Issue 33 Face the Current by Face the Current

Issue 33

fAce the current TRAVEL

CULTURE

MUSIC

SPORTS & FITNESS

HEALTH

Pushing the Limits of Human Flight w i t h M i l e s Da i s h e r & A m b e r F o r t e Holistic Approach to Health Care & Self Care with Renowned expert Andrew Weil, M.D.

Dive into the music behind Chart Topping SHAED & Mat Kearney

For People & The Planet: Eco & Ethical Taylor Stitch, The Root Collective & 528 by Crystals for Humanity

Fuel for an inspired life.

From Bang Bang to Bali: The Energetic Flow of Master Tattoo Artist, Balazs Bercsenyi

Editorial

MISSION DRIVEN BRANDS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

fAce the current Issue 33

Connect With Us... @facethecurrent www.facethecurrent.com ADVERTISEMENT AND SPONSOR INQUIRIES www.facethecurrent.com/advertise Sasha Frate, Founder & Editor in Chief sasha@facethecurrent.com Ty Johnson, Creative Director ty@facethecurrent.com

All Rights Reserved DISCLAIMER The information provided in this magazine is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider.

Cover Image Credits: • Front cover. Miles Daisher: Red Bull Content Pool • Back cover: Lyes K

FACE the CURRENT MAGAZINE

Opinions and other statements expressed by the kind souls sharing their viewpoint, users and third parties are theirs alone, not opinions of Face the Current. Content created by third parties is the sole responsibility of the third parties and its accuracy and completeness are not endorsed or guaranteed. Face the Current Website and third parties may provide links to web pages, web sites, and various resources or locations on the web. Face the Current has no control over the information you access via such links, does not endorse that information, and shall not be responsible for it or for the consequences of your use of that information. All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Face the Current may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this magazine.

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FtC TEAM

Sasha Frate Founder & Editor-in-Chief Sasha is a perspective seeker, adventurer, and explorer. She received her Master’s Degree in Liberal Arts and continues to study a variety of subjects within and outside of the academic setting. Sasha brings her personal moonshot approach to life to FtC, aiming to provide an experience for our global community where we inspire one another to stay curious, never stop exploring, and to live with purpose and to our potential.

sasha@facethecurrent.com Face the Current is an awardwinning aspirational and inspirational magazine and fastgrowing digital destination for all those seeking purposeful, conscious, and connected living. With a double meaning, Face the Current is about living in the now (in the current moment) while also facing life and all it brings as we aspire to be our potential and live with purpose. Launched with a simple yet powerful mission, Face the Current strives to be more than just a magazine as we work to create a ripple-effect of positive change. Why? Face the Current believes that media can be purpose-driven and inspiring, so we committed to fostering a sense of interconnectedness in the world. We showcase the very best in people while building connections between family, friends, ourselves, the environment, food, places and to life itself.

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Ainsley Schoppel Co-Editor-in-Chief

Ainsley is a classical pianist, former figure skater, and loves summers at the lake in northern Ontario. She holds an honors BA in Psychology and Arts & Business, and also earned a graduate degree in Hospitality and Business Management while working at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. After working in Toronto on published women-focused research, she moved outside the city to raise her family. While home with her son, she indulges her love of the written word with freelance editing.

ainsley@facethecurrent.com

Sema Garay Executive Designer Sema is the graphic designer behind the development of the image and magazine of Face the Current. He has developed a multitude of projects, including his previous job leading the Creative Department of BG Life Magazine, in Marbella, Spain. Sema graduated with a Masters Degree in Architecture at ETSA of Sevilla and is proficient in a wide range of design software. He is passionate about all kinds of artistic expressions, and when not active behind the scenes of Face the Current design, you’re likely to find him playing music for Beach Grooves Global Radio or local venues along the Costa del Sol.

sema@facethecurrent.com

Ty Johnson

Creative Director Ty works alongside the founding team to further project development, business strategy and content coordination. Ty received his graduate degree in Political Science from Tulane University while playing baseball. In his last season of competition, Ty led the nation in triples and was selected as the most impressive senior in the American Athletic Conference. He has brought his great team building skills and cooperative mentality over to Face The Current where he hopes to help us improve our social outreach and overall impact. Ty loves people, animals, and spending as much time as possible outdoors.

ty@facethecurrent.com

Issue 33 CONTRIBUTORS

We are a growing team of Up-Standers whose intention is to create positive change in the world through networking, connecting, supporting, and developing our global thought-community at both an individual and a collective level. We are passionate about building our crew of experts and industry leaders to deliver cuttingedge information that is created “by our global community, for our global community.” This issue’s FtC team and contributing crew are based in the U.S, Spain, Canada, and Australia.

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS The world is constantly evolving as we discover new information and technologies, and as creatures of curiosity, we humans try our best to observe and understand the many mysteries of our universe— including those in our own lives. This issue is a testament to the many lessons that can be learned from the experience and knowledge of others. The individuals and groups in this publication truly embody the potential of the human spirit and underscore the sense of connection that brings meaning to life. World-record holder Amber Forte and Miles Daisher take human flight to the next level, accomplishing seemingly impossible and exhilarating jumps through our atmosphere. These athletes are superior examples of the tremendous mental and physical capabilities of the human body and mind, and their positive and energetic personalities shine through in our conversations. Face the Current also spoke with indie-pop’s charttopping band, SHAED, and the amazingly talented and successful Mat Kearney. They give us an inside perspective on the adaptations the music industry has made as they navigate the challenges of the global pandemic. Dr. Andrew Weil gives us his take on holistic healthcare and selfcare. This information is so incredibly important as we try to stay ahead in the evolutionary battle with viruses and bacteria. As this season kicks off with a little extra appreciation for Earth in April, we share the critical relationship between people and the planet by highlighting enduring, modern, eco, and ethical brands Taylor Stitch, Root Collective, and 528 by Crystals for Humanity. Plus, we’ve gathered the perfect inspiration to bring more green into your life with plant-lovers who’ve curated a variety of vibrant options just for you. Master tattoo artist, Balazs Bercsenyi, shares the secrets and inspiration behind his energetic flow and unique artistic style. From design to application, every tattoo in Balazs’ catalogue is the result of a unique connection and experience with his clients. Community in Action recognizes people that are making an effort to build a brighter future. In this issue we spotlight the efforts of Okurut George, a man bringing relief and relaxation to children in Africa by teaching yoga and dance. Face the Current exists to inspire and unite a community of likeminded global citizens interested in growing as individuals and as a unified collective. By working together, we can elevate each other with our unique experiences and stories, and forever be mindful of the way we live.

Thomas Van Deven, D.O.

is an osteopathic physician dual board certified in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. He identifies root causes of disease with deep listening, evaluating the structure and function of the physical body, flow of subtle energy, and conventional and specialty lab testing. Treatment is equally multidimensional, precise and efficient. Dr. Van Deven has a private practice in Anacortes, WA, where he provides a synergistic blend of Osteopathic, Functional, and Energy Medicine. www.drvandeven.com

Dr. Jim Bentz, D.C.

is a Chiropractor, Speaker, Health Coach & Educator, Trainer & the US Leading Practitioner in Neurological Integration System (NIS), a method of restoring communication between the brain and body based on the principle that the brain monitors every cell in the body. He has been in clinical Chiropractic practice since 1985, and has been using NIS as his primary modality since 1997. NIS is a system that incorporates ancient eastern medicine practices with current neuroscience and promotes self- healing through detection and correction of signaling disruption in the nervous system. www.fidalgoislandhealthcenter.com www.facebook.com/drjimbentz

Lisa Guy

is a well-respected Australian naturopath, author and passionate foodie, with over 18 years clinical experience. Lisa runs a naturopathic clinic called ‘Art of Healing’ and is an avid health writer and recipe developer for leading publications. Lisa is also the founder of Bodhi Organic Tea, an award winning herbal tea company who makes beautiful unique tea blends all naturopathically blended to enhance health and wellbeing. artofhealing.com.au

-Ty Johnson, Creative Director & Editor www.facethecurrent.com

issue 33 CONTENT

Pushing the Limits of Human Flight with Red Bull Air Force Athlete Miles Daisher

Taylor Stitch And The Root Collective

Master Tattoo Artist, Balazs

travel 08. Setting the Tone: Impalpable Magic of Travels with Lyes Kachaou 14. EIGHT Holistic Health Hacks for Air-Travel in Times of COVID

culture 20. For People & the Planet: Enduring, Modern, and Ethical Apparel by Taylor Stitch And The Root Collective 28. Five Instagram Profiles to Follow to #Greenyourfeed

Mat Kearney: On Making Music, Crafting Connections, and the Natural Flow of January Flower 6 FACE the CURRENT MAGAZINE

32. From Bang Bang to Bali: Connecting with the Energetic Flow of Master Tattoo Artist, Balazs 38. Community In Action Spotlight: Okurut George inspires positive change through his teachings of yoga and dance in Africa

music 40. Mat Kearney: On Making Music, Crafting Connections, and the Natural Flow of January Flower

FtC Issue 33

Flying High with Modern Day Superhuman Amber Forte

A Holistic Approach to Healthcare and Self-Care with Renowned Expert, Andrew Weil, M.D.

44. Golden SHAED: Taking a High Dive with Indie Pop’s Electrifying Billboard-Topping Trio

sports & fitness 48. Getting to Know Triathlon and Multi-Sport Professional Endurance Champion, Braden Currie 54. Flying High with Modern Day Superhuman Amber Forte 60. Pushing the Limits of Human Flight with Red Bull Air Force Athlete Miles Daisher

health 66. Luxurious and Interactive Self-Care Jewelry: Setting Intentions with the 528 Line by Crystals for Humanity 70. A Holistic Approach to Healthcare and Self-Care with Renowned Expert, Andrew Weil, M.D. 76. Pheno-Age: The New Science of Aging

Luxurious and Interactive Self-Care Jewelry 528 Line by Crystals for Humanity www.facethecurrent.com 7

FtC travel

Setting the Tone: Impalpable Magic of Travels with Lyes Kachaou By Sasha Frate Born and raised in the southeast of France, Lyes Kachaou found inspiration in the natural beauty of his surroundings. Now a professional outdoor photographer, Lyes travels the world to explore remote places and live real adventures. Having recently worked with international brands such as Canon, Monster Energy, Sony Mobile, and Philips to help him tell a compelling story through his photos, Lyes also works through commissioned photography projects to create content and social media promotion as he continues to find unique and spectacular angles of the land and sea. Through his lens, every wave and snow-dusted mountain peak crests and rolls with an impalpable magic.

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Sasha Frate:You take a “moody tones” and evocative approach with your photography. Why do you like/prefer this perspective for your photos? Lyes Kachaou: I always say that “I don’t like blue skies”, but it’s not entirely true. I don’t like shooting at noon when it’s a sunny day because there is too much contrast. When it’s cloudy, everything becomes dramatic and the textures of the landscape pop out. I find it way more beautiful and peaceful because no one is out when it’s not sunny. SF: Where is home for you, and has spending more time there made you appreciate your home more, or has it only instilled a greater sense of wanderlust? LK: I’m from France, and I was based on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea since last November. My wife and I moved to Reunion Island—it’s in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Moving to a tropical island 6000 miles from friends and our families was a huge change. My last trip was last March in Morocco and it doesn’t seem like so long ago. The adaptation to a new lifestyle is definitely the reason. Now, I can’t wait to travel again when it is possible. SF: You’ve captured some amazing waterfalls in Ile de la Reunion. Can you share a bit about this particular trip? And, besides this location, where is another favorite spot for the “most epic” or “fun” waterfalls that you’ve visited? LK: Reunion is such a unique place and also has so many similarities with Hawaii. Both are volcanic islands separated by 10,000 miles, but the

magma that erupted to create them has the same composition. This is one of the main reasons why we moved here; we feel like we live in Hawaii. There are thousands of different waterfalls here—some of them are ephemeral and they only last a day after a rainstorm. It’s incredible to discover secret waterfalls that only locals know, and my favorite is located in the Takamaka Valley. It’s only visible by helicopter and accessible by canyoning. Another epic waterfall with a viewpoint accessible for everyone is Langevin waterfall.

SF: The cliffs and ridges of Hawaii’s islands never get old. They look like something “out of this world”; untouched and so wild in form and beauty. Aerial shots seem to capture this terrain the best, and you have a great series from the islands. What type of aerial adventures did you take to capture the visual story, and what were some of the “behind the scenes” adventures of your story as you experienced it all first-hand?

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LK: It’s so beautiful there that my wife almost cried when she first saw the Napali Coast. The day before our helicopter flight, we went on a catamaran trip and we saw these huge cliffs and sharp ridges. I immediately knew that the pictures would be incredible, and I was so excited by the flight that I couldn’t

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get some sleep. I chose to wait for the sunset and have the plane doors off so as not to have the reflection of the windows. The main risk of doing it late during the day is that the clouds can block the view, but no risk no reward, right? It was by far one of the best moments of my life.

SF: You had an amazing opportunity to swim with dolphins in Hawaii’s oceans. Do you often do underwater photography, and how did the dolphins respond to your interaction and the camera?

and it went really well. This is something that I want to do more in the future, for sure. SF: A couple of years ago, you shared that your top four “bucket list” locations were Iceland, Lofoten, Dolomites, and Kauai. How did visiting these places help to shape/ inform your next bucket list, and what places are on that list? LK: I mostly traveled for photography assignments on the west side of the world. I love the cold weather and the high mountains, and I went multiple times to Iceland, Lofoten, and the Dolomites; these places feels like home. I was not attracted to warm weather in the past, but Kauai made me change my mind. I would not have imagined living on a tropical island in shorts all year. If I had to pick three new places for the next trips, I would choose Thailand, Indonesia, and New Zealand. And I’m definitely going back to Namibia to explore the desert! LK: It felt really peaceful to swim with the dolphins. We were guided by a certified marine biologist and she explained to us that when the dolphins rest during the morning, half of their brain is sleeping and the other half is focused on following the leader who is in charge of being aware of potential predators. She told us not to swim towards them but

wait for them to come close to us if they felt comfortable. They went back and forth close to us, and it’s really incredible to spend time watching another magnificent species.

That was my first time doing underwater photography with a real camera in an underwater housing,

SF: You’ve visited a lot of Insta-famous destinations around the world, yet you’ve managed to capture some beautiful and unique takes on these heavily photographed spots! Do you have any specific personal guidelines, techniques, or “tricks” for creating something new out of the otherwise “overdone”? www.facethecurrent.com

LK: The insta-famous destinations are well-known for a reason— they are beautiful! The big trap in photography is to be influenced too much by what you see. We all have a different way of seeing the world and all this incoming information is leading us to the same way of taking pictures. If I gave a camera to five

people in a spot that they had never seen before on social media, they will bring to the table five amazing different pictures. What I’m trying to explain here is that I’m trying to keep my perspective and my way to watch things. Sometimes a zoomed detail in the landscape is more powerful than the overdone perspective that

you have seen millions of times. “Try to find your style” is the best advice that I can give to an upcoming artist. For me, I like to bring a human touch to my photography to get a visual scale of the landscape and share the freedom I feel when I’m outside on an adventure. SF: Some of your adventures

“

The insta-famous destinations are well-known for a reason—they are beautiful! The big trap in photography is to be influenced too much by what you see. We all have a different way of seeing the world and all this incoming information is leading us to the same way of taking pictures. ‘Try to find your style’ is the best advice that I can give to an upcoming artist. For me, I like to bring a human touch to my photography to get a visual scale of the landscape and share the freedom I feel when I’m outside on an adventure.

“

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look like they’re not exactly for the faint of heart. Arriving to some of these incredible sites often requires a lot of prep and extensive trekking.Yet others appear less remote and challenging, and are rather accessible. Can you share your most challenging-to-access and surprisingly accessible favorite spots you’ve traveled to? LK: There are so many places that are gifted by the beauty of the landscape and you can be amazed just by driving on the road. The west side of the U.S., Norway, and Iceland are incredible for people who don’t enjoy trekking with heavy backpacks. Some spots in the Alps are relatively accessible and also feel remote. With one hour of hiking, you will be in the wild. The most challenging activity that I have done was when I went to a remote frozen waterfall in the Alps for a mountain gear company campaign. It took us two hours of hiking in deep snow and five hours of taking pictures on a rope forty-five feet from the ground. Of course, it was another two hours back to the parking lot in the dark. It was such a unique experience; the only noise was the sound of the crampons and the ice axes. SF: In a “Covid world”, what would you say are your top three to five places to “get lost”, wander, and explore in nature? And in a world where Covid has subsided, what are your top three places to connect, meet, and learn about local cultures from/with the locals? LK: In a “Covid world” where we can travel, I would go back to Norway, Iceland, and Canada to get lost in the wild. It’s easy to be alone there. Going back to Namibia to see the wildlife would be incredible, too. If Covid disappears, I would go back to Morocco to enjoy a homemade mint tea and a tajine (typical meal) with locals. I’d also make my way to Portugal—everyone is friendly and you can easily share the local culture.

ymore info: https://lyesk.com www.instagram.com/lyesk www.facethecurrent.com

FtC travel

EIGHT Holistic Health Hacks for

Air-Travel in Times of COVID By Lisa Guy, naturopath and founder of Bodhi Organic Tea There has never been a more important time to look at ways to stay healthy and safe while travelling. Air travel during COVID times has brought increased health risks and challenges, so it’s important to be prepared and organised before you set off on your next trip. HERE ARE EIGHT HOLISTIC HEALTH HACKS TO HELP MAKE YOUR FLIGHT A SAFER AND HEALTHIER ONE: 1. IMMUNE BOOSTING SUPPLEMENTS Leading up to your flight, start taking immuneboosting supplements that contain nutrients and herbs that help bolster your body’s immune defences. Take these supplements with you on the plane to also have while travelling. Some of the best immune-enhancing nutrients include vitamins C, D, and A, zinc and selenium, and herbs such as echinacea, astragalus, andrographis, olive leaf, and garlic. Medicinal mushrooms such as cordyceps, lion’s mane, maitake, shitake, reishi, turkey tail, and chaga are also excellent choices.You can take a sachet of a healthy hot chocolate with medicinal mushrooms to have with hot water on the flight.

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2. DIY HAND SANITIZER As we all know, good hand hygiene is a must when you’re travelling to help prevent the spread of COVID—especially when you’re going through airports and on planes. Wash your hands often for at least twenty seconds whenever you can, particularly after touching surfaces and before eating. When you can’t wash your hands, use a hand sanitiser. Travel-size hand sanitisers are a must for flying! You can easily make your own using four simple ingredients: alcohol (70-99%), aloe vera gel to help nourish your skin and reduce the drying effects of alcohol, hydrogen peroxide to preserve your spray, and essential oils for aroma. Some essential oils with anti-microbial properties include lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree, citrus, thyme, and rosemary. Ingredients using 90% alcohol: 250 ml 99% rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol 60 ml aloe vera gel 3 drops essential oil of your choice 20 ml hydrogen peroxide Ingredients using 70% alcohol: (If you’re using a 70% alcohol, make sure you don’t dilute it by more than 10% or it may not be as effective at killing COVID.) 300 ml 70% alcohol 5 ml aloe vera gel 3 drops essential oil of choice 20 ml hydrogen peroxide Method: Combine all ingredients in a jar and transfer the mixture to a clean spray bottle. Make sure you properly label your hand sanitiser. To use the spray, cover all of your hands well in sanitizer and rub it into your skin until your hands are dry.You can use this spray to sanitise surfaces around you on the plane, too.

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3: STAY HYDRATED Make sure you have plenty of water with you on the flight to keep well hydrated because plane travel is extremely dehydrating. Travel with an eco-friendly water bottle that you can fill up at designated filling stations.You can even take a sachet of your favourite super greens powder to supercharge your water. (Super greens like seaweeds, broccoli sprouts, wheat grass, and spirulina deliver immune-boosting compounds.)

4: PROTECTIVE HERBAL TEAS A soothing cup of tea can make a long flight more bearable, so pack some immune-strengthening herbal tea bags for the flight and bring your own reusable collapsible travel cup. Some good options include ginger, echinacea, rosehip, and elderberries. Green or matcha teas are also rich in antioxidants that have immuneboosting properties.You can even add tea bags to your water bottle for a cold tea infusion.

5: PACK HEALTHY SNACKS Avoid unhealthy sugar-coated dried fruits and pack nourishing snacks in reusable bags. Stock up on healthy in-flight snacks such as hummus with wholegrain or flax crackers, veggie sticks, fresh or freeze-dried fruit, seaweed, kale chips, or roasted chickpeas. (Be mindful to use a three-ounce container for your hummus or it will be confiscated by airport security.) Raw or dry roasted nuts and seeds also make an excellent protein-rich snack, and you can add some sundried fruit to make a trail mix. Plant-based protein powder sachets are also handy to take on flights to mix with water for a quick nutritious snack.

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RECIPES FOR HEALTHY SNACKS: HEALTHY GRANOLA COOKIES Healthy snacks are hard to find at airports and are rarely served on flights. Avoid eating sugary granola bars and breakfast bars and instead bring some healthy homemade granola cookies instead. Eating too much sugar affects the functioning of your immune system, which can make you more vulnerable to infections. Sunflower Seed Granola Cookies Ingredients: 2 cups rolled oats 1 cup almond meal 3 heaping tbsp sunflower seeds 1 cup shredded coconut 1/4 cup cold pressed coconut oil 8 medjool dates, deseeded 3 tbsp raw honey 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or essence 1/4 heaping cup sunflower seed butter or almond butter Method: Preheat your oven to 150°C and line a cookie tray with parchment paper. Place all ingredients in your food processor and blend until mixture is well combined and sticks together when pressed with fingers. If your mixture is too crumbly, add a little extra sunflower seed butter. Make twenty-four cookies by forming a ball with a couple spoonfuls of the mixture. Flatten out on a cookie sheet or press mixture down into the holes of a cupcake pan. Place in the oven to bake for 1820 minutes until cookies are a light golden colour. Allow cookies to completely cool before eating, and store in the fridge.

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HOMEMADE BLISS BALLS These nutritious strawberry bliss balls are packed with plant-based protein and dietary fibre to help give you a sense of fullness and satiety. They make a healthy alternative to chocolates and sweets when you get the munchies during your flight. Strawberry Bliss Balls Ingredients: 1 cup cashews or almonds 8 medjool dates, pitted 1/2 cup desiccated coconut 2 heaping tbsp plant-based vanilla or berry protein powder 1/3 cup mixed seeds (hemp, sunflower, pumpkin) 3/4 cup diced strawberries Extra coconut to roll Method: Blend all ingredients together in a food processor until well combined and crumbly. If your mixture is too moist, add extra coconut and seeds. Roll into small balls, then store in the fridge until ready to eat. 6: IMMUNE BOOSTING BEVERAGES Veggie juices make an excellent healthy alternative to sugary sodas and fruit juices.Veggie juices contain immune boosting vitamins C and A, and antioxidants. Be on the lookout for a nutritious veggie juice to purchase and bring with you on your flight once you get through security. Kombucha—a fermented beverage that contains probiotics to support immune and gut health—is another great choice that can be a good substitute for alcohol or soda.

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7: PACK A WHOLESOME MEAL Healthy meals at airports can be limited, and some airlines are currently not providing food on flights due to COVID. Don’t get stuck being hungry—bring your own wholesome meal with you! Salads make a fabulous healthy and light meal while travelling, so try a quinoa, kale, or roasted veggie salad. Wraps with plenty of salad, hummus, and falafels are also a superb choice, as are chickpea and lentil salads. For something a little different, try roasted veggie pesto pasta with rocket, or a noodle and edamame salad with miso dressing. You can also pack a sachet of miso soup or instant oatmeal and add hot water during the flight. Use eco-friendly collapsible food containers and bring a spork for a handy utensil. (As a friendly reminder, don’t pack anything that has a strong odour or that will be too messy to eat.)

8:TRAVEL ESSENTIALS Don’t forget your modern-day travel essentials like alcohol wipes to wipe down airport seats, surfaces, and your phone. Pack some fresh masks and always wear a mask in the airport and on the plane. Bring travel tissues, face cleansing wipes, moisturiser, and some nourishing hand cream. An eye mask and neck pillow are also essential to travel with to help you sleep better on long flights, because adequate sleep is important for a healthy functioning immune system. Meditation apps on your phone can also be helpful for relaxing and sleeping. If you’re on a long-haul flight, take some calming sleep herbs with you like valerian, passionflower, chamomile, and lemon balm. GABA and magnesium can be beneficial for helping you sleep, and they are also useful if flying makes you feel anxious. If you have an upcoming trip, try these tips for yourself so you can board your flight a safer, happier, and more prepared traveller. Have a great—and healthy—flight!

ymore info: www.artofhealing.com.au www.facethecurrent.com

FtC culture

For People & the Planet Enduring, Modern, and Ethical Apparel by TAYLOR STITCH and THE ROOT COLLECTIVE By Ainsley Schoppel Business ethics isn’t new. Understanding ethical principles and the way in which moral problems are handled in the workplace is common practice. But while business ethics looks at the ways in which a business environment should operate with honesty, integrity, loyalty, fairness, and with concern and respect for others, a modern and growing consumer priority is the ethical treatment of humanity and our Earth. The fashion industry is one of the top polluting industries in the world, and with abysmal laws and regulations in many countries that fail to protect and support factory workers, the industry is eroding and disrespecting the environment and its people. In fact, the term “fast fashion” was coined to describe the exact manufacturing process whereby styles go from the runway to the manufacturing floor in an expedited manner to quickly capture and capitalize on trends. In this process, the supply chain is often compromised in order to meet consumer demand while offering styles at a very low cost. What does this mean in practical terms? Dangerous manufacturing infrastructure, poor working conditions and pay, and zero prioritization of environmental impact. So, what can we do—never buy clothing again? Of course not. But we can make better and more informed decisions about the apparel companies we support, and in turn, the people and ecoinitiatives we can help to uplift.

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Taylor Stitch and The Root Collective are two brands that are getting it so right. Taylor Stitch—a premium men’s apparel company with two San Francisco locations—designs and produces garments and footwear that are built to wear in not out. And while looking good and having the best stylishly rugged gear for all of life’s opportunities is important to them, protecting the Earth is even more critical. For Taylor Stitch, it’s about protecting our collective places, because no matter where you live, we only have one world to care for. That’s why they’re committed to using recycled and regenerative fibers wherever possible, lowering water usage, eliminating chemicals and pesticides that harm workers and leach into waterways, and helping to create a “cradle to cradle” supply chain.

Taylor Stitch recognizes that manufacturers are also responsible for making sure factory workers around the world are paid prevailing wages and have access to health care and clean water. They also ensure their workers can take maternity leave, have childcare, and enjoy vacation time. More workers can and deserve to be living in the middle class in their communities, and Taylor Stitch is working to build a development fund to be deployed to workers based on their needs. For instance, if someone needs a bike to get to work, Taylor Stitch will work with World Bicycle Relief to make that happen. (They also teach the fundamentals of maintenance, so the bicycles don’t become the next trash items in the landfill!) The Root Collective is a women’s and men’s footwear and apparel company that offers beautiful boots,

sandals, flats, clothing, and leather and fabric bags, and serves to ethically make all products while empowering communities and investing in muchneeded industry change. All of the fabric used by The Root Collective is handwoven through one of two cooperatives with which they are partnered. By working very closely with these cooperatives, The Root Collective ensures that the women working within them are fairly paid. In addition, all shoes are made by shoemakers in several small workshops in Guatemala City and Pastores, Guatemala. Requiring full transparency throughout the manufacturing process ensures that the skilled workers are paid a fair wage. In fact, depending on their specific skill and job description, The Root Collective’s shoemakers earn anywhere from 50-400% above the Fair Wage minimum in Guatemala. www.facethecurrent.com

Ten years ago, Taylor Stitch set out to make a better fitting shirt and they certainly accomplished it. After turning to the country’s oldest family of shirtmakers to ensure they were learning from the very best, Taylor Stitch absorbed every critical lesson in quality construction. From fit and balance to the importance of French seams to why twenty-two stitches-per-inch matters on a shirt, Taylor Stitch took this technical DNA and made it central to every single product they now make. Always built for the long haul, Taylor Stitch designs products that wear in not out, using the best, most sustainable fabrics available. (Even if that means making them themselves!) Responsibly built to go the distance, Taylor Stitch’s construction partners have joined them in their commitment to challenge the way the clothing industry operates. From sourcing to sewing, Taylor Stitch has found the best factory partners in the business in Goldenbear Sportswear, San Francisco; Friends in Woven Shirting, China; and Friends in Footwear, Mexico. Now, on top of making high caliber clothing, Taylor Stitch is expanding their core calling to “protect wild, forever”. “Today we’re interested in building a better, more responsible company,” says Co-Founder, Michael Maher. Through a mission focused on education, Taylor Stitch created Wild Forever Days. Using a happy blend of education, volunteering, community building, and having fun, Taylor Stitch is partnering with other companies who have shared values, awesome customers, and work with local organizations. The mission? To never have bad days. By listening to what their community wants to learn about and participate in, Taylor Stitch is ready to blaze trails, clean up trash, help out on a farm—whatever they’re called to do! In fact, they encourage all ideas and welcome

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input on what they should organize in local communities. “This isn’t just about Taylor Stitch,” Maher explains, “it’s about all of us coming together to protect our people and places through education and responsibility. We believe business is the best vehicle for change and we can have a hell of a lot of fun while doing it.” In a unique and modern approach to new product development, Taylor Stitch created The Workshop; a crowd funding platform used to assess demand for new products before production. Taylor Stitch designs a new collection of products and releases them in The Workshop at the beginning of each month. Customers then have four weeks to pre-order anything they’d like, and products that reach their set funding

goal are then manufactured and delivered within six to eight weeks. (Products almost always reach their funding goal and are produced!) For customers, it’s a fantastic and connected opportunity to help bring Taylor Stitch’s designs to life while also guaranteeing sizeable pre-sale discounts. It’s not uncommon for products to completely sell out in the crowd funding period alone, so jumping in at this level guarantees stock of desired sizes before products reach regular retail.

Most importantly for our planet, 2020 also saw Taylor Stitch make major strides toward their Responsibility initiative. They shifted toward ninety-nine percent organic cotton across their entire product range, and even launched their first ever collection of natural-dyed gear and also expanded their lineup of eco-friendly merino wool offerings including a supple tee-shirt, boxer, and sock selection. (While merino wool is known for its outstanding temperature-regulating and moisture managing abilities, Taylor Stitch takes theirs a step further with a unique mercerization process that improves the fabric’s texture and durability.) And, just like with the Cone Mills denim, they also introduced gear made with deadstock components to utilize materials already in existence. To take this recycling initiative a step

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Since joining Flexport.org’s carbon offset program in 2018, Taylor Stitch has also offset the equivalent of 331.69 tons of carbon dioxide. (For perspective, it would take 430 acres of forest a full year to absorb that much!) They also donated tens of thousands of dollars in Dyneema® denim to recycling organizations to be used for future apparel projects. And last year alone, they saved 8.4 million gallons of water by using 100% organic denim, 7.9 million gallons of water by using recycled fabric in their heavy bag tee, and 33.6 million gallons of water from switching to 100% organic woven shirting!

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When it comes to the fabrics that Taylor Stitch uses for its apparel, footwear, and accessories, quality matters. While traditional cotton uses twenty-five percent of the world’s pesticides, Taylor Stitch’s organic cotton doesn’t use a drop. This superior product is then used to make twill, sateen, waxed organic cotton canvas, and denim—all of which are skillfully and responsibly used to make beautiful and durable products. And, in an effort to keep manufacturing within the United States whenever possible, Taylor Stitch’s boat tote, face masks, and Cone Mills reserve selvage jeans are all made on American soil. (Cone Mills was the last remaining selvage denim mill in the U.S., having closed in 2017. Taylor Stitch located deadstock of the denim and is currently using it to make authentic and limited-edition American selvage denim products.) And just last year, Taylor Stitch also developed new gear alongside brands they have long held in high esteem including Stetson, Pendleton, Alpha Industries, Fourtillfour, Brother Moto, and Mission Workshop.

further, Taylor Stitch’s Refurbished collection is a curated collection of “slightly bruised but not broken” boots and shoes that have been carefully refurbished to match the fit and function standards of their brand-new offerings. Whether the footwear was previously damaged in transit or didn’t meet quality standards on the factory floor, they

are meticulously inspected and handrepaired by the renowned experts at NuShoe. While it would be cheaper to send these boots and shoes to the landfill, Taylor Stitch once again demonstrates their dedication to our planet and to the redefinition of fashion production.

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built, versatile, hardworking, and contemporary men’s clothing and footwear doesn’t have to come at the expense of the Earth or its people. And when it comes to people, The Root Collective proves that clothing manufacturing can serve as a positive catalyst for community change. Founder Bethany Tran’s mission is to put people first. After working for a Fortune 500 company in downtown Philadelphia, Bethany knew she wanted more for herself and others. While in the beginning stages of making a career shift, the Rana Plaza clothing factory collapsed in Bangladesh and made worldwide news. The tragedy killed 1100 people and 2500 more were

injured. Tran was overwhelmed with this devastating disaster and felt personally responsible. “It was my responsibility to do something to ease the hurt and pain that was all around me,” she said. She realised that she had been purchasing clothing from companies with no idea about the working conditions of the people that made them. Wanting to change the world with her purchases, Tran took to the internet and spent years researching. She wanted to know if workers are treated fairly, working in environments free from abuse, paid living wages, and able to easily provide for basic life necessities. It seems simple, but these basic needs are often not met in manufacturing jobs around the world.

“I realized then that business and consumers…were going to solve the world’s problems,” she recalled, “so I started The Root Collective.” The Root Collective was established to create safe jobs, directly partnering with small, independent workshops in Guatemala to generate much needed jobs. “We are literally a company that exists to bring people together,” Tran explains. “This has never been as important as it is now.” Even the company name carries that same message. “When I spent months trying to come up with a company name, I finally landed on The Root Collective for a simple reason: it is literally designed with intention to bring people together,” notes Tran. The Root Collective is about the way in which we all have our own individuality, but what an incredible thing it is to bring our personal

gifts and talents together to create something beautiful. We all have our own roots, but that collective means so much more.

want to remind each other of our own individual importance while recognizing how much better we are together.”

“Small business has the power to create incredible change in communities through jobs, and we want to support and empower those local leaders to continue to see change through employment,” Tran explains. With the goal of supporting existing workshops already run by locals, all producers for The Root Collective receive beyond fair trade wages. And as the business started to grow and create more jobs, Tran saw the real potential and impact for the local communities. Amidst the current division in the world around us, The Root Collective stands for unity. “We still want to bring people together,” declares Tran. “We still

And that collective strength comes from empowering women in rural communities. Not only are The Root Collective’s shoemakers paid a fair wage, but the fabric on the shoes and bags is handwoven by women in Mayan communities. Oftentimes, these Mayan women do not speak Spanish since they are not provided the opportunity to go to school, and because of this, their regional Mayan dialect prevents them from getting a job in the formal economy. However, they are highly skilled weavers and through fair employment at The Root Collective, they work with dignity and passion to provide for their families.

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The Root Collective is about the way in which we all have our own individuality, but what an incredible thing it is to bring our personal gifts and talents together to create something beautiful. We all have our own roots, but that collective means so much more.

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To further spread the word about her passion for ethical fashion and help consumers find tangible ways to get started on revolutionizing the way they shop, Tran wrote a book entitled Five Steps to Changing the World with How You Shop. When we look at a price tag in store or online, we’re seeing what that item costs the consumer. But, do we really know how much it cost the person who made it? The answer is usually always, “Absolutely not.” Cheap clothing is often kept cheap because people along the supply chain are not treated fairly. However, like anything in the free market, consumer demand drives

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production. So, it’s up to us to quell the constant call for more temporary clothing, and instead replace it with thoughtful quality purchases that put kindness and humanity first. “How you spend your money determines the kind of world that you want to live in,” Tran reminds us. So, how can we accomplish this in our regular lives? Start by taking baby steps with purchases in one area of your life. Do your research, find brands that care about people and produce quality products, and make a change. “The world needs more people…who are willing to recognize

the need for change and then actually do something about it,” says Tran. Next, create your personal style. Don’t cave to all the latest trends if they make you uncomfortable in your own skin. Find that which makes you feel confident and use it to develop your own unique wardrobe. Remember: you don’t have to be trendy to be cool! Then, build a capsule wardrobe. This is a collection of thirty to fifty pieces that is flexible and easily mixed and matched. A capsule wardrobe can evolve with the seasons and prevents fashion fatigue by presenting new options every few months. Then, make your purchases—

and your dollars—count. Make thoughtful decisions and buy less! Ethical purchases will cost a bit more, but that’s okay! Upholding ethical standards means that the price point can’t compete with the fast fashion industry. However, ethically produced goods are typically higher quality and will outlast their cheaper counterparts. And finally, shop with intention. Eliminate impulse buys and make a habit out of brand-research before purchase. While shifting to ethical shopping won’t happen overnight, the point is to change, step-by-step, purchase

by purchase, and hopefully become a living example of what change can look like as fashion culture shifts to one of kindness. “You are equipped to begin changing the way you shop,” Tran proclaims. “These simple steps can start you on an amazing journey of changing the world…each and every time you pull out your wallet.” Demand for ethical fashion is on the rise and the market is reflecting this as people are becoming more aware and educated about the impact their dollars have on workers and the planet. With every purchase, we have the opportunity to better the lives

of our fellow man and ensure our environment isn’t damaged by any manufacturing process. Taylor Stitch and The Root Collective are doing right by their people, the planet, and beautiful fashion. Choose kindness, choose to keep our planet wild, and shop Taylor Stitch and The Root Collective to look as good as you’re going to feel.

ymore info: www.taylorstitch.com www.therootcollective.com www.facethecurrent.com

FtC culture

Five Instagram Profiles to Follow to #GREENYOURFEED By Sasha Frate

If you’re a nature and plant-lover, a sucker for succulents, or looking for healthy ways to purify your home, office space, or backyard garden, we’ve gathered the perfect inspiration to bring more green into your life! Not only do plants add a calming aesthetic to our environment and allow nature to surround us—even indoors—but they also benefit our health in a multitude of ways. Whether you want to create an urban jungle or place simple accents around your space, read on and find fellow plant-lovers who’ve already done the work to curate a variety of options for you! IG: @Plantiiplants When Odarlyn started getting into plants, she had no idea it was going to become her passion. She loves making videos to educate plant parents on everything plants, but something that has set her apart from others is her reels. Odarlyn creates funny, relatable plant reels to connect with her followers. “I love the plant community and I’m so glad I’m part of it!” - Odarlyn Rosario

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IG: @GabriellaPlantsOnline Shane Maloy, Founder and President GabriellaPlants.com Gabriella Plants is a third generation agricultural operation that prides itself on delivering high-quality tropical house plants that ship From Our Greenhouse To Your House™ and they are Always Growing More!™

IG: @MOMagency Suzy Coassin, Founder and Creator www.captainmonstera.com.au MOMagency is an Instagram page of all things interior and plant inspiration, sharing others’ beautiful Instagram posts of their gorgeous, plant-filled homes. MOMagency aims to connect followers with a design or highlight a styling tip to “get the look” of a real decorated home. Founder and Creator, Suzy Coassin is a plant stylist with an online plant shop in Sydney, Australia called Captain Monstera.

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IG: @succulentsssss Reah C., Creator www.succulenty.com - coming soon online with plants and more! They love all things succulent! Their goal is to create a community for succulent lovers from all over the world—a place to ask questions, exchange tips, share hacks, and find rare plants, accessories, and everything else you'd need for your plant babies to grow!

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IG: @PlantSnap www.PlantSnap.com PlantSnap is the premiere Plant ID App. Their Instagram features flora from all across the globe and highlights articles about plants and fungi from their website PlantSnap.com. They focus on identification and education, their botanical garden partnerships, and creating an engaging community of plant and fungi lovers. PlantSnap is ever-evolving, blooming, and committed to ensuring all plant life continues to thrive and exist on our planet for the benefit and enjoyment of all.

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From Bang Bang to Bali: Connecting with the Energetic Flow of Master Tattoo Artist, Balazs By Sasha Frate Balazs Bercsenyi is a multi-faceted tattoo artist from Pécs, Hungary. His unique, meticulous style is influenced by ritual, spirituality, geometry, the occult, and sculpture, and has become the cornerstone of his independent art projects. After an apprenticeship in London at the age of twenty, Balazs went on to join the worldrenowned Bang Bang crew in New York City. While continuing his passion for tattooing, he has explored illustration and fashion design as new mediums to bridge the gap between ancient tradition and modern elegance. His newest endeavor, tattoo retreats, involves the expertise of a healing facilitator and an eastern medicine body worker and movement practitioner. Curated by the team and set in a mystical framework to prepare the mind and body to receive a tattoo, the duration of the retreat can vary between three and six days depending on the client’s desires. Each retreat includes days of tattooing, overnight stays, nourishing meals, integration/design sessions, movement/acupuncture sessions, intention setting, and energy work. The healing facilitator focuses on reframing situations, empowerment, and the release of limiting beliefs, while the body worker uses breath work, embodiment, and acupuncture. This interaction between the mind and body creates a powerful and synergistic client transformation. Balazs opened up to Face the Current to discuss his retreats; his experience at Bang Bang; his tattoo animation project, “A Life of a Rose”; and what’s next for him as he follows the energy of his artistic gift.

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We had a six-week retreat with eight or nine clients that stayed for one or two nights. It was not a group setting, it was individual. It's basically a normal tattoo session with a client, but instead of walking into a studio, getting tattooed and then leaving, the clients come and stay with us for at least two nights. This really gives us the opportunity to know each other and dig deeper into who they are. I feel like people are looking for a connection and tattooing is just an excuse to establish that connection. It was beautiful to take tattooing— which is such a primal, tribal thing— and remove the business aspect. It felt like, “Let's just receive the client and fully experience them, and be with them, and listen to them, and give them space.” That is such a huge gift—it's a beautiful experience. And then we did another retreat in October of 2019 for two weeks in Crete and two weeks in Norway. I understand that it's probably not a good fit for everyone, but I feel people came to the retreat for a reason; they felt the calling to have a different experience. SF: There are crosses present in your videos and on your website. What do they represent?

Sasha Frate: What led you to create a retreat tattooing experience and how do you curate these experiences for each person? Balazs: After I left New York in 2019, I happened to go to Norway to do a tattoo there. I met a healer and I was lucky enough to do a session with him. It was beautiful and I went through a lot of release and a lot of healing that day. It shifted

my perception on a lot of things, including how I want to work in the tattooing industry. When the healing occurred, I thought, “How can I host a similar experience where people can get not only a tattoo, but also a healing experience?” It's really just giving people a safe space to be and rest. So, after I had that session with the healer, we agreed that we'd do a tattoo retreat together. We hosted one in Bali that summer.

B: I was researching my family name, Bercsenyi, and it's an old Hungarian name. I found a family crest and there are five plus symbols on it. I just started using it because I like the aesthetics and it has this positive feel to it. I started incorporating them in the tattoos and then my website graphic designer saw them and put it in the coordinators. It kind of just naturally happened. SF: How did your work/ experience with the Bang Bang crew in New York City impact your journey? www.facethecurrent.com

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I feel like this human experience should not be hard.; it should not be painful and fearful. I feel like it should be joyful and happy, and it’s up to us to choose. We do have a choice and we control our state of mind. It’s easier to live life joyfully and happily instead of being sad, worried, and fearful all the time. When I look at my tattoos, it always reminds me of that.

Keith McCurdy is the owner of Bang Bang and he's an amazing guy. He’s a very smart man and it was beautiful to see how he operates and manages, and how he basically built the company. I definitely learned a lot just by watching him, including how

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B: Being at Bang Bang was amazing— it was such a beautiful experience. I had already been tattooing for six or seven years before I moved to New York, but I had never actually worked in a studio—I was always working solo. So, Bang Bang was the first time I actually joined a group of artists and it definitely impacted everything in my life. Just moving to New York and living there was such a blessing and so amazing. It's such a beautiful city with vibrant energies, and there’s an energy grid you just connect to.

to manage people and bring many talents together. I also worked with so many amazing artists and I became really good friends with most of them. Learning about different styles impacted my works in a huge way. SF: Where you are today with your gift? B: I worked at Bang Bang for three years and I decided to leave after that. I'm extremely grateful for my time there and it was an amazing experience, but I just felt like I wanted to do me—I wanted a change. I wanted to do things in my own way, and the retreat is just that. From a healing perspective, I wanted to create that quiet environment where people can come and rest and chill. Bang Bang is in the middle of

New York—it's a very vibrant place to get tattooed. There's loud music, a lot of people—it was crowded. The energies were fast-paced and I felt like I wanted to slow down. My life became slower, but I'm more at ease and more relaxed. I’ve been traveling around since I left New York, and I was in Hungary when COVID hit so I decided to stay. I've been there for a little bit longer than a year, but I'm planning on traveling again soon. SF: Your clientele is vast and varied, ranging from tattooing celebrities to tattooing a Lamborghini! Can you share a few examples of tattoo requests that ended up being particularly meaningful for you as the artist?

B: I have clients from all over the world. I'm trying to do different projects, but I also want to be very selective about who and what I'm tattooing. I'm following the energies instead of picking based on design. I can get the energy of the person who's sending me an email, or sometimes I just trust the universe that whoever is meant to come to me is being sent to me. I feel like every tattoo that I do is meaningful—not necessarily for me, but for the client. The Lamborghini project was beautiful and was a very unique thing. I only had twenty-four hours to “tattoo” the Lamborghini. I do get interesting opportunities like sleeves and bigger projects, and they

are pretty cool; they give me a lot of freedom. SF: How did you learn all the different symbols and languages that you’ve tattooed, especially the ancient ones? B: I didn't learn it, it just comes to me and it's whatever appeals to me aesthetically in that moment. I'm a tattooist and I'm a stylist—I'm styling a tattoo so it's all about aesthetics. The way I started doing these symbols and ancient languages is it just comes through me. I look at the canvas, I create a base design on the computer, then I print it out and add my finishing touches. I put the stencil on and then freehand some stuff on the skin afterwards.

Sometimes I feel like I'm just a child playing and I like keeping that childish mindset. I try not to take life too seriously—it’s such a key element because at the end of the day, I feel like this human experience should not be hard.; it should not be painful and fearful. I feel like it should be joyful and happy, and it's up to us to choose. We do have a choice and we control our state of mind. It's easier to live life joyfully and happily instead of being sad, worried, and fearful all the time. When I look at my tattoos, it always reminds me of that. SF: How do you decide what tattoos to make permanent on your own body canvas and how/ when do you decide when your personal canvas is “complete”?

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I don’t think it’s ever complete. What is completion? I feel like life is a constant flow. We’re living in eternity. Everything is always now, so there’s no past and future. Is there really a thing to complete? I don’t think my body ever will be complete in that sense.

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B: I'm just following the aesthetics. I look in the mirror and I just envision a piece here or there, and then I just do a little bit of doodling and then find an artist. (At Bang Bang it was easy—I’d just go to a friend.) And I don't think it's ever complete. What is completion? I feel like life is a constant flow. We're living in eternity. Everything is always now, so there's no past and future. Is there really a thing to complete? I don't think my body ever will be complete in that sense. SF: When a client asks you to “free flow” a tattoo for them, from where/how do you source inspiration, symbols, and art for that person? (Do they typically give some guidance, or do you get full freedom?)

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B: Usually, I ask them something like, “Give me a direction.” First, I need to know the tattoo’s location, and then I need to know some sort of direction; an aesthetic point of view. It could be that they show me an old tattoo that I've done before or just a tattoo on someone else. From there, I work around the theme. (I've got a bunch of images saved from the past years, and with the help of internet, everything is accessible.) So, I use a baseline and then I just free-flow. This method is a mutual collaboration between me and the client, so there are not a lot of restrictions. It's a cocreation, so there is free-flow from my end, but there is also a little bit of guidance needed. SF: “A Life of a Rose” is an incredible creative group tattooing project and a compelling story. Can you share

a bit about the inception of this project and how it all came together? B: “A Life of a Rose” is something that came to my mind in 2018 when I was still in New York. I envisioned male hands giving a rose to a female and then the rose dies. It's like a representation of the cycle of life. After I left Bang Bang I decided to bring that vision to life in the form of tattoo animation [a form of stopmotion animation that uses tattoos to tell a story]. We did it as a group tattooing project in Hungary and I announced it on Instagram. We had around 600 people reach out and apply, and we selected seventy. It was free of charge but I was the one who decided what tattoo they got. We recorded it, and I was basically tattooing for

seven days straight, averaging nine tattoos a day. It was really exhausting! At the end of day three, I remember feeling like I was dead. All this attention and energy goes out, welcoming each person and explaining the process. Even though it was small tattoos, it was really, really exhausting—not just for me, but for everyone! It was all worth it in the end, though—it was beautiful. And then having these people connecting with one another was amazing. Imagine you're in Hungary wearing one of these pieces and then you run into someone that has a piece as well. How cool is that? It's like being a part of something greater. It was a beautiful story and I'm very, very happy that I was able to deliver it. I was not the first person to do tattoo animation, but I think it was probably the longest one that had the most people.

B: The greatest gift we have is the realization that we are already there, and we are already it. There is nothing to seek; there's nothing to accomplish. Why would you need to accomplish anything if you are already everything and you always were? You're already there. It’s been two years since I said the sentence you quoted, and I feel like one of the greatest gifts is reaching that awakening. It’s just a realization of who we really are and finding our true nature. It's like reestablishing the faith and finding the peace that comes from that.You then get to radiate onto other people, and “heal” them and/or yourself by joining in that peace of mind. That's how I feel I could connect everything together—the retreat and tattooing. It's really about joining, because there is no separation. Life of a Rose was meant to symbolize that, too. We seem to walk on earth separately, in these separate bodies, and all these fragments. But in reality, we're all one—the source is the same.

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The greatest gift we have is the realization that we are already there, and we are already it. There is nothing to seek; there’s nothing to accomplish. Why would you need to accomplish anything if you are already everything and you always were? You’re already there. It’s been two years since I said the sentence you quoted, and I feel like one of the greatest gifts is reaching that awakening. It’s just a realization of who we really are and finding our true nature.

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SF: In this story, “A Life of a Rose”, you say that “life’s ultimate purpose is to discover your gift”. What are a few things that you hope to accomplish in your lifetime with your gift?

So, if we are still connected to this source then you can get to question the validity of separation. I feel that's the greatest gift—it's reaching that state of mind. From there, you just give love and you share love, because you are love.

ymore info: Website: http://balazsbercsenyi.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/balazsbercsenyi/ https://www.instagram.com/bercsenyistories/ Tattoo inquires: art@balazsbercsenyi.com www.facethecurrent.com

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COMMUNITY IN ACTION

SPOTLIGHT: Okurut George inspires positive change through his teachings of yoga and dance in Africa decades. A lot of family members in war zones are separated or killed, and people like me are so stressed, anxious, and depressed.

I’m Okurut George. I’m twenty-six and I am a yoga, acroyoga, and dance teacher, and I am very passionate about helping communities and slums in Uganda and other parts of the world. After school in 2012, I started my journey with breakdance and then I found yoga in 2016. I went back to school in 2013 and 2014 to take a course at a technical institution, but when that didn’t go well for me, I decided to follow my passion. I grew up in a war zone area and had experienced war for more than two

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I moved from the village to the city and after a dance practice with a friend, I discovered yoga. I knew that it would be so good for me to take after everything I had gone through in life. I needed something cool that could make me happy for the rest of my life, and I found that with yoga with dance. I wanted to somehow combine them and then focus on the communities and the slums. I knew there were many youths who were going through the same problems as me, and I wanted to share the relieving power of yoga and dance. After practicing yoga for two years, I took a step ahead because I really wanted to help grant access to the facilities in need that couldn’t get service. So, I had to represent them by getting certified through

a sixty-hour course in 2018 as a Yoga Teacher for Children under Yoga Pura Vida in Tanzania. Then in 2019, I deepened my studies with scholarships from Indian High Commission to go to India and undergo a 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training course at one of the best Svyasa yoga universities in India. Slum Yoga is one of the projects that I initiated because of the experiences I had living in the slums. There are many unemployed youths that get involved with deadly criminal activity, and sadly, many end up in prison with lengthy sentences. My mission is to share yoga with them to help them discover themselves so that they can stand on their own. Because I lived the war zone life and the street life, I know how everyone feels who is experiencing it. My friend Atite Prisca and I started a movement called Swing Dance Uganda. After attending Mozambique

Afro Swing Exchange Festival in 2019, we thought it could be an experience for Uganda, as well. We wanted to show self-expression and a connection to traditional Ugandan dances. I have received newspaper coverage about my project of using yoga and dance to rehabilitate children in the slums, and I have tried to find places with high criminal activity so that yoga can be used to bring peace to people. I also fought hard to introduce yoga to schools and children’s prisons.Yoga and dance have connected me to different creative and positive people around the world. Some of the children that I have taught have performed in two big international Swing Dance Festivals: the International Lindy Hope ChampionshipILHC in USA, and CapCap Event Swing in Italy. I am so happy because the world gets to see that swing dance exists in Uganda, and it’s even sparking Ugandan tourism. I decided to take this path in life because many young generations are suffering in silence and I want to give them hope to believe in themselves and tell their own stories to the world. At one time, my family didn’t believe in what I do, but now I get to work with my passion to take me to different parts of the world. My family now believes in what I do, and they see how I give happiness to people around me every day. Having been that young person who grew up on hard times, I want to be the inspiration to many people out there so that they can stay focused on their goals and dreams. Living a peaceful and loving life that is not focused on material things is something to be so grateful for. Some communities like 22 Kids Foundation, New Hope Dance Project, Arc Charity Foundation in Jinja, Ayiko Dance De Circus Art Project, Hope Uganda Foundation and Heart of Dance African Rythms in Nsambya are few of the communities Okurut George has been teaching yoga and dance too but due to covid19 situation. He couldn’t move to more communities and he worked more with Heart Of Dance African Rythms because it’s near where he stays. His next mission is to move all of over Uganda and some of African countries teaching Swing Dance and Yoga in few months to come from now. He also thank all people who have been supporting him from the beginning until now because without you, he wouldn’t do it alone.

ymore info: www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-okurutgeorge-and-family instagram.com/okurutgeorge

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FtC music

Mat Kearney: On Making Music, Crafting

Connections, and the Natural Flow of January Flower By Ty Johnson Music can calm the mind and soothe the soul, and the perfect example of this just might be the work of Mathew William Kearney. Based out of Nashville, Tennessee, Mat has seen a tremendous amount of success throughout his more than fifteen-year career as a musician. Although Mat has already topped multiple Billboard charts, his humble and joyous spirit continues to shine through each of his releases. Born in Eugene, Oregon, Mat Kearney grew up alongside two brothers. Always athletically gifted, he received a

scholarship to play soccer at California State University, Chico, but Mat’s creative mind, persistence, and passion pulled him in a different direction. Delving deeper into the philosophical meanings of life helped guide Mat towards his musical career, and his knack for songwriting, acoustic guitar talents, and smooth vocals easily connected his energy to his listeners. Mat has since produced a wide variety of successful music, with styles ranging from hip-hop to folk, and even EDM. Much like the sound of his hero, Paul Simon, Mat’s music seems to bring something new to the table with every release. Face the Current spoke with Mat to learn more about his upcoming music, experiences with virtual performances, and more!

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When I started out making music it felt like I was hacking the universe by writing songs. I think most days I still feel that way and am motivated by the same drive to make something I’m proud of and feel deeply connected to. I think if you try to make music that speaks to your own heart it translates to the listener.

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Ty Johnson:Your new album, January Flower, comes out on May twenty-first. Much of the writing for this project was done while you were braving record rainstorms in Joshua Tree. How does this experience and connection with nature shine through in your work? Mat Kearney: I wrote a lot of my new record on that trip to Joshua tree. Our house was completely off the grid, and when the clouds rolled in we lost all power. No lights or phones or WiFi—just a few friends and the desert. I picked up an acoustic guitar and started writing songs to the light of the fireplace. Something about being disconnected from the world enlivened the creative process. It felt like it added an importance to what we were doing. TJ: At this stage in your career you have already reached the number-one spot on iTunes, topped multiple Billboard charts, and made four entries into the Hot 100. Where do you look for your motivation at this point, and what inspires you to make such deep and meaningful music? MK: When I started out making music it felt like I was hacking the universe by writing songs. I think most days I still feel that way and am motivated by the same drive to make something I’m proud of and feel deeply connected to. I think if you try to make music that speaks to your

own heart it translates to the listener. video for “Powerless” on YouTube, I decided to take a TJ: With over 2.5 billion global look at the comments section. I streams, it is a mere fact that instantly noticed the abundance you and your music have a of loyal fans present on your tremendous reach all around page.There are so many people the world. How important is it who have been touched and for you to stay grounded and encouraged by your songs over connected with your fans? the years. How does it make you feel when you are able to have a positive effect on so many people’s lives? MK: It honestly makes me feel pretty darn good. I am generally really hard on myself in the process of making something. For years I never read a single comment because I was too fragile. (Probably because I had a lot of selfcriticism going on.) When you finally release a song into the world you get to zoom out. When people connect with that song it reminds you of the bigger picture and why you started that song in the first place.

MK: I don’t think about that much when it comes to my fans. I do know that for me to stay connected to my family and to my friends, I can’t let music define me. I was raised to value humility and kindness and it's something I appreciate in my friendships. I think I’ve always approached people who listen to my music through a similar lens. TJ: While watching the music

TJ: You have performed live on The Today Show,The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tonight Show, Late Show with David Letterman, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! You have also completed countless tours, sharing the road with superstars like John Mayer. Do you believe that it is necessary to keep up with live performances during these difficult pandemic times? MK: I have really enjoyed playing virtual performances through social media and connecting with people through different mediums. There are obviously limitations to virtual shows, but I think in addition to traditional www.facethecurrent.com

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I think we as a society right now are less connected to nature than we have ever been. Maybe because the social media boom is still relatively new and we haven’t yet figured out how to do it in a healthy way. The amount of time we spend hunched over a screen is alarming. There are ways we use technology to our advantage. A year like 2020 was helpful to point out you can take a Zoom meeting from the side of a mountain.

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shows we learned a whole new way to connect that isn’t going away. TJ: Referring to your song “Grand Canyon”, you shared, “I wanted to make something that would bring a little joy to people’s lives.” How much of the creative process is focused around presenting a result that your audience will enjoy, and how much do you try to express your own self? How do these areas overlap? MK: Generally, when I make songs for myself that I deeply love they have a better chance to connect with other people. Sometimes trying to serve the audience is the worst thing you can do.

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TJ: In the music video for “Can’t Look Back”, you are riding through beautiful woods on your bicycle. How would you describe the roles that nature and exercise play in your life? MK: I grew up in the great state of Oregon. We backpacked, hiked, and camped all the time. Nature was a way to connect with yourself, your family, and your creator. Exercise has become more essential to me feeling good and centered. When I’m tired or in pain I tend not to want to do anything. TJ: Your most recent video, “Powerless”, includes a very unique and creative combination of the elements of both nature

and technology. How do you believe we should blend these worlds as we progress as human beings? MK: I think we as a society right now are less connected to nature than we have ever been. Maybe because the social media boom is still relatively new and we haven’t yet figured out how to do it in a healthy way. The amount of time we spend hunched over a screen is alarming. There are ways we use technology to our advantage. A year like 2020 was helpful to point out you can take a Zoom meeting from the side of a mountain. Tech can help free us to be physically away from our jobs but still able to do them. I’m personally asking

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I have always been a writer before a performer. For me it always starts with the creative process in the studio and crafting a song. Over the years I have fallen in love with performing. The shared experience of a live show is something truly unique.

TJ: You have two beautiful daughters who are watching their dad’s musical career flourish before their eyes. Describe what it is like to share your successes, travels, and experiences with them. MK: My oldest is four and just starting to figure out what I do for a job. With the timing of my tours and Covid, she hasn’t been to a show that she would remember. I played the first show she was at in Denver when she was maybe eighteen months old (and asleep), but I could hardly keep it together. I kept crying on stage—I

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myself these types of questions more. How can I unplug from my phone more?

think I was just overwhelmed with gratitude. (And maybe the elevation!) TJ: When it comes to being a musician, there is a balance that exists between the creative processes and performing. Do you prefer one or the other for any reason? With your next album release already scheduled, can you give us any insight into your upcoming plans for live performances? MK: I have always been a writer before a performer. For me it always starts with the creative process in the studio and crafting a song. Over the years I have fallen in love with performing. The shared experience of a live show is something truly

unique. My new record January Flower feels like it will be pretty special live. As of now we have some tour dates tentatively planned for late 2021 and early 2022. I find myself dreaming about what those first shows are going to be like when we are finally all safely back together. I have a feeling it will be electric.

ymore info: www.matkearney.com www.instagram.com/matkearney www.facethecurrent.com

FtC music

Golden SHAED: Taking a High Dive with Indie Pop’s Electrifying Billboard-Topping Trio By Ty Johnson Washington D.C.-based group, SHAED (pronounced “shade”), has been performing together since the trio formed in 2011. Comprised of lead vocalist Chelsea Lee and multi-instrumentalists Max and Spencer Ernst, SHAED has recently emerged as one of America’s top indie pop bands. With personalities and backgrounds that are just as exciting as their chart-topping songs, the band has quickly made an abundance of fans around the world. Max and Spencer are twins who grew up with musical roots in Silver Spring, Maryland. The two started their first band when they were in middle school and began touring the country before they finished high school. While attending the University of Maryland, Max and Spencer created The Walking Sticks—a folk-rock duo that would soon be complete with the addition of Chelsea and her incredibly powerful voice. After a 2016 name-change, SHAED signed with Photo Finish Records in June of the same year. October of 2018 was a transformative and monumental month for the trio, as Spencer and Chelsea were married only a few weeks before Apple debuted their MacBook Air commercial featuring “Trampoline”. SHAED also recently collaborated with Teen Line to provide young people with the hope and assistance they need during difficult times. Through a helpline of professionally trained teen counselors, Teen Line works to destigmatize and normalize mental health by offering a non-judgmental space for young people to anonymously seek the help they need. Face the Current connected with SHAED to discuss their unfolding experience with success, the inspiration and processes behind the creation of their songs, and their personal response to the pandemic’s challenges in the arts.

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spread "Trampoline" internationally to people that wouldn’t have necessarily heard it otherwise. I also think a big reason why people connect to this song is because it leaves a lot of room for interpretation—it means something different to everyone. TJ: “Trampoline” touches on the concept of pain and loss in a rather inspirational way. The line, “When (you) dream of dying is when you feel most loved” speaks of the dark emotions and realities to which so many people can relate. Why do you encourage your fans to face their fears and insecurities head on, and how have your own life experiences brought you to reach these deep philosophical understandings?

Ty Johnson:Your debut album High Dive is coming out th on May 14 . What was it like to put together your first complete album? Have there been any specific difficulties or surprises along the way? SHAED: Before the pandemic we had an album's worth of material ready to release; a collection of songs we had written throughout the years in between tours and with various writers and producers. But when the pandemic hit, we took a hard look at our work and we just weren't happy with it. It didn't feel true to us anymore. So, we scrapped everything and started fresh, which was both scary and exhilarating. We spent the lockdown writing all new material that reflected the emotional rollercoaster we were experiencing. It was difficult to face at first, but it felt really freeing. This album tells the story of us.

TJ: Your hit song “Trampoline” originally stemmed from a home video of Spencer and Max jumping on a trampoline, and it has now become so successful that it has gone platinum. What are some of the key steps in your creative process, and why do you believe your music is able to connect with so many different people?

SHAED: I (Chelsea) have struggled immensely with my fear of dying so we wanted to create an Alice in Wonderland type song about embracing your biggest fears. We want people to understand that fears are inevitable and scary, but they shouldn't control your life. TJ: “2 in a Million” features world-renowned artists Steve Aoki and Sting. How did this amazing collaboration come about, and what were some of the highlights of this unique and special project?

SHAED: We wrote "Trampoline" in the living room of our rental house in Silver Spring, MD. We came up with the line, "I've been having dreams, jumping on a trampoline," after watching old home videos of Max and Spencer jumping on a trampoline. Then we started messing around with our Juno Roland Synth, and a melody quickly followed. We spent the rest of that day writing lyrics outside, taking a lot of inspiration from the natural surroundings around our home.

SHAED: Steve Aoki's team reached out saying he wanted a female vocalist on this song he was working on with Sting—we obviously said YES immediately because Sting is one of our favorite artists and we loved the song. Shortly after tracking Chelsea's vocals, we shot a music video in New York with Sting and that was such a special moment for us. Both Sting and Steve Aoki are incredibly kind and super fun to work with.

The Apple commercial really helped

TJ: The video for “No Other www.facethecurrent.com

SHAED: Making this video was an absolute blast. This was probably the biggest production we've ever done for a music video so far. We got on a plane for the first time since the lockdown and flew to Florida to shoot in the Unreal Engine studio. We spent twelve hours in the studio, shot for five hours, and then spent the rest of the day setting up the different environments (beach, desert, jungle, tundra, meadow). Unreal Engine really gave the illusion that we were in

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these different scenarios, which made it easy and fun to get into the vibe. TJ: You are coming out with your first album following your Billboard #1 hit “Trampoline". How have you handled the pressure that comes along with the success? SHAED: Pressure is good. Pressure pushes you to be the best and we wanted this next batch of songs to be meaningful and intentional. We wanted to write an album that told our story, especially our emotional, physical, and mental journey throughout this past year. We are so close and comfortable with each other which makes facing the pressure and anxieties of this industry easier.

TJ: You have headlined and performed in many different festivals and events throughout the world. What have been some of your favorite experiences so far, and why? SHAED: Being able to travel the world in 2019 and early 2020 was amazing. The highlight for us was the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan. We spent two weeks traveling from Tokyo to Osaka, exploring, eating, and playing two of the biggest shows we've had yet. It was such an amazing feeling being somewhere new and looking out into a crowd of people singing our songs. TJ: The global pandemic has had an extreme impact on the ability of musicians to regularly

I (Chelsea) have struggled immensely with my fear of dying so we wanted to create an Alice in Wonderland type song about embracing your biggest fears. We want people to understand that fears are inevitable and scary, but they shouldn’t control your life.

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Way” was created using virtual production and LED walls of Unreal Engine technology. Describe what it has been like to use the same equipment and techniques as The Mandalorian and Batman.

SHAED: This past year has been incredibly difficult. It's been hard to adapt to an entirely virtual career, essentially. We've been trying our best to be creative when it comes to online shows, but nothing will replace in-person shows. There is such an energy and vibe when we play to a live audience and we desperately miss the connection we get with fans when they are enjoying themselves. We can't wait to get back on a real stage in a real venue.

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Pressure is good. Pressure pushes you to be the best and we wanted this next batch of songs to be meaningful and intentional. We wanted to write an album that told our story, especially our emotional, physical, and mental journey throughout this past year. We are so close and comfortable with each other which makes facing the pressure and anxieties of this industry easier.

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perform. Do you believe that it is important to maintain live music events, or are online and virtual events enough?

TJ: You have known each other for many years, worked through a variety of genres, and even put out music under a different group name. What made SHAED feel like the perfect name, and how does it embody the journey of your group? SHAED: We met when we were in high school but didn't start playing together musically until many years later. I was a solo artist on a major label at the time and Max and Spencer were in a band writing primarily Americana folk music so we couldn't fully join together as a band. When we finally became free of all other professional obligations, we decided to form a proper group. It took us a really long time to come up with a band name for the new project, but we found it after reading one of our favorite fantasy novels Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. SHAED is a protective cloak, woven by a goddess. It just felt like a perfect fit for this next chapter. TJ: Your songs have been featured in ads for some of the biggest brands in the world, like Victoria’s Secret and Apple. How satisfying is it to make such universally enjoyable music, and do you have any advice or

inspiration that you would like to offer to other musicians and artists?

fans?

SHAED: This year has been all about self-care. We've experienced SHAED: I think our biggest advice is: so much anxiety and uncertainty that we've been trying to focus on what 1) Do what you love. Create art that we can control: the here and now. you believe in. We've been working on being more mindful and incorporating meditation 2) Keep at it. Overnight success is into our day, and that has really not a real thing. It takes a second to changed our overall mental health. get things off the ground. TJ: Face the Current is strongly focused on holistic health and self-care. Are there any specific techniques or routines that you would like to share with the

ymore info: www.shaedband.com www.facethecurrent.com

FtC sports

Getting to Know Triathlon and Multi-Sport

Professional Endurance Champion, Braden Currie By Ty Johnson | PHOTOgraphy by RED BULL CONTENT POOL Born in 1986, Braden Currie was raised on a small-town farm in mid-Canterbury, New Zealand. Now, Currie is one of the most respected multi-sport athletes in the world and is endorsed by several global brands including Garmin, Asics, and RedBull. Currie began his career in off-road racing, but after claiming titles in the New Zealand and Asia Pacific XTERRA Championships, as well as the New Zealand Olympic-distance, long-distance, and ultra-distance triathlons, Currie officially transitioned into a professional endurance career. Currie is currently training and preparing to compete in the Ironman World Championships, and as an athlete who always tries to push past his limits, he is aiming for nothing less than the best. With the mentality of a true competitor, Currie won his first attempt at IRONMAN New Zealand in 2017. He twice captured gold at the 2018 and 2019 Asia Pacific Championships, and also placed fifth at the 2018 World Championships in Kona. Next, Currie has his sights set on taking the world title, and he felt prepared to do so in 2020 before the event was postponed. With the delay, it has been important for Currie to stay positive and motivated, and he has remained grounded as a husband and father while also finding support in the network of family and friends that surround him. Face the Current reached out to Currie to hear more about the story and drive behind one of the most incredible endurance athletes alive.

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Ty Johnson: As an athlete who competes in multiple disciplines, how do you feel your preparation for an event differs from the average athlete? Braden Currie: At the end of the day, it just comes down to having more ability to do the volume of training than the average athlete can commit to. And that goes hand in hand with the ability to recover and use time more efficiently. TJ: You have competed in more than seventy-five races over your career and boast an impressive fifty-three win-percentage along with a seventy-eight percent rate of reaching the podium. What factors have been the

most important in helping you to remain at such an elite level of competition for so many years? BC: I think every professional athlete has to manage injury and that's been a big part of it—being really aware of my body and knowing the difference between a muscle fatigue or tiredness and a muscle strain. Making sure that I have the belief and confidence to get back when I have got an injury and allow myself to recover so that I can race well. Consistency has always been a big thing for me, and I always want to turn out to a start line and give my best. TJ: How do you structure your

year in terms of life balance and rejuvenation? BC: That's another big part of it—making sure that we have a year structure and the trainings periodized. I have a good block off to recover and let the muscles sort themselves out in the heart, and then back into some solid training. After races, I also make sure I always have good recovery. TJ: You have competed in many races in New Zealand, but you also have lots of experience traveling for top global events. Does the location or caliber of an event have any specific effect on how you prepare yourself mentally and physically? www.facethecurrent.com

BC: It has a lot to do with the environment that you're racing in—whether it's hot, cold, hilly, flat, a cold swim, a hot swim, etc. There are lots of different tools we use to get ourselves ready for different conditions and different courses. Mentally, it’s about trying to find the things that excite me the most about the course so I can focus on that and make sure that the amp is high towards the race.

training or I may not even take off for it. TJ: What is one tip that you would give to a younger athlete pursuing a successful career in sports?

BC: Patience and persistence. Enjoy the process and find out what you like most within the sport. Put yourself in good environments, whether it's training or at home. Make sure that you're in a really In terms of caliber, we prioritize our good space to be able to achieve and year towards the bigger races and also get support and help that you put a lot more focus towards those need. And just stay healthy! Eat well ones. There is always a big block of training that goes towards a big event, and stay rested, because your body's and a lot more focus is placed on the going to be under a lot of stress, so look after it. conditions. With a smaller event, it might just be off the back of normal

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TJ: Have there been any individual races that have been especially meaningful to you? BC: The Coast To Coast Ironman (the Multi-Sport World Championships) was the event that first caught my eye in endurance sport, and it was what I pursued as my first big goal within the sport. It was an amazing accomplishment and achievement and feeling of fulfillment to win that race. TJ: When the global pandemic hit, many athletes were forced to put their love for competitions and events on pause. How did you handle the time spent away from racing due to Covid-19?

Patience and persistence. Enjoy the process and find out what you like most within the sport. Put yourself in good environments, whether it’s training or at home. Make sure that you’re in a really good space to be able to achieve and also get support and help that you need. And just stay healthy! Eat well and stay rested, because your body’s going to be under a lot of stress, so look after it.

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BC: Covid-19 changed the dynamic of being a professional athlete. It's been about playing a bit more of a long game, being content with what I've got at home, and enjoying not having to travel so much. I’m focusing on my family and also things that are weaknesses for me. I’m spending a lot of time on those weaknesses and I’m working on turning them into strengths, all the while looking forward to getting back to racing. TJ: How has your career as a multi-sport athlete helped to shape your views and perspective on life? BC: My career has done so much for me as a person to develop my confidence and beliefs, and to hone

my drive and motivation. It has allowed me to see the world and travel a lot and to have some truly incredible experiences.

They're very supportive of me and I probably wouldn't even want to be a professional athlete if it wasn't for them. They are the icing on the cake!

TJ: How important have the other aspects of your life been (like your family and friends) throughout the mental grind of endurance sports?

TJ: After already having so much success, what are your immediate and long-term goals in your athletic career?

BC: I think it's probably been my biggest strength; being a father at a young age was something that really grounded me and made me commit to either being an athlete, or to whatever I was doing at the time. It was born out of financial necessity and my own drive to give my kids a vision of what it looks like to work hard and be successful.

BC: It's still a bit of an unknown in terms of this year going forward. But, my biggest goal is to be on the podium at the Ironman World Championships and have the race there that I believe I can have. That's my biggest goal for the next couple of years. Outside of that, I want to perform well at other events around the world, enjoy the sport, travel, and be with my family. www.facethecurrent.com

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The toughest part is constantly staying motivated and staying committed, because it’s pretty relentless being a professional athlete. I guess if you’re a builder and you don’t want to go to work, you still go to work and swing a hammer, and the job gets done. If you’re not committed to going to work each day as a professional athlete and you don’t hit the nail on the head and claim some of those training sessions (and do them properly with some drive and some vigor), then you’re not going to perform well at your races.

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TJ: What is the toughest part about being an elite endurance athlete? BC: The toughest part is constantly staying motivated and staying committed, because it's pretty relentless being a professional athlete. I guess if you're a builder and you don't want to go to work, you still go to work and swing a hammer, and the job gets done. If you're not committed to going to work each day as a professional athlete and you don't hit the nail on the head and claim some of those training sessions (and do them properly with some drive and some vigor), then you're not going to perform well at your races. The hardest part is the motivation and drive that you've got to sustain throughout the periods of training that can be pretty long and relentless. TJ: Why was the Coast-To-Coast race especially meaningful to you? BC: I lived quite close to the course and got to see it firsthand as a support crew when I was fourteen. From there I just progressively had an interest in it, and I watched my brother and close friends compete which probably connected me to the uniqueness of the event. Being able to race from one side of New Zealand to the other in one day—across wild terrain and some of the most technical racing terrain I can think of—was incredible. It was something that I still use to light my fire.

ymore info: www.bradencurrie.com www.instagram.com/ bradencurrie www.facethecurrent.com

FtC sports

Flying High with Modern Day Superhuman Amber Forte By Ty Johnson Athletics test the limits of the human body, and there is no greater example than Amber Forte. Amber is a world record holding skydiver and the current #1 ranked women's wingsuit flyer in the world. Born in Torquay, England, in 1991, she left home at eighteen years old on a mission to build a life of meaning and purpose. She has battled through many adversities, including a broken spine and thigh bone suffered during a skydiving accident in August of 2019. Since recovering, Amber is training towards the world championships in acrobatic wingsuit flying with the Norweigan national team. Amber also holds motivational speeches where she shares the many experiences that make up her incredible life. She hopes to inspire and encourage others through the lessons learnt along her journey. This is a project that Amber holds very close to her heart, as she truly embraces human connection. An active BASE jumper and skilled photographer, Amber is able to combine nature and extreme sport to create amazing photos and videos. She often creates media with her life partner, Espen Fadnes who is the top ranked wingsuit flyer by the International Airsport Federation. Face The Current connected with Amber to discover more about the incredible person behind her amazing accomplishments.

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It is really just the flying that keeps me motivated. I really love the feeling of flying my body, whether it be in a wind tunnel, from an airplane, in my clothes or in a wingsuit, being in the moment and focusing on my body movements puts me mentally in a place of peace and focus.

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Ty Johnson:You are currently ranked as the top female wingsuit flyer in the world. Are you more motivated by the competition aspect of flying or do other goals and team activities take priority? Amber Forte: I would say that overall it is really just the flying that keeps me motivated. I really love the feeling of flying my body, whether it be in a wind tunnel, from an airplane, in my clothes or in a wingsuit, being in the moment and focusing on my body movements puts me mentally in a place of peace and focus. As a child, I was raised to train and compete in BMX racing, so it is in my blood to strive towards winning. I think this is why I have ended up using a lot of energy and resources in my adult life towards

competition. It feels meaningful to me to train towards a goal, progress and challenge myself outside of my comfort zone. I am very proud to be part of the Norwegian national team, but I do not feel that I have achieved what I want to in competition yet. It’s cool to be the fastest female and all that, but in a male dominated sport, what would really mean something would be to be the fastest “person”. I am like a fish caught on a hook that’s not quite ready to give up the fight yet. Over the past few years, I have learnt how important it is to balance the desire to win and succeed with the pure enjoyment of the activity. In the past I have degraded my experiences due to such a strong

desire to excel and become the best. Nowadays I focus a lot on having a healthy balance between these two things. I believe that this will keep me motivated and happy in the long term doing my sport. For me the most important thing is that I wake up each day looking forward to the day ahead and go to bed feeling satisfied with the day that was (give and take a little). TJ: With the world record for fastest woman in a wingsuit, you have experienced speeds up to 283.7 km/h!! How can you describe that feeling to the rest of us? AF: When I set this record, I was very new to performance wingsuit competition and agreed to join in to gain experience. I never imagined that www.facethecurrent.com

I would set a world record! When I landed after my first speed run, someone came to me and congratulated me on my world record… I was so surprised as I thought I did a really bad jump! The feeling of mastery excited me and motivated me to continue on learning. It is hard to explain what it feels like to fly 283km/h. It takes a lot of focus not to get speed wobbles and lose control. It is very important to be both strong and relaxed in the body, but at the same time focus on the competition, so it’s pretty hectic to be honest. I remember the sensation that my face was out of control with the wind hitting it so aggressively, that was the only “normal” sign that I was going seriously fast. TJ: Norway is globally known for its amazing mountains and scenery. Did the local region or environment have any influence on your desire to take up diving? AF: When I first set my heart on moving to Norway, it was primarily because of the wind tunnel in Voss, Norway. I was already a skydiver, but had a dream of becoming a wind tunnel instructor. In 2014 I met Dave Reader, he was at the time living in Voss and working at the wind tunnel as an instructor. Dave welcomed me to Voss for a holiday in 2015 and showed me around, explaining what was possible and introducing me to the local people. I fell completely in love with Norway and decided that I was going to make it home. Six months later I boarded a one way flight to Norway and jumped into my new life. Quite literally. Not long after I had moved, I started to realise truly how special Norway was for extreme sport and decided to take my flying skills to the mountains. At this point I met my boyfriend Espen Fadnes who had been working as a professional BASE jumper since 2012. We made the perfect team. I would teach him what I knew about bodyflying and he would guide me into the world of wingsuiting and BASE jumping. That’s when things really started to kick off! TJ: With such amazing locations for the sport, it is no wonder that Norway’s national wingsuit team is so stacked with talent. How does it feel to be the first woman to represent your country on the national wingsuit team? AF: As an English person having migrated to

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It is hard to explain what it feels like to fly 283km/h. It takes a lot of focus not to get speed wobbles and lose control. It is very important to be both strong and relaxed in the body, but at the same time focus on the competition, so it’s pretty hectic to be honest. I remember the sensation that my face was out of control with the wind hitting it so aggressively, that was the only “normal” sign that I was going seriously fast.

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Norway, it feels very special to have been accepted as a member of the Norwegian national team. Espen and I dreamt of being part of an acrobatic wingsuit team for many years, so we were very happy to finally be doing it! We have been a team now for three years, but due to me getting injured and Covid-19 shutting everything down, we have still not managed to compete together. We hope that soon we will get the chance to compete, but in the meantime we will continue training and preparing ourselves for when it finally happens.

the upcoming year that you would like to share with the fans? AF: Over the next year I will be focusing a lot on training with the national team, coaching skydiving events over Norway and as much as possible running away into the mountains with my wingsuit.

I do not think too much about the fact that I am a woman, but I do hope that I can inspire more women to follow their dreams, even if they are within a male dominated field.

But, the biggest project that I am working on now is something very personal and close to my heart. I have recently started to hold motivational speeches and dream of doing this much more. I hope to share my story with the world and aim to support and encourage people who have encountered similar life challenges as myself.

TJ: You performed in a wide variety of films and commercials, including the movie Race 3. Do you have any exciting plans for

My speech/presentation is a very honest and personal story, starting all the way back during my childhood in England. I look deeply into how this

childhood has shaped me into the person I am today, in both positive and negative ways. The story leads all the way up to a large trauma which I suffered in 2019 and continues on to share the lessons that I have learnt from this. I hope that I can teach my viewers these lessons without them having to make the mistakes that I had to make. TJ: You and your partner, Espen Fadnes, are both members of Team One Call. How amazing is it to share your travels and experiences with someone that you love? AF: I feel very lucky to have found a life partner like Espen, he is just a wonderful human being and our life together is such an adventure! But, like any relationship, there are ups and downs and it is constant working progress to support and love each other in the ways we need. www.facethecurrent.com

Sharing our job and main hobby together is very special, but we try to make time for other activities too, otherwise it can get a bit intense. Many people tell me that they couldn’t live like us with their partner, but personally, I couldn’t imagine a relationship working any other way. TJ: With all of the tremendous forces of nature and physics facing you during your time in the air, how do you prepare your body to handle what you put it through? AF: I have always had a large focus on fitness and physical training, minus a little lazy period in my teens… I find great joy in challenging my body physically and finding flow in activities such as yoga and dance. When I started skydiving I started to focus a lot more on

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strength and endurance to keep up with the boys. In 2019, I had a bad accident skydiving where I broke my thigh bone, and dislocated and shattered the lower section of my spine. The year following this injury for me was 100% focused on rehabilitation, working to regain strength and ability so that I could continue with my sport and work. Today, I am back jumping and flying, but I feel in many ways like a different person. I place a lot of focus on physical training and focus heavily on my mentality around what I do, and my life in general. I am learning to live with my mistake and slowly accepting my body as it is now. I will continue to prioritise physical and mental wellbeing for the rest of my life.

TJ: In order to be as good as you are a lot of time and effort must be spent honing and perfecting your craft as a wingsuit flyer. Do you have any other main hobbies or interests that are equally important to you? AF: Flying is my biggest passion for sure. But, I do enjoy doing a variety of other activities such as hiking big mountains, paddle boarding, fishing, climbing, biking, baking bread and taking care of my houseplants. But, a lot of the activities that I do outside of flying are done in a way that I believe will make me a better skydiver and BASE jumper.

ymore info: https://amberforte.com/ www.instagram.com/amber4t www.facethecurrent.com

FtC sports

Pushing the Limits of Human Flight with Red Bull Air Force Athlete Miles Daisher By Ty Johnson | PHOTOGRAPHY BY RED BULL CONTENT POOL Miles Daisher is a man of many talents. The Georgia native is a skilled canopy pilot, stuntman, flight team member , husband, and father who has lived in Twin Falls, Idaho for the past decade. While part of the Red Bull Air Force—a specialized team of aviation experts—Miles has received high praise from his crewmates for his inspirational attitude and personality. It is impossible to miss the positive energy and passion that has propelled him to lead the field in aerial sports and become a Guinness World Record holder. Miles became a professional parachutist after falling in love with canopies in 1995, and he has already completed more than 10,000 skydives and 6,000 BASE jumps. In 2005, Miles achieved a world record setting 737 BASE jumps in a single year, and in June of 2017, he claimed another world record with 63 jumps in a single day! Not only is Miles an inarguably incredible athlete, but he is also extremely creative. He has used this creativity to establish three new sports: skyayking, rope swing BASE jumping, and parabiking. That’s right—Miles is so experienced in human flight that he brought kayaks and bicycles along for the ride! With this talent and apparent lack of fear, it is no wonder that Miles has been chosen to partake in Hollywood stunts for movies like Iron Man 3. And because of his unique drive and achievements, Miles is also an inspirational coach and motivational speaker. Miles and his craft have appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Discovery Channel, Nightline, Carson Daly, and many more, and he opened up to Face the Current to share more about his motivations, personal outlook, and daily habits for success.

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Ty Johnson: In the Red Bull TV series, Miles Above, you mention that being in the air “just feels normal”. When did you first fall in love with aerial sports? Miles Daisher: Before I was five, I loved jumping from the high dive into the swimming pool. This progressed into jumping from cliffs into rivers and lakes. Then in college I began bungee jumping with Primal Instinct and worked with them and Bungee Squaw Valley until I started skydiving. My first skydive was addictive, and I swallowed the sport, hook, line, and sinker. I was completely hooked and fell in love with it. The next stage was to move to the drop zone and live there for two years, skydiving almost every day. After spending this much time in the air, it feels normal to fly my body. It’s like how a swimmer

feels when swimming—it just feels good. TJ: The Red Bull Air Force is comprised of many world champion athletes who are all tremendously skilled and committed. What does it feel like to be a part of such a talented group of people? MD: Awesome. My Red Bull Air Force teammates are amazing people. They’re great people and superskilled in human flight. All are world champion skydivers and I’m so stoked to work and train with such talented and dedicated people who love skydiving as much as I do. I learn so much from them about techniques and the form of a “cool guy in the sky”. I also learn about other aspects like training and safety, but it’s more

about the mentality of the sport and the future we are promoting it toward. I’m more of a “hold-mybeer-and-watch this” type of guy. It took a while before my teammates stopped saying, “Lock it up and focus, Daisher!” all the time. TJ: Your teammates commend you for the energy and positivity that you bring to the table. What keeps you motivated to stay in the positive mindset like you do? MD: I’ve always been very much into athletics. It’s about being strong and flexible so you can make things happen easier. Also, it’s important to go into any battle with a positive outlook so you can create a positive outcome. I believe in creating your own destiny, and if you can be positive, positive things happen. It’s www.facethecurrent.com

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Be happy! This is how you set yourself up for success. Find what makes you happy. Where are you the happiest in life? Go there and stay there—work there if you can. Create your own destiny and if you are doing what you love to do, then it’s easy to be happy all the time. I love to wake up with the attitude of, “Hell yeah! Let’s do this! Go time!” I’m happy to get to go to work.

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simple math and really scientific, if you ask me. This began inadvertently throughout my life, and I have only recently come to realize this after talking to my friend, Chris Santacroce, about our children. He told me he wakes up his kids every day and asks them if they choose to be poopy or awesome today! It’s a choice. And sometimes, even if you’re not feeling great, you can fake it till you make it to get back on the sunny side of life. You can actually be happy all day, even if you have to force it on yourself. Always try to be the cool guy that you wish yourself to be, and at the end of the day, you’ll love yourself even more. Also, it is important to do what you love. Put yourself in your happy place and enjoy it! Be happy!

This is how you set yourself up for success. Find what makes you happy. Where are you the happiest in life? Go there and stay there—work there if you can. Create your own destiny and if you are doing what you love to do, then it’s easy to be happy all the time. I love to wake up with the attitude of, “Hell yeah! Let’s do this! Go time!” I’m happy to get to go to work. TJ: You say, “Some people think I’m crazy, but if you’re not doing what you love, I think you’re crazy.” What advice do you have for people to help them make a routine out of doing what they love? MD: Frank Gambalie taught me to

skydive and BASE jump. He asked me what I was doing for work and whether or not I loved it. My answer was that I really liked landscape construction, but love is a strong word. Frank said I need to quit doing that and start doing what I love. I still do some landscaping and construction from time to time for fun and to improve my worldly surroundings, but now I “mostly” do what I love every day and I’m super stoked. It pays to have a positive, motivated, self-driving sense of urgency to keep things moving no matter what you do.You’ve got to get fired up to get fired up. My advice would be to just make things happen. Think about three things you’d like to see happen, and break those things

down into the parts or skills that you can practice. Then, put those parts together to make action steps to get it done. When you make it happen, you create your own reality— especially if you are creative with your happenings. TJ: You have experience in BASE jumping, wingsuit flying, and skydiving, and you have even tackled skyaking and rope-swing BASE jumping. What inspires your creativity and makes you want to try things like skyaking? MD: Have you ever been told that you can’t do something because it’s impossible? Well, if you give up on it, then yes, it is impossible. If you look at the situation “outside the box”

and find a way to win, you can do anything that you wish. I love figuring out how to safely do dangerous things. (Or at least make them possible without hurting myself.) Always try to one-up what you did the day before and keep progressing. My jam is flying parachutes. So now the trick is to make it look easy to sit in a kayak and chew gum and blow bubbles while flying a parachute into a canyon to land in a moving river. All this while thinking, “What’s next?” This is an example of the proficiency stage—the fourth and final level of motor skill development. TJ: With the extra hours of the summer solstice, you spent the day leaping from a bridge

a whopping sixty-three times and climbing over 29,000 feet of rock! What makes you want to keep competing for world records like this one throughout your athletic career? MD: I’ve always been athletic and very competitive in many sports. With great fitness you can make great accomplishments, so be strong! I love to be fit enough to have opportunities to push the sport of BASE jumping and try to represent for parachute sports to be pushed to their next level. I fell in love with parachuting and wish to share the thrill of human flight with all creatures. We are humans and have physical limits, but I like to

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Always try to one-up what you did the day before and keep progressing. My jam is flying parachutes. So now the trick is to make it look easy to sit in a kayak and chew gum and blow bubbles while flying a parachute into a canyon to land in a moving river. All this while thinking, “What’s next?” This is an example of the proficiency stage—the fourth and final level of motor skill development.

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push on limits and see how far I can go in life. The harder you push, the farther you’ll go. It also helps to make a good plan and strategy to achieve your goals. Ask yourself where you want to be at the end of the day and work to get there. Conquering magic goals takes hard work, a cup of fortuitousness, a touch of timing, and a sprinkle of luck. I’ve got goals to accomplish and only one lifetime to achieve them, so let’s get busy! TJ: The field of human flight and air sports is becoming more and

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more popular every year. How does it feel to be not only one of the most talented individuals in all of aerial sports, but also one of the most motivational for upand-coming athletes, as well?

TJ: The Red Bull Air Force completes amazing stunts together with expert pilot Kirby Chambliss. How can you explain what it is like to be diving with a plane flying so close by?

MD: As sky sports become more and more popular, I get many messages from people asking how to get on our Red Bull Air Force team. I’m stoked that we can inspire people to get fired up on flying human bodies. I’ve always tried to be creative and driven to make things happen, and I get very excited when a new idea comes to mind. I brainstorm a solution with a friend to conquer a new challenge, but my general advice to all would be to find your strengths and strengthen them. I get humbled and stoked when someone says to me, “Remember when you did that cool thing that one time in that one place? That was cool.” It makes you feel good inside when someone says something nice to you like that. Being nice creates good feelings and the world needs more of that kind of love.

MD: Oh boy! When you are flying a wing suit or parachute and you open the door for an airplane fly-by at close proximity, you’d better trust your pilot 110%. That’s why we have Kirby Chambliss come ripping by us in the sky or do barrel rolls around us as we wingsuit over the flight line. Kirby knows how to get ultra-close without hitting us or sending us thru his jet wash and collapsing our wings. It’s very exciting when Kirby comes out of nowhere underneath you. Even when you know he is coming, you’re never ready for him and he scares the crap out of me every time. If you slip out of your wing suit glide, you’ll fall right into his path—it’s terrifyingly fun to play with Kirby in the sky while you are a flying human.

TJ: You talk about passion and the importance of having your reasons to live. Other than your love of and talent for aerial sports, what are some of your passions in life? MD: I love using my time wisely. Sometimes the most important time of day is when you reflect on what has happened that day or that week. Enjoy the hindsight, including how you reacted to things that you thought you were ready for. I also love to break down a video in slow motion to see microscopic details in the action so that I can work on perfecting it in the future. I love getting philosophical about

life, flying, and most importantly how to have more fun than should be humanly possible. TJ: Face the Current believes that it is very important to live a holistic and balanced lifestyle in our daily practices. Do you have any specific routines that you would like to share with the fans? MD: Stay healthy! Moderation helps, especially when you are going big and sending it huge. Big things happen because of small steps that come together over time.Visualize the steps to your big goal and work with baby steps to get there. I like to breathe hard a minimum of a few

times a day. Cardio training will keep you alive longer so that you can do more in life, so I try to follow the final words of the boy scout oath and, “Keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.” And don’t forget the healing time of rest and reflection. Try to be more aware of yourself so that you’ll know where you are in life, and where it’s possible to go. (Reflection promotes growth!) Now go out and get your own Personal Record for the day.

ymore info: www.milesdaisher.com www.instagram.com/miles_daisher www.facethecurrent.com

FtC health

Luxurious and Interactive Self-Care Jewelry: Setting Intentions with the 528 Line by Crystals for Humanity By Ainsley Schoppel

Transcending many cultures and centuries, the importance, mysticism, and power of crystals has long been a fascination for humankind. A term for ice, the word “crystal” actually comes from “krystallos”; a Greek word meaning “coldness drawn together”. Roman historian Pliny the Elder even described the origins and physical qualities of different precious stones in his ancient writings. In Western Christianity, crystals symbolized faith, purity, and perfection, and were frequently mentioned in writings. They were also used to decorate valued religious objects to manifest

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transcendence and the light of the heavens. Medieval troubadours used crystals and their qualities to describe the beauty of a main character’s love interest, often using the crystals as a way to represent carnal desire and love. Whatever it is that you find attractive about crystals—whether it’s the metaphysical, the aesthetic, the scientific, or something uniquely personal—one thing most would agree on is that these are precious, ancient elements born from our vast universe. At the core of their

purpose, we benefit from being reminded of the fact that we are connected to something vaster than we are able to comprehend. Founded by Anjanette and Dominic Sinesio, Crystals for Humanity was created to design beautiful crystal jewellery to nurture every wearer. With a mission to spread love and help heal the world through the magnificence of crystals, the pair began by starting Gem-Water.com, offering a collection of products to encourage the practice of mindful hydration. Now, the Sinesios’

The name, Crystals for Humanity, is a simple expression of this mission. Designed in Los Angeles by Anjanette and Dominic, every hand-cut crystal in their collection is oneof-a-kind and crafted by master artisans of Jaipur, India. Natural variations in color and inclusions paint a picture of the way in which that particular stone was born from the earth. Like each of us, every stone is filled with all the magic of the universe and is perfectly imperfect. And, with Jaipur’s reputation as a mecca for gemstone cutting and jewelry craftsmanship for over three centuries, the region provides a modern infrastructure and network for responsibly sourced, mined, and fairlytraded crystals—a priority Crystals for Humanity shares with all its suppliers.

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Crystals for Humanity’s newest unisex necklace line, 528, is designed to be a companion piece for the spirit and a beautiful tool to raise your vibration and fine-tune your personal frequency throughout the day. Black and white rhodium are precious metals in the platinum family that help guard against scratches while boasting a beautiful reflective surface.

Crystals for Humanity’s newest unisex necklace line, 528, is designed to be a companion piece for the spirit and a beautiful tool to raise your vibration and fine-tune your personal frequency throughout the day. The collection name is derived from what is known as the “love frequency”, 528 Hz—one of the six ancient solfeggio tones used for centuries in healing modalities. Each piece in this line is designed for interaction. When a 528 necklace is worn, simply glide the crystal along

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intention is to inspire and support the mind, body, and spirit of the individual, all in the service of our collective wellness on this planet.

the chain into the desired position and set your intention for the day. Then, whenever you’re feeling stressed, distracted, or in need of an energy shift, use the elegant sliding motion of the crystal to check in

with yourself. Pause, touch the crystal, remember your intention for the day, and move the crystal to a point on your body that helps you breathe and reset. www.facethecurrent.com

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The name, Crystals for Humanity, is a simple expression of this mission. Like each of us, every stone is filled with all the magic of the universe and is perfectly imperfect. And, with Jaipur’s reputation as a mecca for gemstone cutting and jewelry craftsmanship for over three centuries, the region provides a modern infrastructure and network for responsibly sourced, mined, and fairlytraded crystals—a priority Crystals for Humanity shares with all its suppliers.

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Crafted on a forty-inch box chain, each necklace can be created with white or black rhodium plated on sterling silver, eighteen karat yellow gold vermeil, or eighteen karat rose gold vermeil. Black and white rhodium are precious metals in the platinum family that help guard against scratches while boasting a beautiful reflective surface.Vermeil is a special silver-plating process that must use a minimum of 2.5 microns of gold. (Most gold-plated jewelry on the market is only 0.5 microns.) But with your Crystals for Humanity 528 necklace, three microns of eighteen karat gold is plated for its purity, durability, and lustrous colour.

After you’ve chosen the chain, it’s time to select the crystal that speaks to your intentions and desires. Choose from rose quartz, amethyst, clear quartz, smoky quartz, tiger’s eye, lapis lazuli, black jasper, and amazonite. Rose quartz is known as the stone of love and is said to help raise self-esteem, promote positive energy, release stress, and curb jealousy. Amethyst is the stone of protection and is said to help us connect with higher planes of existence. Clear quartz is the master healer and can amplify the energy of other crystals. It is also said to help support intuition and connect to spirit guides. Smoky quartz is known

as the anti-stress stone and is said to guard your home and possessions from damage, theft, and accidents. Tiger’s eye is “all-seeing” and “allknowing”. Ancients believed it gave its wearer the ability to fully observe everything around them and it is also said to help with courage and sharpen inner vision. Lapis lazuli is the stone of communication and is thought to help you speak your truth with grace and confidence, and it eases communication breakdowns. Black jasper is the supreme nurturer and is said to help with physical and mental strength and protection. And finally, amazonite is known as the stone of purposeful organization and

is said to help with making grounded decisions. Not only will your captivating 528 necklace serve as a beautiful statement and selfconnecting tool, but you can also feel good knowing that, starting with 528, each Crystals for Humanity collection that is launched will have a charitable component. Every necklace purchased from the 528 line contributes $5.28 to non-profit organizations committed to making a difference in the world, starting with Together Rising. Founded by Glennon Doyle, author of the number one New York Times bestseller, Untamed, Together Rising transforms heartache into action by partnering with a wide range of local activists and individuals around the world that share a desire to provide resources for worthy causes. Their mottos is LOVE WINS, and the group has raised over twenty-five million dollars since its inception. Crystals for Humanity has designed and crafted purposeful jewelry that is sleekly beautiful, helps you tune-in to yourself, and gives back to communities in need. Every time you wear your 528 necklace, slide the crystal to the location that feels best for you, breathe in your intention, and remember all the good that it is doing—for your wellbeing and others’.

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Starting with 528, each Crystals for Humanity collection that is launched will have a charitable component. Every necklace purchased from the 528 line contributes $5.28 to non-profit organizations committed to making a difference in the world, starting with Together Rising.

ymore info: https://gem-water.com/ www.facethecurrent.com

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FtC health

A Holistic Approach to Healthcare and Self-Care with Renowned Expert, Andrew Weil, M.D. By Thomas Van Deven, D.O. Andrew Weil, M.D., is the founder of integrative medicine and one of the world’s foremost authorities of natural healing. Early in his career, Dr. Weil expanded beyond the limits of conventional medicine to develop an approach that more comprehensively promotes health and prevents disease. This includes, but is not limited to, diet and lifestyle, conventional and alternative methods, mind, body, spirit, and community. Dr. Weil founded and currently directs the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. The Center is the leading effort in the world to develop a comprehensive curriculum in integrative medicine (IM). Through its Fellowship and Integrative Medicine in Residency (IMR) curricula, the Center is now training doctors and nurse practitioners around the world. Some of the educational programs are open to all, addressing topics such as pain management and mental health. Dr. Weil is the author of fifteen books and many scientific and popular articles. From his love of cooking he also founded True Food Kitchen restaurants located across the U.S. He frequently lectures and appears on talk shows, sharing his expertise on medicinal plants, alternative medicine, the reform of medical education, and the future of healthcare. Dr. Thomas Van Deven—an osteopathic physician, dual board certified in family medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine—chatted with Dr. Weil to discuss the limitations of conventional medicine, the future of IM, and his health advice for the next generation.

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Thomas Van Deven: As a Harvard medical school graduate, what drew you to healing approaches outside of conventional medicine? Andrew Weil: I have had a lifelong interest in plants, which I got from my mother. That eventually led me to major in botany as a Harvard undergraduate. Under the mentorship of professor Richard Schultes (the godfather of modern ethnobotany), I became interested in ethnobotany and the study of medicinal plants. For as long as I can remember, I was also fascinated by the mind and how it interacted with the body. That eventually led me to study medical hypnosis. I began learning about alternative medical practices while still in college. After I completed a medical internship in 1969, I decided not to practice conventional medicine because I saw

it do too much harm while paying little attention to the promotion of health and the teaching of how not to get sick. I also traveled widely from 1971-75, looking at healing practices in other cultures. After that, I began to put together my own system of practice that I came to call “integrative medicine”. TVD: What is your definition of integrative medicine (IM), and how do you see it playing a role in health as it relates to COVID-19? AW: IM is the intelligent combination of best conventional practices with natural and alternative approaches. It emphasizes the body’s innate healing capacity, looks at the whole person (body, mind, spirit), pays attention to all aspects of lifestyle that influence health, and makes use of all available therapies that do not cause harm and show reasonable evidence of

efficacy. With regard to COVID-19, IM teaches that healthy individuals are less likely to become seriously ill with the virus and recommends many strategies for maintaining immunity (such as using medicinal mushrooms). TVD: What have you seen as the biggest wake-up call stemming from this pandemic? AW: It exposes our vulnerability to new zoonotic diseases that result from human activity (deforestation, climate change, industrial agriculture, excessive population density, etc.), as well as our lack of preparedness— even though we had ample warning that such an event was coming. It also reveals the great disparities in healthcare that put poor communities and people of color at greater risk. More and worse pandemics are likely in the future; we must be better prepared. www.facethecurrent.com

TVD: Aimed at educating a new generation of physicians and other health professionals to change medicine and healthcare, you established the internationally recognized and innovative Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. Please describe the programs offered and who should consider the training. What resources are available for the layperson interested in wellness? AW: The flagship program is the two-year fellowship offered for physicians, PAs, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, dentists, and others. We have more than 2000 graduates in all specialties practicing in all states and in a number of other countries.

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People can find our graduates by clicking on the Find a Practitioner link on the Center’s website. The training corrects all the deficiencies in conventional professional education, and a condensed IM curriculum is now part of residency training in many residency programs in a number of fields. The Center also trains medical students and allied health professionals and offers excellent online programs for the general public. TVD: With increasing evidence of the efficacy and safety of many of the approaches of integrative medicine, do you see it becoming more accepted by conventional medicine or even covered by insurance companies? How do we best

move in this direction? AW: The movement is now economically driven. IM can lower healthcare costs and improve outcomes by shifting the focus of healthcare away from disease management and toward health promotion and prevention. It does this by emphasizing lifestyle medicine and by bringing into the mainstream treatments not dependent on expensive technology. IM is definitely becoming mainstream, but we need to collect outcomes and efficacy data comparing integrative and conventional treatment options for common health conditions that absorb most of our healthcare dollars. That’s the only way to convince payers to change policies of reimbursement.

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IM is the intelligent combination of best conventional practices with natural and alternative approaches. It emphasizes the body’s innate healing capacity, looks at the whole person (body, mind, spirit), pays attention to all aspects of lifestyle that influence health, and makes use of all available therapies that do not cause harm and show reasonable evidence of efficacy.

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TVD: What has been the most profound experience you have personally had or witnessed as it relates to natural healing? AW: I have reported many remarkable case histories in my books, Spontaneous Healing and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health. During my mentorship with Robert Fulford, D.O., I saw him end recurrent cycles of pediatric otitis media (inflammation or infection in the middle ear) with one session of cranial therapy. I recorded one such case in a short documentary: Robert Fulford; An Osteopathic Alternative. TVD: Nutrition plays an integral role in health and healing, and you cover this well in all that you have shared over the years. With so much information at our

fingertips, it is easy to become overwhelmed and confused with conflicting advice when it comes to diet and nutrition. How do you advise navigating through this to identify the ideal diet to fuel health and longevity? How does this vary from one person to another? AW: Given that we are biochemically unique and come from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, it is difficult to make specific dietary recommendations that apply to everyone. But, we can make general recommendations backed by strong scientific evidence. The main one is to avoid refined, processed, and manufactured foods as much as possible. Seek out reliable sources of information, such as my books

(Healthy Aging and Eating Well for Optimal Health) and my website. Also, reduce consumption of animal foods, learn about better and worse fats and carbohydrates, and follow an antiinflammatory diet. TVD:You have now written numerous best-selling books on integrative medicine. For anyone who may not be familiar with your books, what might you recommend as a great starting point for 1) the health professional and 2) the average health-conscious individual seeking to enhance their personal wellbeing and/ or support that of family or a friend? Do you have another book in the works? AW: For health professionals, I www.facethecurrent.com

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There is a great deal of research interest in the medicinal properties of mushrooms, especially their ability to modulate immune function and increase resistance to infection and cancer. Reishi has significant anti-inflammatory effects and Lion’s Mane stimulates nerve growth and appears to improve cognitive function.

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recommend Health and Healing as it explains the philosophy of IM. Mind Over Meds is also informative as it covers the problem of overmedication and gives IM treatment protocols for managing common conditions without medication or with minimal medication in combination with lifestyle modification and other approaches. For health-conscious individuals, Spontaneous Healing, 8 Weeks to Optimum Health, and Healthy Aging are all great reads. And right now, I do not have other books in the works. TVD: Paul Stamets has significantly impacted the advancement of our understanding of mycelium,

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its many health benefits, and the availability of products on the market. Knowing of your fascination with the health benefits of mushrooms, what are some of the advancements that you have been most excited about and what are the top two mushrooms you recommend for supporting immune function? AW: I’m pleased that, finally, there is a great deal of research interest in the medicinal properties of mushrooms, especially their ability to modulate immune function and increase resistance to infection and cancer. Reishi has significant antiinflammatory effects and Lion’s Mane stimulates nerve growth and appears to improve cognitive function. I

recommend including a variety of mushrooms in any diet and taking quality mushroom supplements. TVD: How is psilocybin, a.k.a. “magic mushrooms”, being used as a medical treatment, and what is your take on this? AW: In the U.S., it remains a Schedule 1 controlled substance, unavailable for therapeutic use, although it is now decriminalized or legal in several states and cities. It will likely soon be made available for use in “psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy” for drug-resistant depression, OCD, anxiety disorders, and other mental health conditions. I believe it is safe and has great therapeutic potential, not only in psychiatry but in general medicine.

TVD: How do you keep yourself healthy amidst all your responsibilities? What does a day in the life of Andrew Weil look like? Are you doing anything specific with respect to COVID-19? AW: I follow my own advice. I follow my anti-inflammatory diet, grow much of my own food, and mostly eat food I cook myself. I also swim every day and my dogs take me for walks. I meditate, practice breath work and gratitude, make judicious use of preventive medicine and dietary supplements, spend time with friends, and try to set limits on my use of devices. I now have had both doses of the Pfizer vaccine and am beginning to venture out, still wearing a mask and practicing social distancing when I do. TVD: What emerging or advancing fields of medicine do you believe have significant potential for improving health? AW: Individualized medicine based on genomics, regenerative medicine, and psychedelic therapy. TVD: Based on your extensive research and decades of experience, what pivotal advice would you give to the next generation? AW: Learn how to breathe, do not smoke, get your recommended vaccinations, be physically active, get good rest and sleep, and learn and practice methods to neutralize the harmful effects of stress on the mind and body.

ymore info: www.drweil.com www.facethecurrent.com

FtC health

Pheno-Age: The New Science of Aging By Jim Bentz, D.C.

“If you don’t know where you are, you can’t figure how to get where you want to go.”

Recent scientific research on aging has shown that there is now an accurate way to measure the difference between your chronological age and your biological age. Let’s say you are fifty years old— this is your chronological age.Your biological age could actually be older or younger than fifty depending on whether your body is aging slower or faster than your chronological

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age. Biological age—also referred to as physiological age—takes many lifestyle factors into consideration including diet, exercise, and sleeping habits. A simple blood test called the PhenoAge test analyzes bio-markers and is now considered to be the most accurate measurement of your biological age. The term Pheno-Age

is derived from “phenotype”—a set of observable characteristics of an individual that result from the interaction of their genotype with the environment. So, your genotype is your actual DNA blueprint while your phenotype is the way in which your genes are expressed in response to lifestyle and environmental influences.

The science of genetic expression is called “epigenetics”, which literally means “above the gene”. (Genes are comprised of DNA sequences that code for production of proteins— the building blocks of our bodies.) Science has made great strides in this field since the human genome was mapped in 2003. In fact, researchers decoding the human genome were surprised to find that only two percent of human DNA is contained in genes, and that ninety-eight percent of our DNA is “noncoding”. At first, researchers thought that this noncoding DNA served no purpose, and therefore called it “junk DNA”. However, it turns out that this DNA isn’t “junk” at all, but rather it plays a very important role in turning genes on and off, and therefore regulates gene expression. Before the science of epigenetics, it was thought that your health was determined by your genes, and this meant that you were at

the mercy of your genetic makeup. We now know that this just isn’t true! Your gene expression is much more important to your health than your genes themselves, and your lifestyle, environment, and mental and emotional states directly affect your genetic expression. Dr. Steve Horvath, an aging researcher at UCLA, developed the Horvath aging clock. This is a highly accurate molecular biomarker of aging that is used for developing weighted correlation network analysis. The recipient of several research awards, he has studied genomic biomarkers of aging, the aging process, and many age-related diseases/conditions. (In fact, the term Pheno-Age came directly from his research!) Because PhenoAge pertains to whether you’re aging faster or slower than your chronological age, it has also been shown to predict your percentage chance of dying in the next ten years.

In his research, Dr. Horvath found that there are nine blood markers that determine your Pheno-Age and the good news is that these nine blood markers can give your doctor very specific information about which systems in the body need attention in order to improve your Pheno-Age. This tailored healthcare can thereby slow your rate of aging and extend your “healthspan”. (Healthspan refers to the length of time you live free from the many symptoms of aging such as arthritis, dementia, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other conditions commonly associated with aging.) None of us wants to live a long time if we’re suffering with debilitating age-related conditions, and it’s important to understand that these conditions are not an inevitable consequence of aging; they are reversible to a large degree, and early diagnosis increases your chance of stopping and reversing the accelerated processes of aging and disease.

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Dr. Horvath’s research found that accelerated aging was also strongly correlated with Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic Syndrome results from disrupted fat and glucose metabolism, and is diagnosed by having three or more of the following five indicators: 1. Visceral or belly fat as measured by waist circumference exceeding thirty-five inches for women and forty-five inches for men. 2. Triglyceride levels above 150 mg/ dl. 3. Blood pressure above 130/85. 4. Fasting glucose over 110 mg/dl. 5. HDL cholesterol below 40 mg/dl in men and 50 mg/dl in women. Having Metabolic Syndrome significantly increases your risk of developing several diseases including: • Type II diabetes (4000 % increased risk) • Heart disease (70% increased risk for heart attack and stroke) • Alzheimer’s disease • Kidney disease • Liver disease including cirrhosis and fatty liver • Macular degeneration • Neurological conditions including MS and Parkinson’s • Reproductive cancers (breast, ovarian, and prostate) • Autoimmune conditions (Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjogren’s, psoriasis and eczema, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and others) A recent study by the University of North Carolina found that eightyeight percent of Americans are

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Nine blood markers can give your doctor very specific information about which systems in the body need attention in order to improve your Pheno-Age. This tailored healthcare can thereby slow your rate of aging and extend your ‘healthspan’.

Fidalgo Island Health Center now offers a Pheno-Age analysis for just $149 using a lab blood draw as opposed to the finger prick test used by many other clinics promoting

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metabolically unfit, and the most important thing you can do right now is find out if you are one of them! The odds are seven in eight that you are, so don’t gamble with your health by delaying this critical analysis—your life is literally at stake. The good news, however, is that with the right guidance, it’s possible to live a metabolically healthy life!

Pheno-Age testing online. (Blood draws are much more accurate than finger prick tests for determining Pheno-Age.) The analysis also includes a comprehensive report of your bodily systems that need attention and support. Metabolic Syndrome and its increased risk of disease is by far the leading cause of death worldwide. Therefore, in addition to HDL cholesterol, fasting glucose, and triglycerides, other tests are included to evaluate your metabolic health including hemoglobin A1c, fasting insulin,

and C-reactive protein. Together with your Pheno-Age calculation, these blood tests will give you very accurate and specific indicators of your risk of disease and death and will indicate how best to guide you towards an improved “healthspan”.

ymore info: www.fidalgoislandhealthcenter.com www.facebook.com/drjimbentz Call (360) 588-9108 to book your Pheno-Age test today! www.facethecurrent.com

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