ROMONA New York showcased gowns that are ethereal and soft during New York Bridal Fashion Week FW20. These looks are perfect for the bride that is playful, romantic and whimsical. ROMONA New York launched in 2017. As always, we’re sharing 3 of our favorite looks from this portion of the line.
We had the privilege of attending noted designer, Naama & Anat who shows during New York Bridal Fashion Week with private appointments. But this evening, she had her first Bridal Fashion Show which showcased her New Infinity collection that included delicate lace, intricate floral appliqués, structured silhouettes and capes. Our 3 favorite looks from the show are presented here.
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
We had an early morning as we headed to ASPIRE at One World Observatory on the 102nd floor to watch the FW20 New York Bridal Fashion Week show from Berta. Her perennial muses showcased the line which consisted of strong, powerful and confident pieces. Our 3 favorite looks are within this post.
Designed by Berta Balilti, her namesake line was created in 2004 and carries her signature avant-gard design style that pushes the boundaries of modern fashion design. Her pieces are known as bold, sexy and modern fits that also incorporate vintage materials and retro style whether you’re enjoying her bridal or evening wear.
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
Read the Sept Issue of Athleisure Mag and see How to Dress in Transitional Weather in mag.
Approximately 25.5 million Americans over the age of 5 have some kind of travel-limiting disability.
Are you part of this group? Do you have a loved one or family member who is?
Certain disabilities can make traveling more difficult. It's not impossible to find a vacation location that's more accessible and inclusive, though.
Read on to learn about some great handicap vacations you can take with your friends or family this year.
When most people think of Disneyland and Disneyworld, they think of endless walking and standing in lines. The truth, though, is that all the Disney parks work hard to make the park accessible to those who need wheelchairs or other accommodations.
All you have to do is let a park official know what you need and they'll do their best to ensure you're taken care of.
Some New York City tours are designed specifically for those who require wheelchairs to get around.
These tours take you through all of the greatest attractions in the Big Apple, and, while you're on them, you never have to worry about navigating your way through a location that isn't ideal for those with mobility limitations.
You can even take a beach vacation when you're dealing with limited mobility or a disability.
Hanauma Bay in Honolulu, Hawaii makes it easy by offering beach-friendly wheelchairs. These chairs are free, too, so you don't have to worry about fitting one into your travel budget.
If you want to visit a location that has lots of activities available for people with disabilities, the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah is a great option to consider. Here, you'll find fun and engaging activities for people of all abilities, including tons of different sports and recreation programs.
There are plenty of wheelchair-friendly and accessible attractions available in the nation's capital.
You or your loved one can participate in all kinds of tours here, including a free tour of the White House. You do need to secure tickets in advance, but they're free of charge.
Las Vegas is another place that's surprisingly wheelchair-friendly. Almost all of the attractions are wheelchair-accessible, including the SlotZilla zip line on Fremont Street.
If you're not sure about whether a particular attraction will work for you or your loved one, just check out the brochure template ahead of time (most of them are available online for free).
As you can see, there are tons of great locations for handicap vacations that you might want to consider.
It doesn't matter if you're traveling alone, with your friends, or with your family. Either way, there are tons of options for everyone, regardless of their abilities.
Do you need more help planning your dream trip? Are you ready to book your stay?
If so, take advantage of our free online booking tool today. We'll help you get your trip schedules and plan all of your accommodations in no time.
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
Read the Sept Issue and see #TRIBEGOALS in mag.
PHOTO COURTESY | Alex Korolkoff
When planning your wedding, there are lots of different things that you can take into consideration. For example, you should take into consideration where you want to get married, how many guests you want, the dates and much more. If you are looking for a wedding venue then, have you considered getting married abroad?
In this article, we will discuss some of the reasons why a wedding in Mykonos might be the best for you. If this is something that you would be interested in and if you would like to find out more information, make sure you keep on reading.
Accommodation
One of the first things that you can take into consideration if you are planning on getting married abroad is accommodation. This is important if you want to make sure that the people you want to be there are there with you. This can be very costly especially if hotels have to be booked for the duration of the stay. As a result, you can consider a villa because not only can it be more affordable, but it keeps everyone together and it also makes it easier for the wedding party to get ready. This might be the ideal wedding accommodation for you so, if you are looking for a villa for your Mykonos wedding then, follow the links and see what options are available for you.
Weather
The next reason why you should consider a wedding in Mykonos is that the weather is amazing. How many times have you gone to a wedding and it has been very cold? It is likely that this is the case for most of the weddings that you have been to. Well if you go to a wedding abroad there is more chance of having some amazing weather to brighten up the day. In Mykonos, you will be able to expect some amazing weather throughout the summer and even some decent weather in the earlier or later months.
Photo Opportunities
When it comes to weddings one of the most important things that you can have are photos, this is because photos are taken to remember the day and have something to look back on. As you will already be aware, in Greece there are many amazing chances for photo opportunities because of the beautiful islands and buildings as well as scenery that you can enjoy. This makes it perfect for weddings because it means that you will have amazing photos that you can look back on to remind you of your special day.
Beaches
In Mykonos, there are many amazing beaches that you can visit. Beaches in Mykonos are great for weddings because you can even decide to get married on the beach or just have your reception there. If you get married on the beach, you will be able to enjoy some soft sand and the sunny outdoor weather as well as the water at the beach.
Affordable
Another reason why you should consider travelling to Mykonos for your wedding is that it is a very affordable place to visit compared to some of the other destinations that you can go to and get married. This is also a lot better for guests because it means that they will also not have to spend as much when they are travelling or when it comes to spending money.
Wedding and Honeymoon in One
If you go to Mykonos for your wedding, not only can you enjoy your wedding day there, but you will also be able to enjoy your honeymoon there. This is a good thing because it means that it will save you a lot of money and you can relax after your wedding and not have to worry about getting other flights and parking.
Suitable for Children
Finally, you should consider getting married in Mykonos because it is not only a suitable destination for adults but, it is also suitable for children. This is a good thing because if you have a wedding but you can’t bring children then, it can cause a lot of problems for the adults. They might not be able to find a babysitter and as a result, might not be able to go to the wedding.
Plan Ahead
Now you know some of the reasons why you should get married in Mykonos and if you have now decided this is something you would like to do then; you should start planning. This is because when you get married abroad it can be a little more difficult because there are a lot of things that you will need to arrange. If you are planning a wedding in Mykonos, make sure you keep this article in mind and use it as a guide to help you prepare.
Read the Sept Issue and see The Pick Me Up in mag.
This month’s cover and back cover is WWE Superstar and E! Total Divas (9th season drops Oct 2nd) – Leah Van Dale who wrestles under the name, Carmella. We talk with her about the upcoming season, her journey to the WWE with her background in fitness, cheerleading and dancing and her new wine label. In our feature, Something You Should Know, we interviewed Tracy Wolfson, sports broadcaster for CBS Sports. She talks about women in sports, how she got to where she is, and what she’s excited about for this season in terms of the storylines that are taking place in the NFL which is celebrating its 100th season. We also sat down with Ron Silver of Bubby’s an iconic restaurant known for its comfort food in Tribeca, The Highline and with 6 outposts in Japan.We talked about how he got into the restaurant business, the cannabis industry and his art. You can also hear his interview on our podcast network, Athleisure Studio within our show Athleisure Kitchen (available at iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Podcast, Himalaya, Stitcher and wherever you enjoy hearing your favorite shows). This month, we chatted with Chef Alvin of The Usual in NYC for The Art of the Snack.
As usual, we have our monthly roundups including our 9LIST (Athleisure Mag’s picks that we’re loving this month in style, beauty and fitness) featured roundups. This month’s 9LIST STORI3S (picks supplied by celebrities) gives us insight into Celebrity Fitness Trainer and Director of Strength and Endurance Training for the LA Lakers. We are also debuting the newest roundup within the 9LIST ecosystem with 9PLAYLIST (9 songs that we’re loving this month – of course, we’d love to hear from your talent who would like to share their playlists as well). As always, you can enjoy Athleisure List (Le Tea and City Wine Tours), The Pick Me Up, Bingely Books, Bingely Streaming, Style Files, Rock This Look During Sweater Weather, Athleisure Beauty, How to Dress, In Our Bag, #TRIBEGOALS and Pomelo Beauty.
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag here.
When it comes to fashion, there are some things where it really pays off to spend a bit more on something that looks really good and which is made with the best quality and design. Shoes are definitely one of these things, as while you can spend less on fast fashion brands for things like jeans and shirts without it being too much of a problem, the wrong shoes can ruin your outfit, and can also be a false economy as they won't last as long while still looking good, and are unlikely to be as well designed and comfortable.
This is why designer sneakers can be a really good addition to your wardrobe. They can give you a great look with minimal effort, and they can also make sure you feel comfortable as well as stylish. Here we look at three more reasons why your next big fashion purchase should be some high-end sneakers:
These days, a lot of offices and other workplaces opt for a dressed down dress code, especially if you work in an industry like tech or media. Of course, while it kind of sounds like you can wear anything when your workplace has a dress code like this, you do generally still want to make a good impression, as your co-workers are probably the people that you see the most throughout the week and you may also have to meet with people from outside the business such as clients.
Designer sneakers can add smartness and sense of expensive luxury to a casual outfit, and make sure that you look like you have good taste! Choose from one of the designer men's sneaker brands at SSENSE, for instance, from their stunning range of Givenchy sneakers, and you can add some high fashion detail to even your most low key everyday looks. SSENSE has all of the latest ranges by all of the most coveted high-end fashion labels.
If you're dating, then you may be surprised to know that one of the first things women judge men on is their shoes. This is often done subconsciously before you say that you wouldn't want to date someone who was picky over such an unimportant sounding thing! For casual dinner dates, going to a bar, a concert, the movies, or even just coffee, designer sneakers fit the occasion while giving that good impression you're looking for.
While you wouldn't actually train in designer sneakers (it is always best to go for athletic shoes made for the sport you do to get the right foot and joint support), they still pair well with more sporty fashion, allowing you to adopt the current athleisure trend for streetwear. Athleisure is comfortable and practical but has a trendy, stylish edge, and is a great way to dress if you want to look effortlessly cool.
There you have it, all the reasons you need to start shopping for a new pair of great looking designer sneakers this fall!
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
PHOTO COURTESY | Charisse Kenion
It seems as if every week there is a new skin care ingredient trending on Instagram, From 24 Karat Gold, to Charcoal, Snail Mucin, Hyaluronic Acid, Panthenol, Azelaic acid, CBD, and countless others.
We are all subject to marketing and advertising on a daily basis. It seems like even thinking about skin care will have you bombarded with sponsored posts on social media. But how trustworthy are some of the marketing buzzwords used to describe the effects of skincare merchandise? We reached out to an anti-aging expert and board-certified Denver Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Manish Shah. Shah advocates helping consumers understand what this frequently used language means.
“There are many ways marketers attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the consumer with empty phrases and jargon,” comments Dr. Shah. “A phrase such as ‘clinically tested’ and ‘doctor recommended’ is used to mislead consumers into thinking a certain product has more credibility than it actually does.” However, Dr. Shah explains, when these phrases are used it says nothing for the results of the clinical tests or what the products were tested for. In terms of products being “Doctor recommended,” Shah warns that “consumers don’t know what doctor recommended the product in most cases and if those doctors are getting some sort of incentive for endorsement.”
Dr. Shah shares common marketing jargon phrases used to mislead consumers.
A Product that claims “Patented Technology”
“Patents are not necessarily a foolproof sign that something is groundbreaking or effective,” explains Dr. Shah. “Marketers use this language to convey innovation and superiority that their product might not necessarily have over its competitors,” he says. Patents are sometimes authorized through technicality instead of breakthrough meaning any new combination of ingredients, methods or production process can be patented as long as it is new.
“Maximum strength”
This is a term used often by skin cleansers and moisturizers. “It’s a relative term and the consumer doesn’t really know what it is relevant to. It’s language that entices the shopper to make the purchase without really telling them how it accomplishes ‘maximum strength’ results,” says the Denver Plastic Surgeon.
“Clinical strength”
From painkillers to hydrating serums, companies love to bill their products as having “clinical strength.” Dr. Shah says consumers should practice healthy skepticism with such claims. “A product that claims it has clinical strength, in many cases, could have been tested by the doctors developing it. If you think about it you can’t really pinpoint what that phrase means because it is relative and we have no context as to what the company considers clinical strength,” says Shah. The perception, explains Dr. Shah, is that the product is better because the world clinical makes it sound more credible.
“For All Skin Types”
“This is a difficult promise to deliver on,” says Shah who has practiced his specialty for 14 years. “Not all skin is the same. If someone has an allergy to an ingredient or some form of dermatitis they really should speak to their doctor about what products are best to include in their regiment instead of blindly trusting a label,” he says.
“FDA Approved”
The FDA has different protocols for skincare products that make cosmetic claims as opposed to those that make more medical claims such as promising to increase the production of collagen in the skin. Since that is a body function the FDA treats those differently than normal skincare products. However, the FDA just stipulates that the product being sold is safe to use in the manner in which it is directed to be used “FDA approval is not credential that shows the superiority of results,” says Dr. Shah. The plastic surgeon recommends that you not be sold on the sole factor of an FDA approval.
“Anti-Aging, Revitalizing, or Age Defying”
We’ve all seen these on the labels of some cream or serum or advertised in a commercial where beautiful models and actresses are displayed in all of their airbrushed and well-lit perfection. “These terms are somewhat misleading in that they give the perception of an unrealistic turning back of the clock,” says Dr. Shah. To many consumers viewing an advertisement, it might seem like buy and using that product will help them look like an ageless actress and that is not accurate.” Aging gracefully and maintaining a more youthful look has a lot to do with nutrition, exercise, genes, consistent skincare, stress levels, and cosmetic procedures when necessary. But according to Shah, people cannot cling onto just one aspect in order to look their best and no one product will reverse the clock.
Medical-Looking Packaging
Be wary of bottles that look like test tubes, labels or packages that include a medical or first aid cross, or feature type that looks like Rx suggesting that it’s a prescription-strength formula even though it’s sold over the counter.
Botanical
Dr. Shah explains that “An actual botanic is technically an ingredient that is derived from a plant. But, again, “botanical” may be used in advertising to refer to something that is synthetic but acts similar to a plant-based ingredient.”
Instant Results
Keep in mind that “instant results” aren’t the same as “long-term results.” Meaning, you may use a product that gives you instant moisture or has a quick-acting firming effect, but those results may fade after a few hours and require reapplication. Dr. Shah’s final advice: “Check a product to make sure it specifies whether its “instant” effects are long-lasting or short term.”
Firming
What you think it means: Proven to make skin look tauter.
What it really means: Essentially nothing. “There is no objective way to measure firming,” says Dr. Shah “When a brand says their product has been shown to firm your skin, that claim can only be based on very subjective consumer perception.”
Natural
What you think it means: Make from the earth’s own ingredients with no chemicals
What is really means: “Natural” doesn’t necessarily mean anything about the purity of a product. It’s a term that hasn’t been defined by the FDA. To determine what’s actually in a product, read the ingredients list. How many can you pronounce? If they sound like a list of chemicals, they are. There may be a benefit for some people to avoid parabens, usually absent from “natural” products, if their skin is sensitive.
Gluten-Free
What you think it means: That the product is not made with any gluten.
What it really means: Unlike foods, cosmetics labeled “gluten-free” aren’t regulated by the FDA. Do you need gluten-free beauty products? Maybe, if you’re gluten-sensitive and it’s a lipstick, gloss, or balm, which you could ingest in tiny amounts. Otherwise, it’s not necessary.
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
We certainly hope so and the fact that she’s made four finals in the last seven suggests her answer to that question is “yes.” But the goal to tie Margaret Court’s Grand Slam record of 24 wins, as of late, to be elusive for the Greatest Of All Time.
And many sports commentators and tennis pundits are beginning to express doubts she’ll break the record. In the same breath, though, they also say that whether she does or doesn’t tie Court, she is still the GOAT.
Williams and grand slam tennis have long been a strong staple for bettors. Make sure to check Bookmaker review to see if this particular sportsbook is good for you, and place some action in the next big tournament of the G.O.A.T.
Williams’ latest attempt to win No. 24 was thwarted at the U.S. Open by 19-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu (3-6, 5-7). Oh, Canada!
For Williams, who has been stuck on 23 Grand Slam wins since January 2017, it was her fourth loss in a row in a grand slam tournament final.
The other three were 2019 Wimbledon to Simona Halep (2-6, 2-6); 2018 U.S. Open to Naomi Osaka (2-6, 4-6); and 2018 Wimbledon to Angelique Kerber (3-6, 3-6).
Two years after the birth of her and husband Alexis Ohanian’s daughter Alexis Olympia, which was followed by multiple complications, Williams is reaching the pinnacle of grand slam tournaments – she just hasn’t been able to slam the door on the grand slam goal.
Williams hasn’t made excuses but has been honest that coming back after the C-section birth, the blood clots, a pulmonary embolism, surgery to repair her C-section incision and a hematoma, hasn’t been easy. These complications, which put her in bed for more than six weeks, could have killed her.
That’s a lot of stress on anyone, even as a pillar of power that Williams effectively shows repeatedly on the court.
When she lost to Kerber in the 2018 Wimbledon finals, 10 months after giving birth, she emotionally told the crowd: “To all the moms out there, I was playing for you today. And I tried.”
Her return to tennis has been fraught with controversy and open frustration. Among them, her compression catsuit that helped with blood clots that have since been banned at the French Open.
Add to that Williams’ vocal dispute with the ref who gave her three code violations at the 2018 U.S. Open which unfortunately overshadowed Osaka’s historic victory in the final.
With every finals’ loss, whispers have turned to open talk about the record possibly being out of reach for Williams:
● “(This is) probably the first time I've had a question mark in my mind" about Williams getting to 24 Grand Slam wins. – David Law, co-host of The Tennis Podcast
● “I can’t imagine her playing past next year,” seven-time grand slam winner John McEnroe said after the U.S. Open loss.
● Bryan Armen Graham, a columnist for the Guardian wrote that “Serena is not going to break this record.”
Williams has said nothing about retirement but did discuss her frustration about her play in the U.S. Open final calling it “inexcusable.” She also praised Andreescu and said, “She deserved this championship.”
It was obvious another grand slam loss was weighing on her. "I'm not necessarily chasing a record. I'm just trying to win Grand Slams," she told reporters.
She recognized her failings and knows she still has a way to go and vows to continue the fight.
"I believe I could have played better. I believe I could have done more. I believe I could have just been more Serena today," she said. "I honestly don't think Serena showed up. I have to kind of figure out how to get her to show up in Grand Slam finals.
"All of it honestly, truly is super frustrating," she said "I'm so close, so close, so close, yet so far away.
"I don't know what to say. I guess I got to keep going if I want to be a professional tennis player. And I just got to just keep fighting through it."
At Athleisure Mag, we've always been about the integration of mind x body x soul . We headed to the Ritz Carlton here in NYC to talk with Kimberly Friedmutter about her new book Subconscious Power: Use Your Inner Mind to Create the Life You've Always Wanted as well as her work as a Celebrity Hypnotherapist, the purpose and power of the subconscious, and how we can optimize these tools through all aspects of our lives.
ATHLEISURE MAG: So those that are not familiar with hypnotism, can you tell us what it is and what it entails?
KIMBERLY FRIEDMUTTER: Hypnosis is really a state of relaxation and a deep state at times. I’ve literally had clients snoring and drooling and I have had others that have stared back at me, but they are relaxed. It’s just different levels – just to explain that. So when people say what is trance and is it putting me in positions and a place that I don’t want to do – like when people see it in terms of being used for entertainment or in the movies with a swinging watch – that’s not what it is.
It’s a natural state of being for example, when you first wake up and you have that floaty feeling, that’s trance. When you’re just getting ready to drift off to sleep and you’re not really conscious, but not really unconscious, that’s trance. It’s basically setting the conscious thought aside, so that you’re more suggestable and more open to other things. Now this is also why people abuse drugs, they like that feeling and when you can do that naturally, it’s wonderful and you don’t have to use substances to get there as it is this beautiful natural state that we possess. Think of it in terms of when you’re watching a film and you know that the actors are the actors, but you shed a tear anyway. You’re emotionally caught up in it, they have entranced you. Or it’s like when you’re at a concert and everyone is waving their hands in sync with their phones on flame and your favorite entertainer hits the high note and everyone is in this moment of a euphoric feeling. You’re so relaxed that you feel like you’re having this out of body experience.
AM: Wow, sometimes we have taken a yoga/meditation class and when you are coming back from the meditation part, you sometimes do feel a little floaty and outside of yourself.
KF: Right and you are in a trance in meditation. Now the difference between meditation and hypnosis is simply that meditation is the zoning in on thought or in on non-thought. For example, “think of the breath, don’t think thoughts.” Whereas, trance is let it all come and zone out. So the zoning out is likening it to day dreaming. When you daydream, you’re not monitoring day dreams. You’re just letting it flow and that flow is trance as opposed to meditation where you’re linearly guiding something through to happen or not happen.
AM: How did you begin working in this field and how did you educate yourself on it?
KF: I would like to say that education really formed this structure where I sit. But really it’s the clients who really gave me the breadth of knowledge – getting in there and really exploring. I had a radio talk show in LA on KLSX 97.1 FM and it was the only FM talk station at the time. It was considered the Howard Stern Station at the time as that is where he was projecting from at the time. This was simply continuing education for the radio show and previous to that, I had been hypnotized for a lot of times for stage fright.
AM: Wow
KF: I know! I wanted to shrink in instead of shrink out! I didn’t want that to be an issue so I was a product of hypnosis and I thought, “wow is that all there really is too it?” In our society, we are taught “no pain, no gain”, “no guts, no glory” and it’s absolutely not the truth. So I thought, let’s see what happens and now you can’t shut me up – I’m all over the place! Clearly, I’m healed!
AM: So it had long term effects!
KF: Oh yeah, it can be the only thing you ever want to do if you want it to be. I happen to take direction well which is also why some people ask why I focus on high performing professionals and individuals that have really made a name for themselves in the world. The reason is exactly that – they will do it and they take direction well. They look for information from others and are not arguing their position or limitation which is very important.
AM: Is it hard for a Type A person to release their control to do that?
KF: No because Type A’s are Seekers, Searchers, Learners. Type A’s are out their for the game and out their to win it. They’re out there to succeed.
AM: Right a very – by any means necessary thought.
KF: Well when you say it that way, it comes off as it’s something that’s surgical and invasive and it’s not. It’s 100% organic, 100% natural and 100% sustainable. You are literally able to keep it private because it’s in your mind and you don’t have to telescope it out. The thing is we all have that search for inner peace and inner happiness and we all deeply know what that takes to get there. We have the answers – we really do. Hypnosis just gives you that little prod and permission that it’s ok to release those things and feel those things.
My husband was hypnotized for 20 minutes and he’s an architect – everything is very linear with him and it's all about facts.
Everything is very structured, planned and conscious this comes from your conscious. The subconscious is touchy feely and is all about your emotions. So he was hypnotized for 20 mins and he lost 60lbs. Now that’s that kind of character because he’s a Seeker, Searcher, Learner person that’s Type A and an architect.
My book is listed in the top 10 of what every lawyer should read. It’s the Top 25 books that America’s leading CEO’s are reading. So it does have this very interesting crossover with men in business. It’s a great gift for men and a great gift for boys coming up to learn – particularly the Get to Give chapter – I’m happy to point out. It’s not a gender specific book and there are very good principles in each chapter to read. I like to stress that because men really do get it and it does provide transformative changes in them too. Women like to corner intuition because we say, “women’s intuition” that we’re so smart and we use our gut, but the truth is that we all have that machinery and we all have that mechanism. It’s a beautiful thing and we do want to have our partner, your brother, our uncle to rise up to this. When we’re all going the same speed on the freeway, we can all do the same things and not be hampered by the one that doesn’t.
AM: So you were talking about how people can use this for weight loss –
KF: Yes and for sleep issues, anxiety and depression. Here’s the thing about hypnosis and trance is that it doesn’t have to be just for a problem. We’ve freed it and loosened it from it’s chains of being attached to a problem. It can also be out amplifying things that you do well to be better. So athletic performance for example. Performance such as something that I am doing with CNBC for entrepreneurs and CEOs which is also for performance-based things that you want to enhance or amplify.
AM: Hearing this now gives me an interesting perspective on what you do. Coming in, we were thinking of it from that 1800s parlor trick but learning that it’s a tool that can be used to optimize and oxygenate what you’re looking to enhance is really interesting.
KF: I love how you said that the 2 “O” words. This is what I say, if I brought in this fine piece of machinery and I sat it down in front of us and said here’s the plug, the machine and the manual – you’re going to take the book and to read how to use it. You have it and I’m not selling you the thing – you have it. You can’t get a surgery to get it, I can’t take it, you have what you have and you can’t get rid of it. So it’s about plugging in your mechanism and using your resources. The thing is, we’re all interested in ourselves and we all want an easy, happy life. How do we get there? So so simple. We have the mechanism and the ability to do it – it’s the use of it that we don’t know. All of our finest technology and software and beautiful things – nothing comes close to the mind. You take it with you, it’s packaged, it’s compact, it weighs 3lbs, it’s 4x4 and off you go. You don’t have to pack it – you won’t forget it. Science will say that you have it from the point on conception to the time you transition – some believe that it will just go on. That’s what I have the Soul/Spiritual section in here about Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. You’ll see that I have terrific blurbs from Jennifer Hudson and Martha Stewart, Michael Beckwith (he actually married me to the architect because he was a pastor because I was an agape taker) – so I had a lot of Hollywood support for this. They get it and they’re so creative. They’re interesting and they have big lives and a lot of times, big problems and no different from the rest of us as we have the same issues, we’re just watching them because the focus is on the high performing individual.
So the whole thing is just so simple to use. Like finding lost items around the house – who wants that – in the home or in the office. Even in an email. I was trying to find it before I was talking with you and I said to my husband that I couldn’t find it and he was asking me if it was there and I said, “I can’t find it in this state.” He’s thinking that I couldn’t find it in my phone or in my device. I knew that in the state I was in I couldn’t find it and even a device will fritz out when you’re in that state with all that frantic energy – it doesn’t jive when you’re like that. You need to adjust yourself or to stop looking. I calmed myself down and then I was able to find it. I needed to find it in the state of the love of it and not the problem of it. It’s about the find of it and not the loss of it. The truth is, it’s not lost – it’s in there.
AM: Ooo that’s interesting that you say that. Our Co-Founder, when he gets in that frazzled state, nothing will turn on in terms of electronics. So we have to either move our technology out of the room –
KF: Or him.
AM: Or him and we just say, calm down to get everything settled again. The joke is that he’s like a Marvel character or superhero. So there must be some kind of kinetic thing going on there.
KF: Oh it’s energy. So here’s what happens. Anything that works on energy, works on energy. Anything that works on energy, fries out when it’s too much. We had an interesting and scary incident where a camera would have caught this and the camera did not catch it. It’s a wireless system and the camera caught our dog groomer that was going inside and outside of the house and you could see the dog as well, but it didn’t catch the event. I didn’t bring my phone and I didn’t worry about it because I knew the camera was catching the whole thing. What did I come to find out? It didn’t. So that gives great pause to energy. It’s about keeping it cool and it shows you that life won’t work with that kind of energy.
Again, to make your life easy like finding great parking spaces, when you meet with someone getting to know if they are good for you in the short/long term that you meet them – think of the time savings alone and what you have access to. We have a far-reaching ability to ascertain this information and impressions to get access to that even a blind person can do it.
The conscious mind thinks that way you are instructing it to do; however, the subconscious is doing the imagery and the big picture portion of what is going on. When we’re children, we’re very tapped into our subconscious and we also tend to sit within our primal state as well – sometimes kids bite other kids and they haven’t learned that they can’t do that. In the book, I talk about that as we get older, we learn and educate ourselves outside of the subconscious, so when we go to work and someone annoys us, we don’t bite our colleagues in the elevator.
AM: So what made you create this book?
KF: I was approached by a woman at Harper Collins. She asked if I would do this as she had seen me online and head learned about my practice. I said absolutely and in getting the group together and figuring out the structure of the book, it took me about a year to take my practice and to see what was digestible and what could be chewed on. By the time I handed in my proposal to her, she had left Harper Collins. The agent thought that it was interesting and agreed to put it on the market to see what it could do. Simon & Schuster wanted it and Atria Books was the publishing/imprinting house that did The Secret. The beauty about The Secret was that there was a feeling that yes we could emit this desire to get whatever it is that we desire. Part in part is where my gift comes from but the real question is where is this being emitted from? It’s coming from your mind and no one debates that. It’s very well studied and science is all over that and the subconscious mind and has been forever as you had mentioned with the hypnosis.
The reality is that if you're stuck and have an addiction to food, shopping or even an addiction to someone, there is an exercise in the book called the Saver/Sever where if you have this over attachment to a person, place or thing you can literally call it before you and you can detach from that thing so that you’re no longer this prisoner of that attachment. Some people when I ask them to see that Energetic Core, some people see this beautiful wisps of energy and some people see chains or rope – true bondage to that thing. Cyber Stalking is one of those things where you just can’t not do it sometimes. Those are the perfect candidates for those exercises. Those are some of the little hacks and one of the things that I’m very proud of with the book is that you don’t need a pen and paper and I wanted to make it super easy because we don’t have a lot of time and I call them Shelf Help books. Because you feel a lot better because you bought it and you’re like, “ok healed and you put it on the shelf.” But the reality is, I want you to have that manual for your machinery – you already have it, but this is just the how to guide on how to manage it. The reality is, we want to do things with our lives that makes things easier for us. Knowing and getting those impulses – you think of a friend and they give you a call. Or you get an email from that person or you give a call to someone and they say, “oh you were on my mind this morning.” All that is energy and that is the place that we’re talking about with this. Your consciousness is your task maker and your calendar keeper for the day. The subconscious is your inner child the part that you haven’t unlearned yet. The unlearning process is what makes us cranky, crass, disappointed, depressed and anxious. There is a chapter in the book called Tonkas and Tutus and it’s about putting that Tutu back on because that’s where it belongs and I do that as a gift of action. You realize that we are meant to be these beautiful, shining and magnificent creatures of light – you realize that you have that inner self that is clawing to get out and wants that light to be turned on.
AM: Do you envision doing another book?
KF: Yes we’re already working on it now. The first book that you drop, as I’m a first-time author – is your cornerstone. It’s the base information and from there, we fly – we fly.
PHOTO COURTESY | Dreamstime/Helgardas
AM: So what are the 6 principles that ignite the conscious mind and can you walk us through that?
KF: Sure. The first one is Coming into Accountability and that’s the first step, I think of everything that is meaningful. We need to know where we are – even on maps, it says location. So the first principle is really about your location and so I want you to be able to look at yourself holistically and for real – warts and all we say. The reality is that we can’t do the work until we know what it is. I don’t even like calling it work because it feels so effortless. The second principle is Tapping into Your Subconscious which is obvious and a lot of people don't understand how powerful it is and how much of it that you have. I'm here to tell you that you you’re right. When you think of Aunt Sue and she calls you – you have to see consciously that you are right to understand the power of your subconscious. The third principle is Do You Move Toward or Away? Now I like this one a lot because it is about orientation. You have coming into accountability, your tapping into your subconscious – where is your orientation? So going back to maps again, you would orient towards the direction that you want to go. You do not plug into maps that you want to go away from where you just were. So when it says, where are you heading to, you don’t say I’m headed away from Point A, you say, I am going to Point B so when you’re constantly l ooking at your life in retrospect, and you see that you have been flinging yourself away from circumstances, chances are you’re flinging into something of the unknown which is ok. But if you’re not happy where you are, that very well could be the reason why as opposed to focusing on where you want to go. Orientation of self is hugely important. The next one is, and this is sticky, and they throw their hands up - It’s Judge Thy Neighbor as Thyself. The point of this that we have let our judgement go by the wayside just like we don’t bite our girlfriend when she makes us mad. In this, I say that you must use ecology of judgment for yourself. Once you talk to someone who is unhappy, once you explore a bit of someone’s chronic unhappiness they will say that they used this mistake in judgement and that mistake. Look at Judge Judy. I talk a lot about her in the book. Not only is she magnificent, but the show itself garners so much attention, and why, because the show shows us did you use the best judgment for your ecology, your survival, your success, etc – that’s all she wants to show. Did you use good judgement and those judgements that she calls simply comes down to who used good judgement and who didn’t. Sometimes the thing that happened the person didn't have something unlawful, but they didn’t use good judgement and she fines them anyway. So she’s going to teach you out of your own issue. So judgement is super important and I show you how to do that and I show you how to judge energetically. When you meet someone are they good for me in the midterm, short term and long term? Also a judgement about privacy. Let’s be a bit particular about the who, what, when, where and why please. It’s helpful about that beautiful 8 year old person that’s inside of you. If you had a physical 8 year old next to you, would you look at the things that you look at, would you listen to the things that you listen to, hang out with the people that you would hang out with, go to the places that you go to – I think not. We really think that we’re big stuff, but we’re just that beautiful 8 year old creature inside and we need to use the ecology of judgement for him/her. The next one that people love is Give to Get. This is that energetic cycle, that loop. So if I hold both of your hands, you and I form a loop and energy is running through your body back to my body – if we let go and you stretch your arm out, it doesn’t have any place to go to generate or to recirculate. So if you give to me and I’m not giving back, then you’re not getting back anything and vice versa. Even the tomato plant does this. It grows, it falls off the vine and dies and it becomes fertilizer for the next new plant. Giving and getting is a universal law. Women are the worst at getting because they don’t want to say it and they just continue to give to such a point that it takes us into the next chapter which is Drought. When a women is in drought, I ask what kind of a giver/getter are you? Are you getting and giving? Sometimes the people who don’t get or the least to give – there has to be a flow of energy that flows in and flows out. I read something the other day that there was a popular phrase that said “cash is king” and now it's "cashflow is king" because anything that flows is king. Flow keeps us going. If I get, I distribute that to you, if you get then you distribute to me. It’s this movement that we’re in and once again, it’s this universal law that we’re in. I didn’t make it up, I just recognize it as a law of happiness.
When people ask, I am married to a very generous husband, an architect and what is great about that is that he understands flow. People ask, how did I get what I got and I say, I asked, I made it known. He’s not a psychic. The last principle is Play Big. You deserve to get and you deserve to give. The idea of playing big is not posturing and puffing it’s show up for me and show up for you. The reality is that we all need each other. We’re in a time of social collective consciousness which is fine, but then we must rise from it. In that it’s go for your dreams. Playing big honors that creative thing that you want to do regardless of whether you’re coming from a field like being an attorney and realizing that you want to become a writer. Just because you started out one way doesn’t mean that you have to stay that way and not become what you are meant to do. So show up for that thing that you’re meant to do and then get on with it. When you get to that chapter and that final principle – then you’re ready because the other clutter is gone.
AM: What is your day to day like?
KF: Well, I’m basically a home type body, but I travel a lot so I make it home wherever I go. The traveling is a lot of fun so I try to do zones. When I’m on the East Coast, I reach out and contact to as many people as I want to book or to group it all in. We do it in Europe as well. I like to be accessible and I don’t like to say no. I’d rather say yes and then figure out how to make it work out. The other side especially with Brad and his business is that we clump things together. So the minute that I have go time over here, then he will book his things and that's how we do it. He has offices all over the world. It makes it easy to do that. There’s a few emergencies here and there, but now with FaceTime and Google – I can literally do that all day long. When you have your clients, seeing things is great because you have all of those micromovements. I’m an expert at determining what is going on. I use the term diagnose loosely – not as a medical diagnosis. It’s easy for me to see the issues as it rises up off the page so prominently that that’s my super power – the ability to see what’s going on and to be able to get it at the cellular level. Many times, I am able to just think it to get there and I like getting the confirmation.
AM: I know you’re based in LA and in Las Vegas. Where can we find you grabbing a meal/drink, working out and shopping?
KF: In Las Vegas, it would probably be Cipriani (Wynn) or more likely home. Because home – I’m a homebody. Any philanthropic event we’d probably be at. So when people say, do you go out on the strip – yes for charity events and probably only for that. If we’re having dinner or things like that, it’s probably at home. We eat super clean and I cook a lot. It’s super simple to cook like that and I do pride myself that I went to chef school when I was modeling in Europe – a night school for that. I did that because I wasn’t the clubby type to go out to meet people. In LA, we like the Waldorf Astoria. We’re at The Ivy on Robertson all the time – we love it there. Malibu of course is great and we love Nobu, I used to live there before I met Brad.
When it comes to shopping, I love Norma Kamali here in NY I was just there and was so excited. So Norma walked in and we had our little visit and it was so great and now she’s holding the book. She has a new skincare line that’s out, it’s cleanser, scrub, tanner and moisturizer. Can I just say that the moisturizer is made out of olive oil and lime and not the fruit – the mineral kind. Never have I felt something so emollient so I’m going to order that for sure as I was running in. The smell, fragrance and feel was extraordinary. Shopping there is my favorite thing.
I work out a few hours a day. I do True Fusion which is a pilates/yoga hybrid. The gal who teaches it and does it with me – we have a neighborhood group of ladies that do it. I also do heavy weight training which is a surprise to most. I like it because it really does keep me feeling in survival mode. It’s a gentleman that does it who is a body builder type. I like to be a strong girl a strong female. When we work out like that – it makes everything like blow drying your hair and going to the potty a challenge – where your muscles touch anything. It’s a great feeling. In the morning my husband and I we both walk around a 3 mile loop with our 20lb weights on – we walk it fast – it can be a 3 hour thing. Mind/Body is important. My husband’s trajectory of his day changes when he does it in the morning. Connecting with nature is something that your body and mind needs. We start early in the morning because if we didn’t we wouldn’t get it in.
I have a lot of weight loss clients right now and it’s not because it’s summer it’s because we’re fat to the point that we are upset with ourselves. A client will say, I’m stressed – I eat, I travel – I eat, I have a child – I eat, I have a job – I eat, I’m out of money – I eat. So every reason comes down to, I eat, I eat, I eat and it’s not that. That’s all the more reason that we have to be ready, be the warrior, having to be fit. You have to say, I’m going after this with everything that I have and that mind/body connection is that. I’m a big believer that you can’t work off an unhealthy diet. You’ll hear me say that the kitchen is the gym. You can eat to a good body or eat to a bad body.
PHOTO CREDITS | Kimberly Friedmutter
PHOTO COURTESY | Dreamstime/Jacques Kloppers
You can hear Kimberly Friedmutter later this month on our show, BUNGALOW SK which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.
Read the August Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Subconsciously Speaking with Kimberly Friedmutter in mag.
Whether you are a seasoned gym bunny, a novice walker or you prefer the comfort of your yoga mat in the ease of your own apartment, there are a few essentials you should have with you to make your personal workout session all the more inviting. Once you have established what is needed in your gym bag, your journey to a healthier lifestyle isn’t just better, its more exciting. This is what we recommend for both young and seasoned women to carry with them for the workout of a lifetime.
The Pre-Application
You may not realize it, but if you are a novice at the gym or a regular, keeping yourself preoccupied is essential in terms of distraction. Find something to distract you when you are on the treadmill, walking around a few blocks or cycling at home on your exercise bike. Need an example? Register and place at bet at novibet.co.uk for the perfect distraction, otherwise, try responding to all those work emails. Really anything to get your mind off of how many steps you are on.
Earphones
As mentioned above, earphones would be a handy piece of equipment. Music has the ability to amplify your workout. Endurance is stretched out and your energy levels are boosted when you are listening to feel good music, whatever that may be for you. So just before you pack your earphones in, make sure you have music compatible application to sync with your wireless earphones.
Sweat Towel
This is an essential, an absolute MUST for at home, at the gym or when you are out and about. If you are out and about, leave a spare sweat towel in your car otherwise, leave it in your gym bag. Why? At gym, you’ll need it to wipe down equipment while when you return to your car, your workout will leave you drenched and the last thing you want is to block your pores, break out in heat pimples or wreak of sweat. Use your sweat towel to avoid all of the above.
Gym Gloves
This is something you’ll only need if you are lifting weights. Avoid blisters and even germs by investing in a pair of gloves which also aids in gripping metal bars.
Water Bottle
Need we say more? You need to ensure that you stay hydrated and avoid any health complications by remaining hydrated and keeping an extra water bottle in your gym bag. On the same topic, always carry some small cash on you should you need to purchase a water bottle and or top it up at your local gym, on a walk or pay your partner to grab you a glass of h20 at home.
The more active you become the more in tune you become with your body and the sooner you get to work on what you find lacking in your gym bag. But in our experience, if you aren’t prepared, your training episode could be unpleasant, so be sure to avoid this and make life and being healthier a whole lot easier.
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
With 40% of American adults regularly consuming an excessive amount of alcohol, it’s no question as to what will most likely follow - a hangover. No matter what the occasion may be, there’s nothing wrong with a drink or two now and again - though, when you get carried away, you may suffer the consequences of a hangover and it’s dreaded symptoms the next morning. With that said, you might be surprised at the options out there when it comes to managing a hangover naturally.
No more nausea
Hangovers are well known for their unpleasant symptoms like fatigue, and while that may seem manageable with a good night's rest, other symptoms like nausea and vomiting can often be unbearable. For nausea, the best natural hangover cure may just involve ginger. Popular in Chinese medicine, the root is believed to contain chemicals that influence the digestive and nervous systems that prevent nausea. Not only that, but it’s also known for its warming properties, which are thought to help stimulate metabolism (thus, enhancing the detoxification process), and can be found in many forms - lozenges, teas, and extracts, to name a few.
Curing dehydration with coconuts
When it comes to avoiding a hangover, one of the best tried and true methods for doing so is to keep the drinking to a minimum, or to abstain from partaking at all. However, in the event that you do drink too much, you might end up dehydrated. This is mainly due to the fact that alcohol is a diuretic - meaning, you’ll lose more fluid than you take in when drinking it. While water can easily be called the natural cure for dehydration, it’s important to keep in mind that it isn’t enough to replenish your electrolytes. For that reason, coconut water can be a great supplement. Rich in potassium, a 2010 study reveals that coconut water worked just as well as a sports drink - and better than water when it came to replacing fluids.
The perfect herbal relaxant
Chamomile tea has been well known as a hangover cure for some time now, and for good reason. Chamomile tea contains flavonoids and terpenoids, which can undoubtedly help calm an upset stomach, and is also great for relaxation due to its sedative-like effect. Drinking this hangover cure can be the perfect way to end your day and fall asleep faster. After all, if there’s anything that will guarantee a full recovery from a hangover, it’s sleep.
A hangover can be a horrible consequence after a night of celebration and overindulgence of alcohol; but, with natural remedies and smart techniques for avoidance, your hangover can easily be a thing of the past.
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
At Athleisure Mag, we have always championed a number of reasons why Safe Sun is essential and making our readers aware of the importance of knowing about the effects of the sun and why it's important to protect your bodies. We had the chance to talk with Dr. Adil Daud, Co-Director of the Melanoma Clinical Research, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center to talk with him about a study that was released by The New England Journal of Medicine. This study focused on treatments for advanced melanoma patients that showed promise with the largest pooled analysis of patients with BRAF-mutated Metastatic Melanoma.
We sat down with Dr. Daud to get down to basics on skin cancer, melanoma, the different kinds of diseases in this area, treatment and more.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Can you tell us what skin cancer is and what the different types are?
DR. ADIL DAUD: Skin cancer includes basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma and other types of cancer.
AM: How is melanoma different than other skin cancers?
DR. AD: The biggest difference is that it has a tendency to spread to the rest of your body. So, when you look at the deaths caused by skin cancer, the majority of them are caused by melanoma.
AM: What is the difference between melanoma and advanced melanoma and why is it more aggressive and deadly than other skin cancers?
DR. AD: We don’t fully understand that, but one of the reasons is that it has this tendency to spread. Advanced melanoma refers to Stage IV melanoma where it has spread to the lymph nodes and the rest of your body – the lungs, liver, brain and other organs.
AM: Can one be cured from melanoma?
DR. AD: From early-stage melanoma, it can be cured. Most people are cured from surgery alone. With advanced melanoma, you can be alive and disease-free. And that’s what the subject of this study is. You probably can’t be cured as that’s not the terms that we use for advanced cancer. The study shows that 50% of melanomas have a mutation in this gene called BRAF and in those patients, many of them are very sensitive to the combination of Tafinlar and Mekinist – those are the 2 drugs that this study is dealing with. Basically, that study showed that a third of the patients are alive and a fifth of the patients were disease free for 5 years. That’s an important landmark to show that for the first time, that those that have the BRAF mutant kind of melanoma, you can have a good outcome even after 5 years.
AM: What are the mutation types of melanoma and how does one evaluate their treatment options?
DR. AD: We know that cancer can look the same under the microscope but can have different driver mutations. For melanoma specifically, about 50% of melanoma has a BRAF mutation and about 50% have other mutations of genes like RAS. There are a bunch of melanomas where today, we don’t know exactly what drives them forward. But we know about the 50% that have the BRAF mutation and that was the focus of this study.
AM: Can you tell us about the study and the promising treatment?
DR. AD: We’ve known for many years that the BRAF mutation kind of melanoma can be sensitive to the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib. The study shows us that even up to 5 years, a lot of patients with metastatic or advanced melanoma that’s prepped throughout your body can be disease free in some cases and alive at that 5 year landmark. It’s important to remember that a lot of these drugs have real side effects like fevers, chills, skin rashes and in some cases serious side effects like lung problems, heart problems and vision problems. So you need to be supervised by a medical oncologist.
AM: How can one prevent melanoma from happening?
DR. AD: One of the most important things you can do is to apply sunscreen, a hat and some protective clothing. Especially for children, we have realized that sun burns and sun exposure in childhood may drive some of these melanomas. So for them, it’s important to supply sunscreen, put on UV clothing and maybe avoid the sun during the 10am – 2pm time period where UV radiation is the most intense.
Read the August Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Something You Should Know | Advanced Melanoma.
This month, our eyes turn to the US Open which takes place here in NYC. A number of tennis greats will battle with the best in their sport to walk away victorious. In addition, there are a number of fun activities around this time of year to hang out with your favorite player, to take in the game and more. Right before the Taste of Tennis, a culinary event that celebrates the US Open along with a number of athletes within the game and outside of it, we had the chance to chat with Danielle Collins who is known for her phenomenal playing as well as making jewelry for the court. We talk with her about the game, her passion for it and being a jewelry designer.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about what made you fall in love with tennis and drew you to the sport?
DANIELLE COLLINS: My draw to the sport goes back to my grade school days. Back then, every Monday to kick off the week we had Show and Tell. There was a boy at school who would bring in these shiny trophies he'd won over the weekends to show our class. I remember seeing the trophies and asking my Dad how I could win trophies like that, and he told me if I worked really hard I could win some trophies, too. I guess you can say that I've always had the competitive spirit from an early age, and loved the way tennis makes you problem solve on your own.
AM: What was the moment when you realized that you wanted to go pro?
DC: I knew I wanted to go pro when I was seven years old watching the Grand Slams on television with my parents. I didn't really know how to put my game all together as a junior, and didn't have the opportunity to turn pro right out of finishing high school. College helped me grow so much personally and as an athlete. Winning two national championships at UVA gave me confidence to know I could also have success at the professional level.
AM: How was playing in the quarterfinals in doubles at Wimbeldon?
DC: I absolutely loved competing with Bethanie. She was so much fun to share the court with and her energy is contagious! Getting to the quarterfinals was really huge for me personally, as I had never made quarterfinals in a Doubles Slam before.
AM: How has the current season been since the US Open is around the corner?
DC: The current season has been great. I am continuing to make progress within my game, and gaining the experiencing I need. Sometimes I don't get the results I want, but right now I am more focused on trying to continue to develop my game, and on the daily process to get myself to the next level.
AM: What is an average day like when you are in training for your next match?
DC: Training days are always different unless we are in pre-season. When I'm on the road, there are many variables during tournaments. We make time for strength and conditioning workouts everyday, put the hours in on court, and work with my sports psychologist/ performance coach. We also spend a lot of time focusing on recovery and making sure my body is getting what it needs to relax.
AM: What is the tennis season like?
DC: The tennis season is very long, but perfect for me since I love competition and traveling.
AM: We love accessories, what drew you to jewelry and how did this interest become another passion?
DC: What I love most about jewelry is the story each piece can share, and how sentimental jewelry is for people. For me, every piece of jewelry I own has some type of unique story behind why I designed it or what drew me into buying it. Designing jewelry allows me to use my creativity and imagination, in a way that is much different from tennis. I've always been passionate about fashion and art, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to partner with Ritani to showcase my other passion in life.
AM: We know you have partnerships/sponsorships with New Balance and Head Racquets. When did you start working with them and what do you do with each of these relationships?
DC: Head and New Balance have been incredible for me and my career. I have been working with Head for about two years now and New Balance for a little over a year. There is no better feeling when you have two highly respected companies like these two, giving so much care and support to my career. The teams that New Balance and Head, work so diligently behind the scenes to make sure that we have the best equipment. Head has been so great in helping me accommodate to any specific needs that I have had with making sure my racquet is just the way I want and need it to feel. What both of them do is really special, and I am so grateful to have them a part of my career. They mean the world to me!
AM: Tell us about the Danielle Collins Jewelry line and of course about your diamond tennis bracelets?
DC: Launching at Wimbledon was so incredibly special to me. Wimbledon is the holy grail of our sport, and the rich tennis tradition is something that cannot be compared anywhere else in the world. When we launched, I was happy to carry on the tradition of elegance that the tennis bracelet represents. So many of the fans and jewelry lovers remember back in the 70s when Chris Evert was sporting her diamond tennis bracelet on court. I loved bringing back that vintage aesthetic, and was proud of the exquisiteness that Ritani engrained into each of the small details and sparkly diamonds.
AM: What is the full offering of pieces available at Danielle Collins Jewelry line?
DC: The full offering available is Necklaces, Bracelets, and Earrings. We offer some finer pieces and some more fun whimsical ones as well.
AM: What pieces from yourdo you wear during your matches?
DC: The jewelry that I wear during my match are a diamond tennis bracelet and double pendant diamond necklace.
AM: When creating your line, what inspires your pieces from legendary tennis players to various aesthetics?
DC: When designing, I enjoy creating a variety of different pieces. All of my pieces have one thing in common -- they are timeless, and will not go out of style. While some pieces are more whimsical and playful, and others follow a more classic design, at the core, it’s about the meaning behind them.
AM: When you are creating your pieces as you intend to have them worn during playing, what are you looking to include and to avoid?
DC: When I am creating my pieces and intend to have them worn I like wearing pieces that are edgy and sophisticated. I try to make sure each piece is lightweight enough to wear so that I am 100% comfortable moving around on court. The material that I like to include the most is diamonds. They are one of the world’s toughest materials, and at the same time, they shine and are sophisticated. I try to be one of the toughest players on tour, and at the same time I try to be fashionable! The art of jewelry and wearing these pieces allows me to showcase my creative sense of style, and reminds me to be tough on court.
AM: As a professional player and entrepreneur, what lessons did you learn that inform how you go about your endeavours?
DC: Being both a professional tennis player and entrepreneur has taught me a lot of lessons along the way. Both have taught me how to network, organize, and manage my career and jewelry line. But the most important thing both have taught me is knowing how to take appropriate risks.
AM: In St. Pete, Florida, where can we find you grabbing a meal/cocktail, working out and going shopping?
DC: On the weekends, you can find me at Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa, grabbing my favorite meal. I enjoy going to hot yoga on the weekends, and shopping at Restoration Hardware to draw inspiration for my home.
AM: What are 3 items that you tend to carry in your carry on when you’re traveling?
DC: Three items I carry in my bag when traveling: sunscreen, hair brush, and mascara.
Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag and see The Jewel of the Court with Danielle Collins in mag.
In the beauty industry, Bobbi Brown reigns as a woman that took her passion as a makeup artist to building a celebrity brand of cosmetics that would eventually be acquired by Estée Lauder. At the time, her appearances on TV shows illustrating her work as well as being a fixture in the backstages of NYFW paved the way for Celebrity Makeup Artists and other talents in the beauty industry. We took a moment with Bobbi to talk about her career, the moves she made in the industry and how she continues to be a trailblazer.
ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment when you realized that you wanted to work in the beauty industry?
BOBBI BROWN: I had just left my second college, and was feeling very confused because I didn’t really like school and I wasn’t happy where I had been. I was speaking with my mother and she said to me, “If it was your birthday and you could do anything in the world, what would you do?” and I told her “I’d go to Marshall Field’s and I’d play with makeup.” So my mom said to me “Then go to school to be a makeup artist.” I found Emerson College and they allowed me to create my own major, which was theatrical makeup, and I fell in love.
AM: You started as a makeup artist, what projects did you work on during that time prior to creating Bobbi Brown Cosmetics?
BB: After graduating college, I moved to NYC and went through the yellow pages calling every photographer, makeup artist, and hair stylist I could find, offering my assistance for free. I would travel wherever I was needed offering my services and learning as much as I could. Some of my favorite projects that I did during that time were my first Vogue cover shoot with Naomi Campbell (it was Naomi’s first Vogue cover as well,) working with designers like Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger, and doing makeup for Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones.
AM: What inspired you to create Bobbi Brown Cosmetics?
BB: After being on all of these sets, I found I could not do the makeup that was in style correctly. I didn’t want to cover and hide women’s features and there was no skin tone correct makeup available at the time. I would mix together what colors I could to try to create a formula that accentuated rather than disguised how the women looked. It was at that time that I met a chemist in an elevator and was telling her what I wanted to do, and she said, “I’ll make the colors for you.” That relationship started the creation of my original 10 lipstick shades.
AM: You were known for a natural aesthetic with an array of amazing pink shades of lipsticks, why was that look important to you and the brand?
BB: They weren’t pink shades as much as they were pink, brown, orange, red – those colors that naturally exist within a woman’s lip. All of them natural looking because I believe that makeup should make a woman look and feel her best. That was my intention when I created Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and still is today.
AM: How did you incorporate being a Beauty Expert on the Today Show as another portion of your brand as a MUA and a founder of a cosmetic line?
BB: At a public appearance I was at, I took a question from a woman in the audience. She later told me that she was the grandmother of Jeff Zucker, the Executive Producer of The Today Show at the time. It had been my dream to be on The Today Show, and when she introduced me to Jeff, he and I created monthly segments that allowed me to teach women the correct products to use and the right way to apply them, allowing each woman to essentially become her own makeup artist. It was an amazing time in my life and I truly believe it catapulted the business of the brand to where it is now.
AM: Estée Lauder acquired Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and you stayed on with the brand, what was the transition like for you and as many of our readers own their own brands, can you share the process you went through in terms of coming to the decision that this was right for your brand and yourself?
BB: In 1995, I met with Leonard Lauder and he quickly became one of the greatest mentors in my life. He promised me that the integrity of the brand and its purpose would never be lost with me at the helm. I remained in complete creative control, while being lucky enough to benefit from the resources that the Estée Lauder companies provided. I stayed on as Chief Creative Officer until 2016, where I made the tough decision to leave the company to start another.
AM: Being a multifaceted person, we have enjoyed seeing you wear a number of hats such as being the Editor in Chief of Yahoo Beauty from 2014-2016, how have you been able to maintain your hat in various spaces while continuing to expand your platform in the beauty industry?
BB: I have an insatiable curiosity and love to learn and discover new things. Ultimately, I am a creative at heart and love to develop content across a multitude of platforms in order to share what I know. I make it a priority to hire really great people who can help me translate my vision across these platforms to the best of my ability.
AM: We loved when you partnered with Safilo to release a line of eyewear, what initiated this venture and do you foresee doing something like this again?
BB: I am a glasses person. I wear prescription glasses and sunglasses on a daily basis. I find that eyewear is an extension of makeup to a degree, in that the style and color you choose says a lot about yourself and what look you are trying to convey. It was a natural fit for me. I’d love to explore doing this again in the future.
AM: You have written 9 books on makeup and beauty, what was it like writing your first book and what is the process like in general from concept to release?
BB: My first book was very cathartic for me. It was taking all of the knowledge that I had learned and perfected over the years, and articulating that as best I could for everyone to read. Even though I have written 9 books, I still don’t know how to type. My process varies but consists of lots of handwritten notes in the back of cars, and swatches of color done on paper. I work very closely with my writers and my publisher from start to finish. I have been very fortunate to work with the best of the best in that regard.
AM: Will there be another book that we can expect to see from you?
BB: Never say never. I don’t know if it will be a traditional book or one that has a digital component to it. We’ll see what’s in store.
AM: We’re fans of JustBobbi.com as well as EVOLUTION_18 as we love your approach to beauty from the inside out. Why did you launch the site as well as the beauty brand and what can we expect to see from them as we continue throughout the remainder of the year?
BB: My lifelong philosophy has always been that beauty, and confidence, starts with what you put inside your body. The launch of my lifestyle inspired wellness line, EVOLUTION_18, is a natural extension of beauty from inside out. After spending 25+ years talking to women about their health and wellness challenges, I became a certified health coach and learned what it is women need to know in order to look and feel our best. EVOLUTION_18 is a collection of highly effective simple formulas that target a wide range of beauty concerns. They are made with clean, high quality ingredients that give you everything you need for a beauty boost from within. Justbobbi.com is a modern lifestyle platform for all things wellness, beauty, and everything in between. It’s a platform that aims to educate and inspire how you live your life through never-ending exploration and storytelling.
AM: With so many successes in the beauty world, you launched another amazing venture in a new vertical – hospitality. Tell us about The George and why did you want to do this?
BB: The day I left Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, my husband called me and asked if I wanted to be a part of a new project – The George Hotel. It is a historic property that he completely restored into a 32-room boutique hotel. I became the Creative Director of the hotel, and it was my mission to create a design-minded boutique hotel in the heart of Montclair where we live, that offered guests a unique and one of a kind experience.
AM: In addition to Athleisure Mag, we have a podcast network – Athleisure Studio which has 4 shows and we know that you have a podcast show, Long Story Short with Bobbi Brown – what can we expect on this show and who have been 3 of your favorite guests on this show?
BB: Long Story Short allows me to talk to some of the most accomplished people in the world who are true masters of their craft. The podcast offers a glimpse into their journeys, discussing both their highs and lows in order to get the essential takeaways of a life well lived. Everyone has a story and I love finding out what that story is. Three of my favorites are Mickey Drexler, my mentor, Elvis Duran, one of my best friends, and Jen Atkin.
AM: What philanthropic efforts are you involved in that you would like for us to know about?
BB: I am on the board of Reaching Out Montclair, in my hometown, which provides essential needs for underserved children and their families in our community.
AM: What are 3 beauty musts that you think that we should have with us when we travel?
BB: First, a good moisturizer – preferably one that contains an SPF. Protecting your skin from the sun is of the utmost importance. And when you’re traveling, especially on a plane, your skin can dry out easily, so make sure to keep skin moisturized in order to keep it looking hydrated and plump. Second, a probiotic beauty starts in your gut. Taking a probiotic daily will help with your digestion which in turn helps keep your microbiome balanced and your skin clear. Third, a cream blush – I like to travel with multipurpose products. A cream blush is perfect to give you a nice healthy glow and can be used on your lips as well.
AM: When it comes to your legacy, what do you want people to take away in terms of your impact on the beauty industry and just embracing life’s opportunities?
BB: Be a sponge, be kind, and work hard.
IG @JustBobbi
Read the August issue of Athleisure Mag and see Leaving Her Mark with Bobbi Brown in mag.
