THE POWER OF SMOOTH | LYDIA JACOBY

The road to the Olympics is one that is filled with an array of timelines and schedules that become hectic as well as important as athletes from around the world qualify to head to the Summer Games! Paris 2024 is only a few weeks away and we had the pleasure to sit down right before the 100 Days of the Games. We were excited to sit down and chat with 2 X Team USA Olympic Swimmer Lydia Jacoby (1G, 1B)! This Alaskan native was the first swimmer from her state to qualify for the Olympics for Tokyo 2020 and she came back from those Games with a Gold medal in the 100-Meter-Breaststroke with a time of 1:04:95 which was the fastest time ever achieved by a female American swimmer in the 17-18 age group. She also received a Silver medal for the 4X100 Medley as well! We wanted to find out how she came to the sport, swimming for the University of Texas at Austin, how she prepares for her meets, her partnership with Gillette Venus, what the weeks ahead look like for getting to the Olympics, and living that mermaid dream!

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you fell in love with swimming?

LYDIA JACOBY: I think at a really young age, I grew up in a maritime community. So I was always around the water growing up and it was very natural for me.

AM: What drew you to the breaststroke? What do you love about swimming this?

LJ: It’s funny! I always say that you don’t choose the sport, the sport chooses you!

AM: Right!

LJ: Yeah, and that’s the same for strokes as well. I was always a breaststroker it just came to me! Even when I was little and on the floor playing with my dolls, I would be in that position. So it just came to me naturally.

AM: When did you realize that you wanted to swim competitively?

LJ: I’d say that I started seeing some success when I was 12 when I broke my first state record and that’s when I kind of realized that I was pretty good at this and it was time to make this happen.

AM: Oh wow!

Being an Olympian, that is a major feat! You were the first Alaskan to qualify for the Olympic Games as a Swimmer. What did it mean to you to be able to go to the Summer Games in Tokyo?

LJ: I mean, it meant the world to me to be able to be there and to represent for my state as well as the community – all of the people that supported me. I mean, literally since I was 4, my whole life they have been there, so it really meant so much for me to be able to be there for them!

AM: What did you enjoy the most about competing in the Summer Games in 2020 – obviously, winning your medals was a great experience! But what did you enjoy most?

LJ: Just the experience and the people! I feel like I truly made some lifelong friends when I was there especially because we couldn’t have our families there then. The people I met there, were like my family during the games when I was there. It was really special connections!

AM: You also swim for the University of Texas at Austin which is phenomenal as in 2023, you were the NCAA Championships for the 100 yd Breaststroke where you won Gold and in the 4X100 yd Medley you took Bronze. What have you been enjoying about swimming with your collegiate team?

LJ: It’s very different than home growing up in Alaska. I mean, I have so many people on the team right now that have similar goals to what I am chasing. It’s just a really positive environment for me to train in.

AM: What is an average day like hanging out with you in terms of working out or training to optimize yourself in the sport?

LJ: In Austin? Ooo, it changes every day! My schedule is crazy! I’d say that in an average week, I would wake up around 5:50am, go to morning practice, come back, eat some breakfast, try to fit a nap in, get good food, go to class, get in some homework, answer emails, lots of trips to coffee shops as they have some great ones in Austin, practice in the afternoon, - and then it just takes me a long time to unwind before I go to bed. So I take a long shower, get a shave in and then get to bed early so I can do it all again the next day!

AM: That is quite the schedule!

Right now we’re just about at the 100th day mark in terms of Paris 2024. It’s hard to believe that and yet, here we are! What do the next few weeks look like in terms of qualifying and all of the different things that are going on before you get to the Summer Games?

LJ:  So we’re about 100 days out! Our Olympic Trials are mid to end of June. So we will find out literally a month before the Olympics. I’m just trying to do everything that I can to prepare and I have done everything that I can so that I can really lock in for the next couple of weeks.  

AM: Of course there are a lot things that we’re sure that you do to get prepped when it comes to swimming in the Olympics. Why did you want to partner with Gillette Venus and why is The Power of Smooth so important to you?

LJ: I feel like swimming is such an exposing sport! It’s so important to feel absolutely confident in your skin and to feel just really smooth and powerful. Ever since I was little, I always talked about how I wanted to be a mermaid! I probably thought that I was literally going to be a mermaid until I was a little too old to think that I was literally going to be a mermaid – but channeling that smooth skin and powerful feeling in the water, I feel like that is just about as close as I will get to being a mermaid with Gillette!

AM: Well we do have The Mermaid Parade that happens in Brooklyn!

LJ: Oh! Ok! Send me the dates!

AM: Yeah the 42nd Annual Mermaid Parade is on June 22nd in Coney Island. You’ll see plenty of mermaids then and it’s definitely an event that people get excited for!

LJ: I love it!

AM: What can we expect from you and Gillette Venus in this campaign?

LJ: I mean, we won’t know until we get there, but we have some big goals! At the end of the day, I feel like I have put a lot of pressure on myself over the last couple of years and I have just been trying to go into the Summer with a healthy mentality. I have already done this, I have nothing to prove. I want to allow myself to swim freely and put it out there!

AM: That’s amazing and a great perspective to have!

When you’re about to do a meet or competition, are there things that you have to do to prep yourself for that? Is there a certain kind of music that you’d like to have and what do you do to come down from all of that energy?

LJ: For sure! I mentioned before that it takes me awhile to unwind before bed and sleep before a meet is so important! So I really do like to take a long shower, do the girl everything shower – exfoliate, shave, wash my hair, deep condition, and just to feel really good! I’m definitely a proponent for look good, feel good!

AM: Absolutely!

LJ: I’ll do makeup before I go out to the pool. I just want to feel completely confident in my skin. I feel that that is a huge part of my routine. I love good food as well. But music, I mean it’s so much different stuff and it changes all of the time.

AM: Outside of the sport, you do so many different things. You are so talented in music, you model, what are some upcoming projects – obviously in addition to cheering you on at the Games that we can expect to see from you?

LJ: It’s been so busy and I have had so much going on – I mean there’s Olympics and I’m hoping that there will be fun stuff that is taking place after the Games! I have so many amazing sponsors like Procter & Gamble and Venus and some others so just keep an eye out for those from me!

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LOVE IS THE GAME | MATT BARNES + ANANSA SIMS

Relationships and their dynamics can be difficult, but they are also fruitful as well! We sat down with veteran NBA Champion Matt Barnes (All The Smoke, (R)Evolution, JUN ISSUE #54 in 2020 cover) and his fiancé, top model Anansa Sims to talk about their Reality TV show that dropped this month on WE TV, The Barnes Bunch which focuses on their relationship, their busy lives, their family, and how they keep it all together!

We wanted to know more about why they wanted to do this series, how it came about, why they wanted to make sure that they were realistically sharing their lives, and what they have learned to do in the process. We talked about this and more as the keep it all together with their family and busy lives!

ATHLEISURE MAG: So, why did you guys want to share how you’re navigating a family, being a dynamic couple, and your busy schedules in this show?

ANANSA SIMS: For me, it was more so an opportunity that was given to us! I do a lot of sharing already on my Instagram. So, a good friend of mine Datari Turner (Day Shift, They Cloned Tyrone, The Burial) who is partners with Jamie Foxx (Ray, Miami Vice, The Amazing Spider-Man 2) who Matt is friends with said, “you know that your family is dope and this could be a show.” I’m like, really? I never thought about it because I just share to share because I love them so much. The more he started talking to me, I brought it to Matt and he was a little hesitant at first and over time you know, we built trust and decided that we had a good team around us, maybe we could make it into a positive thing and I think that it is more about trusting the people that you are working with. So we decided to go for it.

AM: That’s really interesting. We watched the first screener a bit ago. The vulnerability that is laid bare here and the amount of ground that you guys cover – couple’s therapy, talking about your journey together, your family, and your friends! What are some of the things that you are excited about that we get to see this season?

MATT BARNES: I think normalizing Black positivity in the reality space. Because you see that in the first episode, we are already arguing and we are in counseling and everything, but it’s real you know what I mean? I just think that there’s been such a negative portrayal of the Black community through Reality TV unfortunately. That was one thing that I know that we had both discussed and to just normalize that we are all not crazy and throwing drinks and fighting all the time! I mean, I might fight sometimes haha but not all the time.

AM: Right ha ha not all the time!

MB: But normalizing 1, positivity through the Black family and also normalizing blended Black families which in families in many ways is kind of the new norm. To be able to bring 3 kids from her previous marriage, 2 kids from my previous marriage, and creating a baby together – people out there are going through that. To be able to see us navigate that and for the world to see, not only again promotes positivity, but also realness and humanizes us and lets people know that you’re not alone out here on this journey. Whether you’re going to couples counseling, individual counseling, whether you’re trying to blend a family, trying to get pregnant, or you’re doing all of these things in your 40s like us – it's just about again promoting positivity and letting people know that they’re not out there on your own. Just hang in there!

AM: Anansa your mom, Beverly Johnson (Editors' Note: Beverly Johnson is a model, actress, singer, NY Times Best Selling Author, and entrepreneur who became the first Black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue in Aug 1974 after Donyale Luna was the first Black model to appear on British Vogue in 1966. In many ways her placement as the cover in this magazine created a change by 1975 where every major American fashion designer began using Black models.) is an icon and a trailblazer! Years ago I had the pleasure of accepting a fashion award in the same award ceremony where she was being honored for her legendary career!

AS: Oh, that is very nice!

AM: She is stunning, beautiful, and so poised! She also isn’t a stranger to Reality TV as I enjoyed Beverly’s Full House. So what were your thoughts when it came to you guys deciding to have her on the show and to be able to see her in an entirely different light which I love her! Then there’s also the fact that you have your children in this show as well! That’s a big decision to make!

AS: Well, my mom, you know we wanted the show to be real to our lives. My mom is a big fixture in our lives. She helps with the kids, she helps with Matt and I in our relationship as far as giving advice and just being around. She’s always just there and so for me, it’s a no-brainer to just have her to be part of it! I’m happy of course that she agreed to be on and she’s happy to support Matt and I in anything that we do – especially the kids! They top us now as they’re her favorites!

As far as the kids you know, Matt and the twins – Isaiah and Carter are already so visible on social media. The twins have their own podcast, The Barnes Boyz. Matt has been posting them since they were little kids so they are very visible. I also made my kids visible on my Instagram from when they were little so I think that having them on the show, we know what we instilled in them. So we weren’t as worried about it, we’re very hands on parents you know. We have a super open line of communication and we talk to the kids about everything so we check in with them to make sure that they are comfortable and good! None of our kids are shy! These are like 6 very outgoing children. So no one felt like, "oh my God, we don't want to do this.” No, it was the opposite! They wanted to know when we were filming, are they going to be on again, are they in the next scene, why did Matt and I have so much screen time haha! They’re telling the crew when we’re not around that they can do a cartwheel and that they can show them various things. So, they’re willing and ready and we’re super hands on so we don’t let anybody mess with our kids or our family! I feel like we know that we can hold it down and that they will be ok.

AM: What are the biggest takeaways that you guys learned in this experience? It’s a lot of weeks of filming and you talk about a lot of things in that time on and off camera!

MB: It’s a lot of weeks of filming, holy shit!

AS: I think that we filmed double than the normal shows because of our busy schedules! All 6 kids play 1 to 2 to 3 sports, Matt at times is traveling 3-4 days out of the week, and I’m running kids all around town. So, it was a lot and we filmed over a long period of time – we did, we really did!

Luckily, we had a really great crew that we were blessed to have people in our home so it wasn’t dreadful. But it was a long time.

MB: And I mean, you just learn again. We have both done this in the past! I was shoo 15 years ago and I don’t know how long ago that she did it –

AS: 13 years ago.

MB: It’s a lot of work! People think that shooting a show is easy and you’re just capturing what’s going on, but it’s a lot. It’s a lot and then when you’re bringing 6 kids into it – that’s just a lot of communication, a lot of bribing when it came to the kids, when they're not on camera, you're trying to keep them quiet when they are in other parts of the house. Again, I think that it was super important for Anansa and I to be on the same page which we were, but at the same time, you got to see a dynamic of a real couple. Shit isn’t always sweet! We argue like everyone else, we get along, we have bouts where we’re not talking, and then there are bouts where we’re all over each other. So us being on the same page to kind of set the tone for the crew, our kids, and the show in general.

AM: What are some upcoming projects that you guys are working on. Obviously All the Smoke always has something going on and it’s always exciting to the podcast and was just listening to the episode with Deion Sanders earlier today – so what are some things that you’re working on and then Anansa what can we keep an eye out for that you have going on?

MB: Well we’ve built a production company for All the Smoke so we now have All the Smoke Productions now so we have a list of people from Rachel Nichols (Headliners with Rachel Nichols, Hometown with Rachel Nichols, MAR ISSUE #51 in 2020 cover) from ESPN, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and DeMarcus Cousins, so we’re just kind of building a monster over here and through that, we’re not only in sports, but we’re crossing over to different genres and opportunities.

And also, with this show, one of the things that I really wanted to be able to do is to brand our kids. We love our kids and we think that they’re all unique in their own ways and they’re all funny and crazy in their own little ways. So to be able to kind of get them out there a little bit more and to see what opportunities can come from that.

AS: For me, my fulltime job right now is the kids and supporting Matt. You never know, tables can turn in a couple of years when they’re older and Matt will be supporting me in whatever I’m doing. Right now, that is a lot! David and Dean both play baseball, basketball, and football season is about to start. Ava plays basketball and she is running track, and Ashton plays basketball. Of course you know that the twins play basketball and they are in high school so they have AAU tournaments and Matt’s traveling all around the country with them for these tournaments so it’s a lot to navigate on top of them wanting to be A/B students. I spend most of my time yelling and checking homework, rushing to different practices and games from literally 8am to sometimes 7pm on a Saturday and of course, there’s another practice on a Sunday. Those are my projects right now, so making 6 amazing humans that are good people and that can be successful when they go out there in life and when they step outside of our doors, they know what they are doing and they have a good head on their shoulders. They can be successful in life in their own right.

IG @matt_barnes9

@anansasims

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | PG 28 - 32 WE TV/The Barnes Bunch | PG 35 All the Smoke/Paramount Plus |

Read the APR ISSUE #100 of Athleisure Mag and see LOVE IS THE GAME | Matt Barnes + Anansa Sims in mag.

THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE S1. E0. | WE HAVE OUR FIRST GOLDEN BACHELORETTE

PHOTO CREDIT | ABC The Golden Bachelorette

We’re in the midst of the Upfronts which provides insight into the upcoming season and in addition to a number of shows that ABC shared with us, we were excited to hear about what is going on in Bachelor Nation! As we wait for The Bachelorette’s season with Jenn Tran to start on Jul 8th, we finally got to see who was chosen as the first The Golden Bachelorette! Joan Vassos will kick off the latest of this franchise which will premiere this fall.

For those that need a refresher, Joan had developed quite a connection with Gerry Turner during his season of The Golden Bachelor and many felt that she would give Theresa Nist quite a run! But then she chose to go home during Week 3 when her daughter had a medical emergency. Both were upset that their journey came to such a sudden end. But now, we’ll be able to see what her journey to love will look like. We know that she is a mother of 4, grandmother of 2, after 32 years of marriage she is a widower. We can’t wait to see who will be vying for her heart and how it all comes together!

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

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63MIX ROUTIN3S | JOSIE NATORI

Read the APR ISSUE #100 of Athleisure Mag and see 63MIX ROUTIN3S | Josie Natori in mag.

9LIST STORI3S | SUNI LEE

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THE 9LIST 9M3NU

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9PLAYLIST | JEREMIH

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9PLAYLIST | CHASE STOKES

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THE 9LIST

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ROCK THIS WHEN HEADING OUT IN TENNIS-CORE

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ATHLEISURE BEAUTY

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9LOOKS | DONDE ESTEBAN

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THE PICK ME UP

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IN OUR BAG | FOR STARTING THE DAY RIGHT

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WHITE HONEY BEAUTY

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HOW TO DRESS | FOR A WEEKDAY ESCAPE

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#TRIBEGOALS

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ATHLEISURE MAG ISSUE #100 | JEREMIH

In this month’s issue, our front and back cover story is with Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Jeremih who is known a for a number of hits including, Birthday Sex! We talk about his career, his creative approach, what it was like creating this hit song, and how he got into Birthday Sex wine. We also connected with noted winemaker, Russell Bevan who talks about how he got into the industry, how he got involved in this venture with Jeremih, and upcoming projects! 

We also caught up with NBA Champion and host of All the Smoke, Matt Barnes (previous Athleisure Mag cover for JUN ISSUE #54) as he and his fiance, Anansa Sims debuted The Barnes Bunch this month on WE TV! We talk about why they wanted to make this show, the importance of showcasing their relationship alongside their children as well as Anansa's mother, Beverly Jonhson, and upcoming projects that they have coming up.

We always like to stay with our fitness goals and we have been enjoying getting to workout on and to know more about Lagree Fitness' Micro! We circled back for another interview to talk with the founder of the method as well as the equipment, Sebastien Lagree to find out how we can use this machine, optimizing our time on it, and utilizing Lagree on Demand. We also talked with the CEO of Hyperice, Jim Huether, to find out about their assortment, great devices we should have, and why recovery is so important.

We also have another great fitness interview with Celeb Fitness Trainer, Jenna Willis who has trained Vanderpump Rules' Lala Kent, Liza Koshy, and Camila Cabello to name a few. We wanted to know how she came to the industry, why fitness is so important to her, how we can implement the lifestyle into our lives regardless of where we are in this journey, and her upcoming projects.

Launching May 2nd, The Idea of You starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galetzine will be available on Prime Video. We had the pleasure of attending the Global Press Conference for this film a few weeks back where we got to find out more information on this movie which was adapted from the book of the same name, how the cast came together for this film, and why telling this story was so important.

We have been a long time fan of Natori which is a world of luxury across categories from lounge/sleepwear, RTW, home, fragrances, and more. We had the pleasure of sitting down with the brand's Founder, Josie Natori as she shared how she turned a career in finance to one that involves art, design, and showcasing her Asian heritage. We talk about her labels, the importance of being independent and family owned, as well as the importance of integrity and authenticity.

We also interviewed CEO, Founder, and Chief Cheerleader, Tony Drockton of luxury handbag brand, Hammitt. We talked about how this line started, the importance of knowing your customer, and leaning into the heritage that is familiar to those who are fans of the brand.  

This month's The Art of the Snack comes from Casa Bond which is located here in NY's NoHo. We wanted to know more about this Mexican fine dining cuisine that is found in this ambiance rich restaurant.

We also wanted to find out more about MICHELIN Guide from its history, its star ratings for restaurants and their latest Keys for hotels! We also found out about how important it is to keep the customer central in the restaurants and hotels that are featured.

This month's Athleisure List comes from Savta, a tasty destination in NYC that is a must to stop by. We also have Burke Williams Spa which has located in California that are perfect for resets and day spa amenities.

This month’s 9PLAYLIST comes from our cover star, Jeremih as he shares songs he's listening to. He also shares his 9DRIP with us as well as he talks about items he purchased for himself, his go-to style, and how he gave back to others. Netflix's Outer Banks star, Chase Stokes also shares his 9PLAYLIST with us as well. Our 9LIST STORI3S comes from 3X Team USA Olympic Gymnast medalist Suni Lee. Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes from Josie Natori and Tony Drockton. This month's THE 9LIST 9CH3FS and THE 9LIST 9B-L-D comes from Chef Elisa Marshall, Chef Marcel Vigneron, and Chef Pyet DeSpain.

Read the APR ISSUE #100.

FINDING MAGIC AND FREEDOM | BROOKE BURKE

When we first met actress, host, fitness/wellness entrepreneur, and author Brooke Burke, it was back in our collegiate days as we watched her take us to an array of locale's on E!'s Wild On! From there, she continued to stay on our screens whether it was Dancing with the Stars, hosting Miss America pageants, seeing her on copious Skechers commercials and always adding that element of fitness and lifestyle to everything she touches!

We wanted to find out about how Brooke got into the industry, how she created her opportunities that began to structure what the Brooke Burke brands means, current projects she's involved in, the importance of fitness and wellness, her upcoming wedding, and more!

ATHLEISURE MAG: Hello! How are you!

BROOKE BURKE: I’m home in Malibu and it’s my day off and I’m so excited to be able to talk to you!

AM: Of course! Well before we talk about your phenomenal career, did you think that it would always involve being a model, being a TV host, acting, being in fitness, and an author?

BB: You know, to be honest, I studied Broadcast Journalism in Business Advertising and I always thought that I would be a business woman. I accidently got into the business, but I always had a love affair with fitness and wellness. I didn’t grow up with that sort of guidance, I think that I took a big pivot after high school mostly because of the industry. Then I had an opportunity to work with some of the most brilliant wellness instructors and to make a business out of it 10 years ago because I wanted to show people how to live longer and stronger and to take better care of themselves as well as to be able to do it all over the world – whether you’re traveling, a busy mom, or you don’t have time, and even if you don’t like fitness! Just find a way to be able to get it done without excuses and to create energy – it’s so much more than a fitness app. I mean Brooke Bourke Body started as a fitness app, but now it is an intentional wellness space, it’s about community, and energy, and mindset – it just feels really good – I love this space, maybe more than I love the entertainment business?

AM: Well, when I first became aware of who you were, I was in college and I was a fan of E!’s Wild On!

BB: Oh those were the days!

AM: Oh yeah! I remember looking at it and I thought, I don’t think at that time, that there was anything even like that in terms of format, blending travel, food, culture, and nightlife.

BB: Oh my gosh! See, I will always be that travel girl to some people! It really was the greatest time of my life – that was reality TV before reality TV!

AM: Exactly!

BB: I mean, it was so guerilla, it was like me and a young crew! We all had a zest for life. We just went around the world, traveled like locals, had the best time, and did things that you could never do today!

AM: Yup!

BB: It was really an amazing gig and I have done some pretty cool things in my career, but that one, I’d love to be able to reboot that show and I’d like to get back out there on the road!

AM: Yes!

BB: Yes and I want to do it again! I meet people like you all over the world that are like, “I took that vacation because I saw you do it. I explored the world through your eyes.” And that, that feels so good and I feel that that connected me to so many different cultures, different types of people, and my mom – from my mom to my daughter, who doesn’t love to explore the world? It’s the greatest education that I have ever had!

AM: What drew you, because clearly before the show started, you didn’t realize that it would have all of these elements to it. What drew you to that to be part of that experience?

BB: To be honest with you, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Nor would I have probably signed up to jump off of planes and to sign rockets or to swim with sharks or whatnot! I have always had an adventurous appetite or an adrenaline junkie if you will! But I also was so naïve and growing up in Tucson, Arizona to grow up and have the privilege to just see the world. I just believed in taking chances and I was never a young girl and hopefully I’m raising my children the same way, I wasn’t going to leave here wondering what if! I had no idea what to expect and it was crazy, absolutely bananas! I would do it again and again and again! It was an adventure and I made friends around the world. I would tell everyone that to travel is to live! Take that adventure and just expand and open your mind!

AM: What do you love about hosting? You have hosted shows from so many different types of verticals whether it was Rock Star, She’s Got the Look, Dancing with the Stars, or Miss America? What do you love about being that central force in those particular shows as a host?

BB: I think that I have always done scary things! But I also love live energy, I love people, I love connection, I love the energy of a live audience! I’ve learned now as a more seasoned host, I like when things go wrong, I like when things go right, I like spontaneity, I like uncertainty, there’s just something about being in front of a live audience that just ignites me and I think that that’s why I work in the wellness space, I teach classes with live audiences even in health and wellness, to guide, to teach, to connect, to connect the dots, to connect people. I get so much out of it and it’s really different in front of a live audience!

It's been a minute, but joining the Fool Us cast last season, I forgot how much fun it was to be on a stage! Las Vegas, live, and magic! There aren’t a lot of live shows anymore so I just forgot how much I love it because I’ve been in health and wellness as a space so passionately; more so, than in television. So I feel like I get the best of both worlds.

AM: Last month in our issue of Athleisure Mag, we interviewed Penn + Teller about a number of things, but also about Fool Us as well! What did you love about – in addition to it being live and interacting with people as you said, what drew you to be on this show?

BB: Oh, I love magic and genuinely! I feel like it’s a time where it’s a family show for a family viewing! It’s an opportunity where we need a little hope, we need a little uncertainty, it’s escapism. They’re incredible and iconic, it’s such an honor and a pleasure to share the stage with them! I feel like this was a show that was celebrating talent! Whether the magicians got the Fools trophy or not, they were also thrilled to be there and to have the opportunity to be part of something! I’m somebody, my daughter was on production with me, she was so frustrated because she wanted to know how every trick was being done – but a magician will never tell! I on the other hand didn’t want to know because it’s so much fun to wonder and to be surprised, or to cry and laugh!

AM: Before you were hosting DWTS, you won S7 with Derek Hough! What was it like being a competitor on that season and then also, how difficult was it to learn so many different dances from week to week?

BB: It was the hardest thing that I have ever done in my entire life including being a mother to 4 children! It was terrifying to be honest. I love music, I love rhythm, I love dance. I didn’t grow up a dancer. I think putting yourself out there and learning something new is awesome for your entire inner network, but it is also terrifying, unfamiliar, uncomfortable, then you’re being judged for it, then you’re performing live – like live live – not live to tape! At the time, it was 15M – 20M viewers! It was bananas and it was the hardest thing that I have ever done. It was also filled with so many life lessons about how to perform under pressure, about how not to overthink things, how to have faith in my body - there are actually a lot of lessons that I bring into my transformational work and retreats. How to trust your body, how to just let go and to know that what you have done is good enough and how to just show up and you know overthinking can be such a demon and it can be a bully until we learn how to quiet it down and that voice inside is really fear based!

But It’s just all fear. So learning how to quiet down all of that noise was the greatest life lesson! And then an amazing opportunity to let America see me not as a host, but a person, human, and out of my comfort zone. All of that stuff and it’s so important! We rarely get to do that in my business and you know, especially in live television, there’s just not a lot of time to play. It was just an awesome opportunity and I think that that gave me the opportunity to do so many other things. It was fun and it was such a great show!

AM: You’re focus on fitness and this whole wellness industry – we always like to ask our faves about the workouts that they do that we can incorporate into our routines to shake things up especially since we are heading into the Spring/Summer.

So what are 3 workouts that we could do for toned arms, legs, or abs?

BB: Good question! There are so many things that we could do at home and I’m a big believer in working out – sweating in a smart way because of time, life, ability, age, hormones – you name it! The reason why I started Brooke Burke Body is to teach people how to get it in whatever limited time that you have! I have a lot of target toning opportunities and of course specific opportunities that are really designed for all of the areas that women are complaining about – compound moves which means that we spend less time. I have a 4 Week Ab Attack, a 4 Week Booty Challenge, I’ve got 30 Mins or Less Body Weight Workouts where you don’t even need equipment! I also have Zoom classes every Fri. So wherever you are whether it’s a hotel, you’re busy and don’t have time to get to a class, you can’t afford that class! People from all over the world Zoom in and it’s really fun! Then we develop a community that’s real and it holds you accountable.

I would say get an app, get on YouTube, find free content, join my app that is free for the first week! It’s just find something that keeps you interested! We’ve got about a 3 month attention span and then most people either fall off because they are looking for a quick fix and they are bored. But for me, it’s about developing a sustainable lifestyle that is about energy and mobility. It’s about living longer, stronger and it’s just about a booty or a bikini body. We don’t even use those kinds of words anymore right? It’s all about building strength and we have a strong community and a strong commitment. It’s about building strength, functional fitness, intentional wellness, and protecting our body so that we can do all of the things that we want to do without injury.

I have great trainers also, it’s not just me and I celebrate them as I love variety! So there is a little bit of everything on there!

AM: That’s exciting!

BB: I really do love it and it’s so fun! And mostly, it’s because of the community which is what is really good about it!

AM: It’s also good for accountability!

BB: Of course! Fitness shouldn’t be isolated when it's 11:30 and your friend is asking where you are, sometimes you need a little love, you need a little nudge, we need to increase our self-care, we need a little love! Body confidence is key! We are in a very interesting time where it’s an amazing time to be a woman, I think! I’m raising 4 daughters, Scott has 2 children – I have 4. It’s about inner dialogue, it’s about body confidence, and really it’s about strength and coordination, and lowering our stress levels. You know, we’re hearing all of these things now and there’s so much science behind the value of lowering our stress levels. How are we going to do that? Better learn how to create adrenaline and dopamine and oxytocin – like when I’m stressed out, I workout. I can sweat myself into a new space in a moment right?

AM: Oh exactly!

BB: Of course and I hope you try it out and would love to have you – no pressure in our Zoom classes. I don’t know if that’s your thing?

AM: It’s nice to be able to learn something and just to see how it sits with you.

BB: You’re bringing up a really good point! The best piece of advice that I have been given and have realized as someone who is an advocate for women’s health, we have to be a detective of our own bodies. What works for me, may not work for you. That’s why I have different people and even in my retreats I say that if it’s not me that they are responding to try to find somebody else that you do respond to and find your community!

AM: Tell me more about your health and wellness retreats because it seems like you have quite a few coming up!

BB: I do! I love the work that I do! By the time this issue has dropped, I would have just finished Carefree Arizona at the CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa, but I am doing another one there in the fall. I’ll do a couple of wellness events here in Malibu at the property at my home. That’s called Soul Creek Wellness, We’ve got Costa Rica a yoga retreat in 2025 and the nice thing about being organized about them is that you can fundshare, you can do a payment plan, and to find a way to afford these plans if they are meaningful to you. I get so much out of doing this work. I get more than I give. I connect with like minded women and men – they are invited as well. Beyond the workout, we are transforming our mind, we are doing deep work, meditation, journaling, rhythm, movement, energy - it’s really been a beautiful ride for me. I’ve had an incredible company called Yogando it means yoga in Italian. She’s my partner and she does retreats all over the world! We have a really great thing going and we brings the spirit, the soul, the energy, the experts, it’s been amazing! I really love this work!

What we put into our body is as important as how we train our body. How we speak to our body is as equally as important. So that’s why we have shifted from BB Body, to BB Body + Soul, and now it’s about energy and intentional wellness because they are all connected! Meditation, lowers your stress levels, it gives you clarity, the more you workout, the more you want to do. When you have a community, you're connected, and you're accountable! So all of those things for me as a woman is essential for wellness and I think that it goes beyond fitness and being a great patient, getting that physical, being mindful of your nutrition and whatever that means! Being part of a community, supporting one another. We did a deep dive into the Blue Zones in Costa Rica, we were out there and we will do it again in 2025.

I’m really excited about teaching people on how they can create their own Blue Zone wherever they are meaning you can do it at home. You can find your tribe, your community, you can fuel your body – mine is different then yours. I intermittent fast which is great for my body for recovery and for repair!

I’m a big believer in that! But I also eat and I eat for fuel, I eat for energy, I eat mostly plant-based, but I do also eat meat. I drink a tremendous amount of water! I try to keep it as natural, colorful, and as fresh as possible! I fill my body with fresh, bright, and colorful vegetables. I eat lean meats, great sauces, spice, things with flavor and really good fats. I believe in fuel, I believe in energy. Back to what I said before, being a detective of your own body and understanding what makes you tired, what makes you bloated, what makes you retain water, what makes your joints hurt, what makes you sleepy? We really have to learn and then of course, we have to correct. I’m always testing different things and I’m a bit of a biohacking geek as well. So I really increasing our NAD production, and doing things that really help to manipulate the system! I mean, I’m 52, so let’s go!

AM: I completely agree and sometimes I'm realizing that we may be in different like cycles as we navigate a month. So if I’m more stressed in those times of the month due to closing the issues or other things going on, I may not be able to eat the same types of things I could when I am in more of a normal situation.

BB: I think that it’s great that you tune into that. I think that the older that we get, we have an ability to know when we have to turn it up or to turn it down. And it’s about really learning how to listen to our body! I have a mindful carousel that is in the app that is just for meditation. Stretch and Recovery, Morning Mobility – you have to listen to your body and to create that energy! It might mean having to take a day off. There’s a lot of bootcamps out there and kick your ass programs, and a lot of quick fix diets where you will starve yourself – but then you put it all back on! I just don’t engage in that. For me, I want a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable and works for me so that is doable.

AM: And flexible like you said! What I can do Tues, I may not be able to do it on Wed for whatever that reason is!

BB: And that’s ok! I think that we have earned a little bit of grace! Tough love my friend!

AM: You are in the middle of preparing to get married! So congratulations!

BB: Thank you!

AM: How is it to navigate the planning process of that while also juggling all these other things that you are obviously already doing!

BB: Well, it's slow in planning – just starting with that honesty! We have 4 daughters that are excited about this wedding so we can’t phone it in! I want it to be spectacular, I want it to be about hope, I want people to be able to believe in the next chapter! I want people to believe that they can redesign their life and that they can love again! Even if it looks different, it feels different, it sounds different! I thought that I would never get married again and then I happened to meet the most wonderful man! I would probably say that I would never want to get married again, but I want to get married to him.

When you least expect it, love comes along. I was just able to receive it! We’re planning it, we’re all consumed with building our new home! We’re blending our families, work, and our life. So it’s coming up, but it’s not coming up quick enough!

AM: What are you the most excited about in terms of your wedding day?

BB: I think that celebrating love – knowing that his family is on board and we’re willing to raise each other and to do it with integrity and acceptance. It makes me a really proud mom and woman. Watching our children grow without any resistance in love which is very key and very challenging because I have been on both sides of that. Nobody ever thinks that they’re going to do it again, nobody ever thinks that they’re going to do it wrong, so to find a love like I have with Scott that has flow, it’s just a really nice flow – I feel really lucky, safe, and blessed and it’s sexy. It’s meaningful.

AM: How do you take time for yourself when you want to give those moments to yourself for peace and zen?

BB: Most of my me time sounds like a contrast because it’s shared with people. My wellness space and my yoga is kind of my temple. Yoga for me is not a workout or a practice, it is a total necessity. So I teach and I walk the talk. I meditate everyday, I get up early, I try to rise with the sun. This is a new thing for me. I am retraining my brand. I sleep when I’m sleepy that’s also a new thing for me. I’m really listening to my body and so my me time is maybe those extra 10 mins in the morning, it’s my Savasa yoga and I will carve out 10 mins for that. It’s time for me to quiet down so that I can actually hear my soul and my spirit. I spend a lot of time with sound baths and I get a lot out of that. I really do believe in sound frequency. I am in this space, so I have a lot of access to it and I create a lot of different offerings and it has changed my life. We’re hearing a lot more about it and I feel that when we hear the word mindfulness, people think that it’s all woo woo. I live in Malibu so you can only imagine. Just simply learning about doing nothing sometimes and learning how to slow down and how to listen to your body on most days, that is the gamechanger for me! I can teach people how to get into bikini shape all year long and that would be easy and boring. But what I hope I’m teaching is inspiring people to slow down and listen. We’re in a grind culture. You’re grinding and I’m grinding. Grind Culture – we need to navigate that. Meditation for me has been a big game changer.

It’s hard. I tell people that they have to meet meet themselves with a little bit of compassion and surrender. Meditation is different for everyone. I don’t feel like I need to sit down and just breathe, sometimes it’s a walking meditation, or a guided meditation, or a journey through music. I’m also a Breathwork Facilitator so I do a lot of different things to just slow down and to check in! Let’s just call it that! People put such high expectations on this concept to meditate. Just take a moment! Your meditation might look different than someone else’s and it’s good enough.

AM: That’s where I had to find out for myself and to be ok with a bit of trial and error, but if I can figure out the perfect shoe for my foot, I need to be able to find the perfect meditation that works for me!

BB: That’s right! Oh my God, I love that analogy! Just making it up on your own. 100%, we spend more time doing so many other things as opposed to checking in!

AM: So what do you want the Brooke Burke Legacy to be as you look back at all of the amazing things that you have contributed to the world?

BB: That’s such a hard question! Today is my son’s birthday, so today I am all gooey and emotional because he’s my baby and he’s 16 and he has 3 older sisters that worship this kid. He’s a football player and I have just watched him grind and grind so hard and he is everything that I respect and I am so lucky to be able to say that. So I guess, I feel like I'm just getting warmed up in my passion projects because I’m in my 50s and you’d think that I’d be winding down.

I feel so lucky to be doing something purposeful and I guess on a deeper space and I am so tapped into it today, I just want my children to know and they were raised in it that they are in a safe and loving space where they had freedom. Freedom for me is my thing. It's freedom to start over, it’s freedom to fuck up. It’s a loaded concept for me and I think that as women, we’re in this space as well. It’s freedom to be able to do whatever you want to do or not at all.

AM: Right and it’s a freedom to know that even if you mess it up, it’s ok.

BB: Totally! My daughter is taking a mandatory day off today, because I made her do it. I was like, you’re 16 years old, you’re going to take the time to do what 16 year olds do. I’m listening and learning!

IG @brookeburke

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Body By Brooke Burke

Read the MAR ISSUE #99 of Athleisure Mag and see FINDING MAGIC AND FREEDOM | Brooke Burke in mag.

HEART FELT STORIES | KIT HOOVER

This month's issue has featured a number of trailblazers in media and with it also being Women's Month, we truly enjoyed sitting down with Access Hollywood and Access Daily with Mario & Kit, Kit Hoover! We have enjoyed watching her from being in the first cast of MTV's Road Rules which was a social experiment that led to the early days of reality TV and competition shows. From there she parlayed her talents, optimisim, and energy at ESPN as a sports broadcaster and for the last 14 years has been at NBC navigating the day and night slots in entertainment. We talked about her journey, success, the show and her latest project, launching her podcast The Coop that highlights phenomenal women!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We have been a fan of yours since Road Rules as you’re a ball of energy and optimistic which is always nice to see! I mean you were the first group to do that and in many ways that show paved the way for Fear Factor and Survivor!

KIT HOOVER: Can you believe? I was just telling that story the other day to someone about how fun it was!

AM: I loved that the show!

KH: Kimmie, you’re too young to know what Road Rules is!

AM: Well, I’m 44 and I remember the first season and watched a number of them!

KH: Well, you look great! I was 24 when I did it and now I’m 53. It was fantastic and I still reflect back because it was real. I mean at that time, there was no such thing as reality TV except for Real World. They had just done London and they were shooting San Francisco and it hadn’t aired yet. We had no idea what we were doing, nobody had an agenda to go on to get into TV, it was just real. Well now, everything is about trying to get your 15mins.

AM: It’s so true and what’s interesting is that we have Brooke Burke (Wild On, Dancing with the Stars, Fool Us) in this issue as well as when I first became aware of her, it was on Wild On.

KH: I loved her on Wild On!

AM: We’re really excited to have a number of trailblazers who are women in this issue so it was really great to include you as well!

You have had such an amazing career from being on MTV, sports broadcasting with ESPN, and of course being on NBC for Access Hollywood and Access Daily with Mario & Kit! When did you realize that you wanted to be on TV?

KH: So I majored in Communications and Journalism at UNC in North Carolina. I didn’t know that I wanted to be on TV, I thought that I was going to go into the advertising world or to be in something creative. It wasn’t until Road Rules that after that finished, I thought, ok I kind of got comfortable behind the camera. Let me give myself 1 year to see if I can parlay it into something on TV and if not, I want to do something totally different. Fame was never the goal, I never wanted to be on TV, it was just, after that I thought that I had a window and I just decided to try it. Literally, it was almost a year to the day that I got my first job from it and it was called American Journal and it was kind of off and running from there. It was trial by fire then! I didn’t know what the heck I was doing!

AM: Watching you in Road Roles, I felt that you were someone that we would see on TV as you just have that authentic vibe and you wanted to hear what you had to say! It was natural and the TV just loved you.

KH: First of all, were you cracking up when – you know the joke was, that I had gained about 20 pounds in the 4 months that we were doing it. But that was a lot because I’m 5’0” tall. And the joke was with the producers was that, “oh my gosh, the little one is getting heavier by the second!”

We were eating Power Bars, Taco Bell, and Mark Long (Road Rules, The Challenge, The Challenge: All Stars) and I would drink 10 Budweisers! We were in our 20s, we had a life on the road for that show, so all you’re going to do is eat bad stuff.

AM: Well Power Bars are healthy though!

KH: Well, I’d have 3 before breakfast! We had no idea, we were eating the craziest – craziest things!

AM: Ok, well maybe 3 would do that for sure!

KH: Looking back, I was like, I think that I look great! I mean I was just a little puffier.

AM: But it’s also what happens when you’re traveling.

KH: Anyone that is on a road trip knows that you’re not eating the best or taking the best care of yourself.

AM: How did Access Hollywood come about? You have been on there since 2010!

KH: First of all, for anyone and everyone reading this! I got this opportunity when I turned 40! Do you know how great that is as a woman? To be hired, it’s been 14 years, and I’m almost 54! How great? It was one of those calls that my boss who hired me, Rob Silverstein (AccessDaily, Access Hollywood, People - The TV Show!) said, “you know, what’s great about you Kit?”

I said what, thinking that it was going to be a weird compliment. He said, “you’re not hired based on your looks” and at first I looked and said is that a compliment? But then I thought, that that may be the biggest compliment and it goes back to the Road Rules days where I never cared what I looked like. You’re on the road! There’s no makeup, there’s no bathroom, there’s no shower. I have just wanted to do the best interview that I could do or to do the best job that I could do. But I thought, what a compliment to be able to go into the entertainment world business. The call came in, I took a leap of faith as I was living in Connecticut and my husband and I moved out with the 3 kids and we thought that it would last 1 year and 14 years later, we’re still here!

AM: I remember the show had been around for a few months and I started watching it when I was flying out for press trips as it would be on either in the hotel room or watching it on the plane. When I first saw it, I was like oh it’s the Road Rules girl who was on ESPN and now here!

KH: It’s the Road Rules girl, she keeps popping up!

AM: I love how your background has such a great mix of entertainment, sports, covering red carpets, etc!

KH: Well, similar to you, it’s the art of the pivot right? I kind of was naïve when Road Rules ended. I thought, what’s next? Nothing was next. They said, you’re a great person, thanks for coming in. I think that a lot of people feel like that with their jobs. You get one and you think that you’re going to stay, but things end and things change. You have got to be like musical chairs.

You have to find your next chair. So, I’m a hustler, and I like to navigate and work hard and it’s all related too! You’ve probably found that too!

AM: Oh yeah!

KH: Whoever you work with, way back then with Road Rules, I just had a meeting with Clay Newbill (The Bachelor, The Mole, Shark Tank) the producer out here. Who you are at your core matters tremendously. I feel so blessed that I have worked with so many great people.

AM: I tell people all the time I have a number of interests and things in my background from modeling, cheerleading, stylng, designing, etc - but the base of who I am as an organized person, storytelling whether through apparel or in interviews, that’s why people keep come back.

KH: That’s why people keep coming back.

AM: 100% they want your commitment, passion, integrity and those skill sets!

When you’re preparing for interviews and talking with celebs and people of interest, what’s your process? I mean you’re covering those from all over so where do you like to start?

KH: Probably the same way you do! I love the research, I’m a reader! So I research and do all the reading that I can on the people. I sort of visualize the outline I have in my head and then I let it go and I try to be present and in the moment. I like to just listen and if you have done the homework, you know where you are going. And you want to get good stuff. It’s not about following the card. It’s listening and seeing where that takes you. I think that that’s the good stuff.

AM: You also have Access Daily with Mario & Kit! How is that for you to be on 2 very different shows, different time slots – I have a lot of respect for that! That’s not easy!

KH: Thank you! I’m grinding! I’m grinding. I have a lot of tuition with 3 kids! I love it! Access Hollywood is the night time show. So that’s more glitz and glam and entertainment news and then the hour daytime show with Mario Lopez (The Golden Girls, Saved by the Bell, The Golden Boy) is so much fun because that’s our kids and marriage and talking about fun stuff! I love daytime talk. So to be able to stretch both of those muscles is so much fun for me!

AM: That must have been amazing to know that you are helming both of those shows! I can’t think of anyone else that has that kind of double time right now.

KH: It’s really great! And then I’m launching a podcast!

AM: So excited as we’re going to talk about that as well!

KH: I put that in just so that I could do the long format. So I get my daytime that I love and I get my night time and then the podcast lets me go deeper. So the kids, 2 of them are at of the house as you know and 1 is going to leave next year so I have to start because I have more time to fill.

AM: You and Mario are neighbors!

KH: Yeah, he literally lives right around the corner. We could carpool to work. It’s the best! I run by his house which is on my running route so I go by and I wave, it’s really fun! His wife is the best and I’m really good friends with Nicole!

AM: You can see your chemistry too with one another which is really nice.

KH: Yeah, I’m very fortunate.

AM: What have been some of your favorite topics that you have covered from your Access Hollywood shows?

KH: For the night time show, it’s more of a 22mins show so it’s just quick. For the daytime, we don’t really touch any zeitgeist stuff. We’re more of a wholesome, talking about family, fun, never a gotcha thing. We try to do great interviews and so I love the ones that are a feel good story. I love when we cover human interest stories of everyday people doing extraordinary things. I am so moved by their stories. So we have been doing a lot of those feel good stories and maybe it’s because it seems like we do so much celebrity things that we want to show the real heroes. Give me a teacher or a nurse, I’m all into it.

AM: Well the podcast, I’m personally excited about that! To have women in their 40s as I am of that demographic as well that are these powerhouse women! Where did the concept come from, what can we expect, and where did the name come from?

KH: You better text me after you listen as I want all of your notes! For the past 4 years, I was thinking that I wanted to do this now that I have the ability to do this and there may not be any listeners! I wanted to do it for me.

AM: There will be listeners!

KH: I get to interview these incredible women and each one, I feel like I learn a nugget from them! Do you ever feel like that the best advice you get is from your girlfriend when you’re talking? Like, “hey, you have to try this face cream.” Or for me as I’m menopausal, you need to get this patch! Try this school or get this shoe or whatever it is. So I wanted the podcast to be that feel. I like that it is 40 and over because maybe me getting the job at 40, I feel like I haven’t even hit my stride at 54 and in the old regime, women were done in their 30s which is what Halle Berry (Die Another Day, Catwoman, Moonfall) was telling me.

I just like that feeling of what are we doing now? We have all this knowledge and wisdom, let’s effen go! So it’s Cindy Crawford that I just interviewed, it’s Katie Couric, it's Gabrielle Reece, Jenny McCarthy!

AM: Love Gabby! We had her and our husband as a cover back in Oct last year.

KH: Gabby! What I loved about them was their love story! They actually filed papers for divorce and never got that far and they got it back together. The tools that they learned to do that – they’re connected now as a couple. She is the most thoughtful. Didn’t you find her so thoughtful and poignant?

AM: She’s so sweet and real –

KH: And smart!

AM: Yeah the co-founder of Athleisure Mag is also my boyfriend so when I have interviewed her, we have talked about how it is to run a business with the person you are involved with. It was interesting to hear her talk or to see how they interact with one another and to just have real responses to it. She’s like, you do the best that you can, but sometimes, things get f’d up!

KH: She is fantastic. She said this thing in an interview where she said, “I don’t talk to anybody better than I do to Laird.” I thought about that and sometimes when we talk to our spouse and partner, you’re a little nastier. She told me that she works on it like you would an athletic career and I thought, that is so awesome. I want to operate on that frequency.

With Jenny McCarthy (The View, Two and a Half Men, Masked Singer), I was asking her about her love story with Donnie Wahlberg (Wahlburgers, Saw franchise, Blue Bloods) and she felt that she was lowering her frequency and gears to get a guy. She was tired of doing it and said that she needed to be met here and that that was Donnie.

Having Cindy Crawford talking about being an empty nester. What she and Randy Gerber are doing next because maybe that's where I am in my life right now. they’re going to a different state to buy property and they’re looking at dating each other. I mean, Cindy Crawford, if she’s thinking about all this stuff- it’s real!

AM: But it’s like, we’re all women doing these things. To hear those nuggets whether or not you’re in that position or not, you’re going to get something from it.

KH: I hope so!

AM: You can also find ways to apply it to your own life!

KH: And it’s rowdy! I have a little naughty side, so it’s a little bit of me asking everyone what is in their bedside drawer. Katie was like, I’m not telling you! Cat Cora (Iron Chef America, Tournament of Champions, Stars on Mars), one of my favorite chefs!

AM: We had her as a cover!

KH: Unbelievable, you should have heard what’s in her bedside drawer! I said, “Cat we’re going to have to bleep that out! I was blushing the entire time!”

AM: I love me some Cat!

KH: I love me some Cat! To think that she was told that she would never break into this business and that she should be barefoot and pregnant back in Mississippi! The ceiling breaker that she is as a chef –

AM: And a dynamo!

KH: And a dynamo.

AM: Plus she’s stunning. It was a pleasure to style her for our cover shoot and we were with her for about 8 hours and she was truly sweet. I grew up watching her on Iron Chef!

KH: I love that we have had the same women! This is so great! I am having a ball doing this!

AM: How many episodes are in the first season?

KH: I have just done 6 and we’re going to promote it on Kelly Clarkson which is going to air on April 5th. So hopefully we will just keep it growing from there! I’m thinking that we will do 1 a week or 1 every 2 weeks. The women who have participated, they are my friends and they have been so gracious. I hope it builds! For me, I don’t know about you, if I take the time to listen to a podcast, I want to feel good and that I am part of something. I want a takeaway.

AM: I do want to hear things that will make me a better person or to sharpen a skill in an optimized way. How can you find the cracks in your own foundation to make it better or to just be ok with them.

KH: I’ve done the interviews and then days later, they will resonate with me and I keep thinking about it and it was something that was really cool or poignant with what they said. I want to try that or I find this interesting.

Cindy Crawford said something really interesting! I said, “have you always had the ability to laugh at yourself?” She said, “Randy wouldn’t say so.” I asked her what she meant by that and she said, “as the mom, I’ll be cooking and cleaning and Randy and the kids will gang up on me and make fun of me in a playful way, but it leaves bruises. It hurts my feelings.” So many people can relate to that.

AM: That’s so me. On the outside I’ll say whatever, but on the inside –

KH: That’s so me! It was fascinating to hear how she is navigating that and for others who are listening that is so relatable.

Ooo we also have Laila Ali (Girlfriends, Black-ish, S.W.A.T.) , she’s back in Georgia. I’m from Atlanta. Have you guys interviewed her?

AM: Yes, it was amazing to chat with her!

KH: We’ve been friends and she used to cohost with me and her art of the pivot, my friend can literally do anything and with no guidance. Everyone has been so gracious because this is longform and it’s a totally different muscle which I love! I’m growing as a person learning from all of this. What’s great is, it’s not a studio, it’s just my thing because it feeds me and I hope that other people enjoy it.

AM: It’s also a testament that people are so comfortable with you! What is the meaning behind The Coop?

KH: When you look it up in Webster’s Dictionary, it’s a gathering of hens and chickens that protect one another, that grow together, and work together. That’s what I was thinking of my women friends. Come into your Coop, it’s your safe spot! Let’s fluff our feathers, learn, and protect and shelter one another.

AM: I thought so, but then I was like maybe I’m thinking too Midwestern.

KH: You knew! Also, Gwyneth Paltrow (Great Expectations, The Talented Mr Ripley, Iron Man franchise) told me that double letters are supposed to be successful letters. Like she has Goop, but I was like, “hey, I will take any extra advice!”

AM: This is so exciting. Where do you see this brand going?

KH: I would like to see it go into a Coop Conference to share all the knowledge that you have learned and to interview a great celebrity like a book party without a book.

AM: I love the concept because women like to connect and we love partnering with one another because once you’re connected you see synergies and commonalities!

KH: Even when we’re just talking about it, it’s just so real and it makes me excited and it’s happening!

AM: And it’s yours!

KH: That’s a neat thing for me as someone who has always been under awesome companies. I have always been with great companies MTV, FOX, ESPN, and of course NBC. But this one is just me!

We start off each Coop interview with 1 word to describe your life and where you are right now. What would that be for you Kimmie?

One word where you are right now!

AM: Navigating

KH: I like that!

AM: Within our team we’re always talking about we’re riding various waves. There’s that which comes to us that we never thought, that which we want that’s on our list and then when you do whatever it is you do, how do you keep on advancing as you don’t want to lose the momentum. So I feel that navigating is where I have been for a bit. I’ve had the pleasure throughout my life to have received many opportunities, some planned, some not planned, whether it was starting off interviewing people at the age of 12, my first person was Oprah, it was such an honor, my second was Jessie Jackson. I’ve always been one that wants to take opportunities and then to figure out how they come together. We see that plan of what is needed, and can go out and draw on these waves and then we navigate it.

KH: I just love that word navigating and so we take that word and then if I’m interviewing you, the whole interview with you would be about navigating. I’d ask how you started off and you’d tell me about Oprah and then I end each interview with, "What makes you happy?"

AM: Silence.

KH: I love that.

AM: I get very little of that.

KH: So it’s a buttoned up approach for my interviews.

AM: I can’t wait to listen, I love a bookend.

KH: I love a bookend!

The what makes you happy came when my my business partner’s daughter was in therapy and they did this sort of deep breath that you did 10 times and you were supposed to say what makes you happy. We started ending with it and it’s wonderful to hear. First of all, the 1 word of where you are right know, Jenny McCarthy said, needless. I said, “what a great word.” I don’t feel needless and how do I get that still? Then to end with what makes them happy, it’s fascinating!

Then we also have a section called Let’s Get Random and then I can ask all of the fun stuff.

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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Kit Hoover

Read the MAR ISSUE #99 of Athleisure Mag and see HEART FELT STORIES | Kit Hoover in mag.