One Year Print Anniversary - Summer 2019: Enterepreneurship

CELEBRATING CROSS-CULTURAL IDENTITY

F I R S T

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We are a global, multicultural philanthropic brand that uses media, lifestyle products and experiences to foster human connection in geographically mobile and cross-cultural populations.

Created for immigrants and refugees, military B.R.A.T.s, Third Culture Kids, missionary kids, minoritized populations and those interested in their experiences, we empower communication at the intersection of social justice and cultural fluidity.

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CONTENTS

SUMMER 2019

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FEATURES ON OUR COVER S

40 Everyday Dress Up

Personal style is key to playing the Hollywood game for “Ballers” actor London Brown.

67 Spotlight on

Entrepreneurship

An innovative approach to curly haircare enables CurlMix husband-and-wife team Kim and Tim Lewis to break into the beauty industry, and a Puerto Rican New Yorker comes to the aid of troubled tresses in the American West.

90 Rooted in Health

Dorian Gregory and Nichole Cruz of The 4 to 5 Club podcast share their secrets to health and wellness.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

13 Up Close and Personal Get to know VLNetwork founder, serial entrepreneur and Culturs digital storytelling collaborator Traciana Graves.

18 Empowering

Conversation

This is part one in a series about two friends bonded by the power of global storytelling.

20 A Bite from Abroad

A visit to China’s Zhujiajiao Water Town provides a mouth-watering exploration of Southeast Asian cuisine.

58 DEPARTMENTS 78 Baltic-Inspired Beauty Ethnic identity meets international luxury in Albanian designer Leda Popoviq’s lush interiors.

94 From Homebody to Jungle Child

An all-American kid capitalizes on a professional basketball career to become a citizen of the world.

THE MUST LIST

30 Must Know: Nik Kacy Shoes 48 Must Know: Culturs | Yuujoo Collaboration 54 Must Buy: The Lovely Loba 57 Must Buy: Mountairy 58 Must See: Miranda Blas 64 Must Read: Baruch Inbar

IN EVERY ISSUE 6

Contributors

10

Publisher’s Letter

12

Culturally Fluid Definitions

14

Cultural Connections

16

Executive Strategist

82 Technology 88 Auto Column 96 Behind the Scenes

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CONTRIBUTORS

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ANDREA BAZOIN (say “Bah-Zwah”) is a higher education professional turned entrepreneur. She is the founder of everHuman, LLC (www.everhuman.io), a company that provides tech support alongside coaching, project assistance and workshops delivered with both expertise and empathy. Her family ties span the globe and include Chile, Argentina, Australia and France. She currently lives in Fort Collins, Colo., with her French husband and culturally fluid son.

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MICHELE DAVENPORT is an executive strategist who designs and facilitates programs in coaching, communication and leadership effectiveness for individuals and organizations committed to optimizing potential and growth. As principal and founder of Mosaic Coaching Solutions, Davenport inspires clients to engage more deeply and intentionally in every aspect of their lives. Her method includes a threephased process designed to heighten self-awareness, develop strategies, implement accountability and achieve sustainable change.

YVONNE EISENRING is a Swiss writer, filmmaker and philosophy student. After working as a snowboard instructor, she became a journalist and was on television for seven years. In 2015, she gave up her career as a TV reporter and anchorwoman and started to write books and plays. Together with her sister, she started the project called Yuujou (A Japanese word for friendship).

Eisenring lives in Zurich, Paris and New York.

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MIRANDA BLAS is a Chilean-American Third Culture Kid who grew up in Chile and the United States. She studied art in Aix-en-Provence, France. She currently paints, sculpts and teaches in Philadelphia, Penn., where her goal is to instill the beauty of culture and the joy of creation in the next generation of artists.

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TODD CORNELL is an American-born Chinese cultural scholar, linguist and business consultant who spent his formative years in China. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies and is the principal of Cultur668, a consulting service for American companies doing business in China.

HAYDEN GREENE is a U.K.-born, awardwinning photographer now based in Brooklyn. His family hails from Trinidad and Tobago. This Adult Third Culture Kid has been a working professional since 2008 and strives to capture unnoticed everyday beauty. In 2010, he created GreeneLight Photography to bring an artistic eye to commercial photography. Greene also co-owns the Barataria Gallery in Brooklyn.

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CLAUDIA KÖRBLER is an international development specialist and host of a YouTube Channel and Facebook Page called “Global Storytelling for Global Development.”

Its goal is to use storytelling as a tool to create and foster social impact globally. The TEDx speaker and Forbes expert contributor talks about measures to eradicate extreme poverty and drive social impact forward. She is an Austrian-born global citizen who speaks five languages including German, English and Spanish.

ANGELIA D. MCGOWAN is a writer and car enthusiast who had her first culture shock moving from her native Texas, where she had never seen snow, to Colorado at age 10. Her eyes opened again when she visited a college friend’s Puerto Rican family in Brooklyn, and eventually traveled to Haiti on a mission trip. Most recently, McGowan’s work took her to South Africa. Through her consulting service, Canady’s Corner, this communications professional serves as a ghost writer and memoir editor.

ANTOINETTE LEE TOSCANO is a CrossCulture Kid and Third Culture Adult with family roots in India and Jamaica. Toscano is a U.S. Army veteran and former IT corporate executive who now works as a full-time ghostwriter, journalist, author, motivational speaker and blogger. She also enjoys volunteering with fellow veterans, hiking, biking, bow hunting and whitewater kayaking.

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TAMMY MATTHEWS is a Culturs senior editor and a native of Chicago, Ill., who long worked as an editor for The Chicago Sun-Times. Matthews is now a doctoral student at the University of Colorado in the College of Media, Communication and Information who seeks to unite her passions — sports, media, languages and gender issues — as she studies historical and contemporary representations of transgender athletes worldwide.

JOANNA PIERCE is a National Nomad who grew up in six different U.S. states. She recently returned from working in Cambodia with the Peace Corps and hopes to continue working in international development. Pierce is passionate about the arts and their ability to create community. She loves to travel, read and watch “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

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ALEXA VUJAKLIJA is a freelance writer and Adult Third Culture Kid. She was born in the U.S. but her father was in the military and eventually became a diplomat. Vujaklija subsequently lived in Germany, the Republic of Georgia, Russia and Bulgaria. As a child, she also spent summers in France. At 18, Vujaklija moved to Rome to complete her bachelor’s degree in communications. There, she met her Serbian husband. They now live in Belgrade, Serbia.

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PRAISE FOR THE SPRING ISSUE

Great magazine concept and love the content.

Being in a new bi-racial relationship makes this

a place to which I can re-center myself and create what for me is a new normal.

What should be easy is not always so, but the new way of seeing racism, classism, societal norms and stereotypical thinking makes for one less bigoted point of view. I thought I would just tell you that I admire your work and will continue reading. — Robert R. via Email

Connect with Culturs on social:

@CultursMag

@CultursGuruTCK

“Really love what you guys do. WoW. As a TCK, anything that pursues this topic in order to tell others’ stories is something very special indeed!” — Josh P. via Instagram DM

Each issue keeps getting better and better.

— Sydney S. via Mobile CORRECTIONS The following credits were missing from the Spring cover.

Photography: Clay Enos Hair: Claire Burgess Makeup: Sarah Brock Nails: Emily Ansley

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“I just put in for a VIP subscription.

Thank you for this.

It’s the first time I’ve ever felt ‘seen.’” — Amanda R. via telephone

“The magazine looks great and I have to say, a lot of really interesting and wellcultivated content. I’m impressed.” — Samuel S. via Email

“I definitely want to be part of all of it.

I want to do the healing retreat, connect with you as well as build relationships with other TCKs.” — Hannah S. via Instagram DM

Summer 2019

www.CultursMag.com Volume II, Issue V

GURU PUBLISHER & FOUNDER

“I just wanted to tell you that I really love what your magazine stands for! I love that you appreciate different cultures and embrace them in the magazine.

Being a multi-cultural designer myself, it is just so refreshing to see that people’s roots are not forgotten. Keep up the great work.” — Olivia G. via Instagram DM

Doni (Dah-knee)

EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR Elana Ashanti Jefferson SENIOR EDITOR Tammy Matthews MUSIC EDITOR Tommy McMillion AUTHENTICITY GODDESS, RADIO HOST Robin Alexis

CONTRIBUTORS Miranda Blas Hayden Greene Antoinette Lee Toscano Alexa Vujaklija

INTERNATIONAL LIAISONS Chumba Limo Aisha Jama

COLUMNISTS Andrea Bazoin Michele Davenport Todd Cornell Claudia Koerbler Angelia D. McGowan

EUROPEAN LIASION Crystal McDonald YOGA DIRECTOR Terry Mairley PODCAST PARTNER VLNetwork

ART REGARDING THE ARTICLE “ART FOR ALL OF US”

ART DIRECTOR Kerry Jackson COLLATERAL DESIGN Tineal Puaoi WEB DESIGN McMillion Multimedia

SALES

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Tommy McMillion COVER STYLING & MAKEUP Sedrique Olison Clothing for London Brown is from Gap, Zara and Macy's; Nichole Cruz and Dorian Gregory's tops are from Macy's.

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jill Demianiw Rob Eves Hayden Greene Tracy Hill Ana Karotkaya Chuck Olu-Alabi Leda Popoviq Vivi Rama Alex Schmider Jimmy Zhang

SUPPORTERS

VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES Bob Bordernero

“What an awesome story about an amazing family!”

— Courtney B. via Facebook

ADVISORY BOARD SPECIAL THANKS: Chepchumba Limo Colorado State Brooke Martellaro University Journalism and Media Gregory Moore MARKETPLACE Communication Donna Musil DIRECTOR Curl Mix Jill Goldberg Antoinette Williams London Brown Karyzma Agency, Toronto Connect with Culturs on social: Mountainary @CultursMag Nik Kacy Footwear

@CultursGuruTCK

“Beautifully written article offering a deeper insight into a ‘Hollywood Couple’ working together to deliver important messages to make a difference in this world.”

— Brownell L. in Person

SUBSCRIPTIONS: www.subscribe.Cultursmag.com. ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: Contact advertise@culturs.org. MEDIA INQUIRIES: Contact press@culturs.org. CULTURSTM magazine, Volume 2, Issue 5. Copyright Culturs Global Multicultural Philanthropic Lifestyle Network. All rights reserved. Published quarterly; Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall,

by Simply Alive, LLC, 1800 Wazee Street, Suite 300, Denver, CO, 80525. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Culturs magazine, 1800 Wazee Street, Suite 300, Denver, CO, 80525. Reproduction in whole or part without express written consent is strictly prohibited. Simply Alive LLC does not assume responsibility for the advertisements, nor any representation made therein, nor the quality or deliverability of the products themselves. No responsibility is assumed for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts, photographs, and other material submitted. Culturs makes every effort to provide accurate information in advertising and editorial content, however, does not make any claim as to the accuracy of information provided by advertisers or editorial contributors and accepts no responsibility or liability for inaccurate information.

PRINTED IN THE USA

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PUBLISHER’S LETTER

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RAL IDENTITY CELEBRATING CROSS-CULTU

F I R S T

A N N I V E R S A R Y

I S S U E

THE BEAUTY OF

CURLS

CELEBRATING CROSS-CULTURAL

IDENTITY

WWW.CULTURSMAG.COM

FIRST ANNIVERSAR Y ISSUE

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WITH LONDON BROWN OF HBO’S

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EASY FASHION WITH LONDON BROWN OF HBO’S

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NATURAL IS IN!

I

t’s been a year since we launched Culturs magazine in print.

As I write this, I’ve just completed speaking on a panel at the ACT9 Magazine

Conference led by Mr. Magazine™

Samir Husni, director of the Magazine Innovation Center at the University of Mississippi and Hederman Lecturer at its School of Journalism.

Husni, who was born in Tripoli, Lebanon, and immigrated to the United States, is passionate about print magazines in the age of digital media.

He completely understands the need for Culturs.

The conference was the perfect scenario to interact with editors from Better Homes & Gardens, Country Living, Dwell and the Where Women Create series, as well as the innovative digital magazine platform Issuu and niche publications like Sesi (for Black teen girls) and Different Leaf (a Northeastern-based Cannabis publication).

I’m often asked about my decision take Culturs to print from an online-only business. “Isn’t print dead?”

But in creating and distributing the print version of our digital-first magazine, it’s clear that not only is print alive and well, but it also is enjoying a robust resurgence.

(As with anything, execution is key.)

Print magazines provide a tactile experience and much-needed stimulation. They deliver the opportunity to slow down in today’s harried world, find a pace more of our own choosing, and better absorb information curated specifically to our unique wants, needs and tastes. Coupled with online, digital and mobile formats, print publications are reaching more people than ever before.

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As new and established players in the industry shared information during ACT9, it was nice to see that Culturs is on the cutting edge of what’s needed to reach audiences and nurture community for our audience of readers who are in-between culture, race, ethnicity, nation and/or location.

Our goal is to celebrate cross-cultural identity and create community. Unfortunately, there aren’t many places where people fully understand who we are.

In this issue, to celebrate the unique joy of our “in-between-ness,” we’ve created two different covers with different segments of our audience in mind: One cover features easy fashion with actor London Brown of the HBO series “Ballers” (p. 40) and a focus on health with The 4 to 5 Club podcast, fitness expert Nichole Cruz and actor Dorian Gregory (p. 90). Our other cover highlights curly hair in all its wavy, coily to kinky, natural glory (p. 68).

We also celebrate entrepreneurs, as venturing out on our own, tackling challenges and taking risks are inherent to those in-between. Perhaps because our backgrounds make us problem-solvers, risk-takers and lone wolves? An infographic celebrating the positives of Third Culture Kids (TCKs) on page 67 may shed some insight.

Thank you for supporting, encouraging and uplifting us, and helping make our community a family. I think you’ll enjoy the multi-faceted cross-cultural offerings we have for you this summer... And just wait until you see what we have in store this fall.

Until then, #beYou.

Doni (Dah-knee) Publisher and Founder ulturs — the Global C Multicultural Magazine Culturs.org Cultursmag.com

Tommy McMillion

Meet Traciana Graves, an Adult Third Culture Kid committed to changing the world.

T

Serial Entrepreneur

raciana Graves is a

native New Yorker who grew up between Paris and Harlem. She studied at the Sorbonne and graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in languages and international relations. After undergrad, she toured the world with artists including Celine Dion and six-time Grammy award-winners Steel Pulse.

During this time, she also developed curricula and workshops for orphanages and international organizations.

As founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Visionary Leader Network (The VLNetwork, or VLN), Graves extends two decades of work as a corporate strategist, keynote speaker and internationally acclaimed vocalist into a platform that serves the masses. The VLNetwork is a global media platform producing content, events and courses that drive visionaries to launch and scale entrepreneurial ventures.

VLN media properties, which include a blog, web TV series and podcast, work to “get to the story behind the story” by acknowledging the human factors that unite and motivate us.

“We cannot ignore the humanness that is at play in every move and decision we make,” Graves says. “[VLN is] unlike other platforms that niche down their content to business strategies. They are cutting out the human conversations that unite us all.”

As she continues to work with companies and organizations throughout the U.S., Graves uses VLN to promote authentic leadership, inclusion and innovation through digital storytelling.

Find out more at Cultursmag.com/Meet.

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Culturally Fluid Definitions

I

n the 21st century, assessing someone’s background from outward appearance isn’t enough as hidden, rather than visual, diversity means people increasingly bring more to the table than meets the eye. Whether through

travel, nationality, race or ethnicity, many straddle culture in myriad ways.

From Cultural Fluidity, to Third Culture Kid, Expat, Third Culture Adult, CrossCultural Kid and more, the language to describe our in-

Cross-Cultural Kid (CCK)

A term coined by author Ruth Van Reken in 2002, is a person who is living, has lived, or meaningfully interacted with two or more cultural environments for a significant period of time during the first 18 years of life. This includes minoritized individuals living within majority culture.

Adult Cross-Cultural Kid (ACCK)

An adult who grew up as a Cross-Cultural Kid.

Cultural Fluidity/Cultural Mobility

A term coined by Culturs founder Donnyale Ambrosine to characterize hidden diversity created by people who don’t or didn’t grow up in a homo­ genous cultural environment. Culturally Fluid individuals may straddle nationalities, ethnicities, race or culture. The fluidity created allows under­ standing between or among their foundational areas of meaningful experience. It also may hinder sense of belonging to any one area.

Missionary Kids

Children of missionaries who travel to missions domestically or abroad.

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between community is of utmost importance. Knowing the vocabulary creates understanding and deepens our sense of belonging and connections to others with similar experiences. Here’s a quick overview so you can follow along any of our articles with ease:

Third Culture Kids (TCKs)

Coined by Sociologist Ruth Useem in the 1950s as a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture.

The first culture is considered an individual’s passport culture, while the second culture consists of the culture(s) in which the individual has lived.

The third culture is a result of the person’s life experience; this is the culture to which they most belong. The third culture often is where individuals feel community with others of similar experience.

Adult Third Culture Kid (ATCK) An adult who grew up as a TCK.

Domestic TCK

Children who moved to various regions within the same country while growing up, often having to re-learn ways of being, especially as regional differences in dress, speech and action are heightened in formative years when it is important to be accepted.

Third Culture Adult (TCA)

Coined in 2002 by Psychotherapist Paulette Bethel to signify individuals who travel extensively and are immersed in, or live in global locations after the age of 18 (after identity has been solidified).

Refugees

Internationally nomadic group not characterized by a parent’s occupation. Displaced from their homeland forcibly or by choice, often having fled for varied reasons — violence, politics, religion, environment, etc. Refugees typically do not return to their origin country.

Immigrants

People who, for varied reasons, immigrate to a country different than their homeland to stay permanently. Many return to their home countries to visit, though some do not.

Expatriate (Expat)

As defined by Merriam Webster — to leave one’s native country to live elsewhere; which also sometimes means to renounce allegiance to one’s native country.

Military B.R.A.T.

Children of military who move with parents to different places within or outside of their home country. They often experience other cultures within the confines of a military installation or compound that possesses traits of the home country.

Non-Military Foreign Service

Children traveling with their parents to various countries in non-military government roles, diplomatic corps, civil service, foreign service, etc.

Traveler

Those who travel expecting differences among intra-international or international culture, however, not immersed in these cultures for extended periods of time, or long enough to integrate local cultural norms as their own.

International Business Kids

Children whose parents work with multi-national corporations takes them to far-away lands, often in professional fields surrounding oil, construction and pharmaceuticals.

Borderlanders

Described by author Ruth Van Reken in the book “Third Culture Kids,” a borderlander is a citizen of one country that lives close to another. Often the norms, customs and traits of each country’s culture seeps into the other, creating a cultural experience separate from either original culture, while allowing inhabitants keen knowledge and insight into their own culture as well as the other.

Multiracial

People whose family consists of two or more races to which the individual identifies. With race often come cultural norms, slang language and attitudes that can greatly differ. Many multiracial children, though not all, have the unique opportunity to learn norms of all the cultures they comprise.

Multiethnic; Multicultural Diplomat Kids

Children whose parents are members of the home country’s political framework while living on foreign soil.

People whose family consists of two or more cultures to which the individual identifies. Even when belonging to the same race, differences in culture may exist between ethnicities, tribes and other cultural contexts. www.CultursMag.com

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CULTURAL CONNECTIONS

How Mindfulness Enhances Cultural Awareness

By Todd Cornell

Among the pearls of wisdom from Chinese philosophy: Think of culture as shared knowledge that binds individuals together.

All cultures embrace some kind of wisdom, but that wisdom may be difficult to recognize at first.

Crossing into cultural situations offers an opportunity to become more aware of cultural self-talk. Being open to racist tendencies is a start at foiling hostile reactions that may come off as disrespectful or haughty.

Friendships Influence Culture

ulture brings people together in shared values, practices and behaviors.

Traditional culture also creates bonds through shared understandings, beliefs and practices often passed down through generations. Like mortar and cement bricks, so too does this shared knowledge unify communities and nations.

In this way, culture transcends contemporary politics and instead refers to human characteristics and practices; the things that make people unique.

This type of knowledge becomes a guidepost, a kind of organic, innate ‘software’ that supports healthy cross-cultural relations.

Racism Grows from Hateful Self-Talk Like an addiction, one must recognize racist tendencies before change can take place.

When interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds, individuals should stay consciously aware of things outside their “comfort zone.”

Mindfulness in thought and emotion, along with awareness of prejudiced or judgmental self-talk, are powerful skills for realizing racist tendencies.

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In the United States, a friendly proposal to meet up “soon!” may not be followed through on, and friends may not be around when needed. In older, more traditional societies, however, friendships and relationships tend to be deeper.

In China, friends are there through thick and thin or they are a thorn in the flesh. Confucius, aware of this Chinese cultural idiosyncrasy, admonished his students to practice respect: “A respectable person creates harmony, and a scoundrel fosters discord,” he said.

“君子和而不同, 小人同而不和。” This philosophy may have come from the fact that Confucius experienced disrespect while attempting to cure government corruption. He was subsequently banished from his home and forced to roam for 14 years.

Slow Down, Focus on Likenesses Everyone sees the world differently and has distinct hopes, fears and survival mechanisms. It’s good to know why individuals see the world the way they do.

It often comes down to upbringing and life experiences — or lack thereof.

Claiming one’s own ways are “the right way” may spawn division and discord.

Mao Zedong is credited with coining the Chinese expression, “Focus on the similarities and save the differences.”

“求同存异。” The Chairman reportedly spoke these words during a business meeting as a way of suggesting that the group work on the problems at hand and leave other issues for another day.

Similarly, in 1955, Zhou Enlai, the first premier of the People’s Republic of China, attended an Asian-African summit in Bandung, Indonesia. The head of Chinese government repurposed Mao’s expression during the event to foster a sense of diplomacy among diverse peoples with varied cultural and political backgrounds.

Enlai suggested the group focus on similarities. By doing so, he weakened potential discord. His desire to foster harmony became the basis for a successful summit.

When individuals focus on similarities, they support respectful interactions and reduce the illusion of division.

Positive interactions create a path for successful cross-cultural endeavors.

Here’s another way to practice this cultural competency: Stop and take a deep breath during stressful situations. This encourages patience, which in turn conveys the desire for a mutually beneficial outcome.

Battle Destructive Self-Talk It is often easy to detect when an individual feels uncomfortable around people from different cultures.

The game-changer happens when that individual is self-aware and recognizes their tendency to feel

frustrated or afraid when faced with cultural diversity.

The next step is to forge constructive thoughts.

Awareness of internal dialogue is imperative to achieving cross-cultural success. Curiosity, in fact, is the greatest tool for overcoming negative thoughts.

When attentive to such thoughts, one can inquire within to discover the origin and catalyst of that negativity. In this way, destructive thoughts can spur civility, discourse, inclusion and peace of mind.

Inner Dialogue Can Transform the World Confucius was a proponent for self-reflection. One way we know this is from a conversation the Master had with one of his students, Zengzi.

“I reflect on myself three times daily,” Zengzi said.

(Here, the Chinese character for three actually suggests a number in excess of three.)

“吾日三省吾身。” Zengzi continued: “When interacting with others, I ponder, am I being upright and honest with my friends?

Am I applying the knowledge of the Teacher (Confucius)?”

Confucius: A Learner Who Valued Self-Improvement Self-cultivation was a common topic for Confucius, who famously said: “When around others, they are my teachers.”

“三人行必有我师焉。” He also said: “When around someone of a higher moral standard, aspire to be like them.”

“见贤思齐。” Confucius aimed for consistent self-improvement.

He regarded himself as a learner as well as a teacher.

We can use these values to promote contemporary cross-cultural communication.

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EXECUTIVE STRATEGIST

By Michele Davenport

You’re Not the Boss of Me! Uncovering the roots of entrepreneurship

A

re you your own boss? If so, does that automatically make you an entrepreneur?

For this issue dedicated to entrepreneurship, I want to explore how such professional independence intersects with an individual’s values and purpose.

It’s a theme that falls in line with my approach to nearly all of these columns: Who are you

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at your core, and how does that drive the way you love, live, parent or lead?

What’s more, if you are an entrepreneur, how do you integrate your core values and purpose into the way you move through life?

As you flip through this issue of Culturs and read about entrepreneurs, consider these questions: • Is entrepreneurship your side-hustle or something more?

• What motivates your entrepreneurship?

• Is it the satisfaction of being the boss, working for yourself and making big decisions?

• Is it because you get to encourage others to support and help realize a shared vision for a project, company or organization?

• Do you truly control your own destiny?

Your answers to these questions will help forge the components of successful entrepreneurship. But after chatting with several leaders who consider themselves entrepreneurs, I also consistently heard that there’s even more to their success.

“There has to be some innovation,” says Celsa Snead, executive

Entrepreneurship happens . . . when creative autonomy is paired with encouragement to thrive and produce something powerful.

director of The Mentoring Center, an Oakland, Calif.-based organization that aims to move youth through whatever challenges they face toward healthy, successful lives.

(Find out more at mentor.org.)

Snead is a lawyer, activist, non-profit leader and youth advocate. She believes that individuals can espouse an entrepreneurial spirit while working for someone else, just as long as their work excites and inspires them.

Entrepreneurship happens, she says, when creative autonomy is paired with encouragement to thrive and produce something powerful.

“As individuals, we should try to cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit wherever we are,” Snead adds. “It’s not just about owning your own business.”

But what about values and purpose? Where do these

elements fit into the life of an entrepreneur?

Entrepreneurs who have clarity on their internal compass and core values tend to approach ownership in exciting and powerful ways. Their values serve as a filter and touchstone as they push through to the finish line of a project, business or organization. Knowing their purpose means they realize what they are uniquely meant to contribute to the world. This type of knowledge elevates entrepreneurship to a new level as purpose-driven leaders always know ‘the why’ behind ‘the what.’

Entrepreneurship can be activated even when your name is not on the marquee.

So who’s the boss of you now?

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GLOBAL STORYTELLING FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

By Claudia Körbler with special guest Jemi Laclé

Laclé: You live in Washington, D.C. What brought you to here?

Empowering Conversation

Sharing stories enables two cross-cultural friends to explore how women can better support one another.

F

or every ambitious female, there is an unspoken truth behind her path, career and successes. What the outside world gets to see from the surface is just part of her joy, sweat and tears.

The art of female empowerment involves navigating friendships, supporting one another and building dream-team collaborations.

Enter Jemi Laclé and Claudia Koerbler. Laclé is a project manager and partnership lead in Energy Sector Open Data and Analytics at the World Bank. Koerbler is a global storyteller and knowledge management specialist with the World Bank.

Both women are global connectors and international development specialists. Here, readers learn how each of these women navigated their unique career path.

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Koerbler: I grew up in a small village in the South Eastern part of Austria, bordering Hungary and Slovenia. Growing up in a small town always made me curious to experience what is out there in the world. At the age of 18, I left Austria and moved to San Francisco to study (languages.) I ultimately lived in many different countries over the last 15 years.

I ended up working in D.C. for the Ministry of Finance at the Embassy of Austria. Ultimately, my path in D.C. evolved and after my tenure in diplomacy, my career manifested in international development for the World Bank Group and the United Nations.

My passion has always involved international development, languages and how we can use policy development to implement global solutions.

Storytelling to me personally has become the most essential and influential way to expose our shared humanity.

Culturs: What about you, Jemi?

Laclé: I was born and raised on the small island of Aruba, which is in the Caribbean near Venezuela but is nevertheless part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. I am Dutch, and a European citizen.

Aruba is a multicultural, multiracial and multilingual country. Even our native tongue, Papiamento, sounds like a worldly mix-and-match, resonating and portraying the diversity on the island.

My parents have always traveled, and we visited South America, the United States, Europe, the Caribbean and Asia.

These experiences exposed me to new cultures, traditions, and tastes as well as extraordinary people from all walks of life.

During childhood, I realized that establishing relationships and having dialogues with people worldwide brings us all closer together.

are committed in driving social change forward.

Culturs: How are you able to form a female team beyond surface-level friendship?

Laclé: Many people focus on their own ambitions, goals, dreams and personal professional advancement. However, friendship is crucial in both the personal and professional trajectory. It is the people that you surround yourself with that will be your reflecting mirror. It’s important to have an inner circle that you value, respect and that believes in you.

True friends are not only there during good and bad times and to push you to reach your goals or even work jointly to put make

those goals become reality.

We believe as friends we have different approaches and different dreams. One way we as friends can support one another is to not judge and wholeheartedly become your “Board of Director” for our friend in help them realizing their ultimate dreams.

We are a “dream team,” because we support each other in our dreams with a critical eye and always bare in mind the best interest of the other.

Look for part two of this conversation between friends in the Autumn 2019 issue of Culturs.

Culturs: Tell us about your friendship?

Koerbler: Our friendship is dynamic, transparent and authentic. We are different in many ways, from our cultural backgrounds, life experiences and styles. However, our differences are how we complement each other as friends. Most importantly, our life values align. We both share an optimistic outlook, and

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Story and Photography by Hayden Greene

Zhaojialou Water Town dazzles globetrotting foodies with sights, sounds and flavors unique to Southeast Asia.

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s

ocial scholars consider food to be a cultural pillar, in part because it is idiocentric to societies worldwide.

Food has been used to mark countries and peoples for generations. It follows that in Zhaojialou, an ancient water town in Shanghai, China, local cuisine takes top billing among the regional treasures for travelers to explore.

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A Taste of History at Every Turn Established more than 1,700Â years ago, Zhaojialou and its canals were created to capitalize on agriculture for community development. Rivers were dredged and villages were founded, all with the purpose of providing food for a growing region. The result is a modern-day network of farmers who set up shop in a world-renowned market rich in diversity and entrepreneurship.

In addition to the merchants, Zhaojialou has a beautiful garden and museum that boasts of temples and koi ponds.

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A woman prepares bao zong, a leaf-wrapped snack that’s the perfect street food.

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Self-sufficiency is ubiquitous in this popular, 47-acre tourist destination.

Vivid colors and smells greet visitors at every turn and serve as an invitation to literally taste Chinese culture. Foods and ingredients somewhat familiar to Westerners are juxtaposed here with local delicacies only found in this part of the world. The market is a literal cornucopia,

from its handcrafted snacks prepared on the spot to myriad spices that form the foundation of China’s most authentic dishes.

Zhaojialou’s edible offerings are available alongside such handcrafted and manufactured goods as bowls and mats, making the market a one-stopshop for those looking to create the perfect Chinese cultural experience.

Above: Some of the choices for bao zong.

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Dried sheets of seaweed. Crunchy!!

Shops either offered an array of food or specialized in one item.

You can pick and choose from a shop like this to make a complete meal.

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Even on a rainy day, the beauty of Zhaojialou shines through.

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One constant across rural areas is the consumption of the entire animal. This vendor sells salted pork, offering both prime cuts as well as feet, snout and tails.

Soup dumplings are made and packaged for customers to grab and go.

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Frogs (not just the legs) also are a delicacy.

Locals still buy fresh ingredients for each night’s meal.

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MUST l KNOW

Designer Nik Kacy draws on form, function and a big personality to foster a textured sense of style.

By Donnyale Ambrosine

ashion and accessory designer Nik Kacy has a message for cultural in-betweeners: Be unapologetically YOU. Kacy is no stranger to being an outsider because of their many differ­ ences. (As a transmasculine individual who identifies as non-binary, the designer uses the pronouns they and them.)

Though these specific words don’t fall from their lips, their message is clear and unmistakable: “Asian, didn’t speak English, immigrant, born in a body I didn’t relate to, lesbian, butch, trans and finally, non-binary and feeling the most ME I’ve ever felt,” Kacy writes in a particularly salient post on Facebook.

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J!mmyZ

F

Gender Transcendent Style

Vivi Rama

Naserin Bogado and Tyler Lee Aubrey show us love is love is love.

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I’ve learned not to care what others think because standing up, shouting out and speaking up can save lives.

Right: NiK Kacy started with a lifelong wish to create shoes for all identities.

Opposite: Tyler Lee Aubrey in her Classic Derby NiK Kacy’s.

Born in Hong Kong, Kacy immigrated to Queens, N.Y., with their family at age 7, and became a U.S. citizen. “Chinese families are very big and we all lived together,” the designer says. Kids made fun because they didn’t speak English. “I knew I was different, but I didn’t know why.”

COMPLICATED CHILDHOOD Kacy is an only child who weathered storms of parental

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divorce and other childhood traumas. “Being with neighbors, being with grandparents — constant trials figuring out who am I and what do I want to be?

But it made me such a strong person. Everything I’ve put my mind to, I’ve done,” explains Kacy, who believes there are no setbacks; rather lessons from which we learn.

“Sometimes I’ve been told I’m opinionated, or aggressive or outspoken. And I used to feel bad

J!mmyZ

Rob Eaves

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MUST l KNOW

when called those things because those who called me these things made it seem like it was a bad thing. But now I’ve learned not to care what others think because standing up, shouting out and speaking up can save lives.”

CHANGING THE TIDE

JimmyZ

Kacy tells of the time an elementary school bully pushed too far: “I beat this kid with a wiffle ball bat.” Both parties found themselves in the principal’s office, where Kacy, a self-described “principal’s pet,” realized that bullying comes from

The Grey and Black Dress Boots by NiK Kacy.

Every attention to detail is paid in all of Kacy’s designs, from the red welt stitching to the signature Equal sign on all of their products to inspire equality for all.

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a place of pain and chose to end the cycle, rather than repeat it.

That distinct action caused the two youths to become friends.

“I went from being a victim to not being a victim, but not lowering myself to reciprocating violence with violence,” they impart.

CONFIDENCE VS. ARROGANCE That specific moment may have changed the course of Kacy’s life.

Confusion and victim-hood were replaced by the will to not only stand up for self, but for others.

It also may have marked Kacy’s entrance into the world of entrepreneurship. Learning to speak up also meant asking for help, a trait that’s often not accessible to first-generation Americans or people of color, according to Dr. Eric Aoki, an expert in multicultural identity and professor of communication studies at Colorado State University.

Confidently speaking up, however, can have negative consequences when navigating spaces of privilege.

“People with inherent privilege were raised to ask for help. People of color were raised to overcome,” Kacy says. “When I started my business, I had to push myself, ‘I’m going to ask for help from my community, to change the world — ask people to help me change the world.’

People with privilege wouldn’t even think twice about asking.”

Vivi Rama

Trauma and growth mindset expert Dr. Paulette Bethel notes, “Being referred to as ‘arrogant’ is a descriptor that has been ascribed to Third Culture Kids (TCKs).

There are multiple ways in which this arrogance can be viewed due to the lived experiences and global lifestyles of many TCKs. What may be viewed as arrogance by some is in fact self-confidence and resiliency that comes from learning how to cross-navigate multiple cultures at an early age.”

Adia Joelle and Mandahla Rose wearing NiK Kacy’s Fortune Collection.

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Ana Karotkaya

MUST l KNOW

Above: The new gender-free high heel design by NiK Kacy.

Opposite: Mandahla Rose in NiK Kacy’s Black Dress Boots.

Kacy’s experiences only served to make them stronger.

“I stand by the fact that I will never idly stand by if someone is being treated unjustly or disrespected,” Kacy says. “Call me whatever names you want, but I will never not speak up.”

PERSONAL STRUGGLE INSPIRES A BRAND Kacy’s experiences brought them full circle socially and professionally. They developed NiK Kacy Footwear to

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celebrate their outspoken nature and interest in philanthropy. The business is lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) -friendly, and creates gender-neutral footwear and accessories. Kacy hopes to use fashion to promote gender equality, and to provide properly-fitting stylish footwear solutions that underscore authentic self-expression.

Vivi Rama

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Rob Eves

Ana Karotkaya

Lee Dawn Hershey in Utility Holster and Brogue Chelsea Boots.

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Left: The new Combat H8 Boots were inspired by the 50th anniversary of Pride and Stonewall and are an ode to all those who have fought for LGBTQ rights past and present.

Shop for your own unique style at Nikkacy.com

NiK Kacy

Below: Grey Crouch modeling the Black and Grey Dress Boots.

For more information about Nik Kacy designs, visit Cultursmag.com/Nik

When I started my business, I had to push myself, ‘I’m going to ask for help from my community, to change the world — ask people to help me change the world.’

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CONFIDENCE, CONFIDENCE,

FORM AND AND FORM

FASHION

Styled by London Brown Clothing by Zara

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Comedian and actor London Brown of the HBO hit series “Ballers” talks about why every day should be a fashion day.

By Donnyale Ambrosine

How did you get on the show?

L

I was working as a choreographer and doing a comedy tour with Chris Tucker. I think we’d stopped touring for a minute. A friend called and said, “HBO is looking for you to audition for ‘Ballers’.” So I moved to Miami, and that’s how it started.

When did you develop your sense of style?

ondon Brown holds his own alongside Adult Third Culture Kid powerhouse actors Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Troy Garity (of the Fonda acting family) in the gritty, in-your-face and ultimately message-filled drama that is “Ballers,” an HBO series rooted in the world of professional sports management.

Here, Brown reveals the secret to his down-to-earth demeanor and sense of style.

At [age]14. We used to get new clothes twice a year: Easter and maybe Christmas. There were nine or 10 of us living in a three-bedroom apartment.

My uncle was staying with us, and we were the same height.

I thought, “I can’t wear my fresh Easter suit and then on Monday go back to my old clothes.” The next day, I started wearing his clothes

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Was that the start of your personal brand?

I really started to pay attention to the reputation of guys that I like and how their style was.

Like when I look at Will Smith, he’s very posh. Diddy’s another one who’s very together; very pristine and very together. I just wanted that to be part of my name. Not just “he’s funny” or “he’s an actor on ‘Ballers,’” but “he dresses well” and “he’s kind.” I realized our reputation is based on consistency. So if I want that to be associated with me, I’ve got to do it all the time.

My friends always say, “London, why are you always dressed up?” They don’t understand that living is enough (of a reason) to be dressed up.

I’m comfortable with me.

A guy could be in a three-piece tuxedo, and I’m in my denim.

As long as I’m comfortable, I’m being me, I don’t have to fill out a place anywhere.

What is your style advice? back to wearing my old clothes anymore.

In high school, I used to cut hair. I went to the thrift shop to find unique things for very cheap — wearing my little Seventies floral tops and my little jackets.

That’s kind of where it started.

Sometimes I would get lucky: I’d find a brand name, something from the Eighties. No one was wearing this stuff. So I’ve always been eclectic that way.

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Sometimes less is more. A lot of insecure people, when they want attention, they gotta go big — really flashy brands and all these things that scream, “I need attention ‘cause I’m not comfortable with myself, so please affirm me.” But it’s not about these external things. It’s when the inside is cool.

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Every day, people should do something that puts them closer to where they want to be.

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When it comes to fashion, people should always do the thing that makes them comfortable.

When it comes to clothes, look at your whole look as a cast, then decide who’s the star for the night. Just remember, accessories are the supporting cast.

And your advice for life?

Find the thing you do really well with the least amount of effort.

That’s a gift. I don’t think people take the time to find that.

Sometimes people get their job, they get comfortable. I get it, (gotta) pay the bills. But every day, people should do something that puts them closer to where they want to be. Even when I worked at an after-school program, I never forgot that I was supposed to do something else. It’s not all of a sudden you get the dream, “I want to be an artist,” so just quit the job. The time is gonna come. It just depends on whether we are ready for it or not.

Watch video of the full interview and find out more at Cultursmag.com/HBO.

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From shows to watch and songs to hear, to artistry, shopping and things to explore, know and do, here’s a specially curated list of things we recommend as MUST experience items for the culturally fluid.

THE MUST LIST

MUST l KNOW

Here’s an update on the Culturs partnership with Yuujou, an organization aiming to prove that real friends are better than virtual ones.

Y THE POWER

uujou is the Japanese word for friendship. It’s also the name of an international media project that capitalizes on travel to forge stronger friendships among people than they would simply have by interacting online.

After reviewing more than 30,000 applications, voting in multiple rounds and viewing video interviews, Yuujou found five individuals who will travel the world through the power of friendship. They are: Joey Briggs from Tampa, Fla.; Paula Savelkoul from Queenstown, New Zealand; John Sebastian from Chennai,

OF FRIENDSHIP

By Joanna Pierce

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Meet the Yuujou Travelers India; Panos Polemitis from Limassol, Cyprus, Greece; and Jed Kenny from Durban, South Africa.

These travelers will join Yuujou Founder Yvonne Eisenring on a 100-day journey from Berlin to Tokyo. The group will split into two teams. One will travel east, the other will travel west. They departed Berlin on April 11 and must make their way to Tokyo in 100 days while using their talents to creatively document and share their experiences.

Along the way, each team must stay with the friend of their previous host, moving from friend to friend across the globe.

Join Culturs as we share weekly updates from the Yuujou journey.

We’ll hear about the travelers’ experiences and insights as they document the friendships that will carry them through diverse cultures.

Then, we’ll connect with the group one last time in Tokyo at the end of their trip.

TEAM EAST

JOEY BRIGGS

PAULA SAVELKOUL

What is your superpower?

Just being very genuine with people and getting to know them in a deeper sense than the “just in passing.”

What do you do when you’re not traveling?

When I’m not traveling I probably settling down for a few months in a new town. Then I’ll find a new job, make new friends, and explore the surroundings, and after few months I pack my bags and go to my new destination.

What will be your part in the travel group?

My part would be the motivator to keep everybody going, if we have a rough day or if we run into a struggle just keeping everybody light and positive.

What is your spirit vegetable?

I would think a cucumber. I just think they’re very versatile. You can make them into pickles, they spice up or sweeten everything.

What is your spirit vegetable?

I did a test online what it could be and it said garlic . . .

What or who will you miss during the 100 days?

I’ll miss New Zealand.

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TEAM EAST

JOHN SEBASTIAN What will be your part in the travel group?

I would be the mechanic. And if there was any problem on the road, I can figure out a way to get out of that.

What do you do when you’re not traveling?

I read a lot. I write, I paint a little and I go out with my friends. We sit together and play music and wherever I go, I take photographs.

What is your spirit vegetable?

Maybe carrot. The cross-section looks like the pupil of the iris, so maybe carrots.

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Read about the process and watch videos of the finalists for this free 100-day trip around the world at cultursmag.com, then search for jouyuu

TEAM WEST

PANOS POLEMITIS

JED KENNY

YVONNE EISENRING

How do you make new friends?

I say hello. And then I’m like: I don’t know what I’m doing . . . but can we be friends?”

What will be your part in the travel group?

My part will be the fun guy, hopefully. And hopefully, keeping the peace and always looking at the bright side of things.

What do you do when you’re not traveling?

I write books and theatre plays, in the mornings I usually go for a run, at night I go out. And I spend a lot of my time with my friends. Well, actually I do the same when I’m traveling.

What is your superpower?

Talking all the time and to break the silence.

What is your spirit vegetable?

Cauliflower, because I was cutting it in Australia. So I love cauliflowers.

What is your superpower?

Being awesome.

What is your spirit vegetable?

I would say a carrot because we’re kind of shaped the same.

What is your superpower?

Listening. I’m good at listening.

And I will remember your story.

I’m really bad with names and with orientation but I remember stories.

What is your spirit vegetable?

Ginger... obviously.

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ONLINE | IN PRINT | ON MOBILE

Join the community that gets you.

VISIT cultursmag.com/subscribe

Begin enjoying your FREE digital and Quarterly Print Issues today! #inbetween #beyou #cultursmag

Pretty

[Prit-ee] Adjective How many describe a beer with the unique ability to beautify its surroundings.

Including but not limited to: liquoe store shelves, dimly lit bars, backyard decks, pint glasses, or in a more ethereal sense, the proverbial lense from which one views the world. But mainly it’s used to describe a damn good fruited sour ale balanced by nothing less than pink Himalayan sea salts. Just sayin’.

MAKE IT PRETTY.

MUST l BUY Photography by Tracy Hill

THE

LOVELY LOBA

LOTION BALLS 54

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he Lovely Loba is a Utah,

USA-based company that

creates unique, innovative,

organic and eco-friendly lotion balls specially formulated to tame even the most sensitive skin. According to creator Lindsey Christiansen, the nourishing spheres use seed butters and oils, herbs, plant and root powders and Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils that work harmoniously with skin, body and mind.

To use, gently roll over your skin.

The loba will softly melt with your body temperature and lightly coat skin in creamy, scrumptious nourishment.

Christiansen was raised by a mother who grew up on a Navajo reservation in New Mexico, USA and a worldrenowned geologist father. She attributes both of her parents with instilling in her a love of cultures and appreciation for our vast and beautiful earth. Her childhood home was filled with images, art, decor and souvenirs from her mother’s upbringing and her father’s world travels and international friends.

From this upbringing, Christiansen developed her own obsessive intrigue with people and cultures, starting in elementary school where she interacted with children from the Philippines, Africa and Romania and studied Japanese, American Sign Language (ASL) and Spanish.

She spent three months in Cuenca, Ecuador and subsequently explored the Ecuadorian Amazon. This provided opportunities to observe a medicine man who had lived his entire 67 years in the Amazon jungle helping to protect and heal the people of his community, “with spoken word, energy, water, sun, flowers, trees, sap, mushrooms, venom and many more things plucked from the jungle floor,” Christiansen imparts. The eyeopening experience of watching modern people “live off

of the means of a rainforest and nothing more,” deeply impacted her and ignited her research and understanding of natural remedies.

After a decade in the cosmetology industry with her dry, sensitive skin and an allergy to commonly-used toxic preservatives, Christiansen developed a “medical mystery illness,” that prompted her to exit the industry. She subsequently created a brand around her loba (nickname for lotion ball) and began to share it with the world.

“My loba blends are not merely a lotion or moisturizer.

They are made from organic, raw, pure ingredients with nothing manmade added, and completely toxin-free. Even still, the benefits go beyond this. Yes, my lobas may be considered green, eco-friendly, raw, CPTG [Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade], ‘no-nasties’ included, but beyond what is not included in them — they are truly healing balms for mind, body, heart and soul,” she explains.

Her creamy, nourishing ball creations are rich in vitamins A and E and filled with anti-aging, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. According to Christiansen, users can enjoy diminished signs of aging, soothed and softened stretch marks, reduced dermatitis, eczema,

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MUST l BUY

rashes and healed burns. She says they also promote advanced hydration, moisturizing and protecting against sunburn and sun damage.

For more information on Lovely Loba blends and their individual benefits, visit thelovelyloba.com.

From $12.

The original blend loba (called NATIVE) is made of organic, unrefined shea butter, cocoa butter and coconut oil. Each natural ingredient has unique properties that work to cleanse, hydrate and heal.

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MUST l BUY

Healing from on

HIGH

Mountainary capitalizes on the vast applications of the ancient and diverse cannabis plant.

FLOWER CRUSH $227 — A heavenly-scented night cream that contains full-spectrum cannabinoids; aragan, rosehip seed and apricot kernel oil that provide antioxidants, assist in repair of damaged skin, reduce inflammation and boost collagen for younger-looking skin.

I

t began as an idea to make a bath and body line using the highest-quality, purest natural ingredients and then lovingly craft each item by hand in small batches.

More than 20 years later, Mountainary Founder Karen Daly Swan’s central-California beauty business is still going strong.

Featured in gift bags at this year’s Academy Awards Roger Neal Afterparty, Mountainary’s out-of-the-ordinary products use hybrid cannabis plants that the company says have “been very carefully mastered over decades for pain and inflammation.” These cannabis strains are not psychoactive but instead rich in healthful cannabidiol, or CBD. The plants are grown atop mountains, “where light units are high (and) the rich soil is natural and free

from herbicides and pesticides.”

Almost zero waste is created in the production of Mountainary products as the entire cannabis plant is used, rather than just the flowers.

Mountainary is dedicated to all-natural compounds and argues that mainstream, chemical- and perfume-laden cosmetics often sit on department store shelves for long periods of time. The company’s fresh-to-order products, on the other hand, are intended for use within four months of purchase because they lack potentially harmful preservatives.

As for Mountainary’s effectiveness: “The buds and flowers are the superstars that make our healing handiwork effective.”

Check out their full line at mountainary.com.

O’Canna Balm from $30 — A smooth, luxurious, non-greasy healing balm for immediate relief from deep inflammation, muscle and joint pain, burns and abrasions.

INTENTION SCRUB $38 — For bath, hands and feet — stimulates blood flow and circulation while imparting a feeling of lightness.

Calming, soothing and lightly detoxifying.

Made with naturally processed, solar-evaporated sea salt, hand-mined Himalayan pink sea salt, therapeutic Epsom salt, nutrient-rich coconut oil and a blend of high-quality essential oils. www.CultursMag.com

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By Miranda Blas

“Portrait of the Artist’s Father,” oil on paper, 2018

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“Portrait of the Artist’s Mother,” oil on paper, 2018

A

s a young child in Santiago, Chile, where I lived near my father’s family, I learned Spanish and English simultaneously and was always encouraged to make art. My Chilean father and American mother ran a theater company there with players from many different countries.

Later, after moving with my family to northern Colorado, I realized how this shaped me personally, culturally and artistically.

Multicultural

MUSE

A TCK painter’s cross-cultural upbringing empowers her to see beauty in juxtaposition and contrast.

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“Sunset at Bellvue,” oil on paper, 2017

My life has been marked by contrasts in language, ethnicity, culture and place. These varied textures, accents and flavors somehow highlighted artistic contrasts, like the beauty of deep shadows beneath a brilliant sunset or the vibrancy of an orange brush stroke on top of a blue one.

In painting, it’s the contrasts that supply drama, interest, balance and unity.

Similarly, my Latina and white American heritages are contrasting.

Yet they also form a beautiful unity.

This appreciation of culture and beauty led me to the Great Books program at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, N.M., USA After graduating from St. John’s, I moved to Aix-en-Provence, France, to study at the Marchutz School of Fine Art. There, I learned to put brush to canvas in a way that truly honored all of my contrasting parts.

Coming from a third-culture background prepared me to readily immerse myself in French life. As my

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Above

“Leah,” oil on canvas, 2017

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Opposite

“Santa Maria Della Salute,” oil on canvas, 2017

experiences there grew richer, so too did my knowledge of self as well as my artistic practice.

Now I paint, sculpt and teach in Philadelphia, Pa., USA. As I stand in front of a motif in the landscape or a loved one seated for a portrait, I am concerned with balancing various

Summer 2019 | www.CultursMag.com

contrasts of color and value. I work quickly and intuitively, processing my direct experience, always trying to experience joy in creation.

I also teach young children, and can only hope to help cultivate in them the sense of self that was instilled in me at a young age.

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MUST l READ

For the Love of Children An author’s unusual upbringing and international perspective sows the seeds for a new blockbuster movie.

B

aruch Inbar is an award-winning artist, illustrator, writer, designer and children’s books author.

Born in Moldovia (the former Soviet

Union), Inbar’s family immigrated to Israel

when he was 6. Due to various family

hardships, he spent many of his formative

years (ages 10 to 18) in foster care. The artist’s foster home, where many of his peers had experienced abuse and neglect, was structured much like a boarding school.

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“The foster home that raised me made me who I am today,” he says. “They also supported my education in the U.S. by providing me with a scholarship. They are like family to me, and I never forget where I come from.”

But Inbar’s upbringing also left him feeling socially isolated.

“That inspired me to write my first children’s book, “Snurtle.” The story revolves around a character who just happens to have a snail mom and a dad turtle. The author hopes that the book inspires children “to love and accept themselves as they are, no matter what.”

Miri Biton

He continues: “I value the medium of visual storytelling and mass media not just to entertain children, but also to instill in them valuable life skills that will empower and inspire them to become the best they can be and dream big.”

It follows that this author-turned-entrepreneur also founded a non-profit organization called The Blessed Children Project, which aims to empower children and youth through education about plant-based and sustainable living, creativity and the arts.

But he remains an artist at heart. His visionary re-interpretation of the classic children’s novel, “The Wind in the Willows,” attracted the attention of Disney, with which he now has a creative partnership.

Inbar’s book inspired a film, now in production at FOX 2000 (a brand within the 20th Century Fox movie studio). The project includes a $150 million budget to re-envision the story’s iconic characters and familiar landscapes.

Inbar considers himself a creative catalyst. He takes pride in helping people create conscious media and content that engages and inspires. An entrepreneur at heart, he has been involved in developing projects in animation, film, apps, toys games and theme parks, and has forged working relationships with such entertainment industry heavy-hitters as Sony, Diesel, Walmart, Plarium Games, Coca Cola and Lenny Kravitz.

Here, we focus on the two of the three children’s books Inbar authored and illustrated: “Snurtle” and “Thor the Polar Boar.” These creative treasures provide a wonderful, whimsical look into the world of being in-between, and powerful messages about identity and acceptance.

To find out more about Inbar and his work, visit ThorThePolarBoar.com or look for these titles on Amazon.

My intent was to craft a story that can inspire children to not limit themselves by their environment, community, family background, race, gender, etc., and instead envision their life dreams with solid certainty that they deserve great things for themselves and should know that their dreams are 100 percent attainable.

— Baruch Inbar

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CSU STANDS FOR INCLUSION At Colorado State University, inclusion is our heritage, our present, and our future. We’re working toward a world in which any person, regardless of background, has access to lifechanging higher education and the research and knowledge it creates.

An equal-access and equal-opportunity University

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

A to Z Guide to Embracing The Positive Aspects of Being a TCK

T

his infographic about embracing the positive aspects of being a Third Culture Kid (TCK) or Adult Third Culture Kid (ATCK), CEO of UYD Management and Diversity Consultant Tayo Rockson lists entrepreneurship as one of those positive traits. The visual depiction positions TCK entrepreneurialism by explaining,

“Your experience with all sorts of people feeds your creativity and causes you to constantly think of ways to solve problems.”

Entrepreneurship isn’t exactly like corporate work, education, small business or even not-forprofit positions: It’s a complicated mix of all of those things and more.

It’s often done with few resources, lots of stress and (hopefully) plenty of passion. There’s nothing like it, and it certainly requires resilience to do it well.

In these next pages, we laud a few of the diverse entrepreneurs who heed the call.

Source: Tayo Rockson; UYD Management

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All

Hail the

Curls Entrepreneurs Kim and Tim Lewis took their homegrown haircare brand from earning pocket change to a milliondollar business in one year.

By Donnyale Ambrosine

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People with curls and ‘locs’ have long endured inadvertent (and sometimes overt) micro-aggressions.

Increasingly, however, natural hair in all its forms is all the rage.­­ At least some of the shift is due to beauty-industry entrepreneurs like Kimberly Lewis and her husband, Tim, co-founders of CurlMix (curlmix.com), a line of clean products for curly hair. With tenacity, voracity and a few well-placed tears, the couple has grown their business from an idea to an enterprise in short order.

Their innovative take on haircare has won praise from top media and customers alike. It follows that CurlMix is on target to hit $10 million in revenue by year’s end.

TRY, TRY AGAIN Kim recalls being 6 years old when her Latin grandmother put relaxer (a chemical hair straightener) on her curls to make them easier to comb.

“My mother was so angry,” she says. “But once you put in relaxer, you can’t stop.”

As a young woman, Kim decided to explore her natural curls. She gave Tim, whom she’d dated since high-school and is now her husband, a pair of kid’s scissors and asked him to do “the big chop,” a term

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often used when cutting all relaxed hair to go natural. The result tends to be a close-cropped look that’s sometimes referred to as TWA, or teeny-weeny afro. “That was 2010, and I’ve been natural ever since,” she says.

Kim discovered that omega-3-rich flaxseed gel makes her curls soft, strong and easy to manage. But it took an episode of the ABC show “Shark Tank” for the she and Tim to formulate the idea of creating a haircare brand.

“We were watching ‘Shark Tank,’ and this woman was making cookies,” Kim recalls of one contestant’s subscription baking business pitch. “Everything was packaged individually, and it was all organic.”

That sparked the idea to create a subscription kit for individuals to make their own haircare products by providing the necessary natural ingredients.

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SLOW AND STEADY CurlMix success didn’t happen overnight.

Growth initially stagnated at about $5,000 in sales each month. It wasn’t enough, and Kim considered shutting down.

Then she talked over the problem with a business advisor.

He asked: “What’s your best-selling product?”

It was the flaxseed gel.

“Never get rid of a bestseller,” her mentor cautioned.

With renewed vigor, Kim headed to her kitchen and tested dozens of recipes for the gel before discovering a formula to her liking. A month later, she and Tim scratched all of their products except the new, ready-made gel — and subsequently enjoyed their best sales month to date.

“We scrapped everything: Content, model shoots, everything.”

After an initial surge, sales took a serious dive and Kim was forlorn. Tim remained optimistic. Staying focused and steady, within four months of the changes to their business, the couple quadrupled their best sales month and headed toward a milliondollar year. Then, in a serendipitous fullcircle moment, they landed a spot on the show that first inspired them: “Shark Tank.”

“It’s harder to get on ‘Shark Tank’ than it is to get into Harvard,” Kim says. “They pick 88 people out of 40,000.”

They taped the show in September 2018 after four months of preparation. When their episode aired in early 2019, however, it ended with the couple walking away from a proposed deal.

But they’ve never looked back.

Impressed with their turn on the show, two partnered investors — including the CEO of LinkedIn — asked if they could provide CurlMix with a cash infusion. As a result, the owners upped their investment in social media and doubled down on marketing. The business recently posted a $974,000 sales month.

Being on “Shark Tank” may have helped, but Kim believes the bulk of her company’s success is due to good old-fashioned business strategy.

LESSONS FROM A CURLY-HAIR MASTER Kim Lewis conveys her unlikely success story just as calmly as a flip of her well-coiffed hair. Here’s what she’s learned along the way.

1. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH LOVE. “Our success comes from surrounding ourselves with people who want to see us win,” Kim says. “ . . .Masterminds, advisors (and) people who hold us accountable.”

2. GO ALL IN. “From start stage to growth stage was tough,” she says. “I decided to hire only full-time people (because) we don’t need part-time effort.” Tim now works full-time for CurlMix. The company employs a team of 20 at their Chicago offices. This team makes, bottles, ships and markets the products in-house.

3. LIFE IS NOT ABOUT FUTURE SUCCESS. “The more everything happens, the more I understand how happy I am with the life I have,” Kim says. Since becoming a mother, the importance of family and living in the moment took on new meaning for this entrepreneur.

“It’s not about living for that future success. It’s about enjoying the time you have now and loving on the people around you.”

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Photos by Lexi Green — Savage Grey Studios

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Curly Hair Controversy A Puerto Rican New Yorker now living and working in Colorado takes on the haircare establishment.

By Antoinette Toscano

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rlene Rivera is owner and founder of Maxine’s Shears and Wigs, Salon and Barbershop in Fort Collins, Colo., USA. The longtime entrepreneur operated salons in Puerto Rico before relocating to the Rocky Mountains. She is a selfproclaimed “hair doctor” who believes that understanding curly and wavy hair is about more than simply knowing an individual’s ethnicity.

Classifying and then pegging “curl types” to corresponding haircare products is simply “a way

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Hair Stylist: Arlene Rivera (R), owner and founder of Maxine’s.

Model: Jessica Siggers (L). Heritage: African-American, Welsh, English, Irish, Scottish, African (Congo).

of marketing” to people who may not fully understand their waves, she says.

“So I am controversial,” adds Rivera, 55, who has been doing hair for three decades. “What the mainstream market says (about curls) is different than me.”

CULTIVATED COIF Rivera was born in New York City, where her parents were also in the salon business. Both of her parents were Puerto Rican, but one was dark-skinned and the other was fair-skinned.

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Third Culture Kid during the politically tumultuous 1960s, when she and her family relocated to her parent’s homeland.

Puerto Rico is an ethnically diverse Caribbean island that was inhabited by indigenous Amerindians prior to Christopher Columbus’ arrival there in 1493.

It endured a lengthy Spanish colonial period until Spain ceded the island to the United States in 1898 following the SpanishAmerican War. Today, Puerto Rico and its citizens are the result of decades of ethnic commingling among its Tejano natives along with the

Classifying and then pegging ‘curl types’ to corresponding haircare products is simply “a way of marketing” to people who may not fully understand their waves.

decedents of European settlers, African slaves and international immigrants.

As a child, Rivera sat quietly (at first) in her mother’s salon and soaked it all in. She observed how her mom applied her trade to creating beautiful natural hairstyles for some clients, and then recreated identical looks using wigs for other clients.

By age 6, Rivera knew she wanted to be a hairstylist and found it hard to resist the urge to give her mother styling notes.

“It’s bigger on this side, Mommy.”

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As a young adult, Rivera recognized an opportunity within the salon business to specialize in curls.

“My mother loved what she did and she did it well,” Rivera says. “So I always say that I’ve been doing hair since I was in her belly.”

She speaks with warmth and compassion about how multiethnic individuals such as herself were long forced to feel ashamed of their curly hair. She recalls the way many of her early clients said, “You’re the first stylist who didn’t shame me for my hair.”

For generations, the mainstream beauty industry treated curls as something that needed to be tamed rather than a genetic gift worth celebrating. This awoke in Rivera the desire to teach and empower her clients to grow and maintain healthy, naturally curly hair.

“The secret to being able to manage curls is more than

Models: Amy Watson (L). Heritage: English and Irish. Samantha Borrego (R). Heritage: Spanish, Mexican, Native American.

identifying what type of curl you have,” Rivera says. “We need to identify what type of hair you have. If your hair is fine, medium or coarse, it will determine what type of service” a client needs along with the best haircare products for that individual.

And those individuals are not always brown or black.

“I get Caucasian girls with highly curly hair, devastated because they don’t know what to do with it,” she says. It is common for clients to break down and cry in her chair.

NATURE KNOWS BEST Rivera quickly found there was a dearth of professional education about how to cut curls well.

Experience paired with trial-anderror taught Rivera that moisture is what curls need more than anything else. That moisture should come from natural rather than processed ingredients.

She has since gravitated toward organic products rich in aloe vera. She’s particularly fond of the Loma® Hair Care line.

“Coming from the Caribbean moisture to the dryness and altitude of the mountains changed my philosophy,” Rivera continues. “My hair got

extremely dry (after arriving in Colorado, where she moved to be closer to her adult children), and I couldn’t understand what was happening.”

Today, Maxine’s is truly a family affair. Rivera’s husband, Roberto Gomez, joined the team four years ago as a barber and loctician.

“Curls are the reason I’m here,” Rivera concludes. “I want to empower curly-hair people!”

Dive deeper to the four-part story of Rivera’s journey at Cultursmag. com/the-curl.

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Ethnic identity meets international luxury in this designer’s lush interiors.

Interior design is a form of expression of who you are. This is where my style and love for glamour and elegance manifests in a visual way.

BALTICINSPIRED BEAUTY

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eda Popoviq is a Michigan interior designer who’s originally from Albania, a small country in Southeastern Europe with deep roots dating back to around 1225 B.C. Its people are derived from an ancient tribe called the Illyrians. The name Albania was the evolution of old phrases meaning

“Land of the Eagles” and “Children of the

Eagles.” Albania’s flag is red with a two headed eagle in the center.

According to Popoviq, the Albanian language is one of the oldest independent languages in Europe.

Throughout history, she says, Albanians strongly resisted many other countries that tried in vain to conquer their homeland, a cultural gem in the Balkan region.

“We are a unique, independent culture that finds beauty in everything,” Popoviq says. “Our country is a dreamy paradise, from beautiful beaches to breath­ taking mountains and many things in between.”

That rich landscape informed Albania’s vibrant artistry. “Albanians are expressive people, whether talking fashion, music or hobbies,” Popoviq continues. With regards to the specific influences behind her own decorative eye: “We enjoy beautiful, luxurious, classy and elegant interior design.”

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opoviq says Albanians also are welcoming people who love to host guests in their homes.

“We are extra in every way,” she says.

“From the amazing ethnic food, the music and elegant homes. We have extravagant parties and weddings, and we love to drink and enjoy coffee with family and friends.”

Quite simply: “The Albanian culture is a culture that will stick with you forever.”

See more of Popoviq’s work at CultursMag.com/Baltic.

Take a deep dive into her style on Instagram @inspire_chic_decor.

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Interior design is when you are able to bring the essence of beauty and life into a space that is worth living.

• Your home should be able to tell the story of who you are without you having to speak.

I am able to combine psychology and interior design to fully understand others. I am able to inspire, transform, encourage and motivate others to strive to achieve what they believe in and what they love. When one is passionate about something, ambition and dedication prevail, which will lead to happiness.

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TECHNOLOGY

by Andrea Bazoin, M.Ed., Founder of everHuman

Living Mindfully in the Digital Age How tech leaders are learning to foster more human connection.

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movement has been brewing in the heart of Silicon Valley for the last decade.

It started, in part, with Soren Gordhamer’s imagination. Around 2006, he experienced a personal and professional low and was eking out a meager existence from a little trailer in New Mexico, USA. He had been reading a lot, and listening to Eckhart Tolle recordings. He was trying to figure out what he wanted to do next, but Tolle nudged him to ask instead, “What does life want from me?”

Then one day, Gordhamer took a walk in the desert and was struck with a bigger question: As the Digital Age progresses, will society be wise enough to maintain its humanity?

He responded to that question by writing a book, “Wisdom 2.0,” which later turned into a conference. Gordhamer realized that most everyone loves technology, and yet it still makes people crazy. He also saw there was a community of people, from both within and outside the tech world, that wants to live a more mindful and purposeful existence in the Digital Age. Now in its 10th year, many thousands of people worldwide attended the Wisdom 2.0 conference, an annual event that takes place in San Francisco.

This year, I was one of them.

The gathering includes tech leaders from the likes of Google, Twitter, Slack, Pinterest, Medium, Uber and LinkedIn, along with global mindfulness masters, wellness entrepreneurs, professors, researchers and even ordinary people who have experienced extraordinary life events. Over the span of three days, personal status seemed to melt away as the roughly 2,000 attendees shared their stories, vulnerabilities and life lessons.

What follows are lessons I took away from Wisdom 2.0.

“Look for microcompassions, not just microaggressions.”

—Jack Kornfield, Wisdom Teacher

Many of us today have become overwhelmed by the daily bombardment of doomand-gloom, most often delivered by a screen. We are filled with fear about global warming, war, terrorist violence, mass shootings, sexual assault, disease and more.

We need reminders to notice all of the good that is rising to meet these challenges, both within and around us.

Jay Shetty, viral content creator, advised Wisdom 2.0 attendees to: “Share good, follow good, and create good.”

Famed cinematographer and producer Louie Schwartzberg left us awestruck with scenes from his forthcoming film, “Fantastic Fungi.” He reminded us that, “Mother Nature doesn’t waste a single molecule, and only uses what she needs.”

And doctors John and Julie Gottman, who co-founded The Gottman Institute and are renowned relationship experts, reassured us that when it comes to our most intimate

relationships, “Repairing is as good as it gets.” The couple also encouraged us to learn to “love better over time.”

Many Wisdom 2.0 attendees spend their days inside a sort of tech-industry bubble. So it came as such a surprise when Ev Williams, co-Founder of Twitter as well as the founder of Blogger and Medium, recounted to David Simas, CEO of the Obama Foundation, his lessons from growing up on a farm outside of Clarks, Neb., USA (population 364).

He recalled buying Issue No. 2 of Wired magazine at the Conestoga Mall in nearby Grand Island in 1993, and the sudden surge of connection he felt to the burgeoning tech world. Not only did this farm kid go on to change the narrative about tech founders, but in a very real sense, his observations apply to anyone alive during this Digital Age.

LOOK FOR GOOD, NO MATTER HOW SMALL In one instance, attendee Amy Giddon took something as small as a sticky note on a subway wall and is now turning it into an app called Daily Haloha (dailyhaloha. com). She explained that in the fall of 2016, in the days following the election of President Donald Trump, she emerged from a train in New York City to find a blanket of

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sticky notes with messages of hope, connection and humanity.

This “Subway Therapy” worked because it was a tiny glimpse into the vulnerabilities of thousands of strangers.

Now, Amy is launching an app that will allow people to share responses to heart-centered prompts without the judgement traps often experienced through social media. Through her app, she shines a spotlight on microcompassion.

“Conflict is a generative force.”

— Richard Strozzi-Heckler, architect of Embodied Leadership

Few words have been uttered more in the Trump Era than the word “divided.” The American political landscape has pushed people into like-minded hives.

They either become deeply entrenched in that hive, or they disengage altogether.

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Neither strategy helps solve pressing community or global problems. It may not seem like it, but there are infinitely more options than these.

From the Wisdom 2.0 main stage, John Gable, CEO of AllSides.com, and Joan Blades, co-Founder of LivingRoomConversations.org, passed along tremendous tools for stepping outside of our bubbles and into civil discourse with others from across the ideological spectrum. They pointed out that tribalism often leads to other-ism, and encouraged us instead to courageously move toward connection.

None demonstrated the courage of connection more than the panelists from Parkland, Fla., USA, who experienced the terror of a mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School.

Fred Guttenberg, father of 14-year-old shooting victim Jamie Guttenberg, spoke about the tragic and unlikely bond shared by the 17 families who lost loved ones.

“We hate the fact that we know each other,” he said. “But we love each other anyway.”

Shelly Tygielsky, Broward County community organizer, explained the way so many in the community channeled their grief into action.

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“Grief is just love with nowhere to go,” she said. “When we channel a place for the love to go, we start the journey to healing.”

Educator Ivy Schamis continues to teach her students to be ‘upstanders,’ not just bystanders, and insisted to us all that “pain should not be wasted.”

Chelsea Handler and Dan Siegel

Andrea Bazoin

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Andrea Bazoin

Below (L to R): Bradley Horowitz of Google, Candice Morgan of Pinterest, Jules Walter of Slack, and Nancy Douyon of Uber

Courtesy of Andrea Bazoin

Right: Columnist Andrea Bazoin (R), with fellow conference attendee Amy Hong (L)

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ancy Douyon is one of Silicon Valley’s rising stars. She was born in the U.S. while her Haitian family had been on a tourist Visa.

She and her family returned to Haiti, where she spent her early years on a farm.

By age 8, she needed better educational resources than her home country could afford. She moved to the United States where she proceeded to live in several different foster homes before turning 18. This could have been the beginning of a sad story but instead, the experience became jet fuel for Douyon’s growth.

She was helped along the way

by MIT Professor Mitchel Resnick, who ran a program teaching tech skills to inner city youth.

“My saving grace through foster care was just playing around with tech stuff,” she said.

“I got a very, very early start.”

“Learn to change the narrative.”

— Nancy Douyon, human experience designer, Uber

Andrea Bazoin

Students Alex Alhanti and Alayah Eastmond described their experiences of courageously responding to what happened by organizing March For Our Lives.

“When we weren’t busy, we had each other. [It didn’t matter that] each of the individuals were from different groups (or) different cliques.”

At the start of her career, Douyon did what she could to fit in and code switch to be accepted.

But, she explained, “After I couldn’t do the ‘bro’ thing, I had to recognize my own worthiness.

I had the talent, and here I was spending my entire life trying to prove my value to folks.”

At one point in her career, after a painful “last straw” incident of racial and gender bias at a major tech company, she made a silent pact with herself.

“From that moment on, I decided I was going to be seen.

And, if you’re going to see me, I’m going to leverage the hell out of that. [I’m going to wear] bright colors, big hair, different weaves — you won’t recognize me from one day to the next. If you have to keep asking to see my badge, well guess what, I will switch it up, wear glasses, trick you up to make sure you know that black people do work here.”

Today, she says, “I’ve gotten to a point that I decided the truth of my worth cannot be argued with.

I’ve decided to honor my truth, my mind. I understand people will see me and not recognize my value when I walk into a room.

But, I’m blessed to enter rooms my ancestors never had an opportunity to walk into.

I understand there is implicit and unconscious bias, but by the time I leave this room, all of you will know who I am. And, hopefully this will shift the way you see other people like me.”

Nancy Douyon

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AUTO

E

Story & photography by Angelia D. McGowan

Too Cool for Driving School A high-altitude auto demonstration imparts patience and a reminder to enjoy the view.

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arlier this year, I was invited to

participate in the Colorado Winter

Driving Encounter in Georgetown, Colo., USA. I didn’t know what to expect except that it would be cold, and I would need to dress properly.

By far, the highlight of the event was the thrill of getting behind the wheel of a vehicle parked atop a frozen alpine lake.

Rocky Mountain Redline, the producers of the event, provided snacks, cozy hand warmers and Yaktrax shoe attachments to prevent us from falling on ice while walked to the demonstration.

Never in my wildest dreams did this Texas, USA native imagine she would be doing something like this. But I did: I went to a lake to drive — not to boat, fish or water ski. My goal once I got behind the wheel: Avoid hitting anything on the driving course and listen carefully to the professional driver who sat in the passenger’s seat of each vehicle to coach me around the cones.

A newcomer to this event, I took it slow at first. Muscle memory and fear of sliding had me creeping along the course. “You can speed up at any time,” my coach said calmly on more than a couple of occasions. He wanted to offer reassurance, but at least

once I glimpsed a sneaky smile and daring expression that said: “Hit the gas!” There was, after all, enough distance between each vehicle to ensure our safety. And so what if I hit a cone?

I learned a lot about winter driving techniques, like the way wheels and tires can react on slick terrain, as well as the capabilities of the vehicles on hand for the demonstration.

Some of my fellow journalists were captured in action by videographer Nathan Leach-Proffer in the following vehicles: Buick Envision, Jeep Wrangler Sahara, Mercedez Benz C300, Toyota RAV4, Dodge Challenger GT, Honda Passport.

I also learned to practice patience, and to enjoy the view while driving on a frozen lake.

Vehicles lined up during the Winter Driving Encounter, which included driving on the frozen Georgetown Lake in Georgetown, Colo., USA. Summertime felt like a lifetime away.

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By Donnyale Ambrosine; Photography by Tommy McMillion

ROOTED IN

HEALTH

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dventure, exploration and information: These form the foundation of The 4 to 5 Club, Dorian Gregory and Nichole Cruz’s new podcast and website focused on health and wellness.

Gregory is an actor and producer best-known for the TV shows “Charmed,” “The Lurking Man” and “Baywatch Nights.” Cruz is a fitness enthusiast and lifelong athlete who

An inquisitive Domestic TCK (DTCK) couple reveals how relationships are the key to great health.

trained for the Junior Olympics, attended university on a track scholarship and competed in fitness competitions. The two came together through a shared health journey and common interests.

MORE THAN JUST ‘A COUPLE’ Each of them grew up in various areas around the United States: Gregory in Washington D.C., Cleveland and Los Angeles; Cruz in Indiana, Virginia, Ohio and Colorado.

As adults living and working in Los Angeles, the two realized they shared a similar lifestyle: They both love to exercise and consider the ins-and-outs of nutrition. They began exploring health and wellness together.

“It became fun… a bonding experience,” Cruz says.

Now the couple is plant-based and use their health routine to extract the most out of life. “Health fuels everything,” Gregory says.

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Health fuels everything, Gregory says.

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The next logical step was to share the joy of their exploration through a shared business venture. The 4 to 5 Club name came from the idea of starting the day with health. Just awake between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. and, literally, get moving.

“I think it’s one of the easiest ways to start your day” focused on health, says Gregory, who adds that The 4 to 5 Club is about more than going to the gym. “It’s really about getting out there and creating memories and being fully engaged in those memories.”

Here are some additional insights from this team that walks the path of health-based entrepreneurship.

What tips do you have for other entrepreneurs?

Stay the course. Entrepreneurship looks great from the outside in but it’s hard work that requires stamina and persistence. Stay focused. Connect with like-minded people who can be a source of support. It can be a lonely journey. Having others around you who can identify with your struggles, challenges and successes, will provide comfort that you’ll need to push forward. Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint.

Can you share any tips for couples who may want to be entrepreneurs together?

Just like anything else, practice patience and listening. Respecting each other’s different perspectives on how to marry the two. How you find common ground and balance that?

How did you begin your entrepreneurial journey with The 4 to 5 Club, and why do you think it’s necessary in the crowded fitness market?

We come from a place of organic sharing almost like listening to a friend’s conversation. Everything starts with health, including happiness. We are just young and old enough to truly understand the importance it plays and how it affects every aspect and stage of life. We hope to be a top option for those who want an experiential inquisitive perspective from a male and female point-of-view.

Our hope is that we broaden awareness and trigger people to do or explore something new.

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What’s been the most rewarding?

The most rewarding part is continually pushing ourselves to see what’s out there and become a resource for people who want to know more. We are learning with you, and most often the newness of the moment has a unique intrinsic value.

What makes what you do different than other health and wellness media?

It’s not about being different. The key is finding what resonates with you. Just like happiness; there is no real manual for that. If you’re interested in health and happiness, give us a minute and the enjoyment of that moment will bring you back for more.

Get more from the story: visit CultursMag.com/rooted Check out the podcast at the4to5Club.com

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Basketball star Erin Buescher Perperoglou was an allAmerican kid who grew up to lead a culturally fluid life.

By Alexa Vujaklija

ports fans might be tempted to view Erin Buescher Perperoglou as a collection of impressive stats: During more than 2,500 minutes in 150 WNBA games, including nine playoff games, Perperoglou scored nearly 900 career points and accumulated 500 rebounds.

But off the court, Perperoglou is a globe-trotting multilingual media personality and burgeoning entrepreneur who delights in intercultural connection. She’s also the mother of three Third Culture Kids whose family has lived in Greece, Turkey, Spain, Israel and Serbia.

BASKETBALL BECKONS Born and raised in San Francisco, Calif., Perperoglou was an average girl who loved basketball and surfing.

She began traveling as a college athlete and then later as a professional basketball player.

“As a child, I didn’t want to travel,” she says. “I loved my home, and I was very much a homebody… I loved America.”

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Then, at age 22, after a successful college basketball career, Perperoglou visited Costa Rica during a family vacation. She fell in love with the country, seduced by a carefree lifestyle in which days were spent surfing and exploring the rainforest. She became fluent in Spanish, and stayed long enough to be considered a local.

“Costa Rica was a dream. It became my home,” she says.

“I don’t know why or how, but they really accepted me into their culture; into their world.”

She continued to play basketball and traveled during the off-season. She planned to build a house in Costa Rica. She purchased land and had it cleared.

A devout Christian, she dreamt of building a place there to support impoverished and underprivileged girls.

Then, Perperoglou received a phone call that changed her life.

APHRODITE TAKES HOLD She was invited to play basketball in Greece for two months. She hesitated, feeling tethered to her dream of making an impact in Costa Rica.

“Surfing was my passion.

I was a hippie in the middle of a jock world, and I felt suffocated by traditional sports,” she says.

“I didn’t even like basketball, even though I was really good at it.”

She begrudgingly accepted an offer to play basketball in Athens.

To her surprise, she became enamored of Greece, its people and its culture. She also met the love of her life, Stratos Perperoglou, a fellow baller.

“We played for the same team,” she recalls. “I remember the first time I saw him on the court. I loved his humility. He was very quiet, shy, and hardworking.”

‘HOME IS A PERSON’ Perperoglou eventually sold her land in Costa Rica and returned to Greece to marry. She retired from basketball after eight seasons in the WNBA, which included a couple of very serious injuries.

After basketball, she dabbled in broadcasting and column writing.

She also continued to root for her husband, who now plays basketball for the Spanish ACB League team FC Barcelona.

“I thought Costa Rica was my home,” she says. “But I realized that home is not a place. When two souls connect, home becomes a person.”

This is part one in a series. In part two, Perperoglous shares pearls of wisdom gleaned from running a multicultural household, raising three Third Culture Kids, and doing it all as an international nomad.

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Culturs coverage of the 2019 Oscars and Roger Neal After Party provided access to your favorite TCK and Cross Culture Kid Celebrities.

ABC live telecast of The 91st Oscars® took place at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. on Sunday, February 24.

For more behind the scenes photos of the 2019 Oscars, visit CultursMag.com/2019-Oscars

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Matt Petit / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Left: Actress Angela Bassett (“Black Panther”) and Spanish Domestic TCK Javier Bardem (“Skyfall”)

Jennifer Lopez, backstage

Matt Petit / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Aaron Poole / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Aaron Poole / ©A.M.P.A.S.

BEHIND THE SCENES

THE OSCARS

Biracial South African-Swedish entertainer Trevor Noah, host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”

Below: (L to R) Obba Babatundé (“Miss Evers Boys,” CBS’s “The Bold and The Beautiful”), KiKi Shepard (“It’s Showtime at the Apollo”), Irish Marilyn Monroe tribute artist Kassandra Carroll, Culturs Publisher Doni, and Entrepreneur Spaulding Settle.

Gerald Ambrosine

COVER SHOOT Tommy McMillion

Gerald Ambrosine

Tommy McMillion

The Culturs team had a great time behind-thescenes of the photo shoot for our entrepreneurshipthemed, first anniversary issue! Photographer Tommy McMillion, Makeup Artist and Stylist Sedriqe Olison, Managing Editor Elana Ashanti Jefferson, Set Assistant Antoinette Toscano, and Culturs founder Doni shared a few laughs with cover models London Brown, Nichole Cruz and Dorian Gregory, along with our podcast partner, VLNetwork CEO Traciana Graves. We hope you enjoy the result as much as we enjoyed creating it..

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