Read the DEC ISSUE #108 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST STORI3S | Maria Camila Giraldo in mag.
PHOTO CREDITS | Disney/Matt Sayles
PHOTO CREDIT | ABC/The Bachelor Key Art
PHOTO CREDIT FOR THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS | Disney/Matt Sayles
On Jan 27th, we will be glued to our screens to enjoy S29 of ABC’s The Bachelor which is being helmed by Grant Ellis who was on Jenn Tran’s S21 of The Bachelorette! We watched him navigate his relationship with her until he was eliminated in week 6 right before Hometowns!
A few weeks back, a first look of the women competing in his season was provided via ABC’s The Bachelor Facebook account!
They just released the contestants official images and we wanted to make sure you see these women.
As we do each season, we have shared these images (we’ll update their ABC gallery images) and we’ll begin to make the best guess on who will be going to Hometowns! We can’t wait to see how Grant and Jesse Palmer will vibe as he continues through the season and what surprises will be along the way.
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!
Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.
We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
When you think of a brand, you think about its ethos; products it makes; how it engages with those who purchase it as well as their followers. As you delve deeper, there are campaigns, collaborations, how it presents its assortments and how it is seen in terms of how it changes our lives and the way that we move.
This movement and exchange takes place with thoughtleaders and we're thrilled that this month our cover is with the former CMO of Netflix, Endeavor, CBO of Uber, and Marketing Exec at Apple Music, PepsiCo, and Beats Music - Bozoma Saint John. Without a doubt, she is a badass in the boardroom and she is bringing her brand of creativity on S14 of BRAVO's The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a full-time castmember which premiered on Nov 19th. We can't wait to see her navigate her season. We wanted to talk with her about her fingerprint on some of the most innovative brands on the planet, how she approaches her work, the launch of her hairline Eve by Boz, and being on RHOBH!
ATHLEISURE MAG: All right, so I mean, I followed your career for a number of years and have been blown away by just the Innovative companies. Just things I couldn't have imagined as a kid growing up to see you doing that. What led you to that journey to work with these Innovative companies?
BOZOMA SAINT JOHN: Well, I don't really believe in the 5 or 10-year plans. I don't even really believe in like a 2-year plan. I think you have to follow you know, the feeling of the moment. We're always in a state of evolution and so it's more important to understand like where you are and what you're trying to achieve than it is, where you're actually going. Because in hindsight, it will look like you had a plan.
I don’t know if I can answer that there was a plan in working for the innovative companies. I believe I’m an innovative person and therefore the companies found me and my job style.
AM: Do you have key moments that you're really proud of that you did at these companies?
BSJ: Yeah, of course. I don't know that there's a company I've ever worked for where I didn't feel proud of something I did there. You know, I think that as long as you know your focus on doing your best work, that there can't be a bad job.
AM: Right.
BSJ: You know, there can't be a bad work experience and so I could rattle off a whole bunch. I mean, it's like when I was working for Spike Lee (School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X), working on Carmen the commercial for PepsiCo featuring Beyoncé (Dreamgirls, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Lemonade), who had her first solo gig was great.
When I was at Mountain Dew, working on the, AND1 Streetball initiative, it was amazing. That was the first time any of the big companies paid attention to these Black men who were playing on concrete. It was also the first time we ever created a brand lead film called First Descent using Mountain Dew and obviously, I also did the Super Bowl Pepsi Halftime Show featuring Beyoncé, followed by Bruno Mars, followed by Katy Perry, followed by Lady Gaga and those were big.
Then at Apple, I mean that was creating Apple Music.
AM: Yeah.
BSJ: You know, as the biggest thing probably because it just changed the way that we listen to music in the way that people consume it.
At Uber, it was working with LeBron James, on his production company because he was trying to break out of, you know, just playing basketball and trying to branch out and nobody wanted to give him a job because they didn't believe that athletes could do that kind of thing. And then we made this amazing piece of content which it was said he should just shut up and dribble. Which led to his own transformation in terms of his vocal presence and what he felt like he should be able to say and that he's more than an athlete. That's where it was coming from.
At Endeavor, it was working on Miss Universe and crowning Zozibini Tunzi as the first Black South African with the crown and that same year, all five beauty queens, who are black.
AM: Yup.
BSJ: So you had Miss Universe, Miss America (Nia Franklin), Miss USA (Cheslie Kryst), Miss Teen USA (Kaliegh Garris), and Miss World (Toni-Ann Singh of Jamaica). Who were all black. (Editor’s Note: In 2019, Black women won all 5 major beauty pageants for the first time in history).
AM: That was incredible and I had the pleasure of styling Nia Frankin for an editorial shoot during her reign and it was such an amazing experience.
BSJ: Oh nice.
Of course, my good friend Cheslie Kryst unfortunately, lost her life to suicide.
AM: She was lovely. I had the pleasure of interviewing her and was so sad to hear of her passing.
BSJ: Then at Netflix, it was you know, making the world understand that content can travel. You know, it's been the long-held belief that you can't use content from Spain in France or French content in Nigeria or Nigerian content in the US. I proved all of those people wrong especially because we used the pandemic as the way to do it. So a show like Squid Game would never have been possible. without that moment in time.
AM: 100%
BSJ: You couldn't have predicted that show. I mean, the creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk had been trying to sell it for 12 years!
AM: I didn’t know that until after the series came out which was incredible.
BSJ: You couldn't have sold it without the pandemic, without me being a global citizen. A true global citizen understands that language is actually not the barrier, it's the access and so if you break down the walls of access then people will be able to enjoy other cultures.
AM: I mean, I have to say Love is Blind, I've watched every edition of it starting with the US, Habibi, Japan, etc and going through the various countries.
BSJ: Yeah!
AM: Prior to watching Squid Game, I didn’t watch shows in subtitles. But after I got hooked on Squid Game, I realized that there was so much content that I was missing that I wanted to enjoy and I haven’t stopped since. I realized that if I watched that, why can't I enjoy the Swedish thrillers on Netflix, true crime etc?
BSJ: Yeah! A weird, violent, and comedic drama!
AM: We're actually going to a VIP Editor Event at Squid Game: The Experience as guests of Johnnie Walker tonight after spending time with you and I can’t wait to kind of get into the game ahead of the second season launching next month!
BSJ: Yeah, you could never predict that, that would work.
AM: I just love hearing all the different things that you've talking about. You’re also an author and you released your book The Urgent Life: My Story of Love, Loss, and Survival, which is a powerful memoir. Why did you want to share something like this as it is so vulnerable, and so amazing.
BSJ: Because leaders are just supposed to be fierce. They're supposed to be behind the corner office, behind a very heavy desk without showing any vulnerability without showing their humanity. Oftentimes, I think people think that if you go through something difficult that somehow, then you can't rise to the top.
AM: Right.
BSJ: That your traumas have to stop you. And that's not true. And so, if more leaders were able to share their humanity and have more empathy about who they work with and how they work, how they show up and we probably would have a better culture all the way around, not just even corporate culture, but in politics and in social reform and in charities, If we would just show more of our humanity, perhaps we just have a better world anyway.
AM: When I read your book, it was the first person that I knew that looked like me that could be both. Like, you're clearly very fierce, but the fact that you can still embrace these other elements was intriguing to me as I continue to learn to be more vulnerable as I figure out how to apply it for me. I commend you for that.
BSJ: Well I'm only fierce because of my vulnerability - just because of the things I've been through. You know, you don't become fierce because you sat in one place and everything was peachy keen, you know. So, I actually don't understand that dichotomy. I don't understand it when people think that like, your vulnerability is weakness.
AM: Right.
BSJ: You know, I think you say that, you know, there's so many catchphrases that people use that they don't actually understand.
AM: Right, it’s like a whole retraining. I find myself at 45 examining and thinking about how I look at things and seeing that you can be this and this and that one doesn’t deplete the other.
BSJ: Exactly! People like these catchphrases, but don't actually apply them! Like vulnerability is strength so yippie, yippie yippie, but you don't actually show your vulnerability - so how are you strong?
AM: Yeah.
BSJ: The way that people think about these phrases that have become a way of being - almost like a badge.
AM: Yeah.
BSJ: But don't actually apply life to it. They say, you know, be unapologetic, but yet you are apologizing – you’re afraid to show up as exactly as you are because you are apologizing. You may not want to say that. Because it's embarrassing. It makes you feel like you're not. But don't say that you are if you aren't behaving in that way.
AM: You are a woman who never stops. You have a hairline and as we were in prep for this cover interview and I was watching your IG even more than I already do, that’s when I saw what your new company is Eve by Boz. Tell me about this and why did you want to create it?
BSJ: Yeah, well I think as much from my business acumen you know being a Black woman in Corporate America obviously means that most of the time I'm one of one or one of few and our hair is always a topic of conversation, even if we don't want it to be. So having had the experiences in corporate where, you know, people have often said stuff about my hair you know whether it's like oh I know you know Boz is going to be crazy today if her hair is white. You know, where she's gonna be more reasonable because her hair is straight.
And it's not even just like from white people. A lot of people do that and so it's like well-meaning well-intentioned, who say things like, oh you're going into a board meeting, you should probably pull your hair back so that it's, it's not too much.
AM: Exactly.
BSJ: And then you have, you know, the legality of it all with like The Crown Act and having to find ways to just simply exist without the threat of being fired or the threat of being kicked out of school or whatever places you have to be where you just simply are trying to exist as your natural self. I remember when I got on the Apple keynote stage and yes, I was the first Black person but also, besides look, I'm a Black woman and I'm going to show up that way. Steve Jobs built that stage. Everybody knows that he showed up in the black turtleneck and his jeans and everybody has followed suit since. Maybe it's not a black turtleneck but it sure is a blue button down and maybe some cargos that were switched out from the jeans.
AM: Which is still the same look in essence.
BSJ: It was the same white tech boy look. For me, it was how do I do that, but in my own way? Truth be told, for me it was like, look, I want to wear something that makes me feel my most comfortable and most powerful, which meant that I was wearing a pink Mimi Plange dress, and my pink Louboutins with the little puff on the back. My hair was in a curly afro and very shortly thereafter, there were Tweets and comments both positive and negative about my hair and that's just one instance where I made a deliberate choice to wear my hair a particular way.
AM: Yeah.
BSJ: When I got my job at Uber and I was a Chief Brand Officer, I did decide to show up with my braids down to the back of my kneecaps, because it was like look where else are you gonna see anybody in the Chief seat like that.
At the time that I became the Chief Marketing Officer at Netflix, I was the only Black C-suite executive with budget in any of the most profit companies on the planet. The only one man or woman. It was important to me, then also to show up with my hair however, the hell I wanted to show it.
Now the challenge has been that I happen to like hair and wearing numerous ways. Whether I have somebody fabulous like Nikki styling my hair or I'm at home. I have made wigs. I have cut my hair, I have - well, Nikki, has had to take care of some of my cuts – that’s fine and we won’t talk about that - ha! But the point is that, regardless of what I'm doing, I've always had to manipulate the hair so that it matches my texture, so that it matches my complexion, so that it feels more like me. Why do I have to do that when 80% of the consumer base is Black or women of color? The product that is being made is being centered around white women. That doesn't make any sense as they are under 20% of the of the market. Now I can see makeup companies - I understand. You are focused on white women even though they happen to be 50% of the marketplace or whatever, because you know that's quote unquote majority. But is it a majority because wasn't it just because it wasn't available?
AM: Exactly.
BSJ: So you change that dynamic and you make it available, then shouldn't the numbers increase? So that goes for makeup, other beauty products, skincare etc. But when we talk about hair, the numbers already exist. It's not as if we're saying, oh do this, and they will build this and they will come. They are already there, you're just not even serving them.
AM: Right.
BSJ: So it was Innovation like lace color. I mean right now I just have 3. Can you imagine if I had 40?
AM: Wow!
BSJ: And I'll get there. Right now, we have 3. You know, can the textures not be named these ridiculous names that don’t have anything to do with us?
AM: That part!
BSJ: No disrespect to the Burmese, but why am I wearing Burmese curly?
And who named it Yaki Straight?
AM: Liteally was just going to say where did Yaki come from?
BSJ: Was it an actual yak? What are we saying? What are we talking about?
AM: When you were there with the names, I was literally like, what about Yaki?
BSJ: I know right? Where did that come from?
Why does everything have to be Kinky?
AM: Exactly!
BSJ: So my point in the building of the company was yes, both from a product standpoint and being Innovative in that way because of lace, textures, etc. But also because I want the narrative to change. So what we call the hair and where it's produced. So it's very important to me that every tag had created in Ghana. So meaning that the hair is still sourced from Asia, because that's the number one market and it's very difficult to change the supply chain from there, but manufacturing doesn't have to be done there.
AM: Right.
BSJ: So manufacturing in Ghana, using ingredients that are found on the continent, whether that's Moringa, Baobab Tree Oil, Rose hip, Shea Butter, Palm Tree Oil – these are all amazing ingredients that are found all over the continent. We've been using it for a Millennia and so some of the big, you know, companies are already using that in terms of, soaps, lotions and things like that. You'll see a lot of Shea Butter, and Moringa is starting to make its way into the marketplace. But it's still not used in hair and it's not treated. So most of the time, what people do when they purchase these units, is that whether it's wigs, closures, bundles - they're getting it out of a plastic bag first of all. It stinks to high heaven because it hasn't been washed and hasn't been processed in a way that's healthy for us. So, I changed all of that, including the packaging that you receive the hair in, it's fabric. It's actually a bonnet.
AM: Oh, wow!
BSJ: It’s a bonnet that is used as the bag to put the hair in.
AM: That's smart.
BSJ: The fabric I made myself at GTP which is Ghana's first textile company was founded by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who was Ghana's first president. And they're established and their mission was to also showcase the patterns of Ghana to the world. So why not follow in those footsteps? On top of that, it's like the hair products that go to treat the hair – by the way, we don't have any that are specifically formulated for extension hair and so I did that.
AM: Oh wow!
BSJ: I partnered with a Black woman chemist, Jerry Watson, who is amazing. She's worked at all the big companies before. She has a few patents herself and I wanted to formulate new products that I could then own the formulas and also use for these specific products that I'm making. So that meant shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner. A hair perfume which is my favorite of the line. In three scents, Genesis, Rose of Eden, and Earth Bomb - those use Baobab Tree Oil, Rosehip and Moringa Oil respectively. I made a Goddess Paste which is an edge control.
I have this product called Native Skin, which is innovative because it hides the lace. So it's like a paste that you put on the lace to camouflage it again in three colors so that you can match it to your shades. And It just felt to me like once I was going, there was no stopping. The truth of it is that I think I made this for myself because I made it for anybody. You know which is just like I've been in the spotlight, and doing my hair and all kind of ways for a long time. Sometimes I want to pick out some hair and go!
AM: And how many SKUS would you say you started with?
BSJ: I have 166 SKUS.
AM: Wow.
BSJ: Yeah, so big.
AM: My background is in wholesale so listening to you talking about the assortment and how a number of them fall into 3 shades, I felt that it was 100+ maybe even as high as 210 – 250.
BSJ: Yeah exactly!
AM: Do you envision going to HSN or QVC down the road? I created a collab line with a footwear brand it being able to be on that platform to talk about the brand as well as the designs I created was a great way for consumers to become engaged and to drive sales.
BSJ: Oh right, right, right! You know, I don't know if I want to do HSN. Maybe. My primary concern is that I'm in control of the entire chain. So I don't know that I want to go in that direction. Right now, I have direct to consumer (DTC) via the website, the only retail location actually is in Ghana at my headquarters, where if you're in Ghana, you can come to the store and purchase.
AM: Okay.
BSJ: I plan to own my own retail, so I don't plan to, you know, sell through any big box. If I have a big box, it'll be my own. So right now, it's like I want to be able to build the consumer base to understand the product first and then create the demand to have retail myself.
AM: It’s really interesting to hear about Eve by Boz and the innovation that is built into it and how it is structured! I can’t wait to see how it continues to move forward!
How did you decide to come to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills?
BSJ: That came after the fact in my sabbatical while writing my book, I was trying to consider where else to go. You know, what else I wanted to do, what company I want to work with. There wasn't anything that was really drawing my attention. I had a few meetings that were great companies but just nothing that I felt passionate about, and then I made the decision to start my own and build my own.
Which was scary and all of the things. Because it's just like, oh my gosh. I could just comfortably, go and sit in somebody's seat, get paid a lot of money and just keep doing that, you know? But starting my own thing felt like such a departure from anything that I thought I ever wanted to do. And so, when I got the call about the Housewives, it almost felt like just keep going.
AM: Yeah!
BSJ: You know, in the same direction where it's like, look, I'm not ignorant to the fact that it's a huge platform that people are excited about that other women have created businesses off of, but you know, not for nothing. I don't believe that there are any, who have started the way that I'm starting, right with the kind of purpose that I have.
AM: Well, that was the thing that caught me by a surprise. I've been watching Housewives since the very beginning starting with the Orange County and I have watched every franchise and there is generally a very specific type of woman and I'm like but you're coming out completely different. All anyone has to do if they have not followed you previously is to Google you!
BSJ: Right! I already exist! I appreciate that because also you know, how do I say this? In my entire career, it has been about quote unquote representation.
My entire career. I can't remember a time when I was working where it was just like, oh I'm just Boz to be Boz. I don't remember a time. It's always been like, oh, you're representing this entire group of people and then it got worse and worse and worse as I became more and more and more successful, it was like what if I had failed on that Apple stage - we all know.
AM: Of course.
BSJ: There wouldn't be another one. You know it!
AM: Facts.
BSJ: I don't even have to explain it to you and not only that, it's like every space has had to be shattered. We've had to represent it every single space. So on this show, I look at it and I'm just like but then why not represent here? You know it's like what about the corporate baddies who look like me, who act like me, who don't care about wearing a gray suit, who want long claws, and weaves down to their asses. What about them?
AM: 100%
BSJ: Why not have the self-made girl down there? You know it's like I've been a widow for 11 years, 11 years. That’s a long time. My daughter was 4 when my husband died. I at the time I wasn't like it just the whole future looked so far.
AM: Yeah
BSJ: Everything just looked like it was just too far to get to and now she's 15 and a half. We're talking about colleges and it's remarkable to me that I've been able to come as far as I've come and so again, this is not a knock to anybody who's done a different way.
AM: Right.
BSJ: I'm just saying there's some of us out here who've made it ourselves. Who like when you see the success and what we came through, everything have our claw marks on it.
AM: That part, I’m feeling that in my soul right now!
BSJ: Because we climbed ourselves. Nobody gave this to me. So there's not a single day that goes where I'm just like, oh my gosh, I'm so like, oh, what if this happens? No, I've seen the worst already. I've been to the bottom already and I climbed out and so there's nothing that scares me about anything. And so that's why it's like I'm like what about those women? Like where are they in this lineup of people that we see or are they not important enough to be represented? They're more of us and they're all done.
So my hope is that being on this show is yes both about getting a platform for my business, but also doing what I've always done which is simply represent for those who are not represented.
AM: I love hearing this.
Are there any other upcoming projects that we should keep an eye out for?
BSJ: I know, right? You never know. Tomorrow I could be like – Anita!
AM: I have followed you for so many years. I've awalys been impressed by you with everything that you've done. The fingerprint that you have left across industries, verticals, and projects is amazing and has left significant and dynamic impressions! So I know that there is always more out there!
BSJ: But that's what I find is so beautiful about life. Again, just going back to why I live my life the way that I live it. You know it's I think again it's so cliche when people say like carpe diem.
AM: Right.
BSJ: Because they don't even know what they're talking about. I know I look pretty, but I'm a Latin student, you know, High School and in College, I took Latin the entire time. Carpe diem doesn't mean Seize the Day. It actually means A Plucking of the Day. It's more delicate and intentional, so carpe diem, quam minimum postero credula means pluck today - trusting as little as possible into the next one.
AM: Ooo.
BSJ: That's the whole thing. So the idea that you will trust tomorrow.
AM: Right.
BSJ: That you trust what's not yet seen.
AM: Right.
BSJ: Versus making today, the most important thing, the most powerful thing. It's crazy to me. And so that's why I'm living this life this way. You know, I'm taking everything that I can, I'm making everything as I go. It's like tomorrow I might wake up and have a new idea and I'll go do that.
AM: Exactly!
BSJ: You know? But I'm not worried about what's to come, because I'm so excited about the life that I'm living today. So there is no need for me to worry about what comes or when I go from this planet because I'm gonna live the best one that I can. It's not it's not flippant to me. So again, people say these words and they say them without knowing. They're like, “oh live like today's your last,” are you really though? Are you truly? Are you waiting until six months from now to be the thing that you want to do? Are you waiting a year to ask for that raise? Are you still in a relationship that you shouldn't be in? Because why? You're gonna wait five years until your kid gets a little older? I don't think so. So for me, it's like if you're really gonna live this life to its fullest then you have to start actually living a true story!
AM: Wow.
I think back to Paul and I sketching out this magazine in the Summer of 2015 and then we dropped the first issue in Jan 2016. In addition to thinking about concepts and flow, I made a list of 10 people that I wanted as a cover and you were in that list of 10 and here I am talking with you as our cover for our 107th issue!
BSJ: Girl really? I didn’t know that! Oh wow that’s amazing!
AM: I just appreciate you being out there and being all the positions that you did where who else would have done something like that and for you to be the first to leave that door open in other areas for other people it’s a legacy that you can proud of.
BSJ: Oh thank you. That means a lot and I really appreciate that.
AM: When you’re navigating from point A to point B, you do look up and out to see what other trailblazing is going on. So seeing all the things and where you continue to go, I'm just so happy to see somebody that's like this. Then when you were announced on the show, it became next level and I was just like, ok, she's gonna shake some shit up.
BSJ: Exactly. No, that's just it. I mean no I really really really appreciate you saying that though because I do think it's it's really so important for us to be seen. And the thing is like, you know, in addition to us seeing each other, I want other people to see us you know? It goes back to like even the company where I'm just like man, I do not see us.
AM: A lot of times we don’t.
BSJ: How are we centered? Because if you actually saw us, you would talk to us.
It's like, look, we need more opportunities to be seen in more beautiful ways and more intentional ways. You know, it's like it can't just be one note or one-dimensional.
AM: Exactly.
BSJ: And so that's why I also find it really important that, you know, both from just like I don't take the image to be superficial at all. It's like people often do that, like, what's the big deal about clothes and I'm like, no, it's very important.
AM: It’s huge.
BSJ: When you’re out, when people can spotlight you and say that one. So that's why it's like even in doing this I'm like okay you know we just got to make sure that it looks the way it's supposed to.
AM: Yeah, I'm a very first show every show.
BSJ: This, we are on the same wavelength! I can't! I don't I understand it when people show up halfway it just makes no sense!
AM: It's just not how I was raised. I come from people who did multiple things within their careers and I know that it is possible to be able to navigate that, but it has to be done right!
IG @badassboz
We enjoyed being able to sit down with Boz to talk with her about her career, outlook, RHOBH, and more while we were in the midst of shooting her cover editorial for our NOV ISSUE #107! Our shoot included looks that can be worn in Fitness, Out + About, WFH/Lounge, and Night Out.
THE INTENTIONAL ONE COVER EDITORIAL | TEAM CREDITS
PHOTOGRAPHER Paul Farkas | FASHION STYLIST + CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kimmie Smith | MUA Ashley | HAIR STYLIST Nicky Newland |
IG @pvfarkas
THE INTENTIONAL ONE COVER EDITORIAL | STYLE CREDITS
FITNESS LOOK | PG 16 - 26 | SKIMS Bandeau | GORWEAR Progress Thermo Bib Tights | DEEPA GURNANI Lalika Earrings |
OUT + ABOUT LOOK | PG 29 + 30 | PANTORA Florence Jacket + Florence Pants | WOXER Rib Tank Top | SIMONE I. SMITH X MISA HYLTON The Misa Doorknockers |
WFH/LOUNGE LOOK | PG 33 - 42 | PANTORA BRIDAL Taylor Robe | ATHLEISUREVERSE LUXE Lace + Tulle Deep V-Neck Adjustable Tap Pant Bodysuit | PONO BY JOAN GOODMAN Azalea Clip Earring + Mini Barile Maria Necklace |
NIGHT OUT LOOK | PG 44 - 54 | HWIT Red Gown | DEEPA GURNANI Teresa Earrings | MIRIAM HASKELL Necklace |
THE INTENTIONAL ONE COVER EDITORIAL | PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS
| SONY Alpha ILCE 7RM5, FE 50mm F1.4 GM, FE 70-200 mm F2.8 GM OSS II, FE 24-70 mm F2.8 GM II + HVL-F45RM Wireless Radio Flash | SIRUI Dragon Series Bendable RGB Panel Lights Set of 2 of B25R*2 Kit + DJ280 |
Our cover editorial took place at 77 Greenwich PH. This luxurious space was the perfect setting to showcase the looks and the vibes for this story. We sat down with the team at 77 Greenwich to find out more about the property and specifically the penthouse unit.
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did this residential condominium open, how many units are still available, and can you tell us about the neighborhood that it is located in?
77 GREENWICH: 77 Greenwich officially opened in 2020, and it has quickly become one of the most sought after addresses in Lower Manhattan. Out of its 90 luxurious homes, there are a variety of unit types still available for purchase, most notably the Cloud Club Residences on our uppermost floors, which we just released. Located in the heart of Lower Manhattan, the building is on the west side of the Financial District overlooking the Hudson River and Battery Park. Our pocket of Lower Manhattan is a burgeoning but off-the-radar neighborhood that has rapidly transformed into one of the city's most convenient and vibrant places to live. Aside from the 80+ acres of waterfront parks at our doorstep and Manhattan’s newest Whole Foods Market a block away, we’re adjacent to nearly every subway line, and we can walk to a dynamic mix of cultural hubs such as the new Perelman Performing Arts Center. Lower Manhattan has also developed an award-winning dining scene, from Michelin-starred restaurants to the newly made over Tin Building at The Seaport. Residents of 77 Greenwich overlook all of this and soak in expansive views of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty. This "New Downtown" offers the perfect combination of contemporary living with historic charm, and is one of the most desirable places to live in the city.
AM: Who are the architects/developers that are involved in 77 Greenwich and what can you tell us about them and how they came to this project?
77G: 77 Greenwich was designed by FXCollaborative, a renowned New York-based architecture firm celebrated for its sustainable and innovative designs, with interiors by Deborah Berke and Stephen Brockman of TenBerke. The vision for the tower was to create a structure that blends seamlessly with the historic neighborhood while offering a refined, luxurious lifestyle. The building’s pleated glass curtain wall is a testament to FXCollaborative’s ingenuity, maximizing natural light and framing breathtaking views of the New York Harbor and Freedom Tower. FXCollaborative is known for its commitment to green building practices, and this project was designed to meet LEED certification standards, reflecting their dedication to sustainability.
The development of 77 Greenwich was spearheaded by Trinity Place Holdings, a respected name in real estate known for revitalizing and creating exceptional properties. Trinity Place Holdings aimed to make this project a cornerstone of Lower Manhattan’s transformation into a vibrant residential and cultural hub. Their vision encompassed more than just luxury living, and thus incorporated a new public elementary school to foster community growth and strengthen neighborhood connections.
AM: 77 Greenwich has 42 floors and 90 residences. What are the community amenities that are offered in this building that residents can enjoy?
77G: The amenities at 77 Greenwich have been thoughtfully designed to enhance every aspect of residents’ lives, from wellness and leisure to entertaining and convenience. The highlight is Cloud Club 77, located on the penthouse level and rooftop, which offers breathtaking views and exclusive spaces, including an art-filled lounge with a fireplace, a private dining room with a catering kitchen and a double-height fitness center. Families enjoy the fully-supplied children’s playroom, while fitness enthusiasts utilize the training studio and the multipurpose game room with direct access to an outdoor terrace. Outdoor areas, crafted by Future Green Studio, include a rooftop garden with a grassy lawn, a meditation deck, grill stations, dining spaces and a play area for children. All of 77 Greenwich’s residents have access to these top-floor amenity spaces. Additional outdoor features include a Japanese rock garden, pergolas, a dog run and a zen garden on the 12th floor, providing another tranquil retreat above the urban setting. Practical amenities include a 24-hour attended lobby, dedicated storage spaces, bike storage and a package room.
AM: This property is clearly luxurious, what can you tell us about the environmental sustainable elements that are here?
77G: 77 Greenwich is designed to meet LEED standards, emphasizing environmental responsibility and sustainability. The building incorporates energy-efficient systems, including high-performance windows and advanced HVAC systems that reduce energy consumption and are private to each residence. The use of sustainable materials throughout the building is central to its design, and the inclusion of green rooftops and gardens provides both aesthetic appeal and environmental benefits. These features, combined with its energy-efficient infrastructure, make 77 Greenwich a model for luxury living that is also ecologically responsible. The building integrates green design seamlessly, ensuring that its residents can enjoy an elevated standard of living without compromising on sustainability.
AM: Tell us about the outdoor space which was designed by Future Green Studio.
77G: The many outdoor spaces at 77 Greenwich, designed by Future Green Studio, are a standout feature. This Brooklyn-based landscape architecture firm is known for its innovative designs that integrate nature with urban living. At 77 Greenwich, they have created multiple outdoor spaces that offer both relaxation and recreation. The open-air rooftop garden spans 3,600 square feet and includes a grassy lawn, a play area for children, a meditation deck and grill stations. The design promotes a sense of tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle of the city. Additionally, the Cloud Club level features a Japanese rock garden and lounge areas, offering residents a peaceful space. Below, a 2,350-square-foot terrace on the 12th floor includes pergolas and a dog park, catering to the needs of families and pet owners. The outdoor areas are thoughtfully designed to make the most of 77 Greenwich’s sweeping views while offering residents an intimate and serene escape within their building.
AM: We’re thrilled that our cover editorial took place in the penthouse of Greenwich 77! What can you tell us about the floorplan of this unit that was designed by TenBerke.
77G: The Penthouse at 77 Greenwich is a stunning example of contemporary elegance, designed by TenBerke, with recent customization options led by Stephen Brockman. Spanning 3,531 square feet, this four-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bathroom, plus home office residence is truly one of a kind. The design prioritizes open space and natural light, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows framing breathtaking views of the New York Harbor. The penthouse features an expansive great room with southern, eastern and western exposures, offering panoramic views of the city’s skyline and waterways. Finally, the Penthouse includes a private loggia terrace, adding 219 square feet of outdoor living space overlooking New York Harbor. The design emphasizes both stylish functionality and timeless elegance, with sleek materials like Blue de Savoie marble countertops and custom fumed sycamore vanities. There are very few newly constructed homes of this size available in Downtown New York City.
AM: For those that may be interested in buying this unit, what options do they have to customize this space?
77G: The penthouse at 77 Greenwich is a customizable masterpiece. Led by Stephen Brockman of TenBerke, customizations are available for buyers, offering options to tailor the space according to their individual tastes. From custom millwork to bespoke finishes, the design team allows for personalization across the home.
Buyers can choose from a range of high-end materials and finishes, such as custom cabinetry and flooring options. Whether it's altering the layout, adding additional built-in features, or refining the color palette, the options available enable prospective buyers to create a truly personalized residence that fits their lifestyle and aesthetic.
AM: What are some of the key features of this property that our readers should know about?
77G: 77 Greenwich offers an extraordinary blend of modern luxury, thoughtful design and a location that captures the essence of downtown living. The building features 90 residences, ranging from one to four bedrooms, each outfitted with high-end finishes and appliances. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame breathtaking views of the New York Harbor and iconic landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, offering an unparalleled living experience in Lower Manhattan.
All of 77 Greenwich’s residents can take advantage of its top-floor Cloud Club 77 suite of amenities, including the Cloud Club lounge private dining room and a double-height fitness center overlooking the Hudson River. The rooftop garden, designed by Future Green Studio, offers residents a peaceful outdoor retreat with a children's play area, meditation deck and spacious dining areas with grill stations. There is also a multi-use game room and a fitness center with terrace access, making it a perfect blend of relaxation and active living.
The location of 77 Greenwich places residents in the vibrant Lower Manhattan area, close to a wealth of cultural, dining and entertainment options. Nearby, Manhatta offers elevated dining experiences with panoramic views, while the Perlman Arts Center in the World Trade Center complex provides world-class performances. With its proximity to world-renowned restaurants, shopping and cultural landmarks, 77 Greenwich offers an unmatched lifestyle.
IG @77greenwich
The penthouse also comes together with its impeccable staging which was done by ARTEFACTO a 3rd generation Brazilian firm that manufactures its own furniture as well as supplies a cohesive look in an array of properties! We wanted to know more about the inspiration behind how they staged 77 Greenwich PH, the history of the company, their recently launched showroom here in NYC, and more. Pietro Bacchi shares this and more with us.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We enjoyed shooting at 77 Greenwich St PH and as we have spoken to the building about this particular unit, we’re looking forward to speaking with you as well. We wanted to know more about your business and the staging that you did at the penthouse, which is beautiful. Before we delve into that and the staging that was done there, can you tell me about ARTEFACTO as a firm, its history, and what you guys do?
PIETRO BACCHI: ARTEFACTO is 48 years old and it’s in its third generation. The firm was started by my grandfather in São Paulo Brazil. My father formalized the corporation and brought it to the United States via South Florida. We quickly became market leaders in Florida, and throughout South America and now, we want to kill it in the Northeast. I run the New York operations with my twin brother, Bruno. We're very happy about this New York expansion.
AM: Did you always know that you would work in the family business?
PB: In the beginning, I wasn't really sure, to be honest. When I started seeing all of the components together from the design to the manufacturing and delivery, it gave me a whole different scope. I started thinking about how big this business could actually be. I got to see the real craftsmanship and quality of work that goes into every piece. We have about 1 million square feet of manufacturing and showroom space including the recent New York expansion. That’s 1 million square feet under one roof. We do absolutely everything from upholstery to woodwork to leather and suede.
AM: Wow.
PB: Yeah, from designing SKUS on a computer, to making prototypes to launching a whole line.
AM: What are the kinds of projects that are of interest to your firm when you're looking to add things into your portfolio? You were talking about obviously you have the manufacturing but then you also have all of the staging that you do as well.
PB: We have quite a few different streams of business that we've been adding to our model in the last four or five years. One of them is a staging. The reason that we do staging is because it's beneficial for all parties.
AM: Right.
PB: It’s great for ARTEFACTO because our products are displayed in a beautiful apartment instead of sitting in a warehouse waiting for delivery. So it's kind of an extension of the showroom. Obviously, the developer can show the unit more beautifully and the idea behind it is that it actually sells completely furnished which happens about 80-85% of the time. So that's a huge model for us. We really specialize in residential, but now we’ve branched off into the commercial sector as well. We just finished Casa Cipriani in New York City, I don’t know if you have been there.
AM: Yes, it’s lovely.
PB: We just finished that project. That was one of our bigger commercial projects. And we have a lot in the pipeline, but of note, we did the Hotel Du Cap Eden Roc in the South of France for their 150th year anniversary.
AM: Nice!
PB: So that that's kind of the key piece of why we work so well with the real estate sector. You can't really do that at that level of customization if you don't have the manufacturing component. It’s not the most beautiful part of the business, but by far one of the most important.
AM: Tell us about your Madison Ave.showroom.
PB: We got super lucky. We found the perfect corner on 32nd and Madison with double-height ceilings on the first floor. There’s a tree that we blew the ceiling out for so you could see it from the first and second floor. The first floor is more of a museum-styled concept; all of our new collection living room sets. Upstairs, we have distinct spaces designed: living, bedroom, dining six times over. We have different fabrics available for customization and everything you see on the showroom floor is ready for immediate delivery in two weeks.
AM: Wow, that’s amazing!
PB: That's one of our big selling points because, you know, everybody knows how long you wait for furniture especially after COVID.
AM: A 2 week turnaround is phenomenal because we have friends that are still waiting for their couches and it's been 8 weeks.
PB: I've heard eight months at one point!
AM: Yikes!
So what's your role at the company as well as your brother to get a scope of the kind of the things that you are involved in.
PB: My brother handles the complicated and important backend… manufacturing, the warehouse, and logistics. I handle business development, the PR teams of course, marketing and product development. But together, we're working on this big United States expansion.
We picked Miami as our first showroom in the United States - my analysts looked at, from the American public point of view - because Miami is the bridge into the United States.
Whereas New York is known as the bridge to the rest of the world. In New York, you have the best architecture and developers. The restaurants are amazing and the culture is next level as well. So it made sense as a solid move. Believe it or not, it's very similar to São Paulo with its character, and similar kind of aesthetic in interior design, fabrics, etc.
AM: We get that. Recently we watched a few thriller series on Netflix that take place in São Paulo and the similarity is interesting.
In looking at the penthouse at 77 Greenwich as a point of reference, when you take on a new project or you partner with a residence or developer, can you walk us through like, how you stage a property from where do you start, and what's the inspiration? There were just so many details and elements of that place that really came together beautifully.
PB: Absolutely. I mean, I’m definitely very proud of our projects. Usually, we hear from the Sales Team of the building if it's a new development. We listen to the problems that they're having and usually the number one problem is that the clients can’t visualize themselves in the space. They don't have an imagination in terms of what a dining table of 8 people or 10 people will look like in a space. How many people are in the living room? Especially in these bigger apartments - it's especially difficult. So then, we look at the floor plan and we dissect it. We look at the mood and the feeling that we're going for. Obviously our Miami line is completely different from our New York line, and that’s completely different from our Hamptons line.
So we have quite a few pieces to choose from and then basically, they pay me a deposit which is one-third of the staging package furniture process. But the reason the developers love it so much is because the remaining amount is paid after the property sells. It's about marketing property and so it's an investment on both sides essentially.
AM: Right.
PB: It's an investment for us because obviously, it's the products that would probably be sold and shipped out from the warehouse. It's also an investment on the broker’s part or the developer because there is a deposit. They are trying to maximize those profit margins, so it gives them an opportunity to do that.
AM: What are the some of the key elements that you added into 77 Greenwich St PH that you would like to highlight, especially?
PB: I think the double-size sofa. It’s a beautiful touch there by the window.
AM: I love that piece. It makes such a statement.
PB: And that's kind of why we put that oversized mirror on that wall, because anywhere, you sit in the apartment and you get the view of the water and the Statue of Liberty. I think the most important thing that we think of when we go to stage an apartment is, what are the first five seconds of a person who's going to buy? What is the reaction going to be? That's why we make it as big as possible and as grand as possible. We really try to invoke all five senses! We have the music playing, the aromas in the air, the lighting is correct. I think it's a huge part of it.
AM: From start to finish for this Penthouse unit for example, how long did it take for you to Stage it?
PB: So between getting floor plans and preliminary estimates and that kind of thing, that takes about a week - week and a half.
AM: Oh, wow!
PB: Then once the client is ready to move forward, it takes about two weeks to install and deliver.
AM: That's pretty quick. Wow!
So, for developers that are reading this, how can they begin to work with you or reach out to you so that they can talk about their project?
PB: Yeah, whatever they prefer. I think the most important thing ever is to come into the showroom on Madison that we just built because it is - and it's not because we did it - jaw dropping from every angle!
AM: We definitely want to drop by to see your showroom for ourselves.
For those that have their own homes who are also reading this issue, are they able o go on your website and buy their desired pieces a la carte like they would at another furniture or interior design store?
PB: Yeah, we do have an online presence. But for the high-end furniture realm that we're in, it’s more common for them to come into the showroom so that they can come in and sit down on the furniture and actually see it. We also offer a design service where the clients come in and the designers and the architects come, they bring their floor plan and make sure everything's in sync. We do a full presentation of swatches and fabrics to marble, and art as well as accessories. We really try to make it a turnkey solution.
AM: Wow, that's amazing.
PB: Right, for these clients and architects.
AM: It’s been great to find out more about ARTEFACTO and its scope. What has it been like for you to be involved in this business that has been around for three generations?
PB: I mean, first off, I couldn’t be more happy to do this! We have had a lot of positive feedback even though we have only been open in the New York showroom since September. There have been a lot of clients walking in, a lot of people hearing about the brand for the first time, which is amazing!
I think Brazilian furniture definitely had its time back in the day, you know, with Oscar Niemeyer, Sergio Rodrigues, and other designers of the world and then it kind of died down. So Vèr - our new collection - is our fresh take on the community.
Vèr really pulls from The Mid-Century Modern design that Brazil had to offer with all the natural woods and natural lines and what we've created is completely different than anything you see on that entire block.
Read the NOV ISSUE #107 of Athleisure Mag and see THE INFLUENTIAL ONE | Bozoma Saint John in mag.
This time of year is an exciting one as we begin to close one and look ahead to the next one. While we maintain our normal schedules, we also infuse it with the Holiday season - it’s great to share with friends and family, exchange gifts, increase celebratory moments, and so much more! We all know that they are key dates coming up that are focused on the exchange of gifts as well as obtaining them at various points. We took a moment to chat with Walton Goggins (Preadators, The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained) to find out about why he partnered with Walmart for the holiday season, what he loves about this time of year, and upcoming projects that he is involved in!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Obviously, we're going to talk about your amazing partnership with Walmart and what's going on with that. But we have a few questions to ask you because our readers are so excited that we're able to chat with you.
WALTON GOGGINS: Okay, okay, alright, fantastic!
AM: We've been a fan of yours since - you have too many things to name - Justified, Righteous Gemstones, George and Tammy, and the list can go on in film as well as in TV. We find you to be such an amazing actor who plays immersive and diverse characters. When did you realize that you wanted to be an actor?
WG: What a great question! I don't think that there was like a bolt of lightning that happened. I think it happened over the course of a very long period of time. I was raised mostly by women and a lot of interesting characters were around in my childhood and all of them just happened to be really interesting great storytellers.
AM: Right.
WG: So I'm listening to a lot of stories and then once I was given the microphone to start telling my own stories, you know, I had a natural kind of built in audience that just kept saying, “no, keep talking Walt."
So, you kind of have that encouragement, you know, right out of the gate. It's hard to kind of do anything else. I genuinely just wanted to see the world. That was the main thing. Then it just - one life kind of dovetailed into the other and the opportunity to see the world, and to be able to be a storyteller was just something that fit. You know, how do any of us really go about things? What are the decisions that any of us make that lead us on the road that we're going to be on for the rest of our lives? You know, is it fate or is it an accident?
AM: Mmm.
WG: What is it? That I don't know. But I'm so grateful for my life and grateful for the opportunities that I've had to tell the stories that I have!
AM: Absolutely!
WG: Including Walmart Black Friday Deals!
AM: Exactly! Without a doubt!
Why did you want to be connected to this amazing project and tell us more about it.
WG: Well, first and foremost, Walmart is a part of American culture. It’s not the whole culture, but it's certainly part of American culture. It is a corporation that has been in all of our lives for such a very long time! And where I come from on Fairburn Road, a lot of my friends as we got older, we started to work there and I had the good fortune - I'll tell you a little bit about my history with this company.
AM: Please.
WG: I was a poor kid from the South and I made really good grades and I had the opportunity to go to school. But we didn't have a lot of money and we had to pay the rent. I got a small Scholastic Scholarship, you know. But in addition to that, there was a gap of funding that we just couldn't make that square around that square if you will and my mom, you know through our friends or whatever, heard that Walmart, had a grant.
AM: Oh wow.
WG: It was a sizeable amount of money and when I went you know in 1988 or 1989. I’m dating myself, don’t tell anybody!
AM: Ha! That's okay!
WG: My mom encouraged me to write this essay, you know, to the Walmart. That's how it works and that’s what I did - and I won!
AM: Wow.
WG: The money that I, I desperately needed, you know, my first year in college and in addition to that incredible opportunity, this company gave me - they also printed an 8x10 picture of me. I don't know what it was. I think it was a headshot. It was my first headshot, I think that's what it was. They put it up in their store, you know, for the better part of 6 months. People would call me because you know we didn’t have cell phones then, but they would leave these stupid messages on my answering machine, “saw your picture in Walmart, Walton. Are you part of the Walton family?"
So anyway, that's kind of my history with this company. This opportunity kind of came along and they sent this script and I thought, “wow, what a what an interesting way to sell things, right?” You know, it's a hybrid between entertainment and doing what we're gonna do anyway, which is to find things for our loved ones at the holidays. Black Friday deals have been around for a long time. They played an important role in my family's ability to buy things for Christmas and it does for a lot of people in this country and all over the world and I thought, what a cool thing to be a part of. I'm so happy that I did it. There's all these wonderful actors that I work with like Ian Somerhalder. There are others like Lisa Rinna, Taye Diggs who I've known for a while, Anthony Ramos and it’s great folks and it's 10 stories. These stories are vignettes if you will. There’s a supernatural genre, action genre, mine is a Western genre!
AM: Shocker!
WG: But you know what? I've done action!
AM: Of course!
WG: I have done a lot of genres in my time, but this is one that they saw me in and invited me to kind of come along this journey. We had such a great time filming it. You know, it was just so much fun and they’re such a great company to work for and work with. So, when I think people will watch them and they'll see the things that they want to buy and some things featured in a way that makes them laugh. It brings a smile to their face and so it’s a great way to go about it!
AM: Well, do you know when your episode will drop, do they all drop at one time? Like what's kind of the flow?
WG: Well you know, there are ten. I’m not exactly sure when they all drop. I know mine will drop towards the end of November which is, which is kind of very, very exciting because it's getting close to Dec. I think more will be revealed as it goes on. The first one drops on Nov. 11th-17th. I think that’s the first block and they're kind of rolled out from there.
AM: Wow it’ll be great to see them!
What do you love about the holiday season?
WG: I just love the opportunity to commune with family and friends. You know, we all have our rituals right? We all have the things that we do but the thing that I do that I've been given the opportunity to do is I don't really watch a lot of sports. I’m not that guy even though I played a bunch of sports growing up.
I make a fire and I sit around that fire with my family and with my friends and I have a glass of wine and I listen to music. And I just commune. What better thing is there than that and to tell people that mean something to you how much you love them?
AM: That's really nice and very sweet!
You're always working on so many projects. I can't wait till White Lotus comes out and I know that you have a bunch of other stuff as well. Is there anything that you would like to share with us, that you're working on that we can keep an eye out for?
WG: Well, you know, I think you said it, you know, I got a bunch of things that are coming out. I have a few movies that are coming out. My wife has a movie that she wrote and directed called The Uninvited, which is dropping pretty soon.
Then there is The White Lotus and we just finished the new season of The Righteous Gemstones!
AM: So excited for both of those shows! I'm really excited for The Righteous Gemstones.
WG: So good. It's so good.
AM: Everytime I watch that show, I grew up in the Midwest with an Evangelical and Pentecostal background and there's just so many things that happen on that show and my boyfriend will ask, “Is that real?” and I'm like, “yes!”
WG: Oh yeah! That’s real and that one is real too!
We're going back to Fallout here pretty soon. And then, kind of beyond that, reading and waiting and seeing what the future brings everybody else! But right now, Walmart!
We enjoyed sitting down with Walton to talk about his career and the Christmas campaign that he is involved in. You can check out his videos for this campaign Something's Cooking and Can't Handle the Heat as well as an array of celebs that participated in Deals of Desire.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Walmart/Tina Rowden
As avid readers know, that have enjoyed reading our issues have included a number of wrestlers who performed in the WWE in their career. Saraya, who was known as Paige when she was with the WWE was one of our favorites that we enjoyed seeing in the ring as well as seeing her on E! Total Divas where we got to know more about her between each ring experience as well as how she connected with her fellow Superstars.
Even after leaving the WWE, Saraya continues to embrace her passion for wrestling as it is a family business. We wanted to know more about how she came into the industry, what it's like when she is going into the ring and out of it, currently wrestling with AEW, and upcoming projects that she is involved in!
ATHLEISURE MAG: It's amazing that your family runs the World Association of Wrestling promotion, your mom owns and operates the Bellatrix Female Warriors, and your brothers wrestle as well. What led to you eventually participating in the sport as originally it wasn't something that you, thought that you would do.
SARAYA: I’ve been surrounded by wrestling my whole life. I’ve often made the joke that I have been wrestling since I was a fetus. My mum was pregnant with me and didn’t realize and was having matches with me all snuggled up in her womb haha. I’ve always loved it, but I was stubborn and tried to fight it since my whole family was in it. I tried to rebel into a different field instead. But one day my dad was one woman short in a match, she had not turned up, so he asked if I could fill in and I already knew a few moves since I grew up in the business. I said to my dad “Yes, but my brother has to wrestle in the match too so I’m comfortable.” So my brother dressed in a pink Power Ranger outfit. He threw on a padded bra, I did the match and the rest is history!
AM: We know that you come from a wrestling family, but when did you fall in love with wrestling?
S: When I was 13. Once I had that match, I knew there was nothing that would make me feel the way the adrenaline of wrestling made me feel.
AM: When did you realize that you wanted to do it as a career?
S: Also when I was 13. My dreams of becoming a vet or a zoologist quickly left my brain after that first match. (Thanks dad).
AM: I remember when I saw you on the E! show Total Divas where we got to follow you along with other WWE Superstars to see about your life in the ring and outside of it! What did it mean to you to be part of the WWE and to share your life on the E! show as well?
S: WWE was always my dream. I always, from the very beginning, wanted to be a WWE Diva. They were so beautiful yet so bloody badass!! That was so inspiring for a little girl like me.
I never thought I would get in, though. I looked very different to the women back then but that didn’t mean I was gonna give up trying. When I finally got signed my life changed forever. I remember Triple H coming up to me on the side of the stage and saying “welcome aboard” and shook my hand. Then a hell of a rollercoaster ride started.
I loved being asked to be a part of Total Divas. I was younger and a little more wild so it was good TV and the producers always make sure you have a drink in your hand haha, but I had a lot of fun with the girls and got to bond extra with them because not only were we on the road every week of the year but during our days off we would be filming together. It made for great lifelong relationships and memories!
AM: While at the WWE you had a number of accomplishments from being the youngest female champion in WWE history, a 2X WWE Divas Champion, and the inaugural NXT Women's Champion as well as being the only woman to hold both a WWE and NXT Women's Championship simultaneously. When you look back at your time there, what are you most proud of?
S: All of that!! Haha those would be my most proud moments. I would say my merch numbers too. I got my first merch tee, which said “Think Again” on it and it sold out quickly. I believe that gave me leverage to get on the main roster because they were like… “Hang on this girl that isn’t on Raw or Smackdown is selling numbers like that??”
I’m always proud that I remained myself. The weird little pale emo kid, that helped me big time with the fans I believe.
AM: You currently wrestle for AEW and you were the AEW Women's World Champion! How has your time at the AEW been and what does it mean to have acquired a title there too?
S: Being at AEW has been a lot of fun. I love love love the women’s locker room. They’re all so supportive of one another and everyone gets along so well. Being in another larger company at first was hard. Even though my contract had come to an end, I had some guilt like I betrayed WWE, but I didn’t do anything wrong! Haha. Then being out of wrestling for so long made it difficult to adjust to the newer fan base. They can get pretty toxic these days and I remember thinking, “Did I make a mistake coming back?” But AEW has treated me so wonderfully and I’ve loved my time here so far. And to win the Woman’s Championship on top of all that?? Incredible. I never thought I would wrestle again so I cried when Tony Khan told me haha.
AM: What are some upcoming matches that you can share with us that we can keep an eye out for?
S: I’ve actually been taking a short break the end of this year. Just for other projects and to take care of my mental health a bit. I never give myself time off, so it was much needed. But I will say to look out for someone else and that’s Harley Cameron! She’s the full package and an all-around amazing person!!
AM: We know that as a wrestler, you spend a lot of time on the road. What is an average week like for you in terms of travel, training, resting your body etc.?
S: WWE days were more hectic with live events. But these days with AEW, for me personally, they have given me a more relaxed schedule. Which I appreciate. I fly Tuesdays, work Wednesday and fly home Thursdays and will have the odd PPV at the weekend. I try to eat as good as possible and I should be in the gym more than I am if I’m being honest haha.
AM: Before you go into the ring, do you have any routines that you do to prepare for your fight and are there things that you do when you come out of it?
S: I pee lol and go into a corner and relax for a second. I get very, very nervous beforehand and need that time alone. When I come back out from the match, I hug whoever I wrestled and thank them, shake my producer and Tony Khan’s hand and then go to the locker room and just sit for a second.
AM: Outside of the ring, you're a board member for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Why is this so important to you?
S: It’s important because abuse is not just physical. It’s financial, mental, and verbal too. If I can use my platform to save someone’s life, I will absolutely do so.
Domestic Violence is extremely common and being part of something like that and also knowing so many women and men who’ve gone through something like that is heartbreaking. I’ll always use my platform for good.
AM: You shared your story in Fighting with My Family and you have a memoir that is coming out, Hell In Boots: Clawing My Way Through Nine Lives. Why did you want to share your story and what does the memoir cover that we may not know about from the film?
S: Well my movie was the PG version haha. I want people to know exactly what I’ve been through since birth to now and hopefully be inspired. It’s not for the faint of heart though.
IG @saraya
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 67, 9PLAYLIST PG 72 + 9DRIP PG 74 Shaun Vadella | PG 68 + 9DRIP PG 74 + 76 Phil Chester |
Read the NOV ISSUE #107 of Athleisure Mag and see HER RING OF TRUTH | Saraya in mag.
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Bachelor/Ricky Grant Ellis
PHOTO CREDIT | ABC/The Bachelor Key Art
On Jan 27th, we will be glued to our screens to enjoy S29 of ABC’s The Bachelor which is being helmed by Grant Ellis who was on Jenn Tran’s S21 of The Bachelorette! We watched him navigate his relationship with her until he was eliminated in week 6 right before Hometowns!
A few weeks back, a first look of the women competing in his season was provided via ABC’s The Bachelor Facebook account! (where you can see videos that include more information on him as well as sneak peeks on the upcoming season!
As we do each season, we have shared these images (we’ll update their ABC gallery images) and we’ll begin to make the best guess on who will be going to Hometowns! We can’t wait to see how Grant and Jesse Palmer will vibe as he continues through the season and what surprises will be along the way.
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!
Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.
We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
Read the NOV ISSUE #107 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST STORI3S | Taye Diggs in mag.
Read the NOV ISSUE #107 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Saraya in mag.
Read the NOV ISSUE #107 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Chef Michael Voltaggio in mag and listen to his 9PLAYLIST.
This time of year, we're enjoying the changing of the leaves, the crisp air, adding a few fun layers, and getting in all the football games possibly from college to pro! Whomever you're cheering for, it's an opportunity to gather with family, friends, and colleagues throughout the week whether you're tailgating or homegating!
We headed over to Chef Eddie Jackson, NFL veteran and host of Food Network shows' Outchef'd and Christmas Cookie Challenge to talk about how we can take our entertaining to the next level when our teams are hitting the field, how we can make it easy on ourselves, his football picks, and of course his upcoming show for the holiday season!
ATHLEISURE MAG: So what was the first dish that made you fall in love with food?
CHEF EDDIE JACKSON: Ooo, so I grew up in a family of chefs. My grandmothers on either sides were chefs. Yeah, and I just remember making biscuits in my grandmother's kitchen when I was like four or five years old.
AM: Well, you know, being an NFL Alum, we know that, you know, a thing or two about playing the game, we know you're watching it and of course what foods pair well with it. You know, whether we're tailgating or at the stadium or we're homegating, how can we make the perfect pairings for our next football game?
CHEF EJ: Well, first off football season is my favorite time of the year. For one, I love football, but two - it's all about tailgating and homegating. I made a cookbook that's all about homegating recipes, right? And so, I love giving people tips to show them how they can homegate tailgate, like a pro. And in this instance, I've teamed up and partnered up with Bota Box wine to create these delicious pairings, with some recipes. But then also, picking and choosing some of the wines that they have to go with different flavors that I created with the wings that I made for them.
AM: I mean, that's amazing and I love a good wing! I actually have a wing recipe coming out next year in a cookbook.
CHEF EJ: Hold on! You just have a wing recipe?
AM: So it's a compilation. So we've been doing different cookbook recipes where it's always been a number of other chefs that have also participated and this is our third one. I made a very tasty recipe that will be out next year! It’s a very zippy Mezcal Chimichurri wing!
CHEF EJ: Ooo, I see you Kimmie!
AM: I know right? I mean, I know you love a good chicken wing so how can we take our wings to the next level Chef Eddie style?
CHEF EJ: Alright! So I have a few things that I that I've created so the thing about homegating and tailgating is that you want to find different flavor upgrades, but you want to keep things simple, right?
AM: Exactly.
CHEF EJ: So I have some brawts that I've uh braised in some white wine. I have this Bota Box Pinot Grigio that we braise the brats in to kind of cut through some of the fattiness that brats can have. Another upgrade that you can do is like I have a slider recipe, right? So, sliders are simple. Everybody knows how to make a slider. So what we're going to do, is we're going to upgrade it and make a spicy ketchup. And in this instance, I'm making a jerk ketchup.
AM: Oh wow, okay!
CHEF EJ: I lived in Miami for a while and so I kind of fell in love with those jerk spices and jerk flavors. So we're gonna add that to some sliders to upgrade it. And then we get to the the piece de resistance, right? So we have some wings! I have a whole chapter in my book about wings!
Don't do, takeout, you can make wings! Wings are super easy! You can make your own different sauces and you can control the pairings, you can control the spice and smoky levels to the wings. So I have this wing recipe that's a little bit, smoky a little bit spicy and that's great to pair with something like this Bota Box Revolution, which is a red blend. It's going to cut through some of the greasiness that these wings have, right?
AM: Right.
And why did you want to, you know, partner up with Bota Box?
CHEF EJ: Well, first off. I love the brand. I have boxes of this at my house that they sent me. I thought, ok, this is delicious! Not only that, but I think that Bota Box brand is perfect for tailgating, right? So, no cork screw, it’s easily portable and it has a handle right on top, but not only that in this 3L box, you have 4 bottles of wine. Now, you look like the type of person that loves a little wine right? 4 bottles of wine in one box!
That’s perfect for tailgating, if I don't say something myself. But then it's just a great brand and it’s eco-friendly all these things. I think that, you know, the thing about tailgating is that you want one-handers. So you get you one of these 500ml - you got that in one hand. You got a brawt in the other hand. You know you’re just going back and forth. Take a little sip. Take a little bite of the bratwurst.
AM: Yup.
CHEF EJ: Perfect for a tailgate and overall, it's just a great company that I fell in love with once I did my research on it. I tasted some of the wines and felt that I could get behind the product and it's been a beautiful pairing. See what I did there?
AM: I caught what you did there! I Love the pairing.
CHEF EJ: It’s been a beautiful pairing ever since.
AM: So what tips do you have for people who are hosting? A lot of times we're so into creating that tailgate or that homegate that maybe we get lost in the kitchen as opposed to watching the game and hanging out with our friends. So what can we do to prep ourselves a little better?
CHEF EJ: So just like on the football field, it's all about preparation and execution. Like I said before, you want to focus on the food and the drink. So you want to keep it simple. So all of my recipes are really simple but I have these really good tricks and things to upgrade it so that you're not spending a lot of time. But then not only that, you take this Bota Box, it's already made for you. We're not spending time making the drinks. All you have to do is just twist it off and pour it. You don't have to worry about a corkscrew. So it's more time that you get to spend watching the game, hanging out with your friends and keeping it simple!
AM: Keeping it simple is always good! So we are in the thick of the football season right now. Who are you cheering for? Who do you predict is going to the Super Bowl?
CHEF EJ: You know, I keep getting this question over and over. I'm a huge football fan, right? My favorite team is the 49ers but we're not looking too good right now. We kind of had an up and down season so far just because of injuries, but this season has been very unique because it's so many teams that are good - that has have never been good.
AM: 100%
CHEF EJ: Detroit Lions are really good. In the last couple of years, I’m like, where did they come from? They've been terrible for so long! So now all of a sudden, they’re really good! So I think that the Detroit Lions have a great chance of making it to the Super Bowl. Baltimore Ravens have a great chance to make it to the Super Bowl. Of course, the Kansas City Chiefs. You also have Buffalo. The Buffalo Bills are really good! Let's not forget about the Vikings and how good they're doing right now. So, it's just so many teams that are just killing it, this season. I mean, I'm really excited because, you know, it's kind of like, in basketball you get tired of seeing the Golden State Warriors every year.
I want to see a new team this year kind of shine and so, that's why I'm excited about this season.
AM: Well, we just came off of covering the Food Network NYC Wine Food Festival over the past four days. So it's been a hectic few days. It’s always great seeing you on Outchef’d or the Christmas Cookie Challenge. Are there any upcoming programs that we should be keeping an eye out for from you?
CHEF EJ: Yeah, so actually the Christmas Cookie Challenge is going to start up in a in a couple weeks now because believe it or not, we are getting into the holiday season. I can't believe that!
AM: I know right, this is the season!
CHEF EJ: I know! I also saw in a shopping strip that they had Christmas lights out a couple of days ago!
AM: I saw a Christmas commercial last night and heard Christmas music and I'm like, wait that's too soon! You at least have to wait until Halloween is over!
CHEF EJ: So that'll be coming out in a couple of weeks and, you know it’s the holiday time once Christmas Cookie Challenge comes on! We’re going into our 8th season. So once that starts to play that's when I know it's it's the holiday time!
AM: Are there other projects you have going on outside of TV that you would like for us to know about?
CHEF EJ: I mean, I stay busy. I have two young kids. I'm always busy. I woke up in the middle of the night and I was like, you know what? I'm ready to write my second cookbook.
AM: Alright now!
CHEF EJ: I'm gonna start working on my second cookbook and maybe Homegate Like a Pro 2.0, you know what I mean?
AM: For sure!
CHEF EJ: So maybe I will have a whole section in there with wine pairings. I don’t know.
AM: Nice, we’re here for the elevation!
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | PG 55 Food Network/Christmas Cookie Challenge | PG 56 Outchef'd | PG 58 Bota Box |
Read the OCT ISSUE #106 of Athleisure Mag and see YOUR NEXT HOMEGATE | Chef Eddie Jackson in mag,
For the past few years, we have enjoyed seeing Kamie Crawford on our screens in one of our long time favorite shows, Catfish! It's always fun to watch her dig into their cases, assist those being catfished, and offering a shoulder to cry on as she looks to understand what they are going through. In addition to her role here, she has expanded her TV Personality work in such shows as Are You The One, and she launched her own podcast, Relationsh*t where she talks about various relationships with her guests.
We caught up with Kamie while she was here in NY at a coffeeshop on the UES which felt like the perfect place to talk about her journey, how she engages in self-care, how she navigates this season and boosts her immunity, as well as some of her favorite reality shows.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We have been fans of yours since you were Miss Teen USA in 2010.
KAMIE CRAWFORD: Oh we go way back then. Oh yes, it’s so good to meet you!
AM: So good to meet you and it’s been great to see how you have built your career, and just all the different things that you've done! Did you ever think looking back that you would have been the co-host of Catfish for a number of seasons and doing TV personality, work, and being a voice of women and just all of these different things coming from the Midwest, which I am also from.
KC: I had no idea! So I was born in Cleveland, and as you know, I grew in Maryland, but my roots are still in Cleveland. My grandma still lives there.
I think that when I was younger, I always had it in my spirit that I wanted to do something to make people feel good about themselves. At the time, I thought that I wanted to be a dermatologist so my life was going to look completely different than it does now. But then I realized that I could do that through TV work.
AM: Yeah.
KC: Like, that is what I do on Catfish, it is what I do on my podcast. It’s what I do just in my everyday life. That is something that I strive to do. So, I think that I didn't think that it was going to look like this –
AM: Right
KC: But I knew that my life needed to be in service in some way.
AM: I love that
KC: Thank you!
AM: It's very cool.
You're constantly on the go traveling, where do you enjoy going and how do you stay healthy when you're going from place to place?
KC: Oh, well it is hard because I'm always on a plane and for some reason I always get sick when I travel.
AM: Yup.
KC: So, the good thing is that Mucinex Nightshift is now in my life and I have it as a part of my wellness kit - always with me. It's amazing because you can take it at night, so you can sleep better.
AM: Exactly.
KC: And then have a better morning the next day and be able to Girl Boss your way into things. But you can't Girl Boss when you're not feeling well!
AM: 100%
KC: It's very difficult for me. So that's definitely one tip that I have. The other one is making sure that I'm staying up to date with my vitamins. When my hormones are out of whack, I feel it.
AM: Oh yeah!
KC: I definitely feel it. I feel like newly into as a couple months, like cycle tracking and trying to balance my hormones. So taking the right supplements has been vital for me because you don't realize how many nutrients like you're depleted of. So that's definitely key. And then just like, making sure that I stick to my routines. My workout routine is not just a part of my physical health and well-being, but my mental health and well-being. So while I hate working out just as much as anyone else, I love the way I feel right when I do it. Like I just feel so accomplished.
AM: Yeah
KC: When you finish a workout class and you're like, oh I feel like that you feel good about yourself versus when you like go weeks without doing it - I hate that feeling.
AM: It's the worst feeling. You're like, all right I gotta get it together.
KC: Exactly.
That's why I like living a life with no regrets! It’s part of Mucinex's campaign. So that's what I like to do to make sure that I'm setting myself up right for the week.
AM: Wow.
Tell me about the Living With No Regrets Campaign.
KC: So Mucinex is all about, No Regrets and making sure that you are taking your next Nighshift the minute you feel those symptoms coming up that night. Take that medication so you can wake up the next day and have no regrets because sometimes we'll go through the symptoms and we'll be like “I'll just sleep it off.”
AM: Yeah.
KC: Then you wake up the next day and you feel like you just got hit by a bus! I've been there many times. It's always good and the right decision to set yourself up from that night so that you feel good the next day. But then also the funny thing is that Mr. Mucus, the Mucinex drug is now on Tinder. So if you're swiping and you see him –
AM: Ok –
KC: Make the decision that's best for you. But I went on a date with him today –
AM: Ha!
KC: And it was not great!
AM: Oh
KC: Don't make that regretful decision. Thank you.
AM: So this whole nighttime aspect of this product seems great.
What do you do for your self-care?
KC: Therapy is a part of my self-care. I am in therapy once a week. It's funny though. I've never met my therapist in person, only on Zoom.
AM: Nice.
KC: If we were to cross paths, I don't know what I would do. I think I would give her a huge hug because she's just amazing. So that's a part of my self-care, working out is a part of my self-care. Honestly, some people would say this is not self-care, but Doom Scrolling on TikTok. Sometimes when you're feeling down, you just need a laugh.
AM: I can see that.
KC: TikTok has all the laughs that I need. So I like to do that. But then I also like to spend time off my phone, with my friends, with my family, with my man, like I want to be out at, you know, a cafe with some chips and some Spinach and Artichoke Dip.
AM: Yes.
KC: Having a juicy conversation. Like that is self-care to me.
AM: That's amazing and well-rounded and nicely balanced. I got stuck in The TikTok of WTF Did I Marry! It was a busy time and at first I was like, what is this and then I remember a number of nights where I was on episode 42 getting all the details!
KC: Oh I saw all of the parts – all of the parts every single one!
AM: I'm still following her. Like what what's your life? Like what's going on?
KC: She's doing amazing!
AM: For sure, her life now got optioned into a show. I'll be watching all of it.
KC: She is doing great! I love her and shout out to Reesa Teesa!
AM: You’re killing it Reesa!
it feels like this time of year, you know, obviously we're in the Fall, but we're looking at the Holiday Season. So there's just a lot of stuff that's going on and then you also have the cold and flu season. So how do we prioritize our health and our wellness routines during this criticla portion of the year?
KC: Well I would say, you know, the change in weather and even the change in time affects everyone. It affects everyone. I don't know anyone who is like absolved from seasonal feelings, whether it's using depression, or just like seasonal sadness, we all go through it. The Holiday Season especially isn't happy and jolly for everybody.
AM: True.
KC: So I think that, you know, when you can spend your time with people that love you and care about you, you should prioritize that? Also making sure that you're not getting sick because then you will really miss out! I have had that. I have had the flu on Christmas one year and it was terrible.
AM: Oh no!
KC: This was before Mucinex’s Nightshift as it didn’t exist then, obviously. But I literally had to go to the hospital on Christmas night.
AM: That’s the worst!
KC: Terrible and that's not what we want. So make sure you're taking care of yourself. I'm sure that you're doing that mind-body and spirit all of it together.
AM: What are foods that you like to eat to boost your immune system? Like, I am always about keeping that immune system as high as I can.
KC: Oh yeah! Supplements, I take a lot of supplements, like I said, you know, balancing my hormones. That's a part of it. As women too, I feel like we're depleted of a lot of nutrients and we don't think about. So like B-12 is important, taking vitamin and making sure that you're getting all those things. Outside of vitamins, there's ways to get vitamins out of your food. Leafy greens have been a part of my life. It feels like a pain to have to consume as many leafy greens as we should -
AM: But that is what it is.
KC: That is what it is.
AM: Your body will thank you later!
KC: Kale is a necessary evil.
AM: I’m a big fan of kale!
KC: And then, you know, vitamin C, making sure that I'm drinking orange juice when I'm not feeling well. Another thing that I realized that helps me is like eliminating any kind of milky substance and I love a nice matcha latte, but when I'm feeling mucusy, anything with milk even if it's not whole milk no bueno. So that's like an elimination thing that I do.
AM: It’s always good to know what you have to navigate when you’re working around your health.
KC: Yeah, a lot of like spicy soups to get that nose going - I like to just drain it out.
AM: That’s always a smart one!
Tell me about your podcast.
KC: Relationsh*t!
AM: Yes!
KC: It's like my baby. It is - I love it. It's a relationship advice podcast. So we air every single Friday and I have different guests on every week to talk about a whole range of relationship topics. We say, we talk about all things relationships, the good, the bad and the straight up shitty. Because sometimes it's like that.
AM: Yeah.
KC: And it doesn't even just have to be romantic relationships. It could be the bad Tinder date that I went on. It could be the relationship that I have with myself, which I think is the most important relationship, sometimes even more important than a romantic relationship. But it could also be like I'm having a co-worker dispute or, you know, I'm having difficulty talking to my parents about coming out or anything and I like to bring on guests who can relate to the topic and, you know, we have celebrities, we have influencers, we have experts, you don't have to come on and like, spill your tea, but if you have something that relates to the topic – you’re more than welcome to share.
AM: I love that.
KC: Yeah. So it's a really nice little corner of my universe that I treasure.
AM: That is amazing!
Now I know you love reality shows, because I enjoy reading your posts when you're watching Love is Blind. Love is Blind is so good and I cannot wait for the last episodes.
KC: Exactly.
AM: And I think I'm going to start watching Love is Blind Habibi because I've heard so many things about it.
KC: Yeah I started that too!
AM: Yeah, I mean I have seen a number of the other global editions. Another fave is The Anonymous which just completed its first season.
KC: What is that?
AM: So The Anonymous is created by Studio Lambert which also does The Traitors, The Circle, Squid Game: The Challenge and Undercover Boss! It’s a social competition and when you’re watching it you can see elements from those shows in this. But basically people are all competing for something and then they go Anonymous and talk shit about someone, basically to get the person out. A lot of the competitors come from Survivor and other shows and they even have Andy King from Fyre Festival, but it’s on USA so you can see it on Peacock as well.
KC: Oh, okay. I’m going to have to watch The Anonymous!
AM: What reality shows are you watching?
KC: Love is Blind is everything and I highly recommend Love is Blind UK also!
AM: Same!
KC: It was so good.
AM: So good!
KC: So good - love that one. Love – Love Is Blind Habibi. Obviously I’m watching that. I love The Golden Bachelor.
AM: Yes!
KC: It's so good.
AM: In the best way possible in that the contestants in the house are just besties!
KC: They’re lika a little community. They are so loving and so sweet. Yeah. Just like, you know, they just are older and like don't care about the nonsense. So I love that. I did not watch this season of Love Island USA but I have been an avid Love Island UK watcher. I binged 6 seasons during the pandemic.
AM: Nice.
KC: I started thinking with an UK accent as it was so deeply ingrained in me. So, I love Love Island in general. I also love RuPaul’s Drag Race. Honestly, I don't think there's a reality show, that I haven't, at least tried once!
And obviously, the shows that I'm on, I love those too!
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 40 - 45 Courtesy Kamie Crawford's IG | PG 46 MTV/Are You The One | PG 48 Joey Andrew |
Read the OCT ISSUE #106 of Athleisure Mag and see THE REALITY OF SELF-CARE | Kamie Crawford in mag.
After coming off of a full summer which is filled with food, events, and friends, the Fall continues our ability to enjoy staying outside and thankfully with Football season, it gives us a lot of reasons to enjoy games in the stadium, tailgating outside of it, and even having events in our homes. We caught up with actor Taye Diggs (How Stella Got Her Groove Back, The Best Man franchise, All-American) to talk about what he loves about football season, how he enjoys taking in this season's games, his partnership with Lysol and upcoming projects that we'll want to keep an eye out for!
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to be an actor?
TAYE DIGGS: When I saw my mother on stage, she went from being my mother into this other person that I didn't know in front of all these people watching her. I was so taken aback and impressed, scared, curious. That was all it took.
AM: We're in the midst of football season - from watching game day with friends whether that’s at the game or elsewhere, tailgating, and just having good vibes. What do you love about football season?
TD: I like going over to a pal's house and watching the game and eating various sundry snacks. I like it a lot better now because I don't have to worry about germs as much because I use Lysol® Air Sanitizer. I used to be one of those people that would just glare at people that used to cough - people don't like to be around that. So I don't have to worry as much and I can enjoy the game and the company without worrying about getting sick. I don't like getting colds and it's that simple.
AM: What are your go-to watch party must-haves when you're watching the game and who are you cheering for?
TD: No specific team, I’m with my son and we like players. That's what the young people are into these days, I don't know that I agree with it, but it's not worth the argument with my son. So when we watch the players, I make sure that the fridge is stocked and that nobody gets too out of hand. I don't like when fights break out. So people know not to bring that mess into my house.
Lysol Air Sanitizer is another must-have for me during watch parties. It actually sanitizes the air - so I use it before people come over to get my space ready and after they leave to sanitize after all that cheering!
AM: You partnered with Lysol Air Sanitizer - why did you want to work with them and how important is it to have whether at a watch party or the stadium?
TD: Football season is one of my favorite times of year, especially hosting game-day watch parties at-home. But I learned through my partnership with Lysol that cheering for your team can result in viruses and bacteria expelled in the air – shouting can produce up to 100,000 droplets per minute (Source)! That’s why Lysol Air Sanitizer is my game day must-have. It kills 99.9% of airborne viruses and bacteria† to eliminate odors in the air*, so you can protect your home while cheering on your favorite team all season long!
AM: In All American, you played coach Billy Baker, a high school football coach. What did you love about playing this role and how did you look at football after doing this?
TD: I thought I knew a little bit about football before that role and realized that I knew nothing about football. I gained a ridiculous amount of respect for professional athletes because we were exposed to so many and the intelligence that these athletes have that people assume they don't. Which is really, really cool. Getting to understand something that you thought you knew. Being able to yell at all these young people, that's a situation where pretending was really, really fun because that is so far from who I am as a person. Which is one of the reasons why I took the role and it was so much fun because in this career, a lot of times you play characters that are kind of close to you and this one wasn't, and I really had a great time.
AM: You're always working on a number of amazing projects. The first film I remember seeing you in was How Stella Got Her Groove Back and I know that you are working on another project from Terry McMillan, Forever on Lifetime. What do you love about her work? Tell me about Forever.
TD: They're great stories and that's where all of this begins. If you don't have this story, for me, you don't have anything. That's where my interest begins. I've had experiences with her, so it was a no brainer. What was interesting about this film was I got to kind of chronicle how far I've come from How Stella Got Her Groove Back and that was kind of cool. I'm a different actor, the way I approach a role, all of that was different, and I noticed it. So that was cool.
AM: Do you have any other upcoming projects that you would like to share that we should keep an eye out for?
TD: I'm a judge on this new show coming out called Second Chance Stage where it gives performers that had a dream and put their dream by the wayside another chance to pursue this dream. It's very eye opening, it's very emotional. These folks are terribly talented and we were put in the positions to give them more opportunities and it was kind of life altering.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 32 Joey Andrew | PG 34 Second Chance Stage/Magnolia Network | PG 36 - 38/Taye Diggs Social
Read the OCT ISSUE #106 of Athleisure Mag and see FOOTBALL + FILM | Taye Diggs in mag.
Whether you have enjoyed seeing her on New Girl, Elf, or even the Trolls franchise, Zooey Deschanel is one of our faves who always has such a light hearted nature about her and a great sense of style. Earlier this year, she partnered with Vera Bradley to become the fave of their campaigns. We took a moment to talk with her about her love of vintage style, pieces she's drawn to, what she loves about the Holiday Season, and what she has coming up that we can't wait to see!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Earlier this year, it was announced that you had partnered with Vera Bradley which is amazing. I grew up with the brand. I’m originally from Indiana which is where this is based and of course, I’m in NY now, so it’s cool to see how much the brand has evolved since I first connecting it with so many years ago.
What do you love about this brand, why did you want to partner with them and what are 3 bags from the Holiday collection that you are excited about?
ZOOEY DESCHANEL: I love this brand going back to the quilted bags which they still have! There’s so many beautiful patterns and I have always liked that kind of vibe. But now they have so much variety! They have bags for basically every aspect of your day, your week, and your month!
So I really wanted to partner with them because they were doing a big rebrand and kind of bringing an aspect into their catalog that was a little bit more high end and kind of fancier and a little more fashion forward so I kind of liked the idea that they were expanding their repertoire. Their design team is fantastic and I’m excited to show everybody what’s on offer.
I actually have a bunch of bags here that I can show you!
This is one of my favorite bags!
AM: That’s pretty cute!
ZD: This is the Heritage Bear Crossbody in Goji Berry Red Leather! I just really connect with this for obvious reasons!
Another bag that I really like is this velvet bag which is for holiday, the Astoria Shoulder Bag in Sea Moss Velvet. These are all holiday and it has a very beautiful chain and it’s big so you can fit a lot of stuff. It’s also great for evening and I think it can go great for daytime as well.
This is very me, it’s a mini tote bag – Mini Hathaway Tote in Bossanova Bold Sequin Leather. It’s a great size, it’s not too big and you can fit a lot of things in there. These straps are called friendship straps I think.
AM: Oh that’s cute!
ZD: You can make it a crossbody if you want. It’s a tote and you can take off the straps and can make it to your liking. One of the things that I like most about Vera Bradley is that almost all of the bags have a lot of compartments that are very practical.
One thing that was funny was that I was in kind of like a few years ago, I was in a fancy bag store. I noticed that none of the bags had compartments! None of them had zippers and I was so shocked about it! They were like, “oh, it’s really expensive to put those things in.” This shocked me because these bags were really expensive! They retail for more than a Vera Bradley bag and their bags have all kinds of zippers.
I mean, not every single one has it but, let’s say a more practical bag like a travel one that they have – it has tons of places where you can put all kinds of things so that you can stay organized. I mean, I’m a mom, we have to be organized!
AM: 100%
You did a photoshoot with your stylist, Ib Nasser where you combined Miu Miu and vintage pieces in it along with the brand. Tell us more about this.
ZD: Actually my stylist, who is right here – we both have a passion for vintage clothes that are very – fashion history is a passion of mine. I have always collected vintage. So that was definitely going to be part of it because it’s like the things that we buy has to fit into our aesthetic and all of the things that we have collected. It’s really a nice way to express your style and also, we kind of – a lot of the things that we buy, we also tailor a lot and reimagine as well.
AM: Which is really smart as fit is everything!
What do you love about the holiday season? I loved you in Elf, I loved that movie which is such a great one to watch during the holidays. So what do you love about it?
ZD: You know, Christmas, Thanksgiving, the holidays in general – the season! It’s always been one of my favorite times of year since I was a little kid. I kind of like when it gets colder and I love decorating a house for Christmas. I love spending time with my family most of all of course, Nothing beats a Christmas morning for me. I love it so much.
I like watching old movies. Last year we watched Meet Me in St. Louis on Christmas and I just love Christmas carols! I love the whole holiday vibe.
AM: Around now is when I start thinking about shopping for the holidays so that I’m not pushed to the last minute to do it. How do you tackle that as it is a whole project in and of itself!
ZD: It is really hard! I love to give gifts and it kind of makes it more stressful for me. I think that I care too much sometimes about it! I want to make sure that people really like what I get them. So sometimes, I will be late in giving gifts because it will take me forever to find the perfect gift. It is really helpful if I know of a place that has really cool stuff. You know, one stop shopping! That’s actually and not to bring it back to Vera Bradley, but it’s one of the things that I like as they have travel things, they have stocking stuffers, suitcases, they have all of the beautiful evening bags, they have everyday bags, and it’s a lot in one place! That’s a key thing for me! Some years, I will be in a mode where I will do work gifts. It’s one thing that I know that everyone will like. But if you can order a lot of stuff from one site, or go to one store – that is always great!
AM: You have to save time!
ZD: Exactly, you have to save time!
AM: I’m sure that you’re always hosting friends and family during the holiday season. Do you have go-to items that you like to have such as certain types of snacks or drinks just so that it makes things easy especially for impromptu celebrations that take place?
ZD: Yeah, I always have a lot of snacks on hand at my house. I always have a ton of crackers and nuts in my pantry. But if I am having people over, I usually do a nice cheese plate because that is always great. Cookies are always popular and then sometimes I like to have a bit of food delivery. So there are places that will have cheese plates delivered and that’s pretty nice!
AM: It’s nice homey ta-da touch delivered!
ZD: Of course! You can always think about having these in your freezer – there are bakeries that make the unbaked cookies or even in the grocery store. You can keep them in the freezer and then when you want them, you can just bake them and then you have fresh cookies when people come. I had some croissants like that that were from a bakery – they were raw and then you just put them right in the oven! And then people are like, “oh my God, did you bake this?”
AM: It’s like – um yeah!
ZD: I mean, I did bake it! But I did none of the other work though!
AM: Exactly!
Are there any upcoming projects coming up that you have that we can share with our readers?
ZD: I have a movie coming out next year! I’m not sure what it’s called, it had a working title Merv – I’m not sure if that will be the final title. It’s for Amazon, it’s a rom-com. It’s such a cute movie, I’m really excited about it and I think that that will be really good. That’s with Charlie Cox and it will come out end of next year.
PHOTOS COURTESY | Vera Bradley
Read the OCT ISSUE #106 of Athleisure Mag and read VINTAGE STYLE HOLIDAY | Zoey Deschanel in mag.
This month, Athleisure Mag also hit New York Comic Con which took place Oct 17th - 20th. We enjoyed navigating the booths and experiences at the Javits Center, hearing about new series and movies that we can't wait to attend those press junkets that will begin over the next few months!
In addition to navigating the show floor, costumes, and large exhibits, we also sat in on a panel of Apple TV+'s Shrinking. To hear the cast share that the show has been greenlit for a 3rd season, to share a few minutes from an upcoming episode, and to just listen to them chat about this incredible show was a lot fun to listen to.
Other panels of interest included HBO's The Penguin, HBO's Dune Prophecy, STARZ's Outlander, and Prime Video's Cross. It was just as much fun to watch enthusiasts of the shows as they listened to the cast share their experiences and thoughts, how they truly enjoy being able to get to know more about these programs and to meet those that are involved.
We're defintiely looking forward to next year as it's a great opportunity to enjoy programs that have an avid and engaged fan base as well as to check in with some of the best prestige TV shows! For those planning ahead, mark your calendars for Oct 9-12th in 2025!
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 186 + 190 Kimmie Smith | PG 188 The Penguin Panel + PG 192 Outlander Panel Craig Barritt/Getty Images for ReedPop |
Read the OCT ISSUE #106 og Athleisure Mag and see New York Comic Con 2024 in mag.
Read the OCT ISSUE #106 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST MULTI | Derek Hough in mag.
Read the OCT ISSUE #106 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST MULTI | Taye Diggs in mag.
PHOTO CREDIT | Walmart/Tina Rowden
This time of year is an exciting one as we begin to close one and look ahead to the next one. While we maintain our normal schedules, we also infuse it with the Holiday season - it’s great to share with friends and family, exchange gifts, increase celebratory moments, and so much more! We all know that they are key dates coming up that are focused on the exchange of gifts as well as obtaining them at various points. We took a moment to chat with Walton Goggins (Preadators, The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained) to find out about why he partnered with Walmart for the holiday season, what he loves about this time of year, and upcoming projects that he is involved in!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Obviously, we're going to talk about your amazing partnership with Walmart and what's going on with that. But we have a few questions to ask you because our readers are so excited that we're able to chat with you.
WALTON GOGGINS: Okay, okay, alright, fantastic!
AM: We've been a fan of yours since - you have too many things to name - Justified, Righteous Gemstones, George and Tammy, and the list can go on in film as well as in TV. We find you to be such an amazing actor who plays immersive and diverse characters. When did you realize that you wanted to be an actor?
WG: What a great question! I don't think that there was like a bolt of lightning that happened. I think it happened over the course of a very long period of time. I was raised mostly by women and a lot of interesting characters were around in my childhood and all of them just happened to be really interesting great storytellers.
AM: Right.
WG: So I'm listening to a lot of stories and then once I was given the microphone to start telling my own stories, you know, I had a natural kind of built-in audience that just kept saying, “no, no, keep keep talking Walt.” So, you kind of have that encouragement, you know, right out of the gate. It's hard to kind of do anything else. I genuinely just wanted to see the world. That was the main thing. Then it just - one life kind of dovetailed into the other and the opportunity that to see the world, and to be able to be a storyteller was just something that fit. You know, how do any of us really go about things? What are the decisions that any of us make that lead us on the road that we're going to be on for the rest of our lives? You know, is it fate or is it an accident?
AM: Mmm.
WG: What is it? That I don't know. But I'm so grateful for my life And grateful for the opportunities that I've had to tell the stories that I have!
AM: Absolutely!
PHOTO CREDIT | Walmart/Tina Rowden
WG: Including Walmart Black Friday Deals!
AM: Exactly! Without a doubt!
Why did you want to be connected in to this amazing project and tell us more about it.
WG: Well, first and foremost, Walmart is a part of American culture. It’s not the whole culture, but it's certainly part of American culture. It is a corporation that has been in all of our lives for such a very long time! And where I come from on Fairburn Road, a lot of my friends as we got older, we started to work there and I had the good fortune - I'll tell you a little bit about my history with this company.
AM: Please.
WG: I was a poor kid from the South and I made really good grades and I had the opportunity to go to school. But we didn't have a lot of money and we had to get the pay the rent. I got a small Scholastic Scholarship, you know. But in addition to that, there was a gap of funding that we just couldn't make that square around that square if you will and my mom, you know through our friends or whatever, heard that Walmart, had a grant.
AM: Oh wow.
WG: It was a sizeable amount of money and when I went you know in 1988 or 1989. I’m dating myself, don’t tell anybody!
AM: Ha! That's okay!
WG: My mom encouraged me to write this essay, you know, to the Walmart. That's how it works and that’s what I did - and I won!
AM: Wow.
WG: The money that I, I desperately needed, you know, my first year in college and in addition to that incredible opportunity, this company gave me - they also printed an 8x10 picture of me. I don't know what it was. I think it was a headshot. It was my first headshot, I think that's what it was. They put it up in their store, you know, for the better part of 6 months. People would call me because you know we didn’t have cell phones then, but they would leave these stupid messages on my answering machine, “saw your picture in Walmart, Walton. Are you part of the Walton family?"
So anyway, that was that's kind of my history with this company. This opportunity kind of came along and they sent this script and I thought, “wow, what a what an interesting way. Two sell things, right?” You know, it's a hybrid between entertainment and doing what we're gonna do anyway, which is to find things for our loved ones at the holidays. Black Friday deals have been around for a long time. They played an important role in my family's ability to buy things for Christmas and it does for a lot of people in this country and all over the world and I thought, what a cool thing to be a part of. I'm so happy that I did it. There's all these wonderful actors that I work with like Ian Somerhalder. There are others like Lisa Rinna, Taye Diggs who I've known for a while, Anthony Ramos and it’s great folks and it's 10 stories. These stories are vignettes if you will. There’s a supernatural genre, action genre, mine is a Western genre!
AM: Shocker!
WG: But you know what? I've done action!
AM: Of course!
WG: I have done a lot of genres in my time, but this is one that they saw me in and invited me to kind of come along this journey. We had such a great time filming it. You know, it was just so much fun and they’re such a great company to work for and work with. So, when I think people will watch them and they'll see the things that they want to buy and some things featured in a way that makes them laugh. It brings a smile to their face and so it’s a great way to go about it!
AM: Well, do you know when your episode will drop, do they all drop at one time? Like what's kind of the flow?
WG: Well you know, there are ten. I’m not exactly sure when they all drop. I know mine will drop towards the end of November which is, which is kind of very, very exciting because it's getting close to Dec. I think more will be revealed as it goes on. The first one drops on Nov. 11th-17th. I think that’s the first block and they'll kind of rolled out from there.
AM: Wow it’ll be great to see them!
What do you love about the holiday season?
WG: Oh God. You know, I just did this article, I won't say for the publication, but it’s about the holiday season. It's really kind of a Thanksgiving more than a Christmas article. I just love the opportunity to commune with family and friends. You know, we all have our rituals right? We all have the things that things that we do but the thing that I do that I've been given the opportunity to do is I don't really watch a lot of sports. I’m not that guy even though I played a bunch of sports growing up.
I make a fire and I and I sit around that fire with my family and with my friends and I have a glass of wine and I listen to music. And I just commune. What better thing is there than that and to tell people that mean something to you how much you love them?
AM: That's really nice and very sweet!
You're always working on so many projects. I can't wait till White Lotus comes out and I know that you have a bunch of other stuff as well. Is there anything that you would like to share with us, that you're working on that we can keep an eye out for?
WG: Well, you know, I think you said it, you know, I got a bunch of things that are coming out. I have a few movies that are coming out. My wife has a movie that she wrote and directed called The Uninvited, which is dropping pretty soon.
Then there is The White Lotus and we just finished the new season of the Righteous Gemstones!
AM: So excited for that!
WG: So good. It's so good.
AM: Everytime I watch that show, I grew up in the Midwest with an Evangelical and Pentecostal background and there's just so many things that happen on that show and my boyfriend will ask, “Is that real?” and I'm like, “yes!”
WG: Oh yeah! That’s real and that one is real too!
We're going back to Fallout here pretty soon. And then, kind of beyond that, reading and waiting and seeing what the future brings live everybody else! But right now, Walmart!
PHOTO CREDIT | Walmart/Tina Rowden
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelorette/Gilles Mingasson
PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth
How is it the finale of The Golden Bachelorette? We see some of The Golden Bachelor contestants in the audience and Grant, who will start his journey as The Bachelor is in the audience! Jesse Palmer is definitely bringing the energy as he’s with the live audience.
We know that Joan Vassos was sad when Pascal left. She shares how even though she has been vulnerable, her walls have come back up because she is so hurt by what happened - how could he not love her? What will this mean for the remaining men Guy and Chock? Nancy is still on the boat and she comes over to give love to Joan. She also gives her the words she needs to hear to continue on and lets her know that regardless of what happens, the remaining men are there for her and have shown her that - especially Chock when he came back after his mother died! She is the hype woman that we all need when things go left!
She finally gets to see her family and they have a moment and give their blessing to what she has been doing in this process. Chock gets to meet them first! The family thinks he’s a great fit and they also get to chat and hang out on their own. Chock tells her that he loves her and is a bit sad she doesn’t say it back although he understands as there is still another man there.
While Guy gets ready for his date, Joan comes to the realization that after hearing Chock say that he is in love with her, she has fallen for him. She makes her way to Guy as she knows that she can’t go on a date with him as her heart is elsewhere. She sits down to chat with him. She lets him know that instead of putting him through meeting her family and going through the motion, she wanted to tell him now. You can see how Guy is really sad and crying hearing this news.
Back in the studio, Guy is on the couch.Guy and Jesse chat about what it was like to watch it back. Then Joan chats with Guy and you can see how much that she cares for him. She hopes that can double date with one another.
With only Chock left, we see Joan get ready to meet him. He’s still nervous that she hasn’t said that she loves him; however, they are on the beach and he professes his love to her and tells her that he wants her in his life! She talks about their Disneyland date let her know that she wanted him in her life. She knew that when he left because of the death of his mother, that she really liked him and she felt safe. She was excited that he came back adn she saw him differently and she finally says that she loves him. He asks her to marry him, she says yes, and she gives him the final rose! They call Joan’s mom and tell her the good news. We see them float away and it looks like a great match.
Back on the couch, they share more about their love story and what they did after the show. Chock talks about spending time with her, but not being able to tell anyone about it. Jesse gives them a trip to Disneyland that they can enjoy with their families as that was something that they had mentioned when they were on their first date. Jesse also reminds us that The Bachelor will start on Jan 23rd and we have a preview of the upcoming season!
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!
Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.
We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelorette/Gilles Mingasson
PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth
Last week’s The Golden Bachelorette was a tough one! 3 dates with the remaining guys after their Hometowns and Joan Vassos has to really get the answers and insight that she was looking for! Who knew that Pascale would leave as he was always our favorite! Only Guy and Chock are left and we’ll have to waut until next week to see them. As we wait for the part 2 of this finale, we head into the The Men Tell All! This lets us catch up with our favorites and to get more info on what went down during the season.
We join Jesse Palmer who will make sure that we get all of our questions ready and surely, he will tease the upcoming episode as well. Seeing the men back definitely felt like seeing old friends. Jesse lets us know that they have also their kids there as we all loved seeing the videos that were made to share their love for their dads. Jesse talks about their experience, kickball, Chippendales, and so much more! We also got to hear about grill gate and it’s such a nice walk down memory lane. We also hear that Michael was battling cancer when he was on the show. He is fine now, but so interesting to hear some of the backstory that we didn’t know about these men.
The first person to join the hot seat is Jonathan who was eliminated after Joan went to his Hometown. We get to see his experience on the show and we see how emotional he was when he was sent home. He shares that the experience was incredible and she made him feel seen. We also saw the bromance between Mark and Jonathan! Who knew that they were such buddies - Mark leaving the post-it-notes for Jonathan is so sweet!
Mark joins the hot seat as we know him from Joey’s (who is in the audience and taking a break from Dancing with the Stars) season on The Bachelor and we all knew he would be a great contestant for The Golden Bachelorette! We watch how his story unfolds on the show and without a doubt, he was great to be part of this group of men!
The moment we have been waiting for - Charles L is in the hot seat! Who doesn’t love this man? Seeing his journey was such a sweet moment. He even says that he didn’t know who Jesse was at the time and not to take an offense to it! His daughter says that after being on the show, they went to a wedding in London and he had a new confidence and he hit the dance floor! He said he is ready to date again and that his body is lighter and he hopes that he will meet the lucky one. An audience member said that he should be the next The Golden Bachelor and if not, she has a mom who is single.
We see that Pascal gave the men a self-care day with a bit of meditation. They have face masks and even did a meditation that he learned in India. The men enjoyed it.Of course we learn that he didn’t know anything about meditation!
We get to see Kim’s time on the show - including the Mansion Men song. The Gay Men’s Chorus of LA sing Kim’s song the treatment that it deserves and it was a pretty cool way to see the show! You can see how moved Kim is to see his song come to life and he shakes each member of the chorus’ hand.
Pascal comes to the hot seat as we watch how his time on the show progressed until his self-proclaimed exit. We definitely thought that they would end up together, but unfortunately, that was not in the cards. Pascal lets Jesse know that seeing his exit from the show was emotional and that it was so hard for him to say goodbye to her. He did not intend to hurt her, he just knows that he couldn’t give her what she wanted. He said that being with the men, he learned a lot for them about being vulnerable. His son also acknowledges that when he saw him being vulnerable, it helped him see that that is something that he can be without feeling that it makes him less than.
Joan joins the men and looks fabulous! Jesse acknowledges that we saw her last week and we know that she has been going through it, but she looks great sitting on the couch. He talks about the first night and what her experience has been. Gary sends love to Joan’s mother as he wrote a prayer for her when she wasn’t feeling well. Charles says he misses her and that being with her was a turning point. She lets him know that he looks so handsome and that he has such a pure heart. She promises to exchange phone numbers with him. Jonathan also sends love to her and lets her know that has met someone and that he is happy. Pascal and Joan exchange words and you can see the love that is between them. She lets them know that she misses them and she wants to stay friends and in connection with them.
It’s been one of our favorite The Men Tell All episodes! We get to see some amazing bloopers and a peek into the finale episode!
JOAN DIDN’T GIVE ROSES OUT THIS DURING FINALE PART I | Chock, Guy
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!
Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.
We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Golden Bachelorette/Gilles Mingasson
PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth
This week’s The Golden Bachelorette bring us the first portion of the Finale! With the cold opening, we can tell that something has taken place that has shaken Joan Vassos. Until then, we see her in the airport in LA making her way to Tahiti to be with the remaining men. She has Guy, Pascal, and Chock and while she sails a cruiseliner, she’s excited that her fellow The Golden Bachelor contestant, Nancy is there with her. They catch up as they talk about her experience so far.
We know that Guy told her that he was falling in love with her and she wonders if he is ahead of her in terms of the feelings that he has. She likes Pascal, but she knows that he is guarded, but he lives big just like her husband. Then she knows that Chock is amazing; however, she wonders if he is too good to be true!
Nancy and Joan talk about the importance of Fantasy Suites and that being off camera allows her to have those deep conversations that she is looking for. Nancy listens to her and she also boosts her feelings to let her know that she is where she needs to be. She lets her know that she will stay with her this week as she navigates these next few days while she makes her decisions.
Her first takes place in Moorea with Guy. We see him getting ready for his date and we know that he is excited to meet with her and the fact that he will get to spend all this time with her. He believes he is falling in love with her and he can see a future with her as well.
She can see a future with him and she acknowledges that they are not in the same place in this relationship. So she is looking forward to getting where he is and wants to keep an open mind about him. She talks about their Hometowns and how she enjoyed meeting his family. They enjoyed lounging on a boat and diving underwater.
As they get closer, we see Chock and Jesse Palmer chatting about what the experience has been like thus far. He acknowledges that Guy and Paslcal bring a lot to the table, but he is willing to put his best foot forward and to give it everything that he has.
The evening portion of the date begins and she lets them know that they made good memories together. She lets him know that the overnight of the Fantasy Suites will be about being off-camera and talking. But it will not be about being physical and that she doesn’t want to do that with 3 people and wants to do that with her final person. He lets her know that she respects that and isn’t surprised that that was what she wants to do.
We see Guy leaving his overnight and stating that he had intimacy on an emotional level and he was able to say and got what he needed from the experience! He feels great about where things are between them.
Chock is making his way to Joan for their date. He is excited as he told her he was falling in love with her at his Hometowns in Witchita. Their date is on an HTV as they driving fast throughout the greenery around them. She trusted him and felt safe with him. They had a great dinner and they went to the Fantasy Suites. Chock lets us know he had a great time, it was everything he wanted, and that if Joan wanted to say what went down, she could, but he was just going to keep it to himself.
Jesse and Pascal sit down and chat and they talk about the conversation he had with Joan in Chicago during his Hometowns about opening up to people. He tells Jesse about a previous relationship that he has been involved with where he was in love, but that they couldn’t go forward. He wants to work on bringing his walls down and wants to open up with Joan.
Their date begins and they enjoy a buffet of foods and they are enjoying this. He is excited to have an easy day and then to be able to have serious conversations later. Pascal enjoyed the beginning of the date and they head into the next part, the bonding ceremony which is a traditional one that takes place in Tahiti. They both have to be vulnerable when you are talking about things. Although he thought the ceremony was beautiful, he was surprised about the seriousness of it as he was looking for something light. She feels that the experience has been great for both of them. He feels that he was not ready for this part of the date and he feels scared and he wasn’t ready for all of that.
While they sit down to dinner, Pascal asks the things that he has been thinking about - why she likes him, letting her know about his previous relationship, and he shares that the date scared him and he doesn’t want to hurt her. He doesn’t think that he can get to the place that she needs him to be. He tells her that he knows what love is and that he cares about her as a friend, but he is not in love and he can’t be there. He lets her know that no matter how much fun they have and the care he has for her - the spark is not there. She lets him know that she wishes he was ready and available, but she realizes that this is where they are. He knew that she was hurting and he felt awful that he did this to her. We’re sad to see Pascal go, but there is something to be said about people being honest in where they are at.
Next week, we have the Men Tell All and the week after, we have the second part of the Finale.
JOAN DIDN’T GIVE ROSES OUT THIS WEEK | Chock, Guy
GUYS WHO LEFT THIS WEEK | Pascal
Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!
Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.
We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
