63MIX ROUTIN3S | JOEY LAWRENCE
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Bachelor Disney/John Fleenor
THE BACHELORETTE S21. E0. | MEET JENN TRAN'S MEN?
PHOTO CREDIT | ABC The Bachelorette/Gizelle Hernandez
As we wait for The Bachelorette Season 21, we just got introduced to the 25 men that will be on their journey with Jenn Tran which begins July 8th!
For now, we have the men that we will get to know throughout the summer.
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!
Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.
We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!
WHO WE PREDICT WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS
PHOTO CREDIT | The Bachelor Contestants/Ricky Middlesworth
THE BACHELORETTE CONTESTANTS
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PUSHING NEW LIMITS | JENNA WILLIS
Focusing on our health is multi-layered as it's about working out, nutrition, recovering our body, and wellness. By combining these elements together you're on the track to creating a 360 approach to doing what is best for your body.
We caught up with Jenna Willis who is know for her celebrity clientele that includes Liza Koshy (Boo! A Madea Halloween, Transformers: Rise of the Beast, Good Burger 2), Lala Kent (Vanderpump Rules, The Valley, MAY ISSUE #29 cover in 2018) and Camila Cabello. We've gotten to know her through seeing her on Vanderpump Rules as well as on her Instagram.
We wanted to find out how she became a celeb trainer, the impact of fitness on her life, her approach to working with clients, how we can approach our fitness goals, and her upcoming projects.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We’re so excited to talk with you as the first time we became aware of you was when we had Lala Kent as the cover and we shot with her. In her interview we were asking about her physique and how she got to looking so amazing and she was like, “oh my God, Jenna Willis!”
JENNA WILLIS: Oh that’s so nice - so thank you! Truly and it makes me so happy.
I was literally with Lala today training with her as we’re now in her 2nd pregnancy now and we’ve gotta keep her body on track to snap back the day after!
AM: She always looks great and you also have other clients that I’m a fan of like Liza Koshy and I know our readers will love learning more about you and your fitness approach!
When was the moment that you fell in love with fitness?
JW: Wow, you know it’s one of those things where you look back and it all makes sense. But when you’re in it, you don’t realize how impactful it is and how it has pretty much supported me my entire life! I started off doing Tiny Tots Gymnastics when I was 3 years old. So fitness – what’s interesting to me is that fitness is fun! A lot of people forget that. My true ah ha moment, I have actually had 2. I transferred colleges and I went to a school in NY called Wagner College where I was actually the tiniest Division I volleyball player in the nation so I was playing volleyball for this school. I always knew I wanted to move to LA to pursue acting because that was my dream. I was literally like going to my parents saying that I was up and moving and going to LA. They were like, “cool, good luck!” But they also added that I could do that or I could transfer and study whatever I wanted and graduate. So at the age of 19, I packed up a bag, moved across the country with 6 girls that I had never met before – this was back in the day! I was on a call with the girl in LA and she was like, “do you want to move into this house with us for the summer?” I was like sure. I show up and girl, we were sharing a bed for the summer and we had never met in my life – to this day, she is one of my best friends!
AM: Wow!
JW: The point of the story is that I moved to LA, I didn’t know what a sesh is like a Surf Sesh – all of these terms. All of these boys and all of this lifestyle stuff. I was like, I’m just going to live and enjoy extracurricular activities like Beer Pong right? About 5 months in to doing that, this was the first time in my life that I was not exercising. In the middle of a sorority meeting, I was laid out with a panic attack and it was the first time in my life that I had realized that fitness literally saves me. That was the first realization. I think that because it had always been part of my life because I always played sports, I played volleyball in college, and I never realized how impactful it truly was until that moment.
The second time, it was 2015 and I was actually on Vanderpump Rules at that time and I was also on a TV show called, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story - which was one of the best years of my life and then quickly went to one of the hardest years of my life. I stepped away from Vanderpump Rules, I was engaged to someone for 8 years and then we broke up and that ended, and then my management at the time left the industry and I just felt that I was left with nothing! My fiancé and I had broken up, I was no longer on Vanderpump Rules, and my acting career had not gone the way that I thought it would after booking the OJ series and I went into a very bad situational depression and my anxiety was through the roof and I summoned up the energy to get to the gym one day. I told myself that enough was enough. I go to the gym and I quickly realized that one of the few times out of my day that I felt present, I felt alive and felt good – that was how I became a trainer.
AM: That’s what I was going to ask you, how did you know that this was going to be your career because working out for yourself and knowing what to do for your body is so different than having clients and doing this for them.
JW: Yeah, I mean, honestly you can’t make this shit up! I was going to the gym and I knew I was feeling better. I got a call one day and a friend of a friend from college said, “hey, we need a fitness model for this job.” I thought, I’m not a model, but sure!
AM: I’m not a model, but I am today haha!
JW: This fun day of shooting and doing fitness stuff made me think, “wow, this is really cool!” So I'm going to the gym, I’m starting to workout and I’m feeling better, I’m doing this fitness modeling thing. I’m at the gym one day and I’m working out. Mind you, I’ve been let go from Villa Blanca which is how I ended up on Vanderpump Rules. They were like, “Jenna, you haven’t made a shift in a month.” It was a dream for me to not ever have to go back to a restaurant again and I mean that in the most kindest way, but it was a goal that I had set for myself to try something new in life and to pursue my dream of acting.
I’m at the gym working out and a girl comes up to me and says, “oh my gosh, that move! Do you work here?” I told her no, but that this is how you do it. I kid you not, the next day I go to the gym, I’m on the cable machine, I’ll never forget it doing some chest on my massive non-existent boobs and another girl comes up and says, “woah, you’re really strong, do you work here?” I told her no, but this is what you do. Next day, at the gym, doing something for my butt of course, and a girl comes up and says, “I have really been trying to target the glutes” – she didn’t know what to call it, but I call it the Booty Dimples. Right like that little side part that we all want to focus on and I was hitting that real hard and she was like, “my gosh that move! Do you work here?” I’m not kidding, I looked at her and I said, “yes, I do!” I was like how can I help you? Then I helped her and I let her know that I didn’t really work there, but I went home and I was 30 at this point and I was like, if I have ever gotten a message in my life, this is it!
I went online and figured out the certification that I needed to get and which one I was going to do. I completed my certification in 2 months and it was a goal of mine to hit the ground running in 2017 and I got certified as a trainer and in CPR First Aid and I hit the ground running.
It changed my life! Yet again, fitness changed my life on a whole other level. I will tell you 1 thing. When I was 9 years old, I went to see a musical, The Newsies and I was sitting in the audience and I had this feeling of euphoria and that’s when I knew I wanted to be an actor because I wanted to give people the same thing I feel right now for the rest of my life. I get to do that now with training. I get to make people feel amazing. So you put the dots together and you get this path together! Now, there’s a lot of road there and there’s going to be a lot of bumps on that path.
AM: Oh yeah!
JW: It makes sense.
AM: It will be a mix in terms of result and what happens along the way. So it’s amazing that you found it and made it make sense.
JW: It’s been really cool and what I will say is when I made that decision from being on Vanderpump and being in that world some what – all of the girls got very excited. Lala was literally like, start training me.
AM: You were just on an episode the other week of the current season.
JW: Yeah! So that’s so cool, well it’s full circle as I get to go back and I can train them on the show. It’s so cool!
AM: It’s amazing, you have trained her, Camila Cabello, Liza – you have has so many amazing people. How important is that client to trainer relationship? What are you looking for when it comes to deciding to train someone as a client?
JW: You know what’s funny? It’s such an intimate relationship to train someone. What someone looks for in me is what I am also looking for in them. Which is a partnership and the ability to go through thick and thin together as well as the high and lows with one another – there will be both. I am definitely a supporter kind of trainer. We’re going to laugh in our sessions and you’re as sure as shit going to feel the burn and hate me a little bit. But the session will be over and you’ll be like, wow that went fast! I think that that’s what a client looks for. You’re hanging out in very strange circumstances and in those circumstances, you’re going to feel the burn, you’ll hate me a little, but then you will love me because you walk away feeling amazing.
AM: How would you describe your fitness method?
JW: My whole thing is that I have always been the weird kid and my thing is that we should embrace the awkward of fitness. I grew up an athlete, I have 3 older brothers, I had to be an athlete, I had to defend myself. My whole philosophy is to make fitness tangible and fun and something that can be done anywhere and anytime truly. People get so caught up in the major overhaul of life and what I like doing is to make it part of life.
AM: So for those just starting this journey, what would be the focus that they should be looking at or maybe beyond the goal of what it is that they want to do?
JW: Totally, there’s a few things that I recommend right off the bat. Start walking! It sounds so simple, but it makes such a difference. Once you create a routine of just getting up and walking outside, you’re creating that window to move - you release those endorphins and serotonin to move. You’re awake and your body doesn’t feel as tight. When you realize that your body is moving and that you’re getting that energy, you’re more motivated to want to take it to that next step. I always say the 5 mins rule. Sometimes, you just need to get to the gym. You show up, you get to that treadmill for 5 mins and you can leave. It’s all about creating a habit or a routine.
Another thing that I like to do for someone who is just getting started is a calendar program. Look at your calendar for the week and the meetings that you have to go to – those things that you cannot move and schedule 20 mins in between whether that’s in the morning, your lunchbreak, or right after work. Because when you build it into your schedule, it doesn’t feel overwhelming.
AM: Makes sense as you literally see it in your calendar and you feel horrible clicking it off of Google calendar.
JW: That’s exactly right – it’s accountability!
The other thing that I love is just to find something that you enjoy! You know, some people feel that fitness has to be in the gym and lifting weights, I do it and I live for it. But not every person wants to do that. Maybe it’s that weekly dance class – it’s that one commitment that doesn’t feel overwhelming and that it’s social.
AM: How do you approach those that do have a specific goal that they’re looking to achieve in their workouts? Maybe it’s a wedding, an anniversary, reunions, etc? They’re looking at a set time and a set place where that goal is able to actualized.
JW: So that’s when I get a little more intense. If someone has a very specific goal, we talk about what that is, we look at the timeframe, and we break it down to what will truly heed results in that length of time. I am talking about a meal plan and a workout plan. Everybody is different. It also depends on the timeframe that we have.
AM: How important is the nutrition and recovery plan. What are all the things that people should be thinking about when it comes to a workout session on a given day and over time?
JW: Wellness. Truly and when I say wellness, I mean mind, body, spirit, and soul – all of that. I think that the goal for me with any of my clients is to create a program that is sustainable and enjoyable because if it doesn’t have those aspects, it won’t continue. I never want to feel like I am having to overhaul someone’s life. That’s not fun. It’s picking small goals that heed big change. Little things like the way that you eat your meals makes such a difference. People don’t realize that you start with your veggies – it creates a block so that you don’t get that glucose spike and it prevents having those crashes in the afternoon. Then you move to your fats and your proteins and you finish with your complex cards. It’s little tips and tricks that make a huge difference. All of a sudden, you’re not eating as many of those snacks or craving those foods because you are satiating your body in other ways.
AM: How can we make sure that you’re establishing achievable goals as you’ve been talking about? Because I also have those friends who feel they have a goal and a plan, but in life, what they’re going for would not be able to happen whether the goal is off or the time allowed doesn’t make sense.
JW: Exactly, this is my philosophy. Anything that seems too good to be true, it probably is. And anything that comes so easy, goes easy. I truly believe that. A healthy amount is a pound a week and that’s an aggressive weight loss plan. If you are doing that, you are doing incredible. Anything over that, you’re kind of traumatizing the body to some degree and I hate to say that and to use those words.
AM: Well, it’s shocking the body.
JW: When people are leaning into taking things or doing things where this aggressive weight loss is happening, you can be losing muscle mass, you’re stressing your hunger, and how are you supplementing that to then create longevity?
I’m not just promoting myself so even if it’s not you working with me, maybe you are doing Pilates – you’re allowing your body to be supported and to create a strength for itself during that process. When you do go off of it, you’re still in a healthy mindset that will still support your mind and body.
AM: For those that may not be able to work with your 1:1. Tell us about Don’t Sweat It Alone! I love that everything in your world is so bright and approachable as there are a number of methods or trainers that sometimes have a very different look to their site and their approach and for some people that can be a bit too much for them.
JW: Yesss! Thank you for saying that and I really do appreciate that!
Just going back for a moment on what we were talking about before, if you’re just starting out – you may want to consider breaking up your workout. For some people that only have 20mins like a lot of my clients are working moms. That’s a busy job and 20mins is better than no minutes. If you’re waiting to have that block of an hour, you may tell yourself you don’t have it today, but you will do it tomorrow, and then it just keeps happening and ultimately, you never worked out. Give yourself some grace and set that timer for 20mins, that’s time you put in for yourself, you nourished your body and gave it what it needed.
AM: I agree even for myself, I prefer to workout at 8am and be done by 9am, but then I may have a day of meetings, editor appointments, interviews, creative, etc – I know I will catch up with it again later in the day, and won’t let the day go on without it. But it can be tough as sometimes things start moving.
JW: I love that! That’s how I operate it and not everyday will go the way you want it to. Sometimes schedules are crazy and that is ok!
AM: You do the best you can, my newest component has been meditation as I have found that just as necessary as working out my body. I am not someone who likes to sit for a second in silence, but when I am in the meditation groove that follows after my workout, I can do it.
JW: You’re inspiring me – like meditation and affirmations is part of every morning of mine, but I would say that meditation is the one that I struggle with the most. So you're inspiring me right now so we're always a work in progress.
AM: You have to find what works for you. I use Hyperice’s Core App and the fact that they break down the sessions to whether you’re feeling anxious, whether you want to be moved by music, or to have guided meditations, I have the group of instructors that I enjoy listening to and if I’m pushed for time I can find the one that is where I am at mentally within the time frame that I have to give.
JW: Do you ever do the nose breathing thing?
AM: Yes! I love Breathwrk App!
JW: Oh my gosh! It’s so good and if I’m having a crazy day, there are some days that you’re just not here! If I do that one technique, it’s like, “hey, I’m back!”
My Don’t Sweat It Alone, what’s really beautiful is that the only blessing in COVID that I experienced is that it gave me the ability to reach anyone all over the world. So what I do is that you don’t sweat it alone. I offer online programming, personalized month-to-month plans, and meal plans to anyone in the world. I’m also certified as a life coach as well through Jay Shetty, do you know him?
AM: Yeah!
JW: So, that’s a buddy of mine. I also do live check-ins as well. So you can be anywhere in the world and still have access to me. I call it the Power Hour and a member can sign on during that time and we set goals for the week, we talk about SHREDS – how’s your Sleep, how’s your Hunger, your Rest, your Energy, and your Digestion? We go over everything and go live every Monday and Friday with my HIIT workouts.
AM: I like that SHREDS thing and I’m all about gut health.
JW: It’s so important!
AM: During the pandemic, I also took time to really focus on my sleep and to change some things in that area as well. I feel it’s way more optimized then it was before. I still have moments that aren’t great, but it’s so much better than what it was before.
JW: I love that!
AM: Are there any retreats that you have coming up?
JW: Yes!!! Oh my gosh! Thank you for asking me! I’m a work horse.
AM: Same!
JW: Girl, of course you are! Look at what you’re doing. Teach me your ways!
I did my first retreat and because I’m a work horse, I had such a hard time stepping away truly. So I thought how could I step into my work while also exploring the world to do what I love? I got an opportunity last year to partner with a friend of mine and we did a wellness retreat in Bali. We called it Balanced to Bali and it was amazing! It was 6 nights/7 days, there were workouts every single day, yoga, meditation, it was so incredible and then I traveled before and after. It was such a hit, so euphoric, and so beautiful. I just announced Elevated in El Salvador 5 nights/6 days in El Salvador Dec 22nd – Dec 27th. It’s on the black sands of El Zonte. I am so excited. I have always wanted to explore Central America and to get down there that way. I can’t wait. I have been looking for a place and there is a beautiful and quaint resort right there on the ocean there will be yoga every single day and sound baths!
AM: The retreat seems amazing!
Obviously this can be different for everyone, but what are power and energy foods that when we’re running around and don’t want to snack idly and we want to put nutrients in our bodies intentionally – what are things that you suggest that we should have?
JW: Oh, I love this! Anything that supports the system more than process foods. I know that that is a very vague answer. But I can share some of my personal favorites – roasted chickpeas.
AM: We're such a fan of them!
JW: I love them – they’re just natural from the Earth, it’s a true whole food ingredient – it has the good fats, some carbs, great fiber – talk about what’s great for our digestive system! So, many great things, in one food! Another one that I enjoy and not everyone eats beef but grass fed beef sticks is absolutely amazing. Hard Boiled Eggs! It’s one of the best snacks that you can have! Protein bars are great and they are a great alternative to a protein bar, but I always say, look at the ingredients in those protein bars because a lot of time there is a lot of fillers and processors in those bars that we don’t even realize. Raw trail mix – I geek out. Some people geek out on wine tastings and don’t get me wrong, I love that! But I geek out on creating my own trail mix!
AM: Oh that’s so smart! Because then you know exactly what’s in it.
JW: Almonds are great or even pistachios.
AM: I’m ok with pistachios. I’ve also been someone who loves customizing and personalizing a number of things from clothes, office supplies etc, and a number of my foods – never thought to extend it to trail mix!
JW: Oh my gosh put a little goji berry in there and a little dark chocolate!
AM: Love both of those too!
JW: You have to live a little bit here right? We don’t want anyone miserable – it’s about healthy choices 80% of the time!
AM: You also have resistance bands! I love and I think it’s so great. I always have a set in my luggage so no matter which bag I take with me, I have them with me when I’m traveling. Do you foresee expanding your brand into a workout line or more devices and gear?
JW: Girl, that’s the dream and we’re living in it. Yes, 100%. I have had some merch in the past. I have had requests to bring it back and I was so excited to bring these pink bands out with my slogan, Get Sweaty. I just like it because to be honest, I’m so inappropriate and I’m ok with who I am. Get Sweaty just means so many things and that’s why I love it so much! The dream is to come out with more products and I definitely have aspirations when it comes to that. Nothing that is locked in that I can share.
AM: I can so see it and how the brand lends itself to being able to hammock so many things.
Are there any projects that you’re able to share that you would like for our readers to know?
JW: Anyone who is looking for any kind of fit tips or workouts, I share those. I have more videos launching with PopSugar which I am very excited about, Fabletics is a great partnership of mine.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | JENNA WILLIS
Read the APR ISSUE #100 of Athleisure Mag and see PUSHING NEW LIMITS | Jenna Willis in mag.
Featured
NEW AGE OF LOVE | ANNE HATHAWAY, CATHY SCHULMAN, MICHAEL SHOWALTER, JENELLE RILEY, NICHOLAS GALITZINE, REID SCOTT, ELLA RUBIN
On May 2nd, The Idea of You debuts on Prime Video. This movie was adapted from the book of the same name by Robinne Lee. With a stellar cast, we see how relationships can ignite in many ways even when you don't expect it! When a 40-year-old woman falls in love with a 24-year-old man who is in the hottest band, August Moon, we get to come along on a global journey with her as she explores this reality. It's the perfect escapism that you'll enjoy reading as well as seeing it on screen!
We had the opportunity to attend the Global Press Conference of this movie with Michael Showalter (Grace & Frankie, The Dropout, The Eyes of Tammy Faye) who was involved in the screenplay, producer, and he also directed the film. He was joined by fellow producer, Cathy Schulman (Crash, The First Lady, The Woman King). Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada, Bride Wars, Ocean Eight) who is also a producer and star of the film, was also joined by castmembers Nicholas Galitzine (Bottoms; Red, White, and Royal Blue; Mary & George), Ella Rubin (Billions, Gossip Girl, Masters of the Air), and Reid Scott (Veep, Venom franchise, Law & Order). Moderated by Jenelle Riley is the Deputy Awards and Features Editor at Variety. We found out more about the film, how it came together, and what it was like to film this production.
JENELLE RILEY: Hi everyone, thank you so much for joining us, my name is Jenelle Riley and I am so thrilled to be here for this press conference with the Idea of You! Please join me in welcoming star and Producer, Anne Hathaway and we have star Nicholas Galitzine, Ella Rubin, and Reid Scott, Director/Co-Writer Michael Showalter, and Producer Cathy Schulman!
Congratulations on a fantastic movie! I want to start with Michael because you’ve really become known as such an actor’s director particularly coming off of The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Dropout, and this movie has an amazing cast! Can you talk about what not only excit ed you about this project, but working with this group of actors?
MICHAEL SHOWALTER: I mean, for me, that’s what it’s all about! It’s about working with actors, going off on the journey together into these stories and into these worlds and I couldn’t have asked for a better cast! It very much so set a bar for everybody in terms of the work that Anne was doing and Nicholas is incredible and from the very first minute that I met him I felt that we had found Hayes and Ella and Reid – for me as a somewhat failed actor, I think that you and I have talked about this Jenelle, I get to get my acting jones about by directing. So I get to play and I get to be in there with them. I have seen this movie about 1,000 times and we had just been impersonating all of these guys performances because I love their performances so much and impersonation is the highest form of flattery – it really is. I’ve loved working with all of them and seeing the work that they have done has been such a joy for me.
JR: Cathy, your company started developing this script I believe from the very start and I understand that you only had 1 actress in mind for the lead!
CATHY SCHULMAN: I did and I had Anne in mind from the very beginning of the development process and it’s this thing that I always teach my young executives not to do which is – don’t develop an entire project hoping that you’re going to be able to get 1 actress because it never works! Only in this particular case, she’s the only person that read it, she was our first choice, she said yes, and it was a dream come true that that actually happened and you know, we just felt that we wanted to take the character from the book and to continue to personalize her in a way that she felt that she could be any of us. And I believed that Annie would be able to bring that aspect to Solène’s character and she really did.
JR: And Anne, I have seen you do every genre and medium and this performance still feels so fresh and new. There have been a lot of questions from journalists and they keep using the word luminous for you in this movie. They just want to know, what brought you back to the Rom-Com genre because I’m sure that it had to be something special for you to want to be able to revisit that.
ANNE HATHAWAY: Well first of all, thanks that’s an awesome word! I really do want to tip it to Jim Frohna our cinematographer because he had a lot to do with it. I didn’t notice that it was happening, but I had received a lot of romantic scripts in my 20s and then in my 30s I was so focused on my family life, motherhood, and kind of trying to find whatever my path was gong to be in me being an actress while having this really really rich personal life, and so I didn’t notice that I hadn’t been sent a romantic script in a really long time!
So when this found its way to me, and I’m so honored to have been the first choice for this, it was such a beautiful character and such an amazing world – a part of me did ask the question, where have these stories gone and why do they stop? And then those questions, I saw all of the answers and the path to them in the script and in the story. And I just thought, woah, what an unbelievable sort of meta exploration that all of this can be. One of the first conversations that I had with Cathy was, you know, if we kind of hit our targets, we can start this when I am 39 and make this and I will turn 40 when we are filming. That’s actually what ended up happening. Without me or anyone else even designing it, it became so personal to me and then the way it came together!
I mean Michael Showalter, who is here, I never say his whole name in front of him, so it’s kind of weird. But anyway, it has to be said, Michael Showalter who does not like to admit the legend that he is, but he absolutely is and there is a reason why he keeps making brilliant film after brilliant film - some of my favorite movies because he’s just incredible! So when the cast came together, it was like game over. I could go on and on about it, but there are other people here!
JR: Nicholas, this is such a complicated role because you have to strike the right balance between maturity and worldliness and you also have to hold your own against Anne Hathaway. Oh and by the way, you’re going to sing and dance as well! Was it ever intimidating?
NICHOLAS GALITZINE: I mean, obviously, the dancing and the performing was tricky because it’s not something that I have ever done before and you know, you always want more hours in the day to be able to hone those skills, but when it came to sort of the human side of Hayes which I think is sort of the side that I was most interested in, you know, I just had such a wonderful partner and I felt the chemistry and the connection between us immediately and the sympatico. You know, that first day with Michael and Cathy as well, it was this 20 hour behemoth thing where we’re jumping in cold water and in France and in Italy –
AH: And in Savannah.
AH: Without ever leaving Savannah!
NG: Without ever leaving Savannah! It was just a feeling of excitement that I was filled with coming into work every single day and that’s not always the case!
JR: And this flawless ensemble is rounded out by Reid and Ella you really feel like a family for all of the good and the bad that it entails! I’m curious about how you went about building that chemistry and that history. Ella especially for you and Anne as you really feel this mother/daughter bond.
ELLA RUBIN: Well thanks, I feel that that is the best compliment you could get when you're playing family with someone. I have said this before, but it’s really true. When you meet Annie, she’s not such an interesting person – she is, but she is also interested – like the bond, at least for me felt really natural and really easy despite all of my nervousness. I think that she is such an inquisitive person in the most warm way possible and so just having the privilege of getting to know each other and just to talk and to kind of spend time together just by way of being able to be around her – a bond just naturally forms around someone that is just so willing to hear you and to try to see you. So, I just felt that for me at least, it was quite natural.
With Reid, it was very much so the same. It was him just making me feel really comfortable and welcome as well as willing to be ok with my mess up to nervousness!
JR: And Reid, bless you because you have a very difficult role here and you know there are a lot of people who are going to be angry at you. At the same time, how do you sort of approach the character and make him dimensional and complex when we’re sort of set up to want to boo your character!
REID SCOTT: I am embrace it! I think that part of the fun for me is the challenge of bringing more dimension to – I wouldn’t call Daniel the villain, but that kind of role can tend to lay a little flat. It’s necessary because there has to be this sort of obstacle to this love story. But just like in real life, everyone is more colorful than whatever you are getting out of a given moment. I love to give these characters as many colors as I can and I think that it is really important, especially for Daniel, that you have to like something about him because he is a bit of a reflection on Annie’s character. You would never believe that someone as warm and loving as Solène would ever fall for him if he was just purely an asshole. So you have to see that at some point, they must have connected and there must have been something that brought them together and also to produce this wonderful child!
JR: Exactly!
RS: Michael was really fantastic in being able to foster this environment of exploration and play that we could find this and Annie and I had these wonderful conversations late at night on the phone in between shooting and giving our characters some sort of backstory and just getting to know one another. It really helped and it lent to this wonderful, warm, and playful environment. That really allowed us all to thrive!
MS: I just want to say that I think that it’s a testament to Reid that people do want to boo him! I really mean that! I love Reid’s performance in this movie and it has really revealed itself to me. I know that this is sort of a weird backhanded compliment that I have given you before, but it’s unfurled more since we shot it. It’s sort of evolved in post and it has grown. I knew that he was great when we were shooting and everything but it’s really that he has created this really compelling villain – whatever you want to call it and I also think that at the end of the movie when Izzy wants to go to Daniel’s house and he’s waiting for her at the door, you see a very caring person there. You also see something between Daniel and Solène that I think is very complicated. The eye contact that they make with each other at the end is the eye contact that you see between 2 people that have a lot of history with each other and there is a lot of mileage between these adults and I just love what Reid has done and I really do mean it. It’s a huge testament to his performance that audiences are so riled up about him!
JR: Even the character that he is currently with in the film, she seems pretty cool to. There’s a reason why this guy attracts awesome women.
MS: He has a lot of positive qualities, but he needs to work on himself a little and if I had to imagine what the movie about Daniel would be, he’s going to spend a little bit of time working on himself.
JR: In therapy! I would watch that! I would watch a movie about Daniel in therapy.
For Anne and Nicholas, how did you work together to bring this romance to life in a way that feels authentic and to avoid feeding into stereotypes?
AH: It’s so funny, we have been asked this a number of times on what work did we do. The things that I think that we both like to approach things Is that we are very playful people. Once we got that down, we established a friendship really and so it kind of works in the way that a friendship would work. In that, it doesn’t feel like work at all and I’m really – I think that what is happening for Nick in his career is so exciting, but I’m really just so happy to have made friends with such a wonderful person and someone that is just so talented and who has so much ahead of him! I felt really really cared for and supported by him in this movie. I knew that whatever I was doing, he was just right there with me step for step. It was a really beautiful and very vulnerable experience, but we always kept it light with each other and we always kept it light with each other and we were allowed to make mistakes with each other. Nothing had to be perfect and it wasn’t tense in that way. Am I missing anything?
NG: No, I think that the communication was always really good!
AH: Yes!
NG: We always had open channels.
AH: We checked in with each other a lot.
NG: Yeah, exactly. It never – you know, it’s so funny, so much onus is put on the chemistry because it’s very palpable I think in the movie. It’s not so much something that I think you feel that you're consciously working or building to create. It’s just a human connectivity and it flows. It’s very water.
AH: Whenever we had that raw spark, it was shaped by Michael and by the entire production team. I think that sometimes actors get a lot of attention, but as everybody knows, this is a team medium. We have a lot of people that are experts at their field and they’re designing their whole talented selves towards making it believable so that the 2 of us have chemistry. So, we had good fighting odds and Jennifer Westfeldt (Younger, The First Lady, Will Trent) adapted a beautiful book. We just had so much working for us in our favor.
JR: Cathy, what were some of the biggest challenges in bringing this idea from the book to the screen and what is the main message that you hope to convey to the audience of this film?
CS: Well I think that you know, in starting the development process, the first thing that we saw was necessary was to age up the daughter from what she had been in the book. This is because, we wanted Solène’s character to have someone to speak to and to really be able to be open about the changes that were happening in her own life. And the reason that I bring that up is that the message in the end is that women shouldn’t be put in boxes. You can be more than a mother, you can be more than a grandmother, you can be between a mother and a grandmother – I don’t know what you are but you can be an other. You can work, you can do a lot of different things and it was really important that we could look at what it was like to go through one phase of mothering in a first marriage to possibilities of more happiness while also bringing a young person into her womanhood. I think that those are the messages that we hope that the movie will leave which is the possibility for happiness and the importance of keeping yourself vulnerable to allow happiness to come back in. I just think for women that you hit a certain point in age and it’s easy to say, hey I did it. I’ve been a mom, I’ve had a job, I’ve been a wife, and now I’m really happy to find and shut off a lot of other things to self-actualize in a yurt which is what Solène was about to do and that would have been fine. But in our movie, we wanted to say that it’s not done and there’s so much more and that was sort of the message. So the whole development process was in opening that story to get us there.
JR: I didn’t realize that you aged up the daughter. Ella that’s great news for you!
ER: I am 13, I just don’t look it ha! I’m very lucky that they aged it up. I remember I got a note or saw it on Instagram and it said, Anne Hathaway in this new movie or whatever. I read something about her having a daughter in it and I didn’t even know any information about it and I sent a screenshot to my agents and I said, “I have to audition for this,” and literally as I sent the text, I got an email in my inbox with the audition and then I realized that the daughter was 13 and they told me that they were aging her up and it was this serendipitous and very lucky thing!
JR: Had you been told over the years that you looked like Anne Hathaway?
ER: Yes and it’s the most flattering compliment that one can get!
AH: I’m so thrilled! I’m so thrilled that I look like you!
ER: I’m so thrilled that I look like you!
AH: I would just stare into screen and say, this is so awesome!
ER: Right back at you, my whole life I have been staring at you like that! It’s always been the most absolute greatest compliment and now I have some evidence to back it up!
AH: It was so fun when I saw Ella’s audition because I saw her audition tape before we met and I just remember turning to Michael and Cathy and I was like, “oh my God, that’s like aaa I didn’t know that I had a daughter!” But apparently – it was just so wild. Our timing was just so similar and Ella just has funny bones and just crazy crazy dramatic talent and I have mentioned it earlier here, but we just struck gold with this cast! It was insane to have someone like Reid come in to be able to build instant history with someone and it’s like chemistry, love, history, and all of these big things! Audiences are really smart. They know when there is air being let out. They know when something doesn’t hold water. So to have and to be part of this cast where everybody really meant it and to do just such incredible work, I’m really just so stunned.
IG @primevideo
@annehathaway
@nicholasgalitzine
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Prime Video/The Idea of You
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LOVE IS THE GAME | MATT BARNES + ANANSA SIMS
Relationships and their dynamics can be difficult, but they are also fruitful as well! We sat down with veteran NBA Champion Matt Barnes (All The Smoke, (R)Evolution, JUN ISSUE #54 in 2020 cover) and his fiancé, top model Anansa Sims to talk about their Reality TV show that dropped this month on WE TV, The Barnes Bunch which focuses on their relationship, their busy lives, their family, and how they keep it all together!
We wanted to know more about why they wanted to do this series, how it came about, why they wanted to make sure that they were realistically sharing their lives, and what they have learned to do in the process. We talked about this and more as the keep it all together with their family and busy lives!
ATHLEISURE MAG: So, why did you guys want to share how you’re navigating a family, being a dynamic couple, and your busy schedules in this show?
ANANSA SIMS: For me, it was more so an opportunity that was given to us! I do a lot of sharing already on my Instagram. So, a good friend of mine Datari Turner (Day Shift, They Cloned Tyrone, The Burial) who is partners with Jamie Foxx (Ray, Miami Vice, The Amazing Spider-Man 2) who Matt is friends with said, “you know that your family is dope and this could be a show.” I’m like, really? I never thought about it because I just share to share because I love them so much. The more he started talking to me, I brought it to Matt and he was a little hesitant at first and over time you know, we built trust and decided that we had a good team around us, maybe we could make it into a positive thing and I think that it is more about trusting the people that you are working with. So we decided to go for it.
AM: That’s really interesting. We watched the first screener a bit ago. The vulnerability that is laid bare here and the amount of ground that you guys cover – couple’s therapy, talking about your journey together, your family, and your friends! What are some of the things that you are excited about that we get to see this season?
MATT BARNES: I think normalizing Black positivity in the reality space. Because you see that in the first episode, we are already arguing and we are in counseling and everything, but it’s real you know what I mean? I just think that there’s been such a negative portrayal of the Black community through Reality TV unfortunately. That was one thing that I know that we had both discussed and to just normalize that we are all not crazy and throwing drinks and fighting all the time! I mean, I might fight sometimes haha but not all the time.
AM: Right ha ha not all the time!
MB: But normalizing 1, positivity through the Black family and also normalizing blended Black families which in families in many ways is kind of the new norm. To be able to bring 3 kids from her previous marriage, 2 kids from my previous marriage, and creating a baby together – people out there are going through that. To be able to see us navigate that and for the world to see, not only again promotes positivity, but also realness and humanizes us and lets people know that you’re not alone out here on this journey. Whether you’re going to couples counseling, individual counseling, whether you’re trying to blend a family, trying to get pregnant, or you’re doing all of these things in your 40s like us – it's just about again promoting positivity and letting people know that they’re not out there on your own. Just hang in there!
AM: Anansa your mom, Beverly Johnson (Editors' Note: Beverly Johnson is a model, actress, singer, NY Times Best Selling Author, and entrepreneur who became the first Black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue in Aug 1974 after Donyale Luna was the first Black model to appear on British Vogue in 1966. In many ways her placement as the cover in this magazine created a change by 1975 where every major American fashion designer began using Black models.) is an icon and a trailblazer! Years ago I had the pleasure of accepting a fashion award in the same award ceremony where she was being honored for her legendary career!
AS: Oh, that is very nice!
AM: She is stunning, beautiful, and so poised! She also isn’t a stranger to Reality TV as I enjoyed Beverly’s Full House. So what were your thoughts when it came to you guys deciding to have her on the show and to be able to see her in an entirely different light which I love her! Then there’s also the fact that you have your children in this show as well! That’s a big decision to make!
AS: Well, my mom, you know we wanted the show to be real to our lives. My mom is a big fixture in our lives. She helps with the kids, she helps with Matt and I in our relationship as far as giving advice and just being around. She’s always just there and so for me, it’s a no-brainer to just have her to be part of it! I’m happy of course that she agreed to be on and she’s happy to support Matt and I in anything that we do – especially the kids! They top us now as they’re her favorites!
As far as the kids you know, Matt and the twins – Isaiah and Carter are already so visible on social media. The twins have their own podcast, The Barnes Boyz. Matt has been posting them since they were little kids so they are very visible. I also made my kids visible on my Instagram from when they were little so I think that having them on the show, we know what we instilled in them. So we weren’t as worried about it, we’re very hands on parents you know. We have a super open line of communication and we talk to the kids about everything so we check in with them to make sure that they are comfortable and good! None of our kids are shy! These are like 6 very outgoing children. So no one felt like, "oh my God, we don't want to do this.” No, it was the opposite! They wanted to know when we were filming, are they going to be on again, are they in the next scene, why did Matt and I have so much screen time haha! They’re telling the crew when we’re not around that they can do a cartwheel and that they can show them various things. So, they’re willing and ready and we’re super hands on so we don’t let anybody mess with our kids or our family! I feel like we know that we can hold it down and that they will be ok.
AM: What are the biggest takeaways that you guys learned in this experience? It’s a lot of weeks of filming and you talk about a lot of things in that time on and off camera!
MB: It’s a lot of weeks of filming, holy shit!
AS: I think that we filmed double than the normal shows because of our busy schedules! All 6 kids play 1 to 2 to 3 sports, Matt at times is traveling 3-4 days out of the week, and I’m running kids all around town. So, it was a lot and we filmed over a long period of time – we did, we really did!
Luckily, we had a really great crew that we were blessed to have people in our home so it wasn’t dreadful. But it was a long time.
MB: And I mean, you just learn again. We have both done this in the past! I was shoo 15 years ago and I don’t know how long ago that she did it –
AS: 13 years ago.
MB: It’s a lot of work! People think that shooting a show is easy and you’re just capturing what’s going on, but it’s a lot. It’s a lot and then when you’re bringing 6 kids into it – that’s just a lot of communication, a lot of bribing when it came to the kids, when they're not on camera, you're trying to keep them quiet when they are in other parts of the house. Again, I think that it was super important for Anansa and I to be on the same page which we were, but at the same time, you got to see a dynamic of a real couple. Shit isn’t always sweet! We argue like everyone else, we get along, we have bouts where we’re not talking, and then there are bouts where we’re all over each other. So us being on the same page to kind of set the tone for the crew, our kids, and the show in general.
AM: What are some upcoming projects that you guys are working on. Obviously All the Smoke always has something going on and it’s always exciting to the podcast and was just listening to the episode with Deion Sanders earlier today – so what are some things that you’re working on and then Anansa what can we keep an eye out for that you have going on?
MB: Well we’ve built a production company for All the Smoke so we now have All the Smoke Productions now so we have a list of people from Rachel Nichols (Headliners with Rachel Nichols, Hometown with Rachel Nichols, MAR ISSUE #51 in 2020 cover) from ESPN, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and DeMarcus Cousins, so we’re just kind of building a monster over here and through that, we’re not only in sports, but we’re crossing over to different genres and opportunities.
And also, with this show, one of the things that I really wanted to be able to do is to brand our kids. We love our kids and we think that they’re all unique in their own ways and they’re all funny and crazy in their own little ways. So to be able to kind of get them out there a little bit more and to see what opportunities can come from that.
AS: For me, my fulltime job right now is the kids and supporting Matt. You never know, tables can turn in a couple of years when they’re older and Matt will be supporting me in whatever I’m doing. Right now, that is a lot! David and Dean both play baseball, basketball, and football season is about to start. Ava plays basketball and she is running track, and Ashton plays basketball. Of course you know that the twins play basketball and they are in high school so they have AAU tournaments and Matt’s traveling all around the country with them for these tournaments so it’s a lot to navigate on top of them wanting to be A/B students. I spend most of my time yelling and checking homework, rushing to different practices and games from literally 8am to sometimes 7pm on a Saturday and of course, there’s another practice on a Sunday. Those are my projects right now, so making 6 amazing humans that are good people and that can be successful when they go out there in life and when they step outside of our doors, they know what they are doing and they have a good head on their shoulders. They can be successful in life in their own right.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | PG 28 - 32 WE TV/The Barnes Bunch | PG 35 All the Smoke/Paramount Plus |
Read the APR ISSUE #100 of Athleisure Mag and see LOVE IS THE GAME | Matt Barnes + Anansa Sims in mag.
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PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelorette
THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE S1. E0. | WE HAVE OUR FIRST GOLDEN BACHELORETTE
PHOTO CREDIT | ABC The Golden Bachelorette
We’re in the midst of the Upfronts which provides insight into the upcoming season and in addition to a number of shows that ABC shared with us, we were excited to hear about what is going on in Bachelor Nation! As we wait for The Bachelorette’s season with Jenn Tran to start on Jul 8th, we finally got to see who was chosen as the first The Golden Bachelorette! Joan Vassos will kick off the latest of this franchise which will premiere this fall.
For those that need a refresher, Joan had developed quite a connection with Gerry Turner during his season of The Golden Bachelor and many felt that she would give Theresa Nist quite a run! But then she chose to go home during Week 3 when her daughter had a medical emergency. Both were upset that their journey came to such a sudden end. But now, we’ll be able to see what her journey to love will look like. We know that she is a mother of 4, grandmother of 2, after 32 years of marriage she is a widower. We can’t wait to see who will be vying for her heart and how it all comes together!
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!
Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.
We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
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9PLAYLIST | CHASE STOKES
Read the APR ISSUE #100 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Chase Stokes in mag.
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FINDING MAGIC AND FREEDOM | BROOKE BURKE
When we first met actress, host, fitness/wellness entrepreneur, and author Brooke Burke, it was back in our collegiate days as we watched her take us to an array of locale's on E!'s Wild On! From there, she continued to stay on our screens whether it was Dancing with the Stars, hosting Miss America pageants, seeing her on copious Skechers commercials and always adding that element of fitness and lifestyle to everything she touches!
We wanted to find out about how Brooke got into the industry, how she created her opportunities that began to structure what the Brooke Burke brands means, current projects she's involved in, the importance of fitness and wellness, her upcoming wedding, and more!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Hello! How are you!
BROOKE BURKE: I’m home in Malibu and it’s my day off and I’m so excited to be able to talk to you!
AM: Of course! Well before we talk about your phenomenal career, did you think that it would always involve being a model, being a TV host, acting, being in fitness, and an author?
BB: You know, to be honest, I studied Broadcast Journalism in Business Advertising and I always thought that I would be a business woman. I accidently got into the business, but I always had a love affair with fitness and wellness. I didn’t grow up with that sort of guidance, I think that I took a big pivot after high school mostly because of the industry. Then I had an opportunity to work with some of the most brilliant wellness instructors and to make a business out of it 10 years ago because I wanted to show people how to live longer and stronger and to take better care of themselves as well as to be able to do it all over the world – whether you’re traveling, a busy mom, or you don’t have time, and even if you don’t like fitness! Just find a way to be able to get it done without excuses and to create energy – it’s so much more than a fitness app. I mean Brooke Bourke Body started as a fitness app, but now it is an intentional wellness space, it’s about community, and energy, and mindset – it just feels really good – I love this space, maybe more than I love the entertainment business?
AM: Well, when I first became aware of who you were, I was in college and I was a fan of E!’s Wild On!
BB: Oh those were the days!
AM: Oh yeah! I remember looking at it and I thought, I don’t think at that time, that there was anything even like that in terms of format, blending travel, food, culture, and nightlife.
BB: Oh my gosh! See, I will always be that travel girl to some people! It really was the greatest time of my life – that was reality TV before reality TV!
AM: Exactly!
BB: I mean, it was so guerilla, it was like me and a young crew! We all had a zest for life. We just went around the world, traveled like locals, had the best time, and did things that you could never do today!
AM: Yup!
BB: It was really an amazing gig and I have done some pretty cool things in my career, but that one, I’d love to be able to reboot that show and I’d like to get back out there on the road!
AM: Yes!
BB: Yes and I want to do it again! I meet people like you all over the world that are like, “I took that vacation because I saw you do it. I explored the world through your eyes.” And that, that feels so good and I feel that that connected me to so many different cultures, different types of people, and my mom – from my mom to my daughter, who doesn’t love to explore the world? It’s the greatest education that I have ever had!
AM: What drew you, because clearly before the show started, you didn’t realize that it would have all of these elements to it. What drew you to that to be part of that experience?
BB: To be honest with you, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Nor would I have probably signed up to jump off of planes and to sign rockets or to swim with sharks or whatnot! I have always had an adventurous appetite or an adrenaline junkie if you will! But I also was so naïve and growing up in Tucson, Arizona to grow up and have the privilege to just see the world. I just believed in taking chances and I was never a young girl and hopefully I’m raising my children the same way, I wasn’t going to leave here wondering what if! I had no idea what to expect and it was crazy, absolutely bananas! I would do it again and again and again! It was an adventure and I made friends around the world. I would tell everyone that to travel is to live! Take that adventure and just expand and open your mind!
AM: What do you love about hosting? You have hosted shows from so many different types of verticals whether it was Rock Star, She’s Got the Look, Dancing with the Stars, or Miss America? What do you love about being that central force in those particular shows as a host?
BB: I think that I have always done scary things! But I also love live energy, I love people, I love connection, I love the energy of a live audience! I’ve learned now as a more seasoned host, I like when things go wrong, I like when things go right, I like spontaneity, I like uncertainty, there’s just something about being in front of a live audience that just ignites me and I think that that’s why I work in the wellness space, I teach classes with live audiences even in health and wellness, to guide, to teach, to connect, to connect the dots, to connect people. I get so much out of it and it’s really different in front of a live audience!
It's been a minute, but joining the Fool Us cast last season, I forgot how much fun it was to be on a stage! Las Vegas, live, and magic! There aren’t a lot of live shows anymore so I just forgot how much I love it because I’ve been in health and wellness as a space so passionately; more so, than in television. So I feel like I get the best of both worlds.
AM: Last month in our issue of Athleisure Mag, we interviewed Penn + Teller about a number of things, but also about Fool Us as well! What did you love about – in addition to it being live and interacting with people as you said, what drew you to be on this show?
BB: Oh, I love magic and genuinely! I feel like it’s a time where it’s a family show for a family viewing! It’s an opportunity where we need a little hope, we need a little uncertainty, it’s escapism. They’re incredible and iconic, it’s such an honor and a pleasure to share the stage with them! I feel like this was a show that was celebrating talent! Whether the magicians got the Fools trophy or not, they were also thrilled to be there and to have the opportunity to be part of something! I’m somebody, my daughter was on production with me, she was so frustrated because she wanted to know how every trick was being done – but a magician will never tell! I on the other hand didn’t want to know because it’s so much fun to wonder and to be surprised, or to cry and laugh!
AM: Before you were hosting DWTS, you won S7 with Derek Hough! What was it like being a competitor on that season and then also, how difficult was it to learn so many different dances from week to week?
BB: It was the hardest thing that I have ever done in my entire life including being a mother to 4 children! It was terrifying to be honest. I love music, I love rhythm, I love dance. I didn’t grow up a dancer. I think putting yourself out there and learning something new is awesome for your entire inner network, but it is also terrifying, unfamiliar, uncomfortable, then you’re being judged for it, then you’re performing live – like live live – not live to tape! At the time, it was 15M – 20M viewers! It was bananas and it was the hardest thing that I have ever done. It was also filled with so many life lessons about how to perform under pressure, about how not to overthink things, how to have faith in my body - there are actually a lot of lessons that I bring into my transformational work and retreats. How to trust your body, how to just let go and to know that what you have done is good enough and how to just show up and you know overthinking can be such a demon and it can be a bully until we learn how to quiet it down and that voice inside is really fear based!
But It’s just all fear. So learning how to quiet down all of that noise was the greatest life lesson! And then an amazing opportunity to let America see me not as a host, but a person, human, and out of my comfort zone. All of that stuff and it’s so important! We rarely get to do that in my business and you know, especially in live television, there’s just not a lot of time to play. It was just an awesome opportunity and I think that that gave me the opportunity to do so many other things. It was fun and it was such a great show!
AM: You’re focus on fitness and this whole wellness industry – we always like to ask our faves about the workouts that they do that we can incorporate into our routines to shake things up especially since we are heading into the Spring/Summer.
So what are 3 workouts that we could do for toned arms, legs, or abs?
BB: Good question! There are so many things that we could do at home and I’m a big believer in working out – sweating in a smart way because of time, life, ability, age, hormones – you name it! The reason why I started Brooke Burke Body is to teach people how to get it in whatever limited time that you have! I have a lot of target toning opportunities and of course specific opportunities that are really designed for all of the areas that women are complaining about – compound moves which means that we spend less time. I have a 4 Week Ab Attack, a 4 Week Booty Challenge, I’ve got 30 Mins or Less Body Weight Workouts where you don’t even need equipment! I also have Zoom classes every Fri. So wherever you are whether it’s a hotel, you’re busy and don’t have time to get to a class, you can’t afford that class! People from all over the world Zoom in and it’s really fun! Then we develop a community that’s real and it holds you accountable.
I would say get an app, get on YouTube, find free content, join my app that is free for the first week! It’s just find something that keeps you interested! We’ve got about a 3 month attention span and then most people either fall off because they are looking for a quick fix and they are bored. But for me, it’s about developing a sustainable lifestyle that is about energy and mobility. It’s about living longer, stronger and it’s just about a booty or a bikini body. We don’t even use those kinds of words anymore right? It’s all about building strength and we have a strong community and a strong commitment. It’s about building strength, functional fitness, intentional wellness, and protecting our body so that we can do all of the things that we want to do without injury.
I have great trainers also, it’s not just me and I celebrate them as I love variety! So there is a little bit of everything on there!
AM: That’s exciting!
BB: I really do love it and it’s so fun! And mostly, it’s because of the community which is what is really good about it!
AM: It’s also good for accountability!
BB: Of course! Fitness shouldn’t be isolated when it's 11:30 and your friend is asking where you are, sometimes you need a little love, you need a little nudge, we need to increase our self-care, we need a little love! Body confidence is key! We are in a very interesting time where it’s an amazing time to be a woman, I think! I’m raising 4 daughters, Scott has 2 children – I have 4. It’s about inner dialogue, it’s about body confidence, and really it’s about strength and coordination, and lowering our stress levels. You know, we’re hearing all of these things now and there’s so much science behind the value of lowering our stress levels. How are we going to do that? Better learn how to create adrenaline and dopamine and oxytocin – like when I’m stressed out, I workout. I can sweat myself into a new space in a moment right?
AM: Oh exactly!
BB: Of course and I hope you try it out and would love to have you – no pressure in our Zoom classes. I don’t know if that’s your thing?
AM: It’s nice to be able to learn something and just to see how it sits with you.
BB: You’re bringing up a really good point! The best piece of advice that I have been given and have realized as someone who is an advocate for women’s health, we have to be a detective of our own bodies. What works for me, may not work for you. That’s why I have different people and even in my retreats I say that if it’s not me that they are responding to try to find somebody else that you do respond to and find your community!
AM: Tell me more about your health and wellness retreats because it seems like you have quite a few coming up!
BB: I do! I love the work that I do! By the time this issue has dropped, I would have just finished Carefree Arizona at the CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa, but I am doing another one there in the fall. I’ll do a couple of wellness events here in Malibu at the property at my home. That’s called Soul Creek Wellness, We’ve got Costa Rica a yoga retreat in 2025 and the nice thing about being organized about them is that you can fundshare, you can do a payment plan, and to find a way to afford these plans if they are meaningful to you. I get so much out of doing this work. I get more than I give. I connect with like minded women and men – they are invited as well. Beyond the workout, we are transforming our mind, we are doing deep work, meditation, journaling, rhythm, movement, energy - it’s really been a beautiful ride for me. I’ve had an incredible company called Yogando it means yoga in Italian. She’s my partner and she does retreats all over the world! We have a really great thing going and we brings the spirit, the soul, the energy, the experts, it’s been amazing! I really love this work!
What we put into our body is as important as how we train our body. How we speak to our body is as equally as important. So that’s why we have shifted from BB Body, to BB Body + Soul, and now it’s about energy and intentional wellness because they are all connected! Meditation, lowers your stress levels, it gives you clarity, the more you workout, the more you want to do. When you have a community, you're connected, and you're accountable! So all of those things for me as a woman is essential for wellness and I think that it goes beyond fitness and being a great patient, getting that physical, being mindful of your nutrition and whatever that means! Being part of a community, supporting one another. We did a deep dive into the Blue Zones in Costa Rica, we were out there and we will do it again in 2025.
I’m really excited about teaching people on how they can create their own Blue Zone wherever they are meaning you can do it at home. You can find your tribe, your community, you can fuel your body – mine is different then yours. I intermittent fast which is great for my body for recovery and for repair!
I’m a big believer in that! But I also eat and I eat for fuel, I eat for energy, I eat mostly plant-based, but I do also eat meat. I drink a tremendous amount of water! I try to keep it as natural, colorful, and as fresh as possible! I fill my body with fresh, bright, and colorful vegetables. I eat lean meats, great sauces, spice, things with flavor and really good fats. I believe in fuel, I believe in energy. Back to what I said before, being a detective of your own body and understanding what makes you tired, what makes you bloated, what makes you retain water, what makes your joints hurt, what makes you sleepy? We really have to learn and then of course, we have to correct. I’m always testing different things and I’m a bit of a biohacking geek as well. So I really increasing our NAD production, and doing things that really help to manipulate the system! I mean, I’m 52, so let’s go!
AM: I completely agree and sometimes I'm realizing that we may be in different like cycles as we navigate a month. So if I’m more stressed in those times of the month due to closing the issues or other things going on, I may not be able to eat the same types of things I could when I am in more of a normal situation.
BB: I think that it’s great that you tune into that. I think that the older that we get, we have an ability to know when we have to turn it up or to turn it down. And it’s about really learning how to listen to our body! I have a mindful carousel that is in the app that is just for meditation. Stretch and Recovery, Morning Mobility – you have to listen to your body and to create that energy! It might mean having to take a day off. There’s a lot of bootcamps out there and kick your ass programs, and a lot of quick fix diets where you will starve yourself – but then you put it all back on! I just don’t engage in that. For me, I want a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable and works for me so that is doable.
AM: And flexible like you said! What I can do Tues, I may not be able to do it on Wed for whatever that reason is!
BB: And that’s ok! I think that we have earned a little bit of grace! Tough love my friend!
AM: You are in the middle of preparing to get married! So congratulations!
BB: Thank you!
AM: How is it to navigate the planning process of that while also juggling all these other things that you are obviously already doing!
BB: Well, it's slow in planning – just starting with that honesty! We have 4 daughters that are excited about this wedding so we can’t phone it in! I want it to be spectacular, I want it to be about hope, I want people to be able to believe in the next chapter! I want people to believe that they can redesign their life and that they can love again! Even if it looks different, it feels different, it sounds different! I thought that I would never get married again and then I happened to meet the most wonderful man! I would probably say that I would never want to get married again, but I want to get married to him.
When you least expect it, love comes along. I was just able to receive it! We’re planning it, we’re all consumed with building our new home! We’re blending our families, work, and our life. So it’s coming up, but it’s not coming up quick enough!
AM: What are you the most excited about in terms of your wedding day?
BB: I think that celebrating love – knowing that his family is on board and we’re willing to raise each other and to do it with integrity and acceptance. It makes me a really proud mom and woman. Watching our children grow without any resistance in love which is very key and very challenging because I have been on both sides of that. Nobody ever thinks that they’re going to do it again, nobody ever thinks that they’re going to do it wrong, so to find a love like I have with Scott that has flow, it’s just a really nice flow – I feel really lucky, safe, and blessed and it’s sexy. It’s meaningful.
AM: How do you take time for yourself when you want to give those moments to yourself for peace and zen?
BB: Most of my me time sounds like a contrast because it’s shared with people. My wellness space and my yoga is kind of my temple. Yoga for me is not a workout or a practice, it is a total necessity. So I teach and I walk the talk. I meditate everyday, I get up early, I try to rise with the sun. This is a new thing for me. I am retraining my brand. I sleep when I’m sleepy that’s also a new thing for me. I’m really listening to my body and so my me time is maybe those extra 10 mins in the morning, it’s my Savasa yoga and I will carve out 10 mins for that. It’s time for me to quiet down so that I can actually hear my soul and my spirit. I spend a lot of time with sound baths and I get a lot out of that. I really do believe in sound frequency. I am in this space, so I have a lot of access to it and I create a lot of different offerings and it has changed my life. We’re hearing a lot more about it and I feel that when we hear the word mindfulness, people think that it’s all woo woo. I live in Malibu so you can only imagine. Just simply learning about doing nothing sometimes and learning how to slow down and how to listen to your body on most days, that is the gamechanger for me! I can teach people how to get into bikini shape all year long and that would be easy and boring. But what I hope I’m teaching is inspiring people to slow down and listen. We’re in a grind culture. You’re grinding and I’m grinding. Grind Culture – we need to navigate that. Meditation for me has been a big game changer.
It’s hard. I tell people that they have to meet meet themselves with a little bit of compassion and surrender. Meditation is different for everyone. I don’t feel like I need to sit down and just breathe, sometimes it’s a walking meditation, or a guided meditation, or a journey through music. I’m also a Breathwork Facilitator so I do a lot of different things to just slow down and to check in! Let’s just call it that! People put such high expectations on this concept to meditate. Just take a moment! Your meditation might look different than someone else’s and it’s good enough.
AM: That’s where I had to find out for myself and to be ok with a bit of trial and error, but if I can figure out the perfect shoe for my foot, I need to be able to find the perfect meditation that works for me!
BB: That’s right! Oh my God, I love that analogy! Just making it up on your own. 100%, we spend more time doing so many other things as opposed to checking in!
AM: So what do you want the Brooke Burke Legacy to be as you look back at all of the amazing things that you have contributed to the world?
BB: That’s such a hard question! Today is my son’s birthday, so today I am all gooey and emotional because he’s my baby and he’s 16 and he has 3 older sisters that worship this kid. He’s a football player and I have just watched him grind and grind so hard and he is everything that I respect and I am so lucky to be able to say that. So I guess, I feel like I'm just getting warmed up in my passion projects because I’m in my 50s and you’d think that I’d be winding down.
I feel so lucky to be doing something purposeful and I guess on a deeper space and I am so tapped into it today, I just want my children to know and they were raised in it that they are in a safe and loving space where they had freedom. Freedom for me is my thing. It's freedom to start over, it’s freedom to fuck up. It’s a loaded concept for me and I think that as women, we’re in this space as well. It’s freedom to be able to do whatever you want to do or not at all.
AM: Right and it’s a freedom to know that even if you mess it up, it’s ok.
BB: Totally! My daughter is taking a mandatory day off today, because I made her do it. I was like, you’re 16 years old, you’re going to take the time to do what 16 year olds do. I’m listening and learning!
IG @brookeburke
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Body By Brooke Burke
Read the MAR ISSUE #99 of Athleisure Mag and see FINDING MAGIC AND FREEDOM | Brooke Burke in mag.
Featured
HEART FELT STORIES | KIT HOOVER
This month's issue has featured a number of trailblazers in media and with it also being Women's Month, we truly enjoyed sitting down with Access Hollywood and Access Daily with Mario & Kit, Kit Hoover! We have enjoyed watching her from being in the first cast of MTV's Road Rules which was a social experiment that led to the early days of reality TV and competition shows. From there she parlayed her talents, optimisim, and energy at ESPN as a sports broadcaster and for the last 14 years has been at NBC navigating the day and night slots in entertainment. We talked about her journey, success, the show and her latest project, launching her podcast The Coop that highlights phenomenal women!
ATHLEISURE MAG: We have been a fan of yours since Road Rules as you’re a ball of energy and optimistic which is always nice to see! I mean you were the first group to do that and in many ways that show paved the way for Fear Factor and Survivor!
KIT HOOVER: Can you believe? I was just telling that story the other day to someone about how fun it was!
AM: I loved that the show!
KH: Kimmie, you’re too young to know what Road Rules is!
AM: Well, I’m 44 and I remember the first season and watched a number of them!
KH: Well, you look great! I was 24 when I did it and now I’m 53. It was fantastic and I still reflect back because it was real. I mean at that time, there was no such thing as reality TV except for Real World. They had just done London and they were shooting San Francisco and it hadn’t aired yet. We had no idea what we were doing, nobody had an agenda to go on to get into TV, it was just real. Well now, everything is about trying to get your 15mins.
AM: It’s so true and what’s interesting is that we have Brooke Burke (Wild On, Dancing with the Stars, Fool Us) in this issue as well as when I first became aware of her, it was on Wild On.
KH: I loved her on Wild On!
AM: We’re really excited to have a number of trailblazers who are women in this issue so it was really great to include you as well!
You have had such an amazing career from being on MTV, sports broadcasting with ESPN, and of course being on NBC for Access Hollywood and Access Daily with Mario & Kit! When did you realize that you wanted to be on TV?
KH: So I majored in Communications and Journalism at UNC in North Carolina. I didn’t know that I wanted to be on TV, I thought that I was going to go into the advertising world or to be in something creative. It wasn’t until Road Rules that after that finished, I thought, ok I kind of got comfortable behind the camera. Let me give myself 1 year to see if I can parlay it into something on TV and if not, I want to do something totally different. Fame was never the goal, I never wanted to be on TV, it was just, after that I thought that I had a window and I just decided to try it. Literally, it was almost a year to the day that I got my first job from it and it was called American Journal and it was kind of off and running from there. It was trial by fire then! I didn’t know what the heck I was doing!
AM: Watching you in Road Roles, I felt that you were someone that we would see on TV as you just have that authentic vibe and you wanted to hear what you had to say! It was natural and the TV just loved you.
KH: First of all, were you cracking up when – you know the joke was, that I had gained about 20 pounds in the 4 months that we were doing it. But that was a lot because I’m 5’0” tall. And the joke was with the producers was that, “oh my gosh, the little one is getting heavier by the second!”
We were eating Power Bars, Taco Bell, and Mark Long (Road Rules, The Challenge, The Challenge: All Stars) and I would drink 10 Budweisers! We were in our 20s, we had a life on the road for that show, so all you’re going to do is eat bad stuff.
AM: Well Power Bars are healthy though!
KH: Well, I’d have 3 before breakfast! We had no idea, we were eating the craziest – craziest things!
AM: Ok, well maybe 3 would do that for sure!
KH: Looking back, I was like, I think that I look great! I mean I was just a little puffier.
AM: But it’s also what happens when you’re traveling.
KH: Anyone that is on a road trip knows that you’re not eating the best or taking the best care of yourself.
AM: How did Access Hollywood come about? You have been on there since 2010!
KH: First of all, for anyone and everyone reading this! I got this opportunity when I turned 40! Do you know how great that is as a woman? To be hired, it’s been 14 years, and I’m almost 54! How great? It was one of those calls that my boss who hired me, Rob Silverstein (AccessDaily, Access Hollywood, People - The TV Show!) said, “you know, what’s great about you Kit?”
I said what, thinking that it was going to be a weird compliment. He said, “you’re not hired based on your looks” and at first I looked and said is that a compliment? But then I thought, that that may be the biggest compliment and it goes back to the Road Rules days where I never cared what I looked like. You’re on the road! There’s no makeup, there’s no bathroom, there’s no shower. I have just wanted to do the best interview that I could do or to do the best job that I could do. But I thought, what a compliment to be able to go into the entertainment world business. The call came in, I took a leap of faith as I was living in Connecticut and my husband and I moved out with the 3 kids and we thought that it would last 1 year and 14 years later, we’re still here!
AM: I remember the show had been around for a few months and I started watching it when I was flying out for press trips as it would be on either in the hotel room or watching it on the plane. When I first saw it, I was like oh it’s the Road Rules girl who was on ESPN and now here!
KH: It’s the Road Rules girl, she keeps popping up!
AM: I love how your background has such a great mix of entertainment, sports, covering red carpets, etc!
KH: Well, similar to you, it’s the art of the pivot right? I kind of was naïve when Road Rules ended. I thought, what’s next? Nothing was next. They said, you’re a great person, thanks for coming in. I think that a lot of people feel like that with their jobs. You get one and you think that you’re going to stay, but things end and things change. You have got to be like musical chairs.
You have to find your next chair. So, I’m a hustler, and I like to navigate and work hard and it’s all related too! You’ve probably found that too!
AM: Oh yeah!
KH: Whoever you work with, way back then with Road Rules, I just had a meeting with Clay Newbill (The Bachelor, The Mole, Shark Tank) the producer out here. Who you are at your core matters tremendously. I feel so blessed that I have worked with so many great people.
AM: I tell people all the time I have a number of interests and things in my background from modeling, cheerleading, stylng, designing, etc - but the base of who I am as an organized person, storytelling whether through apparel or in interviews, that’s why people keep come back.
KH: That’s why people keep coming back.
AM: 100% they want your commitment, passion, integrity and those skill sets!
When you’re preparing for interviews and talking with celebs and people of interest, what’s your process? I mean you’re covering those from all over so where do you like to start?
KH: Probably the same way you do! I love the research, I’m a reader! So I research and do all the reading that I can on the people. I sort of visualize the outline I have in my head and then I let it go and I try to be present and in the moment. I like to just listen and if you have done the homework, you know where you are going. And you want to get good stuff. It’s not about following the card. It’s listening and seeing where that takes you. I think that that’s the good stuff.
AM: You also have Access Daily with Mario & Kit! How is that for you to be on 2 very different shows, different time slots – I have a lot of respect for that! That’s not easy!
KH: Thank you! I’m grinding! I’m grinding. I have a lot of tuition with 3 kids! I love it! Access Hollywood is the night time show. So that’s more glitz and glam and entertainment news and then the hour daytime show with Mario Lopez (The Golden Girls, Saved by the Bell, The Golden Boy) is so much fun because that’s our kids and marriage and talking about fun stuff! I love daytime talk. So to be able to stretch both of those muscles is so much fun for me!
AM: That must have been amazing to know that you are helming both of those shows! I can’t think of anyone else that has that kind of double time right now.
KH: It’s really great! And then I’m launching a podcast!
AM: So excited as we’re going to talk about that as well!
KH: I put that in just so that I could do the long format. So I get my daytime that I love and I get my night time and then the podcast lets me go deeper. So the kids, 2 of them are at of the house as you know and 1 is going to leave next year so I have to start because I have more time to fill.
AM: You and Mario are neighbors!
KH: Yeah, he literally lives right around the corner. We could carpool to work. It’s the best! I run by his house which is on my running route so I go by and I wave, it’s really fun! His wife is the best and I’m really good friends with Nicole!
AM: You can see your chemistry too with one another which is really nice.
KH: Yeah, I’m very fortunate.
AM: What have been some of your favorite topics that you have covered from your Access Hollywood shows?
KH: For the night time show, it’s more of a 22mins show so it’s just quick. For the daytime, we don’t really touch any zeitgeist stuff. We’re more of a wholesome, talking about family, fun, never a gotcha thing. We try to do great interviews and so I love the ones that are a feel good story. I love when we cover human interest stories of everyday people doing extraordinary things. I am so moved by their stories. So we have been doing a lot of those feel good stories and maybe it’s because it seems like we do so much celebrity things that we want to show the real heroes. Give me a teacher or a nurse, I’m all into it.
AM: Well the podcast, I’m personally excited about that! To have women in their 40s as I am of that demographic as well that are these powerhouse women! Where did the concept come from, what can we expect, and where did the name come from?
KH: You better text me after you listen as I want all of your notes! For the past 4 years, I was thinking that I wanted to do this now that I have the ability to do this and there may not be any listeners! I wanted to do it for me.
AM: There will be listeners!
KH: I get to interview these incredible women and each one, I feel like I learn a nugget from them! Do you ever feel like that the best advice you get is from your girlfriend when you’re talking? Like, “hey, you have to try this face cream.” Or for me as I’m menopausal, you need to get this patch! Try this school or get this shoe or whatever it is. So I wanted the podcast to be that feel. I like that it is 40 and over because maybe me getting the job at 40, I feel like I haven’t even hit my stride at 54 and in the old regime, women were done in their 30s which is what Halle Berry (Die Another Day, Catwoman, Moonfall) was telling me.
I just like that feeling of what are we doing now? We have all this knowledge and wisdom, let’s effen go! So it’s Cindy Crawford that I just interviewed, it’s Katie Couric, it's Gabrielle Reece, Jenny McCarthy!
AM: Love Gabby! We had her and our husband as a cover back in Oct last year.
KH: Gabby! What I loved about them was their love story! They actually filed papers for divorce and never got that far and they got it back together. The tools that they learned to do that – they’re connected now as a couple. She is the most thoughtful. Didn’t you find her so thoughtful and poignant?
AM: She’s so sweet and real –
KH: And smart!
AM: Yeah the co-founder of Athleisure Mag is also my boyfriend so when I have interviewed her, we have talked about how it is to run a business with the person you are involved with. It was interesting to hear her talk or to see how they interact with one another and to just have real responses to it. She’s like, you do the best that you can, but sometimes, things get f’d up!
KH: She is fantastic. She said this thing in an interview where she said, “I don’t talk to anybody better than I do to Laird.” I thought about that and sometimes when we talk to our spouse and partner, you’re a little nastier. She told me that she works on it like you would an athletic career and I thought, that is so awesome. I want to operate on that frequency.
With Jenny McCarthy (The View, Two and a Half Men, Masked Singer), I was asking her about her love story with Donnie Wahlberg (Wahlburgers, Saw franchise, Blue Bloods) and she felt that she was lowering her frequency and gears to get a guy. She was tired of doing it and said that she needed to be met here and that that was Donnie.
Having Cindy Crawford talking about being an empty nester. What she and Randy Gerber are doing next because maybe that's where I am in my life right now. they’re going to a different state to buy property and they’re looking at dating each other. I mean, Cindy Crawford, if she’s thinking about all this stuff- it’s real!
AM: But it’s like, we’re all women doing these things. To hear those nuggets whether or not you’re in that position or not, you’re going to get something from it.
KH: I hope so!
AM: You can also find ways to apply it to your own life!
KH: And it’s rowdy! I have a little naughty side, so it’s a little bit of me asking everyone what is in their bedside drawer. Katie was like, I’m not telling you! Cat Cora (Iron Chef America, Tournament of Champions, Stars on Mars), one of my favorite chefs!
AM: We had her as a cover!
KH: Unbelievable, you should have heard what’s in her bedside drawer! I said, “Cat we’re going to have to bleep that out! I was blushing the entire time!”
AM: I love me some Cat!
KH: I love me some Cat! To think that she was told that she would never break into this business and that she should be barefoot and pregnant back in Mississippi! The ceiling breaker that she is as a chef –
AM: And a dynamo!
KH: And a dynamo.
AM: Plus she’s stunning. It was a pleasure to style her for our cover shoot and we were with her for about 8 hours and she was truly sweet. I grew up watching her on Iron Chef!
KH: I love that we have had the same women! This is so great! I am having a ball doing this!
AM: How many episodes are in the first season?
KH: I have just done 6 and we’re going to promote it on Kelly Clarkson which is going to air on April 5th. So hopefully we will just keep it growing from there! I’m thinking that we will do 1 a week or 1 every 2 weeks. The women who have participated, they are my friends and they have been so gracious. I hope it builds! For me, I don’t know about you, if I take the time to listen to a podcast, I want to feel good and that I am part of something. I want a takeaway.
AM: I do want to hear things that will make me a better person or to sharpen a skill in an optimized way. How can you find the cracks in your own foundation to make it better or to just be ok with them.
KH: I’ve done the interviews and then days later, they will resonate with me and I keep thinking about it and it was something that was really cool or poignant with what they said. I want to try that or I find this interesting.
Cindy Crawford said something really interesting! I said, “have you always had the ability to laugh at yourself?” She said, “Randy wouldn’t say so.” I asked her what she meant by that and she said, “as the mom, I’ll be cooking and cleaning and Randy and the kids will gang up on me and make fun of me in a playful way, but it leaves bruises. It hurts my feelings.” So many people can relate to that.
AM: That’s so me. On the outside I’ll say whatever, but on the inside –
KH: That’s so me! It was fascinating to hear how she is navigating that and for others who are listening that is so relatable.
Ooo we also have Laila Ali (Girlfriends, Black-ish, S.W.A.T.) , she’s back in Georgia. I’m from Atlanta. Have you guys interviewed her?
AM: Yes, it was amazing to chat with her!
KH: We’ve been friends and she used to cohost with me and her art of the pivot, my friend can literally do anything and with no guidance. Everyone has been so gracious because this is longform and it’s a totally different muscle which I love! I’m growing as a person learning from all of this. What’s great is, it’s not a studio, it’s just my thing because it feeds me and I hope that other people enjoy it.
AM: It’s also a testament that people are so comfortable with you! What is the meaning behind The Coop?
KH: When you look it up in Webster’s Dictionary, it’s a gathering of hens and chickens that protect one another, that grow together, and work together. That’s what I was thinking of my women friends. Come into your Coop, it’s your safe spot! Let’s fluff our feathers, learn, and protect and shelter one another.
AM: I thought so, but then I was like maybe I’m thinking too Midwestern.
KH: You knew! Also, Gwyneth Paltrow (Great Expectations, The Talented Mr Ripley, Iron Man franchise) told me that double letters are supposed to be successful letters. Like she has Goop, but I was like, “hey, I will take any extra advice!”
AM: This is so exciting. Where do you see this brand going?
KH: I would like to see it go into a Coop Conference to share all the knowledge that you have learned and to interview a great celebrity like a book party without a book.
AM: I love the concept because women like to connect and we love partnering with one another because once you’re connected you see synergies and commonalities!
KH: Even when we’re just talking about it, it’s just so real and it makes me excited and it’s happening!
AM: And it’s yours!
KH: That’s a neat thing for me as someone who has always been under awesome companies. I have always been with great companies MTV, FOX, ESPN, and of course NBC. But this one is just me!
We start off each Coop interview with 1 word to describe your life and where you are right now. What would that be for you Kimmie?
One word where you are right now!
AM: Navigating
KH: I like that!
AM: Within our team we’re always talking about we’re riding various waves. There’s that which comes to us that we never thought, that which we want that’s on our list and then when you do whatever it is you do, how do you keep on advancing as you don’t want to lose the momentum. So I feel that navigating is where I have been for a bit. I’ve had the pleasure throughout my life to have received many opportunities, some planned, some not planned, whether it was starting off interviewing people at the age of 12, my first person was Oprah, it was such an honor, my second was Jessie Jackson. I’ve always been one that wants to take opportunities and then to figure out how they come together. We see that plan of what is needed, and can go out and draw on these waves and then we navigate it.
KH: I just love that word navigating and so we take that word and then if I’m interviewing you, the whole interview with you would be about navigating. I’d ask how you started off and you’d tell me about Oprah and then I end each interview with, "What makes you happy?"
AM: Silence.
KH: I love that.
AM: I get very little of that.
KH: So it’s a buttoned up approach for my interviews.
AM: I can’t wait to listen, I love a bookend.
KH: I love a bookend!
The what makes you happy came when my my business partner’s daughter was in therapy and they did this sort of deep breath that you did 10 times and you were supposed to say what makes you happy. We started ending with it and it’s wonderful to hear. First of all, the 1 word of where you are right know, Jenny McCarthy said, needless. I said, “what a great word.” I don’t feel needless and how do I get that still? Then to end with what makes them happy, it’s fascinating!
Then we also have a section called Let’s Get Random and then I can ask all of the fun stuff.
IG @kithoover
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Kit Hoover
Read the MAR ISSUE #99 of Athleisure Mag and see HEART FELT STORIES | Kit Hoover in mag.
Featured
AMERICAN RUST: BROKEN JUSTICE
American Rust is based on the novel by Philipp Meyer. In its 1st season we were introduced to the town of Buell with a host of characters that see a frayed American dream in this Rust Belt town in Pennsylvania. We meet Chief Del Harris (Jeff Daniels) and Grace Poe (Maura Tierney). Throughout that season we see how people become compromised due to their interactions with others and how far they will go!
In it's 2nd season which streams on Prime Video on Mar 28th, we continue to see how choices that are made affect those around us as well as what it means to get justice in American Rust: Broken Justice. We had the opportunity to talk with Executive Producers Adam Rapp (Flesh and Bone, Vinyl, Dexter: New Blood) and Dan Futterman (Judging Amy, Capote, In Treatment) to find out more! If you have yet to see the first or second season, spoilers ahead.
ATHLEISURE MAG: I have been a fan of both of your work across a number of years! What as Executive Producers, were you looking for that drew you to this series?
ADAM RAPP: Look I, I just think that the characters are so rich! Dan brought me in! He gotten the rights to the novel and Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom, The Martian, Steve Jobs) was sitting beside him and they brought me in. I read the novel and I was just blown away by how rich and textured the characters were. The romance between Harris and Grace. The complexity, the nuance, and the mystery that is within that. Then of course, all of the different characters just kind of flow out of that. Billy’s (Alex Neustaedter) character – I mean, I always start from a place of character in my work. So it was really really easy to see how I could get in here and work on this with Dan. It was really fun!
DAN FUTTERMAN: Look, a lot of it was Jeff! He gave me the book and he had been trying to get this series made for awhile. He wanted to make this and I think that the world spoke to him very deeply. He’s stayed in Michigan his whole life, he grew up there and so this world is meaningful to him. Then yeah, what Adam is talking about, Philipp Meyer wrote a beautiful book. For me in particular, this relationship between Del and Grace and the question of can you love somebody and use them at the same time? That pervades the first season and it continues in a very different way in the second season.
AM: Of course, I watched all 10 of the screeners in prep for these interviews. How much time has passed between the first season and the second one? Where are we picking up these characters again?
DF: I think that we’re a few months in right Adam – would you say that?
AR: That’s correct. We always said 3 to 4 months. We were trying to figure out how much recovery time Billy could go through and be on his feet again. That helped and it also gave us some time for the fracking story to be established in the community. But it wasn’t a year or 2, it was just a few months.
AM: I really love that there is a lot going on in the S2. I watched it in 2 days – I felt that I wasn’t going to sleep and that was ok! You don’t think the events are connected, but then it funnels to a lot of connectivity between everything. What should fans of the show keep an eye out for in this season?
DF: I think that you bring up a great point about the different strands of this season. We made a very conscious decision that the first season kind of ramped up to the end. Then we just thought, well lets keep it going. Lets keep that motor running and lets get a lot of other motors going. All of those roads interweave. You may feel like a storyline is disconnected, but it’s not. All roads eventually lead back to Buell. The title Broken Justice, almost all of our characters are seeking justice in some way. Del has penance that he feels like he needs to pay, Grace feels like she’s owed something because of her son, Billy’s trying to get his life back together and what kind of justice can he find? Steve Park (Rob Yang) feels that he’s got a truth of what happened in S1, but no one will listen to him and all of these characters are colliding together against one another. That was a great thing to be talking about in the room and then to be able to see these actors execute it was amazing.
AM: I found this to be beautiful and intricate and I hope that there is a 3rd season! The finale definitely gave me pause. Being from the Midwest originally, a lot of the topics resonated for me when you’re talking about factory towns and I grew up in an automotive community and so to be able to see this and to watch the tensions that come around all sides as these communities navigate what’s around them and happening to them is interesting.
DF: Well thank you! Adam is from the Midwest as well.
AR: Where are you from?
AM: Born in Anderson, Indiana but grew up in Indianapolis.
AR: Ok, I’m from Joliet, Illinois.
Now that we know a bit about the background of the novel turned series, we wanted to talk with some of the actors involved in this season! We took some time with Alex Neustaedter (Colony, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Low Tide) and Mark Pellegrino (Dexter, 13 Reasons Why, The Class of '09) about playing a father/son in this series.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Mark and Alex, it’s so nice to meet you guys. I have enjoyed a number of shows that I have seen you in previously to American Rust! What drew you initially to be part of this show?
ALEX NEUSTAEDTER: Well I loved the book. I also grew up playing sports and I have always wanted to play an athlete. I played football in high school and pop warner and tackle football since I was a little kid. So I feel like having the opportunity to play a football player that is way more than just a football player and to kind of explore the livelihood of someone who didn’t go and chase their dream was really enticing and exciting!
AM: And Mark, for you?
MARK PELLEGRINO: Yeah, I read the book as well and I loved the book. I love complicated relationship stories you know? Family dynamics are very intriguing to me. You get all of that here and I wanted to explore coming from a fatherless home in my own world, I wanted to explore that dynamic from the other side and to see what it made me feel like and if I could get any closure in my own life, in my own world by playing this out.
AM: Can you tell us about the father/son relationship between Virgil and Billy?
MP: Yeah, I think that Virgil has been an absentee father. I think that he is basically a boy in man’s clothes and he wasn’t there for his son in the pivotal times and in the way that a son needs a father to be there. A son doesn’t need a father just to go to his games. He needs him there to grow up and face life and he wasn’t there for that. I think that in S2, Virgil attempts to make up for all of that lost time.
AM: Where do we leave you guys in American Rust and where are we picking back up with you again in Broken Justice?
AN: We leave Billy knowing that he goes into a coma and at the start of S2, he has made a semblance of a recovery, he’s not all the way recovered, but he can walk again. His surgery is healed. So, for Billy, at this point, it’s really recovering more mentally than it is even physically. He has the physical part down, he knows what to do, but the next chapter is how will Billy deal with his past and is he going to confront the demons that keep popping up into his life?
MP: Yeah, in S1, Virgil seems to have some suspicions of Del and Grace. He has some information that he is putting together that very well could topple everything that Grace and Del have built up from S1 and there is a kind of resolution in respect to that and an attempt on the part of Virgil to get back and to try to have a relationship with his son and to help him out in his tough time.
AM: Well, I enjoyed watching all 10 episodes of the screeners and the second season was so amazing. What are you excited for viewers and fans to see for this season?
MP: I loved the pace of it and that there were multiple mysteries going on at the same time and you see people in desperate situations who love each other trying to help each other get out of those desperate situations.
AN: I love and what I think that fans are going to love the most is how action packed it is and also kind of a new lease on life that a lot of these characters have and how they’re going to try to change what they have done in the past and how they will do this for the future and how they will continue to grow and to become better versions of themselves.
We talked with Luna Lauren Velez (New York Undercover, Oz, Dexter) and Rob Yang (The Americans, Succession, The Menu) who play police officers in this series. In their own way, they are looking to find the truth behind the mysteries that continue to pile up!
ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s nice to connect with you guys! I have been a fan of both of your work! Rob, I enjoyed your episodes in Succession and Luna, I loved you in New York Undercover! I grew up watching that show and it’s great to see you in this series!
LUNA LAUREN VELEZ: We love that show didn’t we?
AM: Yup!
What drew you guys to American Rust initially?
ROB YANG: I think that the story and the people involved! I increasingly look at who is involved and who I am going to be working with is a big thing that attracts me to a project and then what I walk away from. It’s making new friends and working with people that I admire.
LLV: I got to see S1 right after it was shot and the characters are just wonderful in this show and the acting of course and the actors! I just thought that like what Rob said, after a certain point, what becomes the most important thing is who you’re working with, what you’re part of, I think that those things are the most important and so for me, that is one of the things that drew me to be part of the show.
AM: So Rob, where did we leave Chief Steve Park last season and where are we picking up with him in Broken Justice? You were incredible, I watched all 10 of the screeners and stayed up 2 nights in a row!
RY: You watched all of them? Wow!
AM: Oh yeah, I love this show!
RY: Even I haven’t seen it. I haven’t watched any of it.
You basically pick up after S1 with this – he’s got strong suspicions and he feels like he needs to prove it. That’s where S2 takes off. It’s off to the races.
AM: For Detective Angela Burgos she comes into Broken Justice. What can you tell us on what we should keep an eye out for from her?
LLV: I think that what you should keep an eye out for is just the way that perception starts to shift. She’s always looking behind her back and she is always aware of what’s happening, but as much as she expects what could happen, she is unprepared for what happens.
AM: What are you excited in general for what viewers and fans will see this season?
LLV: All of it!
RY: Thank you for watching!
IG @primevideo
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | America Rust: Broken Justice/Prime Video
Read the MAR ISSUE #99 of Athleisure Mag and see AMERICAN RUST: Broken Justice in mag.
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CHASE AND MILO
We always enjoy catching up with those that are in our favorite series. As we navigate Spring, we caught up Chase Stokes of Netflix's Outer Banks! We wanted to find out what drew him to acting, Outer Banks and it's upcoming Season 4 that will be out soon, what it's like being on this successful series, and about upcoming projects.
He also shares being a dog dad to and spending time with Milo. He talks about how he navigates this time of year as we head into allergy season. He shares why he uses ZYRTEC® and why he partnered with them and their Pet Pawsitivity Walk Challenge, encouraging pet lovers to log their walks in the WoofTrax App to earn donations for nonprofit Mutual Rescue.
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to be an actor?
CHASE STOKES: I realized that I wanted to be an actor in high school actually. I was doing TV production and I had a friend who was shooting commercials and I somehow got stuck into a job making a little money and I thought, “oh my gosh, the things that I love to watch is actually a career.” So, it was like Sophomore/Junior year of high school when I got the bug.
AM: We’ve been a fan of yours since Tell Me Your Secrets and a number of our readers have enjoyed seeing you on Outer Banks. What drew you to this show and what do you enjoy about playing John B?
CS: It just felt really fresh and it felt like I hadn’t read anything in the vein of anything in the world that they created in this show. If I’m being honest, I was super broke and on unemployment and as any young starving actor or artist would know, you kind of don’t say no when it comes to opportunities knocking! I did originally and then I had another look at it and I really really thought that the show and what the writers had created was something special. So, I went against my better judgment in the beginning and I auditioned for it and the rest is kind of history.
AM: What is it like filming this show?
CS: It is tough, it is demanding. We shoot outside for the majority of the season which is why this partnership with Zyrtec was kind of a no-brainer. I’m someone who suffers from allergies and I’m kind of a chronic sneezer to say the least! So to get quick relief and to have it extend for a 24-hour period was something that was super important to me.
So for this show, and for the elements that we shoot in, it’s tough, but it’s very, very rewarding.
AM: What can you tell us about Season 4 of this series?
CS: I can say literally nothing about Season 4. No, I can say that we left Season 3 with the time jump and this big revelation about Blackbeard and it definitely provokes the Pogues interest and we will see whether or not, after this time jump if after all of the death and trauma that they have gone through, if they still want to go back out into the world of hunting treasure or if they want to do life as normal teenagers.
AM: You have a busy schedule from traveling, filming Outer Banks etc. So it must be nice to be able to take time as a dog dad and to spend that time with Milo! What do you love about being a dog dad?
CS: It’s just the unconditional love! I think that dogs have this inherent ability to just connect and attach in a way that is so hard to comprehend as a human. What they give to you, you feel that you need to immediately give it back except for pet dander as that is something that they definitely give to us. It’s just a really rewarding relationship and to be able to watch them from tearing things up to just wanting to lay in your lap is a really beautiful thing.
AM: This time of year is always great because you want to be outside to do any and all activities! You love spending tie with Milo! Why is it so important to do it outside with him?
CS: Milo is a German Shepheard Golden Retriever mix which is just a cocktail for energy! He has to be active, he has to be moving and that’s just the mental stimulation that dogs deserve! He’s one of those dogs that do so much better when he does have physical activity in his day and so as a dog owner, I feel a responsibility in the same way that I feel a responsibility in being able to work with my physical health in order to get the things that he needs so that when we’re walking, I just make sure that it’s in an environment that gives him the stimulation that he deserves as a pup. That’s also the other side of this partnership that really made sense because with this, Zyrtec has partnered with this app, WoofTrax and just like the 500,000 other apps that I have on my phone, this app actually tracks the walks that I do and the cool thing about it is that the walks that you do do, directly goes to donations for a charity called Mutual Rescue and that partners dogs with people who are deserving of pet ownership. I just know how much joy and love that Milo has brought into my life and the memories that I have shared over the years with him whether it be on walks, or trips, or the random weekend getaways that we have done – so for me to be able to see this partnership and as someone who deals with allergies, this is a beautiful partnership that just really made a lot of sense to make this happen.
AM: Why did you want to partner with ZYRTEC for their Pet Pawsitivity program and can you tell us about this initiative?
CS: I just know how much being a dog owner has impacted my life and it’s shifted the way that I operate where it was like, I’m going to go out for a drink with friends and now I’m like, I want to get back to Milo. It’s just really really honing in that they are raising money for such an incredible charity and really creating the opportunity for dog ownership as well as the focus on allergies as well. It was just a really aligning partnership and something that I really felt inclined to be part of and wanted to help them grow as well.
AM: Are there any other upcoming projects that you would like to share that we should keep an eye out for as we know Outer Banks Season 4 is one of those things.
CS: Netflix just announced that a film that I had done a couple of years ago called Uglies with Joey King (The Act, Bullet Train, We Were the Lucky Ones) will be coming out soon. I don’t have an actual date. But I am really proud of that as it was a book series that was adapted for film. It’s just a great cast and a really great experience.
Then I had the opportunity to work with one of the greatest directors, Nick Cassavetes (Alpha Dog, John Q., The Notebook) in his return to the romance genre and in another book adaptation called Marked Men. So, those 2 in particular I’m very excited about and it’s just a different chapter. I’m excited to step into new roles, new characters, and new worlds so all things are coming, no dates yet, but I’m very excited about those.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 46 - 48 Jason Lee Davis/Netflix | PG 51 Michael Simon |
Read the MAR ISSUE #99 of Athleisure Mag and see CHASE AND MILO in mag.
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9LIST STORI3S | BROOKE BURKE
9LIST STORI3S | KIT HOOVER
63MIX ROUTIN3S | CHASE STOKES
AWARDS SEASON | 51ST DAYTIME EMMY AWARDS NOMINATIONS
Yesterday and today, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) announced the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards nominations were announced. This show will honor the best in U.S> daytime television programming in 2023. The award ceremony is scheduled to be helf on Jun 7th, 2024 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in LA and will be broadcast live on this date at 8pm ET on CBS and will be available on Paramount+ for live streaming and on-demand.
As we do throughout Awards Season, we share our predictions in bold, the ones we correctly identified as winners are in bold italics and winners that we didn’t predict are in italics. On the night of the event, we will share who we predicted correctly as well as those we didn’t that won.
DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES
The Bay, Popstar! TV
The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS
Days of our Lives, Peacock
General Hospital, ABC
Neighbours, Freevee
The Young and the Restless, CBS
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DAYTIME DRAMA
Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Annika Noelle, (Hope, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Michelle Stafford (Phyllis, The Young and the Restless)
Tamara Braun (Ava, Days of Our Lives)
Finola Hughes (Anna, General Hospital)
Cynthia Watros (Nina, General Hospital)
LEAD ACTOR IN A DAYTIME DRAMA
Eric Braeden (Victor,The Young and the Restless)
Scott Clifton (Liam, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Thorsten Kaye (Ridge, The Bold and the Beautiful)
John McCook (Eric, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Eric Martsolf (Brady, Days of Our Lives)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DAYTIME DRAMA
Jennifer Gareis (Donna, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Linsey Godfrey (Sarah, Days of our Lives)
Courtney Hope (Sally, The Young and the Restless)
Allison Lanier (Summer, The Young and the Restless)
Emily O’Brien (Gwen, Days of our Lives)
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DAYTIME DRAMA
Robert Gossett (Marshall, General Hospital)
Bryton James (Devon, The Young and the Restless)
Wally Kurth (Justin, Days of our Lives)
A Martinez (Nardo, The Bay)
Mike Manning (Caleb, The Bay)
DAYTIME TALK SERIES
The Jennifer Hudson Show (syndicated)
The Kelly Clarkson Show (syndicated)
Tamron Hall (syndicated)
Turning the Tables With Robin Roberts, Disney+
The View, ABC
GUEST PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA
Linden Ashby (Cameron, The Young and the Restless)
Ashley Jones (Bridget, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Alley Mills (Heather, General Hospital)
Guy Pearce (Mike, Neighbours)
Dick Van Dyke (Timothy, Days of our Lives)
WRITING FOR A DAYTIME DRAMA
The Bay, Popstar! TV
The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS
Days of our Lives, Peacock
General Hospital, ABC
The Young and the Restless, CBS
DIRECTING FOR A DAYTIME DRAMA
The Bay, Popstar! TV
The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS
Days of our Lives, Peacock
General Hospital, ABC
The Young and the Restless, CBS
DAYTIME TALK SHOW HOST
Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro, The View
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show
Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa, Live With Kelly and Mark
Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell and Sheryl Underwood, The Talk
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS SERIES
Access Hollywood (syndicated)
Entertainment Tonight (syndicated)
Extra (syndicated)
LEGAL/COURTROOM PROGRAM
Hot Bench (syndicated)
Judy Justice, Amazon Freevee
Justice For The People with Judge Milian (syndicated)
The People’s Court (syndicated)
We The People with Judge Lauren Lake (syndicated)
CULINARY SERIES
Be My Guest with Ina Garten, Food Network
Family Dinner, Magnolia Network
Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays, Food Network
Valerie’s Home Cooking, Food Network
What Am I Eating? with Zooey Deschanel, Max
CULINARY HOST
Lidia Bastianich (25 Years with Lidia: A Culinary Jubilee, PBS)
Valerie Bertinelli (Valerie’s Home Cooking, Food Network)
Eduardo Garcia (Big Sky Kitchen with Eduardo Garcia, Magnolia Network)
Emeril Lagasse (Emeril Cooks, Roku)
Sophia Roe (Counter Space, Tastemade)
Buddy Valastro (Legends of the Fork, A&E)
ORIGINAL SONG
“Shine” (General Hospital, ABC)
“Unexpected Truth” (Unexpected, Hulu)
“We’re Home” (Reconnecting Roots, PBS)
COSTUME DESIGN/STYLING
African Queens: Njinga, Netflix
The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS
The Jennifer Hudson Show (syndicated)
Sherri (syndicated)
HAIRSTYLING AND MAKEUP
African Queens: Njinga, Netflix
The Drew Barrymore Show (syndicated)
Sherri (syndicated)
The View, ABC
The Young and the Restless, CBS
LIGHTING DIRECTION
General Hospital, ABC
The Jennifer Hudson Show (syndicated)
The Kelly Clarkson Show (syndicated)
The View, ABC
CASTING
African Queens: Njinga, Netflix
Days of our Lives, Peacock
General Hospital, ABC
Start Up, PBS
The Young and the Restless, CBS
TRAVEL, ADVENTURE AND NATURE PROGRAM
Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory, National Geographic
Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper, National Geographic
Guy’s All-American Road Trip, Food Network
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, NBC
Street Somm, Tastemade
INSTRUCTIONAL/HOW-TO PROGRAM
Fixer to Fabulous, HGTV
Fixer Upper: The Hotel, Magnolia Network
Hack My Home, Netflix
Martha Gardens, Roku
Windy City Rehab, HGTV
LIFESTYLE PROGRAM
Downey’s Dream Cars, Max
George to the Rescue, NBC
Growing Floret, Magnolia Network
Homegrown, Magnolia Network
Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, Netflix
ARTS AND POPULAR CULTURE PROGRAM
Billion Dollar Babies: The True Story of the Cabbage Patch Kids, Vimeo
King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch, Netflix
Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter, SundanceTV
Oprah and “The Color Purple” Journey, Max
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors, PBS
Working in the Theatre, AmericanTheatreWing.org
EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PROGRAM
African Queens: Njinga, Netflix
Harlem Globetrotters Play It Forward, NBC
Ireland Made with Love, PBS
Leveling Lincoln, PBS
What Really Happened: America’s Wild, National Geographic
DAYTIME SPECIAL
Culture Quest: Ukraine, PBS
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade, ABC
97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, NBC
Recipe for Change: Celebrating Black Men, SpringHill
Unexpected, Hulu
SHORT FORM PROGRAM
Catalyst, LinkedIn News
The Dads, Netflix
Hollywood Atelier: Rob Pickens, The Hollywood Reporter
How Una Pizza Napoletana Became the No.1 Ranked Pizza in the World, Eater
Temple of Film: 100 Years of the Egyptian Theatre, Netflix
WRITING TEAM FOR A DAYTIME NON-FICTION PROGRAM
African Queens: Njinga, Netflix
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, NBC
Reconnecting Roots, PBS
Super Animals (syndicated)
Team Rubicon, Roku
OUTSTANDING MUSIC DIRECTION AND COMPOSITION
African Queens: Njinga, Netflix
Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, Netflix
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, NBC
Mysteries of the Faith, Netflix
Temple of Film: 100 Years of the Egyptian Theatre, Netflix
Featured
9PLAYLIST | BRANDON SOO HOO
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WOAH! | JOEY LAWRENCE
For those of us that grew up in the 90s, many of us remember watching Blossom and Joey Lawrence with his "whoa" catch phrase. He appeared in a number of series throughout this time as well as maintaining a music career, going on Broadway and of course being The Walrus on Season 8 of Masked Singer!
We wanted to take some time to catchup with him to find out about his career, the importance of oral care, his podcast with his brothers Matthew (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Mrs Doubtfire, Hawaii Five-O) and Andy (Bean, NCIS: Los Angeles, Hawaii Five-O) as well as his upcoming movie and other projects!
ATHLEISURE MAG: You've had a great career that has included Gimmie A Break!, Blossom, being on Broadway in Chicago as Billy Flynn, The Masked Singer, and more! What do you love about being an entertainer?
JOEY LAWRENCE: It's always been sort of my calling and I was very lucky at a young age to have an opportunity to explore that passion of mine. My mom was just influential in seeing that love that I had for the arts and just going, alright, let's see if we can make this happen. It just came about in the most amazing way, and then being able to go to New York and audition for commercials at the age of five years old, and get a lot of those commercials and then go on the Johnny Carson Show and have the reaction be what it was on that and lead to a deal with NBC, which led to give me a break and all the other shows that I ended up doing. It was just sort of an amazing thing that happened and 43 years later, to be able to still doing it, is truly a remarkable thing, quite a journey.
AM: What have been three of your favorite moments in your career that made you smile?
JL: The explosion of the whole WHOA thing on Blossom and the whole Teen Idol thing was an amazing moment. I know a lot of people sometimes look back on that stuff as not so great when they experienced it, but for me, it was really amazing. The fact that I'm able to still work even past all that is great. It was that explosion, and still to this day, all these years later, two decades later, people still walking around saying that word and how it still has transcended time. It's seen all over popular vernacular today. That was a pretty cool moment to have that happen to a character that I played become so iconic like that. Being on Broadway was great. The whole different world of being able to utilize my love for singing and acting at the same time was really great. Also, having a number one record was really cool, writing a song at 16 - having a hit number one on the charts. Experiencing that was great and the other top moments are hopefully yet to come.
AM: Achieving a great smile means that you make your oral care a priority. Why did you partner with LISTERINE?
JL: Well, to me, LISTERINE truly is the benchmark of oral care. I actually use LISTERINE – it's been in every medicine cabinet in my house growing up, and now is in my home and used by kids.
AM: What is your oral care routine and how did you turn your woes into "Whoas"?
JL: I have red, irritated gums, so I religiously care for my whole mouth. I use an electric powered toothbrush and I floss basically almost after every meal, but certainly in the morning and at night. Then I follow it up with my favorite LISTERINE mouthwash – Clinical Solutions Antiseptic Gum Health from their newest line of superpowered products. It is actually incredible and it really works. Truly, I used the Antiseptic Gum Health mouthwash for one week and I started to see a difference – it literally made me go “WHOA!”
The LISTERINE Clinical Solutions line was developed with dentists to tackle and help prevent top oral care issues, and so I’m very excited to see what other people think because I think they're gonna feel the way I do.
AM: It seems like you and your brothers - Matthew and Andy continue the good vibes, smiles, and fun conversations with your podcast, Brotherly Love. Why did you want to launch it in this format and what can we expect when we're tuning in?
JL: That's what we do. I mean, our thing is just escapism, right? We want people to come in and just have some fun, take your mind off of things. I feel so many times people forget the the true essence of entertainment, which is to entertain, and we get bogged down in making it mirror exactly what's going on in our lives. But so many times, I don't want to watch something that's mirroring exactly what I'm going through, because that's life. I want to have a little bit of escapism. People have never really seen us like this, which is kind of cool. When we've worked together in our careers, it's always been with scripts. This is no scripts. This is actually how our inner dynamics are and we're dinner table conversation, we're not a specific podcast based on a certain idea or ideology. We talk about anything and everything that friends and family would talk about over a dinner table. I think that's what's really been the reaction so far and why people have enjoyed it so much. We never really thought it was going to turn into this. We really did it during the COVID lockdowns to just have something to do because like everybody, we thought the world was ending, and we got to do something. The reaction to it has been incredible. To see the rise of this little baby pod, the pod that could as we say, has been humbling. It's been really, really neat. I think we're like the 45th ranked pod overall, which is really crazy. There's like 5 million pods out there. So, you know, this little pod that me and my bros do to have this much love thrown at it, it just really feels great. We're just so thankful the community that supports us is pretty dope.
AM: Tell us about your upcoming film, Heart Attack.
JL: We’re doing it with Fox and Tubi. Big action movie, which I'm excited about. I haven't done a lot of action - I did a little bit on Hawaii Five-O and CSI New York, but I really haven't although I've loved that genre so much. Big fan of Die Hard and these movies growing up as a kid so to be able to jump into this sort of genre is going to be really, really cool. It's a nonstop juggernaut from page one with a clock that ticks – your classic action movie stakes, but it really is cool. it's all set in the hospital. It's going to be a lot of fun. My baby brother, Andrew, is actually going to direct it, which is gonna be fun because he's a great director. We're gonna have a lot of fun. We're going to shoot that later this year, and really looking forward to it.
AM: How do you take time for yourself when you're not focused on projects, navigating personal and family schedules, etc?
JL: You just have to make the time, right? Life is about making time for things, that's what you got to do. It's easy to say we don't have time, right? It's easy to say, Oh, I don't have time to get that workout in, or I don't have time to floss. You have to figure out a way to do it. There's always time. I feel like where there's a will, there's a way. I live my life like that - we'll figure it out. There's a way to figure something out, I don't ever feel like nothing is, you know, can't be accomplished if we put our minds to it, just figure it out. So I try to live my life that way every day and you know, I fail sometimes, like everybody, but I also succeed sometimes. When you succeed, it feels good and that motivates you to continue to work hard and try to fit everything in. That's what I try to do.
AM: Are there any upcoming projects that we should keep an eye out for that you would like to share?
JL: There's a lot of exciting stuff going on. We have a sequel to our Christmas movie that we did together, the brothers and I, Mistletoe Mixup, which was actually the number one Christmas movie on Amazon in 2021. The sequel is coming out later this year, so we're excited about that. It's actually funnier than the first one, it really is, so we're very excited because he first one again, we did it sort of as an independent project, and Amazon picked it up, and then it just did so well. It was their number one movie for Christmas a year and a half ago. So, then we were like, wow, well, we got to try to make it good now. So, you know, the sequel, we had a lot more time to do it and we're excited about it. So that's coming out. We're actually working on a scripted series together for the first time, since like the early 2000s, which is crazy. That is something that is in the late stages, so we're excited about that. There's a couple other exciting things that will be on tap soon, but you know, and I'm working with LISTERINE, so that's like top of the top and super excited.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | LISTERINE Clinical Solutions
Read the MAR ISSUE #99 of Athleisure Mag and see WOAH! Joey Lawrence in mag.
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IN GOOD TASTE | CHEF TOM COLICCHIO, CHEF KRISTEN KISH, AND GAIL SIMMONS
We're excited this month's cover of Athleisure Mag is graced by Chef Kristen Kish (S10 winner of Top Chef, Fast Foodies, Restaurants at the End of the World), Chef Tom Colicchio (A Place at the Table, The Simpsons, Billions), and Gail Simmons (Royal Pains, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, The Food That Built America). We sat down with them ahead of the S21 premiere of Bravo's Top Chef Wisconsin. We talked with Kristen who is on the other side of the judging table as a host as well as her fellow judges Tom and Gail! In our interview, we spoke about the impact of this iconic food competition show, their approach to judging the dishes, what they hope viewers and fans enjoy when watching this show, and why filming is a bit like Summer Camp!
ATHLEISURE MAG: We are so excited to be able to talk to you guys as we have been fans of the show ever since the beginning! We have interviewed each of you individually over the years on various projects that you have been involved in, but to be able to have you guys as our cover for this month and to have you all together as S21 premieres on March 20th is amazing!
What was the dish that you fell in love with that made you realize that you wanted to be in the culinary industry?
CHEF KRISTEN KISH: Oh wow! Well I can tell you the first thing that I ever made when I was 5!
AM: Yeah!
CHEF KK: It was a chocolate pudding, but there was no chocolate or pudding. I saw my mom make Thanksgiving gravy and she would thicken it with cornstarch slurry and she would refrigerate it. It comes out and it looks gelatinized and so when I started watching cooking shows before I had any concept of food, flavor, or actual technique, I was like, “I could make a chocolate pudding.” So I had soy sauce, thickener, and cornstarch. I did that and it sat in the refrigerator and my dad came home from work and gave it a try and he said it was great and off I went!
AM: Oh my goodness, I love that!
GAIL SIMMONS: That’s a good dad!
AM: That was sweet. And Tom!
CHEF TOM COLICCHIO: It was no particular dish. I’m actually writing a book called Why I Cook.
AM: Nice!
CHEF TC: During the pandemic I was doing a lot of these Zoom cooking classes and I kept coming back to certain themes. There were 2 things in particular, both around my grandfather that I think led me to food. One, at a young age, I used to fish with my grandfather and I was responsible for 2 things – one cleaning all of the fish and crabs and clams before my mother and grandmother cooked them and my second job was keeping my grandfather awake on the ride home. So that was always fun! That meal, because it was a larger meal, it was 20 people around the table and I think that somehow I took away from that was that’s what food does, it brings people around the table. That was probably more important than the food itself.
Then I struggled as a kid with ADHD. I wasn’t diagnosed back then and my children are all clinically diagnosed and I found that cooking was something that I could figure out very easily. It came very easily to me. Once I started working in the kitchen, all that chaos just cut through the clutter in my brain and I was able to hyper focus on my cooking.
So it’s not a particular dish, but those are the 2 sort of memories that led me to a career of cooking.
AM: I love that. Gail?
GS: Again, I also don’t think that it was one particular dish, it wasn’t that one moment. My mother was an amazing cook when I was growing up and she had a cooking school that was run out of our house and wrote a column for our national newspaper of Canada as a way to be able to stay home and also work while her children were small. I had 2 older brothers and there was a lot of noise in our house. I think that it was just watching her do this all the time! She ran these classes in our house so there were always people in our home, she was always entertaining and I just saw how much pleasure it gave her and everyone and how fulfilling it was for her to nourish people and to feed people.
I remember that this wasn’t a real dish, but my favorite thing to do as a child while my mom was in the kitchen cooking was to put my little wooden stool at the sink and she would put a big pot in the sink and let me just invade her spice cabinets and I would squirt a bit of this and drizzle a little bit of that and take a big wooden spoon and I would make soup. It allowed us to be together and it gave me such purpose in doing that with her and it was just this imaginary game where I could be a chef and I think that that was sort of that feeling where this was just something that could sustain others and make me feel great and I just sort of loved that feeling of being in the kitchen.
AM: Wow that’s such a memory.
Well, Gail and Tom, you guys have been on Top Chef for 21 seasons and just seeing everything through this food competition, what initially drew you to being part of it and what do you hope that fans are getting out of it when they are watching you guys?
GS: Drew us to be a part of it. I don’t think that either of us were drawn to being part of it because when we started, it wasn’t a thing. There was no food competition reality shows. There was Iron Chef Japan, but obviously that was a very different kind of competition. So this was a real trailblazer at the time and when they came to both of us, neither of us knew what they were talking about, nor were we that interested necessarily because it didn’t seem like a rational thing to do with your career at that moment. I was working at Food & Wine Magazine and actually Bravo came to Food & Wine to partner with them, to teach them about the restaurant and food world and to help them with sort of part of the prize and to learn about the industry. They said, well in exchange, if we like one of your editors, we’ll put them on the judging table to represent the magazine as this partnership. I was chosen to be that person, but I very clearly remember that when my publisher gave me that news, I was sort of terrified!
AM: Gulp!
GS: But I was doing it for my job and I knew that I would still have a job after even if no one liked the show. I had this totally different job with the magazine and this became a side thing to try out to sort of – as a lark. But I knew that Tom was doing it and I had known Tom for many years. But more importantly, the magazine really trusted him. He was a Food & Wine Best Chef, James Beard Award Winner, and I knew that there was going to be a moral compass to the show because of that. So we headed out to San Francisco with very little expectations and I think that that has been the greatest surprise that it exceeded anything that I could have imagined!
CHEF TC: For me, I said no 3 times before finally being coerced into saying yes. I got a call from the producer who said they were doing a show and we think that you would be great. There was a show around that time that featured a chef and it wasn’t a competition and I was like, I don’t want to do that. Then they sent me some DVDs of Project Greenlight and I loved that show.
AM: Same!
CHEF TC: So they sent someone to get me on camera and they asked if I could come in for a screen test and I said no I’m not going in for that. There was a documentary done by a producer from ABC News on the opening of Craft so I sent them that and they said, they wanted to make an offer.
Part of the reason that I said yes and my wife always says that I shouldn’t tell that story, but I will! I got tired of going to food festivals and I’m sitting next to Bobby Flay and he signs 300 books and I signed 20 and I didn’t think that it was because he had a better book, it was because he was on TV!
GS: That’s a great piece of the story! Like if you were living in NY at that moment, everybody knew Tom Colicchio!
AM: Absolutely.
GS: He was the NY chefiest chef! He was the chef-y-chef and still is to the end! But he was such a NY icon, and there wasn’t like a history or a precedent yet where there were chefs that had huge national followings except for the few that were on Food Network. You had Bobby, Emeril, Wolfgang, and that was sort of it. So I think that that sort of recalibrated things.
CHEF TC: What I hope that the viewing audience gets from what we do is that – one thing that just drives me crazy is when people think that there is some kind of game that we are playing. That we are trying to promote one person over another. We don’t care who wins. I’m not a fan.
AM: We can see that when you’re talking on the show.
CHEF TC: Right. I’m not a fan, I’m there to do a job and to be as honest as possible. I hope that that comes across. We’re not playing favorites, we’re not saying that a woman won last season so a man needs to be in this one. No, we don’t care. We judge on the food and that’s it. The only thing that I asked the producers from day one is that judges make decisions. So far, we have made every single decision.
GS: And we have never regretted one either!
CHEF TC: Right! There is that little disclaimer that they say that they help us. If we’re stuck, they’ll say, “well you said this or you said that – what do you think about this?” But they don’t make the decision.
AM: It’s more like running the tape.
GS: Yeah!
CHEF TC: Exactly! It’s kind reminding us of things that we’ve said and trying to get us to discuss. But that happens so infrequently! It happened in a few finales where we were really stuck and because also I think in the finales we pay more attention to it because there is so much on the line and some of them were so close that it would just come down to –
GS: Tiny nitpicking things.
CHEF TC: But, yeah, that’s it.
AM: Kristen, we love that you won Season 10 and it has been great to see you come back for various guest judging, but now you’re on the other side as a host! How do you feel about that and what does it feel like to know how it is on both sides of the table?
CHEF KK: I mean – it’s still a wild thing to know that this is happening! But you know, I will say that having competed, guest judging and obviously when I was done with my season, developing a relationship with these two that went far beyond then the actual show itself, like coming back into it already felt like you were coming back into a family setting. You see producers that have been there since my season and long before, these 2 obviously, I’m very familiar with and so as new as the position was, me coming in and being with these people wasn’t a new thing. So that brought a lot of comfort. I think really the main difference between competing and judging and now hosting is that I get to be part of the whole thing! I get to experience all of the chefs and all of the different variations that they are and regardless of how long that they are there, I get to be there for the whole thing which is pretty fantastic! I also get to say that, “you’re Top Chef!”
GS: For us, where we stood, filling Padma’s (Top Chef, Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, Waffles + Mochi's Restaurant) very high heel shoes, there were very few people that we thought would fit all of that and I think that in a way, it was a very obvious choice to us. Especially because, we knew that we didn’t need to bring in for the 21st season, someone who had never been part of the show before.
AM: Right.
GS: It only made sense because we had created this massive family of 300+ chefs over the seasons who have gone on to such success that it would only make sense to bring someone in who had already been part of it and Tom and I were not the ones that were making the decision, let’s be clear about that. We were involved in the conversations, but it was just so natural and it made such great sense, because she has become such a leader in the industry because she won a season and went on to just – I mean, we have been sitting there being so proud of her for a decade watching as a friend! So, it just felt like the most natural, possible choice.
CHEF TC: I had conversations with the producers and no other name came up!
AM: There you go! We were so happy when we heard that it was you!
CHEF KK: Me too, me too!
AM: What did you guys love about being in Wisconsin for this season and where would you like to see it go for the next one?
GS: Wisconsin was interesting. We were just talking about this. We have been to every corner of this country at this point and we have been abroad, you know our last season, our 20th season Top Chef: World All-Stars was a massive milestone by being able to shoot the entire season in London and in Paris. That was extraordinary, but coming back home to the heartland, we hadn’t explored the Midwest. We were in Chicago in 2007 and that feels like it was an eternity ago especially in the life of restaurants. So I think that it was great to be able to go back to that part of the country and to explore its foodways (Editor’s Note: In social science, foodways are the cultural, social, and economic practices relating to the production and consumption of food. Foodways often refer to the intersection of food in culture, traditions, and history.), its indigenous culture, its agriculture, its history, the immigrant populations that brought so much of its food culture, and I don’t know, we had the greatest time! We ate a lot of cheese, we drank a lot of beer.
CHEF KK: There was a lot of custard!
GS: Oh yeah, frozen custard was obviously a highlight.
CHEF KK: I mean, thinking about where to go, I have only been to Milwaukee and Madison so the possibilities on my end – I mean wow, there’s so many places that we can go far and wide. But even from their perspective, they can speak to that, but after 21 seasons, there are just countless places that we can go and there are just so many options.
CHEF TC: The best parts of the show and they don’t get enough credit, the producers do such a great job. They’re on the ground 4 months before production starts, digging through, looking at different foodways, looking for interesting locations and really sort of teasing out some of these challenges. The team spends so much time doing it and yeah, we do a little bit of research. I mean, Gail does all of the research on the restaurants. I just tag along!
GS: I know where to go for dinner afterwards!
CHEF TC: But they do such a great job of researching for us and every season, it’s just beautiful because that location becomes its own character.
AM: Yeah.
CHEF TC: It becomes a real backdrop for everything that we do. Wisconsin was so great and the people were really friendly and so easy to work with.
GS: Coming from London, London was extraordinary for all the reasons that it was extraordinary, but London –
CHEF TC: Britain didn’t care about us!
GS: The UK doesn’t have Top Chef!
AM: Right.
GS: Their culture is all MasterChef all of the time.
CHEF TC: And the Queen died.
GS: Then the queen died in the middle of our season.
AM: Yes, that’s right!
GS: So then they really didn’t care about us. It was sort of refreshing, I liked that, but we were completely anonymous, no one cared, no one made a fuss over us, but sometimes you want a little fuss. I mean, you just want people to care that you’re there – just a little bit. Although I think it made us work harder and it challenged us in the best way, but coming back to Milwaukee – they were like – I mean, they were ready to welcome us with open arms! And that felt really nice.
AM: Love that!
And what about the 15 cheftestants this this season? Is there anything that we should keep an eye out for or what you were excited about or whatever you can share?
GS: I think that it’s really interesting that they’re fun, they’re all really good people, and they have great stories. Again, our casting team does the most amazing job because you think it’s just about casting the 15 best cooks that you can cast, but there are so many factors beyond that and our industry has changed so much and I think that it’s sort of a chicken and egg situation. Did we help mold the industry trends or did the industry trends help mold the show? I think that there is such an interesting interplay there, but you know, the diversity of our cast now versus 12 seasons ago in all senses right? Obviously people of color, we have always had a 50/50 women to men ratio which let me assure you is not the ratio in the real industry
CHEF TC: That’s right.
GS: It is such a massive undertaking casting people who are not only at the top of their game, but all have stories to tell and all can cook and talk at the same time, have perspectives and points of view that will carry over to our audience. It’s just an amazing thing the cast every season and the people that we meet and what we learn about them. I think that this year you will see a few really interesting things. Obviously stories from parts of the world from where they come from, their origins that we have never seen before which definitely is played out on their dishes and also, we’re talking a lot more about what it is like to cook with a disability in the kitchen. Which, this isn’t something that we have faced in a big way on this show. The chef who is actually from Wisconsin, Chef Dan Jacobs, the local chef and he has an amazing story to tell and I just think that it ups the level of appreciation for the craft.
CHEF TC: I think that this season, the chefs were somewhat a little inconsistent. One challenge, a chef would do amazing and then the next challenge it was – what happened? It was just hard to figure out –
GS: It kept us on our toes!
CHEF TC: It could have been nerves.
AM: Just looking at your face, we can see how you didn’t understand how that could happen.
CHEF TC: It was just so hard to understand because there were these ups and downs. But it was a great season and it was a lot of fun.
CHEF KK: It means that the challenges were very good though.
CHEF TC: Yeah, yeah.
CHEF KK: Because it challenged different parts of you and you couldn’t consistently be great at everything.
GS: And the same person wasn’t always on top.
CHEF TC: Yeah, it was an interesting season and there’s some fun stuff! We had a Sausage Race!
AM: When I saw that, I was like yes! Because I’m from the Midwest originally – I’m from Indiana!
GS: Oh!
AM: I was like what? They’re sharing the Sausage Race from the Milwaukee Brewers?
GS: It was the best! It was low hanging fruit. That kind of sounded dirty, but you know what I mean!
AM: Yes!
This season each episode is supersized for 75 mins. There wasn’t a Quick Fire in the first episode, the way immunity is handled – so what are the different twists that we can expect from this season?
CHEF KK: You know, I think that I’m really the most excited that I think midseason that’s after Restaurant Wars or something like that – that Tom and Gail are also part of the Quick Fire. So all 3 of us get to have the same conversation.
AM: Oh wow!
CHEF KK: Include it into the deliberation if you need it. It’s also nice to have the company and to have a little bit more time with them. So for me, that was one of the more fun changes that happened to do it with them.
AM: With the Elimination Challenge on the first episode, each of you had a task that the 15 cheftestants were divided to create 1 of 3 dishes. What was the thought behind the soup (Kristen’s Challenge), the roasted chicken (Tom’s Challenge), and the stuffed pasta (Gail’s Challenge)? Which we loved all of those.
GS: I think that we see patterns over the years right? We have been sitting in these chairs for a really long time Tom and I, longer than we want to admit and we see patterns in cooking. We see trends come and go, but even in the foundations of cooking, I feel that we and our producers have seen things that recur in good ways and bad, over and over again. There are certain foundations and techniques that every chef should have mastered long ago when they get to this stage, but amazingly, they get to the Top Chef Kitchen and it’s not that they don’t know how to make a roast chicken –
CHEF TC: Mmm
GS: And we know that they do it beautifully in their own kitchens.
CHEF TC: Mmm
GS: Or not.
CHEF TC: Mmm
GS: Some of them not.
ALL: Hahaha
GS: But it trips them up and they freeze and so we just wanted to first of all, put them in check and also, make sure that they understand that they shouldn’t be calling it in because something that seems really simple that we see so often on the show can be problematic and also for Kristen, I think that it was a great introduction for the first challenge because she had such a vivid memory in her season.
CHEF KK: We had to make a soup in order to make it to Seattle in the first place. So I cooked for Emeril in Vegas and there were 5 or 6 of us. You had to get his stamp of approval on the soup before you went on. So that was an easy choice for me!
CHEF TC: Roast chicken – if you’re a chef of this caliber and you can’t make a great roast chicken, maybe you need to rethink what you’re doing!
GS: Yeah!
CHEF TC: But also, there’s a certain maturity that you attain when you’re cooking for years, when you’re comfortable enough to leave something alone. I wanted to see who was going to over chef it.
AM: Right!
CHEF TC: Right? Versus having the confidence to just leave the roast chicken alone. I thought that it was a good way to start.
AM: Love that!
We all have our favorites whether it’s Restaurant Wars or certain guest judges that come in. What were your exciting moments of this season?
CHEF KK: Restaurant Wars was awesome! Restaurant Wars is fantastic and I love it so much. If I could ever go back in my life and redo one thing, it would be Restaurant Wars. I let it go.
GS: It ended up ok!
CHEF TC: I think you did alright!
CHEF KK: I just want to prove that I can do it! But it was nice to be part of it from the other side and now to be able to watch it when I see that episode – to see the thought process and the strategy that was played because I didn’t think about it in that way. So, throughout the season, I’m learning a lot about how to compete on Top Chef and I’m never going to do it again in terms of competing on Top Chef. But to also learn a thing or two with different perspectives and great chefs around the country who have something to teach us as well.
GS: I love all the challenges that take them out of the kitchen to cook in weird and wonderful places – on a farm, on a beach, in a baseball stadium. I think that it just changes everything and it gives us energy and it inspires us. But I also think that learning – everywhere we go as we obviously say – there are foodways, there are local traditions that we get to learn about and over the last several seasons gratefully, we have incorporated the indigenous foodways of everywhere we are – in Portland (S18), in Houston (S19), and certainly in this season in Milwaukee and I think that it really helps you take a step back from the way you think of food in the modern kitchen and in that sort of modernist way and we think that the way that we think of produce and agriculture gives us so much perspective as cooks.
CHEF TC: One of my favorite challenges was the Door County Fish Fry.
GS: Oh my God, wild!
CHEF TC: And the reason being was that there was this guy that does fish fry’s, probably 300 a year and he had a very specific way of doing it. We were all in the parking lot actually watching this happen and if you watch it with chef eyes, you’re like, “this is ridiculous. Why are you doing this?” You’re going against everything that you are taught. But the guy has been doing this a long time and it blew my mind that the chefs weren’t really paying attention to what he was doing. They were just like, I’m going to do it my way.
GS: Or I can make it better!
CHEF TC: Right, I can make it better. Yeah and it was interesting to watch.
AM: Oh wow!
CHEF TC: We also at some point, they were all calm and then you saw them all come to this realization that they really should have listened. Should have paid attention.
GS: They definitely should have paid attention in math class that day!
CHEF TC: Yeah.
AM: What can you tell us if anything about the finale that we should be looking forward to?
GS: I don’t know what we can tell you about the finale – there is a finale!
AM: There you go! There’s going to be people there.
CHEF TC: There’s people there.
GS: It’s not in Wisconsin. Every year it’s always a little different.
AM: So Tom, you always say that shooting this show is like Summer Camp.
CHEF TC: Yeah!
AM: What do you mean by that?
CHEF TC: Well I didn’t go to Summer Camp, but if I had –
AM: Neither have I.
CHEF TC: You go to Summer Camp, you have those friends. You see them for 6 weeks in the summer and you go back every summer and you see them. When we do this show, there’s probably 150 people on a crew these days. There has probably been about a quarter or 50 that have been doing this for 10+ years and so you see your summer friends. These are our summer friends and you hang out with them. You go out to dinner and a bunch of us play instruments and we get together and play so it’s fun!
GS: There are a lot of campfires!
CHEF TC: Yeah and it’s a fun get together and you fall right back into relationships as soon as you get there. It’s just immediately you’re right back into Summer Camp.
AM: What instrument are you playing?
CHEF TC: I play guitar!
AM: That’s what we thought!
CHEF KK: He’s very good!
GS: I play the cowbell! I’m joking!
AM: Kristen, what are you playing?
CHEF KK: If there was a keyboard, I would be playing.
CHEF TC: We’re going to get you a little accordion!
GS: Oh yeah!
CHEF KK: I will learn to play the accordion!
CHEF TC: Absolutely, we’re going to get you one so you can play.
AM: When we’re in the kitchen, we always love our favorite playlists while we’re making our dishes. What are 3 songs that you like listening to when you’re cooking?
CHEF KK: I don’t know if there is a particular song. But in my restaurant kitchen, there’s certain kinds of music that we go with the Beyonce, Whitney Houston vibe.
GS: Wow.
CHEF KK: Everyone loves it – it’s not politically drawn any which way.
AM: It’s just good sounds.
CHEF KK: It’s solid music. A lot of Earth, Wind, & Fire as well. At home, I listen to Van Morrison because I have great memories of my dad. My mom in the summertime in Michigan, all the windows in the house open and spring cleaning starts and my dad has like a CD player in the kitchen and it would blast through the house – Van Morrison – so for me, I always like to listen to Van Morrison.
AM: Tom?
CHEF TC: God, It all depends on what I am in the mood for.
GS: Yeah.
CHEF TC: I often cook with reggae and Grateful Dead - Anthony Bourdain just rolled over one time in his grave because he hates them, but it all depends. I do like cooking with music especially when I’m home.
We do have music in the kitchen here in NY at Craft, I stay out of it! I walk down there sometimes and I’m like, what the heck? But it’s like, do whatever you want.
AM: Gail?
GS: I would say the same. I love when I can be in my zone in my kitchen. I don’t like talking to people when I’m cooking, it's my quiet happy place. Everyone in my house knows that it’s my space. It’s not to say that I don’t speak to my family. I can also get them involved. But when I am in a rhythm with music, it really is my meditation in so many ways that that zone that you get into – but I listen to all kinds of things depending on my travels, where I have been, what’s happening in the moment. My husband actually works in the music industry. He creates playlists so there’s always playlists on my Spotify made from him. It also depends on my kids. My daughter has very strong opinions about the music so when she comes home she’ll often change it, but I just love a rhythm when I am cooking for sure.
AM: My last question has 3 parts, and is part of our feature, THE 9LIST 9M3NU, this month, it looks at: a) why you enjoy cooking in the Spring; b) what are spices that you enjoy cooking; and c) for Tom and Kristen, what are 3 dishes that we can enjoy are your restaurants and Gail, what are 3 dishes that we could enjoy if we were at your home?
GS: That’s a big 3 part question!
AM: We did this recently with Alton Brown and he got such a kick out of it!
So what do you love about the Spring when you are creating your dishes?
CHEF KK: I’m just excited to be out of fall! Because growing up in a 4 season kind of place, Austin is very different. I had to learn what food seasons there were. You had two tomato seasons – there’s a long story behind that. But you have 2 tomato seasons, 2 strawberry seasons. But I mean, for any season change that happens, by the time fall is nearing an end, I can’t do any more with squashes. I’m ready for the green fresh and the vibrancy! Now that my wife has started gardening, she has a whole Spring list that she is excited about. I’m excited about the fresh stuff at home and to be out of the fall vegetables!
CHEF TC: This time of year, morels, peas, and asparagus, fava beans, and rhubarb. I just shot photos of a book that I’m working on yesterday and it was Spring. There’s nothing happening in Spring right now although we had some great weather, but nothing is coming out of the ground yet. But in California, it’s already Spring and we had a bunch of stuff there that we shipped in. You know, it’s my favorite time to cook. I think that part of it is that it is Spring Renewal and you’re coming out of the winter, food becomes lighter, fresher, greener. The flavors are something that I really enjoy!
GS: I think that there is a reason that if you think about the rhythms of the world, like even in religion – Passover, Easter, or Eid, they all happen in the exact same time of year for a reason because it’s renewal, it’s celebration of the Earth and all of the waking up of the world again and so Spring is absolutely the best time of year to cook. All of the early berries and the rhubarb. All of the peas – I could eat peas all of the time, every moment of the year! But I don’t because they are so much sweeter and I like to eat them in the Spring and asparagus. All the fresh herbs, everything comes to life and I just feel like there is so much flavor there and you don’t realize until you get to cook with them, how much you have missed them through the cold winter months!
AM: Very true!
What are 3 spices that you like cooking with?
CHEF KK: Ooo someone else take this first so I can think about this one!
GS: Not together, but right now that I have been leading on a lot, sumac, smoked paprika, and cardamom. Again, not together!
AM: Right.
GS: But they are 3 spices that I find really add dimension to whatever I’m cooking.
CHEF TC: I love sumac! I always forget about sumac.
GS: I’m going to bring you some! I’m going to bring you some! I just received this giant pint container of the most beautiful sumac that I have ever tasted.
CHEF TC: Spice wise, pepper, black pepper, and long pepper which you don’t see a lot of. Fennel seed, I just can’t get enough of that!
GS: Oh me too!
CHEF TC: I absolutely love it, it’s one of my favorites. Gail and I are lovers of licorice, right here. The black ones, not the red stuff that’s candy. Actual licorice is my favorite.
GS: Ooo White Taragon is my favorite!
CHEF TC: Fennel – wild fennel fronds woo!
GS: Delicious!
CHEF TC: It’s the best!
CHEF KK: I agree on the black pepper! However, I like to toast my black pepper. So I toast my peppercorns before they go into the grinder. It just adds a whole other dimension of flavor. One of my favorite spice blends is Montreal Steak Seasoning.
GS: I love you for that answer!
CHEF KK: It’s so good!
GS: If I didn’t love you before, I love you now!
CHEF KK: It’s so good, so yes – Montreal Steak Seasoning.
GS: On everything? No matter what or just on meats?
CHEF KK: No, I do it on vegetables.
GS: Salty, smokey!
CHEF KK: I have it as a finishing salt on certain dishes. I don’t do it at my restaurant, I do it at home.
GS: I don’t know why it’s called Montreal Steak Seasoning.
CHEF KK: I don’t know either!
GS: It’s not particularly Montreal spices.
CHEF TC: It’s like why is that rice that San Francisco treat?
GS: That’s a really good question! It’s a mystery of the universe!
AM: Ha!
The last part of the question is for Kristen and Tom, what are 3 dishes that our readers should try at your restaurant that you would suggest for our readers to come and have?
CHEF KK: One of Arlo Grey's most popular dishes is this beautiful Malfaldini Pasta not that it was done intentionally, but I cooked these mushrooms several times and it just so happened to be a mushroom that got me my first win on Top Chef, but people love to come to the restaurant to try it. It’s like a 4 day sauce that you dehydrate and rehydrate it and it’s just humble white button mushrooms.
There’s this Crispy Rice dish which is my ode to crab fried rice in a lot of ways.
There are 3 dishes that will never change those two and the Lime Sorbet which has pink peppercorns, coconut, and people really love it and it’s like the dessert palette cleanser.
AM: Tom
CHEF TC: Well, it depends on the restaurant!
AM: Well choose your restaurant!
CHEF TC: So Small Batch out in Garden City, LI, I would say the Braised Chicken Thighs. We do it with semi-dried tomatoes, soppressata, lots of sherry vinegar, roasted garlic confit and really good.
Craft NY, the Braised Beef Short Ribs are the go-to there and any of the pasta dishes that we make are really good. We make them all by hand at Craft.
Then Temple Court, the Roast Chicken is really good! It’s a Spring roasted chicken with lots of garlic, ramps, and mushrooms.
AM: Gail, if we were to go home with you, what would we have for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner?
GS: Oh wait, now I have to give you a whole day? That’s a lot of things!
AM: Well, it’s 3 dishes!
GS: Alright, sure, ok! That’s fair!
Alright, I’m a big egg person so I would always make you eggs in the morning. I like just a simple, well I like eggs anyway that you give them to me, but one of my favorite ways is just a really simple soft scramble with some chives and a little parmesan. But I’m very particular, I hate when eggs are overcooked. I don’t want them undercooked.
CHEF TC: You hate the Spanish Fry.
GS: I hate – well I love them in a Spanish Tortilla but the fried egg with the crispy edges – I like it when the egg yolk is still runny.
CHEF TC: Ok.
GS: You know what I mean?
CHEF TC: Alright!
GS: There’s a delicate balance, but for a scramble or an omelet, it really drives me nuts when you get that brown crust on top! A soft scramble means cooking it slowly. People just want to pummel an egg and that’s not nice to the egg. So that’s what I would make you for breakfast.
For lunch, lunch is kind of random – it’s not like I’m making elaborate lunches! But maybe I would make a roasted chicken with some spring vegetables or make you a really big fresh salad with a beautiful piece of fish on top.
For dinner, my family, we love soups all year around. We make a lot of soup and braises as well as stews because it’s really great for families to eat and to make in big batches! But now that it is Spring, maybe I need to get out of that.
I’m trying to think of dinner because I don’t have a signature or a restaurant so I don’t have to cook anything ever more than once! I love that as a cook, I can make whatever I want.
AM: That’s right!
GS: So I think that it really depends on the time of year and where I’m coming from. Every time I’m coming back from a trip, I bring back with me these memories of a favorite thing that I was cooking then so I just got back from a trip from Quebec and all I want to eat now is Maple Syrup on everything. So, I might make you a very traditional Quebec Tourtiere which is a savory meat pie with a beautiful golden crust. It’s sort of like a chicken potpie, but it’s a little heavier. Or maybe a Tarte au Sucre which is a traditional Maple Sugar Tart – for dinner – just tart!
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | FRONT COVER Stephanie Diani/Bravo | PG 16 - 39, BACK COVER + 9PLAYLIST COLLAB David Moir/Bravo |
Read the MAR ISSUE #99 of Athleisure Mag and see IN GOOD TASTE | Chef Tom Colicchio, Chef Kristen Kish, and Gail Simmons in mag.
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PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Bachelor Disney/John Fleenor
THE BACHELOR S28. E11. | HOW DOES IT ALL END?
PHOTO CREDIT | ABC The Bachelor/Gizelle Hernandez
Apparently, 22 years ago today, the first The Bachelor aired which was a historic moment for this series. In addition, tonight, apparently whatever happens with Joey Graziadei, will also be a first and historic as well! So with those notes from Jesse Palmer, it sets the tone for the rest of the night! We’ll be watching the finale as well as checking in with the studio audience for After The Final Rose! Joey walks us through his relationship with Kelsey as well as Daisy. You can tell that he has a lot of love for both women who are very different from one another.
We see that Joey’s family has assembled to assist him with his decision! He lets them know about the 32 women who were on his season and he fills them in each on woman. His mother, sisters, brother-in-law, and uncle are eager to meet the women, but also hesitant about what could happen to Joey as he finalizes his decision.
The first meeting is with Daisy and she shares her story on how they met, and how she arrived to the mansion. She shares what it has meant to be with him and says that a lot of that has to do with how he was raised and the support that he has from them. His sisters pull Daisy to the side to get to know more about her. They have great vibes from her and then they sit down with Joey to get more intel from him so that they can see how they make sense with one another.
Daisy and Joey’s mom also have a chat and you can see how they would get along with one another as well. It seems like everyone sees her as a fit.
Next up is Kelsey! They spend a moment together before they connect with his family. She feels the weight of what the day means and how important it is. You can see the ease between her and his family which is a great way to see how they could fit together. His sisters take time with her and they find out that marriage for her may not be something she is 100% ready for. But she also says that she could see herself marrying him. They like her and see how amazing she is and she has great energy; however, they have a concern about what it means in terms of her rediness in getting married. They note that Daisy is all in and ready, but Kelsey seems to have a bit of hesitancy. So now he knows he needs to have this conversation with her so he has clarity. They chat and it seems like he found the answers that he needed.
He takes Daisy out on a date as this is the final one before decision day. They have a spiritual date where they cleanse the spirits. Daisy wants to tell him that she loves him and she hurts because she feels that he is not sure of her as he is juggling 2 women at the same time. Daisy gets into her head as she wonders if it will be her ultimately. At their nighttime portion of the date, she decides she needs to get out of that headspace and tell him how she feels so that she is being 100% vulnerable so that he has all the information that he needs to make his decision. They talk about the date and what happened as well as how it made her feel. They also talk about how she felt meeting his family. She tells him that she loves him and she’s glad that he is in the loop on everything that she is feeling. She feels that she didn’t get the validation that she was looking for. But after hearing her say that, his responses to her are very measured as Daisy let us know in her confessional. She feels that if she had to be 100% honest, it will not be her.
So Daisy felt unsettled, but he has moved onto his date with Kelsey. It’s their last date as well as the final one he will have on this show. Their date is a spa date and they can enjoy this time together and to relax. It’s a fun date and you can see how easy it would be with them.
Back at Daisy’s, she’s feeling all the feels and not in the best way as she is thinking about the date that they must be having.
Back at Kelsey’s, they’re enjoying their nighttime together and the debrief on the date as well as what she felt when she met his family. In addition, they talk about her marriage response and why she answered it the way that she did. She tells him that she just wants to be with him.
Well, it’s decision time! We’ve been inching our way to this moment and yet there are still some twists and turns ahead. Neil Lane arrives and they select a ring and he talks about how he feels in this moment. We see Kelsey dressed and making her way to the spot; however, we see Daisy and realize that she has a lot of misgivings. She feels that her last date was a bit off and that he was trying to prepare her for the day.
It seems like Kelsey is on a mission and she makes her way to Kelsey’s room! We thought that she was going to Joey’s! They trade notes on their dates, getting validation, and how they feel. We can see how uncertain Daisy feels about everything is. But, ultimately, she says that she will follow it through because what is Kelsey is not the one chosen?
Back in Tulum, Joey is at the spot where conversations and a proposal will take place. Kelsey and Daisy arrive in the same car together! Daisy meets Joey first in her power red dress. They both talk about what they have enjoyed about the journey - while at home, we’re all shocked at these twists that have been peppered in this final episode. Daisy lets him know that she knows he will not pick her as she knows that she is not his person! She opts to walk out on her own without being walked out - power move in a power dress!
We can’t wait to see what happens and then we get to know a bit more in After the Final Rose! Joey is sad about what happened, but at the same time, he wasn’t going to choose Daisy so now he’s focused on Kelsey. They also talk about what loved about their experience together as they have gotten to know one another more. He tells her that he is choosing her and that he is in love with her as well! He gets down on a knee and proposes to her and she accepts! He also gives her the final rose!
Now that we have seen everything, we’re now in the After Show! We see Joey and Jesse says that he could not have imagined how the day would end for him. Daisy comes out and talks with Joey and Jesse about when she realized that it wouldn’t be her in the end. She mentions that when Rachel was sent home, she remembers seeing a look between Kelsey and Joey that let her know that they had a connection. She even remembers that when they threw the rock into the fire, she knew he couldn’t picture a future with her past that date. She felt validating in watching eveything that her intuition was right.
Seeing Kelsey and Joey together is great! You can see their connection and energy and now they can officially share with everyone! In addition, it is revealed that Jenn will be the next The Bachelorette which we’re so excited about!
JOEY FINAL ROSE WAS GIVEN TO | Kelsey
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!
Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.
We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!
THE FINAL ROSE GOES TO
PHOTO CREDIT | The Bachelor Contestants/Richard Middlesworth
THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS
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