THE BACHELORETTES S.19 E.2 | HOW WILL WE NAVIGATE THE SEASON?

PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Bachelorette

ABC’s The Bachelorette is well underway. Last week, they opted to only send home 3 people and to keep most of the men so that they could actually get to know them more.

The men have moved into the mansion and find that there are not enough beds for everyone that is there so they are literally sleeping wherever there is space! Rachel Recchia, and Gabby Windey let them know that their date will be a pageant so that they can get to know them more. They are given a gift - speedos. Jesse Palmer lets them know that the prize is that they will get to go back to an exclusive party with The Bachelorettes.

Each man disrobes and shows their front and back of their outfit and has a skill that they get to share.

They decide to invite Aven, Logan, Brandan, Jason, Johnny, and Colin for the after party where they can get to know the ladies better. Both of them admit that they have an interest in some of the same people. Rachel pulls Jason aside and he lets her know that although he thinks that she’s cool, he is there for Gabby! Rachel feels that the conversations that she is having are very surface level and she doesn’t feel anything just yet. Thankfully, she got a kiss from Logan and she feels that the night turned around. Of course, Logan also kissed Gabby as well. Both will give a first impression rose tonight. Rachel lets Gabby know that she got a kiss from Logan and Gabby asked if she’s really into him. Rachel says that she will pull back if Gabby is really interested. They both realize that they will have to navigate this new terrain. Rachel gives the 1st impression road to Logan and Gabby gives hers to Johnny.

There is a 1-on-1 date. Rachel invites Jordan V to come out. Before he heads out, we see his packed suitcase being placed on the stairs. She knows that he is here to meet her and they bonded over race cars. She drives away with him in a classic Chevy. She drives him to a plane where they can experience Zero Gravity.

Back at he house, the guys try to figure out who is there for which woman and some are saying that they are still open trying to figure it out. Chris shares his thoughts on Fantasy Suites and how he won’t stand for the person he is interested in sleeping with multiple people. The guys who happened to be near him said that it was way too early to talk about that and it is a jerky position to take.

They continue their date for a dinner and it’s great to see Rachel so happy that she has found someone that she clicks with.

Back at the mansion, the guys ask Chris to clarify his position. He doesn’t want to talk with the men about his opinion and the guys don’t like how he is controlling and comes off as rude. Nate shares that men who act like with preconditioned love, that it is oppressive and that it’s not acceptable.

Back on Rachel’s date, we see that she likes Jordan V, but now we get he sense that although everything on paper sounds good, she’s not feeling that connection.

At the house, the next date card arrives with a 1-on-1 with Nate for Gabby. He’s bringing a bathing suit for their date.

Rachel continues to talk with Jesse and walks though her feelings. She comes back to him and tells him that she enjoyed spending the day with him; however, she lets him know that something about their dynamic isn’t working. She walks him out and he says that he understands. At least we get to hear the private concert that they would have danced too - Brett Young and Ashley Cooke. The guys see his luggage get removed.

Rachel and Gabby talk about the night before and both of them realize that things are serious. Gabby hopes that she will still be interested in him as she is slightly shaken by what happened with Rachel and her date. Nate comes over to the house and Gabby offers Rachel to have some champagne with them. Gabby sees that she should be feeling how Gabby and Nate are with one another. Nate and Gabby look at the view and they share a kiss. A helicopter arrives to take them on an aerial tour and drops them off where they can sit in the hot tub and enjoy some nibbles to get to know more about one another.

They continue onto the next portion of their date at dinner. Nate lets Gabby know that he has a 6-year-old. Gabby lets him know that she is a daddy’s girl and that she commends him for being so close to her. She does wonder whether she’s ready to be a mom herself. She gives him a rose so that he can continue on the journey.

The men wonder about how the rose ceremony will be as they all get ready and assemble. Will each one hand out a certain amount of roses? Jesse asks them the natural question - how will you navigate when both of you like the same person? Rachel says having someone with her helps and Gabby says it’s too early for them to get to that point. They both arrive for the cocktail party. They let the men know what they’re thinking and they begin to have conversations with people. Mario connects with Rachel and although she likes him, she is aware that he received Gabby’s first impression rose. Gabby sees them talking 1-on-1. Both women enjoy great conversations and activities. The guys wonder if they should let them know about Chris and how he acted. A few guys pull Gabby aside to tell her what happened with Chris’ ultimatum and she shares it with Rachel. They feel that they should talk to him to hear his side of the story.

Gabby doesn’t even mince words, she gets to the matter at hand, why it’s inappropriate for him to talk about Fantasy Suites and they ask him to leave. He comes back in the house and grabs the men who he felt were involved - before it gets too far, it’s time for them to have the rose ceremony.

With 27 men remaining, there will be a big cut and those getting roses, they will be coming from both of them - very interesting! Some men want to be able to declare a person.

RECEIVED ROSES | Gabby - Johnny, Nate, | Rachel - Logan, | Joint Roses - Alec, Aven, Erich, Ethan, Hayden, Jacob, James, Jason, Jordan, Kirk, Mario, Michael, Spencer, Quincey, Tino, Termayne, Tyler, Zach

REMAINING MEN STATING THEY ARE THERE FOR | Gabby - Jason, Nate | Rachel - No one has stated yet

MEN WE’RE SEEING PLAY BOTH SIDES | Logan, Mario, Matt

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE | Brandan, Chris, Colin, John, Jordan V., Justin, Matt, Ryan

Each night during this season, we tweet about The 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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WHO WE THINK WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS

AVEN [Rachel]

ERICH [Gabby]

HAYDEN [Rachel]

JAMES [Gabby]

JORDAN [Gabby]

NATE [Gabby]

TINO [Rachel]

TYLER [Rachel]

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC, 27 | Houston, TX

AVEN, 28 | San Diego, CA

BRANDAN, 23 | Carlsbad, CA

CHRIS, 30 | Redondo Beach, CA

COLIN, 36 | Chicago, IL

ERICH, 29 | Bedminster, NJ

ETHAN, 27 | NY, NY

HAYDEN, 29 | Tampa, FL

JACOB, 27 | Scottsdale, AZ

JAMES, 25 | Winnetka, IL

JASON, 30 | Santa Monica, CA

JOEY, 24 | Brookfield, CT

JOHNNY, 25 | Palm Beach Gardens, FL

JOHN, 26 | Nashville, TN

JORDAN H., 25 | Tampa, FL

JORDAN V., 27 | Alpharetta, GA

JUSTIN B., 32 | Solana Beach, CA

JUSTIN Y., 24 | Brookfield, CT

KIRK, 29 | Lubbock, TX

LOGAN, 26 | San Diego, CA

MARIO, 31 | Naperville, IL

MATT, 25 | San Diego, CA

MICHAEL, 32 | Long Beach, CA

NATE, 33 | Chicago, IL

QUINCEY, 25 | Miami, FL

ROBY, 33 | Los Angeles, CA

RYAN, 36 | Boston, MA

SPENCER, 27 | Chicago, IL

TERMAYNE, 28 | Naperville, IL

TINO, 27 | Playa Del Rey, CA

TYLER, 25 | Wildwood, NJ

ZACH, 25 | Anaheim Hills, CA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE GRILL MASTER | CHEF DAVID ROSE

You don't need an excuse to come together with friends and family for great conversation and good food! If you opt to make it more of an intimate affair with your significant other or to enjoy solo, a great meal is always welcome!

In Nov 2020, we chatted with Chef David Rose about how to prepare for the holiday season. At that time, we were navigating the pandemic and celebrations looked different from years past. As we continue to navigate the new normal, we're excited to think about fun times ahead! We talk about his first cookbook EGGin': David Rose Cooks on the Big Green Egg (Volume 4), the art of grilling and how we can create great meals for Father's Day and other events that we're excited about - even if it's just a random day ending in "y."

ATHLEISURE MAG: Since we last talked, EGGin Volume 4 came out late last year. Can you share with our readers about this cookbook?

CHEF DAVID ROSE: I’m really excited about this! EGGin’ is in it’s 4th volume but it’s my first cookbook! This cookbook has everything from mains, sides, salads and desserts – everything that you need is in there that you want that can be grilled! It’s your heart’s desire! It’s just a celebration of food, a celebration of every culture, every region – every state has their own culture of open fire barbecue and open grilling. From asado in South America, to North Carolina in the South to Alabama to Texas to Korean and Jamaican. So this book covers it all and pays an homage to everything and doing it in a sensational way. We have the honor of hitting #1 on Amazon for a couple of days back in Feb around my birthday. So it was the perfect celebration for my 40th! So, the book is huge and it’s doing very well.

AM: Every time we see you on Instagram, Good Morning America etc – it’s like, that man loves to grill!

CHEF DR: I do! If you can’t see my Instagram and don’t know that I love grilling, I don’t know how else to show it!

AM: What is it about grilling that you love and why is it good to prepare foods in this way?

CHEF DR: For me it’s just something that, the cave men got it right all that time ago, thousands of years ago. Raw meats, fire – put it right on there! If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I’m from the school of utilizing that and the Jamaican culture, I’ve grown up around these amazing grilled foods – especially jerk chicken and there’s something about the grill being the secret ingredient where you can infuse flavor with different types of wood, different types of marinades and anytime you smoke something, brown is flavor, brown is deliciousness. You get that great char on there and it brings out that deep caramelization, sweetness and savoriness and fruits and vegetables and finish. I’m one of those guys where grill season – I don’t know what grill season is – for me, it’s 24/7, 365 and even if it’s snowing – the grill is still going to be hot so we’re going to have to cook!

AM: Well, for people who aren’t familiar with grilling – let’s say those that it’s their first time. What are 3 tips that you have for someone who has that grill, but they’re not sure about using it?

CHEF DR: Yes, yes ok. The first thing I would say is that a clean grill, is a happy grill. Every time you finish and start up, you want to brush off all that debris, grit and grime. There could be an accumulation of food, maybe a critter that might have got up in there. Because you don’t want none of that on your food. After you’re done cleaning it, always use an oil with a high smoke point to oil it down like a grape seed oil, canola, vegetable oil – because the last thing you want to do is to spend all that time seasoning and marinating and then the meat, protein or vegetables stick to the grill. You always want to oil the grate so that the food releases. That way, you can taste it and eat it.

I’d also recommend secondly, getting a digital meat thermometer. That way, it takes all of the guesswork out of whether the steak is ready or not ready. Is your chicken 165° yet? A high quality digital read out thermometer is a great investment!

And 3, get a copy of EGGIN’, David Rose Cooks from the Big Green Egg and keep your freezer chock full of Omaha Steaks so you can be ready to grill from your hearts desire! There is a Harris Poll that was done earlier this year that says 83% of Americans agree that having high-quality meat on-hand to prepare at a moment’s notice would make their lives easier. So with those three things, I think that those are pretty good tools to get them started.

AM: I love it and like you’re saying, grilling can take place any time of year! I’m originally from Indiana, I live in NY, I love a grilled meal! Now that it’s the summertime and with all the holidays coming up, how do we stay grill ready in terms of keeping our fridges stocked?

CHEF DR: You know, the great thing about working with Omaha Steaks is that we carry a variety of steaks, poultry, seafood, ready to eat sides and meals. The steaks are expertly carved and trimmed and we age them, especially our Private Reserve for a minimum of 35 days and that maximizes tenderness. We do a flash freezing process and what that means is that when the food is at the height of perfection, the flash freezing presses that pause button and until you thaw it out, it’s going to remain in that status of deliciousness. It’s a great thing to have everything at the ready because you never know when you’re hearts desire or a craving might hit. So it lets us do the hard work for you – by delivering you those quality meats and having those recipes that we do have on the website where we have them for days like Father's Day. I have a sensational recipe with their Private Reserve filet and it’s a Blue Cheese and Chive Compound Butter and a loaded Hasselback Potato. I’m not sure if you know what a Hasselback Potato is -

AM: Oh, I know my potatoes!

CHEF DR: Ok, ok you know! Hasselback Potato, thinly sliced, cheese, bacon and sour cream – that and the filet, it’s love! What better way to show dad or yourself, how much you care and to love yourself with our steaks that can be delivered anytime because that’s the gift that keeps on giving – at least until you eat it.

AM: Once again, what’s really great about this time of year is the impromptu nature of things. Whether you have a deck, backyard, rooftop, front stoop or wherever you’re eating. If we’re coming to your house for an impromptu meal, what are you making for us?

CHEF DR: Alright, well definitely there will be a ribeye on there. The ribeye is my favorite and we carry this Ribeye Crown Steak – it’s the ribeye cap, the most tender and coveted part of the steak so you’re definitely going to find some of those. We have some sensational St Louis ribs so you will find some of that. I’m Jamaican so I’m going to have to have some of my snapper on there. We serve Jamaican Snapper Escovitch with a marinade of pickled onions, scotch bonnet peppers, pimento, garlic and whenever I’m cooking especially around my family, spices are always in the mix. Of course, Lobster Mac & Cheese because what is a barbecue without Macaroni & Cheese and just make it better with Omaha Steaks Lobster Tails so it’s a win-win.

AM: A lot of people when they’re grilling, they do think about meats and vegetables. But the grill can also be used for a lot of things. What are dishes that people don’t realize that are totally a grillable food?

CHEF DR: Oh yeah! In EGGin’, there’s quite a few cocktails – smoked cocktails. We have a Charred Pineapple Margarita, we have a Grilled Watermelon Sangria and also smoking adds a really good element to baking! You can bake sweet items on there. We have a Smoked Peach Crostata a Jamaican Rum Raisin Bread Pudding – so the great thing about the Egg and grilling on it is that it can go low and slow, it can do hot and fast and once you put the plates on there called the convector, that essentially turns the Egg into a convection oven. So then you can bake, do pizzas and anything that your heart desires. There is nothing that I have yet to throw at the Egg that it can’t do. So that along with the Omaha Steaks with their meats, poultry and sides, you can’t lose.

AM: I love hearing about this and is there anything that you can share that’s coming up that we should keep our eye out for whether it’s more cookbooks, TV segments etc?

CHEF DR: Yes for sure! I have a couple of really good events coming up in the near future! I have Essence Fest which I will do for the very first time that’s coming up in July so I’m very excited about that! I have a book signing and a demo coming up with that! I will also do the Macy’s NBC 4th of July Fireworks Special and I will do a demo for that as well! It’s kind of exciting as well as a surreal moment! Growing up in NJ, I would always watch it so it’s a full circle moment. We have some great recipes coming down the pipeline, even more deliciousness with Omaha Steaks not just for Father’s Day but for everyday consumption for meals and Sunday cooking with the family.

AM: Well Chef, that’s a lot that’s going on and congratulations on everything! A few years ago I did Essence Fest for the My Black is Beautiful booth where I shared style tips and get ready! There are a lot of people that come through there so definitely eat your Wheaties!

CHEF DR: I’m ready – I stay in shape, I’m ready!

IG @chefdavidrose

PHOTO CREDITS | PG 60 Omaha Steaks | PG 63 - 67 Facebook/Chef David Rose |

Read the JUN ISSUE #78 of Athleisure Mag and see THE GRILL MASTER Chef David Rose in mag.

THE BACHELORETTES S.19 E.1 | A HISTORIC SEASON!

ABC’s The Bachelorette it’s finally here! This season, we’re following the journeys of 26-year-old Rachel Recchia, a flight instructor and 31-year-old Gabby Windey, an ICU nurse. Jesse Palmer asks the same questions that we have been wondering - how is going to work, how will they choose - how do them men navigate two women that are looking to find love? At least we know that these ladies will support one another and we look forward to seeing their families as they both got great soundbites in.

Throughout the first 20 mins, Gabby and Rachel ask how will this work out, their families ask and even Jesse asks them when they arrive at the mansion waiting for the men. Bumps along the road is definitely an understatement - but the men arrive and we get to see them all arrive as even navigating the hugs seem a bit awkward - who is first, do you do a group hug?

The entrances are always interesting from the man with the meatballs, chicks, headphones and more. Of course, there are also the cringey ones like the guy who arrived barefoot, the one who mixed up their names and those who continued to talk about Clayton when they introduced themselves.

Now that they have met all of the men, the ladies know that they get to take time with the men to find out more. At first, it seemed like they would talk to each man together (which they did with the twins as well as the magician) - thankfully, they are intent on having their own experience and we see them take 1-on-1 time to get to know them. The women have their moments and Jesse lets them know that the women will each have a 1st date rose. Interestingly enough, there are guys who are focused on a specific person, but there are a few guys who are trying to meet both of them. Erich chatted with both but only kissed gabby but let it be known that he would just leave it open to see where it would go.

Gabby picks Mario and Rachel picks Tino which makes sense as she liked him immediately when he pulled up with the forklift. Now the remaining guys have to wait to see who gets the rose as everything about this season will be breaking the rules.

At the rose ceremony, both women acknowledge that it’s a long night and they couldn’t get to everyone, but they will now select the men. They ask for Roby, Justin Y and Joey to talk with them and they lead them out of the house and let them know that there isn’t a connection there as they did talk to those 3. They then stated that since they didn’t get to talk to some of the other guys, they will cancel the rose ceremony so that they can get to know them better. Of course, the men are happy that they are still there and it’s sweet of them that they pulled the men aside that they did have the opportunity to chat with who weren’t a fit - to let them know that it wouldn’t work out with them.

RECEIVED ROSES: Alec, Aven, Brandan, Chris, Collin, Erich, Ethan, Hayden, Jacob, James, Jason, Johnny, John, Jordan H, Jordan V, Justin, Kirk, Logan, Mario, Matt, Michael, Nate, Quincey, Ryan, Spencer, Termayne, Tino, Tyler and Zach.

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE: Roby, Joey, Justin Y

We started with 32 men who were competing to learn more about Gabby and Rachel, 3 have been eliminated. They opted to try to get to know more of them. What will next week bring and at what point will the men begin to make their interests known?

Each night during this season, we tweet about The 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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WHO WE THINK WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS

AVEN [Rachel]

ERICH [Gabby]

HAYDEN [Rachel]

JAMES [Gabby]

JORDAN V [Rachel]

MARIO [Gabby]

RYAN [Gabby]

TINO [Rachel]

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC, 27 | Houston, TX

AVEN, 28 | San Diego, CA

BRANDAN, 23 | Carlsbad, CA

CHRIS, 30 | Redondo Beach, CA

COLIN, 36 | Chicago, IL

ERICH, 29 | Bedminster, NJ

ETHAN, 27 | NY, NY

HAYDEN, 29 | Tampa, FL

JACOB, 27 | Scottsdale, AZ

JAMES, 25 | Winnetka, IL

JASON, 30 | Santa Monica, CA

JOEY, 24 | Brookfield, CT

JOHNNY, 25 | Palm Beach Gardens, FL

JOHN, 26 | Nashville, TN

JORDAN H., 25 | Tampa, FL

JORDAN V., 27 | Alpharetta, GA

JUSTIN B., 32 | Solana Beach, CA

JUSTIN Y., 24 | Brookfield, CT

KIRK, 29 | Lubbock, TX

LOGAN, 26 | San Diego, CA

MARIO, 31 | Naperville, IL

MATT, 25 | San Diego, CA

MICHAEL, 32 | Long Beach, CA

NATE, 33 | Chicago, IL

QUINCEY, 25 | Miami, FL

ROBY, 33 | Los Angeles, CA

RYAN, 36 | Boston, MA

SPENCER, 27 | Chicago, IL

TERMAYNE, 28 | Naperville, IL

TINO, 27 | Playa Del Rey, CA

TYLER, 25 | WIldwood, NJ

ZACH, 25 | Anaheim Hills, CA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

ENERGY & EVOLUTION | DIMITRI VEGAS & LIKE MIKE

We're big fans of good vibes and sounds that transform us to a special place. Without a doubt, when it comes to some of our favorite DJ/producers Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike has been our go-to for well over a decade! This month's cover is the perfect way to kick off an amazing summer ahead with this incredible musical brother duo - Dimitri Thiavos and Mike Thiavos.

We wanted to find out more about this duo who has performed at Electric Daisy Carnival, Electric Zoo, Creamfields and Tomorrowland to name a few. In addition to their phenomenal tracks, we know that they have projects that they're also focused on whether its acting in the upcoming Jurassic World: Dominion, clothing lines, comic books and more. We talk about how they approach their music, how they got into the industry, collaborations that they do with a number of artists and upcoming music.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you first fall in love with music?

DIMITRI THIVAIOS: From a very early age, we were both into music, but I was the first to really get into buying records and djing etc. Seeing music as much more than just a hobby, but more a career. I started djing when I was 13 and really pushed myself from very early on to try and make a career out of djing, which led me to moving to Majorca and then later Ibiza.

MIKE THIAVOS: Electronic music has always been a part of my life growing up, as that was the main style of music being heard on radios and played out on a mainstream level in Belgium since the early 90’s and even before I was born, remembering the countless “top hits” cd’s being played by my parents on our seemingly everlasting trips in our car without AC to Greece over summer (laughs)… but next to always having been intrigued by my brother’s musical antics and trying to learn and copy my older brother’s behavior, as most younger siblings do. I started writing songs around the age of fourteen, after being introduced to the wonderful sound of hip hop, venturing down my own musical journey shortly after. Finally being old enough to travel by myself at the age of sixteen I moved to Ibiza in 2001, simultaneously banging out hip hop albums on the white island, I gradually fell in love with house music, as anyone would having the opportunity to spend late nights to the groovy beats of various house legends at Pacha Ibiza. My love for music was widespread and I was becoming way more experimental with my musical taste going from classical music to funk of the early seventies and grimy electronic beats in the eighties. Still today I think that is the foundation for the countless big sounds I’ve created and the endless unreleased songs on all my old devices, I must have made over a hundred albums by now ranging in different musical genres.

AM: When did you realize that you wanted to be DJs/producers?

MT: Although I love deejaying and as it’s not really rocket science, I’ve always considered myself a performer, musical creator, and a producer instead of a DJ. Making music is where I can find the real art of expressing myself with whatever mood I’m in in that moment, both instrumental and vocally, in sound and lyrics.

I would say the producing of electronic music started after coming back from working abroad for a couple of years and realizing the market and prospect for making rap albums wasn’t a very lucrative thing being from Belgium back then (although it’s a different story now). So going back to our roots of electronic music was an inevitable but nevertheless easy decision for me to make.

After inviting Dimitri to move into my apartment the ball really started rolling when we decided to work together as a team. I learned all my earliest tricks from Dimitri who was already very knowledgeable when it came to software and computers.

It took me a couple of years before I was able to fully produce my own tracks and get into making sounds like ‘Mammoth’ and ‘Tremor,’ but it was a wonderful journey that has continued until this very day.

AM: What’s your process like when it comes to creating your music and where do you find inspiration?

MT: I create sounds and make songs every day that I can; it’s a ritual and something that brings a certain type of fulfilment that almost nothing else can bring me…almost like a drug. Not being able to let out my creative drive will make me feel on edge and I’m always happy being able to return to my studio, as being on tour and having a heavy tour schedule sometimes makes it hard to have a creative outlet. But then there’s other ways of doing that like writing, drawing or designing fashion, architecture or even ideas for movies or businesses that could change our planet and way of life in a positive way, cooking and food are also amongst some of my biggest passions.

Whenever I make a song that could be a good fit for DVLM I always send them to Dimitri to get his thoughts and feedback.

DT: We are always bouncing ideas around for new tracks, especially when on the road as you get a lot of inspirations from daily life and of course shows.

AM: Do you have specific roles when it comes to how you go about creating your music or planning your setlists?

MT: Dimitri has always had full control over our sets and mashups. I’ve always taken the part of being the hype man. But I do like to come up with crazy ideas or songs or concepts to bring back from the past. I do mostly focus on the production side of it, for example trying to make the sickest intros for our biggest shows of the year.

DT: Not really, our thing has always been about an equal share on the creative side. We’re willing to take risks and try new methods and ideas. If you want to be forward-thinking with your career and to keep everything fresh you need that openness.

AM: How do you balance your working relationship while also being siblings?

MT: We grew up together, so we’re used to being in each other’s lives. It’s familiar to us and if anything, it makes it easier to communicate ideas and be honest with one another about what we want to achieve.

DT: That honesty and dedication for the same targets is what makes it work.

AM: How do you define your style of music?

DT: It is difficult to put our sound into one category or genre. We love such a wide array of music across many genres, and I think that is reflected in our music. One thing that always runs through our music is energy. Our style is mainly upbeat and has an energy that people can vibe to.

MT: We get inspiration from so many different areas in life, and I think that shows in the people we work with. We try to work with people who inspire us, for example, we’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with some of the best names in music, such as Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Hans Zimmer, Natti Natasha and Daddy Yankee.

AM: Is there a different approach when you’re working on your own music versus when you’ve worked on projects with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise or various artists that you collab with whether for remixes like Coldplay or Lady Gaga or editing for Sean Paul, Jennifer Lopez or Pitbull?

MT: Of course, you must respect the creative side of other artists when you’re collaborating with someone else and everyone has a different approach to their work in the studio, but we love that.

DT: With remixes it’s a little different because we are there to bring our sound to the project, so it’s about respecting the original but also remembering our role is to apply our style and vision to the project.

AM: When it comes to collaborating with someone whether it’s a film or person, what do you look for?

DT: For us its simple, we have to be into the music they’re making or inspired by the project.

AM: Who are 3 people that you have yet to collaborate with that’s on your list?

DT: Lost Frequencies, Dr Dre

MT: Keinemusiccrue, Artbat, Eminem

AM: You have won a number of accolades for your work, played in major clubs, have ongoing residencies and have been in major festivals year after year, what does it mean to you that you have this reach and love with your fans?

DT: It means everything to us. Our fans are incredible and the support they’ve shown us over all these years is something impossible to put into words. To be a part of such an unbelievable scene, perform at these amazing events and share it with the best fans in the world is a dream come true.

AM: Musically, as well as looking at your social feed, you have an incredible group of people who you have creatively worked with, as well as are friends with, from Steve Aoki who was a previous cover, Afrojack, Martin Garrix, David Guetta and more. How does this fuel your work to be surrounded by these creatives?

DT: Every day we are inspired by all our music friends and colleagues. To witness our scene become so internationally accepted, and to see our friends help build the foundation of that is something very special. It’s never been a competition for us, we’re blessed to have such amazing people in our life and happy to see each of them flourish and have their successes inspire our own career.

AM: You guys are always working on a number of projects, do you have any upcoming ones that you can share with us that we can keep an eye out for?

DT: With touring now back on the agenda, we have a lot of new music ready to go so stay tuned for announcements soon. What’s next from us is collaboration with a legend of the harder side of dance music, Brennan Heart. This one is going to blow the roof off!

AM: What festivals will you perform at this summer?

DT: We’ve a busy schedule this summer and excited to be back on the road again. Fans can catch us at Ushuaia Ibiza for our summer residency, as well as AirBeat One, Balaton Sound, Barcelona Beach Festival, Neversea Festival, Dance Valley, Creamfields, and of course we’ll be at our home Tomorrowland.

AM: What are your 3 favorite events to play?

DT: Playing our own shows at Ushuaia Ibiza, or our end of year parties at the Antwerp Sportpaleis, are always a special occasion because we get to be a part of the whole process.

MT: And being a part of Tomorrowland.

AM: How do you stay in shape as you’re on the road frequently and we’re always looking for routines that we can include in our workout?

MT: Touring life can be intense, both physically and mentally, especially when you’re on extensive touring schedules. Sleep is a vital part of looking after yourself when touring but it’s hard to keep a steady circadian rhythm, also having the right nutrition and staying away from stimulants is key. We manage it by fitting in time to exercise regularly.

AM: How would you define your personal style?

DT: Casual but stylish.

MT: My style is a combination of different influences picked during my life and the constant drive to improve and find a better version of yourself, ever evolving and not holding on too much to old ideals.

AM: You do a lot of traveling, what are your 3 favorite cities that you enjoy visiting?

MT: My absolute favourite city is Athens but I do love spending time in New York, Los Angeles and Miami.

DT: Ibiza, Ibiza and… Ibiza (jokes).

AM: In addition to working together, both of you have a number of projects that you’re involved in. Dimitri you’ve been acting in movies such as Men In Black: International and Rambo: Last Blood and you’ll be in the upcoming Jurassic World: Dominion – what was it like to be involved in this and what can you tell us about it?

DT: An incredible experience both as an actor and more so as a fan of the franchise. A real childhood dream come true. Being a part of these amazing movie projects and around so many phenomenal actors and actresses has taught me so much already. I’m super excited to see the movie on the big screen with my friends and family. Anyone who follows me knows I’m a huge fanboy of the movie and comic business, so I’m truly honoured to be a part of these projects. And now with my first lead role in the movie H4Z4RD coming up, I can’t wait to do more stuff…

MT: On a personal level, I’ve designed my past two houses, created a new label and fashion line and several concepts for restaurants that are about to be put into fruition and am invested in very forward-thinking companies and concepts that are hopefully taking the world by storm in the nearby future. The ultimate goal is combining all passions and curating unique experiences that are unmatched.

AM: You’re a comicbook fan, we recently interviewed Rodney Barnes where we talked about his work with Marvel, Star Wars and the Killadelphia series. How did you fall in love with comic books and what are your 3 favorite comic books?

DT: For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated by comic books. I grew up on stories like Ninja Turtles, Batman, Spider-Man, all of which were and remain my favourite superheroes. I still collect comics and have a room dedicated to my passion of all things Marvel and DC.

AM: You also have Dino Warriors – what was the thought behind creating this and what can you tell me about it?

DT: It’s been a dream of mine to create my own universe within the comic industry. I’ve had the Dino Warriors idea in mind for a long time. Teaming up with David Uslan and his father Michael, the originator and executive producer of the Batman movie franchise, felt like the perfect moment for this project to come to live.

I’m proud to say that we also have onboard one of IDW Publishing's most critically acclaimed writers Erik Burnham, best known for writing Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Transformers, A-Team, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics. As well as Jim Starlin (creator of Marvel's Infinity War uber-villain Thanos and more), Brett Booth (Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men), Stephen Segovia, known for his work with DC Comics and Marvel and Valiant Entertainment, and Diego Galindo (Power Rangers, Dungeons & Dragons, and Stranger Things) are all part of the projects creative team.

AM: What is Smash Universe?

DT: We’ve a deep-rooted passion in other creative art forms beyond music, everything from film to esports so we decided to launch our lifestyle agency Smash Universe to allow us the freedom to explore these areas more. The project had been in our minds for a while. We got introduced to Miranda Huybers, a gaming industry veteran who was part of Activision’s “Call of Duty” team, by one of our team members, and it immediately felt good. Miranda brings a wealth of knowledge to the table, along with our Smash The House team and our manager Nick Royaards. Add to that Nick Depauw, head of SMASH esports, Nick Royaards, as well as Perry van de Mosselaar and Dwayne Megens from our label Smash The House and we have the nucleus of a formidable team.

AM: Mike, I know you just had a collaboration with BLACK BANANAS – the tracksuit looks cool. How did this collaboration come about, and will you continue to work with them?

MT: There’s a long connection with Tomorrowland and the popular Dutch streetwear. It’s a friendship that’s lasted over a decade. We wanted to lay down casual street wear, athleisure, that symbolizes the ideologies of both BLACK BANANAS and my label GREEN ROOM.

A perfect combination was found with the inspiration from the world of football, hence the captain style armband.

This is just the beginning of our story working together.

AM: You also released a solo album, “Pain, Love, & What Comes After”, how long did it take to put this album together and why did you want to release it?

MT: I would say it’s an accumulation of some of my favourite songs and collaborations created in the past 5 years. It was a very personal project for me, highlighting some of the most emotional and captivating moments of my life, depicting a beautiful but sometimes also sad story and, outside of mine and Dimi’s work together, was a chance to showcase a different side of my musical creativity.

AM: You had your first solo set in Vegas last month. What was that like and will you have upcoming solo sets that we should keep an eye out for?

MT: Being able to play out my new music and curating a night by myself was an incredible experience that asks for more!! It was a chance to showcase my new sounds and to be around so many incredible people that decide to fly in from all over the world. The energy and buzz from that experience was one of the best I’ve ever felt, and I could feel all the love. I was really nervous on the night, especially since it’s a totally different sound than what people are used to hearing from us as DVLM. It’s literally taking it back to our roots and some of the earliest vibes we grew up loving. I’ll be doing more shows again soon, planning a US solo tour at the end of this year so stay tuned.

AM: In terms of the Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike brand from your music, touring and additional projects, how do you want your legacy to be seen?

MT: Well, we’re far from over. We’ve got so much more planned, so many exciting projects coming up and new shows scheduled. Although never having a clear vision of the path, I'm absolutely confident there are many more goals to achieve, so answering this question right now doesn’t feel right. Evolution is key.

AM: How do you take time for yourselves when you’re not in your projects?

MT: Grounding and healing yourself and being creative in different ways is a big part of my time off and spending it with friends and family is what matters most for us.

IG @dimitrivegasandlikemike

@dimitrivega

@likemike

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Front/Back Cover + PG 16 - 25 + 28 - 31 Boy Kortekaas @boythecollector | PG 26 -27 + PG 70 - 71 9DRIP Benhoudijk |

Read the MAY ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see ENERGY & EVOLUTION | Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike in mag.

STORING SEEDS | JB SMOOVE

We're all about big energy while keeping it real and J.B. Smoove is both of these! You know when you see him on the stage or on your screen that he's going to make you laugh, think and give you his philosphy on life and how to approach it - all while rocking great style. We've enjoyed seeing him in a number of films from Pootie Tang, Barbershop: The Next Cut, the Spider-Man franchise and more. He's also been in numerous TV series from The Last O.G., Woke and of course Curb Your Enthusiasm. He's someone that you see everywhere and yet he aligns perfectly with the projects that we see him in.

We had to check in with him to find out about his journey from being a standup comedian, SNL writer and performer, actor and more. He talked about how he honed his skills, how he navigates his career and what he has coming up.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be an entertainer?

J.B. SMOOVE: You know, I’ve always been the one – some people have a high threshold for pain, I think that that’s what it is. In simple terms, I think that I have this thing and feel for people when I know that people need laughter and they need communication. They need all these fun things that make life easier.

I remember one time that I missed my flight because somebody stopped me and I could tell that this dude needed somebody to talk to about his dreams and I missed my damn flight! I felt like, damn I’ll get the next one. In that moment, it just felt like something was - like sometimes you just have to talk people off the ledge in some sense you know? It’s their life, it’s their everything, but sometimes what you provide for people is something that you can’t buy. I think that shows that you’re a real person and it shows you that you can reach out and touch that person. What I promote is real!

You know how fans get, sometimes they don’t believe that you are who you are or who they think you are, or who they perceive you to be by what you do on camera. You know how it is. Nowadays, the world is faster, people promote certain things, but that’s not who they are. They do things to be accepted, to be liked, to be all these things and it’s not real and it doesn’t come from a real place. I think for me and my upbringing from where I started from is something that I can appreciate more. I’m talking about the days from pulling over and having to make a phone call at the phone booth! Those days, it was more hands on – you know what I mean? There’s automatic transmission and then there’s manual – I’m a manual dude! I got to switch gears for myself. I need to know when to slow down and when to hit the brake! Sometimes I don’t brake at all! Most of the time, I’m just changing gears because brake means that I’m going to stop. When you’re changing gears, I’m just navigating through it! You know what I mean? It’s different!

AM: And it is different!

I think that you have such an authenticity about you and that’s why people love being able to see you. It’s great to see you popping on screen in your shows or starting up my Mon with your podcast. I know that when I hear you, I’m going to get you as an authentic full experience!

JBS: Yes indeed! And that, you know to answer the question – that is something that I do from the heart and for the love of what I do! For the love of being in the moment, for the love of something to hold onto that knowledge and to hold onto that laughter! Holding onto things that makes me happy – it’s the ability to benefit the world or the people who also want to do what I do or just want to be inspired. I do think that it applies to every walk of life no matter what your occupation is or what your dreams are, the same process applies. Come early, stay late, be courteous to people, respect their dreams and what they're trying to do – don’t waste their time, don’t waste your time. There are certain things that will apply always. I think that is the core of growth and the core of achieving your dreams. What I want to do is to be consistent. I want to give this laughter away whether you’re paying me or if you’re not paying for it. I don’t get paid if I stop and talk to someone for half an hour and miss my flight. I can’t say, “oh I got paid for that so it’s ok I missed the flight.” No, I’m doing that because I felt something for this person in that moment that they needed this quick little talk and it’s free.

AM: How did you hone your craft?

JBS: You know, being in real situations. Real situations are a comedian's food. That’s our food. Real situations, you can elaborate on real situations and make them funny. You can take pain and make it funny. You can take funny and make it funnier. So you know, it’s all in the construction of the joke, the construction of the situation, the construction of the scene – you know? That is where it comes from. I always say that anyone can tell a joke if I have to use what I do for a living. Anybody can tell a joke, but not everyone can sell a joke. Everybody can’t sell it – you can tell it – but everybody can’t sell it!

AM: I am the worst joke teller because I forget the parts, I have to stop and reset it – so I definitely can’t sell it.

JBS: Oh yeah, that’s true!

AM: I remember when I first saw you for Def Comedy Jam as a standup comedian and then you went onto SNL as a writer and a performer! What was that experience like?

JBS: To me it was great. But again, you gotta make decisions on your movement because when I started on Def Comedy Jam and I was on BET and did all of these TV shows, guest-starring, touring in colleges, those road gigs, tours and all of the things that I have done, making the decision to move to LA, doing all of that stuff and making the decision to go on Cedric the Entertainer Presents, getting on Lyricists Lounge Show – doing guest spots on TV shows, doing my first CBS deal – all those things I’ve done.

Then to sit there and say, “ok I have this audition for SNL.” My second time auditioning for SNL actually. I did it twice. I was going for cast member. For me, you sit there and you say, I’m going in for cast member and I didn’t make the show as a performer but I ended up making the show as a writer. Even when I got the offer for a writer, I was in the middle of a deal for a host of stuff of my own so I had to say do I put myself on hold to work on Saturday Night Live? So I sat and thought about it and decided that it would look great on my resume so I said, as more of a business move. I know that the percentage of shows that actually air are so small and back then it was REALLY hard! Back then we didn’t have streaming services. We didn’t have Netflix and Hulu and Amazon. We didn’t have any of this stuff. It was just regular TV, HBO and Showtime. We had the premium channels but those opportunities, we didn’t have as big of a chance to get someone to air. I had to sit there and say, “ok. If I put this to the side and do this, how can I make this work for me?” I said, I will do this and then figure it out later. But this is going to look great on my resume – SNL.

So I came to SNL and when I got here, I ended up doing sketches, I ended up being a writer on the show, I ended up doing monologues on the show and ended up doing all these amazing things for the show and doing warmups for my 3 seasons. So I ended up doing a lot of stuff and that was 4 different checks – that’s a NY hustle right there! But that’s also being someone who has different skills – who can be a utility person – 4 things at the same time. That helps me and shows how I can be versatile. I can do 4 jobs at once.

For me, it worked out perfect. I had the chance to be JB, I had a chance to be someone who's able to do all of these amazing things and at the same time, it allowed me to work and build my resume and network with these amazing guest stars of the show. So it was definitely a process. I can’t say that it was easy – it was hard work because you’re talking about someone going from being a standup comedian to being a writer. I wasn’t a traditional writer. I improvise a lot in my standup so for me it made more sense to take it, do all of my skills under one roof. I did 3 seasons over there and it looks great on my resume, so it served its purpose doing it that way.

None of those other opportunities went away, the opportunities for TV shows were still there, the opportunities for movies were still there and I was still able to leave there and do a bunch of movies – The Sitter, Hall Pass, Date Night all in a row. I got a chance to do all of that stuff and when I was working over at SNL, I did Conan O’Brien. Conan O’Brien’s show, he was still at NBC at that time and I did his show as a sketch artist 10 times. So I had a chance to get from behind the desk typing jokes, go downstairs on the elevator and do a sketch with Conan and then get back in the elevator upstairs to finish working. I got a chance to do so many things while I was over there. Again, it wasn’t easy and it was humbling in some sense. You’re in control on stage but you’re not in control on this show which is live TV. Everything is just fast. You have to sit there and write all night long for these sketches and it’s humbling because it’s like your trying out for the cheerleading team or the football team and you go in the hallway and they put the list up of who made the team. There was a piece of paper in the hallway that said whose sketch made it and you had to read that list on the wall and you’d say, "damn, I didn’t get it."

AM: Oh wow that happened every week!

JBS: It was an amazing experience and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world. I would have rather taken this process that I have already completed rather than this fast and quick process that these young people are doing now. I had more time to smell the roses.

AM: I’m a huge fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm, you joined it in the 6th season and I know that the 12th season is coming back, how did you get attached to the show and how involved are you in creating and evolving the character of Leon Black?

JBS: Oh man! My wife told me that I was going to be on the show. We would watch the show, we loved the show and even when I was on SNL, we would talk about the show on our writing days. One day I said, that I would love to be on the show and man I got the opportunity. I always say that one thing has to step out of the way in order for something else to come through. I didn’t get renewed for my 4th season of SNL and I literally went from coming to LA for a friend’s memorial – my friend Oji Pierce who composed and produced This is How We Do It and I was there for his memorial service. I make moves because I trust my process and I trust my talent. I know I always bounce back from things. I had actually fired my agent – I fired every damn body! I knew that once I fired them, I wasn’t going back to SNL.

The agents are the ones that fight for you and keep you hired. They are the ones that call and make it go. I said, well if I fire my agent who I am not happy with, I know for a fact, that I will not get spoken about and they’re not going to push to keep me on the show if they’re not getting paid to do what they do. So I said, “well, I’m going to see what happens.” I fired them and I knew I wasn’t going back and for a fact that with no one there to speak for me, there was no way that I was going to be able to stay at SNL.

So I took that chance, I rolled the dice and I took that chance. Low and behold, I didn’t get renewed. I was out on the road for a month doing standup. Oji passed away, my wife already told me that I was going to be on Curb Your Enthusiasm and I got a phone call of my friend passing and I went to LA for one day. I signed with a new agent before I went to LA, went to meet them when I got to LA and one of the agents said, “man, I have an audition for you – how long are you in town?” I told them that I had come into town for 1 day to pay respects to my buddy and I was going back tomorrow.

He said he had an audition for me and I asked him what it was for and he said, Curb Your Enthusiasm. I said, “get out of here, you have to be kidding me!” I went on the audition and you know, I did what I did well which is improvise which takes these scenes and make them my own. Let me do what I do because I’m going to do what I do! Me and Larry hit it off in the audition. We hit it off to the point where we were in there laughing our butts off and having a good time. We became friends that day. I left there and said to myself, if someone gets that job, God bless them, but me and that man had a great time! That leads to me being on the greatest improvised show to me in TV history.

So, my process is, I’m an improv guy. I have been improvising my entire life and I think that that’s a life choice too. Improvising gives you the ability to change your mind in the moment where no one will ever know that you changed your mind! Improvising will give you the ability to sway someone in a different direction. Improvising gives you a way of reading energy and reading their body language – all of these great things that you can do by knowing the process and being able to improvise. It pays off in life, it pays off in acting, it pays off in real estate sales if you’re a realtor. You can be anyone you want, but if you improvise just a little bit, it allows you to pick up little nuances about people that you can use to your advantage.

I think that that’s what helps me so much having to improvise in my standup career so much. It really allowed me to take that skill and to use that 1 little improv class that I took that summer before I started doing standup. I would tell anyone that they should take improv – I don’t care what you do. That allowed me to really hone in on my acting skills and to get in the moment which makes my standup shows so different. I’m literally listening to what this particular audience is laughing at which is what I apply to Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Whatever is working for my character and sometimes, I don’t know what I will do with my character. Sometimes I don’t know. Sometimes I just go with what the scene is and I take that. Sometimes what I do is, I will decide in the moment if I want to have Larry’s back or if I want to go against Larry. I decide right there, do I want to be on Larry’s side or will I go against him – what is the better argument here? I really decide in the moment and it gives me the upper hand and let’s me drive that. It also lets me give him something new that he doesn’t know about the character every time I work with him. That way, I create these forks in the road – these branches to the character. My character has never been defined. We still don’t know where the hell he came from – so for me to be able to make that up over the 6 seasons that I have been there is great! I can still tell people a little more that they need to know about Leon which makes it fun!

AM: You have been in so many series and films from Spider-Man movies, co-hosting – what do you look for when you’re sent projects and what goes into your decision on whether you’re going to participate in something?

JBS: I go by this, which works for me: I read the script of course. If they specifically call for me, I’m kind of past the audition process at this point because I am established all these years. I get offers for things and I can say yay or nay to the offer. Once in a while, I have to read for something – once in a while. It could be something very specific or something that is outside of my lane and it’s to show that I can do something if it’s a drama or something like that. If I meet a director or a producer and they ask for me specifically and they say that they want me to make my character my own, that is the most precious words that I can hear for an improv guy or a guy that they can trust to do that character. When they say, “make the character your own JB. We love your voice and your sensibilities and we love what you do and we want you to be that character and vice versa.” So I’m like cool, let me make it my own and I take that character and I make them my own. This happens in movies, in TV, in commercials, in animations – it doesn’t matter. They let me do me and if it’s animations, I say let me see the character so I can see who it is and then I can take that character and then I can make that character my own.

AM: You also have Four Courses with JB Smoove, why did you want to do this?

JBS: You know what. I love talk shows and I love talking to friends and I’m good at it. I love to sit there and kick it and have a convo with people and that is what makes interviewing people so fun. I’m curious of the process. I’m curious about your path and I’m really engaged. I love to laugh and I love the stories. I love to tell stories and I love to be interviewed while I’m interviewing – you know what I’m saying? I think that’s fun. I love to be interviewed while I’m interviewing.

AM: Last year when May I Elaborate? first came out, I knew I would be obsessed with it. I love hearing you and Miles Grose talking back and forth about various topics and it was a great way to start my day. Why did you want to create this podcast show?

JBS: You know what? It was one of those things where everybody was doing podcasts. I knew that if everyone was doing podcasts, I had to do something that was funny, insightful and I like to give what I call, broken wisdom sometimes! I feel like there’s more than 1 way for you to be able to get it. For some people, you have to shake it out of their ass and then you have to shake it into them and then shake whatever the issue is out of them at the same time. I think of that tough hard love in a funny way and in a way that makes sense to people. I’m giving it to you in a way that is like a friend. I’m not a doctor, I don’t know it all, I know a lot about everything and a little bit about nothing. You need that balance! You have to tell people sometimes that, “I’m not sure but God damn, I know you got to give it to them like that and here’s what I would do.” I can’t say it’s going to work, but this is what I would do and this is how to get the process started. You sometimes have to get out of your own fucking head. If I can get you out of your own head, I’m halfway there! That’s the block right there. You’re like a controlled schizophrenic – you are battling yourself in your own head. Different versions of you don’t know how to handle certain things. So you’re stuck in a certain place and you just need to find some kind of way to talk to the right person in your head to get it moving in the right direction.

AM: With the 2nd season dropping last month, what can we expect for the season going forward? Last season was really long as it was everyday which was great. This season, the format is a little different with it being on Mon and you guys have more personalities that are joining you each week like Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Nealon and Randall Park. What can we look forward to?

JBS: In the 1st season, we did almost 190 episodes! Which is crazy! So, we will more than likely maybe transition this amazing podcast into possibly an animated version – we’re not sure yet. We think that the wisdom is funny enough and the visuals that I give Miles and that Miles gives me, you always want to see it and I think that there is a funny way to present this show.

It’s so funny, we got nominated for a podcast award but guess what? We didn’t get nominated in the comedy category. We got nominated in the inspirational and religious category which is crazy! We got nominated with all the gurus and people who are speaking real shit. We’re taking real things and just elaborating on them in a funny way and we get put in that category instead of a comedy one which is nutso! It’s a little bit flattering in some ways to be nominated with all of these amazing people who are really speaking truth to the world. But it’s also like, damn, is what we’re saying not funny or are we ambidextrous - we’re left and right-handed? Can we do both? We have found a way to do both!

Without Miles, Miles is the glue. He is the voice of reason. He is the funniest dude ever. He does the research, I elaborate and he pulls me back. So, we have something that works well and yes, we’re not sure what we’re going to do with the show yet. We have so many ideas on our slate that it’s unlimited amount of ideas that we have that we can do and we haven't locked in what we’re going to do with May I Elaborate?, but we’re not locked out of it either. So, we’ve done a lot of episodes. For this type of show, we’re not just turning it on and talking. You have to do a little research and it takes a lot of time and looking at the perfect quote and affirmation and using it to our advantage.

AM: For last season, it was just the perfect show especially in the midst of the pandemic. To be able to have those lighter moments that would come in and to start the day off with that, it allowed us to have some laughs before we delved into the work here at Athleisure Mag whether it was booking, virtual shoots, meetings etc and it created a part of the day that we looked forward to. That was definitely special but in general. I’m always excited to hear what you will elaborate on?

JBS: Yes and we’re looking forward to doing in some capacity – anything that we can do to help people and to keep things fresh and fun. As little work as possible, but as much of a reward as possible.

AM: You have also had amazing partnerships whether it’s with Crown Royale, Caesars or JUST Egg to name a few. What do you look for when it comes to brand alignment that wants to connect with you? How do you decide what you want to lend your brand to?

JBS: I kind of go with the notion of to talk about what I know about – that way I’m not ever in a weird position. I’m a vegan so I love the JUST Egg relationship that we have. I entertain a lot so I did love my Crown Royale campaign. Every campaign I have ever done, I have always found a way to make it something that I love and that I can put a lot of energy into it and I use it. We were doing this branded entertainment with these companies for years before anybody was really doing it. I did a Mountain Dew campaign years ago – Mountain Dew White Out campaign – you name it. This Caesars one is just another one that I love. I love taking on characters. I like characters. I grew up in the age where commercials were about the characters – the “Where’s the Beef” lady, I love commercials man –

AM: The “Time to Make the Donuts” man.

JBS: Oh yes – time to make the donuts! I love that stuff! I always loved characters and reoccurring cool characters.

AM: We love your Caesars Sportsbook one. Like you said the fact that it’s characters, but also – we love football. We’re in NY, but also – I love football. We’re in NY, but I’m originally from Indiana so when you had the Mannings – that was exciting and then of course, Halle Berry in the commercial! How did this come back with you partnering with them and what will you do with them in terms of ongoing work?

JBS: Well, I actually did a commercial years ago a with a director. The commercial never made it to air, but what happened was, the director remembered me and he loved the commercial even though it never aired and he reached out. He said he was doing a campaign with Caesars and he didn’t see anyone else being Caesar but me! He liked my voice, my delivery and he knew it would be fun. He said he couldn’t imagine anyone else embodying this emperor than me. He said that he thought that it would be amazing and wanted to know if I wanted to do it and I thought it sounded hilarious. He said if we were going to do it, we were going to start the campaign and he had already sold me to Caesars and let them know that they would be blown away by me and that I was his guy. He told them that no one would be able to do this better than JB.

Now that goes back to what we were talking about – coming early, staying late, being courteous, not being a diva – all those things. I’m a seed planter. This is another version of planting seeds for later. I’m the squirrel who has those acorns and buries them for winter. That’s why my phone rings constantly. I’m always planting seeds and I have tons of seeds still planted. My phone rings and it keeps going and that’s why it keeps ringing because I have already planted these seeds and relationships that I have built already. That’s how I keep busy. People say all the time, “man, you’re everywhere – but you don't see everything at one time.” Everything is spread out over time because I have planted seeds and projects and it’s going to come out at this time and then this project over here will come out after this project at this time. My visibility is always up there and that’s the fun part.

AM: You’re an Emmy award winner, author, comedian, actor, producer, podcast host - you do so many things. What else do you want to add to your portfolio that you have yet to do?

JBS: I know at some point, I will get behind the camera and direct something. We started a brand new company called Alternate Side Productions, we’re going to build an amazing brand, an amazing company which will be off the hook. We’re going to do some amazing projects under the JB Smoove banner with brand and style and the things that we love to do. We’re going to build that and I’m going to put a lot of people to work. I think that that’s what needs to be done to build a production company. I want to drop some amazing products in the vegan lane. I’m a vegan. That’s going to be another thing. I have been doing the vegan thing for a long time. A lot of people are just jumping on the bandwagon, but you know, I let them do what they do. I’ve been vegan for awhile and I have been harping on this for awhile now and linking myself with other vegan products. A lot of people are just getting onto it and you know, it’s all good. I’m already established in this lane so it’s another thing and extension of what I do. It’s also another extension of caring about people’s health and my own health.

AM: What led you to want to become a vegan?

JBS: Well my wife has been a vegan for forever. My wife is a musical artist and has been a vegan forever and hasn’t had meat in something like 27 years. So, she was a vegetarian for awhile, then a vegan and now she is a raw vegan which is a whole other level. She’s doing that now, but I’m a straight vegan. I’ve been part-time/full-time for a long time. I was part-time vegan and full-time carnivore for awhile. Now, for the past 4 years, I have been a straight vegan and it’s been great.

AM: As you say, you’re always planting seeds. Do you have upcoming projects that you are able to share that we should keep an eye out for?

JBS: Not right now. The main thing I’m working on right now is of course, you know that Curbed got greenlit for season 12, I have a bunch of animated shows coming out, I have the new season of Woke out right now and I’m recording something right now for a video game. I’m also recording 2 other animated shows at the same time. I’m also building this company. I’m resuming my standup tour and I’m also doing a special and hoping that I can get it done by the top of the year. There’s a bunch of cool things that I am working on and I’m very happy with my process. I like to be the steady tortoise sometimes – I don’t need everything at one time, I still love my private time so that I can RV. I still love to do all the fun things that I love to do. As I said, my wife is also out there doing her thing with her new studio. We’re doing so many cool things and also we’re building some companies outside of entertainment. Yeah we’re just doing cool stuff and things that are off our interest list.

AM: You have great style that's well accessorized. As a stylist in addition to my role as a Co-Founder and Style Director at Athleisure Mag, how do you define your style and would you ever create your own clothing/accessory line?

JBS: I love style! I grew up in an era where you build your outfits from the shoes up. You get a nice pair of reliable comfortable shoes because the first thing people do is look down at your feet and then they work their way up to your eyes.

I do have some amazing things coming out. I’m working on a watch, I’m working on a hat line and some amazing bracelets. I’m working on a few amazing things. Yes, all of these things I plan on dropping before the new year and this is going to be some amazing accessories. Apparel is a little hard, but accessories are something that I love and I love things that I consider conversation pieces. A conversation piece will get you in the door and you can meet your new boss. It just takes the interview and this changes the meeting and the relationship and takes it to something different. It gets you in differently.

I tell young people all the time, create a conversation piece whether it's a rose or a flower in your lapel – something that people look at and think, “wow, I like his style. I like what he represents.” That is the #1 thing – a shiny pair of shoes, a pocket square – something amazing on you to create and allow people to keep their eyes on you. It creates that question of, what kind of rose is that, what kind of pocket square – who made that tie? All these things are things that people look at and allows them to reaffirm who you are!

AM: I couldn’t agree more – statement pieces are so essential!

With everything that you have done, what do you want your legacy to be?

JBS: I just want to be known as a chance taker. I believe in getting as many at bats as possible. Get as many swings at the ball as possible. I have always been one where I have had some stumbles, but I have a bad memory of those stumbles. I tell people all the time that life keeps going – it keeps moving. To be free of mind and to be free to take as many swings as possible and to know that you can change your mind. Take as many swings of the things that you want to do in this life as possible. The more swings you get, the more hits you get. If you’re sitting on your hands, you can’t get the swings! I always say, get those swings in, figure out your progress, figure out what you want to do and keep swinging at it. I want to be known as chance taker, a guy that always walks on a tightrope with no net. I always feel like I got good balance. With good balance, you never worry about falling - you know what I mean? If you worry about falling, you worry about standing up.

IG @ohsnapjbsmoove

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 30 - 31 Harrison O'Brien | PG 33 + 43 Noemad | PG 34, 50 + PG 73 - 75 9DRIP Storm Santo | PG 36 - 40 Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO/John P Johnson | PG 44 - 47 Luis Ruiz | PG 49 The Last O.G. TBS/Cara Howe |

Read the MAY ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see STORING SEEDS | JB Smoove in mag.

COLLABORATION IS KEY | MARK INDELICATO

When Ugly Betty first came out, it was definitely a must that you were watching this show. The cast had breakout stars, iconic actors, of the moment topics and the series delved into the world of Mode Magazine. One of the characters that was a fan favorite was Justin played by Mark Indelicato. As a young actor, we watched him in this show. After 4 seasons, this show ended and Mark decided that he would go to college to experience life.

After taking time for himself, he continued with acting and played in a number of TV shows and films. We caught up with him recently to talk about 2 series that are both back for their second season and are having major moments from HBO Max's Hacks and Amazon Originals' With Love.

He talks about what draws him to projects, the importance of collaboration and using his platform.

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

MARK INDELICATO: I realized I wanted to be an actor when I was quite young. I can’t recall a specific moment where the lightbulb went off, I just remember how much fun I had. And 20 years later I’m still having fun.

AM: What are you looking for when new projects come up or are offered to you?

MI: Of course, first and foremost it’s the words that are on the page. Is this character well-rounded and multidimensional? And if not, does this character have an important function in the overall narrative of the piece. I'm not interested in projects where the character is "checking off a certain box” (i.e. “the gay friend” and things of the like).

AM: Our readers have enjoyed you in several roles from Ugly Betty, Dead of Summer etc. What is your process when you begin to work through playing your character?

MI: I really rely heavily on the writers, show runners and directors if I’m honest. With certain roles I find myself able to slip into them pretty easily and intuitively, but I definitely always have myriad questions throughout the entirety of a shoot. Even if I feel like I have a firm grasp on the character and their motivations etc, I always find it to be helpful to ask questions. Collaboration is key.

AM: Your character Justin in Ugly Betty was such a breakout role at the time; did you think at the time that that role would be so impactful?

MI: Of course not. I was so young I really didn’t understand what it was that we were actually doing, let alone how the show and the role were going effect viewers. I was too busy having fun and pinching myself that I was able to go to work every day. It’s only in retrospect that I can really appreciate what the show and Justin, in particular, represented and still represents to people.

AM: After the success of Ugly Betty, you took time away from acting to go to college. Why was it important for you to step away and what brought you back to the industry?

MI: In short, I needed a break. The entertainment industry is famously - or infamously - difficult to navigate and I was simultaneously navigating adolescence, so I think I just felt burnt out at a certain point. I also wanted to have a sort of anonymous life experience and going to NYU definitely gave me that. I’m so happy that I took that break because it also reminded me how much I love acting and allowed me to recenter myself regarding what I wanted to pursue as an adult.

AM: We enjoyed watching Hacks as it's a great cast. What was it about this series that attracted you to it and tell us about Damien?

MI: Like I said before its all about writing. When I read the sides of Damien I called my agent right after screaming: “I NEED TO BE ON THIS SHOW!” Although Damien has a pretty peripheral part in the first season and doesn’t necessarily speak that much, I was certain of his function in the larger narrative of the show, namely that he is a member of “Team Deborah.”

On top of that, I was very familiar with the creators of the show, Paul W. Downs (The Mindy Project, Broad City, At Home with Amy Sedaris), Lucia Aniello (Broad City, The Baby-Sitters Club, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens) and Jen Statsky’s (Hello Ladies, Parks and Recreation, The Good Place) prior work and was in awe of the incredible people attached to the series as well, both in front and behind the camera.

AM: The second season drops this month, where did we leave him and what can you tell us about the upcoming season?

MI: This season we go on the road! Team Deborah goes on tour, so we spent a lot of time together this season in quite close quarters. Damien picks up exactly where we leave him in season 1. He’s still snarky, still manic, and we get to see a lot more of him this season.

AM: You're also coming back for the second season of With Love. Tell us about this show which also has a great cast as well as Jorge?

MI: Yes! What I love so much about playing Jorge is just how different the world of With Love is from that of Hacks. It’s always intriguing to step into other worlds and contexts as an actor, so I’m very blessed to be able to do that for now two consecutive years with Hacks and With Love. Gloria Calderón Kellett (Devious Maids, Jane the Virgin, One Day at a Time) approached me with this character, and I just felt like I knew him. I related to him so much that it truly felt like she had written it for me. (She didn’t) But once we started filming the first season, I was so pleased to learn how collaborative she is and how much she really wants us - the actors - to have a seat at the table. And with that being said, she really handed me the reins when it came to what Jorge looked like, how he dressed etc, which is extremely rare. I really have to say that I’ve lucked out over the course of my career in working with people that value and respect my opinions.

AM: What can we expect from the 2nd season?

MI: You can expect that same uplifting vibe that you got last year, but this year one of the three couples gets engaged. There might even be a wedding.

AM: Over the past few years, being an activist allows people to find ways to use their platform to drive awareness. What do you use your platform for?

MI: I think that my activism comes from simply being an out and proud queer person on television. So, I would hope that my platform is such that it gives young queer viewers the ability to see themselves on television. I think I’m so passionate about representation in this context because of what I learned and saw from playing Justin on Ugly Betty. As ignorant as it might sound, I didn’t really know how powerful television and film were in uplifting those that feel alone or disenfranchised up until I really examined how much Justin has meant to people, so I hope to continue down that road.

AM: When you're not on set what can we find you doing to take time for yourself?

MI: If you can believe it, I’m such homebody! When I’m not on set you can catch me in the kitchen making a plethora of things or on the couch with a glass of wine bingeing any franchise of the Real Housewives.

IG @markindelicato

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | PG 64 - 67 Hacks/HBO | PG 68 With Love Amazon |

Read the MAY ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see COLLABORATION IS KEY | Mark Indelicato in mag.

IN THE AIR | BROOKLYN DECKER

As most of us are enjoying warmer weather, it means we have so many options that are opening up to us! We caught up with model and star, Brooklyn Decker who plays Mallory Hanson of Netflix's Grace and Frankie to find out how she got into the industry starting as a model and continuing on as an actor. We talk about upcoming projects that she's working on, how she enjoys time with her husband, former #1 world champion and US Open tennis great Andy Roddick, as well as her children and how she is joining ZYRTEC and their ReLEAF Project in partnership with the American Forests.

This tree-planting initiative helps foster a better, healthier planet for all. Together, ZYRTEC® and American Forests are helping advance tree equity in historically excluded communities, so more individuals can reap the health and environmental benefits that trees can provide.

ATHLEISURE MAG: You started in the industry as a model and we remember your cover in Sports Illustrated in 2010 and have been in a number of films and TV series, what drew you to modeling and eventually transitioning into acting?

BROOKLYN DECKER: Gosh, I got so lucky! For modeling, I was actually in the mall and someone came up to me. She was another model that I thought that I knew and she thought that she recognized me from modeling and we got to talking and she suggested that I should do it. It turns out, that because we ran track in high school, that’s why we looked familiar to each other. But that’s how I got into it because someone told me that I should explore it. As a kid growing up in Matthews, North Carolina, I didn’t think that that was an option or a career path that one could pursue. But for me, it felt like an incredible way for me to be able to travel! I had never been on a plane, I didn’t have a passport so it was a really great way for me to be able to see the world and also potentially as a way to pay for college which I ended up not even doing or going to. But that’s how it started!

Then when I was modeling, as much as I loved it, in that time it was different. You modeled, but your name wasn’t printed in magazines, you didn’t have a voice and all of my friends were in college and I was at home. I just really wanted to be able to talk! I started talking and working with an acting teacher just to have something to read and work on. At that time online courses were super super new and you had to be a full time student to do that so online education wasn’t an option for me at the time. I studied acting kind of as a way just to have something to read, to do and to say. Then, I got really lucky and got my first gig and then I did a bunch of other gigs and got another gig and was rejected from many others and it’s kind of been a pattern for the last 17 years now!

AM: We just finished watching the final episode of Grace and Frankie! I’m so bummed as we know that this is the final season and there won’t be any other episodes and we're hoping that you guys will do a movie where you’ll pop in every now and then. What made you want to be part of this show? It’s such an incredible cast and it covers so many relevant topics that are shared in it.

BD: I was in Haiti. My manager and their friends were on the board of a non-profit so we were there doing some work. I didn’t have any wi-fi access and my agent reached out to us and said there was this new show on Netflix that was casting and this was like early days of Netflix. They had House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. This would have been their first half hour comedy. And then he told me that it was starring Jane Fonda (Monster-in-Law, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Book Club), Lily Tomlin (The West Wing, Desperate Housewives, Damages), Martin Sheen (The West Wing, The Departed, The Amazing Spider Man) and Sam Waterston (Law & Order, The Newsroom, The Dropout) and I said, I have to read for it!

Because there was no wi-fi, I couldn't read the script so I didn’t know what it was or what the part was. I just knew that they were in it, so it must be great. At the time, Netflix was really edgy and we were all so curious about what they were going to do next and what they would create next. So I had to read for it before I knew anything about the series. Once I left Haiti, I was on an airplane and I read the pilot and thought that it was hilarious. I just loved it. I loved the idea of this family comedy with a kind of heart and I hadn’t seen anything like that for a long time. It was a no brainer!

AM: We love it and now that the show has ended, what can we expect to see you in next or what are you tackling now at the moment?

BD: That’s a good question! During COVID, actually June Diane Raphael (Black Monday, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Cheaper by the Dozen), who plays Brianna on Grace and Frankie she and I and another writer Asha Michelle Wilson (Scream Queens, Feud: Bette and Joan, American Horror Story), are writing something together. So we are currently pitching that. It’s a very dark comedy and it’s nothing like Grace and Frankie at all. But we are pitching that as we speak. It’s something that we’ve worked on for the almost a year and a half. You may never hear about it again because it may never sell or you might hear that it’s sold and turning into a show. We’ll see!

AM: That sounds exciting and you’re a busy mom with children and a husband. When you’re not on set, what’s a typical day like for you?

BD: Ooo my husband and I try to alternate travel. So if I’m not on set, that means I'm home and I’m taking my kids to school. I recently started really exercising again so I fit in some weight lifting which is my favorite thing to do workout-wise. I’ve invested in a lot of companies led by female founders and I have a few calls with founders every week that are sprinkled in regardless of filming so I will talk to a few founders about what is going on in their companies and how I can be helpful. Of course writing and I have to get outdoors at some point so there will be a neighborhood family walk or there is going to be an outdoor basketball game with the kids or a soccer game which my husband coaches my daughter’s team. So we’re always getting outdoors and a hearty glass of wine at the end of the night with a good show for whatever my husband and I are bingeing at the moment. That’s like my dream day whenever I’m not on set.

AM: Love that! You’ve been partnered with ZYRTEC for quite awhile and you’re helping them to get the word out on the importance of tree coverage and their partnership with American Forests, can you tell us more about that and then what the ReLEAF Project is?

BD: Yes so ZYRTEC partnered with the American Forests to create the ZYRTEC ReLEAF Project which is all about providing funds for research and planting trees in historically excluded communities. When you look at tree equity which is a term frankly that was new to me, I looked at it as environmental injustice, where because of discriminatory redlining, there are certain communities that don’t have access to parks; therefore, their air isn’t as clean. There are higher cases of asthma, heating and cooling is more challenging, erosion is a greater issue and a lot of that can be greatly helped simply with trees. What I love about ZYRTEC is I have been using it for years and my doctor has recommended it when I started getting allergies as an adult and my kids use it as well. So we love it as a family, but also it's nice to be able to partner with a company and they have a real mission and a give-back component. What I love about Zyrtec is that they’re saying that they are trying to give people relief so that they can enjoy the outdoors and that also includes giving communities relief so that they can enjoy the benefits of trees and nature. So, they are really committed to it and they have already started planting trees where they have targeted 3 cities around the country and they’re going to continue to do that for the rest of the year.

AM: That’s a pretty big project and we didn’t realize the association between certain communities not having trees and what that means for them as well as the air that they’re breathing. That’s really exciting that they would do that initiative.

BD: I agree. Again, it was a term that I knew as environmental injustice and that it meant that there wasn’t a financial investment in parks, green areas and community gardens and all of that directly affects the health of its citizens. So it’s nice to see companies taking that seriously and making that their mission and responsibility.

IG @brooklyndecker

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 120 - 125 Netflix/Grace & Frankie | PG 126 Zyrtec |

Read the MAY ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see IN THE AIR | Brooklyn Decker in mag.

9DRIP | DIMITRI VEGAS AND LIKE MIKE

Read the MAY ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see 9DRIP | Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike in mag.

9DRIP | JB SMOOVE

Read the MAY ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see 9DRIP | JB Smoove in mag.

THE BACHELORETTES S19 | MEET THE MEN OF THE NEW CAST

On Jul 11th, we’re heading back to the mansion! Since the pandemic, we have seen variations on ABC’s The Bachelorette from new hosts, date dynamics for their dates and more. This season, the changes continue as there are 2 bachelorettes! We will follow the journeys of 26-year-old Rachel Recchia, a flight instructor from Clermont, Florida, and 31-year-old Gabby Windey, an ICU nurse from O'Fallon, Illinois.

Ahead of the season, we have The Bachelorette contestants that will be participating this season. You can find out more about who they are and where they’re from. There are a number of men who are from San Diego, Chicago and the surrounding area, Tampa and even twin brothers! It will be interesting to get to know the guys and see who we can see for each woman. Without a doubt, it’s going to be interesting to see the dynamics of how the men will decide between the two.

Each night during this season, we tweet about The 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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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC, 27 | Houston, TX

AVEN, 28 | San Diego, CA

BRANDAN, 23 | Carlsbad, CA

CHRIS, 30 | Redondo Beach, CA

COLIN, 36 | Chicago, IL

ERICH, 29 | Bedminster, NJ

ETHAN, 27 | NY, NY

HAYDEN, 29 | Tampa, FL

JACOB, 27 | Scottsdale, AZ

JAMES, 25 | Winnetka, IL

JASON, 30 | Santa Monica, CA

JOEY, 24 | Brookfield, CT

JOHNNY, 25 | Palm Beach Gardens, FL

JOHN, 26 | Nashville, TN

JORDAN H., 25 | Tampa, FL

JORDAN V., 27 | Alpharetta, GA

JUSTIN B., 32 | Solana Beach, CA

JUSTIN Y., 24 | Brookfield, CT

KIRK, 29 | Lubbock, TX

LOGAN, 26 | San Diego, CA

MARIO, 31 | Naperville, IL

MATT, 25 | San Diego, CA

MICHAEL, 32 | Long Beach, CA

NATE, 33 | Chicago, IL

QUINCEY, 25 | Miami, FL

ROBY, 33 | Los Angeles, CA

RYAN, 36 | Boston, MA

SPENCER, 27 | Chicago, IL

TERMAYNE, 28 | Naperville, IL

TINO, 27 | Playa Del Rey, CA

TYLER, 25 | WIldwood, NJ

ZACH, 25 | Anaheim Hills, CA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

BACK AT THE PYNK

In 2020, the first season of P-Valley, an adaptation of Olivier Award, Pulitzer Prize winning and 2X TONY nominated playwright Katori Hall's (The Mountaintop, Tina: Tina Turner Musical, The Hot Wing King) play Pussy Valley, premiered on STARZ. Katori serves as the Executive Producer and showrunner for this series. This series takes us to the Mississippi Delta where local politics, a strip club and the need to elevate in society come to a head.

The sophomore season of P-Valley begins June 3rd and we caught up with some of our faves of The Pynk in Chucalissa, Mississippi. In our roundtable, we talked with Elarica Johnson (Eastenders, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, A Discovery of Witches) who plays Autumn that we meet in the first season after running from her problems to the town of Chucalissa and becomes a dancer at The Pynk; Parker Sawyers (Succession, Snowden, A Discovery of Witches) who plays Andre Watkins who is an an associate at a commercial investment company trying to secure land for The Promised Land Casino and Resort. We also talk with Shannon Thornton (POWER, Dynasty, Inventing Anna) who plays Keyshawn a dancer at The Pynk who is also making her debut as an artist and J. Alphonse Nicholson (Mr. Robot, Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madame C.J. Walker, Just Mercy) who plays the up and coming rapper, Lil' Murda.

We find out how they came to this series, why this show is powerful and what can we expect as we head into season 2.

ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s so great to talk to you guys and we've been a fan of your work in this series as well as other projects that you have been attached to. Before we delve into P-Valley and the upcoming season, what led you to want to be an actor?

ELARICA JOHNSON: Ohh I like this question! I was that performing artist kid – the annoying one that has to do performances at the age of 4 or 5. Then I watched Annie in the theater and saw this little girl doing this performance and I was like, oh my God, I want to do that. And then I think that the biggest part is the storytelling. I loved reading stories when I was younger and the fact that I can dress up and be whoever is handed to me and to be who I want to be, that’s the most incredible thing.

PARKER SAWYERS: What’s the expression? Nothing is as queer as folk – nothing is as queer as people? I just love exploring humans man! We’re just a strange animal! So far, my degrees are in philosophy and psychology. I like thinking and reading about people and then I didn’t start acting until I was 27. I’ve always been a keen observer of human behavior and just like – what? Why is that? I’ll give you an example. I was surprised by Katori, I think she had been out of her hometown for awhile like a decade! She had been in NY like Columbia, Harvard and this kind of stuff. And then, her accent is still quite strong! I love thinking about how she loves her hometown and she’s seeing all the stars, her place, the dialect – she loves it so much! That accent isn’t going anywhere! Whereas some other people, they move and they want to assimilate – I live in London and some Americans, they want to feel part of the culture and it’s not on purpose but their accent will start to go British. I love thinking about stuff like that and then putting it on screen whenever I get the chance.

SHANNON THORNTON: I wanted to be an actor since I was a kid. I have always just been a creative person. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a lefty as we’re always creatively and artistically inclined. I don’t know if that has something to do with it as well! I’ve always had a passion for drawing, I was involved in everything band, choir, drama club, African dance, ballet – anything that just involved being on the stage and performing. I was just a part of it and ever since I was a kid from my first play in middle school, I’ve always wanted to create and to express myself artistically. I really couldn’t see myself doing anything but what I am doing right now.

J. ALPHONSE NICHOLSON: For me, it came later in life. I’m a musician first, I’ve been a percussionist my entire life, but I will say that I have had a lot of artistic influences growing up from my mom writing church plays to being on a step team in high school to being in a marching band – so the showmanship was always there. Once I got to college, I was 18 at North Carolina Central University thinking that I was going to be a band teacher, I had a wonderful teacher come up to me and said that I should pursue this theater course and to audition for this play because I had a great personality. I did it and I fell in love with it. Here we are now at 32, 12 years later and I found a lot of success through storytelling and it just grew on me and I knew it was something that I was going to do for the rest of my life outside of any of my other endeavors. Storytelling is important to me and once you realize that you have a gift for it, it doesn’t feel like work – it’s something that you want to keep going after.

AM: I love that. What drew you guys to wanting to be part of P-Valley? I remember hearing about it before the 1st season dropped and I was excited. It sounded like it was going to be really good and when it came on, I was obsessed with this show and the characters! It was everything that I could have imagined and more.

EJ: I mean, I read this script and I fell in love very early on! I was like, this one’s for me – yes! The writing is amazing and Katori does an incredible job with the characters and the space and even the language – I had never seen it before. I knew that it had to be mine. You don’t see scripts like that very often.

PS: The same, the same! Elarica already said it, but as actors, I don’t know how many scripts we get and especially during busy months of the year, it can be 5 or 6 a week. I mean a lot of them look the same and I get confused! I’m like, did you already send me this one? But when I got P-Valley, it was so new and fresh – I got it and I understood it! Oftentimes, I don’t understand some of the humor written down or something in the script. But this one I was like – oh that’s funny, I got this, that’s cool. Reading it I was like, that’s interesting and I know that and I know that world – a little bit. So that’s just something that just leapt out.

ST: The writing is what pulled me in for sure. As soon as you read the script, I remember going into my manager’s office one day to put myself on tape for another project that I was auditioning for and they were like, “listen, this came across our desk and I know you don’t do nudity and that you don’t play this type of character, but it’s definitely worth a read.” I read it on the train ride home as I was living in NY at the time and I cried. It was so beautiful and I hadn’t come across anything like that in my entire career up until that point. The characters are just so beautifully fleshed out and complicated and this world is just so real and familiar to me. I absolutely, despite my reservations, absolutely had to at least throw my hat into the ring and see.

JAN: Same! Katori Hall! The writing! I knew of her genius as a writer prior to coming to P-Valley. We both come from the theater world in NY. So I was very fond of her work and when the opportunity came to work with her and to have an opportunity to audition, we went for it and when you add in the complexity of playing Lil’ Murda right? Him being a closeted rapper so as a heterosexual man, you get a little apprehensive and say, “hey is this a story that I feel comfortable in telling” and then you do it and it's so rewarding! For me, I feel like I have played a part in being an ally in a really dope community and that’s what drew me to it. 1. being an ally through storytelling and then 2. just this incredible writing by Pulitzer prize winning Katori Hall.

AM: That's great. One of the things that we love about this show is that everyone is haunted by something in this series and they are trying to escape to other things in their life. Where did we leave your characters last season and where do we pick up with them again going into the 2nd season which launches next month?

EJ: I mean, when we left my character Autumn, she was at the auction house and I know that there are a lot of questions from fans on where is that situation now and does she really own this space now and what is her relationship like with Uncle Clifford (Nicco Annan – Snowfall, This is Us, Claws)? I can tell you that it’s very bumpy! She does own the majority of The Pynk and is in partnership with Uncle Clifford and she is the boss now. This is a huge difference from her 1st season but the space belonged to Uncle Clifford for so long and has been in her life for so long that this battle has been going on for a very long time.

PS: With Andre, we’ve seen him where we left off with him failing at a mission again. We open up with him out of a job and sort of lost. And in my mind, a bit of a bum, overgrown and he’s stopped grooming himself and maybe stopped showering and maybe stopped washing his legs – I don’t know! He’s a bit lost, but then there’s something that happens that gets him out of it. Not immediately but it starts him on his path to getting back to himself. But he does it quickly and it’s pretty impressive.

ST: Season 1 as far as Keyshawn, you last see her at The Pynk, she had at this point, pulled a gun on Diamond (Tyler Lepley - 90210, The Haves and the Have Nots, Harlem) to protect her abusive boyfriend Derrick (Jordan Cox - TURN: Washington's Spies, Dynasty, The Outsider). We pick up where we left off, maybe a few months later where we are now in the throws of a pandemic and Keyshawn is dealing with the consequences of her actions. We see in season 2 whether or not she’s forgiven by Diamond or forgiven by her co-workers at The Pynk and where the relationship stands or goes with Derrick.

JAN: We find Lil’ Murda in a similar place at the end where he’s trying to figure him self out and to find himself. We absolutely find him in the same place that we’re at right now, dealing with a pandemic and dealing with how to cope with that. By the time we get to the end of season 2, we see him in a much more clearer space with himself but still complicated and complex none the less. We see him go through this incredible journey as a musician, a lover, a friend as a big brother to Keyshawn and how he moves through that space. So we find them in a multitude of different levels and a lot of different levels and then we find out how they even that playing field for themselves.

AM: The cast is really great and as you're watching the story unfold, there are interesting dynamics between them. In terms of Autumn and Andre, there is a tension between them will we continue to see that as we continue into the next season?

For Keyshawn and Lil' Murda, there is a great vibe into your characters in their relationship as friends and business partners. How will that evolve into the next season?

EJ: They do! They naturally have this thing. They’re like magnets and they’re drawn to each other regardless of what they’re going through as there’s always going to be something. I think that that is definitely a strong factor in their relationship. Yeah, we see that in this season coming.

JAN: For sure, you see it grow immensely. You see them become very fond of each other and what they are able to offer each other. Not only as business partners but as friends too right and as entertainers. I think that Lil’ Murda knows that he has to admit it to himself and his manager on the show that they can’t do that tour without Keyshawn. So we have to make that happen and then at the end of the day, I think that she knows and I don’t want to speak for her, but I feel like Lil’ Murda knows that Keyshawn knows that I am valuable to her. She feels like, “hey, he’s going to help me get out of these trenches – let’s go on tour and make that happen!”

I am valuable to her. She feels like, "hey, he’s going to help me get out of these trenches – let’s go on tour and make that happen!”

AM: Do you think that Keyshawn feels that way?

ST: Absolutely. Yes! We’re helping each other here. I think that being on tour is a kind of escapism and we were able to just escape reality for a little bit. It’s in the middle of the pandemic, but at the same time, we get to take that breather because we’re going on tour. You’ll see little texts and phone calls that bring us back to reality, but yeah absolutely.

AM: Looking past P-Valley, do you have any upcoming projects that you’re able to share that we can keep an eye out for?

PS: Oh man! The Lost Girls, that’s a movie that’s coming out. Look on my IMDB. Next week, I go off to Europe for a few months to do a couple of shows. I’m doing one for HBO Max and it’s set in the 1970s and it’s a spy thriller. Then I am also revisiting a character from a BBC show that I did in 2018 but because of the pandemic, we’re just getting around to being able to do the 2nd season! It’ll be cool, summer in Europe.

EJ: There’s nothing that I can talk about at the moment but I’m so thrilled to hear about what everyone is doing!

JAN: For sure, so I had an opportunity to work on a really cool project with John Boyega (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker), Jamie Foxx (Horrible Bosses 2, Baby Driver, Spider-Man: No Way Home) and Teyonah Parris (If Beale Streets Could Talk, Wandavision, Candyman) called They Cloned Tyrone coming to Netflix this year. I have 2 other projects that are in production right now and they are producer projects as well called Shadowbox with Hill Harper (Homeland, Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, The Good Doctor) and Joslyn Rose Lyons (Looking Glass, Waging Change, Truth to Power) she’s a writer and director of that project. So it’s in the festival circuit right now. The other 2 projects that I am doing right now haven’t had my characters be announced yet so I can’t wait for the audience and my fan base to get a hold of that!

ST: There are a couple of things that are in play right now, that I don’t want to jinx – they’re under wraps for the moment but I am very very excited and I don’t think that anyone will see me in quite this light before.

IG @pvalleystarz

@elarica

@parkersawyers

@shannonthornt_n

@j_fonz

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 100 - 111 STARZ/P-Valley

Read the MAY ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see BACK AT THE PYNK in mag.

THE LEGACY CONTINUES | TITUS WELLIVER

We've been fans of Prime Video's Bosch where we follow along as Harry Bosch solves a number of cases regardless of how many feathers he ruffles in the process. On May 6th, the story continues on Amazon FreeVee with Bosch: Legacy. We see how Bosch continues to fight for victims as his daughter Maddie Bosch continues to walk in her father's steps and how he will reconnect with former nemesis, Honey Chandler.

We enjoy the way Titus Welliver leans into his characters and draws us in. Whether it's his work in ABC's Lost, FX's Sons of Anarchy, HBO's Deadwood and countless other TV shows and movies, we know that Titus is going to leave quite a memory with us in the characters that he plays.

We talked with him about becoming an actor, working in the industry and taking on Bosch which comes from a series of books written by Michael Connelly.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be an actor?

TITUS WELLIVER: Oh boy, you know, I think I was born acting. I don’t know about that, I think it’s difficult or I can say, it was right after I realized I didn’t want to be a firefighter or a policeman anymore like all little boys do.

Actually, there was a filmmaker named Rudy Burckhardt and he made some films and he asked me to be in a film of his when I was about 5 and it was a very simple little bit where I played a little boy that had a shiny penny in his pocket and he was walking down a road. He had a hole in his pocket and he lost the penny and the penny was stolen from him by this stingy old man. I remember sort of thinking that it was kind of fun, but I didn’t really consider it any further than that. I did some little bits in school plays and things like that.

I really was initially trained to be a painter – a fine artist, that’s really what I wanted to do. But I always had an interest certainly in film and I watched a lot of television. I was spending a summer with my mother – she was living in Boston, but I didn’t go to school there so I didn’t have any friends there and I didn’t know any kids there. She was living in an area where there just wasn’t that kind of accessibility and I was sort of left to my own devices which meant I was just going to the Cineplex – to the movies all day long. She signed me up at a place called The Actors Workshop in Boston and I was 14 years old. I was reluctant, I wasn’t a camp kid, I liked sports camps and things like that. I went and after the first day, I came back to my mother and asked her if I could do more days of that. I ended up doing 5 days a week and it was a professional school for both adult and kid actors. I did that and I spent the summer doing that, but I still stayed on the trajectory that I was going to go to art school and I painted and I studied and studied.

I did a few productions in high school and enjoyed doing that and after a year of art school, I was left kind of cold to a certain degree and I had a conversation with my father who very directly said to me, “you know, when you’re not thinking about girls and drinking beer, what do you think about?” I said, “I think about acting.” My father said, “so not painting?”and I said no. He told me that I needed to be an actor. That was kind of it!

AM: What’s your process like when you’re thinking of attaching yourself to projects? We’ve enjoyed seeing your in Deadwood, Sons of Anarchy and of course Bosch – what are you looking for?

TW: Well, when you’re starting out, it’s about paying your bills, but also gaining experience. I mean, I did a lot of teeny tiny parts in plays, in short films and things because I was just trying to learn and gain that experience. So there’s that, but I think that more then anything, it starts with the writing. I've read a lot of bad scripts and I have acted in a few. But when the material is good, then it’s on! Then you realize that you’re in the presence of some material that’s going to challenge you and also that it will hopefully teach you something. Because I always say, I like to be in a constant state of learning and getting better. I think that with time, age and experience, the hope is that we evolve and certainly as artists, otherwise, you get kind of bored and you go and do something else. I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate that I have worked with great writers, producers and directors over the years – David Milch (Deadwood, NYPD Blue, Hill Street Blues) and Steven Bochco (NYPD Blue, Doogie Howser, M.D., Brooklyn South) to name a few and here I landed with Michael Connelly (The Lincoln Lawyer, The Dark Hours, The Poet) and Eric Overmyer (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, The Affair) and Tom Bernardo (Bosch, Bosch: Legacy) – a very gifted and dynamic group of people. To be given the opportunity to play this very iconic character, he’s kind of like Santa Claus for an actor, he goes down the chimney every time that I go to work and it’s nice.

AM: We’ve been a fan of Michael Connelly books for a number of years so when Bosch went to Prime Video it was exciting and then that you were going to play the title character, we knew that it was going to be so good. How did that come together for you to be part of this?

TW: Well, I was initially sent the script and I read it very quickly. I had only read one of the Bosch books many many years prior to. Unbeknownst to me, my younger brother had read and re-read the books and to this day possesses a kind of encyclopedic knowledge of Bosch as well as everything that Michael has written.

Through a series of mishaps, I kept trying to meet with Michael and the meetings kept getting pushed off and I was shooting Transformers: Age of Extinction which had me traveling all over the place in Chicago, Michigan and then Hong Kong. We just kept missing. I got a call a couple of months later from my manager who told me that I had a little window and Michael Connelly was in town and I would be able to meet with him. At that point, I thought that that boat had sailed as it had been a couple of months that had passed. I went in and met with him and the producers and the director and I was – as my grandmother would say, I was blessed at that moment. I left that audition feeling good, but you know, I have been doing this long enough and have enough humility to know that that’s all you can do. I got the call from my manager that I had been cast as Bosch and to say that I was thrilled was an understatement. It was just more realized after the first day of shooting that I knew I was part of something that was different. I’ve played other cop characters and I’ve done lots of procedural cop shows. Look, when you’re doing something from the ground up, it’s tricky but, when you have source material, like Michael Connelly’s books, you have to work really hard to mess it up. You know, in less capable hands, it could be very very messed up. The temptation to sex things up for a lack of a better word – to have him wearing Brioni suits, driving a fast car and jumping in and out of bed like James Bond, I was relieved that there was never any kind of consideration to do anything because I have always felt that if it ain’t broke, there’s no need to fix it.

Because of the ways that Amazon and the executives work which is at the beginning of the studios, they have a prime directive which is to get the material, but then to delegate the process to the creative people and not to micromanage. They delegated to people that they knew that they trusted. They really did that and they stood behind the show. When we needed things, they always showed up. Because we had such a great group of writers and producers, we were excited by the acceptance and the invitation into people’s homes for the show and the success of the show. But I think that we always felt that it speaks back to what I said in evolving and learning. I felt that the show just continued to get better and better and here we are now in Bosch: Legacy which is a continuation of the work we have been doing for all of these years.

AM: For those who might need a refresher, where did we leave Bosch in season 7 and where do we pick up with him again as we continue his saga in Bosch: Legacy?

TW: Well, Harry’s you know in the last season of Bosch, he’s so completely fed up and disenfranchised that he gives his badge to the Chief of Police and says he’s done. There’s a great line that Irving (Lance Reddick – Bosch, John Wick franchise, The Wire) says to him in that moment, he says, “who are you gonna be if you’re not a cop and you don’t have a badge, who are you going to be?” Harry says, “I guess we’ll find out.” In the final scenes for a little Easter egg scene, we find Harry filling out his paperwork to become a private investigator.

We pick up a little over a year later after that season and Harry is working as a private eye, but he’s doing divorce cases and things here and there. It’s not like he’s got this bustling business and Maddie (Madison Lintz – The Walking Dead, Bosch, Bosch: Legacy) has joined the force and has been on the force for awhile. She’s still working with a training officer, so she’s a boot and she’s trying to find her own legs, but she’s Harry’s daughter and it’s really in her DNA, she carries a lot of the work ethic and the same characteristics and has the same moral compass as well as independent thinker which places her at odds, but she’s out there doing it. We find Chandler (Mimi Rogers – Mad Men, Bosch, Bosch: Legacy) sort of reeling from the very serious PTSD from almost being killed and the person who orchestrated her attempted assassination and Maddie’s looks like he’s going to go free.

You find that everybody is in these states of being kind of fractured and broken. You know, Harry is untethered, he's kind of wandering and he's always been a kind of an isolated character, but he's more isolated than ever now. Maddie, as she’s navigating it, she’s also trying to come into her own because Harry’s legacy has cast a very, very big shadow and that’s not all great! Harry’s reputation was one of being a closer and a great detective, but he pissed a lot of people off because he was a very direct guy and not exactly user friendly. The name Bosch on her uniform is not necessarily a great thing and she doesn’t use her father’s reputation as commerce within the department. So we find these characters really navigating things at the same time and interacting so it doesn’t necessarily feel like it’s a triptych, everything intertwines. But it’s also not like you have Maddie, Chandler and Harry having dinner at the house together – it’s not contrived like that. They’re all living their different lives and they’re all finding their way.

AM: How excited are you in being able to continue this story?

TW: I’m very excited and the idea when we were shooting the final season of Bosch, there was a heaviness for everyone involved. We had become very very close like a family as productions do and we were all invested and were very, very connected and committed to our characters and to the show and so when the opportunity presented itself that we would continue, obviously with a smaller ensemble cast and the ability to focus more on 3 central characters, but still bring in the characters that people know and love that populate the Harry Bosch universe – it’s a thrill! I’m very excited for the show to come out there because the fans of the show that have been so incredibly supportive over the years are really eager and hungry and they want to see what it’s going to be like. I have confidence that we will meet and surpass their expectations.

IG @tituswelliverofficial

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | PG 46 - 51 + 55 Prime Video/Bosch | PG 52 Amazon FreeVee/Bosch: Legacy |

Read the APR ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see THE LEGACY CONTINUES | Titus Welliver in mag.

9LIST STORI3S | CANDIACE DILLARD-BASSETT

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

THE ARTIST | TYRON WOODLEY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AM: Ok now.

TW: Yeah why wouldn’t I?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IG @therealest

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

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

9LIST STORI3S | BRIAN MICHAEL SMITH

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

NEVER GIVE UP | BEAR GRYLLS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IG @beargrylls

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

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

ON THE SCENE | BRIAN MICHAEL SMITH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IG @the_brianmichael

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

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

MANIFESTING THIS LIFE | CANDIACE DILLARD-BASSETT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AM: Breaking zippers!

CDB: Yeah all of that stuff!

AM: I was a cheerleader – so yup!

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

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

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

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

AM: You’re just a bit busy!

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

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

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

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

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

AM: I could see that!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AM: Check!

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

AM: She might have outrun you to get there!

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

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

CDB: We shoot for about 4 months.

AM: That’s a chunk of time.

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

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

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

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

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

There are just days where trolling is my ministry!

AM: It is what it is!

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

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

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

AM: It was a beautiful song.

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

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

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

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

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

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

AM: And yet, it happened!

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

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

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

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

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

AM: And that’s ok.

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

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

CDB: Yasss! That’s all you can do.

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

CDB: Exactly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IG @candeegal09

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

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

9PLAYLIST | JB SMOOVE

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

9LIST STORI3S | CHRISTINA OCHOA

Read the FEB ISSUE #74 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST STORI3S | Christina Ochoa in mag.