Athleisure Mag MAR ISSUE #75

ISSUE #75
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EDITORIAL
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TM
table of contents
issue #75
mar 2022
67
STYLE FEATURES
THE PICK ME UP
84
113
110
IN OUR BAG
ROCK THIS WHEN HOPPING
ON YOUR NEXT FLIGHT
BEAUTY FEATURES
VITAMIN C BEAUTY
The Artist - Tyron Woodley
This month, we talk with 5X UFC Welterweight UFC Champion, Tyron Woodley about
how he got into wrestling, being a 2X All-American in the sport, his transition to and
career in MMA, his work as an analyst, actor, stuntman, rapper and beyond.
16
127
ATHLEISURE BEAUTY
Manifesting this Life
Candiace Dillard-Bassett
We catch up with BRAVO Real Housewives of Potomac’s Candiace Dillard-Bassett
from her background in public service, pageantry, being an entrepreneur and being
on the show. We also talk about her album, DEEP SPACE and new music!
34
70
LIFESTYLE FEATURES
ATHLEISURE LIST
JAPAN HOUSE | Los Angeles
9PLAYLIST
TM
54
Actor, comedian, spokesman & host, JB
Smoove shares his 9PLAYLIST with us.
9PLAYLIST
TM
56
EDM DJ ALOK shares his 9PLAYLIST with
us!
72
ATHLEISURE LIST
LORELEY BEER GARDEN
AthleisureMag.com - 10 - Issue #75 | Mar 2022

The Art of the Snack
Baazi
We’re heading to NY’s Baazi for a bit of ambiance, phenomenal Indian dishes, cocktails
and a celebration of the Spring season.
58
On the Scene
74
Brian Michael Smith
We chat with Brian Michael Smith about
his career and body of work. We talk
about his character on 9-1-1: Lone Star
and using his platform for trans rights.
63MIX ROUTIN3S
Chris Brickley
TM
87
We catch up with basketball influencer
and trainer, Chris Brickley about his
63MIX ROUTIN3S he does Morning,
Afternoon and Night.
Never Give Up
Bear Grylls
96
We catch up with adventurer and TV star
Bear Grylls about his upcoming season
of Running with Bear, a never give up
attitude and more.
Inspiring Women
Gorjana Reidel
128
We love a glam moment and Gorjana
Reidel’s namesake brand brings this to
her co-founded jewelry line. We also talk
about the need to empower women.
Issue #75 | Mar 2022
- 11 - AthleisureMag.com

AthleisureMag.com - 18 - Issue #75 | Mar 2022

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 encouraged 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.
@twooodley
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 |

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 pagentry, 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 interview,
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 demanded
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,
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 negative
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 myself
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 people
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 already
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 hair line, 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 research
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 grad-
uated 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 me 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 out run 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 production
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 makeup
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 hair stylist, 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 Bgmaker,
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. Everyone
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 in to 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. Sometimes
it doesn’t make sense and sometimes
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. Sometimes
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 gameboard
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 sometime
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!
@candeegal09
PHOTOS COURTESY | PG 34 - 38 Paul Morigi
| PG 41 -49 +9LIST STORI3S PG 154 Candiace
Dillard-Bassett |

THE ART OF
THE SNACK:
BAAZI

This month's The Art of the Snack takes us
to NYC's Baazi which is known for their Indian
fare. We talk with their owner and executive
chef, Gaurav Anand. We talk about
his style of cooking, his culinary journey, his
portfolio of restaurants, how he becomes
inspired to create the menu and what are
the kinds of dishes that we should think
about enjoying when we visit next!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Chef Gaurav Anand,
can you tell me about your background
in terms of where you went to school and
kitchens/restaurants where you trained?
CHEF GAURAV ANAND: I’m a self-taught
chef and don’t have any formal culinary
training. I originally studied business administration
and then I started working at
my brother’s catering company. I learned
the business from the ground up, especially
by watching chefs in the kitchen. I’d
stand there for hours as they cooked, picking
up techniques that eventually formed
the basis for my cooking.
AM: How would you define your style of
cooking?
CHEF GA: My cooking style has definitely
evolved over the years and today I cook
more in a modern Indian way versus traditional
cooking, especially at Baazi. I like to
add different twists to every dish I create
to make it more interesting and elevated.
I’m always pushing boundaries. Trying
new recipes is something that I really enjoy
doing. I love discovering new recipes
and combinations that I've never tried before.
AM: Prior to launching Baazi, what are
other restaurants that you are known for?
CHEF GA: Bhatti Indian Grill was my first
baby, it opened in 2009 and is very well
known for its mouthwatering kebabs. I
was approached by one of the owners of
Moti Mahal Delux, a very famous Mughlai
cuisine chain in India, and we opened that
restaurant on the Upper East Side in 2012.
I was honored to receive an amazing 2
star review in The New York Times. If you
want to try the best dal makhani or tandoori
chicken, that's the place to go!
Awadh, the predecessor to Baazi and
still open as a delivery only restaurant,
is Lucknowi cuisine and known for its
traditional dum pukht style of cooking,
which involves cooking ingredients in
a dough-sealed vessel slowly over low
heat in the oven.
AM: What led you to conceive and open
Baazi and what does the name mean?
CHEF GA: The idea of launching a new
brand came to my team and I after
Awadh took a big hit due to the pandemic
and became more of a delivery
operation rather than brick and mortar
restaurant. I was ready to give up and
surrender the keys, but my landlord
was very supportive and encouraged
me to give it one more chance. We decided
that instead of just refreshing the
space, we could create a new concept
that would not only bring old customers
back but attract new ones as well.
That’s where Baazi came to life! In Hindi,
the word “baazi” means “bet” so we
bet on the space and the Upper West
Side coming back. It’s been a great hit
since we opened in January.
AM: How is Baazi similar or different to
the restaurants that are in your portfolio?
CHEF GA: Baazi is very different from my
other restaurants, which are more traditional.
This is a refined, more eclectic
and modern concept of Indian food. It’s
not necessarily Northern or Southern
regional Indian but a marriage of both
along with influences from the Mediterranean
and Middle East. It has a little bit
of everything that I have tried, served,
and loved in my work creating menus for
destination weddings around the world.
All the menu items are unique and you
won’t find common dishes like chicken
tikka masala at Baazi.
AM: What are the flavors and spices that
are indicative of Indian cuisine?

CHEF GA: Every state in India uses different
ingredients and flavor combinations.
For me, it’s important to use fresh ground
spices rather than packaged spice mixes.
Heat is part of Indian cooking, but it has
to be balanced with great flavor too.
AM: Can you tell us about the ambiance of
your restaurant?
CHEF GA: The colors are very vibrant, the
music is very upbeat and lively, it’s very
downtown. The room feels more like a
luxurious home than a restaurant. A lot
of younger people are coming to Baazi for
the experience and the music. And our
outdoor dining is just as vibrant, we’ve
taken the blues and yellows from inside
and livened up the entire street.
AM: What are 3 appetizers that you suggest
that we should enjoy when coming in?
CHEF GA: Kasoori Methi Chicken is flambeed
in Old Monk Rum, which is an iconic
Indian rum brand.
Papad Kebab is the jewel of Baazi, a nonmeat
kebab made of fried hung Greek
yogurt with papadam lentil cracker crust
served in a custom made Baazi box.
Imli Glazed Lamb Ribs have a slightly
sweet, sticky and spicy tamarind-date
glaze.
AM: What are 3 entrees that we should
have with friends and family for dinner?
CHEF GA: Chicken Sirka Pyaz are tandoori
chicken thighs in a tomato gravy with
pickled baby onions.
Butternut Squash Kofta are light and pillowy,
similar to dumplings, served with
sweet corn curry, toasted pepitas and
pumpkin oil.
Prawn Kuzhambu shows off beautiful
prawns with tamarind-based sauce from
India’s southernmost region Tamil Nadu
and Sri Lanka.
AM: What are 3 desserts we should try?
CHEF GA: Baazi only has three amazing
desserts, and that’s on purpose to keep
it simple but memorable. The must try
is the Black Jalebi ice cream sandwich,
which is a play on a popular Indian sweet
funnel cake. Rose Makhan Malai has
rose petal infused crema, milk cake and
rusk (hard biscuit) crumble. Our Coconut
Sago Payasam is vegan and delicious! It
has shaved roasted coconut sprinkled
over tapioca pearls and mango sorbet.
AM: What are 3 cocktails that you suggest
to have with our meal?
CHEF GA: The Spicy Ginger Margarita is
delicious, just the right bit of spice with
jalapeño, tequila and fresh ginger juice.
The Mezcal Passion has tamarind and
passion fruit to balance out smoky mezcal.
A bit sweeter is the Old Monk Daiquiri
with dark Old Monk Rum, pineapple and
lime.
AM: In creating this menu, where do you
get inspiration from?
CHEF GA: I’ve definitely drawn a lot of
inspiration from my wedding menus and
travel. A few years ago, I launched CGA
Catering, an international destination
wedding catering company. We create
the most unique custom menus for our
luxury wedding clients, and that’s where
a lot of my creativity comes into play.
Along the way, I’ve been privileged to
travel around the world and meet chefs
in places like Mexico, Turkey, Spain, Morocco
and Italy. These travels have been
a big part of my culinary evolution. I
also always wanted to open up a coastal
restaurant, so I definitely wanted to
make sure I included at least a couple of
coastal items in this new menu.
@baazinyc
PHOTOS COURTESY | Evan Sung

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is a Japanese
cultural destination in the heart
of Hollywood reflecting the best of
Japan through its spaces and diverse
programs. An innovative project conceived
by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, JAPAN HOUSE currently
consists of three locations around
the world – London, Los Angeles, and
Sao Paulo. It's aim is to showcase and
share the intricacies of Japanese attractions,
policies and culture with the
international community. This is illustrated
through art, design, gastronomy,
innovation, technology and more.
Occupying two floors at the popular
Hollywood & Highland entertainment
complex, the destination brings exhibitions,
unique events, and culinary
programs including pop-up dining experiences.
Admission to JAPAN HOUSE
Los Angeles is complimentary.
ATHLEISURE LIST: Los Angeles, CA
JAPAN HOUSE
Yuko Kaifu, President of JAPAN HOUSE
Los Angeles shared more about this
gallery as well as their upcoming exhibit,
"The Art of the Ramen Bowl."
“The Art of the Ramen Bowl” Exhibit,
celebrates the world’s most popular
Japanese food, the complimentary exhibit
– seen for the first time outside of
Japan – is on display now through July
5, 2022. The exhibit spotlights imaginative
porcelain ramen bowls (donburi)
and spoons (renge) designed by 30
world-renowned artists who share a
love for ramen. The exhibition includes
a giant, Instagram-worthy ramen bowl
by known Japanese plastic food sample
manufacturer Iwasaki Mokei, and
an introduction to the dish itself!
A common street food brought to Japan
from China in the mid-1800s, ramen
has evolved to become one of
AthleisureMag.com - 70 - Issue #75 | Mar 2022

their most beloved dishes, and a complex
culinary artform. This ubiquitous
wheat noodle dish has a diversity of flavors,
ingredients, and styles of ramen
and ramen bowls available in Japan.
The perfect bowl can vary by region,
flavor profile, as well as the quality of
the bowls - which enhances the experience.
These 30 world-renowned artists featured,
share a love of ramen. Some of
Japan’s most significant contemporary
artists: Akira Minagawa, Hisashi
Tenmyouya, Keiichi Tanaami, Tabaimo,
Tadanori Yokoo, and Taku Satoh – contributed
pieces to the exhibit, artfully
presenting how the Japanese uniquely
approach decoration, as well as how
it serves as art.
Mino has served as the epicenter for
Japanese ceramics for more than 500
Issue #75 | Mar 2022
years. Additionally, plastic food sample
manufacturer Iwasaki Mokei, is
one of the most well-known plastic
food manufacturers in Japan. Iwasaki
Mokei and Mino are vital aspects
to the history and evolution of the art
of ramen. It was vital to include them
and introduce the community to their
contributions to the noodle dish.
JAPAN HOUSE LOS ANGELES
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
japanhousela.com
@japanhousela
PHOTOS COURTESY | JAPAN
HOUSE Los Angeles
- 71 - AthleisureMag.com

ATHLEISURE LIST: LES,NY
LORELEY BEER GARDEN
We love a beer garden which originated
in Bavaria and is an outdoor space
with large picnic and communal tables
where you can soak up the sun and enjoy
cold beer and food. Loreley Beer
Garden is in the LES and has a seasonal
rotational floral installation and
opened in 2003. It's open year-round
and is heated in the winter and is a
great place to hang out with friends in
the summer.
Although you can enjoy an array of
beers, Loreley also focuses on having
a high quality food and beverage
program. All their German imported
beers have hundreds of years of tradition
and perfection in their craft. They
hand select every beer and only rotate
3 drafts each season. They sample
over 30 new beers before selecting
one draft line for one season. When it
runs out, it's done for the season. They
also work with local breweries on a
series of collaborations of seasonal
beers to fit their program.
This spring they will launch their first
collaboration with Brooklyn's KCBC
and brew their own Kölsch Style Ale
which will be available here and at
KCBC Brewer in Bushwick on draft and
in cans. Also keep your eyes peeled
at your local bodega in NYC. You can
also enjoy Radeberger Pilsner which is
available year around as well. Another
beer to try is Köstritzer Schwarzbier,
a dark lager - with a hint of chocolate.
In addition to beer, that have a high
quality wine list and an array of seasonally
rotating craft cocktails. We
suggest the Nitro Cold Brew, Bourbon
Sweet Tea, Frosé and if there is a chill
in the air, the Bourbon Hot Chocolate
is always a must have!
AthleisureMag.com - 72 - Issue #75 | Mar 2022

In addition to German inspired foods
that features doughy soft baked pretzels
and authentic German sausages,
there are other dishes on the menu.
You can enjoy tacos, guacamole made
fresh to order, a 1/2 lb burger with
roasted tomatoes, sauteed onions,
gouda on a pretzel bun, plus seasonal
salads, cedar grilled salmon, portobello
sandwiches and Beyond burgers.
Their Brunch menu is something special
with fresh Baked Cinnamon Rolls
to order, Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
with fresh strawberries and whipped
cream, Eggs Benedict on homemade
potato pancakes, Schnitzel & Eggs, to
name a few.
Cocktail Festival with a spring floral installation,
seasonal beers and spring
cocktails. In May and June, they will
host the NYC Summer Rosé Festival
which features Rosé everything! This
will include 10 hand-selected rosé
wines by the glass and bottle, rosé on
draft, rosé cider, rosé cocktails, and
most importantly, their famous Frosé!
LORELEY BEER GARDEN
7 Rivington St
NY, NY 10002
loreleynyc.com
As we make plans to hang out with
our friends, coworkers and family,
they have a few events that we can
can keep an eye out for. Loreley Beer
Garden will host the Spring Beer &
Issue #75 | Mar 2022
@loreleynyc
PHOTOS COURTESY | Loreley Beer
Garden
- 73 - AthleisureMag.com

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

Who Can Receive a
COVID-19 Vaccine?
COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone ages 5 and older. You can get vaccinated if
you have:
Diabetes Liver disease A history of blood clots
Asthma
Cancer
Heart disease
Seasonal allergies,
such as a pollen allergy
HIV Allergies to medicine
Kidney disease
taken by mouth
Food allergies A lready had a COVID-19 infection
Other health conditions
Plans to become pregnant, or are
pregnant or breastfeeding
It is especially important for people with underlying health conditions to get vaccinated, as many
are at increased risk of getting severely ill from COVID-19.
The only reason you may not be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine is if you are allergic to an
ingredient in the vaccine or had an allergic reaction to a prior dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or to
another vaccine or injectable medicine. Even if you have or had an allergy, you still may be able
to get vaccinated, but you should talk to your health care provider before doing so.
COVID-19 vaccines do not contain preservatives, latex, eggs,
mercury, fetal tissue or human cells, gelatin or other animal
products, antibiotics, or microchips. Speak with your health care
provider if you have questions about vaccination.
COVID-19 vaccines are free, safe and effective.
Get vaccinated today!
For more information, visit nyc.gov/covidvaccine.
The NYC Health Department may change recommendations as the situation
evolves. 11.15.21

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 des-

erts 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 inacessible
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.
@beargrylls
PHOTO COURTESY | PG 96 Bear Grylls
| PG 98 - 109 Ben Simms/National Geographic
|

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Issue #75 | Mar 2022
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Stay connected and follow us across our
social channels on @AthleisureMag!
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International Women's Day, International
Women's Week and Women's Month are
moments to celebrate and empower women
who continue to push the envelope by
being present and taking charge in the areas
that they reside in around the world.
It's also a time to reflect and assist those
should also lend their voice to this effort.
We caught up with the co-founder of gorjana,
Gorjana Reidel who is known for her
accessible and fine jewelry line that oozes
SoCal cool girl style and has been worn by
a number of celebrities and those in the
know. We wanted to find out about how
she created this brand, pieces we should
have in our collections and the capsule
collection that she has with her sister, Iva
Pawling, co-founder of Richer Poorer.
ATHLEISURE MAG: I have been a fan of
your brand for a number of years. As a celebrity
fashion stylist and accessory expert,
I like the aesthetic that you have brought
into the jewelry industry. What led you to
want to launch this jewelry brand?
GORJANA REIDEL: My childhood home in
Serbia was extremely creative and that
“DIY” attitude had a lasting impact on me.
When I went to college, I knew I wanted
to continue to channel that creativity in
fashion. Although I studied marketing in
college, I landed an internship in cosmetics
at Neiman Marcus. After I graduated,
I worked as an assistant manager in the
jewelry department and that’s where I
discovered my passion for jewelry design.
I fell in love with jewelry because it’s intimate
and timeless. You can wear a piece
of jewelry every day and it eventually becomes
a part of you.
AM: You and your husband created and
are co-founders of this brand, and you are
the Chief Creative Officer, what is your dayto-day
like?
GR: Every day is different - which keeps it
fun and exciting. From design ideation to
product meetings….
AM: How do you go about getting inspiration
for your jewelry line?
GR: I am really influenced by the Southern
California lifestyle and the more relaxed
vibe. I get inspired from different
things all the time. It could be a cool
shape I see, or I will look at something I
want to wear and come up with the perfect
jewelry piece to complete the look.
AM: Who is the gorjana woman?
GR: There really isn’t one type of woman
- we see women from their 20s to
late 50s or 60s wearing our jewelry. Our
collections are timeless and so versatile
- from chains to charms and daintier
styles in our fine collection there truly is
something for everyone.
AM: What is your process in terms of designing
and creating new collections?
GR: This is always a fun process and never
really the same. Sometimes we get
inspired by a certain gemstone, sometimes
it's a fun outfit we want to accessorize
or a cool pattern we see and want
to incorporate into a design. The process
is never the same but that's what
keeps us motivated and creative.
AM: How much does Laguna Beach play
into your designs?
GR: I am always inspired but the beauty
around me and Laguna is certainly
one of the most beautiful places in the
world. It’s so eclectic and so authentic.
There’s a sense of community. I obviously
love the beach and the whole topography
of Laguna. We live up on a hill. I
see the water every day. It’s just one of
the most beautiful places I’ve ever been
to.
AM: I’ve always loved the fact that your
pieces are meant for layering – for those
that may not do this, what should they
keep in mind when doing this?
GR: Honestly, the more the merrier
when it comes to layering…but I do feel
like you should wear the jewelry, the

jewelry shouldn’t wear you! Start with a
couple of simple, classic pieces like our
Parker or Venice Necklace and build your
layered look to make it your own. We have
some beautiful, daintier styles in our Fine
Collection - including cool diamonds and
14k solid gold. I love to mix and match all
of our styles to create the perfect neck
mess!
AM: What are 3 pieces that you’re excited
about in the line right now that we should
consider including into our personal collections?
GR: We just launched our first fine signet
ring with pavé diamonds - I love adding
it to my everyday stack, it adds serious
shine. I also love layering our Diamond
Evil Eye Necklace and Parker Mini Layering
Set.
AM: We know that the Tuscon Gem Show
just took place a few weeks back, are there
gemstones or other materials that you
have yet to include in the line that you’re
thinking about for future collections?
GR: We only source large gemstones for
our stores at the Tucson Gem Show. They
have such a wonderful grouping of vendors
and some really unique items. In
terms of future collections, we are really
into exploring precious gemstone options
for our fine collection.
AM: We’ve visited your stores here in NY
and in DC. With nearly 30 stores, what is
the ambiance that you bring into your locations
and are there additional locations/
cities that you will launch this year?
GR: Each store has a cool, quintessentially
Californian vibe and a clean backdrop to
highlight the jewelry. Guests are meant to
feel as if they’re walking into a welcoming,
coastal bungalow in our hometown
of Laguna Beach, California. We are excited
to open stores in Portland Oregon,
and Nashville next month with Carlsbad,
Houston, Philadelphia, and Studio City to
follow in Q2.
AM: You and your sister created a capsule
collaboration for International Women’s
Day between gorjana and Richer Poorer.
Can you tell me more about what is in
the capsule and why you came together
to create this?
GR: As female entrepreneurs, we know
first-hand that entering the business
world can be difficult. In doing this collaboration
we are determined to provide
support for those who are just
starting out. In true collaborative nature,
I worked with Iva to create a tank
top with the perfect necklace neckline,
and Iva pushed me to create a necklace
to symbolize our individuality and showcase
our bond. The capsule includes the
necklace, tank top and then an option to
purchase as a bundle with both pieces.
AM: Being a co-founder of Athleisure
Mag, we love sharing stories of those
that are empowered who make their
mark in the world. How important is it
for women to be inspired and encouraged
to start their own businesses?
GR: I could name a thousand reasons
why women should be inspired to start
their own businesses. One reason that
sticks out is to ensure diversity and balance
across businesses. Genders from
all different backgrounds bring their
own unique perspective to the table and
having a healthy mixture is highly effective
- we’ve found - at continuing to have
a well-rounded outlook on where the
business goes next. Jason and I run the
company together, and being a male/
female team, we truly balance each other
out with our differing opinions and
viewpoints. All perspectives have value
and when you truly listen to incorporate
each other into decision making, it can
only help to better capture your target
customer and grow your business.
AM: 100% of the sales from this capsule
collection will be donated to Dress for
Success. Why did you want funds to go
there?

GR: We always try to inspire others to
follow their dreams, and hope that by
donating 100% of proceeds, we can help
those dreams go a little further. Giving
back has always been of major interest
to us personally, and both gorjana and
Richer Poorer. We are proud and honored
to support charitable organizations
and communities large and small,
nationwide.
AM: Will there be future collaborations
of this nature between you and your sister?
GR: I hope so! We had so much fun working
together on this.
AM: How do you take time for yourself
when you want to make sure that you
have the reset that you need?
GR: I love spending time with my family
- going on hikes, going to the beach or
being out on our boat.
@gorjana
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Gorjana
Reidel

Bingely Books
BLACK ROSES: ODES CELE-
BRATING POWERFUL BLACK
WOMEN
Harper Design
Harold Green III
We always believe that it's essential to
celebrate women regardless of the time
of year and we fell in love with poems
by Harold Green III for his latest book,
Black Roses: Odea Celebrating Powerful
Black Women. This poet and founder of
music collective, Flowers for the Living
has used this book to pay tribute to Black
women. Whether you're reading
about Ava DuVernay, Janelle
Monae, Nikole Hannah-Jones,
Issa Rae and more - he has created
a poem that talks about
all of their exceptional accomplishments.
He talks about how
they use their mind and talents
to transform their messages to
impact society. These contempary
women span 5 areas as advocates,
curators, innovators,
luminaries and trailblazers. He
highlights their diversity and
what their reach has meant to
the culture. It's a great read that
is powerful and insightful!
AthleisureMag.com - 142 - Issue #75 | Mar 2022
RUN, ROSE, RUN: A
NOVEL
Little, Brown and Company
Dolly Parton + James Patterson
You can't go wrong when you
partner a noted bestselling and
great storyteller, James Patterson
with one of the most beloved
superstars on the planet
- Dolly Parton! Together, they
released Run, Rose, Run: A Novel
which is a thriller that focuses
on a singer-songwriter who is on
the run while also being an artist
on the rise! Regardless, she is
determined to do what is necessary
in order for her to survive.
She makes her way to Nashville
as that's where she wants to set
her mark; however, she knows
her secrets will follow her there
as well. She enjoys singing her
music which tells her story and
will bring her closer to her future

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for Speedy Dumpling Soup, Butter
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while being able to interact with
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and hopefully will allow her to forget
her past as well! Will she be able to finally
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or will things that are best left in
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she's close to getting what she wants?
THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS
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William Morrow Cookbooks
Ree Drummond
We love watching Ree Drummond on
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she's always cooking an array of tasty
dishes. So, when we found out about
The Pioneer Woman Cooks - Super Easy!
120 Shortcut Recipes for Dinners, Desserts,
and More, which includes ways
Issue #75 | Mar 2022
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Bingely Streaming
BAD VEGAN: FAME. FRAUD.
FUGITIVES.
Netflix Documentary Series
Netflix
We remember having editor lunches that
took place at Pure Food and Wine here in
as this was the cities' first raw
vegan restaurant and one that
was frequented by a number of
celebs. It seems like at its height
of fame, it suddenly was gone.
In Netflix's BAD VEGAN: FAME.
FRAUD. FUGITIVES, we get the
inside scoop on the rise of Sarma
Melngailis' dream and how
it came to an end when she began
met Anthony Strangis via her
Twitter feed.
We find out how she built her
business, obtained financial backing
and created a space in the
culinary world that was ahead
of its time. We also see how her
need to be loved created a setup
where she engaged in fraudulent
business practices that ultimately
derailed her business, and landed
her in Rikers after being a fugitive
in Las Vegas for 10 months.
It's up to the viewer to decide
whether she was an active participant
in the scheme or if she
was a gaslit woman that truly
belived that by following Anthony's
instructions would allow her
to finally obtain the money she
desired, immortality and the life
that she always wanted.
THE THING ABOUT PAM
Peacock Originals
Peacock
We enjoyed The Thing About Pam
podcast hosted by Dateline's Keith
Morrison. This true crime story is
now a series which he continues
to narrate. Renée Zellweger (Chicago,
Judy, Bridget Jones's Diary)
AthleisureMag.com - 144 - Issue #75 | Mar 2022

plays Pam Hupp who is seen as a pillar
of her community. This series focuses
on the murder of Betsy Faria
who was battling a terminal cancer,
had a supportive family life and a
best friend, Pam who was available
to pitch in and help.
Upon her death, although the police
and prosecutors believe Betsy's
husband is the murderer, there are
a number of things that don't make
sense. We see that Pam's creation of
a trust to take care of Betsy's girls
is in her name and it seems she has
plans on these funds. She's also way
too interested to assist the prosecutor
in finding Betsy's husband guilty
and goes to great lengths to stay in
the loop on what's going on.
AMERICAN HOSTAGE
Amazon Original
Spotify
Jon Hamm (Mad Men, Bridesmaids,
Top Gun: Maverick) plays Fred Heck-
Issue #75 | Mar 2022
man, a local radio reporter in Indianapolis in
the true crime podcast. He finds that a call
he takes connects him to Tony Kiritsis who
is holding a banker hostage. Tony demands
to be interviewed during a 63-hour standoff
to explain how he got to this point.
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