vacation, you think about where you want to stay whether it's staying with friends, a hotel or having a house to yourself! Escape is a luxury rental service that allows you to unmatched privacy and an elevated experience. Being able to enjoy your space with those that you invited and not having to share spaces with overpopulated crowds is a plus! As opposed to spending $400 to $10,000 a night on average in a 4+ star hotel room, this luxury rental is $1,500 to $30,000 per night for an entire property! You receive personalized amenities such as tailor-made services from butlers, private chefs, private masseuses, and more.

Escape offers 13 hand-picked properties, ranging from exquisite Mediterranean-style homes to ultra-modern villas. Most are waterfront properties.

Properties are on boarded via a thorough check system that evaluates every aspect of a property, including location, aesthetics, features, linen, cleanliness, security, pool, appliances, price point, and even the character of the homeowner. This ensures that every property that is offered meets Escape's high standards and provides an unforgettable experience to the guests.

Miami is a hotspot that has a number of activities where travelers visit for Art Basel, Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, Miami Swim Week and Ultra Music Festival. For guests staying at the villas, they have access to a curated experience tailored to the purpose of their trip. Escape's guest service team takes the time to get to know their interests and personalities so that they can create an itinerary that exceeds their expectations during their stay.

In addition to having access to a luxury property for your next stay, Escape also offers you the ability to rent a yacht complete with your own ownonboard private crew. There are a number of options for you to choosefrom. Just like when you're on land, your concierge team will co-ordinate activities that you can enjoy onboard from private chefs to massage therapists. For those that enjoy participating in watersports, you'll be able to enjoy snorkeling, jet skis, water floats, parasailing, water slides, and more.

ESCAPE

1800 Michigan Ave Ste 700

Miami, FL 33139

escapelux.com

IG @escapelux

PHOTO CREDITS | Escape

Read the MAR ISSUE #87 of Athleisure Mag and see ATHLEISURE LIST | Escape in mag.

9LIST STORI3S | CANDIACE DILLARD-BASSETT

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST STORI3S | Candiace Dillard-Bassett in mag.

63MIX ROUTIN3S | BEAR GRYLLS

Read the APR ISSUE #76 of Athleisure Mag and see 63MIX ROUTIN3S | Bear Grylls in mag.

THE ARTIST | TYRON WOODLEY

This month's cover is 5X UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley. With an impressive career, we delve into this athlete and artist who got his start wrestling and went on to continue in this sport at the University of Missouri and are a 2x All-American and Big 12 Conference Champion. In addition to the impact that he has created in MMA, he is also an analyst. When he is not in or talking about the Octagon, Tyron has acted in a number of films and movies including Straight Outta Compton, Kickboxer: Vengence and Hawaii Five-0. He has also been involved in stunts in Olympus Has Fallen, Once Upon a Time in Venice and has trained actors such as Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 2.

We talk with him about he got into MMA, his passion for it, his creativity in entertainment, the music industry and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: My favorite sport is boxing and through that it brought me to enjoying MMA as well. I’ve been a fan of yours for a number of years. What was the moment when you realized that you wanted to be an athlete as I know that in highschool you played football as well as wrestled. What initially drew you to wrestling as you were NCAA Division I collegiate wrestler at the University of Missouri and are a 2X All-American and Big 12 Conference Champion.

TYRON WOODLEY: I mean, just as a kid, I started off just being outside and in a regular neighborhood to play. We didn’t have a ton of funds to go on a billion vacations and trips and all those extracurricular activities and things. So it came down to racing people in the streets first, who was the fastest and who could do the most push-ups. Naturally, when it came to wrestling, I kind of gravitated towards sports that were more economical. For wrestling, you don’t need a lot of stuff for that. It’s very affordable, so I kind of started to do that and I didn’t even notice that I was doing that. I also just enjoy the difficulty of doing stuff and I don’t even know why. Especially growing up as a kid, if there was something that was difficult that I could do, it made me feel a certain kind of way and I liked it.

That’s kind of the journey that I have been towards - I don’t want to say the impossible because other people have done it, but the things that seem to be very difficult and people veer away from it, I go straight to it.

AM: So how did being a wrestler eventually merge to you focusing on being a Mixed Martial Artist?

TW: I mean when I was wrestling, I was doing that and I was also trying to out amateur MMA just to see if I liked it. I’ve always wanted to box, but I felt as if at 23 years old, which was the age that I graduated from college, I felt that I was too old to start boxing. At that age, most people that are successful have started since they were 18 or 19 years old. I felt that with Mixed Martial Arts, I could punch, wrestle and do a couple of other things too. I was giving it a try but what really crossed me over the edge was that I was the #1 wrestling coach for the top fighters. Everybody that had a big fight against wrestlers – The Ultimate Fighter show 1, 2 and 3 and really it brought a shit load of Division 1 level wrestlers into MMA Rashad Evans, Gray Maynard, Josh Koscheck – all of these different guys you’ve seen from that show. The mindset of a wrestler amongst any other martial arts was just so different – it was really kind of meat head and really a bar that was set that nobody had really done to get there. With that mindset, they became really good MMA fighters because of drilling – we drill so many moves thousands of times. We’ll do the same leg and then we’ll do a variation of it and based on his defense we do this and if he does that then we’ll do this. It made it easier because it was a mindset that we use anyway. It’s one of the few sports where we had to cut weight year around which got us ready for MMA and it was natural as I was already doing those things.

AM: When you say MMA, what disciplines are involved in that when you’re fighting and what are you looking to add to your skillset in your journey?

TW: For MMA, Mixed Martial Arts, it’s really any form of martial art excluding fish hooks, head butts, striking of the groin, kicking someone when they’re down. Outside of that, karate, judo, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, boxing, Muay Thai, kickboxing – every form of striking, every form of grappling, Sambo – all these different things, there are different places where you can use them in the Octagon. There’s a lot of Greco-Roman wrestling in judo when you’re against the cage in the area that we call “the clinch” – striking out in the open and now you don’t have to just punch – you can punch, kick, slip, roll, knee, elbow – you can pretty much use your entire body minus your forehead to fight.

You have to be up to date on what’s the new techniques, what the new training camps are learning so you know how to prepare, who you’re going against and what they bring to the table. So I just looked at my wrestling background and said, “hey, I’m going to be able to take most of these guys down,” because I’m the head coach of most of the guys that are trying to stop from being taken down. If I spend 85% of my time on striking and you can’t out strike me and you’re supposed to be a striker and you can’t out wrestle me and I can get up and be in good shape, you’re going to have a hard time defeating me. That was my formula for many, many years and it was proven, because I didn’t lose a round and I hardly lost any minutes in any round. It’s basically a game plan that I ended up using and it worked out.

AM: For those that are not familiar, what are the rules of the sport and how is someone designated the winner?

TW: The rule of the sport is that you start to fight on your feet and usually both of the fighters are in their corner and from that position, the referee will tell them that they are ready to fight. Basically, they’ll say, “let’s get it cracking, you guys get it on,” or whatever they say. These referees ref so many fights that they start having a familiar face and people are starting to associate them with their ad lib to start the fight.

You start on your feet and what you see first is mostly striking because that’s what people do when they’re on their feet - punching, kicking, knee and elbow. But anytime people get close enough, it’s allowed to grab the person, slam them down, grapple them, cement a few arm locks, chokes, pressure points or utilize your elbows. You can put somebody in a move that causes someone to submit which means that they don’t want to do that move anymore and they can’t get out of it and they submit to you or give up.

Then there’s scoring. The judges are looking throughout the rounds because sometimes it’s not finished by submission, a knockout or disqualification – they’re looking at who is the aggressor, who’s landing power; who’s persistent, who’s pressing the pace – from there, they will deem who they have seen from that round. Who won that round and then who won the next round – they look at all the rounds and add it up to decide who actually won the fight. It’s kind of confusing because the sport hit by storm and many people were not ready for it. You have to remember that there isn’t a MMA judge! It’s really a boxing commission that are judging these fights. When you look at it that way, some boxing commissioners aren’t even familiar with what they are even looking at because they are not familiar with martial arts. They don’t understand that if I’m a D1 wrestler and I’m All American and a striker and you hook me down, I would weight that more as a bigger deal than if I have to take him down. So that’s the way how I feel that it should be judged, but I’m not trying to be the judge and the fighter at the same time. I just have to let it go as it goes.

AM: That’s an interesting point that you made as I wasn’t thinking about that. Is it difficult for you knowing that as you’re going in that there are judges that aren’t into the details of your sport, but they are literally judging what you’re doing?

TW: Yeah I mean, it’s difficult, but like I told you before, I have been blessed to have some good friends. Lin Oeding (Reacher, Cobra Kai, Warrior), a fighting/stunt coordinator/performer and who is a director now, he kind of gave me his mindset because he’s good at analyzing issues that come up with good solutions. He said, “Tyron, if you train this way (in the formula that I told you), you’re going to be hard to beat.” Luckily for me, even though my background was grappling, wrestling, jiu-jitsu and the last thing that I started to do was striking, I was one of the best strikers and one of the most explosive strikers. I would use the fact that people were so scared of my ability to take them down - that it actually made them tense up a little bit. Then I would be able to sneak in and make it look like I was going to be able to take a shot when they responded to do that by lowering their hands or getting intimidated, then I would just come up and punch them in the face.

AM: You began your career in Strikeforce and you’re a 5 X UFC Welterweight Champion, can you talk about what it means to have such an amazing career of 19 wins you only have 7 losses and a draw – it’s great stats.

TW: For me, it was always to try to be the best. Everybody else wanted to participate or to just get to the UFC or to win a title. Because, when you win a title, no one can ever say that you’re not a champion – you’re a champion. But my goal wasn’t just to win 1 title, it was to be the best. By definition, the best is somebody that gets a title and defends it multiple times and makes it very difficult to be beaten and that was my motivation. I accomplished that and obviously, life has highs and lows sometimes you don’t understand how things go, but it’s not really for us to understand. I just use it as a learning curve to keep getting better and to create my legacy.

AM: What is a normal week like for you when you’re in the gym training. You must be doing the most insane workouts and spending many hours to be where you’re at!

TW: You know, I used to do that when I was younger by spending many, many hours. You need to know if you can do it. You need to see if you’re built for it because what you don’t want to do is to waste their time or to waste your time.

This ain’t a sport where you do all of this hard work and you don’t know if it’s right for you. It’s too hard and there are great chances where you can get hurt. If you find out early in your career that you strike on somebody and they hit you in the face and you didn’t like it, shit maybe it ain’t up for you. If you don’t deal with pressure well, if you’re learning curve isn’t up to par with the growth of the sport, you have to look at yourself and say, “hey, you know what – maybe I should be a coach or I should be alongside it or I should do it for leisure but not put all my ducks in a row.” Some fighters think that just because they decided that they were going to give up the rest of their life towards this that they should be a pro fighter. That’s not how it works.

AM: Can we expect to see you in an upcoming MMA fight and who would you like to fight?

TW: I want to fight big fights. I don’t want to fight any small fights. Right now I feel like, if I beat 5 - 10 super high level guys and get a world title again that don’t mean shit. That’s not going to make me anymore of a great. I had to talk to God about this. I wanted to do that. I wanted to go back and get my belt back - it's the ego. Because, that's not my belt. That’s the current person’s belt, they earned their belt and I lost my belt. They didn’t take my belt, they earned theirs. Once people start thinking about it that way, his blessings are not mine and mine is not his. So, me going back and trying to chase that down – something that I have already done is kind of ego. So I had to check myself and now I just want to fight to make myself happy, to make a lot of money and to make a big fuss and a lot of exposure and a lot of media and buildup and marketing and big endorsements – big exposure and everything is leading me towards another area of martial arts.

AM: How much influence do you have when it comes to setting up matches. Are you able to select or at least propose who you want to go against? How does that process work?

TW: In the UFC, I didn’t really get much of a say so. If I did a couple of favors and I particularly wanted to fight somebody and they felt that it made sense and they could see how that looked good marketing-wise, then it became a yes. It was always if this person that I wanted to fight, made sense for them as well, then we’d do it. If it didn’t, then there was no chance. There were many times when it didn’t make sense for me to fight in my career, that they didn’t care and they wanted that fight to happen. Right now, I’m in a different position. Today, I was offered a fight, my first question was what’s the weight, where’s it at and are we at 7 figures and up?

AM: Ok now.

TW: Yeah why wouldn’t I?

AM: It’s interesting as I’ve always been interested in how these matches come together and it’s great that you’re able to have the ability to set those standards and parameters.

Why were you interested in boxing as you have had 2 fights against Jake Paul and will you continue to box?

TW: Yeah I’m going to continue to box and I was interested in boxing before the Jake Paul fight. I told my manager that I just really wanted to focus on doing all forms of combat and becoming an actual real free agent. Not having to conform to an organization that says that I have to fight at a certain time and I’m not saying that that didn’t benefit me and I don’t have no smoke with UFC. I’m not trying to get time back. I did what I was supposed to do in the time that I was given and I created some mystery so now I’m in a position where I want big fights that excite me and makes me want to walk out there! Because, for the longest, I was doing it to prove people wrong. I felt like at certain points, I was doing it to prove naysayers wrong, the organization wrong, the fighters wrong and the haters wrong. That’s too many people to be doing that with. I’d rather focus on just proving my people right and my coaches right versus all that other stuff.

AM: You’re also an analyst and it’s always good to watch a sport and see someone who comes from it who does it being able to tell you what’s going on. What do you enjoy about being in this role?

TW: I think it’s that people get to see me in a different light. They don’t get to see the quiet or the outspoken because I’m never in between! I feel like when I needed to, I was quiet because people didn’t deserve to really get to know me for who I was because everything was just so fake to me. It was like everything was such a façade and I wasn’t used to that. In St. Louis, it’s all about respect, all about being real and I’m just not used to people doing things that everybody else is doing because it looks cool. That was really corny to me and so at times, I didn’t feel like I fit in. So the analyst desk gave me a way to express myself, to say how I see the sport, make it realistic for someone that has never watched it and just make it fun and make it where it’s a moment that they will remember and tie them into our sport. We need more fans and more supporters and the way to do that, is to tell more people about it. Sometimes, as an analyst, you’re teaching people about MMA and they don’t know about it until you tell them.

AM: Exactly, I live in NY, but am originally from Indiana so I definitely understand the sensibilities of growing up in the Midwest and then when you go outside of it, it’s a different cadence that you have to get used to.

TW: Very interesting, very interesting. If you came from Indiana to NY, you understand exactly what I’m saying. It’s fast paced, no one is really caring about anything you’re saying as they’re focused on what they need to do and in the back of their mind, they’re trying to position themselves and posture. I’m not trying to do that. If you’re cool with me, you’re cool with me – if not, you can slide.

AM: In addition to everything that you’re doing, you’re also an actor and a stuntman. I remember watching you in Straight Outta Compton and I was like, “wait, he’s acting?” I know you’ve done other roles as well, why have you embraced this portion of the entertainment industry in your body of work?

TW: I’m just an artist. I’ve said it to a lot of people and they don’t even realize it. I’m just an artist. I’m not a boxer, I’m not a fighter, I’m not a rapper, I’m not an analyst – I’m an artist. Whatever canvas I have to paint on for that day, I have to do what I have to do. So that’s why I think of it and I separate it. My filter when I had my own TMZ show was different than when I do FOX, is different then when I act. Again in acting, there are a whole lot of different roles – so I do that differently. Music is a different look and it’s just different filters that you use and sensors. Sometimes there’s no filters and it’s very encouraging for you to be 100% yourself. But they all exist because you're an artist.

So, I feel like that we as humans try to box people in because we’re afraid that someone else will want us to be something more. If you’re comfortable being a 5th grade high school teacher, you don’t want somebody out there over doing it making you feel like you need to get down and get into crypto, to build some real estate developments and to look into these areas. There are people that don’t want to do that. So that’s why they allow the 1% to tell them what to do and to tell them what’s cool.

AM: As someone who is an artist, what are some things that you have coming up that you can share as you have your hands in various pots.

TW: I have an EP that I’m working on musically, I have a TV show that I’m writing, executive producing and starring in which is my main focus. I will fight 2 more times this year one time will be boxing and the other will be MMA. I haven’t confirmed it, but if I can get this last fight of the year on NYE, then it will literally turn a lot of heads. I’m just in to doing stuff that’s ground breaking, trailblazing and when people try to tell you that you can’t do something, I’m trying to be a living vessel to show you that you can and to tell everyone else that they can shut up!

AM: How do you take time for yourself when you’re not in the midst of doing all of these projects?

TW: I just started doing that! So I took up golf and I’m just about to go play golf in Hawaii right now! The first time golfing, I was in Hawaii, my second time golfing – I was in Hawaii and now today, I’m taking my son out in the jungle where they filmed parts of Jurassic Park – we’re going to go out there. I like shooting guns and getting a haircut. Like, I’m really into getting a haircut and I don’t know why.

AM: How do you give back to your community and how important is that?

TW: I give back to my community and I would go to schools and talk to them and encourage them and showing them somebody that came up from a similar background or similar complexion could make it. A lot of kids used to message me and said they were from the same area that I grew up in and they wanted to know how I made it out of there. One in particular told me how he was getting bullied to join a gang and he didn’t want to. I was real with him and told him that I joined – it wasn’t because I was scared, but I didn’t want to have to deal with people asking me questions every day like which gang I was in. So, I did it because of that and I told this kid that he shouldn’t do it. He was a freshman in high school when he reached out and now he is a Senior, a kid named Cameron a D1 athlete with a scholarship and he made it out. So, I can do that and inspire others – obviously me going out there and doing well and winning is the best thing that I can do. Unfortunately, people don’t understand that the real life is not about whether you got the most points in regulation or what the judges are saying – it’s about how you live. You’re a champion because of the way that you live not because of the title or the belt, you know what I mean? That’s my thing to go out there and show you better and to tell you.

IG @therealest

PHOTO CREDIT | FRONT COVER + PG 50 9DRIP Jeff Bottari/Getty Images | PG 16, 20, 24 UFC/Getty Images | PG 18 + BACK COVER Josh Hedges/UFC/Getty Images | PG 23 Eric Lars Bakke/ESPN Images | PG 27 Art Streiber/NBC | PG 28 - 33 Byron Cohen/ABC |

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see THE ARTIST | Tyron Woodley in mag.

9LIST STORI3S | BRIAN MICHAEL SMITH

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST STORI3S | Brian Michael Smith in mag.

INSPIRING WOMEN | GORJANA REIDEL

International Women's Day, International Women's Week and Women's Month are moments to celebrate and empower women who continue to push the envelope by being present and taking charge in the areas that they reside in around the world. It's also a time to reflect and assist those should also lend their voice to this effort. We caught up with the co-founder of gorjana, Gorjana Reidel who is known for her accessible and fine jewelry line that oozes SoCal cool girl style and has been worn by a number of celebrities and those in the know. We wanted to find out about how she created this brand, pieces we should have in our collections and the capsule collection that she has with her sister, Iva Pawling, co-founder of Richer Poorer.

ATHLEISURE MAG: I have been a fan of your brand for a number of years. As a celebrity fashion stylist and accessory expert, I like the aesthetic that you have brought into the jewelry industry. What led you to want to launch this jewelry brand?

GORJANA REIDEL: My childhood home in Serbia was extremely creative and that “DIY” attitude had a lasting impact on me. When I went to college, I knew I wanted to continue to channel that creativity in fashion. Although I studied marketing in college, I landed an internship in cosmetics at Neiman Marcus. After I graduated, I worked as an assistant manager in the jewelry department and that’s where I discovered my passion for jewelry design. I fell in love with jewelry because it’s intimate and timeless. You can wear a piece of jewelry every day and it eventually becomes a part of you.

AM: You and your husband created and are co-founders of this brand, and you are the Chief Creative Officer, what is your day-to-day like?

GR: Every day is different - which keeps it fun and exciting. From design ideation to product meetings….

AM: How do you go about getting inspiration for your jewelry line?

GR: I am really influenced by the Southern California lifestyle and the more relaxed vibe. I get inspired from different things all the time. It could be a cool shape I see, or I will look at something I want to wear and come up with the perfect jewelry piece to complete the look.

AM: Who is the gorjana woman?

GR: There really isn’t one type of woman - we see women from their 20s to late 50s or 60s wearing our jewelry. Our collections are timeless and so versatile - from chains to charms and daintier styles in our fine collection there truly is something for everyone.

AM: What is your process in terms of designing and creating new collections?

GR: This is always a fun process and never really the same. Sometimes we get inspired by a certain gemstone, sometimes it's a fun outfit we want to accessorize or a cool pattern we see and want to incorporate into a design. The process is never the same but that's what keeps us motivated and creative.

AM: How much does Laguna Beach play into your designs?

GR: I am always inspired but the beauty around me and Laguna is certainly one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s so eclectic and so authentic. There’s a sense of community. I obviously love the beach and the whole topography of Laguna. We live up on a hill. I see the water every day. It’s just one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to.

AM: I’ve always loved the fact that your pieces are meant for layering – for those that may not do this, what should they keep in mind when doing this?

GR: Honestly, the more the merrier when it comes to layering…but I do feel like you should wear the jewelry, the jewelry shouldn’t wear you! Start with a couple of simple, classic pieces like our Parker or Venice Necklace and build your layered look to make it your own. We have some beautiful, daintier styles in our Fine Collection - including cool diamonds and 14k solid gold. I love to mix and match all of our styles to create the perfect neck mess!

AM: What are 3 pieces that you’re excited about in the line right now that we should consider including into our personal collections?

GR: We just launched our first fine signet ring with pavé diamonds - I love adding it to my everyday stack, it adds serious shine. I also love layering our Diamond Evil Eye Necklace and Parker Mini Layering Set.

AM: We know that the Tuscon Gem Show just took place a few weeks back, are there gemstones or other materials that you have yet to include in the line that you’re thinking about for future collections?

GR: We only source large gemstones for our stores at the Tucson Gem Show. They have such a wonderful grouping of vendors and some really unique items. In terms of future collections, we are really into exploring precious gemstone options for our fine collection.

AM: We’ve visited your stores here in NY and in DC. With nearly 30 stores, what is the ambiance that you bring into your locations and are there additional locations/cities that you will launch this year?

GR: Each store has a cool, quintessentially Californian vibe and a clean backdrop to highlight the jewelry. Guests are meant to feel as if they’re walking into a welcoming, coastal bungalow in our hometown of Laguna Beach, California. We are excited to open stores in Portland Oregon, and Nashville next month with Carlsbad, Houston, Philadelphia, and Studio City to follow in Q2.

AM: You and your sister created a capsule collaboration for International Women’s Day between gorjana and Richer Poorer. Can you tell me more about what is in the capsule and why you came together to create this?

GR: As female entrepreneurs, we know first-hand that entering the business world can be difficult. In doing this collaboration we are determined to provide support for those who are just starting out. In true collaborative nature, I worked with Iva to create a tank top with the perfect necklace neckline, and Iva pushed me to create a necklace to symbolize our individuality and showcase our bond. The capsule includes the necklace, tank top and then an option to purchase as a bundle with both pieces.

AM: Being a co-founder of Athleisure Mag, we love sharing stories of those that are empowered who make their mark in the world. How important is it for women to be inspired and encouraged to start their own businesses?

GR: I could name a thousand reasons why women should be inspired to start their own businesses. One reason that sticks out is to ensure diversity and balance across businesses. Genders from all different backgrounds bring their own unique perspective to the table and having a healthy mixture is highly effective - we’ve found - at continuing to have a well-rounded outlook on where the business goes next. Jason and I run the company together, and being a male/female team, we truly balance each other out with our differing opinions and viewpoints. All perspectives have value and when you truly listen to incorporate each other into decision making, it can only help to better capture your target customer and grow your business.

AM: 100% of the sales from this capsule collection will be donated to Dress for Success. Why did you want funds to go there?

GR: We always try to inspire others to follow their dreams, and hope that by donating 100% of proceeds, we can help those dreams go a little further. Giving back has always been of major interest to us personally, and both gorjana and Richer Poorer. We are proud and honored to support charitable organizations and communities large and small, nationwide.

AM: Will there be future collaborations of this nature between you and your sister?

GR: I hope so! We had so much fun working together on this.

AM: How do you take time for yourself when you want to make sure that you have the reset that you need?

GR: I love spending time with my family - going on hikes, going to the beach or being out on our boat.

IG @gorjana

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Gorjana Reidel

Read the APR ISSUE #76 of Athleisure Mag and see INSPIRING WOMEN | Gorjana Reidel in mag.

NEVER GIVE UP | BEAR GRYLLS

When it comes to being an adventurer and navigating an array of terrains and working with what's around you, Bear Grylls is a man that you think of that you'd want to have on your team!

Known for his National Geographics' Running Wild with Bear Grylls where he takes A-list celebs on his expeditions, he has spent his life perfecting his craft and sharing his knowledge with many of us! His survival school comes from years of work that included serving in the Territorial Army of the 21 SAS, he has been awarded the honorary of Lt Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve and was awarded Honorary Colonel in the Royal Marines Reserve. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire as well as the youngest ever Chief Scout of the United Kingdom and Overseas Territories.

We talk with him about how he became an adventurer, shared these skills with us through his TV shows and how he stays fit to continue to do what he loves on and off the camera.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We’ve been a fan of yours for a number of years watching you go all around the world in these amazing environments and taking on nature. How did you decide that this was something that you wanted to do and then doing it as a career and being able to have these TV shows that showcase this profound series of skills and activities that you’re doing?

BEAR GRYLLS: That is so sweet of you to say. I’m not sure that it’s something that is so very profound. But you know, it’s been the only thing that I have been good at in my life! As a kid growing up, I loved adventure and it was a huge part of my upbringing with my dad doing this sort of stuff. Then I joined the military and my job there involved combat survival, the climbing and the sky diving. After the military, to be able to do a show like Man vs. Wild which then became Running Wild – it’s been a true privilege. I’ve been able to take incredible Hollywood and sports stars from all over the world to take them on great adventures and to introduce them to the power of the outdoors and how adventure can inspire us. Like I said, I’m very privileged.

I think it’s been a stumbling journey with many failures as well. People often like to talk about the good stuff, but I think it’s also important to be honest and say that behind the scenes there have been many failures! There have been many failed expeditions, failed TV shows and failed projects you know? It’s through that door that you get to go through to the good stuff! Never give up! I think that that’s the message isn’t it, for all of us for life!

AM: From our standpoint, we find it to be impressive and profound simply because you’re introducing things to us and people at large that we have never seen before or thought to do! It’s amazing to see you taking all of these celebrities and even President Obama to these places. You can kind of imagine what it would be like to do it, although we would not be able to do that! But we can appreciate that you do it!

BG: I’ll take the compliment. You’re so kind! When I talk with my family, they say, “Papa, you’re head is just filled with so much useless information.” And I go, “you might say that until it all goes wrong and your life is on the line.” I love this stuff and It’s a huge privilege to be able to do it and I hope to continue to be able to do it well into the rest of my life long after TV cameras – it’s been the beating heart of things that I have always loved! It’s a pleasure to share it with people – thank you!

AM: Do you have a favorite location that you like to go to or what do you look for from a TV perspective in terms of an area you want to go to? Is there a checklist or a criteria?

BG: Yeah, we try to keep every season of our Running Wild's as diverse as we can. We’ll hit a bunch of jungles and deserts and mountains – but at the same time, we have to be mindful that we’re taking rookies and they may be iconic people but in this world, they are rookies. You have to moderate as well as it can’t be too inaccessible and you have to have safety back up with us as well. You need to have rescue guys in case things go wrong. We try to avoid the real extremes of temperatures now because it really limits what you can do with people and it makes it super hard work for the crew in minus degree weather or in 125 degree weather. So, on the whole, we try to pick iconic places that are going to deliver adventures. So, it’s always fresh, it’s always new and it always puts a smile on my face that’s for sure!

AM: You just released your latest book, Never Give Up: My Life in the Wild, why did you want to write this book and how long did you spend putting it together?

BG: Well, I think that these are the stories that I get asked about all the time by people – including my own family, you know as my kids are growing up. I’ve never written about these things before – about the closest I’ve ever come to dying, behind the scenes filming with President Obama, filming Running Wild or Man vs Wild narrow escapes! Getting chased by snakes and this and that! All of those stories are things that I get asked about a lot and I spent 10 years writing about this. I wanted to write every word myself and I wanted to do it from the heart. I wanted to include the struggles and failures you know? That’s why, for me, the book was ever going to be called Never Give Up because that is the journey of life, you know? You hit some storms, you have to get back up and you have to be resilient and it’s the key to so much. I think that in this current climate with people as we re-emerge from this COVID time, I think it’s especially tough for young people. We need a spirit of resilience, determination and to know that the power of a never give up spirit – how much it counts for in life.

AM: Tell us about Cardio Miracle and why you wanted to partner with them?

BG: Well, Cardio Miracle is something that I have believed in for a long while. I think that the world of supplementation is really a minefield for people and I'm super conscious of my health and fitness. I need to be fit and strong for my job. You know, when I’m not out at adventures, I do everything that I can to stay fit and finding a supplement like Cardio Miracle which is all in one and does it all, has been amazing for me. Just reading the stories from all around the world from people that have been taking the supplements and how it’s enhanced and strengthened their lives is amazing to see. They pour in every day. I love that! I try to do things that really empower people’s lives and I think that all of us as we get older, we have to be conscious of our heart health. You know, I lost my dad far too young to a heart attack and it’s made me super conscious about getting really good proper supplements that’s really good and all natural – great antioxidants, great anti-inflammatory and good amino acids that are good for our hearts as we get older and we want to stay fit for these adventures.

AM: Absolutely. How long have you been taking it and in terms of your partnership with them, what are the things that you are going to do to spread the word?

BG: Well, I’ve been taking Cardio Miracle for a few years now. I had been on the lookout for something like Cardio Miracle for about 10 years. A lot of people have not been able to find something that has everything that I believe is really great and is natural for your health.

It’s been a journey. There is also an alignment of values there and the fact that they are really trying to do something positive for heart health for people’s metabolic health. As we come out of this COVID time, I think that one of the messages that is resounding for all of us is that we just can’t rely on vaccines.

It's important to also be metabolically strong and to have a strong immune system – I think this is part of that, physical training is part of that - but definitely in the modern world getting supplementation that really helps you metabolically to help you stay ahead of the curve to stay strong and fit. It’s so key and they do an amazing job. For me, it’s just seeing the stories like I said, that are pouring in and how it has helped people. I’m proud to do that.

When we’re not filming, I love championing that message for people. We want people to have good heart health long into their life.

AM: Are there any upcoming projects that we should keep an eye out for that you can share with us?

BG: Well we’re back on filming Running Wild right now. Never Give Up was just pushed in America. I’m also sharing that message of Cardio Miracle for people that want to stay in good health as they get older. So those are my 3 focuses of the moment! Stay fit and healthy, enjoy these stories and I’m back on the road filming Running Wild.

IG @beargrylls

PHOTO COURTESY | PG 96 Bear Grylls | PG 98 - 109 Ben Simms/National Geographic |

Read the APR ISSUE #76 of Athleisure Mag and see NEVER GIVE UP | Bear Grylls in mag.

ON THE SCENE | BRIAN MICHAEL SMITH

Over the last few years, Brian Michael Smith has been a man that has had clutch characters in shows that are part of major cultural moments. We love the way he embraces the shows that he's in as well as really being into the process of movie making magic behind the camera. We catch up with Brian to find out how he gained the love he has for the entertainment industry, we chat about his process to approaching playing his roles, we talk about him being one of our faves in FOX's 9-1-1: Lone Star and his advocacy in the trans community.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to be an actor?

BRIAN MICHAEL SMITH: I’ve always had an inclination towards acting. My family was pretty close knit and full of people who couldn’t tell a story without acting it out, and I learned at a very young age that I liked to entertain. I truly fell in love with acting when I was in fifth grade and our class put together a play where we made up the plot and characters. I remember how powerful it felt to step out there and have everyone respond to and believe in my character without question. It felt like anything was possible and I loved it. I stayed involved with acting a bit throughout school, but it wasn’t until I was in my 20s living in New York that I decided to really commit to acting professionally. In fact, I remember it was a day I was working background in one of the battle scenes of the Dark Knight Rises. It was something I started doing to learn more about working on set and earning some side money. It was a Saturday, and Wall St. was shut down, there were like 600 people dressed as cops or warriors, IMAX cranes, Batmobiles, fake snow blowing around. Christopher Nolan (Tenet, Justice League, Interstellar), Tom Hardy (Inception, Legend, Venom) and Christian Bale (Vice, The Big Short, American Hustle) were a foot away hammering out the scene. I’m standing there with my partner, and they call action and all these guys start yelling and doing their fight choreography and it's FUN! They yell cut after what felt like 15 minutes and we're all standing there panting and I just remember looking around thinking this is exactly how it felt when I was a kid at my happiest, outside playing with my friends on Saturday mornings and I love this and would do it for free. Then I’m looking around at all the people involved to make this, the hundreds of different jobs, and it hit me that yes this is a real industry, a profession, a day-to-day and this is all I want to do.

AM: You have been in a number of phenomenal shows including Toine Wilkins in Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar on OWN, Pierce Williams in Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q and currently, you play Paul Strickland in 9-1-1: Lone Star just to name a few. When you’re selecting projects that you want to be part of, what is your process and what are you looking for?

BMS: My process has depended on the project or what my career or creative goal has been at the time. At first, it was about getting experience and learning the craft and industry. And then as I started to earn more credits and get my career going, I shifted my focus to developing a body of work that spoke to what was important to me as a person and defined who I am as an artist. Around 2016, when looking for work, I started asking my myself, “What story do I want to tell right now? And what part of myself or being a person do I want to explore in my work?”

And then right before I booked Queen Sugar, I was asking myself, “as an artist what do I want to say?" What can I do with a character, a scenario that no one else can do?” And these are the questions I still use when seeking out work.

AM: I have been a fan of 9-1-1: Lone Star from the beginning and have enjoyed Paul and seeing his contributions to his team as well as sharing his life as a trans man on the show. Can you tell me about him and what drew you to wanting to play him?

BMS: I love Paul, he is a great aspirational character. He possesses a lot of qualities I admire like bravery, tenacity, aptitude, and a great sense of humor. He’s definitely a guy you want on your team. You know he will have your back. He has a fierce love for people in his family including his chosen family and the community that he serves. He is an enigma in a way, and it has been really interesting for me to discover more about him as the seasons develop.

What drew me to him originally was that he was a character I pretty much manifested for myself. At the time the audition notice came out, I was working on the L Word and really enjoying playing Pierce who was very different from me in a lot of ways that I enjoyed exploring. He was reserved, he was methodical and very corporate. And while I enjoyed that, I was in a space where I really wanted to play someone more physical.

I was at an event in the summer of 2019 and a friend had asked me, “If you could be playing character right now what would you want to be playing?” And I had literally just wrote in my vision board/ goal sheet: “Be cast as a series regular in an ensemble action-oriented procedural TV show that keeps me working in LA, increases my footprint.” As I was sharing that with him, I got the email for the audition for Paul in Lone Star.

In the casting breakdown, Paul was described originally as ‘a Midwest roughneck’ and I loved that and also the note about his powers of observation, so I like this idea of this very physical tough guy who is also really smart and a bit of a brainiac.

AM: You play a firefighter – what is it like to prepare to play Paul physically, emotionally and mentally?

BMS: Physically, it has been a journey to figure out how to best play Paul. When I first started to get ready, my goal was to just get in shape. I’d been playing a character with a very different style than Paul on the L Word and knowing how physical and athletic Paul was going to be, I wanted to look like a firefighter so my training for the weeks leading up to Lone Star was focused on that goal. I found myself hitting the gym 5 days a week, doing weightlifting workouts I used to do when I was a thrower in college and then adding circuit training to trim down. But when we actually started visiting fire stations and working with actual firefighters, I saw that the build I had developed was cute for TV but didn’t really match the real-world physique of most of these guys, I could barely work the equipment for anything longer than a minute and was pretty easily gassed out when doing the job-based activities. So, I went back to the drawing board with my physical training and came up with a program that focused on functional strength and muscle endurance. I looked up training programs and exercises that actual firefighters do, I added a weighted vest to my circuit workouts and added functional mobility work to my warms up.

This physical work actually helped me connect emotionally to Paul, because I felt like one of the survival mechanisms he developed in Chicago to counter discrimination was to put all his energy into what he could control and to be the best firefighter he could be. I understood more about the amount of work he put in to do that what it would have meant for him to have that work overlooked for years in Chicago, then to have it recognized and celebrated by Owen and the 126 in Austin. Mentally and emotionally, it has been exciting and enjoyable to prepare to play Paul because he gets to do things that I’ve dreamed about doing, you know? He’s a lifesaver, he gets involved in these crazy rescues, and every day is different. He also gets the chance to live fully as his authentic self with people who love him.

AM: It’s an incredible cast and crew from having Ryan Murphy (Glee, Pose, American Horror Story) as the co-creator to working with Rob Lowe (West Wing, Code Black, Californication), Jim Parrack (True Blood, The Deuce, Suicide Squad) and Gina Torres (Suits, Westworld, The Catch) to name a few. What’s it like being able to work on this show and to be able to tell a series of stories that are so timely for us to watch as viewers?

BMS: It’s genuinely a dream come true for me to work with such incredible, talented, and giving people. It’s very rare that you get involved in a project and everyone is excited to be working on it. And with a production of this scale and the fast turnover of episodes, you need people who are at the top of their game, know how to roll with the punches and care about the people they’re working with and the stories we are telling. It’s an honor to be able to be a part of this kind of storytelling because I know our shows reach people in communities that may not include many people like the characters on our show. I think empathy and understanding come from watching these characters and learning who they are. I think the audience finds that they have much more in common with people they think are different from them and that can change hearts and minds.

AM: What have been your 3 favorite moments in playing Paul?

BMS: There have been so many! He’s such an enjoyable character and we get so many crazy calls. I personally love all the little 126 family moments in the firehouse and there were a lot of moments in season 1 where we were all still getting to know each other and our characters and would just crack up playing off each other. But let’s see off the top of my head:

Season 1 Episode 2 with the racist lady in the backyard - This was one of those days where we were still getting to know each other and had so much fun and the scene is just hilarious.

Season 2 Episode 11 - The truck rescue on the bridge – It was one of my first really big stunts and as an action movie buff, I felt like I was shooting a scene from Cliffhanger or something and then throughout the episode we got to see more of Paul and Marjan’s friendship and how they support each other. So, it was a good balance of action and character development scenes.

Season 3 Ice Storm gym collapse - One of the strengths of our show is that it’s an ensemble show, and we work often as a team, but every few episodes, you get a storyline that focuses on your character so what was cool for me about the ice storm was that Paul got to go on a bit of a hero’s journey after he is separated from the group.

We shot episodes 1-4 pretty much at the same time and so much of Paul’s storyline was shot in sequence so it truly felt like I was making a movie within a movie, which was new and exciting for me as an actor, to have the responsibility of carrying an episode arc and exploring some new aspects of my character. We hadn’t seen Paul face this level of challenge before, him being isolated from his team, and having to save a life while putting his life directly on the line.

AM: For next season, what would you like to explore for Paul as we continue to get to know more about him?

BMS: I’m interested in what career advancement would look like for Paul. I wonder if he wants more responsibility or some new professional challenges. I love rescues and action so I’d like to see what other dangerous situations he can get into. I want to explore his relationship with Austin and what his community there outside of the 126 family is. We know Paul has strong observational skills, so I’d love to see him put that to work more, maybe even solve some crime with Carlos.

AM: You have used your platform to advocate for trans rights and representation on the screen. You have done this through panels and other projects – how important is this for you to continue to do?

BMS: It’s very important to me to continue to advocate for equality for trans people. Right now, there are about 300 pieces of anti-trans legislation being proposed and passed in statehouses throughout the country. Bills that bar people from accessing healthcare, prosecuting family members, doctors or educators who refuse to out children, or block trans youth from participating in sports. Many of these bills are being advanced based on lies and misinformation. So, in addition to my advocacy through my art, I feel it’s just as important to use my platforms to combat this misinformation and make allies aware of these attacks on basic human rights.

AM: Do you have any upcoming projects that you can share with us?

BMS: I’m cooking up some things for the hiatus, but I can’t share yet.

AM: Will we see you take on other roles in the industry whether it’s writing, producing or directing?

BMS: Yes, during the hiatus from the show I’m going to spend time developing some projects I’d like to produce soon.

AM: In watching the show, we know you’re in great shape. On your IG, we see you boxing and going at it in the gym. What is a typical workout like for you as we’re always looking to add to our routines!

BMS: Thank you! After season 2 and the Quarantine 15 I put on, I found myself needing to adjust my workouts again. During the last month of the hiatus, I shifted from strength and powerlifting to aesthetics and conditioning. So, in the gym, I started lifting like a bodybuilder, and to push myself in the cardio department, I started boxing. The results have been incredible. I feel like I found the right combination for my lifestyle and fitness goals.

I try to hit the weights at least 3 times a week and do boxing 4 times a week. In the weight room, I’m doing bodybuilding workouts, following the progressive overload principle, and lifting a high volume of moderate weight and really focusing on fully contracting the specific muscle I’m targeting. So, within 90 minutes, I’ll try to do 3-4 exercises for a specific muscle group doing 3 sets of 12-20 reps.

Boxing has been a game-changer for sure. I work with my trainer, Adel Altamimi, 4 days a week and a typical session with him involves, mobility warm up, shadow boxing, mitts, or drills, bag work and then some boxing strength training or HIIT cardio.

It’s intense but I’ve been able to improve my level of fitness at a faster rate than I imagined possible because of it. I’ll also share that recovery is also a critical part of my training. I make sure to hit the sauna, hot tub, or ice bath daily, and try to get sports massages at least once a week.

AM: When you’re not on set or being an advocate, how do you take time for yourself for a bit of a reset?

BMS: Hanging with my wife and my pup T’Challa. We’re still relatively new to LA, and now that things are opening back up, we like to go out and explore the city or just kick it at home. I also got my first motorcycle this year so learning to ride and work on that is my new jam.

IG @the_brianmichael

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 74 - 79 Jack Zeman/FOX | PG 81, 82 + 158 9LIST STORI3S Storm Santos; STYLING Toye Adedipe; GROOMING Grace Phillips |

Read the latest issue of MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see ON THE SCENE | Brian Michael Smith in mag.

MANIFESTING THIS LIFE | CANDIACE DILLARD-BASSETT

One of our favorite reality franchises is BRAVO's The Real Housewives. It gives you a glimpse of a city with a group of women that are friends who open up their lives. You find that they are ambitious driven women who navigate their communities. The Real Housewives of Potomac is one of our favorites in this city specific series and when Candiace Dillard-Bassett arrived starting in the 3rd season, we met a woman on a mission who had an array of accolades under her belt while being focused on building her legacy. We talk with her about pageantry, her career prior to being on RHOP, the show, what the platform has provided, her music career and how she continues to give back to others!

ATHLEISURE MAG: In prep for this inter-view, I really liked learning about your background. You grew up with parents who both worked in the Air Force as physicians, graduated from Howard University and you worked in public service at the White House Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for President Barack Obama as well as serving as a staffer during his 2012 reelection campaign. Why was it important for you to begin your career in this way in public service?

CANDIACE DILLARD-BASSETT: I know that I grew up in a household that de- manded excellence. I grew up in a household where everyone was a professional. My parents were physicans, they have a military background and they raised me as well as my siblings to model that. They taught us the truth of being people of color in this country, how the world might not always see us in the way that we see ourselves when we’re surrounded by like-minded people who look like us and think like us.

I always tell this story, it’s funny. I wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to be a physician, I started out wanting to be a dermatologist, and I wanted to be an OBGYN. I think I must have gotten to the 9th grade and chemistry, algebra and calculus were kind of kicking my butt and I discovered that these were not my friends, so it let me pivot to something else that I am really good at which is communications. I love publc speaking – I love writing and I love aspects of journalism. I ended up being co-editor of my yearbook and co-editor of my newspaper in high school. I love to read. So, thank God, that I found something else because that math got me!

I want to encourage women who are going out in those fields for STEM because it’s so important and it’s something that we need to have more faces there that look like us there and showcase that representation. I’m a cheerleader and I’m in the back in the hallways saying, “go my STEM sisters!” But it’s just not my ministry. You have to know your strengths.

AM: That’s totally true. I thought about med school and then law school, but then you think about those years and the kinds of studies involved and I just kept continuing to code and work in fashion. But I love seeing those who are deeply involved in STEM and STEAM – all of that! So, you were Miss United States 2013. I never did pageants personally, but I have styled projects with Virginia Limongi Miss Ecuador 2018 ahead of her competing for Miss Universe as well as Nia Franklin Miss America 2019. I love this element of the pageant world as it’s more than looking beautiful as there are these other facets to it. Why was it so important to you that you wanted to do that and how important is that for character building?

CDB: I’m a pageant girl for life. I started competing since I was 5 years old and it was just ingrained in me. I will always speak up and speak about that part of my life because I always want to serve as an example of what it truly looks like to be a product of the pageant industry and of the pageant world as a whole, because there is this stigma – this neg- ative idea attached to women who compete in pageants that we’re dumb, we’re self-absorbed that we are mean – cutting each other’s dresses backstage, cutting lipsticks -

AM: Breaking zippers!

CDB: Yeah all of that stuff!

AM: I was a cheerleader – so yup!

CDB: Same! So you understand! So there’s that Toddlers and Tiaras sort of trope that people always ask me when I say that I have competed in pageants, “oh is it like Toddlers and Tiaras?” I mean, yes there are some aspects of the pageant world that can be superficial and that can be seen in a negative light, but my experience in all my years competing and I have competed a lot, I have always felt uplifted and empowered, seen and heard and loved. It’s where I learned to identify who I was. Where I learned how to brand myself, where I learned how to speak up for my- self and be an advocate – not just for me, but for causes that I believe in. I learned how to communicate those things in a way that was palatable and respectful and made sense to different audiences. I credit my mom and pageantry for all of those things. Some of the most brilliant women that I know – doctors, lawyers, scientists, inventors, dancers – you could not imagine the pedigree that you find in pageantry, and it goes far beyond just smiling, waving and being a robot. That’s only one aspect of the game of the sport because I do feel that it is one. I’m so proud to be part of it!

AM: You also have an agency where you help other people in the pageant system. Can you talk more about that?

CDB: I founded my consulting firm Candiace Dillard Pageant Consulting for the very reasons that I explained. After I won Miss United States, I found myself being a coach on accident – being someone that is empowering women around their pageant journey. It was my director at the time, Laura Clark who is now the director of The Miss Earth United States Organization – she’s a bad B! She’s a bad woman, I love her! My makeup artist at the time, Melissa, we were sitting in the hotel room and I was helping to co-produce a pageant for them one weekend. We were talking about me helping the girls and we were talking and they said, “this is a business – why don’t you start a business?” I was like, “no, why would I do that? I could just help them.” They explained that I could do it for free but when it could be framed as a structured enterprise that has tiers and everything that these women need to truly get the most of this experience by someone that has been through it.

I was like, ok and it was born! I have coached over 500 women to different titles and different places. Obviously have not been as active lately because I can barely keep an eyebrow on!

AM: You’re just a bit busy!

CDB: It’s always something that I go back to. My girls – they’re my friends, my sisters – I call them my pageant sisters. They’ll call me and let me know what’s happening. Even the little girls that I have coached, I have watched them grow up and compete as junior teens and now they’re in the Miss category. They’re like my little babies and they have just flourished. It’s rewarding to see and it’s work that I would do for free.

AM: I think that that’s amazing when you’re able to give back and infuse peo- ple in that way. You’re always going to remember who shined a light on you and to do that across all the people that you have mentored – it’s phenomenal.

CDB: Of yeah, it’s so rewarding and I would do it for nothing – just for fun. You get to play dress up, help women decide who they want to be and you’re doing it with them! It’s like having your own children helping them out and I love opening doors or women who are al- ready so special, intelligent and wise. It’s just giving them that polish and tweak that they need to accomplish their goals in the same way that I was fable to use pageantry to accomplish mine.

AM: I don’t know how you sleep because you also have a successful hairline, Prima Hair Collection by Candiace Dillard. Why did you want to be involved in the hair industry and why are you so passionate about it?

CDB: Prima Hair Collection was really a spin-off of pageantry so I love that you put those questions together. When I was competing coming up in the 90s, it was hard to find hair extensions that worked, were human hair, that came in different lengths, different textures and different colors that worked for me and worked with women that looked like me. We were stuck with synthetic hair or bad weaves or very expensive extensions because there was a monopoly on the market. There are a lot of different hair extension companies that you can choose from now, but I still had a passion for sector of the beauty history. It was my mom who said, “this should be a business.” There’s that theme where it’s always a woman empowering me to see something great for myself. It was my mom this time and she said that we were going to do it. I was like, “really we are, yay!” She helped me do the re-search and she gave me the investment. She purchased my first large order of hair. My sister got involved and 7+ years later, we are a full-service company that does business across the world. We have international clients that will clamor to get Prima hair. We are looking to move into other products soon. I have always seen myself move into other hair care products. I see myself at some point moving into skincare – I love it so much!

AM: I could see that!

CDB: Yes, but that’s really something that I would want to take my time with and find the right people, the right chemist that will ensure I’m putting out the products that I would use myself. But that’s down the road. Right now, Prima Hair is still kicking and we’re moving into other hair products.

AM: I think it’s amazing to hear this. I graduated from college in 2001 and the first 6 to 7 years, I was modeling and what it was like then to model as a Black woman – some people didn’t know how to do my makeup, you brought your own items! When we launched this magazine, 6 years ago I said that it was unacceptable for a hair or makeup person to come to set saying that they couldn’t work with various skin tones and poking around.

CDB: Yeah! We have had to learn to bring our own makeup for ourselves and to do our own hair. Right now, if it’s not one of my own makeup artists, I’m like, “I’m ok, I can do it myself.” You just come conditioned not to feel seen and not to be represented in those spaces.

AM: It’s so sad. We had someone come to set, is super accomplished and she brought 3 bags of her own makeup and it broke my heart. To know that she was known and she still felt the need to do that, I told her that she didn’t have to do that and we had great talent on set. Of course, our MUA killed it but seeing that the feeling still exists even after all of this time – it broke my heart. I always enjoy hearing that people like you and others are doing the good work!

You joined the cast of RHOP in the 3rd season. I already loved it when it first came out and then you stepped on the stage and I was excited as your personality is like my own. What made you see this and want to be part of it?

CDB: So, I can remember – I’m originally from Georgia – when The Real Housewives of Atlanta started, I thought, “oh my God, a show about Atlanta.” I watched with my mom and we were all engrossed in the show and then of course, I went off to college in Howard and then I was living in the DMV which we call the DC, Maryland, Virginia area and my best friend called me and asked I had heard about this new Black Housewives show. I hadn’t, but then I started watching. It was exciting that on a network like BRAVO that is very popular and well known and very much engrossed in pop culture – Atlanta was the premier show for women of color and here we are now with the second iteration of women of color in this franchise. This was exciting. I wanted to know who the girls were and at that time, I had been here for 14 years – a long time. I came to Howard in 2005 and I never left. I wanted to know who was on the show, what they were wearing and where they were going. I was interested and I was watching it with my boyfriend at the time, Chris and I thought, why am I not on the show? I knew I should be on this show and I remember praying about an opportunity to be on the show. I said, “listen God, if You give me the opportunity to be on this show, I promise that I will glorify You and I will use it as a vehicle to be a catalyst to accomplish all the things that You said that I would have.” Literally, the next year I was getting a call from the casting director – the Power of the Tongue. I live by it – I manifest with the Power of the Tongue. Speak what you want – that’s the message of today.

AM: Are there things that you had to consider when you knew that you would be putting your life out there and did you think about aspects involving bringing friends, family and your relationship on there?

CDB: Yes, so obviously, I had to talk to Chris. At the time, we were not engaged. We had talked about it and he had explicit instructions on what that ring would be.

AM: Check!

CDB: My mom – I didn’t worry about her because if you watch the show, you know that that woman was made for TV! She created me – my mom named me after Candice Bergen from Murphy Brown and Dominique Deveraux played by Diahann Carroll from Dynasty. So she knew what she was doing. So that lady knew what she was doing. That lady was ready! I didn't have to tell her anything except what time and where she had to be!

AM: She might have outrun you to get there!

CDB: EXACTLY! She was getting in there. Chris and I sat down and we said that we wanted to do it and we wanted to use the show, like I said, as a catalyst and a vehicle to accomplish our goals. We agreed upfront that it would be us against everybody and that we would never allow anything to infiltrate our relationship and that we would do it until it wasn’t fun anymore. Those were solid conversations that we had. So far, we have stuck to that and we have been able to use the platform in a way that has been beneficial in our careers. I’m so grateful to BRAVO and to our production company because they have allowed me to get married on the show, truly start my music journey on the show, my acting on the show and my hair business on the show. You should come in and want to use this platform to advance yourself. Being a career housewife is wonderful, but I know that there is more to do beyond the platform and so I’m here as long as it serves me and then it’s on to the next.

AM: So, how long do you guys film for?

CDB: We shoot for about 4 months.

AM: That’s a chunk of time.

CDB: Yes and it’s a stressful chunk of time because it’s a job. You are with the pro- duction company for that entire period of time and you have to tailor your life to that time. Luckily, the show is a docuseries so they’re following our lives. Most of what we’re doing, they’re following. The more you have going on the better and I have too much going on this year! It’s making my edges fall out! The plus and the minus is that having a lot going on is great, but it is an ensemble cast, so a lot of things that are happening in your life, may not make it and may stay on the cutting room floor. They have to get equal amounts of everyone's story. So they pick and choose what makes it and we have no control over what makes it. So that’s always an interesting journey to go on to find out that right before it airs, they cut that whole story out and it’s like they shot 5 scenes for that and it won’t air.

AM: My favorite scenes are the confessionals because you’re glammed up and you’re talking about what you thought about something that is taking place on the episode. How do you come up with the outfits that you’re going to wear?

CDB: That’s always really fun! Shout out to my style team - my hair and my make-up glam team and my stylist. We come together and we decide together what we are going to do. So, one of them – sometimes it won’t be my hairstylist, my wardrobe stylist will send a hair look that she thinks would be amazing. My hairstylist, Stephanie will say that she loves it and my makeup artist Kendell will say that this is a great look to go with it. We then piece it together. One thing that people may not know is that we shoot the same look, multiple times. It’s always a challenge to find a look that is intricate and unique, but can be recreated. I’ve had braids twice now and braids are tricky because you shoot with them when they’re new and then you come back and shoot with you again in the same look in a month or month and a half and you’ve been running around in the world living with those braids and you need a touchup. But what I do, is that I have a headwrap when I have braids and you can’t tell when my roots start to show. I love confessionals, it’s like playing dress-up and you’re talking and chatting with your producer, saying what’s happening, being funny and being shady while having some champagne.

AM: It’s safe to assume that you will be back for the 7th season?

CDB: Well I think I saw somewhere that someone at BRAVO had to make an announcement that everyone was asked back because I made a little bit of a cryptic tweet and it had the Internet in an uproar.

There are just days where trolling is my ministry!

AM: It is what it is!

CDB: So yes, that was a funny day because my publicist told me that everyone was calling and E! wanted a statement and I said that they would be fine! So, I think that everybody is coming back.

AM: Like you said, you’re always using the platform to share your body of work and interests. We have seen your music career on the show and now DEEP SPACE, your debut album is out! How was that, you released it fall of last year – you’ve had over 2M streams – it’s amazing!

CDB: It’s crazy! It’s surreal because I had always seen something with music happening in my head and it really started when Chris and I got married and I knew I wanted to perform a song for him at our wedding.

AM: It was a beautiful song.

CDB: Thank you. I See You was my first recorded song. Originally I wasn’t going to do an original piece. I wanted to do a Toni Braxton song – she’s perfect at love songs. My wedding was being filmed for the show and my producer said, if you want us to capture you singing, you can’t do someone else’s song. For those that may not know about television is that there are so many rules and one of them is that you have to keep in mind the licensing. Toni Braxton is gong to demand the fees of herself, the producers, the writers and her label. That could be $40K or $100K for the show to play her song on the show and they said they weren’t going to pay that.

So I thought I would write the song and I worked with Veda Whisnant and my good friend Cliff as well as the gentleman who is now my music director, Aaron Hardin. They created I See You and that was the snowball effect and people were looking to work with me including Chucky Thompson, may he rest in peace. He did a disgustingly amazing job on the I See You the Go-go Remix – Go-go music has been a huge part of my life since I have lived in DC. It kind of snowballed from there and got bigger than what I thought it would. I knew I would put out a few songs, but then as I continued to move through the music industry, it went to doing an EP, to doing an album to performing live – it just materialized before my eyes. It’s still going!

AM: What’s it like to have Anita Baker, Nicki Minaj and Toni Braxton to bless your work? I’ve been a huge fan of Anita Baker’s work and have such a respect for her and obviously, Toni Braxton and Nicki Minaj are amazing as well. What has that been like?

CDB: I don’t even know! I have no words. When you grow up listening to these voices. For me who has a lower register, I never felt confident about my voice. Every- one celebrates Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston that has these soaring Soprano voices and I never felt like I heard anything like my voice until I heard Anita Baker, Toni Braxton and Brandy who I love. They liberated me and helped me to be proud of my voice and showed me what I could do with my voice and I studied their voices to really feel like I could sing and that I could use my voice to emote and be an artist. I owe them everything. What do you mean that Anita Baker knows who I am?

AM: I read that twice and was like, oh – Anita.

CDB: It’s still crazy to me. It’s like shut up, I can’t believe that.

AM: And yet, it happened!

You came off the Femme it Forward Tour – how was that? SWV, Faith Evans and Mya? That’s some legit superstar magic right there!

CDB: Not me – them! I’m still processing.

It's just unbelievable because again, these are Black women in R&B that wrote the soundtrack to so much of my life in the 90s and on. They wanted me to be with them on their stages, on their platforms and they respect me and they see me. That is heavy, but it’s also light in a way because I’m doing all day – that’s where I am with it. I wouldn’t be there if I wasn’t worthy and I’m just trying to live in the worthiness of it if that makes sense.

AM: It totally does! Once again, you’re manifesting up a storm. You’ve been on Netflix’s Family Reunion and being on BET’s The Christmas Lottery. The level of creativity that you have embraced and do, what does it feel like to know that it’s ok to embrace on all of these activities and to nibble on them, try them and to make it their own way. There are so many people that shy away from taking on so many things especially when they are not in the same area and I always encourage people to lean into it.

CDB: I feel like if I didn’t do all of the things that are inside of me, I would explode. It just has to come out. Some- times it doesn’t make sense and some- times I’m exhausted and sometimes I don’t know what I’m doing and I feel that sometimes.

AM: And that’s ok.

CDB: Yes, it’s ok to not know what you’re doing. If you’re following your heart, you’re following your dream, just follow it. You don’t have to ask questions – you just need to follow it and be led by it. That’s what’s calling you and you have to trust that if you’re spiritual or not but that which is leading you is coming from a higher place. That’s literally it. Some- times I’m like, “girl what are you doing and I’m like I don’t know.” But I trust and I continue and then I see the fruits and then I know why it makes sense. That’s why there is a DEEP SPACE, that’s why there is a Family Reunion, that’s why there is a Water in a Broken Glass – whatever projects I’ve worked on and there's more - so much more that I want to do in the acting realm episodically and on the big screen. I want to continue to tour and collaborate musically with new people.

AM: You’re just flowing. I always say that – I say it, I pray it, I step out on it and I just pray that God catches me.

CDB: Yasss! That’s all you can do.

AM: The rest will be figured out and if it gets messy, we’ll figure it out and make it to something else.

CDB: Exactly.

AM: Tell me about My Sister’s Keeper and why you wanted to create this organization?

CDB: So this goes back to pageantry. It was competing in pageants that led me to feel like I could create an organization that truly empowered women that were not in a position to receive resources in the same way that I was. I was a student at Howard University and it’s located in NW Washington DC. There are no gates, you are in the city. You are a part of the fabric in DC and that’s not always attractive. There’s homelessness, there’s crime – it’s a lot of pieces to that puzzle. The school directly across the street from Howard was Banneker Senior High School. I used to tudor there and I noticed that there was a lack of guidance for a lot of the young women who attended school there and just in general as I maneuvered through DC, I experienced the youth in the area – particularly in lower income areas in SE DC. I felt like I could help and part of it was ignorance. I grew up in a way that I hadn’t seen that with my own two eyes. So when I’m out in the world and I’m now doing my own thing, I realized that I had all these resources and I had someone who reared me, taught me and showed me – I said I could do that and help with that. That’s how we started. We go into schools that are mostly in the DC area and just have conversations with these young women.

We do these things called a Girl Talk Circle where we sit in a circle and put questions and thoughts into a bowl and pull them out and talk about what they’re feeling or thinking. Sometimes a girl will own it and sometimes she won’t but that’s the point. You can have an issue and not be judged. I have integrated My Sister’s Keeper into Candiace Pageant Consulting because everyone is not cut out for pageants, but you can tell when a young woman has that spark or that je ne sai quoi piece that she could rock a stage or that she could be good in this space. It’s a great way again to iron you out and give a woman poise and purpose. You have to know who you are in order to compete and it forces you to figure out who you are and I want it for all women but especially Black women because we’re not first. No one is giving us the right – it’s not a privilege – the right to feel empowered and to feel that we can have whatever we what.

AM: And to understand what the game- board is and to navigate that! And to do it one way versus the other way. Although, you might have to dig in that bag every now and then again too.

CDB: That’s part of it too. It’s knowing how and when to code switch and when to use what resources where and how – yeah!

AM: Are there any other up and coming projects that we should keep an eye out for because I feel like you’re this till that keeps on springing forth.

CDB: YES! Part of the reason why I am so tired is because I was finishing up one of my final classes for my MBA program at Howard. You’ll be seeing graduation very soon and at the same time, I made this 14 slide pitch deck that I had to do for this class, I was in the studio recording new music. I am really excited because we are going to be doing a deluxe version of the DEEP SPACE album and that will be set to come out some- time this summer! I haven’t talked about that, that’s an exclusive to you guys!

AM: I mean, you just dropped your album - last fall!

CDB: It hasn’t even been a year – I know we dropped it in Sept. But you know, I didn’t want to get stale and there’s so much left to sing about and there are so many good tracks, such good music and so much to write and I have such a cool writing team. I’m newer to writing music. My team is really patient with me and lets me make changes whether I don’t like something or I want it to feel more like this or that. We make it work. So I have been in the studio for the last 3 days so I’m finishing that. That’s done and I’ll be listening to the songs ad nauseum so I’ll be sick of that ha! But we’ll be piecing them together. It’s in the works – but a TV series that I can’t say a lot about but it’s in the works. I would be playing someone that is not a whole lot like me which is exciting and it will be shooting right here, so I wouldn’t have to leave the area which I’m excited about that! So look out for that coming out soon! I think that’s it – music, TV, the show – you’ll get all the entertainment from RHOP.

AM: Every time you hit the screen on RHOP, I’m like ok, what’s happening now ha!

CDB: It’s a mess, my God. Me enjoying life, married life and I’m still decorating my house – just living!

IG @candeegal09

PHOTOS COURTESY | PG 34 - 38 Paul Morigi | PG 41 -49 +9LIST STORI3S PG 154 Candiace Dillard-Bassett |

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see MANIFESTING THIS LIFE | Candiace Dillard-Bassett in mag.

9DRIP | TYRON WOODLEY

PHOTO CREDITS | Eric Lars Bakke/ESPN Images

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see 9DRIP | Tyron Woodley in mag.

THE ART OF THE SNACK | BAAZI

This month's The Art of the Snack takes us to NYC's Baazi which is known for their Indian fare. We talk with their owner and executive chef, Gaurav Anand. We talk about his style of cooking, his culinary journey, his portfolio of restaurants, how he becomes inspired to create the menu and what are the kinds of dishes that we should think about enjoying when we visit next!

ATHLEISURE MAG: Chef Gaurav Anand, can you tell me about your background in terms of where you went to school and kitchens/restaurants where you trained?

CHEF GAURAV ANAND: I’m a self-taught chef and don’t have any formal culinary training. I originally studied business administration and then I started working at my brother’s catering company. I learned the business from the ground up, especially by watching chefs in the kitchen. I’d stand there for hours as they cooked, picking up techniques that eventually formed the basis for my cooking.

AM: How would you define your style of cooking?

CHEF GA: My cooking style has definitely evolved over the years and today I cook more in a modern Indian way versus traditional cooking, especially at Baazi. I like to add different twists to every dish I create to make it more interesting and elevated. I’m always pushing boundaries. Trying new recipes is something that I really enjoy doing. I love discovering new recipes and combinations that I've never tried before.

AM: Prior to launching Baazi, what are other restaurants that you are known for?

CHEF GA: Bhatti Indian Grill was my first baby, it opened in 2009 and is very well known for its mouthwatering kebabs. I was approached by one of the owners of Moti Mahal Delux, a very famous Mughlai cuisine chain in India, and we opened that restaurant on the Upper East Side in 2012. I was honored to receive an amazing 2-star review in The New York Times. If you want to try the best dal makhani or tandoori chicken, that's the place to go! Awadh, the predecessor to Baazi and still open as a delivery only restaurant, is Lucknowi cuisine and known for its traditional dum pukht style of cooking, which involves cooking ingredients in a dough-sealed vessel slowly over low heat in the oven.

AM: What led you to conceive and open Baazi and what does the name mean?

CHEF GA: The idea of launching a new brand came to my team and I after Awadh took a big hit due to the pandemic and became more of a delivery operation rather than brick and mortar restaurant. I was ready to give up and surrender the keys, but my landlord was very supportive and encouraged me to give it one more chance. We decided that instead of just refreshing the space, we could create a new concept that would not only bring old customers back but attract new ones as well. That’s where Baazi came to life! In Hindi, the word “baazi” means “bet” so we bet on the space and the Upper West Side coming back. It’s been a great hit since we opened in January.

AM: How is Baazi similar or different to the restaurants that are in your portfolio?

CHEF GA: Baazi is very different from my other restaurants, which are more traditional. This is a refined, more eclectic and modern concept of Indian food. It’s not necessarily Northern or Southern regional Indian but a marriage of both along with influences from the Mediterranean and Middle East. It has a little bit of everything that I have tried, served, and loved in my work creating menus for destination weddings around the world. All the menu items are unique and you won’t find common dishes like chicken tikka masala at Baazi.

AM: What are the flavors and spices that are indicative of Indian cuisine?

CHEF GA: Every state in India uses different ingredients and flavor combinations. For me, it’s important to use fresh ground spices rather than packaged spice mixes. Heat is part of Indian cooking, but it has to be balanced with great flavor too.

AM: Can you tell us about the ambiance of your restaurant?

CHEF GA: The colors are very vibrant, the music is very upbeat and lively, it’s very downtown. The room feels more like a luxurious home than a restaurant. A lot of younger people are coming to Baazi for the experience and the music. And our outdoor dining is just as vibrant, we’ve taken the blues and yellows from inside and livened up the entire street.

AM: What are 3 appetizers that you suggest that we should enjoy when coming in?

CHEF GA: Kasoori Methi Chicken is flambeed in Old Monk Rum, which is an iconic Indian rum brand.

Papad Kebab is the jewel of Baazi, a nonmeat kebab made of fried hung Greek yogurt with papadam lentil cracker crust served in a custom-made Baazi box.

Imli Glazed Lamb Ribs have a slightly sweet, sticky and spicy tamarind-date glaze.

AM: What are 3 entrees that we should have with friends and family for dinner?

CHEF GA: Chicken Sirka Pyaz are tandoori chicken thighs in a tomato gravy with pickled baby onions.

Butternut Squash Kofta are light and pillowy, similar to dumplings, served with sweet corn curry, toasted pepitas and pumpkin oil.

Prawn Kuzhambu shows off beautiful prawns with tamarind-based sauce from India’s southern most region Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.

AM: What are 3 desserts we should try?

CHEF GA: Baazi only has three amazing desserts, and that’s on purpose to keep it simple but memorable. The must-try is the Black Jalebi ice cream sandwich, which is a play on a popular Indian sweet funnel cake. Rose Makhan Malai has rose petal infused crema, milk cake and rusk (hard biscuit) crumble. Our Coconut Sago Payasam is vegan and delicious! It has shaved roasted coconut sprinkled over tapioca pearls and mango sorbet.

AM: What are 3 cocktails that you suggest to have with our meal?

CHEF GA: The Spicy Ginger Margarita is delicious, just the right bit of spice with jalapeño, tequila and fresh ginger juice.

The Mezcal Passion has tamarind and passion fruit to balance out smoky mezcal.

A bit sweeter is the Old Monk Daiquiri with dark Old Monk Rum, pineapple and lime.

AM: In creating this menu, where do you get inspiration from?

CHEF GA: I’ve definitely drawn a lot of inspiration from my wedding menus and travel. A few years ago, I launched CGA Catering, an international destination wedding catering company. We create the most unique custom menus for our luxury wedding clients, and that’s where a lot of my creativity comes into play. Along the way, I’ve been privileged to travel around the world and meet chefs in places like Mexico, Turkey, Spain, Morocco and Italy. These travels have been a big part of my culinary evolution. I also always wanted to open up a coastal restaurant, so I definitely wanted to make sure I included at least a couple of coastal items in this new menu.

IG @baazinyc

PHOTOS COURTESY | Evan Sung

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see THE ART OF THE SNACK | Baazi in mag.

#TRIBEGOALS

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see #TRIBEGOALS in mag.

9PLAYLIST | JB SMOOVE

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | JB Smoove in mag.

9PLAYLIST | ALOK

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | ALOK in mag.

63MIX ROUTIN3S | CHRIS BRICKLEY

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see 63MIX ROUTIN3S | Chris Brickley in mag.

BINGELY STREAMING

BAD VEGAN: FAME. FRAUD. FUGITIVES.

Netflix Documentary Series

Netflix

We remember having editor lunches that took place at Pure Food and Wine here in as this was the cities' first raw vegan restaurant and one that was frequented by a number of celebs. It seems like at its height of fame, it suddenly was gone.

In Netflix's BAD VEGAN: FAME. FRAUD. FUGITIVES, we get the inside scoop on the rise of Sarma Melngailis' dream and how it came to an end when she began met Anthony Strangis via her Twitter feed.

We find out how she built her business, obtained financial backing and created a space in the culinary world that was ahead of its time. We also see how her need to be loved created a setup where she engaged in fraudulent business practices that ultimately derailed her business, and landed her in Rikers after being a fugitive in Las Vegas for 10 months.

It's up to the viewer to decide whether she was an active participant in the scheme or if she was a gaslit woman that truly believed that by following Anthony's instructions would allow her to finally obtain the money she desired, immortality and the life that she always wanted.

THE THING ABOUT PAM

Peacock Originals

Peacock

We enjoyed The Thing About Pam podcast hosted by Dateline's Keith Morrison. This true crime story is now a series which he continues to narrate. Renée Zellweger (Chicago, Judy, Bridget Jones's Diary) plays Pam Hupp who is seen as a pillar of her community. This series focuses on the murder of Betsy Faria who was battling a terminal cancer, had a supportive family life and a best friend, Pam who was available to pitch in and help.

Upon her death, although the police and prosecutors believe Betsy's husband is the murderer, there are a number of things that don't make sense. We see that Pam's creation of a trust to take care of Betsy's girls is in her name and it seems she has plans on these funds. She's also way too interested to assist the prosecutor in finding Betsy's husband guilty and goes to great lengths to stay in the loop on what's going on.

AMERICAN HOSTAGE

Amazon Original

Spotify

Jon Hamm (Mad Men, Bridesmaids, Top Gun: Maverick) plays Fred Heckman, a local radio reporter in Indianapolis in the true crime podcast. He finds that a call he takes connects him to Tony Kiritsis who is holding a banker hostage. Tony demands to be interviewed during a 63-hour standoff to explain how he got to this point.

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see Bingely Streaming in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

BLACK ROSES: ODES CELEBRATING POWERFUL BLACK WOMEN

Harper Design

Harold Green III

We always believe that it's essential to celebrate women regardless of the time of year and we fell in love with poems by Harold Green III for his latest book, Black Roses: Odea Celebrating Powerful Black Women. This poet and founder of music collective, Flowers for the Living has used this book to pay tribute to Black women. Whether you're reading about Ava DuVernay, Janelle Monae, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Issa Rae and more - he has created a poem that talks about all of their exceptional accomplishments. He talks about how they use their mind and talents to transform their messages to impact society. These contemporary women span 5 areas as advocates, curators, innovators, luminaries and trailblazers. He highlights their diversity and what their reach has meant to the culture. It's a great read that is powerful and insightful!

RUN, ROSE, RUN: A NOVEL

Little, Brown and Company

Dolly Parton + James Patterson

You can't go wrong when you partner a noted bestselling and great storyteller, James Patterson with one of the most beloved superstars on the planet - Dolly Parton! Together, they released Run, Rose, Run: A Novel which is a thriller that focuses on a singer-songwriter who is on the run while also being an artist on the rise! Regardless, she is determined to do what is necessary in order for her to survive.

She makes her way to Nashville as that's where she wants to set her mark; however, she knows her secrets will follow her there as well. She enjoys singing her music which tells her story and will bring her closer to her future and hopefully will allow her to forget her past as well! Will she be able to finally live the life that she feels that she deserves or will things that are best left in the past end up claiming her just when she's close to getting what she wants?

THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS SUPER EASY! 120 SHORTCUT RECIPES FOR DINNERS, DESSERTS, AND MORE

William Morrow Cookbooks

Ree Drummond

We love watching Ree Drummond on Food Network's The Pioneer Woman as she's always cooking an array of tasty dishes. So, when we found out about The Pioneer Woman Cooks - Super Easy! 120 Shortcut Recipes for Dinners, Desserts, and More, which includes ways we can make meals while having some great ways to simplify it!

You'll find that these recipes save steps as well as your sanity. There are recipes for Speedy Dumpling Soup, Butter Pecan French Toast, One-Pot Sausage Pasta Hawaiian Shrimp Bowls Mug Cakes and more. Dishes can be composed in baking dish casseroles, sheet pan suppers, etc.

By taking the complication out of cooking these meals, you can enjoy cooking while being able to interact with friends and family!

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see Bingely Books in mag.

9LIST

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | LORELEY BEER GARDEN

We love a beer garden which originated in Bavaria and is an outdoor space with large picnic and communal tables where you can soak up the sun and enjoy cold beer and food. Loreley Beer Garden is in the LES and has a seasonal rotational floral installation and opened in 2003. It's open year-round and is heated in the winter and is a great place to hang out with friends in the summer.

Although you can enjoy an array of beers, Loreley also focuses on having a high quality food and beverage program. All their German imported beers have hundreds of years of tradition and perfection in their craft. They hand select every beer and only rotate 3 drafts each season. They sample over 30 new beers before selecting one draft line for one season. When it runs out, it's done for the season. They also work with local breweries on a series of collaborations of seasonal beers to fit their program.

This spring they will launch their first collaboration with Brooklyn's KCBC and brew their own Kölsch Style Ale which will be available here and at KCBC Brewer in Bushwick on draft and in cans. Also keep your eyes peeled at your local bodega in NYC. You can also enjoy Radeberger Pilsner which is available year around as well. Another beer to try is Köstritzer Schwarzbier, a dark lager - with a hint of chocolate.

In addition to beer, that have a high quality wine list and an array of seasonally rotating craft cocktails. We suggest the Nitro Cold Brew, Bourbon Sweet Tea, Frosé and if there is a chill in the air, the Bourbon Hot Chocolate is always a must-have!

In addition to German-inspired foods that features doughy soft-baked pretzels and authentic German sausages, there are other dishes on the menu. You can enjoy tacos, guacamole made fresh to order, a 1/2 lb burger with roasted tomatoes, sauteed onions, gouda on a pretzel bun, plus seasonal salads, cedar grilled salmon, portobello sandwiches and Beyond burgers. Their Brunch menu is something special with fresh Baked Cinnamon Rolls

to order, Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes with fresh strawberries and whipped

cream, Eggs Benedict on homemade potato pancakes, Schnitzel & Eggs, to name a few.

As we make plans to hang out with our friends, coworkers and family, they have a few events that we can keep an eye out for. Loreley Beer Garden will host the Spring Beer & Cocktail Festival with a spring floral installation, seasonal beers and spring cocktails. In May and June, they will host the NYC Summer Rosé Festival which features Rosé everything! This will include 10 hand-selected rosé wines by the glass and bottle, rosé on draft, rosé cider, rosé cocktails, and most importantly, their famous Frosé!

LORELEY BEER GARDEN

7 Rivington St

NY, NY 10002

loreleynyc.com

IG @loreleynyc

PHOTOS COURTESY | Loreley Beer Garden

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see ATHLEISURE LIST | Loreley Beer Garden in mag.

#TRIBEGOALS

Read the MAR ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see #TRIBEGOALS in mag.