CREATIVITY RULES | MARIA BRITO

A few years ago, we had the pleasure of meeting Maria Brito who is an award winning NY based contemporary art advisor, author and curator. She is known as a Power Players in the Art World and in 2020 she was named by ARTNEWS as one of the visionaries who gets to shape the art world. With her finger on the pulse of noted and rising artists, we wanted to catch up with her to talk about how she came to this industry, what it's like to build a personal collection versus when she is working with her clientele who includes A-list celebrities, demistifying art, the impact of NFTs on art, what her Art Basel experiences are and finding out about her book which is available next month!

ATHLEISURE MAG: You are a noted and well-respected power player in the art world. Prior to working in this industry, you graduated from Harvard Law School and practiced corporate law for a period of time. How did you come to the world of art and realize that this was an industry that you wanted to work in?

MARIA BRITO: I grew up in a family that prioritized art as a cultivation tool, like a hobby, but not a career. I went to every art exhibition, museum, gallery and artist studio my parents took me to, and it was really a very hands-on training for me. I continued furthering my passion when I moved to New York City in 2000 as a newly-minted attorney and started going to galleries and buying for myself.

AM: When you began building your personal collection of art work, what were you drawn to initially?

MB: I have always been drawn toward figuration, the human form, saturated colors, narratives that move me. I started collecting the work of Black artists way before all the galleries went crazy for them in the past 5 years. I am very proud of that.

AM: Can you tell us the difference between being a curator and an art advisor and why you love working in these areas?

MB: An art advisor is someone who makes suggestions as to what to acquire and why. It brings access and an eye to a client and it’s the eyes and ears of the art collectors who can’t possibly navigate the art market which is a global $300 billion market. A curator is someone who makes sense of how a collection looks together or envisions an art exhibition that has a theme that is coherent. The curator is an editor, the advisor is a strategist.

AM: Why is the concept of buying art and ultimately curating a collection intimidating to those that are outside of the art world?

MB: I think for too long people have had the wrong idea because what gets written in the big newspapers or reported on mainstream TV are the insanely high numbers that happen when a piece of art sells at auction for $200 million - that is intimidating. Or when people go to a gallery and the environment feels sterile and impersonal - that is intimidating. But that’s just the surface, there are thousands of galleries around the world as well as websites and art fairs that sell art priced under $5000 - people have no problem saving up money to buy a handbag for that amount of money or more. But a piece of art bought with a little bit of an understanding of the market can not only multiply its value 100x but also stay with you forever.

AM: How do you demystify the experience so that it’s more approachable to those that want to obtain art for their pieces?

MB: As I mentioned above, there are all sorts of levels in the art market. People take bets in emerging artists because they see the potential. There has never been a better time to collect or to be an artist. Besides, it’s all a cultural dialogue that is formed between the art and the collectors.

AM: I know that you have been an art advisor to Sean Combs, Gwyneth Paltrow and Tracy Anderson – what is the client relationship like in terms of making them aware of pieces, educating them about collections and ensuring that that it meets the requirements that they are looking for?

MB: I have hundreds of clients and they are all important to me. Every client gets a tailored approach with offerings that resonate to who they are and what moves them. That happens because I spend a really good amount of time getting to know my clients’ tastes and their objectives.

AM: Art Basel took place a few weeks back, what’s that time of year like for you and can you give us insight into how you navigate this show personally as well as when you’re doing it with/for your clients?

MB: That’s the busiest and most intense time of the year. It’s an insane amount of work because physically you have to go not only to Art Basel which can easily take 4 or 5 hours to see but to all the satellite fairs like NADA and Untitled which is where all the new talent gets to be shown. Clients come and walk around the aisles with me but the thing is that for the most part almost all of these galleries have circulated PDFs with all the images and the previews of what they will be showing so much of the good stuff has already been sold. That’s why an art advisor is so important for people who want to collect if they can’t dedicate themselves to building all these relationships with galleries.

AM: You curate art shows such as Greek Gotham in Mykonos a few years back with NY based artists such KAWS, Nir Hod, and Erik Parker, what do you look for when you are putting shows together like this?

MB: First I have an idea and then I let the idea marinate inside my head. Then I discuss it with the person who hired me to do the exhibition and then I go for the most talented artists I can approach who actually fit the idea or theme I had.

AM: How do you keep your pulse to the ground in terms of finding new artists and phenomenal pieces?

MB: By pounding the pavement! It’s easy to get complacent and more so now in a world that has gotten so digital but I still go to as many art galleries as I can every week, every art fair I can attend and artists studios when I can.

AM: Your firm Maria Brito LLC, includes your work as an advisor, but it also includes being an interior designer which seems like a natural progression with lifestyling as well as your fashion accessory design collaborations. Tell me about your firm and what your day-to-day is like.

MB: I actually don’t do interior design anymore because as a creative entrepreneur I know when to pivot - that business is good for the money but my mission in this life isn’t to place rugs in people’s homes. With accessories that was a very fun time but I did it for several years as an extension of my relationships with the artists and because there was nothing like it in the market. However, when my advisory practice grew and grew, and the headaches with factories and retailers also grew, I knew it was time to end that too. I still get called to consult with companies on product collaborations and I do that from time-to-time. Last year I launched two fine-porcelain collections with Showfields in collaboration with artists Cydne Coleby and Allison Zuckerman.

AM: Last year, NFTs became the conversation across all sectors of business. What does it mean to the art world and how are you navigating NFTs with artists you work with and clients that you curate/advise for?

MB: NFTs are a very important development in terms of digital ownership and because society is moving more and more toward a digital world, this movement found the perfect timing to flourish. Like everything that's new, right now it’s a lot of confusion, gray areas, speculation, like the wild west. My clients mostly collect art that is tangible, to live with in their homes or their offices, so while NFTs are a lot of fun, they will never replace physical art.

AM: Who are 3 artists that are currently on your radar that you’re looking at that we should be aware of?

MB: Cydne Coleby, Ryan Wilde and Cristina BanBan.

AM: Next month, your book, How Creativity Rules the World: The Art and Business of Turning Your Ideas into Gold drops. What was your motivation behind writing this book and what is it about?

There has never been a more crucial time than now to develop your creativity and your ability to innovate. Coming up with original ideas of value is today’s most precious skill.

MB: I wanted to debunk the myth that creativity is only for the few chosen ones or that it is genetic. Creativity is not about arts and crafts and cutouts or technical wizardry. Creativity is about fostering specific habits, making associations, and standing behind the ideas that come out of them. Whether you are an entrepreneur, an artist, or an employee, your creativity will help you turn the mundane into the extraordinary.

This is a book that helps leaders access their creative potential and profit from their ideas. It took me 13 years to be able to gather all the information that is here, and it’s a comprehensive, practical and actionable blueprint that will get you there even if you don’t think you can be creative and innovative.

I used every technique and everything that’s in this book to transition from a miserable corporate attorney to building an industry-leader seven-figure art advisory business and I have taught the same methods to people in companies as well as to hundreds of entrepreneurs, freelancers, managers, and artists through my online program Jumpstart.

I know these methods work and the time was right to bring them to a greater group of people through a book that is timely and timeless.

AM: Are there any projects that you’re working on that we should keep an eye out for that you’re working on?

MB: Writing a book, selling it at auction to a major publishing house and launching it is like having a full-time job on top of your full-time job. The book is the biggest project that I have worked on in a long time.

IG @mariabrito_ny

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Maria Brito

Read the FEB ISSUE #75 of Athleisure Mag and see CREATIVITY RULES | Maria Brito in mag.

THE FINANCIAL EXPERIENCE WITH GRANT SABATIER

As we continue into the holiday season and get prepared to transition into the New Year, it's time to think about setting our goals. We chatted with best selling financial author Grant Sabatier about how we can assess where we are financially in based on our happiness and our goals. He shares his tips, how we can stay on budget during the holidays and setting ourselves up for success.

ATHLEISURE MAG: How important is it for you to have a plan for your budget?

GRANT SABATIER: It’s very hard in life to get to where you want to go if you don’t know where you are starting out from and you don’t have a roadmap. A budget is a roadmap and it helps you figure out where you are today, how much money you owe, how much you have saved and even more importantly, it helps you outline the steps that you need to take to get you towards your goals. So a budget is essential for any financial plan. But there is a lot of different ways to budget. A lot of people think that there’s just kind of one way that you have got to track everything on a spreadsheet and that it has to be super boring. But there are a lot of ways you can save and build a budget.

AM: How do you focus on staying within your budget when navigating a pandemic?

GS: Yeah, I think it’s actually a great opportunity to look at where you’re spending your money and to ask yourself 2 questions. #1 How happy did this purchase make me and #2 is it worth it? As we’re all in our homes during this time and we have a little bit of extra time, it’s actually the perfect time to be more mindful about your money. So getting out those credit card statements or those bank statements and just go line by line. Pour a cup of coffee or pour that glass of wine and just look at what you have spent over the past year and I know that that can be a little anxiety-producing, but looking at it through the lens of did this make my life better and is it worth it, is often an approach that people don't take. They tend to just look at the dollars and the cents. Then they get upset when they have over-spent or in some cases get excited when they have underspent. But when you’re looking through that different lens, I find that it makes it a lot easier to evaluate purchased because you should be spending money on those things that make you happy and bring you joy and cutting back on all of those things that don’t.

AM: Do you have tips for the holidays?

GS: Thankfully, we live during a time where it’s never been easier in history to comparison shop and to find a deal. We’ve all become sort of master Google search-ers and researchers and so it’s very easy to spend 15 – 20 minutes just looking for lower cost alternatives whether you’re looking for a present for the holidays or even more importantly, you’re looking to reduce your recurring expenses. Those recurring expenses those things that we spend on every month, that’s 12 times a year. So things like, your cable bill, your subscriptions and your streaming bill and even your cell phone. This gets me a lot. Americans pay thousands of dollars more than they need to for their cell phones. We often sign up for a plan and stay with the same carrier for a very long time and the fees continue to go up and we don’t evaluaten the other options. Just like it's easy to comparison shop there are incredible, affordable, no contract wireless providers like Total Wireless that can help you save if you have a family over $1,200 per year. That's something where the quality of the service is super high and it's very easy to find lower rates and at Total Wireless you can get unlimited talk and text on the best network in the country over a lot of the best carriers in this country.

AM: As the bestselling author of Financial Freedom: A Proven Path to All of the Money That You Would Ever Need, what can you tell us about this book?

GS: So the book follows my journey and the steps that I took from going from 24years old, broke and living with my parents after being unemployed after college to financial independence in 5 years at the age of 30. When I say Financially independent, I saved over $1 million and had really a lot more time and space in my life. So through that journey, I learned that a lot of the things that I had been taught about money, a lot of the things that are shared in the personal finance world were not only outdated – a lot of them were just in-correct. So just the simple idea that time is money and money is time, we hear that all the time but that’s the biggest myth of them all. Money is actually infinite and you can make more money, you can start a side hustle, pick up an extra job, change careers etc but you can’t get back the time. So whenever we’re working for money, we’re trading something that’s finite – our time, for something that’s infinite – money. So being more mindful about that is essential. The book is a step by step strategy that I took to be more mindful about money. Anyone can use this no matter where they’re at in their own financial life to have to help make, save and invest more money to have more freedom in their life.

AM: What are things that couples can do to be comfortable talking about finances?

GS: I love this question. Often in couples, one of them is interested in money and the other isn’t or maybe both of them aren’t interested in money. One of the biggest mistakes that couple make is that they focus on the numbers first and so they often have to come to a money conversation with a lot of stress because their debt has gone up or they have over-spent or something wasn’t clear. There was a job loss or they’re paying for taxes. So there’s often this stress when couples talk about money and it’s actually the #1reason today in America for a divorce. So there's a lot of stress around money conversations. What I encourage couples todo and instead of starting with the money, think about the life piece - what are our dreams over the next 5 - 10 years together. What do we want to accomplish and then using that vision of the future as a way to look at your money as the lens to look at your money through. Because money really is a pathway to freedom for the life that you love and you can use it as a couple to get to where you want to go. So think about what life you want to be able to live, come together on that vision and then work together to make that happen through your finances. So talk about the life piece first and use the money to support it as opposed to the other way around where we often talk about the money first and then try to pack our life into it. Over time, money is almost like a friend, you need to build a relationship with it and this is no different than with a couple. Coming at it through that lens, It end to find is a lot more effective.

AM: What tips do you have to optimize financial goals in the New Year?

GS: Start planning now! As uncomfortable as it is, take 30 mins a week over the next couple of weeks to look at what you spent the past year. Ask yourself did these purchases make me happy and then think about the 4 big expense categories and how you can reduce them. #1Housing – the average American spends over 40% of their income on housing. Interest rates are low and even though the housing market is competitive and rents are going a bit higher, think about your housing situation. Maybe you're still in a lease or a mortgage, do you want to move somewhere where there is a lower cost? Look at your transportation expenses. Do you really need that new car? Can you buy a used car? Look at your food expenses. How much money have you been spending on all of these food delivery apps during this time? Finally, your recurring expenses. Look at if you have a cable subscription or a magazine subscription or even a gym membership something that is compounding every month and is adding to your bill.

IG @MillionMoneyCom

@FinancialFreedom

PHOTO CREDITS | Grant Sabatier

Read the Dec Issue #60 of Athleisure Mag and see The Financial Experience with Grant Sabatier in mag.

MARKET BRUNCH WITH SEEMA MODY

We kick off the new year with this month's cover, CNBC's Seema Mody who is the Global Markets Reporter on the network. This month's cover took place in the Lower East Side's Lamia Fish Market which is known as a brunch and evening destination. We showcase fun looks that are perfect as we continue through winter's transition as well as checking out this fun restaurant. We sit down with Seema to find out about she became interested in her career, her favorite stories and markets that she has covered as well as what she enjoys doing when she is off air.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to be a journalist?

SEEMA MODY: I should probably thank Nani (my grandmother) for my passion for storytelling. Growing up, I spent many of my summers visiting my grandparents in Ludhiana, Punjab. One of my fondest memories is sitting on their roof, drinking masala chai and listening to Nani talk about Indian politics and the country’s fight for independence. Those conversations lit a fire in my belly that—after a couple of twists and turns—slowly evolved into a career in journalism.

AM: What is it about finance and specifically global markets that drew you to your coverage area? Was this always an area that you felt you wanted to work in?

SM: I was always interested in foreign policy, but it was during my time in London, where I previously relocated to be co-anchor of CNBC’s “Worldwide Exchange,” that I learned how to look at international affairs through the lens of financial markets. When I returned to New York, I was named CNBC’s Global Markets reporter. Part of my job is to wake up every day and report on how international stories, like U.S.-China trade and Brexit, are impacting investors’ portfolios and multinational companies around the world.

AM: We know that you have been with CNBC for quite a few years here in the U.S., as well as London and India. What has your journey been since you have been at the network? What shows do you most frequently appear on currently?

SM: I have had a rather unique journey at CNBC. I started at CNBC TV-18 in Mumbai where I reported on India’s economy. While growing up I frequently traveled to India to visit family, this was my first time actually living there–I’m from Portland, Oregon. Starting fresh in Mumbai inspired me to work around the clock, build relationships with CEOs and break stories. After one year and a lot of persistence, I landed an opportunity with CNBC Business News in New York. What’s great is I am still able to leverage the contacts I made in India; in fact, I have covered its last two elections for the network. I’m passionate about U.S.-India relations and reporting on the decisive change in India’s economic trajectory, as well as the major obstacles facing the current administration.

AM: In addition to your global policy beat, you also cover travel, including hotels, cruises and online travel operators and the industrials. What do you like about this category? SM: Both travel and industrials provide a good read on the global economy and how businesses make decisions on investments in markets outside the U.S. It all ties into the overarching story I aim to tell about the intersection of foreign policy and Wall Street. AM: Tell us about ‘European Close,’ the daily segment which you host on “Squawk Alley.”

SM: If you’re ever wondering what’s happening in Europe, then tune in to CNBC at 11:30AM EST for the latest and greatest! The segment synthesizes complex European topics–from Brexit to ECB meetings—for our global audience.

AM: What is your process for preparing ahead of interviews and stories?

SM: Lots of reading, tweeting and reaching out to valuable sources that give me unparalleled access to movers and shakers in the industry.

AM: What have been some of your favorite stories that you have reported on?

SM: I recently reported on the killing of Iran’s powerful general Qassim Suleimani by a U.S. drone strike and the impact it had on the western world’s relationship with the Middle East. This is a great example of an event that has had a direct, traceable effect on foreign relations and the global economy. Also, my role as correspondent often leads to special opportunities. Last year, I covered Lyft’s highly anticipated IPO at the Nasdaq and reported on the complicated process involved in taking the ride-hailing company public. When China first unveiled retaliatory tariffs on the U.S., the Chinese ambassador to the U.S., Cui Tiankai (he is also also Special Envoy to President Xi) gave me an exclusive interview where I pushed him on topics like intellectual property and currency manipulation. I also love reporting from the field; from getting an inside look at Amtrak’s new modernized fleet in Delaware, to speaking to sweet potato farmers in North Carolina about the impact of tariffs, interacting with Americans across the nation about the state of business is truly gratifying.

AM: What are 3 companies/brands, topics or CEOs/government officials that you are interested in covering/interviewing that you have yet to cover?

SM: The rise of emerging market nations has also been a strong interest mine. Some interviews I hope to one day have include: 1.) Government official: Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro 2.) CEO: Tesla CEO Elon Musk and 3.) Athlete: Serena Williams.

AM: For those who want to better understand the impact that foreign policy has on global markets (but are intimidated by its intricacies), how would you suggest they go about educating themselves so that they can engage in these conversations?

SM: Foreign policy can be overwhelming. Start with one region that interests you and obsess over it. Learn everything you can about the country’s government structure, economic data, key players and issues. Reach out to thought leaders and ask for help. Engage with others on social media. We live in the age of Twitter and learning how to construct thoughts in 140-characters is sometimes more valuable than being able to file a three-page thesis on a topic.

AM: Spanning all of your coverage areas–global policy, travel--what are the three stories you’re watching for 2020?

SM: The 2020 election will have a profound impact on foreign policy and the U.S.’s relationship with the rest of the world. Additionally, Airbnb has shaken up the hospitality industry and changed the way many millennials travel. The company’s IPO this year will be one to watch. Lastly, the Coronavirus outbreak has placed China at the center of a huge crisis. Efforts to contain the virus could prove to be a major test the country’ sgovernment and, in the meantime, billions of dollars are at stake as major companies like Nike and Starbucks close stores on the mainland.

AM: What does a typical day or week look like for you, whether you’re on-set or in the field?

SM: No two days look the same for me but I’m always on the go and on the phone. Thank goodness for AirPods and coffee!

AM: We know that you love tennis. How long have you played it, and what do you enjoy most about it?

SM: To win a match, tennis requires technique and strategy–it’s a unique mix of chess-like thinking and endurance. I played competitively in high school, and I still play in the city. Plus, when I go home my dad always makes sure we spend time on the tennis court. He still has the ability to place shots with surgical precision. That’s probably another reason I enjoy tennis; my whole family is obsessed with the sport.

AM: Where can we find you in the city?

SM: I’m a downtown girl. I always enjoy spending time in the Village. Favorite restaurants: Malaparte and I Sodi. Italian is (clearly) my favorite cuisine.

AM: As someone who travels frequently for work, what are 3 things that we would find in your carry on to make traveling easier?

SM: External battery, a copy of Foreign Affairs, and Chanel under eye cream. It works miracles.

AM: What do you do in your downtime?

SM: Mental and physical health are incredibly important, and I find that yoga and tennis both help me reduce stress and stay fit. Traveling continues to be one of my biggest passions; experiencing different cultures and interacting with people from different parts of the world opens my eyes to new ideas and helps me see different issues from various viewpoints. If I’m not traveling, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, and learning how to cook.

TWITTER @SeemaCNBC

We photographed this cover story with Seema Mody in the Lower Eat Side at Lamia's Fish Market. We sat down with Lamia Funti to talk about their dishes, epic brunches and what we can expect as we go from winter and begin to transition into the spring.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We know that prior to Lamia’s Fish Market you had another restaurant – can you share more about this and what led you to launch this culinary destination?

LAMIA FUNTI: Food has been such a large part of my life, and it has always been a dream of mine to open a restaurant that showcases my Spanish roots. My passion to share my native cuisine is what led me to open (June 2019) Lamia’s Fish Market.

AM: Who is the Executive Chef of Lamia’s Fish Market and what is his background?

LF: I developed the menu personally because I wanted it to be true to my roots, which is a very specific cuisine and way of cooking. We now have Chef Martell Fonville who worked at Marea, Stubborn Seed and Print. It was critical to us to have an Executive Chef on hand who knows and loves fish to maintain the high-level quality of seafood we have here.

AM: How would you describe the restaurant from the décor, areas within the restaurant as well as its culinary focus?

LF: Lamia’s is an upscale Mediterranean seafood restaurant, focused on my coastal roots. The cuisine includes regional classics like fried sardines with chipotle aioli, served alongside traditional fresh pastas like linguini and clams, or savory squid ink spaghetti topped with sea urchin and bottarga. We also have a whole fish baked in salt, served tableside with mallets!

The entire space took us two years to develop alongside designer Dara Young. We wanted the space to be upscale, yet approachable, juxtaposing experiential modernism with authentic nautical elements.

AM: I loved the bar as well as the oyster bar where you can literally pick your preferred fish – why was this essential to have at the restaurant?

LF: Quality food and fish are at the core of our menu. We go to the fish market several times per week to hand-pick what we will be serving. When a guest orders the salt-baked fish we always provide them with a first look before we start preparation. We want people to truly experience our menu, that’s why we serve the salt-baked fish tableside along with mallets for guests to break open the crust.

AM: In looking at the décor, who designed the space as well as the murals, interesting art on the lighting etc.?

LF: The space was designed by Dara Young, Founder of Aviva Collective and 4FRONT Hospitality Development. Dara also designed the beautiful moss wall near our raw bar. The restaurant has three floors, and seven different dining areas, and I wanted each one to feel unique. Art has always been a passion of mine so I knew right away that I would want to incorporate many different artists into the space. We have innovative art installations at every turn including Will Kurtz, Brian Farrell, Michela Martello, Elle Gregg, John Coca, Dave Vasquez, Michael Delfino and Dara Young herself. Artist Michela Martello created the Lamia mural on the original brick wall textured with glimmering glass cabochons. Multi-disciplined visual artist Bryan Farrell painted a multi-dimensional mural in the private dining room. Both the Mezzanine, Private Room, and Grotto overlook the “Lamia” sculpture, created by visionary artist William Kurtz.

The bar is lit by Sailor Jerry inspired tattooed lighting fixtures handed painted by artist Bryan Farrell and Elle Gregg and mounted on a Groin Vault ceiling made of steel and black fishnets.

AM: We loved the fries – what are 3 appetizers that you suggest we should have?

LF: Everyone loves our fish fries! Our Langoustines, Fluke & Blood Orange Crudo, and the Grilled Octopus are must-tries!

AM: What are 3 signature dishes that we should be eating?

LF: We always recommend first time guests try the salt-baked fish. We also have an incredible Sea Urchin & Bottarga Pasta, and Lobster. For those who may be craving meat over seafood, we also have a delicious 32oz Tomahawk Steak.

AM: In looking at beverages offered on the menu, we noticed that wine, beer and sake are the focus – what was the decision behind that?

LF: We wanted to offer guests a unique cocktail menu that doesn’t exist anywhere else. We wanted to challenge ourselves to develop a cocktail menu that pairs well with seafood, that’s innovative and unlike any other.

AM: What are 3 signature cocktails that we should enjoy while there?

LF: My two signature cocktails are Beach Front Views (sake, pineapple, orange, cinnamon, and lime) and the Mermaid Sangria, which is made with fresh berries and cinnamon. If you can handle a little kick, I also recommend our version of a Margarita, called the One Too Many Margaritas and made with sake, mango, salted jalapeno, lemon and peppercorns.

AM: Lamia’s is open for dinner, but you are also open for brunch – can you tell us 3 brunch options we should consider on our next visit?

LF: Definitely our Mac n’ Cheese Lobster Pancake! I also recommend our Paella on Sundays, and the Croque Lamia. We also have an incredible Early Catch Menu from 4-7 every weekday and 5-7 on weekends.”

AM: With the Spring coming up, are there new dishes/cocktails that will be coming on the menu that we should look out for?

LF: We will be introducing a lot of refreshing cocktails, like Spritz with fresh fruit garnishes, and introducing more fresh vegetables into the menu.

AM: We saw that you have a vibrant brunch offering, tell us about what guests can enjoy as well as what the vibe is like?

LF: We have a diverse brunch menu predominantly focused on Mediterranean flavors.

AM: What can we expect as we transition from Spring into Summer at Lamia’s Market?

LF: We’ll be transitioning away from winter specials and introducing lighter dishes, more shareable platters and definitely summer flavors!

IG @LamiasFishMarket

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS

Athleisure Mag's cover story was shot by Paul Farkas, using Canon Mark IV; and selected Canon lenses: EF 50 f/1.2 L, EF 24-70 f/2.8 L II, and EF 70-200 f/2.8 L II.

IG @PVFarkas

STYLE, MAKEUP & HAIR CREDITS

Athleisure Mag's Celeb Fashion Stylist, Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director Kimmie Smith, MUA David Stella and Hairstylist Lea DeLoy share how Seema Mody's look was created for the cover editorial.

LOOK I | FITNESS STYLE IN BLUSH

PG 16 + 20 | NIKE Pink/Blue Retro Windbreaker | BEYOND YOGA Spacedye Caught in the Midi High Waisted Legging in Sand Swept Desert Suede |

SKINCARE | TWINMEDIX | FOUNDATION | ELLIS FAAS COSMETICS | CONCEALER | ELLIS FAAS COSMETICS | BRONZER | GUERLAIN | BLUSH | MAC COSMETICS | BROWS | LIMELIFE BY ALCONE | MASCARA | MAYBELLINE | EYES | VISEART | LIPSTICK | PAT MCGRATH |

HAIR | The hair was sprayed with THEURGY Outer Body Spray and sections were wrapped around a curling iron | The hair was sprayed with THEURGY Sunday Ritual Dry Shampoo Spray to add a dry, clean texture and a bit of volume to the root area | The look was finished with THEURGY Enhancement Mist through mid-lengths and the ends of hair for shine and smoothness and to keep humidity from ruining the style |

LOOK II | FITNESS STYLE IN BLUE HUES

PG 19 + BACK COVER | UMBRO Diamond Flashback Jacket | CAROL BRODIE Lapis & White Topaz Ring |

SKINCARE | TWINMEDIX | FOUNDATION | ELLIS FAAS COSMETICS | CONCEALER | ELLIS FAAS COSMETICS | BRONZER | GUERLAIN | BLUSH | MAC COSMETICS | BROWS | LIMELIFE BY ALCONE | MASCARA | MAYBELLINE | EYES | VISEART | LIPSTICK | PAT MCGRATH |

HAIR | The hair was sprayed with THEURGY Outer Body Spray and sections were wrapped around a curling iron | The hair was sprayed with THEURGY Sunday Ritual Dry Shampoo Spray to add a dry, clean texture and a bit of volume to the root area | The look was finished with THEURGY Enhancement Mist through mid-lengths and the ends of hair for shine and smoothness and to keep humidity from ruining the style |

LOOK III | BLAZER + DENIM STYLE

PG 23, 24 + 27 | SMYTHE Equestrian Jacket | MAISON DE PAPILLON Tiffany Shirt | MAVI JEANS Alyssa | LAGOS Gold + Black Caviar Ceramic 8MM Stack Ring |

SKINCARE | TWINMEDIX | FOUNDATION | ELLIS FAAS COSMETICS | CONCEALER | ELLIS FAAS COSMETICS | BRONZER | GUERLAIN | BLUSH | MAC COSMETICS | BROWS | LIMELIFE BY ALCONE | MASCARA | MAYBELLINE | EYES | VISEART | LIPSTICK | PAT MCGRATH |

HAIR | The hair was sprayed with THEURGY Outer Body Spray and sections were wrapped around a curling iron | The hair was sprayed with THEURGY Sunday Ritual Dry Shampoo Spray to add a dry, clean texture and a bit of volume to the root area | The look was finished with THEURGY Enhancement Mist through mid-lengths and the ends of hair for shine and smoothness and to keep humidity from ruining the style |

LOOK IV | LEATHER STYLE

PG 28 | MAISON DE PAPILLON Harley Jacket + Liv Nappa Stretch Leather Pants | OLIVIA VON HALLE Bella WIllow Camisole | CAROL BRODIE Malachite + Turquoise Y Round Pendant |

SKINCARE | TWINMEDIX | FOUNDATION | ELLIS FAAS COSMETICS | CONCEALER | ELLIS FAAS COSMETICS | BRONZER | GUERLAIN | BLUSH | MAC COSMETICS | BROWS | LIMELIFE BY ALCONE | MASCARA | MAYBELLINE | EYES | VISEART | LIPSTICK | PAT MCGRATH |

HAIR | The hair was brushed through with a natural bristle ACCRA KAPPA Brush | THEURGY Enchantment Mist was added for a smoother, softer and more polished style | Finished with a light mist of THEURGY Retrograde Hairspray |

LOOK V | TWEED STYLE

FRONT COVER, PG 29 - 31 | MAISON DE PAPILLON Kimberly Coat | HANRO White Lace Camisole | MAVI JEANS Alexa | CAROL BRODIE Signature Medallion Carol Brodie Icon | DEEPA GURNANI Ady Cuff | YLIANA YEPEZ Mini Maya Mongolian Hair Bag | LAGOS 18K High Bar Long Inverted Teardrop Post Gold + Black Caviar Ceramic 8MM Stack Ring |

SKINCARE | TWINMEDIX | FOUNDATION | ELLIS FAAS COSMETICS | CONCEALER | ELLIS FAAS COSMETICS | BRONZER | GUERLAIN | BLUSH | MAC COSMETICS | BROWS | LIMELIFE BY ALCONE | MASCARA | MAYBELLINE | EYES | VISEART | LIPSTICK | PAT MCGRATH |

HAIR | The hair was brushed through with a natural bristle ACCRA KAPPA Brush | THEURGY Enchantment Mist was added for a smoother, softer and more polished style | Finished with a light mist of THEURGY Retrograde Hairspray |

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Read the Jan Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Market Brunch with Seema Mody in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #49 JAN 2020

This month’s cover and back cover is CNBC’s Global Markets Reporter, Seema Mody. Our cover shoot took place in the LES at Lamia’s Fish Market. We talked with Seema about her career, how she got into the industry and stories she has enjoyed covering. In our feature, Something You Should Know, we found out premium supplement nutrition brand, Ladder and their Results>Revolution challenge. We also share highlights from FRIENDSHIP, an EDM festival that took place earlier this year on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. In this month’s The Art of the Snack, we head to HYUN which is known for their A5 Wagyu beef and the unique ambiance that they provide for those who dine there.

As usual, we have our monthly roundups including our 9LIST (Athleisure Mag’s picks that we’re loving this month in style, beauty and fitness) featured roundups. This month’s 9LIST STORI3S (picks supplied by celebrities) gives us insight into MMA’s Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. As always, you can enjoy Athleisure List (Body Roll Studio and EVEN Hotels), The Pick Me Up, Bingely Books, Bingely Streaming, Style Files, He Rocks This When He Is Out and About, Athleisure Beauty, How to Dress, In Our Bag, #TRIBEGOALS and CBD Beauty.

Read the Jan Issue of Athleisure Mag, Issue #49

NAVIGATING HOLIDAY FINANCES

Around the offices of Athleisure Mag, we joke that Halloween is an unofficial kick off to the holiday season whether you celebrate this day or not. It literally marks when you see a number of holiday commercials and focus on the end of the year. Without a doubt, Thanksgiving is another doorway that lets you know that the holiday season is in full swing. The holidays mean increased activity, parties, gifting and so much more. We had a few minutes with Tim Harris, Executive Vice President of Agency for COUNTRY Financial where he has held this position since June 2019 (although he has been with the firm since 1992). He shared with us findings on their Security Index Survey that this financial firm created as well as how and why we should be talking about holiday spending and budgeting with ourselves, family, children etc.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Obviously talking about finances is important year around, but with the holidays coming up, can you tell us why this topic is deemed taboo between couples and families?

TIM HARRIS: It’s really interesting. The Country Financial index is coming out and it found that over 25% of the couples haven’t talked with one another or their kids on this topic. It said that they would rather go to the dentist, pay their speeding ticket or even talk to their kids about the birds and the bees then talk about this with their children or significant others! The holidays is a unique opportunity that if you haven’t had this conversation then to sit down and talk about your budget and to go over your finances.

AM: What is the best way to approach this subject in general before attacking what people even want to do for the holidays?

TH: Yeah, the first thing to do is just to look at the expenditures that you pay out and to create goals in your spending. Then sit with your partner/significant other and then your family to look at what you’re going to do and where you are going to spend especially in this season. The holiday creates a unique situation where people are spending on gifts, but there are more expenses then just that. You have decorations, parties at your home, the big Christmas dinner with your family etc. All of these add to a cost and planning this with your family during this time will set you up appropriately. The study showed that over half of Americans feel happier after the holidays if they have planned and budgeted for them. So you have alleviated your stress and any debt by doing this.

AM: Is it ever too early to create a holiday budget as we go into next year?

TH: At the end of the holiday season, if you are really committed to do this. You would do a post plan in looking at how it worked, were the goals met and depending on what you want to spend for the following year, how you can start that Christmas cash account. I don’t recommend putting it under your mattress; however, you can have a different savings account that you are putting money towards every month to alleviate the stress as the next year comes up.

AM: What does that post plan look like that you were talking about? How does one go about replenishing that account or also paying towards other items that they should have due to the holiday season?

TH: You’re going to have to sit down and understand that budget mindset. You may have to look at things you have to cut. Some people spend on coffee and entertainment and maybe this is an area that you will need to trim back on to catch up or to take those dollars and set them aside for increased expenditures at the end of the year.

AM: What were you the most surprised about in terms of the findings of the survey?

TH: The happier thing was the most surprising if you planned appropriately – you feel more joy! I get that because the holidays can be stressful on people. You have a lot of increased activities and you’re trying to meet he demands of your family and at the end of the day, if you’re stressed about money then that is not the experience that you wanted to have. Really sitting and planning takes the burden off your shoulders. Most families have either one or the other partner doing the budgeting and having that other partner/spouse sitting with you and not just going off and buying things outside of the budget is a benefit. When both people commit and have that conversation, it has them on the same page. Another finding that came out in the survey showed that 25% of families that ended in result comes from financial issues and matters. Being able to alleviate that financial stress with those conversations with proper communication can help you down the road.

AM: This conversation that we’ve been having has been focused on the holidays and all financial decisions should be had between families. What are 2 other areas that people may not have thought about that should be talked about? We have holiday expenditures are there vacation funds of other things we should talk about?

TH: Obviously there is Retirement planning. You need to set money aside for the holidays but you need to do the same for your future. College savings as well for your children. Vacations is another. Most people spend time to plan for their vacations then planning for their future!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

HOW TO WRITE AN ECOMMERCE MARKETING PLAN

People don’t understand abstractions well. The ecommerce marketing platform strategy is an abstract concept. Ecommerce marketing plan is a abstraction as well. But people understand specific examples.

1.                  Determine the initial position of marketing.

Imagine that an Internet marketing plan may be depicted on a map. Then the current state of the Internet marketing project will be the initial position (point “A”). It is important to understand the starting position in order to properly assess your strength. If you underestimate, you will dig in unimportant trifles and lose time. If you overestimate, you can set impracticable goals, overwork, and, again, lose time.

2.                  Set a measurable goal.

It is impossible to mark the point “somewhere far away” on the map. A point on the map is indicated by coordinates. Likewise, the end of the marketing plan (point “B”) is a specific state of Internet marketing over time. Coordinates help estimate the distance to a point on the map. Only the measurable point “B” gives feedback to the work done: leads the plan to the goal or to failure. No matter where to go if you don’t know where you want to go. Therefore, the goal of Internet marketing is better to be put in the number of leads or customers received via the Internet. Regarding it, the marketer will evaluate the performance. Imagine that the points “A” and “B” on the map are cities. It is likely that several roads lead from the city “A” to the city “B”. Similarly, the goal of marketing leads to several strategies. In real life, you cannot go all the roads at once. In Internet marketing, however, you can work on several strategies at once. And this should be used.

3.                  Formulate how to achieve the goal.

Poorly formulated strategy is confusing. It has too much abstraction. Before doing it, you have to think over. It is likely not to do it at all or to do it in the best way. To formulate a strategy well, answer two questions: Where do we get people from? What shall we do with them later? If your strategy does not answer these questions, it is too abstract and will interfere with your work.

Think over the execution to get rid of the abstraction.

1.                  Determine the initial state of internet marketing.

2.                 Set a goal in the number of leads or sales you want to achieve over time.

3.                 Think of strategies that will help you achieve the goal.

4.                 Formulate strategies by answering the questions “Where will I get people from?” And “What will I do with them later?”

More than a half of entrepreneurs do not think at all before launch about how they are going to attract customers. Up to 60% of respondents have never been engaged in online sales. Only a third of the respondents have a preliminary marketing plan that includes participation in exhibitions and forums, search for the right bloggers for collaboration, and order articles in printed editions. At the same time, those startups that, when launched, have a competent marketing plan worked out to the smallest detail, initially have a strong competitive advantage over everyone.

Tommy Walker concluded: if a startup gets at least 100 clients in the first month, then the project will actively grow and develop during the next three years. If there were no more than 30 clients per month, the development will be slow if not die at all. And what do we know about marketing strategies in terms of attracting and retaining potential buyers? How many startups are honest with themselves and understand what their goals are (to earn as much as possible or become a powerful player in the market)? You will not get far on hopes. Before starting, you need to clearly identify three important points:

·  Budget. How much are you going to invest? All expenses are taken into account: from advertising to employees

·  Resources. What are the benefits of your team? This can include everything from sales skills to work in the design program

·  Disadvantages or limitations. Is there enough money, time, people, ideas?

Think about everything that can stall the matter. Making a complete marketing plan is not easy. But if you are just starting out and see yourself as a major player in the market, it is helpful to get an unbiased look at the state of things. Such a plan will allow you to see in advance, where you can expect financial problems, where sales will go down and which distribution channel may not give returns. Good luck!

 Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

HUMANIZING FINANCE WITH MORGAN BRENNAN

Athleisure Mag’s May issue is covered by CNBC's Co-Anchor, Morgan Brennan of ”Squawk Alley" (M-F 11am - 12pm). In addition to her daily show, she also continues to cover a variety of sectors including manufacturing, defense and space for the network. While her shoot showcases a number of pre-summer styles at 498 West End Ave #PH on the UWS, we sat down with her to find out how she came to working as a financial broadcaster/journalist, the stories that she enjoys covering, being a Co-Anchor on her show, as well as what she does when she is off set.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about your background. What drew you to being as a financial journalist and broadcaster?

MORGAN BRENNAN: I didn’t go to college promptly after high school since I was pursuing a career in the music industry. In my early 20s, I had a change of heart and decided to go to school and set out to be...an anthropologist. It was in my last year at New York University that I realized how similar journalism is to anthropology: research, interviews and ethnographic studies, identifying your own biases and then moving past them to realize facts and bigger societal truths, and the fact that every major trend, topic or issue has people at the heart of it. Plus, it turns out that most have a money trail as well, so examining the business or financial or economic angle is fascinating. I also think - now more than ever - it’s crucial for people to have an understanding of how money works and how business drives behavior and at times, change. Finances are a key driver of our lives as human beings so I feel very passionately about the role we play at CNBC to make these sometimes jargon-laden, daunting concepts and phrases associated with financial and economic literacy accessible.

AM: Prior to coming to CNBC in 2013, tell us about where you started your career.

MB: I started my journalism career working for magazines. I interned at Newsweek International in the fall of 2008 (as I was finishing school), fact-checking articles and writing some of my own. The world was imploding, and financial news was breaking news. The following Spring I got very lucky and landed my first job two days after graduation as an assistant for the video department at Forbes Media. It was a difficult time in the world of publishing as the internet was disrupting traditional revenue streams and the industry was downsizing drastically. But that bred opportunity as well. I was able to take on extra responsibilities and work my way up the ladder, becoming a reporter and staff writer who wrote regularly for Forbes magazine and had a multimedia presence online. I also appeared on cable news programs as a guest and that experience helped catapult me full-time into the world of TV business news. Writing is actually essential to TV so in hindsight that foundation was crucial.

AM: Tell us about your different roles/positions at CNBC. How did you transition from a general assignment reporter to a reporter focused on sectors (manufacturing, defense, and space), to Co-Anchor of “Squawk Alley”?

MB: Like so many people I speak with, my path has been shaped by a trifecta of hard work, sacrifice, and luck. The transition from print to TV was tricky, since TV requires thinking in minutes and even seconds, versus days or weeks when working on a magazine feature story. Telling a story on paper is very different than telling one in 90 seconds on live television. Once I understood that, I was able to focus my efforts on more companies, more trends, more events, typically targeting sectors and industries that were little loved or perhaps little understood. It evolved from there, with instances over the years of being in the right place at the right time to cover a major breaking news event – a scenario that would then open a door to more sources and more stories. Anchoring came once I had established a strong foundation of comprehension across a number of industries. I love that I get to do both – anchoring and reporting – and I believe they bolster each other.

AM: As the Co-Anchor of “Squawk Alley,” what is your day like in terms of prepping for the day’s general news, going on air and after?

MB: The way I see it is I get paid to learn and then disseminate that knowledge to others. Every day involves hours of reading, as well as lots of writing, networking, sourcing – and TV and video watching. When I first started working full-time in this business the piece of advice offered repeatedly was to grab sleep whenever and wherever I could. Days can start very early, especially when traveling, and can go very long, especially when in the field reporting on a story. It takes an incredible amount of time, effort and resources to make just a few minutes of live television – and no one does it alone. I have an incredible team of producers and co-anchors that I am grateful to get to work with every day.

AM: How do you prepare for your sector coverage?

MB: Again, lots of reading. Also, I try to keep in constant contact with a wide network of sources operating in the sectors I cover, be it aerospace and defense or tech or anything else I may be tasked with covering. I make a lot of phone calls, read a lot of analyst notes and meet with as many folks as the schedule permits. Listening to its earnings calls is a great way to learn - and quickly - about a publicly traded company.

AM: What are some of your favorite CNBC stories or interviews that you have reported on?

MB: I have been blessed to be able to travel all over the U.S. to report on stories. So far I’ve visited 46 states. Among my favorites: being the first person to broadcast live from Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet factory floor as the program was facing scrutiny from President Trump due to costs; live play-by-play coverage of SpaceX's first-ever Falcon Heavy rocket launch, from Kennedy Space Center; and the short documentary I did with the CNBC Investigative unit that focused on illegal home-sharing activity on the Airbnb platform, a project that involved five months of research and reporting and required quite a number of field shoots.

AM: When you wake up, what are 3 sites/apps/platforms that you go to to connect with what is going on financially to jump start your day?

MB: First stop is CNBC.com to see where different markets are trading. Second stop is Twitter to see what’s trending and what the financial and media folks I follow are talking about. After that, I start clicking through articles on the homepages of news sites like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Washington Post, Reuters and Axios. I also receive hard copies of newspapers every day because I think it’s important to visually see what’s made the front page and where (and I still like to hold paper in my hands and make notes with a pen.)

AM: When you’re not at work and taking downtime for yourself, what would we find you doing?

MB: When I’m not working, I’m focused on my other job: raising my amazing (and saucy) three-year old daughter. It is very much a team effort but I try to unplug from my phones for at least an hour a night on workdays to focus all of my attention exclusively on her and the family. I’m also a big Broadway buff. And recently, I’ve been trying my hand at cooking and baking. I make a mean muffin.

AM: Living in Westchester and working in NYC, where can we find you grabbing a meal, shopping and/or working out?

MB: When my husband and I moved out of New York City a few years ago I was nervous about the change; I had been a city dweller for the better part of 16 years. I’m happy to report what millions already know: there is great food, great culture and a great sense of community in the suburbs too. In Westchester, I’m a big fan of the Cookery in Dobbs Ferry, the Inn at Pound Ridge, and for pizza, Johnny’s in Mount Vernon is a must. I currently belong to Equinox because I like the peer pressure of group classes. When shopping, I am in need of adult supervision when visiting Target, Stew Leonard’s, or HomeGoods. I’m also a big fan of diners and will travel for really good coffee, which I drink black, many times a day.

AM: As someone who is a foodie, what are 3 restaurants on your list that you have yet to try, but are looking forward to?

MB: If only it were just three! Definitely Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan; D.O.M. in Sao Paulo, Brazil – which I’m hoping will happen soon since we have a family member from that city; and Osteria Francescana in Modena, a region of Italy that’s highly underrated for its food and from where some of my husband’s family originates. One of my favorite docuseries right now is “Chef’s Table,” on Netflix, which profiles renowned chefs from across the globe, so I have quite the inspired wish list thanks to that.

AM: During our photoshoot, we listened to a 90’s Hip Hop playlist. What are 3 of your favorite songs in this genre?

MB: 90’s hip hop is the best hip hop! But as someone who came of age during that decade I may be partial. Honestly it’s too hard for me to answer because I love music, from classic rock to 80’s pop to grunge. In terms of 90’s hip hop though, I’d say anything by 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan or A Tribe Called Quest. (I may also know all of the words to “Shoop” by Salt-N-Pepa.)

AM: As someone who is always on the move and travels often for interviews, what are 3 items you take in your carry on?

MB: I never leave home without a wireless charger. I also always pack an extra set of clothes, since there have been instances in which breaking news or a last-minute assignment has meant I was on the road for longer than initially anticipated. The other item that’s especially handy is a blanket scarf because airplanes can be chilly and you can use one as a blanket or pillow in a pinch.

AM: Is there anything else you want to share?

MB: I have been very blessed to receive some great advice from accomplished individuals. But one example in particular I love is: don’t take yourself seriously; do take your job seriously. I believe that’s the secret to success - work hard and be willing, and try to have fun along the way.

Our cover shoot took place at 498 West End Ave #PH on the UWS of NYC. This 2 level home has great views of the city and is near a number of restaurants, shops and more! We chatted with Louise Philipps Forbes of Halstead to find out more information about this listing that is currently on the market.

ATHLEISURE MAG: The views and natural light at West End Ave #PH are amazing, tell us about the features of this unit.

LOUISE PHILLIPS FORBES: Set atop a quintessential Upper West Side landmark constructed in 1910 by Neville & Bagge, this 3,646 sf 5 bed, 4.5 bath newly constructed full-floor duplex is a rare combination of prewar craft and contemporary artistry. Thoughtfully designed by CetraRuddy Architecture to accommodate a 21st century lifestyle, this exceptional home has spectacular finishes and grand proportions. The premium grade details that grace the interiors impart a pervasive sense of quality, where space and light mix with elevated materials to infuse traditional forms with inventiveness.

The keyed elevator service to this topmost unit opens up into a warm and inviting foyer. Upon entering the penthouse, the new oversized windows welcome an abundance of light from all directions, keeping the home bright and airy, as you mentioned. The solid white oak floors in a custom 30-inch square rift-and-quartered parquet inspired pattern, accentuate the dining and living rooms.

Designed to deliver equal portions of elegance and functionality, every facet of the kitchen exceeds the highest standards while also delivering innovative design concepts - from the outstanding millwork in custom chocolate-stained oak with contrasting cream-colored ceruse, to a single-slab marble hearth wall that conceals the range hood. Outfitted for the most seasoned cooks, the kitchen also showcases Calacatta countertops, Miele appliances, a 48-inch Bertazzoni gas range, and a Gaggenau warming drawer and wine refrigerator.

An expansive wrap-around terrace, at its longest spanning close to 90 feet, makes for a covetable outdoor space ideal for lounging as well as hosting cocktails and dinner parties against the backdrop of an exquisite panorama f the Hudson River.

AM: What amenities are offered in this building for residents (common areas, services, etc.)?

LPF: Among the many amenities of 498 WEA is a fitness room with cardio workstations and an exercise area. For the younger set, a delightful activity center with an ingenious wood-peg wall allows kids to express themselves to their heart’s content.

AM: Tell us about the neighborhood that is directly around this building (Wholefoods, workout studios, eateries, etc.) and what neighborhood is this considered?

LPF: Flanked by two beautiful parks, the Upper West Side is one of the greenest neighborhoods in Manhattan. A favorite with families with its great elementary schools, safe streets and plethora of playgrounds, the vibe of the Upper West Side is relaxed, yet lively. There are plenty of bars and restaurants to frequent along Amsterdam Avenue, and Broadway. The wide, tree-lined streets also host many mom-and-pop stores, some of the best Jewish delis in the city, Zabar’s and Levain Bakery. Cultures abound as this coveted neighborhood is the home to the American Museum of Natural History, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan and the West Side Community Garden.

AM: For those interested in this unit, how can they get more information?

LPF: For more information on this home please head over to Halstead.com/19162124

AM: Do you also represent other units in this building as well?

LPF: Yes, as the exclusive broker for new development in this building my team represents new units as they become available. We just launched a fully renovated 2,093sf 3-Bed, 2-Bath residence on the 8th floor with the same designer details and notable features.

AM: Can you tell us about the artwork that is featured in this apartment?

LPF: The artwork throughout the two-story home has been thoughtfully curated by an interior designer to help highlight its architectural features and, of course, the view.

AM: Where can readers find out about properties that you represent?

LPF: www.Louisephillipsforbes.com

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS

Athleisure Mag's May cover story was shot by Paul Farkas, using Canon Mark IV; and selected Canon lenses: EF 50 f/1.2 L, EF 24-70 f/2.8 L II, and EF 70-200 f/2.8 L II.

MAKEUP & HAIR CREDITS

MUAH Bamike Ogunrinu utilized a number of products and tools in order to create the makeup and hairstyles that are in this cover editorial with CNBC's Co-Anchor of "Squawk Alley".

MAKEUP PREPARATION

PREP | BIODERMA Micellar Water | REBELS AND OUTLAWS Love Potion | DRUNKEN ELEPHANT B-Hydra Intensive Hydrating Serum | TWINMEDIX Pro:Refine Eye Correction | TWINMEDIX Pro:Refine Moisturizer | BITE Agave Lip Mask |

FACE | MAKEUP FOREVER Ultra HD Cream Foundation KEVYN AUCOIN Contour Book Volume 3 | ILIA Essential Face Palette Warm | MAKEUP FOREVER Pro Bronze Fusion Bronzer 20M | BROWS | BENEFIT Foolproof Brow Powder 3 | IT COSMETICS Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil |

OUT AND ABOUT LOOK | EYES // STILA Eyes are the Window Shadow Palette #mind | LIPS // CHAPSTICK Total Hydration Moisture + Tint #Rose Petal |

FITNESS LOOK | EYES // NARS Orgasm Illuminating Loose Powder | LIPS // PAT MCGRATH | MatteTrance Lipstick #Femme Bot |

RESORT GLAM | EYES // COZZETTE Infinite Eyeshadows #Aquamarine | LIPS // MAKEUP FOREVER Artistic Rouge Light Luminous Hydrating Lipstick L304 |

HAIR PREPARATION

HAIR PRODUCTS | IGK Laidback + Intern |

HAIR TOOLS | Hot tools ¾" – 1¼" + 1" Nano Ceramic® Salon Flat Iron with Extra-Long Plates + Nano Ceramic® Tapered Curling Iron – Large

FASHION CREDITS

Athleisure Mag's Celeb Fashion Stylist, Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director Kimmie Smith focused on looks that incorporate a number of pieces that will become go-to's in your closet with the onset of warm weather.

OUT AND ABOUT // PG 25 + 26 | SOCIALITE CLOTHING Playsuit in Tobacco | QUPID Ankle Booties | AMATOSTYLE Domenica Cream Leather Cord with Python Tassel Necklace + Novella Python Earrings | LAGOS 18K Caviar Gold Large Dome Statement Ring + 18K Bar 7 Gold Bracelet |

FITNESS LOOK // PG 16- 22 + BACK COVER | BEYOND YOGA Burgundy Sports Bra | WOLVEN THREADS Moonlight Mandala Leggings | HOKA ONE ONE Women's Bondi B | LAGOS 18K Caviar Gold 35MM Hoop Earrings, 18K Caviar Gold Diamond 7 Rounds Stack Ring, Caviar Gold Ring + 18K Caviar Gold 35MM Hoop Earrings |

RESORT GLAM LOOK // FRONT COVER + 29 - 33 | OLIVIA VON HALLE Delphine Muse Full Length Dress | GOOSEBERRY So Chic Sweet Sunrise | LAGOS 18K Enso 30MM Circle with Linear Drop Pendant Multi Length, 18K Enso 30MM Circle with Linear Drop Earring, Black Caviar Ceramic Diamond Pave 14MM Ring, Black Caviar Black Ceramic Diamond7 Link Statment Ring 9MM Bracelet + Black Caviar Black Ceramic 2 Diamond Link 9MM Bracelet |

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IG @PVFarkas

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IG @BamikeOgunrinu

Read the May Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Humanizing Finance with Morgan Brennan in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #41 MAY 2019

The May Issue of Athleisure Mag is covered by CNBC's Co-Anchor of "Squawk Alley," Morgan Brennan who's sectors include manufacturing, defense and space. She showcases fun looks for the summer. Laila Ali chats with us about her undefeated boxing career. We also focus on 90's Hip-Hop artists who were pictured at the beginning of their career in Contact High talking about the culture as well as capturing them in iconic moments. The month of May has a number of awareness focuses. We talk with The Laurus Project and their focus on Breast Cancer Action. In honor of Mental Health Awareness month we have two articles focusing on mental health awareness. Dr. Sanam Hafeez who talks about what mental health is as well as how we can identify issues and how we can rectify it. Dr. Heidi Hanna shares how stress has benefits as well as its fatal aspects. We have a number of roundups that include beauty, style and fitness; gifts for Father Figures and items to consider for the Summer and all of your travels.

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

STAYING AHEAD OF THE MARKET WITH MELISSA LEE

We had the pleasure to sit with CNBC anchor, Melissa Lee for this month's cover story and shoot in NYC. We were excited to discuss all things journalism, financial news and markets, and special projects. It's incredible how she fits that into her daily routine, work- out habits and style on set and off.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you first learn you wanted to be a journalist and broadcaster growing up?

MELISSA LEE: I’ve known since middle school! I started developing an interest in the school paper and I even anchored the morning newscast, which was a daily 5 minute, closed-circuit broadcast in the morning. The station was called GNPS TV News, which stood for Great Neck Public Schools Television (I’m sure there is an incriminating take of me out there somewhere.) One day my mom said to me, “You could be like Kaity Tong someday” (Kaity was a star WABC anchor at the time.) That pretty much sealed the deal! Not to say I didn’t flirt with other possible careers -- I had a strong interest in medicine and spent summers doing lab work on colorectal cancer and Lyme disease. But I always came back to journalism!

AM: Our internet game is pretty strong, and we discovered your mother was once a sportswear designer… so we guess athleisure is sort of in your genes?

ML: My mom was a designer, and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She stopped designing before I was born, but she made clothes and Halloween costumes for my older sister, younger brother and me. We also made a lot of clothes for dolls and stuffed animals! So I started learning about and appreciating, clothing and fashion at an early age.

AM: What was it like going to Harvard, what pro tips did you develop working at 'The Crimson' that you still use today? What was it like working on the online-side then as well?

ML: The Crimson was like a full-time job and it was a great training ground for the basics of journalism. In fact, many of its alumni are working journalists at The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Dow Jones and many other organizations. There were so many lessons I learned there- it really was sink or swim! But a couple of lessons stand out: 1. How to cold call to find a source or information. I think this skill gets lost in the age of Twitter and email, but picking up the phone and calling people in a particular dorm or on a particular team, getting them not to hang up the phone on you, and coaxing them to actually tell you information is a skill. 2. Networks are important. The Crimson alumni network helped me find internships. Through those internships, I was introduced to professional organizations such as the Asian American Journalists Association. Leveraging the network available to you, and then growing that network, is key.

AM: Hosting multiple shows definitely seems challenging! What is a typical day like for you?

ML: Hosting multiple shows definitely requires a strict daily routine! I wake up at around 6am, have breakfast, read emails and prep for what I think will be the big stories of the day will be. Then I hit the gym and get into the studios in Englewood Cliffs, NJ by 10:30am for hair and makeup. After that, it’s a race until the end of the day: eat lunch (yes, I have a set time for lunch, which I eat at my desk while prepping for the show), on air for Power Lunch from 1-3pm, brainstorm with the Fast Money team on what the show's lead should be, and leave for the Nasdaq Marketsite by 3:30pm to be on the air at 5pm.

AM: What some differences between hosting “Fast Money,” and co-hosting “Power Lunch.” Do you have a favorite?

ML: The two shows have two completely
different personalitites, so hosting both allows me to flex my different anchor “muscles.” Power Lunch is an ensemble cast, so I have two co-anchors and our task is to provide analysis on stocks in the news, investing, and various political stories and
how they might impact one’s portfolio.

On Fast Money, I am the solo anchor so I have more impact on what stories we tell and how we tell them. FM features a panel of four professional traders/money managers and it was created to be the post-game, after-market show, where we dissect interesting stock moves and market news with a look to the next trading day. It’s also almost entirely unscripted -- from the conversations we have to the interviews, so you have to be on your toes! You never know what anyone will say!

Making me choose a favorite show is like asking which of your children you love more. But, with that said, Fast Money will always have a special place in my heart because it was my first
permanent anchor job, and I’ve been hosting it for about 9 years, so I feel I have really helped evolve the show into what it is today.

AM: For our business and entrepreneur audience, what are some of your best practices in preparing for things that you know will be variable and change in real time?

ML: My philosophy is to build your base of knowledge. Read everything that you think is interesting, or might be of interest in the future. So for instance, of all the preparation I do ahead of any team events one show, I would say I might not use 70% of the information. But that 70% goes in the knowledge bank so when the unexpected happens, I can recall that interesting story about consumer credit trends or the analysis of drug price increases this year.

AM: How long can you go without being connected to Wi-Fi? Do you unplug at certain times of day?

ML: I try to protect certain times of day by unplugging: while I’m working out, meals or time with friends and family. I try not to respond to any work-related emails on weekends, and on vacation, I try to check emails only a couple times a day. (Notice I say “try”- it’s an ongoing battle!)

AM: What sets financial news coverage and analysis apart from reporting on other industries?

ML: I think the challenge for financial news journalists is making the numbers personal. Many people are put off by the numbers in business news - companies’ earnings report, economic data, stock prices, interest rates etc.

They may think it’s hard to understand. But all of that information tells a story. How many widgets is a company selling and is the company selling widgets at a faster pace than last year? How does an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve impact what a consumer pays on her credit card debt?

We have a tremendous responsibility because the stories we report impact people’s money- people’s 401k plans, how they save for college, what stocks they buy. And building financial freedom and wealth can have profound effects for a family. No other area in journalism has that impact.

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“Making me choose a favorite show is like asking which of your children you love more. But with that said, Fast Money will always have a special place in my heart because it was my first permanent anchor job, and Ive been hosting it for about 9 years...”

— MELISSA LEE

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AM: What do you envision your audience is?

ML: I know CEOs, bankers, traders, portfolio managers all watch us. But I like to think that we are also accessible to the average at-home investor, so I often think that I am talking to my mom!

AM: What are some of your favorite guest interviews you've done thus far?

ML: Many of my favorite interviews were part of documentary or longform reporting. I did a story about mine safety and interviewed a third-generation coal miner (thousands of feet underground, in the mine) named Shag Jr. who chose to be a coal miner despite the risks. The reason was simple: you can earn a six-figure salary with a high school degree. It was the best job available to him, and he viewed his job as a service. Who makes sure the lights go on when you flip the switch? Coalminers, he said.

I also interviewed Cyril Rhamaphosa, now the president of South Africa, during my Coca Cola documentary. His investment firm, Shanduka, owned the only black-owned bottler during Apartheid, a time when Coke chose to stay with the country and take a side. Ramaposa recounted stories of marching with Nelson Mandela in the fight for equal rights. I felt like I was taking a trip back in history.

AM: How did you get involved traveling the world shooting documentaries? Are there any memorable surprise moments that happened during production?

ML: I have pitched almost every documentary I have done, so it was as simple as having a good idea.

Traveling abroad always has its surprises. During a trip to Capetown for my Bitcoin documentary, my producer and I traveled to a township called Khayelitsha, which is a very poor area where people live in tin homes and barely have electricity. Armed security accompanied us. The kids of the township were very excited to see a camera crew and crowded around us. But, one young boy pulled a gun on my producer! (I was shooting something on camera while this happened and found out about this afterwards.) Fortunately it was a toy gun! But given the stories we had read about the crime and given what our security detail told us about the area, that practically gave her a heart attack!

AM: Tell us about your latest documentary, "Bitcoin: Boom or Bust." Are you bullish on blockchain technology and/or cryptocurrency?

ML: The documentary explores the elusive and controversial world of bitcoin, the cryptocurrency that sparked a global frenzy. We tried to answer a couple of key questions: Is it the future of finance, a bubble or worse? I think the technology behind cryptocurrencies,
blockchain, has real promise. Corporate America is starting to use blockchain to track provenance of art and property, or improve efficiencies in their supply chain. I believe there are places in the world where cryptocurrencies will have a role-- places where people go unbanked, where there is tremendous volatility in their local currencies. But I think there are still questions as to whether crypto is a good investment.

I’ve done a number of documentaries on CNBC and what was so exciting about this one is the topic- I’ve never reported on a topic that is so divisive. Bitcoin is either a total bubble or the
future of money. And the doc looks and feels very different from more traditional documentaries. Check it out on CNBC, Hulu and Yahoo.

AM: Do you have some suggestions for younger journalists in financial news, and generally?

ML: Don’t be wedded to any particular media. In other words, make sure you love reporting and telling your story, whether it’s online, in print or on TV. And for those who are interested specifically in television, remember your career is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s not how fast you can get on air- it’s how long you can stay on air.

AM: With such a busy schedule, how do you take time for yourself?

ML: It’s really important to me to protect personal time. In this day and age, you are accessible all the time. And that tends to mean you are in “work mode” to varying degrees all the time. That is not healthy. So unplugging at certain times of day and making sure you’re doing something for yourself every day (that’s anything from going to the gym, to taking a walk, to calling a friend) is important.

AM: How would you define your style on air versus when you’re out and about running errands?

ML: On air, I like to be on the edgier spectrum of business attire - an occasional leather jacket, a pants suit with a layered necklace. I also like to adjust my hair and makeup according to my wardrobe. But when I’m just running errands it’s definitely jeans, t-shirt and maybe a leather jacket. And I am a fan of athleisure when I’m just going to the grocery or shopping! I also try to give my skin and hair a rest on weekends, so very little to no makeup and a ponytail!

AM: When it comes to working out, what is your fitness method of choice?

ML: My favorite cardio is rowing, but I try to use a couple machines a week to mix it up. I also like to alternate long, steady cardio with HIIT. And weights are a must!

AM: What would we find on your playlist?

ML: Totally eclectic with an alternative bent: Muse, Imagine Dragons, Lana del Rey, Elle King, Beyoncé, Bebe Rexha.

AM: What philanthropic efforts are you engaged in to give back to others/the community?

ML: It’s important to me to stay engaged with Harvard. I’ve been an alumni interviewer for four years now, interviewing applicants in the NYC area. It’s inspiring to meet so many amazing students and even more humbling to find that even some of the most qualified
kids don’t get accepted. I think of it as my way of helping shape the future of an institution I love.

TWITTER @MelissaLeeCNBC

Our Sept Cover shoot was shot at 865 United Nations Plaza #3C courtesy of Louise Phillips Forbes of Halstead Property.

Read more from the Sep Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Staying Ahead of the Market with Melissa Lee.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #34 SEP 2018

We just released the Sept Issue of Athleisure Mag with our celeb cover, CNBC anchor, Melissa Lee. We talked with her about when she knew she wanted to be a journalist, reporting on finance news, how she approaches hosting 2 shows and how she takes time for herself. In this issue, we also chatted with Boy II Men’s Nathan Morris about his new show, Hit Properties with Nathan Morris on the DIY Network, out next month! We also recap NYFW SS19 and we talked with Dr Rebecca Robbins on how to prepare for your nightly rest as well as Daylight Savings Time.

Read the Sep 2018 Issue here.

THE FUTURE OF CRYPTO PAYMENTS WITH BEN WAY

We see big promise in blockchain and crypto technology and solutions and are excited to sit down with crypto payments pioneer Ben Way, CEO of Digits.io.

Ben is an acclaimed serial entrepreneur in technology, with decades-long experience, and has been innovating in crypto since back in 2011. His company Digits.io is creating a way for people to use any debit or credit card as a crypto card! He also is quite into extreme activities and sports and has some wellness and detox tips for us as well.

Digits.io is ushering the future of crypto payments by making paying with crypto easy and secure. When the consumer pays with a credit or debit card registered with Digits, payment may be made with cryptocurrency instead of fiat currency. Merchants can enable cryptocurrency via Digits without any additional merchant account or agreement. They do not need to change any process in order to accept cryptocurrencies and the settlement times, processes, and fees, are exactly the same as they experience today. Digits’ Hedge Lending Network™ is a real-time marketplace optimized by artificial intelligence to choose the best outcome for both consumer and lender in real time. Find out more and signup at http://Digits.io

ATHLEISURE MAG: Ben, thanks for taking some time with us. Why is Digits.io well-suited to jumpstart crypto payments? How and why will it be adopted at this early time in the industry?

BEN WAY: For merchants, they don’t have additional agreements they have to sign; worry about the price of crypto, when they are going to get it - they get it when users swipe that crypto card, the merchants get exactly what they are expecting, exactly when they are expecting it. And from the users’ point of view, it is incredibly simple. They just have to swipe their card like they would be accustomed to, and their payment goes through. The registration process to connect you into crypto is really very easy. You just type in your 15/16 digit credit card number already on the credit card in your pocket and we then connect your Coinbase account and when you do a transaction, that money is taken out our your crypto account.

AM: Sounds incredible, tell us more about the vision behind it.

BW: There’s two very fundamental parts to Digits. One is becoming the next generation payment processor for crypto, and the other thing that is very unique to us because our team is coming from Visa, PayPal and Apple Pay, we really see ourselves as from a standpoint that there is already a very established payment ecosystem - and we believe we are the bridge between the new and the old world, which is where we want to be. And part of being the first part of that world, is that we had to come up with solutions to the two major problems in crypto payments, which is volatility and network transmission time, and that’s what we did with something we developed called the Hedge Lending Network™ (HLN). This is a new instrument we designed which is why will be able to pay the merchants what they are expecting when they are expecting it.

AM: Hedge Lending Network™ does sound cool. What’s the story with that?

BW: It’s actually quite complicated, but from the users’ perspective it is really quite simple. Basically, every single transaction is turned to a smart contract backed loan, and even though it is a loan, from the users’ point of view, the costs of the loan are included in the transaction fee, and because it is a loan, it means we can do two things that are pretty cool for the consumer - the first is we can finance a short termed backed event; and the second, the user can pay back that transaction within a year at the price it cost them of purchase, so you can get any upgain in the value of crypto. So to give an example of that, if you are going to buy something, and crypto has then doubled, you can actually at the end of the loan term pay the initial price off, and get the upside worth of crypto back.

AM: Are you taking registrations now? Is there a Beta launch?

BW: We are signing people up for the waiting list. We imagine we will be in Beta in about 90 days. We have already done our first end-to-end test run and we’re seeing it is working nicely. We want people to sign up and be the first to test the technology. Digits will be making some big announcements in a couple weeks, please check-in at http://Digits.io and our Telegram Group.

AM: Who’s on the Digits.io Team?

BW: Well, the team is where we are very, very lucky. We have an exceptional team in the payments and the crypto space. Our team is coming through Apply Pay, Visa, PayPal, and Ripple. And the first CFO of PayPal is our Chairman. And we have a just incredible team. I am a serial entrepreneur, my background is extensive in technology and crypto, started crypto in 2011. You’ve got Nick Fallon, our CTO, who has extensive experience designing enterprise-scale software systems; and Leo Patching, COO, great operational guy, very knowledgeable in finance. Laura Wagner is our CCO, who was responsible for being the first person to have credit cards swipe in McDonalds, among other accolades. We have a great team and board.

AM: Where do you see blockchain, crypto and technology coming in the upcoming decade?

BW: I am a futurologist at heart. I track a number of technologies. Crypto, AI, Robotics.. all are game changing technologies, which will be making an intense impact in the next fifteen to twenty years. Especially, a lot of the issues of transferring value, the different applications and decentralized nature of interconnected disciplines, including payment tech, will become incredibly powerful and lifechanging.

AM: We heard you are quite adventurous and into extreme sports and wellness. What are you passionate doing and what has helped you for health and wellbeing?
 

BW: I am quite an extreme human being. So every year, for last 7 years, I’ve done a full 90-day detox, where I basically become vegan, I cut my calorie intake down to about a third, and I exercise 5 times a week. And it is really a biological cleanse and it is incredible. I can tell you it is so powerful that any gray hairs I have at the end of the year disappear by March and you’ll see a huge weight-loss, say 20 pounds in say 60 or 70 days. I have a very active lifestyle, and this is a personal technique that I have come up with for age reversal through diet and exercise. I have a personal trainer 5x a week and I combine cardio and weights. Weights has been recommended as more of a focus. I am very passionate about extreme sports – I am a rock climber, a handglider, I firebreathe and firedance, ski, snowboard, dive.. if it can be done, I’ll try it once. Hah. I am a big believer in the combination of cayenne pepper, ginger and garlic. Those three ingredients combined are very powerful. A little aside, garlic is so powerful that if you leave it on the skin for over twelve hours it will give you second degree burns.

Disclosure: One of our members is an advisor to Digits.io and Etheralabs.io. Under no circumstances should any content or material in this publication, and related sites, about blockchain or cryptoassets, or any other topic, be construed as an offering of securities or investment advice. Readers should look at all risks and always consult with a professional investment advisor before considering or making any investment decisions or actions.

Read more from the April Issue and see The Future of Crypto Payments with Ben Way in mag.

TECH REALITY CHECK WITH JON FORTT

This month's cover is graced by another one of our faves, CNBC's Jon Fortt who we see everyday as Co-host of Squawk Alley where, he shares his insight on what's going on with startups as well as tech companies. In addition to rocking an array of menswear that is transitional winter/spring style, he shares with us how he got into the industry from journalism to broadcasting, his approach to his work and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us your background and how you got into broadcasting and ultimately to CNBC?

JON FORTT: I’m kind of an accidental broadcast guy. It was never a big goal of mine to get on TV. I actually started out working for newspapers as a print reporter. There was a national newspaper chain called Knight Ridder and they had this amazing scholarship for aspiring journalists and media businesspeople from ethnic minority groups. Every year, they’d pick four high school students to win a financial award, and more important, summer internships during college. Unfortunately, Knight Ridder doesn’t exist anymore, and there aren’t enough programs like the one they had.

Anyway, I worked for a Knight Ridder paper called the Lexington Herald-Leader after college, then got a job in Silicon Valley at the San Jose Mercury News just before the dot-com bust. I eventually made the move to magazines, editing at Time Inc.’s Business 2.0 and writing for Fortune. That’s where CNBC found me. They’d have me on every now and then to talk about Apple, which had become my specialty. Back in 2010, they decided they wanted to take a chance on a new correspondent, and fortunately, I was it.

AM: We know that you enjoy talking about tech companies, startups, products and services. What is it about technology that makes you so passionate and do you have a specific topic within it that you really enjoy focusing on?

JF: That’s a cool question, because I don’t think anyone’s asked me in that way before. It’s a little bit of an accident of timing that I’m into technology, I think. I got out of high school in 1994, the same year the web browser was born, and I think that has a lot to do with it. I got to the college newspaper and we were suddenly facing this question of what we were going to do about the web. Some of us started learning HTML, and built the first website for the paper. (I don’t think I had much to do with the final product, but it was fun to learn.) Not long after that, the paper got its first digital camera, which was seriously high-tech back then. It could only shoot black-and-white photos, and the resolution was really bad, but it was about 10 times faster to get a photo shot and processed compared to the darkroom. It became clear pretty quickly that technology was going to be the edge I would need in my career to get things done faster and at higher quality. That’s what I like covering most, I guess – the way seemingly small ideas can completely change the way we get things done.

AM: When we're watching CNBC, you talk about a range of companies and startups - and you have a fresh and fair approach to present it to those of varying levels of understanding - how important is it to make these topics relatable to a wide, as well as a niche audience?

JF: Maybe it’s the writer in me, and maybe it’s the time I spent doing tech reviews. I try to remember that there’s no excuse for making the audience feel dumb. Our audience is smart, but a big portion of our viewers aren’t into all of the jargon – they’re people managing stock portfolios preparing for retirement, or retirees trying to understand the forces that are affecting the stocks they own. The temptation is always to match the wonkiness of the guests we have on – economists and investment managers – to sort of prove that I can go toe-to-toe in the conversation. But I think it’s always important to remember why I’m there: as a representative of the viewer.

THIS PG | HANRO Luis Zip Jacket, Cotton Sporty Vneck Tee + Living Lounge Pant |

AM: We love the Fortt Knox Podcast. How did it come about and what is its mission? What are some of the challenges that live interviews bring?

JF: Thanks! The Fortt Knox Podcast was born because I felt like I was leaving too much good stuff on the cutting room floor. I mean, sometimes a Fortune 500 CEO is willing to spend an hour with me, and I’ve got five minutes of live air time. Depending on what’s happening in the news, maybe I’ve got to ask about the company’s stock price, or something political – if that’s what’s moving markets that day, it’s what you’ve gotta do on CNBC. That’s a third of the live interview time, gone. Why not record a longer interview, and offer it up to people who want to go deeper?

The mission? There’s a line I say to introduce each episode, and I think it sums things up: “We’re going to learn how the very best climbed to the top, and pull out lessons along the way.” The stuff I do live on CNBC is mostly for investors and fans of the public markets who want to understand where to put their long-term dollars. Fortt Knox is for people who want insight into building their careers, who want to understand how high-achieving people get things done.

At the same time, because I’m a little crazy, I decided it would be cool to do a live streaming show, Fortt Knox Live.  That’s also weekly, and a CNBC producer, Evan Falk, works closely with me on it. The mission behind that is to answer the question, "What are the best ways to manage your time and money in a culture where tech is taking over?"

AM: Walk us through what it is like to prepare as a Co-Anchor for Squawk Alley and for your podcast Fortt Knox? Wow, what does your day look like when you're preparing for Squawk Alley and then when you're getting ready for your show?

JF: It’s sometimes a bit nuts. I get up in the morning at 6 or 6:30, and I immediately check my phone (iPhone X at the moment) for headlines and indications of how stocks are likely to begin trading that day. I look for emails from the producers about changes to the guests and timing of the show. I copy that over into a folder I keep in the cloud in Microsoft OneNote. (See, I’m not a total Apple guy.) Eventually, I walk to the train, about a mile and a half, and catch New Jersey Transit to Hoboken and then a PATH train to World Trade Center. I’m really conscious of all the spots where I will and won’t have Internet access, because I’m compiling my research for Squawk Alley the whole way. I walk from World Trade to the New York Stock Exchange in Lower Manhattan, where we broadcast the show live from the floor.

After Squawk Alley ends at noon, I might head up to the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square to record a Fortt Knox Podcast interview, or on Wednesday to stream Fortt Knox Live. From the Nasdaq I’ll make my way to CNBC headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. I finish the in-office day there. I might be editing the audio for the podcast, which I produce and edit myself, or I might be planning the next Fortt Knox Live with Evan. Or I might be pouring over stats and trying to figure out how to boost the distribution and quality of both the podcast and live show. Sometimes that bleeds over into time at home, too. But I try to get home by 6, in time for dinner with my wife and two boys, who are 7 and 9. I like to give them a hug goodbye in the morning, have dinner with them and get them ready for bed if at all possible. That means bringing Fortt Knox work home sometimes, but ideally the kids don’t see too much of it. I try not to pull out my phone much in the evening. One of the upsides of technology is that it helps us to be more flexible in where and when we work. Of course, that can backfire if we use it to overwork ourselves, but it can also give us more time with family if we can work it right.

AM: What's your hectic time of year in terms of covering tech and startups?

JF: I used to say it was the springtime, but now, with Fortt Knox, there is no slower season. If things are getting slow, it means I need to step up my game in booking guests.

AM: What are your impressions on the state of the crypto asset ecosystem? Do you have any recommendations for people interested in the space?

JF: I’m not one to give in-depth investment advice – that’s my colleague Jim Cramer’s gig – but I’ll say this: if you’re doing it right, investing is a game of skill, not a game of chance. You shouldn’t put your money into anything unless you believe you have a decent idea of what makes its value go up and down. I see a lot of people putting money into cryptocurrencies who have no idea what’s making prices move. Some people say, “If you just put 1% of your net worth into cryptocurrencies, it’s OK.” But let’s be real, if 1% of your net worth is $2,000, and you buy some Bitcoin and it doubles, you’re either going to sell it and say, “that was fun,” or you’re going to be tempted to start chasing it and put $10,000 in. Hey, unless your 401(k) is fully funded with the match, you have 6 months’ worth of expenses saved in cash, you're carrying zero student loans and you're not carrying a balance on any credit cards, don't even think about putting more than a couple hundred bucks into cryptocurrencies. It'll distract you from more important uses of your money and time. That’s the advice I’d give family, anyway.

AM: We love that you call it like you see it. How does your approach to journalism best bring out the story? How have you adapted with new media and distribution platforms along the way?

JF: After a certain period of time, with certain subjects, I think the audience gives a journalist permission to offer what I’d call “informed analysis.” How’s that different from opinion? Well, everyone’s entitled to their opinion, right? Informed analysis is different. You get to deliver analysis when people understand that you have a bit of background in the subject, and you can give historical context for why something is likely to happen, or why a product or strategy is important or risky or not. I try to be careful about that, but I think the “call it like you see it” approach is important in today’s journalism, when some executives or companies might be trying to put up a smokescreen or overhype technologies. The key is that the analysis be informed.

AM: Who are some of your favorite interviews so far on-air? Who are some people you’d love to have a session with?

JF: Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, is fun because he has this unique approach to leadership. He doesn’t take the drill sergeant approach, or the admit-no-faults approach that’s popular in some circles of leadership today. He’s thoughtful. Jeff Bezos was great too, but it’s been too long. I’d love to have him back. It’s also been a few years since I last talked to Mark Zuckerberg on air. Now would be a great time for him to sit down with me again. Subtle, no?
 

AM: What would you tell those that are interested in getting into broadcasting and podcasts? Anything to add with tech-specific shows particularly?

JF: The great and horrible thing about getting into media right now is, you no longer have to ask for permission. If you’re really passionate about telling people’s stories and about sharing knowledge, you can just do it. If you have a broadband connection, a PC and a phone, you have everything you need to start showing the world what you can do. So whenever young people tell me they’re interested in getting into media, I’m like, “Show me what you’ve done.” Don’t tell me, show me. And I’m not looking for top quality necessarily, but I’m looking for drive and evidence that this person is getting better. Often, young people can’t show we much they’ve done. And that tells me you’re not truly passionate about media, you maybe just like watching videos. There’s a difference.

With tech-specific shows – it’s just like anything else you’re interested in. Be a voracious student of the area you care about, hone your craft as far as how you write, and speak, and present information, and you’ll be surprised how far you’ll go.

AM: When you're not on air, what can we find you doing?

JF: I’ve become something of an amateur photographer lately. I shoot with a Sony A7ii, a full-frame camera I got from an eBay auction a year and a half ago. (The secret with those auctions is to use a sniper program like Gixen.) I just recently put together the newsletter for my youngest son’s elementary school PTA. It was 12 pages, full color, far too elaborate.

AM: How do you maintain balance between your schedule from being on air, hosting events and your family?

JF: I try to limit the business dinners and do lunches instead. Then there’s the whole being home for dinner thing. I read the kids a Bible story, read to them from a book (right now we’re in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, powering through C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia series). I tend to be the parent who primarily handles bigger projects like book reports, speeches and science projects. My philosophy is, if I make specific commitments at home the way I do at work, I have to move other things to make them happen.

AM: What's your personal style on air and how does that differ when you're running errands or out on the town?

JF: I’m one of those guys who knows what I like, but I wouldn’t say I qualify as someone who’s deep into fashion. If I’m just going to be around the house, it’s sweats or the same athletic gear I wear to work out. If I’m going out, I’m one for dressy jeans, a button-down and layers. Lately I’m into more details, collars and cuffs, and quality stitching. It’s the nice thing about being an adult who’s not growing anymore and being able to maintain a pretty constant weight. Quality stuff lasts. Some of my favorite pieces are more than 10 years old. I’ve got a couple of leather jackets that I picked up in Italy on our honeymoon 11 years ago.

AM: What fitness studios do you go to?

JF: I know this is sacrilege, but I don’t do fitness studios. CNBC has a free gym at headquarters, and when I’m doing what I should, I get in there two or three times a week for some time on the bike and a few weights. My staple now that I’m over 40 is body weight exercises – pushups, pullups, planks, squats, lunges – that sort of thing. At home I’ve got resistance bands, which are great for promoting flexibility and muscle elasticity. I get the fitness studio thing - the camaraderie, the motivation - but it's not my thing. The last gym I went to was a Gold's in Silicon Valley. I went at 5 a.m. with the old people and bodybuilders, and it was a cool $15 a month. Very business-like. Come to think of it, if I were single I’d feel differently, but at this point I’m not trying to meet new people at the gym, you know?

AM: What are three must-haves that you take with you to work daily?

JF: I’m not going to count my phone, because that’s a gimmie. I’ve got to have my Anker portable battery, because there’s no way any phone can get me through a full day on a single charge. I always carry my Tascam DR-40 with two XLR mics for podcast recording. And I’ve got a pair of JLab Audio Epic2 Bluetooth earbuds.

AM: What's currently on your playlist?

JF: I’m all over the place. I’m still bumping A Tribe Called Quest’s last album, and I have a mild obsession with Dua Lipa’s New Rules – particularly that spot in the chorus where the rhythm shifts from 3-2 to a standard back beat. X Ambassadors are the most underrated alternative band out there… “Love Songs Drug Songs,” and “Unconsolable” get heavy rotation from me. And of course real hip-hop from The Roots, Mos Def, Nas… I don’t touch the new mumble rap stuff.

AM: What charities/organizations do you support?

JF: We’re longtime supporters of World Vision and Children International, and over the past five years, we’ve stepped up our giving to International Justice Mission. IJM is a pretty phenomenal organization that goes into communities around the world and works to free slaves. Their work includes victims of human trafficking, the fishing industry, brick-making operations... you name it. They work with local law enforcement to not only liberate people, but also bring criminals to justice through the courts.

AM: If you weren't working in your current field, what you be doing?  

JF: I thought about taking a year off after college and trying to make it as a singer/songwriter. I’m glad I didn’t have to resort to that. In high school, I took architecture classes and thought I might do that for a while. Whatever I’d be doing, it would probably have to involve bringing creative concepts to life using technology.

Jon's shoot took place in the Hudson Yards and Hell's Kitchen neighborhoods, which are two hot areas in the city on the west side in midtown. Throughout the shoot, we showcased luxury living at Sky, which is developed by The Moinian Group. We wanted to know more about why this property has had so much buzz due to its location, amenities and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What is the concept behind Sky Residences?

THE MOINIAN GROUP: The largest residential tower in the country, Sky debuted in January, 2016. With an abundance of resort-like amenities and services, Sky was designed to provide the ultimate luxury experience for its residents. The 71-story building, which offers studio to two-bedroom homes, sits at the nexus of two thriving neighborhoods – Hell’s Kitchen and Hudson Yards – allowing residents to immerse themselves in best-in-class services while experiencing one of Manhattan’s most vibrant, growing communities.   

AM: Who developed this property?

TMG: Leading NYC developers, The Moinian Group are the development team behind Sky. The Moinian Group is one of the top national real estate entities to develop, own and operate properties across every category including office, hotel, retail, condos and rental apartments. The team's portfolio of 20 million square feet spans across many major cities including New York, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. Bold New York handles the leasing for the building.
 
AM: Who created the interior design?

TMG: The stunning interiors at Sky were designed by celebrated architecture and design firm, Rockwell Group. Founded by award-winning visionary David Rockwell, Rockwell Group was also responsible for spearheading all of the building’s design features.  

AM: What amenities are offered?

TMG: Sky leads by example in luxury residential living, featuring a myriad of world-class amenities including including an outdoor deck with two zero-edge pools; a private park; full-service spa with nail salon; professional-sized basketball court designed by Carmelo Anthony; water club with Turkish hammam; indoor/outdoor yoga spaces; billiards lounge and café; two libraries with fireplaces; a Spot Canine Club; and a 10,000 square foot fitness floor. The building also features world-renowned artwork by Yayoi Kusama, including a larger than life, carved bronze pumpkin in the building’s infinity loop motor court, as well as the two Kusama “Infinity Net” paintings in the building’s David Rockwell - designed lobby. Sky also features Gunther Forg’s Lead Paintings.

AM: What bespoke services are offered?

TMG: Sky offers a 24-hour doorman, valet services, on-site lifestyle concierge service by Luxury Attaché, Spot Canine Club, exclusive events, in-house room service from LifeCafe and a full-service spa with an adjoining nail salon and massage studio.

AM: Tell us about LifeTime Athletic at Sky.

TMG: LifeTime Athletic at Sky - NYC's premier health and fitness club - features an unparalleled array of amenities and services. Residents can enjoy four fitness studios with offerings such as Pilates, Yoga and Cycle in addition to a full range of group fitness classes. The 70,000 square foot space also offers LifeSpa, LifeCafe, expansive indoor lap pool, spacious locker rooms with lavish amenities and towel services. LifeTime provides an ease of access to all residents, allowing them to take an elevator straight into the fitness club and enter through the residence entrance.

AM: Tell us about the neighborhood.

TMG: Sky is positioned right in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen, the home to many of NYC’s famed theaters and award-winning restaurants. Residents are also in close proximity to the iconic Highline and West Chelsea’s renowned art galleries. The booming Hudson Yards District, set just a few blocks from Sky, will soon feature brand new office towers along with more than 100 new luxury shops and restaurants.  

AM: What is next to Sky?

TMG: The retail space next to the Sky residences is curated by the Moinian Group. This past year The Moinian Group created Sky Art, a nonprofit art center founded by Frahm & Frahm and The Moinian Group that featured exhibited work from Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone. The artist's latest collection, I <3 John Giorno, was designed as a tribute to American poet and activist, John Giorno. The location, now named Sky Space, has been transformed into a premier event venue fit with high ceilings and glass curtain walls.  

AM: How can people contact you?

TMG: For more information visit liveatsky.com, email us at hello@liveatsky.com, or call our leasing office at 212.588.0042.

PROPERTY PHOTOS COURTESY | THE MOINIAN GROUP

Read more from the Feb Issue and see Tech Reality Check with Jon Fortt in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | FEB ISSUE

This month's celeb cover is CNBC's Co-Host of Squawk Alley and Fortt Knox podcast, Jon Fortt. This cover shoot includes a fun Q&A with Jon talking about how he came to become apart of the CNBC family, his must haves and what he does when he's not on air. It also includes an interview with our venue host for this shoot at the notable, Sky Residences. Our Feb issue has a focus on a number of sports related content including an interview with Pro Footballer and Super Bowl Champion Emmitt Smith as well as a separate interview with Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Champ, Bryan Braman. We have a number of entertainer interviews including Kayla Brianna (daughter of NBA great, Kenny Smith) and Fabiana Pascali who is a cast member of FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace. We also have a food editorial that we were media sponsors for the second year in a row for Cochon555 as well as an interview of one of the chef participants Chef Fabian of La Esquina. We interviewed Matteo Perrin a bespoke Italian designer who has dressed a number of celebrities. Another fashion interview includes Tan France, who is a member of Netflix's Queer Eye, Fab5 as the stylist. This month's issue includes an interview with Ellen Latham, founder of Orangetheory Fitness. We also talk with a celebrity piercer, Brian Keith Thompkins who is the owner of Body Electric. 

We have a number of features that are in each month's issues including The Art of the Snack, Bingely Books, Bingely Streaming, Something You Should Know, Athleisure List, Athleisure Beauty and more. 

Read more from the Feb Issue

MARKET MAKER | SARA EISEN

Our cover girl is one busy lady as Sara Eisen is the Co-Anchor of not one, but two of CNBC's shows - Worldwide Exchange and Squawk on the Street! Sara joined the network in December 2013, as a correspondent focusing on the global consumer. You can see her each day as the Co-Anchor of "Squawk on the Street" at 10AM EST, which airs from Post 9 at the New York Stock Exchange. In January of last year, she was named Co-Anchor of the network's "Worldwide Exchange," which also airs daily from 5-6AM EST from CNBC's Global Headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 

Around Athleisure Mag, we have CNBC on throughout the day at the office and loved learning more about this financial powerhouse who brings us what's going on across verticals in such an inspired way. 

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us your background and how you got into broadcasting and ultimately to CNBC?

SARA EISEN: After college at NYU, I went to journalism school at Northwestern's Medill School. While most students do a semester in DC, I went a different direction and spent the time in Hong Kong. I got an internship at Bloomberg TV in Asia and have been doing business news ever since. Initially, I worked as a production assistant, but kept raising my hand for on-air opportunities in my spare time on TV and radio. I went on to anchor the morning show in New York, Bloomberg Surveillance, before moving over to CNBC. But truth be told, I've wanted to be on TV ever since I grew up watching Oprah and taped a mock talk show at a local public access channel studio for a school project in high school. 

AM: We know that you enjoy talking about finance, what is it about this industry that makes you so passionate about it and do you have a specific topic within it that you really enjoy focusing on?

SE: My favorite topic within finance is the currency market, because it's the largest, most important market in the world. It reflects economics, politics, deal transactions, geopolitics and more. It was actually my excitement around learning about currencies during a college internship at Forextv.com that led me to pursue financial journalism. My other area of focus is global consumer companies, with a particular interest in sports apparel and shoes: Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Lululemon. I love how they touch pop culture, fashion, sports and consumer economics simultaneously. 

AM: We love that when we're watching CNBC, you really are talking about a number of industries from fashion, tech, agriculture, etc. - and you have a fresh and fun way to present it to those of varying levels of understanding - how important is it to make these topics relatable to a wide, as well as a niche audience?

SE: It's very important! Ultimately, financial markets are just a reflection of all the real life things happening around us: whether it's shifting consumption from diet soda to healthier beverages, what trends work in online retail or just the styles of leggings that resonate with consumers each season. Those stories don't just matter to CNBC, but they're the everyday trends we all live each day. Investing and finance can be much more accessible if you focus on the areas you're interested in and understand. 

AM: What would you tell young women to encourage them to get into the world of finance and specifically finance broadcasting?

SE: My number one tip: become an expert, whether that's in the world of finance or journalism... or any other discipline for that matter. Having a niche is very valuable. For instance, during the financial crisis, when I was an intern at Bloomberg, I raised my hand to tell stories about the foreign exchange market at a time when currencies were fluctuating wildly.  I knew that subject well and eventually, my editors and others in the newsroom turned to me when currencies were the big market story of the moment, and they still do! Be the smartest person in the room about something, no matter how small the niche. 

I'd also say: don't let traditionally male-led industries dissuade you. Sometimes, there's an instinct to compete with the women around you, but being supportive, finding female mentors and passing it forward can all be empowering and rewarding. 

AM: Walk us through what it is like to prepare as a Co-Anchor for Squawk on the Street and Worldwide Exchange.

SE: I have a ton of support on both shows. We have a team of producers who work with me and my co-anchors to book guests and put together a plan for the next day's shows. By the time I'm off air one day, I have to start focusing on what we're doing tomorrow: planning the questions I want to ask guests, reading about the latest stories in finance, and politics we might want to include, and always talking to my producers about what we can be doing to fine tune the show before it starts. The hardest thing about prep: as much as you can be ready for everything planned, you also have to be ready to pivot on a dime to breaking news and the unexpected.
 

AM: As you do two shows every day, what is your day like?

SE: Well, my alarm goes off every day at 3:30am. I'm in the car on the way to CNBC HQ soon after, before getting my hair and makeup done ahead of the 5am start to my first show, “Worldwide Exchange.” In the car and the makeup chair, I'm reading the morning's news and emailing with my producers on the show lineup, the guests we have, the stories we're covering. I get off set at 6am and then travel from CNBC in New Jersey to the New York Stock Exchange ahead of my 10am show, “Squawk on the Street.” The hardest thing is maintaining a good eating schedule. I make sure to have cereal and coffee before the 5am show and then whole wheat toast with almond butter and bananas when I get down to the NYSE. At noon, I'm off air for the day. I fill my afternoons with networking meetings. It can be hard on my schedule to make evening plans during the week. Typically, my husband and I stay home to make dinner together and watch a little TV: no financial news, more like “The Bachelor.”

AM: What's your hectic time of year in terms of covering the world of finance?

SE: The financial news calendar can be similar to the school year: quiet during the winter holidays, quiet over the summer, busy all the other times. But particularly these days, with Britain leaving the EU and the excitement around the Trump presidency, there's never a slow day. I never take more than a week off for that reason. When my husband and I got married, he had to beg me to take off more time for our honeymoon.

AM: How do you maintain balance between such a hectic schedule, being a wife and taking personal time for yourself?

SE: Multi-tasking. 24 hours just aren't enough. I'll be making dinner plans during the commercial breaks of my shows. I'll be trying to book interviews in between exercises at the gym. It helps that my husband also works in the same industry. We don't get to talk about what we're each working on, but we're understanding of the pace and scheduling challenges of each other's jobs. 

AM: What has been your favorite story to cover to date?

SE: When Japan suffered the devastation of the 2011 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, I traveled there to cover the aftermath of the disaster. Very quickly, the focus turned to the developing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant. I would spend the days reporting and the nights doing live segments for daytime programs in the U.S. It was scary, exhausting, but also an amazing opportunity to be part of an unfolding, uncertain story that the world was watching.

AM: Who have been some of your favorite guests that you chatted with on air?

SE: Steph Curry, for sure. I've spent a lot of time with him, talking about the brand he's helping to build at UnderArmour. He's incredibly thoughtful and down-to-earth for someone living an insane level of success and fame. I also love interviewing Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director of the IMF. She's smart, poised and an incredible example for women everywhere. 

AM: When you're not on air, what can we find you doing?

SE: New York City will always be my favorite activity. I love to explore the city's restaurants, bars, shops and walk the streets as much as I can. 

AM: What's your personal style on air and how does that differ when you're out and about with girlfriends or date night with your husband?

SE: Early on, I found it was easier for me to stick with dresses rather than piecing together shirts, tops and pants. I like bright colors, interesting necklines, usually knee length... and always pair them with (very) high heels. There's a great wardrobe team at CNBC that helps me pull it together.

Outside of work, I'm much more laid-back. Leggings and t-shirts on the weekends, with my favorite Yeezy sneakers. My husband is a bit of a sneakerhead, so he makes sure I'm always current on the latest trends. For going out on weekends to dinner with friends, I still try to keep it pretty casual: usually Rag & Bone jeans and Rebecca Taylor tops are my go-tos. 

AM: What fitness studios do you enjoy going to?

SE: I belong to Equinox and try to get in to see my trainer as many times each week as I can. It can be hard to squeeze into my schedule. But the good news about waking up at 3:30am each day is that Equinox is relatively quiet at 2pm!
 

AM: What are three must-have beauty products that you swear by that keep your skin looking so great?

SE: Because I use so many products for my job on-air, I've recently been transitioning to more natural and chemical-free cosmetics. My favorite facial moisturizer is Belif Moisturizing Bomb. After scrubbing off a day's worth of camera makeup, this product leaves my skin feeling refreshed and moisturized, but not greasy. Speaking of scrubbing off a day's worth of camera makeup, Tarte Fresh Eyes makeup remover wipes are invaluable. Anyone who knows me knows my favorite beauty product is bronzer. Jane Iredale bronzing powder gives me a natural look. 

AM: What's currently on your playlist for your summer soundtrack?

SE: I'm constantly listening to the new Kendrick Lamar album... especially some of the slower songs like “Love and Loyalty.” Then again, my summer playlist features many of my favorites from recent years like Robyn, Charli XCX and Kesha. 
 

AM: Do you have charities or organizations that you support that you would like for us to know more about?

SE: Yes, I support the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an incredible organization that teaches the lessons of the Holocaust and confronts both anti-semitism and hate of all kinds. I have a personal connection as my grandparents were survivors of the Holocaust.

I also am involved with Room to Read, a remarkable charity that promotes girls' education and children's literacy in underserved communities in the developing world.

AM: If you weren't working in your current field, what occupation would you consider working in?

SE: If I wasn't covering finance and economics, I'd want to be working in finance and economics  They're what I love. My ultimate dream would be to serve as a central banker. They're the most powerful people in the world!
 

Our shoot of Sara Eisen took place at 1185 Park Ave at Penthouse A. Currently on the market, we sat down with Louise Phillips Forbes to find out more about this property!

ATHLEISURE MAG: There are so many great aspects to this apartment from its layout to the INCREDIBLE views from the penthouse – what can you tell us about this property?

LOUISE PHILLIPS FORBES: What’s not to envy in this exceptional home?! Breathtaking panoramic skyline views as far south as the Empire State Building and the Freedom Tower, and stunning sunsets over Central Park, provide the backdrop to this expansive penthouse with 4-bedrooms, 1-staff room, and 4.5-bathrooms, plus a beautifully landscaped, private wrap-around terrace and large picture windows providing terrace views from every room. With more than 1,700 square feet of outdoor space alone, it's simply paradise. Sun-drenched, bright and cheerful, this one-of-a-kind home has an extensive floor plan with grand, open rooms for entertaining complemented by ceiling heights over 11-feet. 
 
The bedroom wing offers a private escape with very spacious rooms. I’m especially enamored with the master bedroom suite!  It’s really rare to find one as big as this one. The peaceful retreat in the corner of the home provides double exposures and is lined with elegant Venetian plastered walls. It contains two substantial walk-in closets and a private entrance to the terrace. The luxurious spa-like en-suite bathroom features gorgeous natural stone tiles, a custom vanity, free-standing deep soaking tub with Jacuzzi jets, and a glass rain shower. It’s what I call heaven on earth and the perfect escape!

AM: What amenities are offered in this building for residents (common areas, services, etc.)?

LPF: Located in a prestigious residential area, 1185 Park Avenue was designed in 1929 by the renowned architectural firm of Schwartz & Gross, boasting an impressive Gothic triple-arch entrance with a circular driveway. Today, this New York treasure is recognized as one of the few grand courtyard buildings left in Manhattan. The friendly and professional full-time staff provide an unparalleled level of white-glove service and the amenities, include 24-hour doormen and staff, concierge, state-of-the-art fitness center, children's playroom, courtyard garden, bike room, private storage, and a pet-friendly attitude. 

AM: Tell us about the neighborhood that is directly around this building (Whole Foods, workout studios, eateries, etc.) and what neighborhood is this considered?

LFP: A premier residence nestled in the heart of Carnegie Hill, this elegant gem is conveniently located near Central Park and Museum Mile with easy access to world-class exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, and the Jewish Museum, among others. Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue beckon with high-end boutique shopping and fine art galleries, plus there is an abundance of distinguished restaurants, charming cafes, gourmet grocers, supermarkets, Equinox Fitness Club, the 92nd Street Y, and many popular retail destinations.

AM: For those that are interested in purchasing this unit, how can they find out more information? 

LFP: It would be very easy to call this stunning apartment home given the grandeur of the rooms, an abundance of private outdoor space, and views throughout. To schedule an appointment, people can contact me directly and I will be happy to give them a private tour and discuss the purchasing details. I can be reached via email at lphillips@halstead.com or at 212-381-3329.
 
AM: Where can readers find out about additional properties that you represent?
 
LFP: Visit my website at and click on the tab for “My Listings”. You can view pictures, 3D floor plans, and videos along with detailed descriptions of each property I’m working with from downtown to uptown.
 

Read more from the July Issue and see Market Maker | Sara Eisen in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | JUL ISSUE

We're excited to share our July issue of Athleisure Mag with our celebrity cover, Sara Eisen who is the Co-Anchor of CNBC's Worldwide Exchange and Squawk on the Street! This issue includes interviews with Audrina Partridge of The Hills as she debuts her new swim line, Prey at Miami Swim, we talk with JJ Dancer and the luxeFIT team for their upcoming Labor Day retreat in St Martin and we chat with Cubavera's (a Perry Ellis International brand) Director of Hispanic Sportswear and Marketing. 

As always, we have a number of features including 2 spas for this month's ATHLEISURE LIST, we share products that use Capuaçu, ATHLEISURE BEAUTY, an array of roundups in fashion and style and great tips on nail care and innovations in feminine products.

Read more from the July Issue here!