Athleisure Mag DEC ISSUE #84

ISSUE #84

PHOTO CREDIT | KATIE AZI

@AthleisureMag

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PUBLISHER

Paul Farkas

EDITORIAL

Kimmie Smith

Co-Founder, Creative + Style Director

Paul Farkas

Co-Founder, Artistic Director + Tech Director

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EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

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HOST

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MIXING

Athleisure Studio Team

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table of contents

issue #84

dec 2022

105

STYLE FEATURES

THE PICK ME UP

122

78

IN OUR BAG

133 ROCK THIS WHEN YOU’RE

RUNNING ERRANDS ON

THE EVE

BEAUTY FEATURES

SEAWEED BEAUTY

Serving Up Self-Care

Sloane Stephens

This month, we caught up WTA’s Sloane Stephens ahead of the start of the upcoming

tennis season! We talk about what she is looking forward to, the importance of

self-care as well as Sloane Stephens Foundation 10th year anniversary!

16

137

ATHLEISURE BEAUTY

Owning His Space

Hardwell

We’re excited that EDM DJ/Producer Hardwell, is back with his album REBELS NEVER

DIE as well as his tour of the same name! We talk about his haiatus, his creative process

and how he is approaching touring while maintaining self-care.

32

106

LIFESTYLE FEATURES

ATHLEISURE LIST

SOHO GRAND

Beyond the Rose

44

The Bachelorette’s Michelle Young talks

with us about self-care and more!

Home Holidays

64

Marianna Hewitt talks with us about

Summer Fridays and the holiday season.

108

ATHLEISURE LIST

BODY SPACE FITNESS

AthleisureMag.com - 10 - Issue #84 | Dec 2022

In the Off Season

Sebastian Lletget

We talk with FC Dallas’ midfielder, Sebastian Lletget to get his predictions on

this year’s FIFA World Cup. He also talks about how his love for sports and family

brought him to soccer, looking forward to the upcoming season, how he enjoys the

holiday season and more!

9PLAYLIST

Öwnboss

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70

84

This month’s 9PLAYLIST comes from DJ/

Producer Öwnboss who shares what he

is listening to right now.

Art of the Snack

8282

86

This month’s The Art of the Snack takes

us to 8282 with elevated Korean cuisine

and a fantastic beverage program in

NYC.

Make it A Signature

96

Mindy Weiss

We took a moment with Celebrity Event

Planner, Mindy Weiss to talk about how

she got into the industry, how she tackles

her projects and more!

63MIX ROUTIN3S

Gabby Reece

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111

This month’s 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes

from professional volleyball player

Gabby Reece who shares what she does

Morning, Afternoon and Night.

Issue #84 | Dec 2022

- 11 - AthleisureMag.com

As we close out 2022, we're already thinking

about what we're going to do in the

New Year personally and professionally!

In the midst of all this activity, we need to

take time and to enjoy the moments along

the way!

This month's cover is Grand Slam US Open

2017 Champion, Sloane Stephens. She has

made impressive moments at the French

Open, Australian Open, Wimbledon and

a number of matches and won an ESPY

for Top Female Tennis Player in 2018 and

because of her philanthropic work with

the Sloane Stephens Foundation, she was

nominated and a finalist for the Muhammad

Ali Sports Humanitarian Award in

2019.

We have had the pleasure to connect with

her in previous issues, but this month,

we're talking about her upcoming tennis

season, self-care and what she does while

traveling! She definitely knows a thing or

two about juggling a busy schedule while

also taking the necessary time that she

needs.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We had the pleasure

of interviewing a few years back and then

right before the US Open, you took time

out of your schedule to share your 63MIX

ROUTIN3S with us about what you do

Morning, Afternoon and Night. With the

season starting Jan 1st, what are the weeks

like for you between now and the start of

the season whether it’s training, relaxing,

enjoying the holiday season, etc?

SLOANE STEPHENS: I’ve had one of the

best off-seasons I’ve ever had this year! I

started out by freezing my eggs at Kindbody.

I’ve wanted to freeze my eggs for

a while and the timing was finally right to

commit to the process. From there, we

went to Iceland to celebrate Jozy’s birthday

and spent a few days as a family at the

Retreat Hotel at the Blue Lagoon getting

spa treatments and soaking in the hot

springs. Iceland is only a 5 hour nonstop

flight from Boston, so it was an easy trip!

The day after Thanksgiving, we left for Africa.

We went on the most incredible sa-

fari in South Africa at Londolozi and

saw a gorilla trek at Virunga National

Park. This was my first trip to Africa

and I cannot wait to go back. I’m now

back in Boston doing a training block

with my trainer before heading for a

tennis training block in Cabo through

Christmas. From Cabo, I’ll fly directly

to Auckland, NZ to begin the season!

AM: What tournaments are you looking

forward to this year?

SS: Red clay is my favorite surface, so

I always look forward to the European

clay court season in the spring, which

culminates at Roland Garros. As an

American, any time I can play on US

soil is extra special, so I’m looking forward

to playing at Indian Wells, Miami,

the US Open, and a new tournament in

Austin.

AM: What is your routine before and

after your matches?

SS: Before I play, I usually eat some

pasta and a piece of lean protein like

a chicken breast or piece of fish. I typically

go into the locker room and put

my headphones in and spend some

time thinking and mentally going

over the match plan I outlined with

my coach the night before. About 30

minutes before my match, I’ll break a

light sweat on a stationary bike and

go through some fitness drills to make

sure I’m starting the match with quick

feet and dynamic movement.

After the match, I’ll do a quick cool

down and shower before handling any

mandatory media commitments. Once

I’m done with that, I’ll either get a massage

on-site or go back to my hotel and

get some treatment from my physio.

Depending on the time of day, I’ll then

head out to dinner and prepare for the

next day.

AM: How important is recovery to you

after working out or after a match?

What are the kinds of things that you



do after these activities?

SS: Recovery is a critical piece of both

the fitness and recovery process. Cooling

down and taking the time to stretch and

flush out muscles is really important for

recovery and preparing for the next day

and next match.

AM: Many of our readers are balancing

hectic schedules – you got married at the

top of the year to Jozy Altidore, an international

soccer star – how do you make sure

you give time to yourself, being with your

husband and family?

SS: I make a lot of effort to have a very

structured schedule and communicate

my boundaries and commitments to my

team. When it’s family time, it is family

time and the phone is away. When it’s

time to train, I’m training. When it’s time

to work on my Foundation or on my outside

businesses and investments, I’m fully

there. I’ve also learned the things that

bring me the most joy and fulfillment and

prioritize those activities. When I’m home

and able to spend time with my family, I

take advantage of every single second of

that time we’re together.

AM: In your sport, you spend a lot of time

traveling 40+ weeks of the year! You kick

off the season in Australia with the Australian

Open. Also via your IG feed, you travel

for fun – you’re South African trip looks

amazing! How do you make your spaces

feel like home when you’re traveling?

SS: I try to keep some consistent products

and activities in my routine so that I

can rely on those consistencies no matter

where I am. A super easy way to do this

is with bringing a candle from home - I

find that having the same scent is really

grounding and helps me feel in control of

my environment.

AM: When it comes to choosing what hotel

you like to stay at and to help our readers

that may be planning their next trip, what

are the things that you look for?

SS: For most tournaments, there is an

official tournament hotel, so I just stay

wherever I need to. In some cases, like

in Paris and New York where there are

endless options, we get to pick our own

hotels. I love to stay at The Langham

in New York and Hotel Vernet in Paris.

I love when a hotel has a good breakfast,

it’s just one less decision to make

in the day. I also love great showers and

friendly concierges.

AM: In terms of your suitcase, what are

some of the important things that are

must for you to pack so that you have

your necessities as well as options for the

unexpected?

SS: The most important thing in my suitcase

is my passport. If I have my passport,

I can pretty much figure everything

else out as I go! Of course, I also

need my tennis racquets to do my job!

I travel with a lot of skin care products

because I love the sense of calm and order

that a consistent routine brings.

AM: What are some of your travel hacks

that have proven to work for you that we

should know?

SS: I cannot overstate the importance of

hydrating during travel. The entire travel

experience is really drying - the plane air

is dry, hotels can be dry, the change in climates

can be tough - it’s a lot. Hydrating

inside and out helps your body adjust to

new situations and new timezones and

it is so simple to do. I think a lot of people

are hit with a double-whammy when

it comes to dehydration because they’re

drinking a lot of caffeine to try and stay

awake during travel or they might be

having some alcoholic beverages while

they’re away, and both of those things

are also really dehydrating on the body,

so it’s all the more important to hydrate.

AM: Do you have anything that you do

before, during or after hopping on a

flight whether it’s a beauty process, selfcare,

etc?

SS: I’ve started wearing WHOOP’s new

Blue Light Glasses to avoid disrupting my

circadian rhythms with too much screen

time - it makes a huge difference when I’m

trying to sleep the next night. I also try to

get up and walk around on the plane to

keep the blood flowing and prevent blood

clots or feeling super stiff when I land.

AM: When you arrive in your designated

city, whether it’s for work or fun, what are

the things that you look for in terms of

restaurants, activities and shopping that

you want to explore?

SS: When I was first starting out on tour,

I rarely ventured out. I stuck close to the

hotel and always went back to the same

restaurants. There are already so many

variables at play when traveling for work

and needing to compete, so I never wanted

to risk an upset stomach or having any

sort of issues. Now that I’ve been traveling

to the same cities for 15+ years, I have a

great mix of my tried and true staple spots

but have also really enjoyed researching

and trying new spots. I think being locked

down during Covid made me appreciate

the incredible opportunity I have to travel

the world and made me look forward to

getting back out and exploring.

AM: Do you have separate beauty routines

for daytime versus night time?

SS: Yes! I wake up and drink a huge glass of

water. I brush my teeth and then wash my

face with a gentle cleanser like the iS Clinical

Cleansing Complex. I sleep with various

moisturizing layers, so I don’t want to

take that all off and dry myself out again.

I usually head right to practice or training,

so I put Neutrogena sunscreen on my face

and sometimes I’ll use the Dr. Barbara

Sturm Anti-Pollution Drops under my sunscreen.

I sweat pretty much every day and

am always wearing sunscreen, so I like to

do a body scrub in the shower at night to

scrub that all away and feel like I’m going

to bed super clean. For the record, I love

piping hot showers, the hottest the dial

will turn - boil me!! After I get out of the

shower, I layer on the moisturizers - I start

with a lotion and then will layer a body

oil on top if I’m feeling extra ashy in certain

spots. I go through the same routine

every day and it helps my body and

mind recognize that it is time to start unwinding

and preparing for bed. None of

the products I use at night have any energizing

scents like eucalyptus or lemon

verbena - it’s all fragrance free. If I want

a relaxing scent, I’ll turn on a diffuser or

light a candle. I always travel with diffusers

or candles.

AM: How important is mental health and

self-care to your training and state of being

whether you’re working in your sport

or just being out and about?

SS: There is an undeniable link between

mental health and physical well-being.

Both parts have to be working in harmony.

Tennis as a sport inherently requires

a lot of mental energy - it’s just you out

there and everyone is looking at you,

so I find that taking care of my mental

health is just as important as how I take

care of my body. It is encouraging to see

this sort of discourse make its way into

more mainstream conversations and I

hope that more people are encouraged

to find the practices, tools, and therapies

that help them.

AM: Why does the wellness space mean

so much to you and what can you tell

us about your new brand that you are

launching next year as we know you may

not be able to say too much!

SS: The wellness space is so important

to me as both an athlete and as a woman.

I've always loved to try new products

and am constantly in pursuit of the best

ways to take care of my skin and body. I

will be venturing into the wellness space

myself next year, so stay tuned!

AM: We know how important The Sloane

Stephens Foundation is to you. Are there

new projects or initiatives that you are

focused on that you would like to share?

SS: Thank you for asking! The Sloane Ste-

phens Foundation is actually celebrating

our 10 year anniversary in March 2023 - I

cannot believe it’s been 10 years! I wanted

to use tennis as the vehicle to keep

kids in school, keep them healthy, and

keep them physically safe. Tennis has

given me so much in my life but I know

that it can feel very unapproachable, especially

to people from under-resourced

communities who might not be able to

afford the equipment or coaching, or to

underrepresented communities where

they might not see a lot of players that

look like them. I sought out to change

that. We work with over 15,000 kids each

year across the Compton Unified School

District and provide tennis, academic,

mental health, and financial literacy programs.

One of the things I’m most proud

of us that almost all of our coaches are

actually graduates of our programs who

have decided to come on as staff members

while they pursue their college degrees.

It’s very much a big family and it

feels very sustainable to have programs

designed and implemented by the community

and for the community.

@sloanestephens

@sloanestephensfoundation

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | FRONT COV-

ER + BACK COVER, PG 28 9DRIP Courtesy

of Sloane Stephens | PG 16 - 19, 22 +

PG 82 9PLAYLIST BNP Paribas Open | PG

21 John Cordes/Icon Sportswire | PG 25

Masha Maltsava | PG 26 Federico Pestellini/Panoramic/Icon

Sportswire |

When we think about some of our favorite

DJ's over the past decade,

Hardwell is one we enjoy seeing

when he was at our favorite venues!

In this age of being committed to taking

the time we need, self-care and mental

health, Hardwell took 3 years off to take a

break, fugure himself out as an artist and

came back to the scene with a new album

REBELS NEVER DIE, a tour of the same

name and of course he launched it at Ultra

Music Festival earlier this year!

We wanted to get to know more about

his process, about the importance of his

hometown in Breda, Netherlands, how he

is approaching touring and more!

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in

love with music?

HARDWELL: I discovered music super early,

I actually started playing piano when I

was 4 years old, but my love for DJing began

when I was 12.

AM: What was the moment that you realized

that you wanted to be a DJ?

H: I knew early on that it was a passion of

mine. I started out playing hip hop when I

was 12, before discovering electronic music

when I was 13/14, which then became

this huge part of my life and thankfully

still is today.

AM: You’re from Breda which is a small

city, but it has birthed a number of artists

from yourself, Tiësto and even Elvis Presley’s

manager, Colonel Tom Parker! What

is the music scene like in Breda?

H: It’s crazy right! A small city with this

deep musical history. We actually have

a very small scene, so it’s not what people

often think it will be. But because its

small everyone knows each other and this

is perhaps why it helps Breda artists to

grow.

AM: How would you define your sound?

H: This new Hardwell REBELS NEVER

DIE sound is me. It’s the raw, uncut version

of who I am as an artist. It draws

on all my influences from the moment

I got into electronic dance music right

through to what I am all about today. It

is everything from big room to trance to

electro to techno. I needed to free myself

up from big labelled as one type of

sound, so I could infuse everything into

one sound, which is what fans are experiencing

now.

AM: In terms of creating new music,

what’s your process?

H: I feel most at home in my own studio.

It’s a space that is custom built to fit my

specific needs. I bring a lot of inspiration

from life, travelling and the atmosphere

of our scene into my creative process.

But equally I don’t fixate on following

the same process each time. It was why

I took some time out because I need to

recharge and free up my creativity to

come back with something completely

new and fresh.

AM: You’ve done some amazing collaborations,

what do you look for when it

comes to partnering with someone else

to create music?

H: What makes the magic happen is that

connection. When you work with a singer

or another producer and there’s a

creative connection where you’re vibing

off the same ideas, that is usually a very

positive sign. I like to connect with other

artists who are open to trying new

directions, freeing up the structure of

a song and then seeing what will come

out the other end.

AM: I’ve been a fan for years and have

enjoyed your music, you’ve been a 2X #1

DJ, you’ve headlined many major festivals

and you have travelled extensively

and then in 2018, you decided to take an

indefinite hiatus. Even though that was

back in 2018, at that time it was a shock

as mental health wasn’t really talked

about and in the way that it is now. In

the time that you took that step back,

what did you learn about yourself?

H: Absolutely, I learnt that it is ok to take

time off. As an artist you always fear that

if you don’t make that next show or release

another song, your career will start

to diminish, and it could be over before

you know it. But the reality is that’s not

the case. Everyone needs time off. From

sports to medicine to education to even

family life, everybody needs a break, but

as artists we often to put pressure on ourselves

to keep going, say “yes” to everything

put in front of us. Taking a break,

working on yourself for a while and coming

back refreshed with new creative

ideas is only ever going to be a positive

decision.

AM: A portion of your hiatus also took

place during COVID where everyone had

lockdowns and we were all put in a place

and a time where we re-evaluated how we

went about work, the importance of connections

and who we wanted to emerge

as. Although you were already on that

journey, what was that time period like for

you?

H: Well, not much was different for me

because, I was kind of already in my own

lockdown, by not touring, being at home

and then working in my studio. But I could

see it was impacting so many of my friends

and family, plus colleagues in the scene.

That was hard to watch, but I’m thankful

now that life has resumed for us all.

AM: At what point did you realize that you

wanted to work on and release REBELS

NEVER DIE?

H: The album didn't come until much later

into my ‘sabbatical’ because I first needed

to find myself again as an artist and then

once I fell down that rabbit hole, and journeyed

around what I was looking for, then

the idea of REBELS NEVER DIE started to

become a reality.

AM: How was creating music for this record

different then when you have created

previous albums/songs?

H: Before I started turning ideas into

tracks, I decided to start from scratch.

So I didn’t go back to a lot of the synth

etc I was using previously. I needed a

new canvas to work from, a new feel to

the production. I also had released any

pressure on myself which was a huge

weight from my shoulders during the

process because I was free to express

myself this new sound.

AM: Tell me about REBELS NEVER DIE

and what are you excited about this album?

H: The album excites me because it’s a

new chapter in my journey. It’s an expression

of where I am as an artist today.

It has roots into my history with

electronic music, but it projects a wide

palette of my style to the fans. This

Hardwell 2.0 version is a shift of perspective

and sound, something which

is best experience during the live performances

of REBELS NEVER DIE.

AM: The decision to come back on the

road and tour must have been one

where you had to think about how you

could do this in a way where you still

felt comfortable. How do you approach

touring now and deciding how many

dates/cities that you want to include in

your schedule?

H: I decided that this time around I will

reduce the touring to a smaller number

of shows. I think in 2022 I’ll have

done about 50 flights in total, which

is a much more manageable amount. I

want to be back performing and connecting

with the fans, but I also need

that time in the studio to be creative,

spend time with friends and family. It is

all about balance.

AM: You played Ultra Music Festival

with only unreleased music – such a

bold move! Why did you want to take

that approach and were you nervous

about how it would be received?

H: I was incredibly nervous before that

come back! I don’t usually get nervous,

of course you get the pre-stage nervous

out of excitement, but it’s part of the experience,

it’s good to have some nervous.

But this was a lot different because I had

been away for a long time, I was also coming

back with a new sound and new stage

show. but after the first song, and feeling

that love from the crowd, it all started to

click into place.

AM: You’ve been navigating your world

tour since Ultra what do you do the day

that you have a show coming up. Are there

any routines that you do that prepare you

for a show and/or are there things that

you do once you’ve left the stage that are

a must for you?

H: Not really. I like to relax as much as possible

to get ready for the show. Spend time

with my team and just get myself into the

zone of what’s about to go down with the

show. I’m always working on new edits

and ideas fo the show, so that keeps me

focused in the build-up.

AM: What do you want your legacy to be

seen as in terms of the mark that you have

made in the music industry?

H: Just somone who put his heart and soul

into making music he believed in.

@hardwell

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Hardwell

Earlier this month, we had a fun virtual

event for VOT3D IO: A Conversation with

Michelle Young! We talked with on of our

favorite The Bachelorette leads to talk

about her time on the show, self-care and

what she's up to as she continues to use

her platform to bring awareness and education

to topics that she cares about.After

our conversation with Michelle Young,

guests were given some time to discuss

and connect over the party chat box and

also answer questions in the live treasure

hunt for prizes

We also wanted to share this interview

here in this issue as we know how many

people are fans of the franchise and want

to get to know her more beyond the show!

ATHLEISURE MAG: I’ve seen every season

of The Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise.

One of the favorite things that I enjoy, is

seeing those that will be competing in The

Bachelor or The Bachelorette. Getting to

see what they look like, who they are, their

backstory, etc. When I saw you on The

Bachelor, I called it immediately! Michelle

is beautiful, she’s from the Midwest, just

like me and even if she doesn’t get married

to The Bachelor, she can definitely helm

her own season as The Bachelorette and I

hope that they give her the chance to do

that.

What drew you to wanting to be on the

show?

MICHELLE YOUNG: I feel like that it is a

huge question! Ok, well in order to see me

come on The Bachelor, you would have to

wait until week 3 or week 4!

AM: Right?

MY: That was not part of the plan, I will say

that! Honestly, I was never like, “ I really

want to be on this show.” It’s something

that I watched with my mom for a little

bit and I always felt like I could do that,

but I never thought that the opportunity

would come across my plate. I typically

was always interested in how do people

get on the show. Do they get nominated?

I knew that there was an application

process. I didn’t apply, I was nominated

and to this day, I have no idea who nominated

me. Nobody has owned up to it.

I know my friends really really well and

I remember when I was chosen as The

Bachelorette, I asked if they could please

look into this. I wanted a name and I

wanted to know who was lying to me

and they were literally like, “no, your Instagram

profile got sent in anonymously

and no one has ever come forward

with it.” It seems kind of weird because

if you know me, I got on Instagram literally

like 2 years ago and there weren’t

really any pictures when they nominated

me – I had 2 pictures and I didn’t like

any photos – it looked like it was a fake

account!

I don’t know. I was nominated and I

thought it was kind of a scam! I got

emails and eventually, I messaged back

and they were kind of at the end of that

whole process. They put me on a Zoom

really quickly and on phone calls. It was

a pretty long process and they expedited

me through it and then I remember

sitting there with the contract in front

of my family saying, “ok, so –

AM: This is happening!

MY: Yeah, we went through the pros

and cons and it just kind of happened

and it was like this thing that just kept

knocking on my door. It was honestly

the most perfect opportunity where I

was able to teach long distance for a little

bit before I was actually on the show,

so I didn’t have to miss as much teaching

as I would have had to before. It was

a mistake that I ended up being on the

show, but here we are!

AM: I’m leaning towards, that it is definitely

someone you know and they they

don’t want to say, “yup I’m the one that

started all of this!”

MY: I know right? Oh my gosh!

AM: It could be a family member, a pup-

py – somebody in your world was in the

mix!

MY: I don’t know! I have no idea, but here

I am!

AM: In learning about your background,

we got to know that you were a Division

I basketball player, you’re also a teacher

and someone that is really straight forward

and is never afraid to speak your

truth and to be very honest. How did you

prepare yourself to engage and interact in

this very unique environment?

MY: Honestly, Division I Athletics is kind

of dog-eat-dog on its own. I was always

in competitive basketball, participating

and in competition of some sorts. When

you’re in the room, constructive criticism,

unconstructive criticism – people can be

mean. Women can be mean at times too,

especially in basketball when you’re playing

and you take a Senior’s playing time

and that doesn’t go over particularly well.

A lot of not so nice things were said at

times. You kind of just build tough skin

and you really do rely on who you are and

who you are as a person and using your

family as support. So, I kind of feel like and

I don’t know if this is a strength or weakness,

but going through the Division I Basketball

experience that I went through,

I went through a lot. I kind of feel like

that I can handle anything that is coming

my way. I know that I will be able to get

through it and to have the tools that I will

be able to need to get through it.

So, that was the same thing with this and

I didn’t really know the Reality TV world

or the social media world as much as I

do now. So that wasn’t at the forefront

part of my mind. I can tell you that it was

brought to the forefront of my mind when

I got into that bubble that I did when I

came in late and with everything that was

thrown at me. It definitely has come in

handy and now on social media, there are

a lot of haters out there!

AM: I love how you said that sports prepared

you. Being from Indiana myself, go-

ing to IU, we believe that life is sport and

sport is life. The way you are in sports

says a lot about how you are in life and

how you will navigate it. So when I came

here to NY, I knew that if I could handle

what I did then, I’d be able to do this as

well. So that totally rings true to me.

When you went from The Bachelor to

The Bachelorette, what was your process

in terms of deciding how you were going

to helm your own season and to make it

your own?

MY: I think that my biggest focus was

that it was a show. It’s a show where the

leads have not typically looked like me

in the past. I had a lot of conversations

very up front with Executive Producers –

even during The Bachelorette interview

process with things that were non-negotiables

for me. Things that I didn’t

want it to be as it’s not a one size fits all

situation. I had other things that I wanted

to be able to speak about. I had Black

stories specifically that I wanted told

and it was really important to me that

there were certain things that were not

cut out where my season wend through

the editing process. Those were things

that I was definitely thinking about. For

me, personally on my end, really asking

hard questions about race, about experiences

up front and not having producers

trying to control my conversations

and just being up front as you said, I’m a

very blunt person. I’m going to ask these

things because I need to know these

things up front because I’m not going to

spend energy on certain people that do

not align with certain things as a Black

female.

I set those boundaries very clearly and

said, “if I’m going to sign on this dotted

line, you’re going to know these things

about me,” and there was respect at

that time going both ways. So that’s how

I was able to move forward. I definitely

came guns a blazing and I came ready

to throw those questions out there regardless.

AM: As someone who is just a fan of the

show but was also rooting you on. There

were times personally, when I would just

tear up because I was so excited that you

were able to have certain conversations

and that you didn’t try to hem and haw.

You let it be known what it was, what the

reality is and if that person didn’t see it

that way, there was the door.

MY: Yeah absolutely! It is a Reality TV show

and I get that and it comes with a lot of

different things. But at the same time, if

you want us to have real relationships and

real feelings, then there is also that part

where we have to have real conversations.

Those were my real conversations

for sure.

AM: We have all dated at some point, but

few of us have done it on TV in front of millions

of households. What are tips that you

learned that benefited your mental health

and kept you grounded in this process?

MY: I will honestly say that when you’re

dating in the public eye, it’s really weird

because when you go through your experience

of dating, it’s not first in the public

eye. It’s being filmed and it feels very public,

but you’re not actually dealing with

the reactions of the public quite yet until

after that certain experience is over.

So for me, there was always that sense of

fear of what kind of edit am I going to get?

I will say that anyone going into that kind

of position, if you do not waver from who

you are, you will be fine. Because, you’re

going to navigate just like who you would

navigate around in life. You might make

mistakes, but those would be mistakes

that you would make in the real world as

well. But for me, it was like, if everyone

is doing one thing and I don’t learn from

that or it doesn’t go with who I am as a

person, I’m not going to do it. There’s

power of suggestion and it may seem like

you’re forced to do this, but no. There is

nothing that says that you have to do this,

that you have to say that or that you have

to gravitate towards that. It’s put out

there and you can either take it or leave it.

A lot of that was me leaving a lot of

those things in the first season of The

Bachelor and saying, that’s not who I

am. It’s not who I am, I can’t speak to

that or I won’t/can’t say that or I won’t

bandwagon hop! I think that a lot of people

get caught up in that and that really

hurts afterwards as it’s a huge learning

experience because 1, you come off as

a really mean or nasty person which is

not who you are and you have these regrets.

But if you’re consciously thinking

through that, then it’s you and you can

handle that.

AM: There are a number of people who

are single and dating. So when you were

navigating that on your dates whether

they were 1-on-1 or group dates, what

were qualities that you were looking for

that were red flags that you wanted to

avoid?

MY: I think it was really that you were

in a situation that’s not normal. I think a

lot of people when they get into a weird

situation, it’s awkward and that can be

a huge turnoff. Honestly and typically, in

the normal world, that would probably

have been a red flag for me. But in this

situation, it’s more like – at the end of

the day, you need to be able to relax in

order to be able to get to know somebody.

But if you’re too smooth in front

of the camera, if you’re too comfortable

with 50 people watching you kiss – then

I’m thinking, why are you here? So, that

was my red flags. The people who would

be too smooth with things. I always

messed up. I tripped, I fell half the time,

I stumbled over my words, I could laugh

at myself – it was uncomfortable to be

in the situation at times because again,

there were cameras and random people

staring at you with everything that you

do and sometimes, I’m standing there

by myself. Somebody who would come

into that and be awkward with me in

that and just grow into it, but be real –

that’s what I was looking for.

AM: For fans of the show, we all have our

favorites from Hometowns. I always like

it when Franco Lacosta is there for an episode.

He’s a very good friend who I adore

who has shot me before so shout out to

him. What were your favorite moments in

your season of The Bachelorette?

MY: Oh gosh! Honestly night 1! Night 1 is

just something that I will always remember

because it never kicks in that you

are The Bachelor/Bachelorette or the

lead until you’re standing there and then

you’re like, “oh shit, there are the limos”

and they’re starting to pull up and you’re

there. You’re there in the way that you

don’t have your phone, you don’t have

your family to talk to, you don’t have your

friends – it’s just you. You’re sitting in your

own emotions and I had this moment

when it just dawned on me that I was The

Bachelorette – what am I doing? It really

was a magical night and it was all about

excitement. You know that there is going

to be drama, but none of it emotionally affected

me and it was just something that

I embraced every second even though it

was a really long night!

AM: How long is that night?

MY: I started at 3pm where I was actually

in my dress – so hair, makeup everything

was done. So that means I was in the

makeup chair at 12pm. I got to bed finally

at 11:45am the next morning. So that’s

what the producers would tell the guys

the next night. Because they would say

that they were so tired and we took our

group picture at 9:30am for you guys, but

Michelle had to recap all of you. It’s a long

night!

AM: I had no idea. I thought it was like 6

hours!

MY: No, you can’t start filming until it gets

dark and then there are a lot of guys that

you have to go through. Everyone is learning

the ropes of everything so it’s a long

one!

AM: Wow! That’s a new nugget for me!

Well, you filmed over the course of a num-

ber of weeks and participated in a lot of

activities and had a lot of conversations.

How did you incorporate self-care so that

you could achieve some sort of a balance

and feel like yourself?

MY: Ohh. Honestly, I would say that that

was one of the hardest things for the

leads. I went off of 3 hours of sleep for

the first few weeks. For me, I do fairly

well with no sleep and I just went back

to that athletic mindset that I just had

to push through and I had to keep grinding,

keep a smile on your face or whatever

you’re feeling. But it’s tricky. You

don’t get time alone, you don’t get time

to yourself unless you’re looking at the

inside of your eyelids completely sleeping.

AM: Oh wow. That leads me to the next

question that when you weren’t filming,

how did you pass the time? But you’re

saying that you didn’t have time alone!

MY: When I was the lead, you’re with

someone 24/7. When I was a contestant

on The Bachelor, when you get further

out and there is less women there, you

don’t have the cocktail parties, you go

straight to the ceremonies and so you

do have a little more downtime. I will

say that as a contestant, I did find down

time fairly frequently, because I learned

that instead of just asking if I could go

take a nap, I would just take a nap and

because I was one of the people that

wasn’t participating in drama, it would

take them a minute to realize that I was

gone. They would look for me and it

gave me an extra 20 mins. I would sleep

in other places like under a table, behind

the couch.

AM: It’s like a hide-and-go-seek!

MY: Yeah! A little TLC.

AM: From a Bachelor Nation perspective,

there are a number of commitments that

you had from The Tell All and After The

Final Rose. What has been your favorite

part of this whole experience?

MY: It was very much being able to bring

my family and friends along for the ride.

You get to do a lot of really cool things.

There are a lot of perks to it and most

perks don’t come free. They definitely

come with stresses on your mental health

by being in the public, but being able to

travel to different places and being able

to go and do things like Jingle Ball – I got

to bring my parents to Jingle Ball. I got to

take my friends on a really cool excursion

and trip and there are a lot of fun experiences

that you typically wouldn’t get. I’ve

been in this role and it’s cool to see them

and their faces light up and to have them

be apart of it.

AM: Who are your go-to’s in terms of chatting

with people in The Bachelor universe?

I know that there is the Bachelor Chat that

you guys have, but do you have your core

people there?

MY: I have my girls that I’m very close

with. I’m close with Ryan Claytor from

Matt’s season, Bri Springs, Serena Pitt,

Becca Kuffrin – I think that you just find

people that you really align with and even

though you haven’t known them for as

long as some of your other friends, you

just get so close so quickly when you’re in

a similar situation and you’ve all dated the

same person or just different things that

the public with pressures that they put on

you. I definitely have so many group chats

going on and I keep in touch with all of

those people.

AM: What are some dating tips that you

would suggest to those that may just be

getting out there?

MY: It’s so hard! Getting back out there!

I used to be a very closed off person. I

would give a lot, I loved very hard, but

when it came to talking about emotions

and feelings, whether it was friends, family,

relationships – I was very comfortable

with someone else sharing, I created a

safe space for them with me, but it was

hard for me to share that back. This show

truly taught me how relationships and

even friendships can flourish when you're

truly vulnerable and when yourself. It’s

about being honest from the get go and

it really does help things blossom and

it’s scary because you’re scared about

rejection and you’re scared about somebody

not liking what you’re putting forward,

but if that’s the case, yeah – it

might sting initially. But essentially, you

don’t want someone that doesn’t love

you to your complete naked form. So

that’s what I would say, be vulnerable

and truthful right up front. If they don’t

like it, they’re not your person.

AM: Absolutely! You can exit!

MY: The door is right here!

AM: One of the things that I enjoyed

during the season as you navigated the

journey, was that you focused on talking

about your identity, the pressures

around it and the importance of acceptance.

Why was that so important to you

to drive that awareness to people?

MY: For me, it was just a huge part of

who I was. I grew up in Minnesota and

I grew up in an environment for a very

long time where I was the only person

of color. That created a lot of different

awareness’s for me. It was something

that I also battled with in my relationships

going forward. There were certain

debates that were happening in a relationship

where I didn’t want to have to

explain those things and I shouldn’t have

to explain those things. In order to make

sure that that didn’t happen again, I had

to have those conversations. I didn’t realize

how much it was going to connect

with people to see that side. I’m very

happy that I was able to show that.

AM: I remember when I was watching

it and I kept saying thank you. Whether

it’s based on race or just to be accepted

as a person, to be that vulnerable was

so touching. It was like, inspirational Michelle

and every episode had that in it.

MY: Aww thank you!

AM: With the conclusion of the season

and after breaking up with Nayte earlier

this year, how did you take care of yourself

and heal from that relationship so that

you could move on?

MY: For me, dating in the public eye –

getting in the public eye is one thing and

breaking up in the public eye are really difficult.

With that relationship, I think that

what pushed me and challenged me to

move on as I did was that I was continuously

being hurt by the actions of this other

person and so that really forced me to

make sure I did my healing very much so

up front and that I healed fully, that I was

creating a healthy thought process in my

mind and I was responding to different

things in a healthy manner because that

was the moment that I realized that your

emotions could get very out of control

and it could be at the expense of what

somebody else is doing or what the public

is doing. I knew that I would have to see

this person dating somebody else – physically

see it which you might not have to

do when you’re dating somebody normally.

People are going to speculate, it’s

going to be constant talk, you’re going to

be constantly attached to that person. So

I just really took that in and realized that

I needed to give myself closure. I needed

to make sure that I was confident in

myself and that I’m fully healed in myself

and self-talk was a huge piece of that – of

reassuring and really sorting through my

thoughts as they were coming through

that breakup so that I had control of my

emotions, I had control of my pain and

that I wasn’t just receiving pain from outside

sources.

AM: As a whole, what did you learn about

yourself?

MY: I learned that I can truly give myself

closure without getting it from somebody

else. I didn’t realize how powerful that

would be. But I think that in relationships,

when you go through a break up, especially

if it’s not how you thought that things

would go or maybe you’re on the receiving

end of it, you want to look at the oth-

er person – we talk about that closure

part of the conversation – you want it

from the other person and there are

times when that just isn’t going to happen

or it’s just not possible. So what are

you supposed to do? Leave it unclosed

for the rest of your life? For me, the biggest

thing that I learned or showed myself

was that no matter what situation

happened, I could give myself closure. I

don’t have to have all the answers and

I can give myself the answers enough

to be able to move forward. That right

there was something that if that was

the only answer I could take away from

2022, I’m 100% content with that.

AM: I know that you’re in LA right now.

Why did you decide to take a break away

from teaching?

MY: With teaching, the last 2 years teaching

through a pandemic – the things

that teachers had to go through and

even nurses! There were so many things

that were impacted by COVID and with

teaching, yes being The Bachelorette

and teaching at the same time as my season

was airing, that was stressful and

maybe expedited things a little bit more

than just in teaching. I was getting to

the point that I was so burnt out. I knew

that that summer I was not going to be

able to recharge fully to where I needed

to get to. To be honest, the school year

before hand, I felt and a lot of teachers

alongside me, felt that they were going

into that 2021/2022 school year not

fully charged after COVID because we

just weren’t taken care of by the school

system or the education system. I just

needed a break and I needed to take a

breather and I honestly know that it was

the best decision that I could have made.

It was not an easy decision because I

left college so passionate about teaching

and that whole entire profession is

built on passion. When that cracks, if we

don’t take care of that, then we’re going

to continue to have bigger and bigger issues.

So for me, it was me looking at myself

in the mirror and saying, “I need to

acknowledge that I need a break, right

now.” It is something that I want to be

able to come back to or it is something

that I want to be able to do a passion

around, but I couldn’t return that next

school year because I needed that breather.

There were a lot of teachers right next

to me that had to do the same thing. It’s

sad because it’s like another breakup. You

don’t want to break up with one of your

passions! It’s been tricky!

AM: I think that checking in with yourself

and finding that balance whatever that

means to each person and being able to recognize

when you’re feeling overwhelmed

or burnt out is so important! Although it

may not be for everyone, what were some

of the things that you noticed that were

signs that you needed to take the time?

MY: I would say that feeling of waking up

and knowing that you’re not yourself. I’m

an early riser, a get up at 5am, hit the gym,

respond back to my friends and family

fairly quickly, organizing different activities

– I’m a very upbeat and bubbly person.

I was just exhausted and I was able

to still do those things and I was able to

keep up those things, but I wasn’t happy

doing them necessarily all of the time. I

was just definitely run down. I could feel

it and I was getting sick all of the time. For

me, my stress tends to show in my physical

health before it does in my mental

emotional side.

AM: Well you’re adamant about using your

platform to educate others. Why is being

an advocate for mental health so important

to you?

MY: For me, it’s really about making sure

that youth, especially, youth of color understand

that it is ok to ask for health. It’s

ok to talk about your emotions. I used to

be this former athlete that was taught to

have thick skin and to rub some dirt on it.

Yes, there is completely a point that when

you fall down, you should bounce back

up, but if you are hurting, it’s ok to talk

about it.

AM: That’s something that I talk a lot

about whether it’s my sister or a friend,

that it’s ok if we’re saying ouch. We can

be strong and we can trailblaze and be

unicorns, but we still bleed and we still

get bumps!

What have you been doing post The

Bachelorette since you’re in LA and living

your best life as we see your awesome

pictures on IG.

MY: I’m laughing at that because this is

the biggest question that people ask me.

If you look at all of the haters, they think

that I schedule random photoshoots

and take pictures of myself! I promise

you that I am doing more things then

just that!

AM: You’re a whole person!

MY: I know right? Believe it or not, if it’s

not on social media, it didn’t happen apparently!

Oh gosh! Right now, I’m finding

that next piece of how I can fulfill my

passion of giving back to others, working

with children, helping the youth, motivational

speaking – all of these different

things and kind of figuring out that

brand of who this next Michelle Young

is. I do have a lot of very exciting things

that are in the works that haven’t come

out yet and so I can’t say too much, but

you will definitely see my speaking, I will

leave it at that for now.

AM: Because I’m envisioning that I would

see you acting, films/videos, collaborations

–

MY: Honestly, I’m going to do it all! I’ll

say that!

AM: Ok!

MY: You’re going to see me walking

the red carpet, see me motivationally

speaking, you might see me in and out

of some schools, You’re going to see me

everywhere!

AM: One of the things that I liked is when

you were in that transition from teaching

to all of the things that you will be doing in

the future, you shared that you would do

some influencer work and that a percentage

of what you would make would go towards

to various charities or organizations

that were selected by your followers. Why

did you want to be accountable and share

that with people? You didn’t have to and

why did you want to do it in this way?

MY: For me, anytime someone says that

word influencer, everybody cringes. You

know what that words casts on some people

and there is such a thing as positive

influencing. Influencing is such a tricky

game to play and coming out of the ABC

The Bachelor/Bachelorette in general, a lot

of people tend to go the influencer route.

What that has meant in the past is that

you’re working with brands, you’re going

to these carpets and doing all of these different

things. For me, there are products

that I would 100% recommend whether

I’m being paid or not, but I want to change

the influencing game. You do have a platform,

you do have a voice and you can encourage

these products and these brands

that are working with you to give back as

well. You can bring your viewers in with

it and you can create an entire message

that goes with it. Like the Ice Bucket Challenge

and all these things that were started!

Social media has so many negative

negative things about it and this can be a

positive one! So that’s why. I want to be

able to challenge not only people who follow

me and supporters, but I also want to

challenge the brands that work with me

to also give back. Ultimately, we’re doing

a really good thing.

AM: Now that you’re in LA for awhile, what

are 3 places that you enjoy grabbing a bite

or a cocktail, where are 3 places that you

like to shop at and what are 3 places you

like to workout at?

MY: Oh wow! So these may not be as

great as you think because I have really

been bouncing back and forth between

LA and Minnesota quite a bit. Then I got

done with this period of time where I got

really sick, then I was healthy and then I

was sick again. Whoever had that mysterious

illness where it’s not COVID but

it’s influenza – that knocked me on my

butt! It’s not great and you’re turning

the corner for what feels like forever.

One of my favorite places to eat honestly,

is Catch. I went there with Kaitlyn Bristowe

and it was a really awesome spot.

Where else have I been? Elephante – I

feel like everybody says that one and so

I have to ay it! My third one I’m going to

keep to myself because it’s a hole in the

wall place and I feel like…

AM: If you say it, you’re never going to

get a seat in there again because people

will want to check it out!

MY: Exactly, or people will go looking,

you know?

When it comes to shopping, anywhere

at The Grove. I’m a Nike girl – I love getting

some sneakers. I haven’t done that

much shopping recently actually. But oh

Target! I’m a Target girl. You ask me how

I take care of my mental health, Target!

AM: Oh yeah, you go in and say you need

lip balm and then 100 and some dollars

later, you have all of these things!

MY: Exactly and then you leave without

the lip balm! And you have to go back!

AM: You have to go back for sure!

MY: That’s why we forget it so that we

have to go back!

I have not been to too many fitness

studios yet. I’ve avoided Equinox – no

shade on Equinox, I’m sure that I will

check it out eventually. I literally went to

LA Fitness the other day. I’m a runner. I

go outside and run. I haven’t done too

much here. I’ve done a lot of at home

stuff. I have dumbbells and weights

here. When I’m at home, Lifetime Fitness

is my go-to.

AM: I love Lifetime Fitness. They have an

awesome facility here in NY.

MY: I’m so jealous! The nearest one here

is 30 mins away. I don’t know, shout them

out and maybe they can build one across

the street!

AM: We know you like staying active and

that you like to run, are there 2 other things

that you like to do in your fitness routine?

MY: I’m trying to get back into a pickup

basketball game. That cardio, running up

and down the basketball court, that humbles

me real quick especially when you get

back to it. Honestly that and swimming. I

grew up with a pool and I love swimming

laps as it’s just such great cardio. Anything

where I can go out and about. I’ll play tennis

with my parents, they’re amazing tennis

players. Winter sports, I’ll ski a little

bit.

AM: I love snowboarding!

MY: I’m jealous! Honestly, I want to learn

how to snowboard. I never have up to this

point. In athletics, coaches wouldn’t let

us snowboard because so many people

would get hurt.

AM: Oh yeah, you could break an ankle.

MY: Now I can flail down the diamond all

day! I might just end up on TMZ or something

ha! My hats over here my gloves are

over there!

AM: What do you want your legacy to be

in terms of the impact that you’ve left?

MY: I think it’s incredibly important for

people to not stop learning about how

others around them work or think. It’s

about being open minded to learn and

I think that’s a huge part of coming

through the experience of what I just

came through where you really are a rare

breed which is sad to say. But as a woman

of color and just being from Minnesota

with everything happening with George

Floyd, cultivating young minds to accept

those around them to think outside the

box to not always go about life the exact

way that everyone has in the past –

to challenge things. Ultimately, to be a

kind person and to just give back. Once

you make it to the top, you want to be

able to extend your arm back and pull

others up and show them the route to

be able to give back to them. So when

I’m no longer here, someone that I impacted

is now making it their mission

to impact someone that is below them.

That’s what I call a legend or leaving a

mark so that the cycle doesn’t stop with

them.

AM: Are there projects that you are

thinking about being part of that you

can share whether it’s a specific one or a

vertical that you want to tackle?

MY: I’ve worked a lot with kids and I will

say that I will definitely be around students,

around young minds very soon

in the near future. I’ve done a lot with

Be the Match and giving back to that.

I wish I could name a few others, but I

can’t quite yet, but it’s coming. Keep an

eye out for sure on social media as it’s

coming! You’ll definitely see some new

and inspirational things coming.

AM: We’ll be keeping a look out for sure

on what you have going on next and it’s

been great to watch your journey, seeing

what you have going on and being able

to see what those next steps will be as

well!

MY: Well I appreciate you having me and

I embrace what you are doing as well.

Being able to help me extend that platform

with my voice and with my message

and what I’m saying and all of that

circles back to you for amplifying that as

well!

AM: Aww thank you!

@michelleyoung

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 40 - 44

ABC Photography @abc | PG 47 - 48 Film

Digitals @filmdigitals |

We caught up with Marianna Hewitt, a well

known influencer that took her passion for

brands that she loved and personal style

to build a brand that is coveted and leaves

its consumers wondering about what the

next must-have product will be. Summer

Fridays has been a brand that we have

shared in a number of our roundups over

the past few years. We wanted to find out

more about about Marianna's approach to

the brand, how the line continues to grow

its assortment and how she takes time to

enjoy her holiday with family and friends

as we get into the thick of the season.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We have been fans of

yours for a number of years starting way

back when you had your lifestyle blog

which displayed your visual texture play

with neutrals in personal style as well as

interior aesthetics. Later, you would go on

to create Summer Fridays which we enjoy

very much and have shared a number of

your products with our readers and are

personal fans as well. Why did you want to

launch this brand?

MARIANNA HEWITT: Well, being an influencer

for so many years and you’re familiar

with my content. I love my community,

I love my followers and it felt like they

wanted something from me that was an

extension of me and things that I love.

After so many years of posting products,

they would ask me if something was vegan,

cruelty free, sustainable, if it was good

for all skin types – without even knowing,

they became a focus group for us. We

wanted to dream up that product! You

know, you receive so many things and you

want to get something that you are excited

to try that you love the branding, the

packaging and that you love the colors.

So we took all of that information and

created Summer Fridays. So Lauren Ireland,

my partner and I started working on

Summer Fridays in 2016. We launched in

2018 and we’re coming up on 5 years and

it has been such an incredible journey.

I’m so grateful to not only be an influencer

founded brand, but a brand that also

works with influencers and it’s so fun be-

cause I really value what I bring to other

brands so to be able to partner with

other creators and to give back to this

community of influencers that gave me

the career that I have today, I love being

able to work with them now today too –

so it’s very full circle for me.

AM: We always look forward to your editor

packages because you know it's going

to be something that is thoughtful

and necessary. I love the Jet Lag Mask,

the Lip Butter Balm and Body Lotion. I’m

constantly stalking your IG to see what’s

next. What’s your process like when

you’re thinking of bringing new products

to the brand and do you have anything

new coming up for this holiday season or

as we’re looking into the new year?

MH: Our thought process is to be really

intentional with the things that we bring

out into the world. We want to add products

into your routine that you actually

want and need and not anything that

is unnecessary. We’re still a small indie

brand, so there’s only so many things

that we can create each year so each

of those things have to be really meaningful

and things that we think that our

community will really love!

So this year, a few of the things that we

had were our Lip Balm Butter Sets, so

we had an extension of those. We had

an SPF that we launched this year too

because I live in CA and it’s a little bit

gloomy today, but it’s usually sunny and

I love to be in the sun and all around the

world, but I definitely want to be able to

protect my skin no matter where I am.

So, launching a sun screen felt very summer

for Summer Fridays. We were so excited

to have that as it was something

that our community really wanted and

we really do listen to our customers for

the products that they want, the skincare

ingredients that they’re looking

for and so we create those products for

them.

Coming up, we're kind of wrapping up

the holiday season, but we have really

great launches next year and hopefully,

you’ll get them and I think that you will

like it!

AM: Looking at your social, you’re always

sharing your fun lifestyle as well as interiors.

What are some of the things that

you’re thinking about when it comes to

hosting gatherings for dinner parties and

brunches? What are some of your hosting

must-haves when it comes to having people

over?

MH: I love to entertain, I love having people

over and my interior design style was

really to invite people over so that they

feel comfortable. I like this elevated feeling

of my home, but I really wanted people

to feel that they could just gather and be

together when they come over and that it

feels comfortable and not too stuffy! I like

to show off my interior design love that I

have and it’s so fun to have an excuse to

invite people over. I’m super busy and I’m

also a very particular person in how I like

to have things. My biggest holiday hack

is to batch and pre make your cocktails

before all your guests come over. What I

don’t want to do is that all of my guests

come over and I’m in the kitchen making

them drinks or they’re trying to make

drinks for themselves and they’re not

actually gathering with their friends and

family together. So by pre-batching that

cocktail, it really saves so much time! You

can do this in such a cute way. I love glass

containers that you can get, you can put

all the pre-mixed things together into one

container and have it ready to go! That's

why I love Astral – any kind of tequila

drink is my go-to cocktail. I literally don’t

drink anything else except for tequila. So

to pre-make these cocktails and everyone

knows it’s my favorite, we came up with

this really fun recipe. It’s like your classic

Paloma, but it has this holiday twist with

this Brulee and I am not a bartender by

any means, but the fact that I can do this

drink and it tastes delicious and it looks

beautiful, it’s definitely going to be something

that is going to impress your guests.

AM: Is that your signature one?

MH: I love that cocktail, it just feels really

great. A normal Paloma anytime of year

is perfect and then you have this Brulee

one for this time of year for the holidays!

I love a Spicy Margarita especially in the

summer, so I love to have that then and

it’s my go-to cocktail when I’m out. Any

type of tequila drink variation is my favorite.

AM: For those that are coming over, what

do you suggest that we should have on

hand?

MH: A couple of other things that I like

to have on hand is of course Summer Fridays

Jet Lag Mask. You always want to

stay hydrated this time of year because

I feel like my skin is so dry with the winter

weather and the heat is on inside.

Just any kind of lack of moisture in our

skin so our Jet Lag Mask is great. Jenni

Kayne makes these really beautiful

Leather Coasters, so I have a beautiful

marble table that I made myself from

a slab of marble that I found in a stone

yard. So I don’t want to mess up the

marble table so I always have coasters

everywhere just to make sure that no

one is leaving rings on my table when

they leave my house. So they look really

beautiful but they are functional as

well. There are a couple of other things

that I love to have at home. I like to eat

a lot of gluten-free, grain-free desserts

and there’s this bakery here in LA called

Sweet Laurel. They have my favorite

desserts ever, they ship nationwide and

they have a pre-boxed one too so, if

you want to make it at home yourself,

you can. I recently brought it over to a

friend for Thanksgiving and it had all of

these different desserts and I can't even

tell that these are gluten-free and grainfree

because of how delicious they are.

You can box them up and make them at

home and I definitely recommend trying

them out!

BRÛLÉED PALOMA

INGREDIENTS

• Juice of ½ Ruby Grapefruit

• 1oz Fresh Lime Juice

• Sparkling Pink Grapefruit Soda

• Brown Sugar

GARNISH

Brown Sugar Rim + Brûléed Grapefruit

Slice a grapefruit into discs and place onto

a paper towel. Once dry, place grapefruit

into a bowl of brown sugar to evenly coat

the dry side. Place the slice, sugar side up,

under the broiler until the sugar caramelizes.

Allow to cool completely before garnishing.

GLASSWARE

Highball Glass

PREPARATION

Combine Astral Tequila, grapefruit juice

and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Add

ice and shake. Rim a highball glass with

brown sugar and pack with crushed ice.

Strain shaker into the glass and top with

sparkling pink grapefruit soda. Garnish

with a brûléed grapefruit slice.

@marianna_hewitt

PHOTO COURTESY | PG 64-67 + PG 144

9LIST STORI3S Marianna Hewitt |

The holiday season has a lot going on from

wrapping up the year, a number of events

and this year, we all got to watch the FIFA

World Cup Qatar 2022, the biggest soccer

event in the world! We got to catch up

with MLS FC Dallas midfielder, Sebastian

Lletget to find out about how he got into

the sport, his passion for the game, his predictions

as we talked with him when there

were 8 teams left in the tournament, his

partnership with Old Parr Whisky and how

he has spending his time in the off season!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We are huge fans of

soccer and are excited to talk with you!

When did you fall in love with soccer and

when did you realize you wanted to do it

professionally?

SEBASTIAN LLETGET: Oh my God, man

you’re taking me back! I think like most,

my story really started with my dad and

his background is full Argentinian. I don’t

know if some of your readers would

know, but the Argentinian fan base is just

that people really live the game and it’s

so different! For me, it started at a very

very young age. I think that as soon as I

could understand my father’s words or

his actions, soccer was a starting point in

our relationship! As young as 2 years old

when you’re really starting to walk and

play and it only got more competitive. I

think that the story is interesting too because

you live in a country – I mean when

you think of the story of soccer in the US,

it has come such a long way as there used

to be such minimal opportunities! So kind

of carrying that passion without it being

supported by the 4 walls that I grew up

in, when I would leave home it would be

about baseball, basketball and all of the

American sports. To see how much it has

grown now here is truly beautiful thing.

AM: You played previously for LA Galaxy,

NE Revolution and you’re currently with

FC Dallas, what did you like about this 2022

season?

SL: Man, I loved this season! I think individually

for me this season, I just learned

so much because you go from being at a

place for 6-7 years here in LA and then

sometimes you need a breath of fresh

air, new opportunities and something

to spark your career again and to spark

your love for it. I think that I reached that

point here. As much as I loved it in LA

and New England gave me that opportunity

and I go there, you know things

kind of work their way out the way that

they are supposed to and I thought that

I would be there for the rest of my standing

contract and then 4 or 5 months later,

an opportunity comes up and I get to

go to Dallas and I take that! I always try

to tell young kids that you just have to

learn how to adapt and pivot. It’s probably

one of the biggest lessons that any

player can kind of learn because you

can’t plan anything in this sport!

AM: Absolutely!

What are you looking forward to next

season?

SL: Oh man, now that I signed a new

deal, I’m so blessed and grateful to be

part of the club for a consistent basis for

the next few years – for me, it’s always

going to be to win a championship. I won

things with the National team last year,

it was a very successful year, but I never

won anything on a club level. So that’s

definitely on the top of my list. I think

that to do that with Dallas and the culture

that is being built there, it’s a very

very exciting time. So that’s my goal!

AM: We’re all glued to the World Cup! At

the time of this interview, we still have

a few days ahead of us! What are your

predictions that we should be thinking

about as we head into the last days?

SL: Oh my God! Isn’t it a crazy one?

There’s been a lot of amazing stories

right? It just keeps getting better! It’s

crazy to think that we’re already at 8

teams. For me, tomorrow is a big day

right? For my family, for the household –

especially when Argentina played Mexico

it was very much so divided because

my fiancé, Becky G, comes from Mexico,

my family is Argentinian!

AM: Yeah, separate rooms for awhile until

everyone cools down haha!

SL: Haha I know right? It’s going to be

tough because Argentina plays Holland. I

mean, that’s the game that I am looking

forward to. That’s going to be the biggest

test! I do hope that Argentina does go all

of the way and I think that someone like

Messi deserves it. I think what he had

done for the game and I just hope that

that story gets written!

AM: Obviously, I’m used to the World Cup

being in the summer time. So when it

takes place, I’m pulling clothes for our cover

shoots and then you’re popping in and

out of the bars to see how everything is

going! This year, it’s kind of cool that it’s

during the holidays and we can have our

watch parties and take it to the next level.

You’ve partnered with Old Parr Whisky for

their Golden Moments Campaign. Can you

tell me why your brands were synergistic

to get together and what’s a go-to cocktail

that we can enjoy while we’re hanging out

with friends and cheering on our teams?

SL: Yeah, I think that the partnership with

Old Parr couldn’t have come at a better

time. Like you said, just the serendipity

timing between the World Cup and the

holidays and then partnering up with a

whisky brand like Old Parr, it just all goes

together so well. What really drew me

to the brand is how intertwined Old Parr

is with the Latin community. Obviously,

my background is that I come from Latin

America so that’s what really brought

me close to the brand. I’m just really happy

that it all worked out and as far as a

cocktail that you can enjoy, my signature

cocktail is called Off the Pitch! It’s actually

really good and I’m not just saying that!

That’s where we are at the moment and

we have definitely enjoyed some whisky

in the off season and again, because it’s

my off season, I get to really have a good

time! Because during the season, I have to

be very on it, so this was perfect timing.

AM: With the holiday season being in full

swing, how are you spending it because

it is your off season as well!

SL: I don’t know if it’s me getting older,

I feel like I used to go a little more crazy

and being everywhere. But now, I’m

just like waking up at home. You turn 30

and things start to change! It’s the little

things I swear! Just being with family,

my fiancé and her family! It’s been

a beautiful time. Watching soccer and

connecting with people that you don’t

always get to connect to on a normal

basis. With this career, you have to sacrifice

a lot to get anywhere and it’s the

same in your industry! I’ve just been using

that time wisely!

AM: Outside of soccer, you’re also an entrepreneur

what are some projects that

you’re working on that you would like

our readers to know more about?

SL: Aww man! That’s a really good question!

There’s a lot of things that I’m

working on kind of on the low. Now that

you ask, I’m working on my first venture

capitalist fund. That’s a really exciting

time because I’m just a big advocate

to breaking barriers. For athletes, especially

in this country and in the MLS,

we have always been told to stay in this

box and you can only just be there and

work around that space. But I’m just

like, somebody’s got to go in a different

direction and to break barriers and to

break those generational patterns you

know what I mean? So that has been my

goal and I think that this is a way that I

can change that. I can fund really amazing

projects and of course, there’s money

and stuff, but it’s also about changing

people’s lives and giving opportunity to

those people that are coming up under

me and that’s really my goal. I’m still at

the starting point, I’ll be honest. But I

am learning and it’s definitely a fun and

exciting time!

OFF THE PITCH

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 oz Old Parr Aged 12 Years

• .75 oz of Mango Liqueur

• .75 oz of Ginger Liqueur

• .5 oz Lime Juice

GARNISH

Spicy Mango (Candied Mango rolled in

chili salt)

GLASSWARE

Rocks Glass

HOW TO PREPARE

In a shaker add 1.5 oz Old Parr Aged 12

Years and remaining ingredients and top

with ice. Shake and strain into an ice filled

glass. Garnish with a spicy mango using a

cocktail pick and enjoy.

@theylovedaboy

PHOTO COURTESY | PG 70-72 + PG 147-149

9LIST STORI3S FC Dallas | PG 75 Courtesy

of Sebastian Lletget |

THE ART OF

THE SNACK:

8282

This year, we have shared a number of our

favorite restaurants that we thought you

should know about! For our final issue of

2022, we took some time to talk with Jee

Kim, one of the partners of 8282 located in

the LES. We wanted to know more about

this Korean restaurant, the background

of both of the cofounders of this restaurant

as well as what we can expect from

this menu when we swing by next! We also

wanted to know more about their beverage

program as well which is important no

matter what time of year, but is defintiely

of interest when it comes to the holidays!

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us the meaning

behind the name 8282 and when did you

open?

JEE KIM: 8282, is a light-hearted, fresh

take on Korean food.

The name 8282 refers to Korea’s country

code, +82, and has an additional meaning:

The numbers, when read together, translate

to a phrase that means “quickly” or

“faster.” The phrase signifies a get-it-done

attitude.

After closing our previous restaurant

during COVID, we opened 8282 November

of 2021.

AM: What do you mean by the term, elevated

modern Korean cuisine?

JK: There has been an evolution of modern

Korean food in the food scene in Seoul,

not only in the fine-dining scene but also

within the elevated dining scene. Many

chefs trained in New York, Tokyo, or Australia

have come back to Seoul to infuse

their techniques and training and explore

their creativity, dishes that explored their

creativity, dishes that combine authentic

Korean dishes with ingredients all over

the world. When we saw the explosion

of Korean fine-dining restaurants in New

York, we knew that the market would be

receptive to different styles of Korean

food, not just limited to Korean BBQs and

bibimbap.

AM: What are foods and spices that are

indicative of Korean cuisine?

JK: Core Korean foods are side dishes

such as kimchi – in all different ingredients,

ranging from radish, cabbage,

cucumbers, and more. Kimchi is the

quintessential Korean dish that is representative

of fermented technique used

in many of our condiments such as gochujang

(red pepper paste), soy sauce,

and dwenjang (soy bean paste).

AM: Tell me about the background behind

the owners and what led them to

coming together to create 8282?

JK: Behind 8282 is a couple who previously

ran the restaurant Pado in the East

Village. Before operating Pado, Bong

Le Jo cooked in the kitchens of Perry

St, Dovetail and Kissaki, and I launched

several fashion and lifestyle brands, and

worked as a truffle distributor in Seoul,

in partnership with a New York-based

company.

Jo and I dreamed of opening a successful

restaurant in New York when Jo began

his culinary journey. We’ve been together

for past a decade and 8282 is an

outcome of years of preparation. With

my background in branding and marketing

along with sales distribution, I knew

that my contributions would be crucial

in the early stages of opening. I am

currently a Columbia MBA student and

hoping to leverage my network in different

areas of businesses in our expansion

plan.

AM: Jee Kim, I know you make frequent

trips to Seoul. What takes place during

those trips to ensure that you are bringing

the best of your restaurant to its

guests?

JK: My family lives in Seoul and my frequent

trips are mainly to visit my family.

They are all passionate about food and

one of our activities as a family is to explore

the ever-changing food scene as

well as the most authentic restaurants

in Seoul. My father is deeply passionate

and proud of Korean produce and products

and we take time to visit markets,

wholesale markets, and farms to deliver

freshest ingredients for his company’s

employee food hall. I take this time to

find ways to bring specific ingredients for

8282 so that our customers in New York

can experience them.

AM: How does seasonality factor into the

dishes that are offered at 8282?

JK: During COVID, the supply chain issue

especially for restaurants have been a severe

problem in food costs. We change

our menu based on what is available in

the market and also what the most flavorful

ingredients are.

AM: For those that dine here at 8282 in

LES, what can they expect in terms of the

ambiance?

JK: Our ambiance is cozy and approachable,

with a staff who are very friendly to

our customers. It’s a great place for first

dates, group dinners – anyone who is

looking for a good time.

AM: Your menu is divided into Anju and

Banju. Anju focuses on small plates with

food menu to pair with alcohol. What are

3 dishes that you suggest in this category?

JK: The theme of the anju and banju is so

that the food is always well-paired with

alcohol, as this is culturally a very Korean

way of dining. Good food should always

be paired with good alcohol. I would say

all of them pairs well, but the top three

are: Tuna tartare + Kimbukak, Boneless

K.F.C., and Littleneck Soojebi.

Anju by definition: is the food that pairs

with alcohol.

Banju by definition is: the alcohol that

pairs with food.

It’s a play on these words that are fun because

they rhyme, and it’s culturally nuanced.

AM: For Banju, these are shared plates

that are larger and are also meant to be

paired with alcohol. What are 3 dishes

that you suggest for this that we should

have when we come in?

JK: The three top banju dishes are: Dakgalbi

Kimchi-bap, Jjajang Bori-bap, and

the L.A. Iberico Pork.

AM: We have been long time fans of Soju

and you have a wide selection of them.

What are 3 kinds that we should try

when visiting?

JK: We purposely do not carry the green

bottle soju as we wanted to introduce

the new types of soju that has been

pouring in the Korean market that are

of higher quality and grade, most importantly

taste. My favorite are: Seoul

Night, Golden Barley, and Yangchon

Chungju, which is a Korean rice wine.

AM: You’re also known for your craft

cocktails. What are 3 that we should try

out as we know that you reached out to

mixologist Katrina Sobredilla.

JK: We invested heavily on our cocktail

program because our food is meant to

be paired with alcohol. The top three

are: Jeju Old-Fashioned, Oiji Dirty, and

the Gochujang Margarita.

AM: With the holiday season being upon

us, should there be anything that we

should keep an eye out for in terms of

events or promotions that you will be involved

in?

JK: We are open all throughout the holidays

for Christmas Eve, Christmas, and

New Year’s. We just launched our Tea-tini

Station where the customers will have

a choice between burdock, buckwheat,

chai, corn, matcha, and jasmine tea. It’s

a tea flavored martini station with vodka,

tea infused soju, tea syrup, and citrus

bitters. On 12/19, we had a Filipino popup

as Kat Sobredilla (our head bartender)

is Filipino. For Lunar New Year (1/22)

we are hosting a Banchan Box Party x

Woori Show Seollal 2023. More information

can be found below!

To celebrate Seollal 2023, 8282 is organizing

an intimate fundraiser to benefit

The Woori Show, a non-profit org that

is spreading KOREAN AMERICAN JOY!

It's an online arts, language and cultural

program that helps teach all things Korean

through music, stories and fun!! It's

founded and created by the talented and

passionate Nari Kye, who you may remember

as a producer from Bourdain's

Parts Unknown.

The Woori Show is tapping into their talented

friends to be in the showcase, celebrate

and uplift our community with a

"Banchan Box Party" on Sunday January

22, 2023 for a SEOLLAL CELEBRATION! Yay,

Year of the Tokki!

8282 in the LES has graciously offered to

host this dduk-mandoo gook + banchan

party. Families are invited to learn how

to make mandoo (are you a crimper or

a sealer?), seongpyon by Rice Blossoms

and learn about Seollal from Woori Show

Founder, Nari Kye! There will be food and

fun!

@8282nyc

PHOTOS COURTESY | 8282

As much as we love living vicariously

through a number of people's travels on

IG, we also love a good event. There is

something about an immersive experience

where you know that the food must have

been amazing, the setting is transportive

and the visuals make every picture look

epic! These things just don't happen on

their own, it's a blend of cohesive themes

that come together and in many cases,

there is an event planner who makes it

happen!

We have been fans of Mindy Weiss for decades

as she has created events with phenomenal

themes whether they are large

scale or intimate in nature. Her work has

been used by some of the biggest celebrities

and athletes while executing their

vision to perfection. Her work has been

cosigned by Vogue, Brides and Harper's

Bazaar! So, when we had the chance to

find out more about how she got into the

industry, how she stays inspired and what

we need to think about our event regardless

of whether she is at the helm or if we

are doing it ourselves, we had to take a

few moments of her time!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We have been fans of

yours for a few decades now and whether

it’s a wedding, launch event or whatever

it is. There is something about how you

create an immersive experience that also

showcases the vibe of the person that is

hosting the event!

MINDY WEIS: Oh thank you and thanks

for noticing that!

AM: Of course! When did you realize that

you wanted to be an event planner?

MW: Well, I got married the first time,

very young and I was looking for a part

time job. In college, I thought that I was

going to go into production and didn’t

know that I would go into this direction.

I got a job in a little precious stationary

store. This stationary store is where they

don’t do it as much, but you look through

books and you order custom stationery

and innovations. Oh my God, I loved it!

From that point, the person who hired

me who is now my best friend in the

whole world, for the last 40 some odd

years, we started to work out of the

house. We left that store and worked

out of the house and people started

asking me to do their events besides

just doing their invitations.

Now growing up, my mother gave the

best parties. Hysterical, now as an adult

and a mother, my Sweet 16 was at the

Playboy Club! Back when they used to

have Playboy Clubs – so embarrassed

now! I mean, they weren’t naked, but

they were definitely in their bunny suits

and it was like, what were you thinking?

But she thought that that would be clever.

So it was in the blood and I did the

first party and then it just stuck from

that one party, I got 10 events. So that

is my story!

AM: How do you get inspiration when

you are tackling your next project?

MW: Well, I really try to personalize it as

much as possible. So we have great conversations,

I’m trying to pull things out

of what they love! You know they give

me Pinterest pages that literally have 20

different ideas from a traditional event,

a modern event, a vintage event. I try to

pull itall back to personalizing it as much

as possible and that brings me here to

say that right now, the biggest trend is

guest experience. This is the trend obviously

for every event from a wedding

on. Everything is very important and

is the key, but how is your event going

to be different from all the events that

you’re going to at the same time. Typically,

if you’re getting married, you’re

group of people are getting married

and then you are on the wedding circuit.

Like my middle son was in 6 weddings

and he is on the circuit and I keep saying

to him – elope, elope! But no, his girlfriend

is going to want the whole thing!

So bringing it back to guest experience,

I’m always trying to find what is new,

what would be a cool thing that you

could include people in that looks beautiful,

that is something that they may have

never considered before and that’s kind

of why I teamed up with Seedlip for the

Seedlip Soiree because it’s so up my alley.

I don’t know if you have seen these bottles.

AM: We have seen these bottles and my

boyfriend has had them. I like that sometimes

when you have been partying maybe

too much, but you still would like to have a

beverage that looks tasty and it pairs well

with fruit juices – it’s a great mocktail! I’ve

even made it into a cocktail as well because

the ingredients are great!

Why did this collaboration come about?

MW: Well, the truth is, I don’t drink. Once

in awhile in Cabo at the end of a very big

event, I’ll take a shot of tequila. So what

interests me in this is exactly what you just

said! I want to have a beautiful drink that

doesn’t necessarily have to be mixed with

alcohol, but certainly can be. I can still

feel like I can be social and I don’t feel the

pressure, but I would like to carry a beautiful

drink that feels somewhat organic

and beautiful. The last event that I served

it at, let’s just say one of the ingredients is

the rosemary, well I took it to a new place

by making sure that there was a sprig of it

in the drink, I made sure that there were

beautiful flowers to represent what that

drink was. I think that I have a few more

holiday parties, I’m on the countdown

and at one party, we’re going to do a party

with a bar that is in the Seedlip drink,

I’m going to design where that bottle sits

with what’s in it.

AM: I’m sure that that will be beautiful because

you do beautiful work.

MW: It will enable people to know what

exactly is in it immediately. And again, it’s

a guest experience. I do get asked to represent

some different companies, but I’ve

kind of made a pact with myself that I can

only really speak to the things that I can

relate to.

AM: How important is it to have a signature

cocktail(s) at an event?

MW: I actually thought that at one point

is was going away.

AM: Really?

MW: Yeah, because all of the Old Fashioned

drinks were coming in, but then

it’s back in a really big way! A big part of

my business was making bar menus so

people could see the creativity and look

at the names of the drinks and what is

in it which is important obviously for a

lot of people. It’s on every wedding list

that we check off. So how is it important?

It’s very important because no one

is letting it go!

AM: Exactly!

Regardless of all of the things that you

have done in terms of the amazing events

that you have created, if we’re not able

to book you as I would obviously love to

do so for a future event...

MW: Book me! Yes!

AM: Every time we see your IG, you’ve

killed it again! How does someone go

about creating their own events if they

are doing it themselves? What should

they be focusing on? What should they

be organizing so that they can execute

their vision?

MW: First of all, they should sign up for

my Masterclass because I have a Masterclass

now! It takes you through all of

those categories, but it needs to represent

you. So, put aside the IG for a second

and the Pinterest and everything.

What are your favorite drinks? What are

your favorite flowers? What’s great is

that when people walk into a wedding

or a holiday party or a shower or whatever

it is and you want people to come

in and go, “oh my God, this is so them!”

Of course they have that because this is

what they like! If you can pull from that

when you're doing your signature drinks

it should represent what you drink. So you

want to share that part and obviously we

would do Mindy’s Mocktails which would

have what I like and my husband loves Old

Fashioned and we would do that – he is so

old fashioned which he is! But then, that’s

how you would personalize these things

with music you play, the food you serve,

the vows you say -everything comes from

within you and trying not to be a copycat!

See, there’s nothing wrong with going to

an event and seeing a beautiful bar with

the drinks that they serve. You can still

have a beautiful bar with drinks that you

serve that represent you. Look at everything

as inspiration.

event, it’s a gift to them and it’s a gift

that just keeps on giving, It cannot be

all about yourself. Not when people are

coming, bringing a gift, spending money

to get there, buying clothes – it’s a gift

for both of you. You need to remember

that when you are the host or hostess

that it’s not going to be all about you.

@mindyweiss

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 94-97 Dennis

Kwan Photography

AM: I love hearing that. As someone who is

the Co-Founder/Creative + Style Dir of Athleisure

Media who is also a fashion stylist,

I like the concept of mood boarding, pulling

all of these different inspirations in and

making sure that when I’m dressing our

celebrities, I like adding things that speak

to them while adding in a layer to it so that

it is a little different. But it still feels true

to who they are. So I can totally get what

you’re saying about that.

MW: Because in our world, the first thing

that people go to unfortunately is, “I saw

that already!” I’m sure in fashion, you really

see that a lot because if someone already

wore it, how are you going to change

it up? In my world, the competition with

event planners is pretty up there. I love to

Instagram to do inspiration and to give inspiration,

but don’t you think that I don’t

get inspiration from there and then put

a twist on it where I feel like, “ooo I can

make it better” or “I can make it different.”

That’s the same with every aspect

of celebrating.

AM: You’ve been talking about guest experience.

Whether someone is hiring you

or creating their event themselves, what

should be in your mind when it comes to

those that are attending your party regardless

of your theme or why they are there?

MW: If you’re having a party, it’s not just

about you! You’re inviting people to your

The Soho Grand is a favorite downtown

hotel destination. We enjoy its

ambiance as the hotel's design pays

tribute to the 19th-century industrial

elegance of SoHo marrying the grit of

the artist lofts with the grandeur of

the turn of the century's gilded age.

Bill Sofield, Cooper Hewitt Interior Design

Award recipient and designer of

retail boutiques for Tom Ford, Bottega

Veneta, Yves St. Laurent, and Gucci,

has collaborated with Soho Grand

since its inception. He incorporated

distinct architectural materials and

styles that celebrate SoHo’s history.

Briana Stanley, the hotel's Creative Director,

expanded on Sofield's concept

when designing the new interiors.

Paying homage to the hotel’s rich history

while creating a thoughtfully refreshed

space. Custom king beds are

ATHLEISURE LIST: SoHo, NY

SOHO GRAND

adorned with cognac leather and blue

mohair headboards; bespoke oak armoires

feature inset chicken-wire mirrors.

The hardwood European oak

wide plank floors are complemented

by rich textured wall covering, vintage

sconces and gilded brass mirrors.

When you're hungry, the Soho Diner

serves upscale American favorites,

The Grand Bar and Salon provides elevated

bar bites and in the warmer

months Gilligans brings out seafood

and summertime specialties. You can

also head to the Club Room which is

a staple in New York Nightlife, a glamorous

haven that has carefully crafted

cocktails, live music, and dancing.

On NYE, Soho Grand’s 14th Annual

Black & White Masquerade Ball is

an ode to Truman Capote's infamous

Grand Masked Ball, hosted in New


York 1966. The soirée was thrown in

honor of Kay Graham and still seen

as one of the most brilliantly eclectic

parties of the century, attended by ingenious

creatives across verticals. You

can purchase your tickets as a farewell

2022 for an epic New Year’s Eve!

All bars are open and accessible for

complimentary drinks from 9pm - 1am

for all guests; and at midnight along

with the confetti cannons bursting -

everyone is served a champagne toast

to ring in 2023 to Frank Sinatra, New

York, New York in style.

DJs will sit atop the Reception Desk,

making the lobby into a dance-floor,

kicking offwith Chopstix, then Baby

Bro, DJ Reach and Erol bringing heat

to your heels. The hosts for this night

of glamour includes: Christian Siriano,

Mohaby, Nick D'Orazio, Ryan Matthew


and Nabeel Minaj.

Special packages for table guests include

tableside bottle service – unlimited

Tito’s Vodka, Casamigos Tequila

and Champagne flowing from 9PM to

close. They will serve appetizer bites

with lobster mac & cheese croquets,

caviar bellinis and mini-Grand Burgers

until 11PM.

SOHO GRAND HOTEL

310 W Broadway

NY, NY 10013

sohogrand.com

@sohograndhotel

PHOTO CREDITS | Soho Grand


ATHLEISURE LIST: Union Square + UES, NYC

BODY SPACE FITNESS

Kelvin Gary is the founder of Body

Space Fitness and is a former engineer,

undergrad and a double engineering

major and organic chem minor. He has

a MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

While working corporate, he realized

the negative impacts of sitting

at a desk. This led him to training as a

side hustle and the idea of BSF materialized.

He wanted to provide function training

at a reasonable price. It was aimportant

to create a good, supportive,

high energy environment and culture

to clients for a great experience.

BSF is a full body function training facility

that doesn’t focus on one tool or

modality. They have a science based

system of training that incorporates

multiple tools and modalities to build

programing that help the client reach

their goals.

With 14 coaches, all have a broad range

of experience in different modalities.

The coaches keep up with continuing

education and learn all the tools necessary

for the programming that takes

place at BSF. Almost all of the coaches

are pre/post natal certified and one is

also a boxing and MMA instructor.

Clients will participate in a strategy

session where coaches get to know

the client, learn about their goals, their

starting point, training history, injuries

and road blocks. This information and

assessment guides the needs of the


clients training plan which includes exercise

pregaming, recovery and nutrition

if needed.

BSF uses the Inbody 570 which tells

you how much muscle, bone and fat a

client has. They can see this as it pertains

to body fat and muscle by body

part. It shows where gains and reduction

needs to take place.

Clients participate in semi-private personal

training ingroups of 3 to work

with one coach. Each client works

their own customized program.

Group classes are pre-programmed

with 16 people. Clients will supplement

their customized training with

group classes for additional workouts.

Classes have a number of themes with

some focused more on conditioning

and some on strength.


BODY SPACE FITNESS

BSF Union Square

47 W 14h St 5th Fl

NY, NY 10011

BSF Upper East

300 E 59th St

NY, NY 10022

bodyspacefitness.com

@bodyspacenyc

PHOTO CREDITS | Body Space

Fitness


STEP UP TO STOP

THE SPREAD, NYC!

GET

VACCINATED

AND BOOSTED

GET

TESTED

if you have symptoms,

were exposed, or traveled

MASK

UP

to protect yourself and those around you

STAY

HOME

if you are feeling sick

For more information,

visit nyc.gov/covidvaccine

or call 877-VAX-4NYC.

Health

Bi

M

D

C


Stay connected and follow us across our

social channels on @AthleisureMag!




Each year in Dec and Jan,

Athleisure Mag interviews

celebrities to discuss their

N3W YOU: THE GOOD, THE

ADD and THE BUZZ.

NEW YEAR

N3W YOU

THE GOOD

Une Femme Wines had a great year this

year so I have a few for ya! One of the

most significant milestones for us is that

we closed our Series A. We raised a $10

million dollar round and this is a really significant

milestone for any company at our

stage, but it’s even more remarkable because

less than 2% of Series A funds go to

women founded or co-founded brands.

So we’re extremely proud to have hit this

major milestone and it means that we can

grow. So that was massive! It took a ton

of work and I have to credit my brother

who is my Co-Founder who I could not

have done this without and it was massive

to be able to do this.

This time last year, we were a team of 2 and

now we are a team of 17! We’ve grown so

much! Mostly hiring sales people across

the country in market as well as an amazing

marketing team who are doing all the

cool stuff across our website and how we

show up in stores. We also have an incredible

opps team that makes sure that are

wines are ready and available in this very

challenging supply chain situation right

now! Growing as a team has been incredible!

We formalized an incredible partnership

with Delta Airlines, it’s my favorite airline.

We did a little pilot with them last year and

now we are the sparkling wine onboard

all Delta planes in the US. We partnered

with them really closely and specifically

around The Breast Cancer Research Fund

and that’s our key partner for those wines

that are onboard on the Delta planes and

we have been able to make big contributions

to that partner and in the first _

months of working with Delta, we served

over 1 million cans to passengers onboard

at Delta! So it’s been amazing and it has

also been their big piece of their efforts to

sustainability. All of our cans are fully recyclable

and printed cans which helps to

reduce the overall carbon footprint and

we love Delta! We're so proud to partnerwith

them.

We’re also available at the Ritz Carlton in

the US by the glass and we have a great

partnership with them as well as the St

Regis.

THE ADD

Probably the one that I was most excited

about and I remain the most excited

about is launching a really cool sparkling

wine club. A subscription program where

we will send you wine say on a quarterly

basis and it will be a nice surprise in your

mailbox. We were hoping to launch it this

year, but it turns out that launching a wine

club is really complicated and we decided

that this would be an area of focus for

next year. Certainly, we’re so excited for

people to be able to order wines online

through regular website channels, but

we’re looking forward to wine subscription

next year.

THE BUZZ

We are really excited about a new opportunity

that we can't say too much about,

but keep following us on our IG! The #1

question that we get is where can we buy

your wines locally and of course, we’re at

amazing independent retailers and restaurants.

So when we have the opportunity

to partnerwith those that make our wines

accessible, we are always thrilled about

taking on those opportunities.

@unefemmewines

PHOTO COURTESY | TDavis

JEN PELKA

FOUNDER, UNE FEMME

CHECK OUT THEIR WINES

E

THE GOOD

2022 was a wild ride. Touring after the

Covid pandemic really brought a fresh

feeling to life again. I had some great

times traveling the world, meeting new

people, and having new experiences. A

few big highlights for me this year would

have to be my first solo show in Las Vegas

at Area15 as well as my solo sets in Dubai

later in the year. I also played at Tomorrowland

and VOID in Mykonos. They say

do what you love and you’ll never really

work a day in your life. I think I have to

agree with that philosophy.

THE ADD

I’m really going to focus on my health and

overall well-being in 2023. Life is short and

we can’t take it for granted.

THE BUZZ

I’m working on a lot of new projects, a ton

of new music coming out and more and

more solo shows in addition to our DVLM

tour schedule. It’s going to be a great year!

@likemike

PHOTO COURTESY | Like Mike

WATCH HIS TOMO

LIKE MIKE

DM DJ/PRODUCER

RROWLAND SET ON YOUTUBE NOW

ED

LISTEN

THE GOOD

The comeback shows have been incredible

and I’m thankful for the continues

support of the fans.

THE ADD

It has been an exciting year and I’ve a few

studio projects I want to finalize so fans

can hear them. More news to come.

THE BUZZ

Yes, the REBELS NEVER DIE Tour will now

continue into 2023. Oh and new music is

coming too.

@hardwell

PHOTOS COURTESY | Hardwell

HARDWELL

M DJ/PRODUCER

TO REBELS NEVER DIE

THE GOOD

I'm really proud of my most recent charity

event as I'm not a big golfer but our

Boxing WAGS Associations' First Annual

Celebrity Golf Event at Porter Valley

Country Club was amazing! We were at

capacity for golfers. We had phenomenal

sponsors from Rolls Royce to Casamigos!

In addition to golf, we had massages as

well that took place during the event. We

even had our luau pairing soiree to compliment

the night. To be able to raise funds

and awareness for the Prostate Cancer

Foundation was truly a success.

THE ADD

There was a lot going on in 2022 and although

we launched our fragrance D'Telli,

in 2023 I will focus on growing this brand.

Expansion plans include retail and increasing

brand marketing as well! I like that this

is a unisex scent that Deontay and I wear

and since everyone liked the fragrance

that we used to wear which was also genderless,

it was just natural for us to create

our own.

THE BUZZ

2023 is going to be great. Of course, you

should keep an eye out for more from

D'Telli Fragrance for sure! I also did a prelaunch

of a healthy drink that I developed

and let our guests of our golf event enjoy.

I'm really excited about it and it's called

Oishii Me which means "yummy" in Japanese.

It's a healthy drink that has turmeric,

pineapple, lemon and ginger!

@telliswift

PHOTO COURTESY | Telli Swift FOUNDER, BO

CHECK

TELLI SWIFT

XING WAGS/CO-FOUNDER, D'TELLI

OUT BOXING WAGS + D'TELLI

THE GOOD

A lot has happened in the last 2 years,

with everything that has been going on in

the world, looking at it from the perspective

of what are the benefits of what has

happened, I think that time has started to

flatten for everybody. It afforded us a reflection

for us to say, “how am I using my

time and what should I be spending that

time on and what’s important?” For me,

that’s creativity. It’s about getting in that

time to explore and to be in that space. I

think that in a way, that was the gift that

I think that we had to be introspective in

and to figure out a way to do things in a

more efficient and effective way.

THE ADD

For SEQUIN, we want to keep evolving.

We want to do it in a very positive way

and we really want to exude really positive

and empowering pieces as well as just

forwarding our jewelry aesthetic and really

innovating in terms of where we want

to be and inclusivity. We want to make

sure that we really put thought into each

and every piece so that when we wear

our layers or our pieces whether they are

worn by itself or together, and that’s from

an aesthetic, there’s a cohesiveness that

goes with it, a quality and a personalized

view.

THE BUZZ

We really want to be able to continue to

innovate in the whole, create your own

space. We want to get to a much more

immersive experience. We want to innovate

on engaging with our audience and

developing a tribe that really wants to be

part of this whole family and that really

has that empowerment!

@sequinjewelry

PHOTO COURTESY | SEQUIN

TA

CRE

VISIT SEQU

RA MALKOVICH

ATIVE DIRECTOR, SEQUIN

IN TO SEE THEIR LATEST PIECES

THE GOOD

The good thing is that we’re over here creating

amazing content and amazing recipes,

amazing innovations in the way that

we are utilizing Omaha Steaks and the

recipes – first and foremost being something

that I really enjoy doing! Secondly,

my cookbook this year was a whirlwind of

different events, TV activations, different

media type stuff, food and wine festivals

promoting the book – so I’m looking to

keep that going in the New Year. Fitness, I

have been doing more cardio. I’m getting

older, I just turned 40 – I’m trying to keep

it lean, trim and tight! Those are some

things that I’m really happy with and

some great opportunities and am looking

forward to innovating, exploring more in

2023 in the New Year!

THE ADD

EGGIN': David Rose Cooks on The Big Green

Egg, came out last year and I’m in the process

of brainstorming a children’s book. It

kind of got away from me this year, but it

is culinary adjacent. I don’t want to give

away too much, but my love for food as a

kid and my path to getting there. So that

is something that I will jump into next year

to make sure that that happens.

THE BUZZ

There’s a lot going on right now and a

lot of it is in the beginning phases and it

hasn’t really formed and fleshed out! But,

I’m looking to make great content again

with Omaha Steaks and Omaha recipes!

There’s a couple of other campaigns and

travel doc kind of stuff to do through social

media as well! I will be returning back

to the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks

Spectacular again in July! They have officially

invited me back so you can see me

there. Keep in touch on IG as there is going

to be a lot going on!

@chefdavidrose

CH

CHEF, T

FOLLOW CHEF DAV

PHOTO COURTESY | Omaha Steaks

EF DAVID ROSE

V PERSONALITY + AUTHOR

ID ROSE TO SEE WHERE HE IS NEXT

Bingely Books

THE BOYS FROM BILOXI

Doubleday

John Grisham

We've been long time fans of John Grisham

and in The Boys From Biloxi: A Legal

Thriller, he returns to Mississippi to tell

the story of 2 sons of immigrant familes

who become friends, but end up leading

very different lives.

While we learn about Keith Rudy

and Hugh Malco, we also get to

know about Biloxi and how this

beach and resort town has another

side that includes gambling,

bootlegging, prostituion

and more due to the Dixie Mafia!

True to John Grisham's classic

twists and turns we'll get to see

how this world comes together

and how these men end up on

different sides of the courtroom.

MUFFINS

Gibbs Smith

Cyndi Duncan

Georgie Patrick

There is nothing like a muffin

to kick off the day, to have for

brunch or even to have as a savory

treat! We didn't realize the

depth of what this treat could be

until we got this cookbook! Muffins

has over 70 recipes that are

filled with fruits, fiber and vegetables

and those that are meant

to be paired with soups and salads.

We're excited about a few of the

recipes that we saw as we flipped

throgh the book which includes:

Saucy Blueberry-Lemon, Raspberry

Wine and Jalapeño-Corn.

As you find the recipe that you

want to make regardless of the

season, you'll find substitutions

for ingredients, baking method

tips and other kitchen hacks that

will assist you in making your creations

whether for yourself or

even as gifts for others.


and to add your twist to it to make it

your own will bring your kitchen to another

level with a bit of time and continuing

to master your skills. You'll find

this cookbook to be fun, not preachy

and you will be excited to see how

many things that you will enjoy making

from scratch.

FROM SCRATCH: MORE THAN

200 HANDMADE PANTRY

ESSENTIALS & LIFE AFFIRMING

KITCHEN MIRACLES

Hardie Grant

Fiona Weir Waimsley

Sometimes, you want to immerse yourself

into a cooking experience that you

have to create from start to finish! From

Scratch is a curated series of recipes that

is written simply and takes you from the

beginning and necessary staples from

over 200 recipes.

Recipes include those that utilize materials

from the most basic of pantires

to decadent items like cakes, dips, ferments

and even drinks.

You'll even find an entirely new meaning

when you realize that you can even

make your own staples such as mayonnaise,

yogurt, kimchi, mustard, ice

cream, chai tea and so much more! The

idea of being able to make these items



Bingely Streaming

EMILY IN PARIS

Netflix Series

Netflix

We were late to the Emily in Paris party;

however, we watched both seasons last

year and couldn't wait until the 3rd season

which dropped on Dec 21st! We make our

way back to Paris to catch up with Emily (Lily

Collins) as we know that she was caught

between Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) and Gabriel

(Lucas Bravo), so it will be interesting

to see what happens from the love triangle

as there were major plot twists here!

Outside of Emily's love life, we're

excited to see one of the best

friendships that we've seen in

awhile with Mindy (Ashley Park)

as we can't wait to see how she

navigates the current season

as we learn more about her life,

family and embracing her singing

career.

Of course, Emily was sent to Paris

to work and we know that this has

also been an interesting twist in

her life as well with Sylvie's (Philippine

Leroy-Beaulieu) resignation

of Savoir and taking the staff

with her to start her new agency,

Emily is told that she can have a

promotion if she goes back to Chicago

with Madeline (Kate Walsh),

but will she stay in Paris?

1923: A YELLOWSTONE

ORIGIN STORY

Paramount Network

Paramount+

We have been fans of Yellowstone

and the worlds that it has started

to introduce us to in terms of the

Dutton family. In the flagship series,

we see the modern day family

navigating their way of life as

well as modernity that continues

to invade their ranch.

In 1893, we get to see how the

original Duttons found a way to

come to Yellowstone in this prequel.

This month, 1923 releases

weekly episodes that show us another

portion of the family tree

in how they continue to live and

extend their legacy. We see them


as they navigate WW1, US industrialization

and the Great Depression

with Harrison Ford (Star Wars, Indiana

Jones, The Fugitive) and Helen

Mirren (Red, The Good Liar, The

Queen) leading the cast!

THE HERON

Realm

Spotify

court, with their family and those who

claim to assist them! This 6 part psychological

thriller is one that you can enjoy in an

afternoon for a proper binge!

If you want to listen to a podcast

where it looks at the darker side of

sport and how one would do anything

to advance, you'll be interested

in listening to The Heron. We find

ourselves at a sports boarding school

where students train to be the best

as they get ready to go the professional

route.

We learn about a dispute between 2

students that causes one to be displaced

and the other grappling with

how they continue to advance with

the pressures that they have on the





Athleisure Mag DEC ISSUE #84

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