ORIGIN Magazine: Issue 21 by THRIVE. ORIGIN + MANTRA Magazines

Gloria

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VEGAN FOODS FOR WINTER

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ANNIE LENNOX NOSTALGIA + POWERFUL WOMEN ROBIN LIM MIDWIFE + PHILIPPINES

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Let’s hook up. No need to bait the hook. Leave those fish in the sea. You don’t need to hook up with fish oil to get your omega fatty acids. We all know that everybody needs omega fatty acids for overall health, well-being, and brain functions*—but if we continue to rely on fish oil, there will be nothing left to catch. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, it is estimated that 87% of the world’s fish stocks are at their breaking point, classified as overexploited or fully exploited. 7 Sources is a complete, all-in-one, omega fatty acid product derived from seven nutritious land and sea plants–flax, sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, evening primrose, algae, and coconut oils. It contains DHA & EPA from algae, not fish, so it’s sustainable, and it has a natural, nutty taste. So leave the fish in the sea and hook up with 7 Sources…it’s a catch you can feel good about. NoN-GMo + sustaiNable + veGaN + GluteN & soy-free 888-436-6697 | VISIT WWW.FLORAHEALTH.COM TO FIND A STORE NEAR YOU. *THIS STATEMENT HAS NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.

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MINDFULNESS 12 VEGAN FOODS FOR WINTER 22 SYESHA MERCADO 24 JENNIFER WIDERSTROM 26 CAMILA ALVES 28 KRISTEN TAEKMAN 32 JORJA FOX 44 BIGGEST STRUGGLE 47 GEAR WE LOVE

16 18 20 22 34 40 42 46

ROBIN LIM ADAM DURITZ SOPHIA BUSH ANNIE LENNOX QUESTLOVE MOBY ARIANNA HUFFINGTON JULIA ORMOND

Redefining success. Women rising and leading. Humanitarians making a difference globally. I have lived most of my life in insecurity. I’ve been working the past twenty years, trying to prove something to the world. I thought that my appearance and my bank account determined my worth. I allowed myself to buy into a false definition of success. I have worked to the point of exhaustion. My health and my relationships suffered. Only recently have I realized that my new measure of success is the quality of my relationship with myself and my daughter, along with being able to rest and bring something of value to the planet, something that helps improve and transform peoples’ lives. Freedom, for me, is the new success. Freedom from fear and freedom to travel and freedom to live my life on my terms is the ultimate definition of success. Helping people realize that we’ve been sold a bill of goods, that we can change our minds and our lives and find something that really works beautifully for us, is one of my life goals.

Maranda Pleasant ORIGIN Magazine • Mantra Yoga + Health • REAL Magazine • THRIVE Magazine Founder / Editor-in-Chief 6 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Karen Yin CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sami Lea Lipman SENIOR EDITOR Paul D. Miller / DJ Spooky COPY EDITOR Ian Prichard CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Robert Piper Michael Franti Amanda Stuermer

ECO EDITOR Ian Somerhalder

EDITOR’S NOTE

In this issue, we’re honored to have my heroines Annie Lennox and Gloria Steinem and humanitarian rock stars Robin Lim and Oxfam share their work.

PUBLISHER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Maranda Pleasant

ANIMAL EDITORS Barbi Twins

22 ROCK AND ROLL

ORIGIN TEAM

GLOBAL YOUTH EDITOR Ocean Pleasant INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Gina G. Murdock

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY ANNIE LENNOX Photo: Kevin Hess

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Give Juice

Pulp a Second Life BY CELINE BEITCHMAN

Reducing food waste s an avid juicer, I go through pounds of produce each week, creating wickedly refreshing combinations of vegetables and the occasional fruit. As my tastes change over the seasons and days, I wind up with a wide range of colors and flavors in my glass. I’m also left with a mess of fibrous pulp. On days when my juicer is spewing green manna, I opt for the compost bin with my bitter strained solids, but when my juice is on the sweeter (or milder) side, those solids get a second life.

Put a little Mediterranean into your mealtime with this super-easy condiment:

Recovered Raita

• 1 cup cucumber pulp (from 2 juiced) • 1/2 cup celery pulp (from 3 stalks juiced) • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1 garlic clove, minced • 1/4 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt • Freshly cracked black pepper • 1 1/2 cups strained Greek-style yogurt Mix everything together, and enjoy alongside roasted vegetables, fish, or grilled meats.

What you can do with your juicing pulp will depend on your juicer and the combinations you choose. The textures might range from sopping wet or dry and stringy, each with their own potential. Centrifugal juicers that spin foods around like a washing machine before separating the solid and liquid portions will yield a wetter pulp that can add moisture along with some flavor, fiber, and color to your culinary improvisations. A standard masticating type, which crushes and presses at lower speeds, will more thoroughly dry out the fibrous by-products. If you’re an everyday juicer, like me, you will quickly accumulate more pulp than you can use. The drier stuff can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for up to a month, but the moister stuff is best used right away. Mixed into everything from porridge to burgers to cake batter, there’s really no end to the repurposing. Let a mixture of good judgment, your palate, and a hefty dose of curiosity guide your experiments.

Here are a few ideas to get you started: • Mix up to 1 cup of not-too-bitter vegetable pulp into your favorite grain burger or meatloaf recipe. • Fold a 1/2 cup of sweeter pulp (think apple, beet, carrots, and lemon) into a cup of your favorite grain-based morning porridge or pancake/waffle batter. Celine Beitchman is a chef-instructor at Natural Gourmet Institute, a leader in health-supportive culinary education based in New York City. She is also a private chef and nutrition counselor. A graduate of NGI with a lifetime of apprenticeship experience, Celine is committed to promoting sustainable, healthsupportive foods. NATURALGOURMETINSTITUTE.COM 10 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

Let a mixture of good judgment, your palate, and a hefty dose of curiosity guide your experiments.” PHOTOS: (TOP) TV LAND, (BOTTOM) MARC WOOD

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vegan foods for

winter BY ELLIOTT PRAG: NATURAL GOURMET INSTITUTE

Seasonal, nourishing, warming ature provides an abundance of food that will keep us nourished and warm. While we go about our favorite wintertime activities—skiing, skating, or just couch surfing—a local, seasonal vegan diet stands ready to fuel your internal furnace. Whole grains and beans are versatile, easy to cook, and delicious in stews, soups, casseroles, and porridges. I like the “supergrains” that have historically heated things up in the coldest climates: kasha in Russia, barley and rye in Northern Europe, millet in Northern China and Eastern Europe. Pair your favorite grains with beans—lentils, chickpeas, black beans, split peas, and pintos, to name a few—to generate even more heat. Sweet potatoes, burdock, turnips, parsnips, carrots, rutabaga, carrots, daikon, butternut squash, acorn squash, and kabocha squash are winterready vegetables. Late autumn and winter even provide us with warming

cashew sour cream

• 2 cups cashews, soaked 4 hours to overnight (discard soaking water) • 6 tablespoons lemon juice • 1/2 cup canola oil • 3/4 teaspoon or more sea salt to taste • 2 scallions (white part only), chopped • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar • 1/2 cup water Combine all ingredients in food processor until smooth and creamy.

12 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

greens, the heartier varieties such as collard greens, kale, and cabbages. Nuts, seeds, and healthy cooking oils (extra virgin olive oil, virgin coconut oil, cold-pressed sesame oil) are powerful weapons in our winter warming arsenal. The subject of staying warm isn’t complete until we talk about cooking. The reason we’re attracted to simmered, stewed, pressure-cooked, baked, and roasted foods in winter is because they warm the body. If we eat only raw foods in cold weather, we’ll be cold. Elliott Prag is a chef-instructor at Natural Gourmet Institute, a leader in health-supportive culinary education based in New York City. Prior, Elliott was the executive chef at Kibea Restaurant in Sofia, founded Siegfried & Prag (a private catering business), and worked in the kitchens of many NYC naturalfood restaurants.

A local, seasonal vegan diet stands ready to fuel your internal furnace.”

Three-Bean Chipotle Chili with Cashew Sour Cream

• 8 chipotle chilies • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil • 2 tablespoons ground cumin • 1 teaspoon dried oregano • 1/4 cup tomato paste • 8 cloves garlic, minced • 2 medium onions (1 pound), small dice • 1 medium carrot (1/2 pound), large dice • 1 sweet potato (8 ounces), large dice • 2 poblano peppers (1/2 pound), large dice • 1 red pepper (1/2 pound), large dice

• 3 avocado leaves • 2 tablespoons sea salt • 10-ounce package frozen organic corn • 1 cup pinto beans, soaked overnight • 1 cup black beans, soaked overnight • 1 cup kidney beans, soaked overnight • 10 cups water or vegetable stock • 1 28-ounce can tomatoes, chopped • 6 limes (2 limes juiced, 4 cut into 12 wedges) • 1 ounce cilantro, stemmed and roughly chopped • 1/2 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350° F. Bake chilies on sheet tray 10–12 minutes until fragrant and puffed. Remove seeds from chilies, and powder remainder in coffee grinder. Set aside 2 tablespoons chili powder. In 1-gallon pot, heat oil over medium flame. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, tomato paste, and garlic. When ingredients start to sizzle, immediately add onions, carrot, sweet potato, poblanos, red pepper, avocado leaves, and salt. Sweat vegetables for 10–15 minutes covered, stirring occasionally. Add corn, beans, and water (or stock). Bring chili to boil, reduce to simmer, and cook covered for 1 hour or more, stirring occasionally until beans are tender. Add tomatoes, and cook until chili is thick. Add lime juice to taste. Garnish when serving with cilantro, scallions, and cashew sour cream (recipe to the left).

NATURALGOURMETINSTITUTE.COM ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 13

THE EUROPEAN

ELDERBERRY A Friend for Your Immune System

“ Scientists have found that elderberry antioxidants (flavonoids) bind to viruses and block the ability of the viruses to infect healthy cells.”

ore than ever, we need to be proactive and preventative by supporting our immune system to protect ourselves against the growing threat of infectious disease. Superbugs are becoming resistant to antibiotics, and global travel has arrived with unwanted baggage. Today, with international air travel, an infected person can carry a virus across the globe in less than twenty-four hours. People can now cross continents in periods of time shorter than the incubation periods of most diseases. Travelers can arrive at their destination and begin infecting people without even knowing that they are sick. Several new infectious diseases, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), avian flu, swine flu, and Ebola are some of the newest diseases that have received much attention due to their rapid spread around the world. In addition, each year, drug-resistant bacteria infect more than two million people nationwide and kill at least twenty-three thousand, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The European elderberry has been used to support the immune system by reducing the spread of viral infections since the great Greek and Roman empires. In the 1990s, an immunologist doing bone-marrow research in Jerusalem demonstrated that European elderberries from Switzerland could shorten the duration of a viral flu infection by preventing the virus from spreading. Modern science has confirmed these traditional uses of European elderberries as well. Scientists have found that elderberry antioxidants (flavonoids) bind to viruses and block the ability of the viruses to infect healthy cells. European elderberries are packed with powerful antioxidants, vitamins A, B, and C that support the immune system and help protect against possible invaders. Look for Swiss-made Sambu products using FLORAHEALTH.COM 14 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

BY ALBERTO TRUJILLO: FLORA HEALTH

European elderberries and elderflowers. This will create a more holistic effect. There are additional immune properties to the elderflower, not attributed to the berry, that support the lungs and help reduce fever. The elderflowers can help clear up bronchial congestion. In addition, some good formulas will have fresh-pressed echinacea juice and added vitamin C. Fresh-pressed echinacea plant juice has a higher concentration of immune-boosting antioxidants called “chicoric acid.” Researchers found that chicoric acid significantly increases immune cell activity following ingestion and has demonstrated antiviral activity. Nature has given us some powerful foods to support the immune system and protect our body. European elderberry from Switzerland is a musthave in our natural-medicine cabinet as cold-and-flu season approaches. Alberto Trujillo, national educator, is part of Flora’s team of health experts. Flora manufactures and distributes premium health products prepared with botanicals from sustainable, organic farmlands. Its award-winning supplements blend traditional wisdom and modern science by incorporating full-spectrum plant constituents and utilizing certified organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, soyfree, and kosher materials whenever possible.

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Eric Skokan

"Typically, chefs start the creative process when they open a box and they see the baby carrots . . . But with the farm, I follow the life cycle beginning with seed."

Farm-to-table the Skokan way

16 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

Interview: Doug Brown

ost restaurants depend on shipments of produce from around the world to feed their patrons. The more resourceful places try to source their ingredients close to home. And then there is Eric Skokan, the most ambitious farm-to-table restaurateur in North America. Skokan, 45, the owner of Black Cat Bistro and Bramble & Hare, both in downtown Boulder, Colo., grows nearly all of his own food on 130 acres in Boulder County. He spends his spring planting and his summer weeding and harvesting. During the late summer and early fall—the height of the harvest—he nearly lives in the fields. All along, he cooks and runs his busy restaurants too. When farm-to-table is pursued the Skokan way—with mountains of passion, care, and by-the-bootstrap smarts—things like local weather matter quite a bit. Weak harvests translate into fewer vegetables to store, preserve, and serve during the long Colorado winter and spring. Epic floods during September of last year inundated the city of Boulder and nearly wiped out all that Eric, his wife Jill, and the couple’s four kids spent years building. They lost more than a million spinach plants. Most of the winter squash. The cucumbers. Hay. More.

the way until they are fat and heavy. It turns out that most things are edible long before a chef opens a box. The carrot in the box is just a snapshot in time. Not a full life. And so, being a chef and a farmer has given me the opportunity to taste, imagine, create, and enjoy the vegetables through a long, wonderful growing season. I feel fortunate that I am one of the few chefs with an intensely creative food laboratory—the farm—to supercharge ideas in the kitchen. The opportunities to create dishes are unlimited and sometimes coming a little too fast.

in an industry that trashes the planet at the same time it seeks to take care of people. We wanted to close that gap. It has been a major driving force behind the farm. For example, our first weekend of business, before we had started growing our own food, we filled a dumpster with stuff. Now, although we do four times the business, it takes us ten times as long to fill a dumpster.

Thanks in part to robust support from Boulderites, who packed the restaurants even as spots downtown were empty, Eric’s restaurants and farm made it through the brutal fall and now are thriving. Kyle Books released Eric’s new cookbook, called Farm, Fork, Food: A Year of Spectacular Recipes Inspired by Black Cat Farm in October. The book draws on Eric’s vast experience in kitchens and on fields.

DB: I’ll bet you have made some cool discoveries.

ES: The winters in Colorado are cold— sometimes frightfully cold. While the variety drops in the winter, we have enough veggies to make it through the whole winter. Some of the things we do we learned from how restaurants and farmhouses operated a hundred years ago. We pickle and can tons of vegetables. We make our own sun-dried tomatoes. We’ve dug several giant root cellars under the farm, which we fill with twenty to thirty thousand pounds of vegetables. It’s stupendous. Additionally, I buy seed from Northern Europe—Norway and Finland, for example. Buying from areas where it’s really cold gives us a better chance to have our plants survive the winter. Many of our crops are able to survive down to zero in the winter. Often, we march out into the fields with shop brooms to brush the snow from the greens in the field to get a harvest.

We chatted with Eric in his Boulder restaurant during a quiet summer afternoon about his approach to running restaurants, cooking, and farming. DOUG BROWN: How has the farm influenced you as a chef? ERIC SKOKAN: It changed everything. The work is still about trying to cook delicious food and take care of people, but how I go about achieving that is so different. You know, typically, chefs start the creative process when they open a box and they see the baby carrots or the Japanese eggplant. The inspiration begins there, in the box. The chef then marches the carrots through the production process until they end up on the plate. But with the farm, I follow the life cycle beginning with seed. I am with the carrots when they are tiny, tiny vegetables all

ES: Indeed. Tons of them. I had grown a type of Caribbean cilantro to make a spicy barbecue shrimp salad with lots of cucumber for the heat of the summer. But the cilantro went to flower; it bolted long before I was ready to serve it in the restaurant, ruining my plans for this great salad. What I got instead was gorgeous, delicate clouds of cilantro flowers hovering above the field. So while standing in this field of cilantro flowers, I decided to come up with a dish to highlight their beauty. Now, every summer, we serve a sashimi dish with avocado and cilantro flowers. I never would have thought of the dish if it hadn’t been for my ruined plans for that salad. That’s the beauty of the food laboratory! DB: Why do you grow so much of your own food? It’s got to be easier to just have a contract with a restaurant supplier.

DB: We get how you supply the restaurant during the harvest. But how do you supply your restaurants in the winter?

DB: Your career was as a chef for a long time. How do you like farm life?

ES: I want to go to bed each night knowing I took care of the guests in the dining room, that I did a good job. That extends to taking care of the environment and my community too. Restaurants are spectacular consumers of stuff. A ton of food goes to waste. Paper products. Cleaning supplies. Chemicals. Jill and I love restaurants because we love to take care of people, and that desire doesn’t fit well

ES: I like dirt. One of the ways that I have found that I am becoming a farmer is that I have stopped looking at the crops in other farmers’ fields when I drive by, and instead, I look at the dirt. And sure, I have dirt envy from some other farmers. I’ll often say to Jill, “Wow! Look at that dirt!” You know you are a farmer when you say, “Wow! Look at that dirt.”

BLACKCATBOULDER.COM | BRAMBLEANDHARE.COM ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 17

On yoga and being a stress cadet “People will always put you in a box that they think you fit in, and it’s up to you to not fall into it.”

INTERVIEW: MARANDA PLEASANT

Maranda Pleasant: What makes you come alive or inspires you? TRICIA HELFER: When I have a job that I’m intrigued by. When I’m challenged. When I’m safe. MP: If you could say something to everyone on the planet, what would it be? TH: We only have this one planet; we got to figure out how to live on it without destroying it. So much of cultures not getting along is because of religion. If each religion’s deity is the right one to them, then whose is right and whose is wrong? No one has the proof, so we need to figure out how to work through it. MP: How do you handle emotional pain?

TH: That people will always put you in a box that they think you fit in, and it’s up to you to not fall into it.

TH: By trying to understand that it’s going to be painful and to allow for it instead of fighting it. Doesn’t make it any easier, though.

MP: What truth do you know for sure?

MP: How do you keep your center in the middle of chaos? Do you have a daily routine?

MP: What causes or organizations are you passionate about?

TH: I need to get better at learning how to stay calm. I’m a bit of a worrier and a stress cadet. Yoga helps me to some degree, but I haven’t been able to figure out meditation yet. I have a feeling it would be very good for me, but unfortunately, I’m still holding it all in until I explode part of my life.

TH: I tend to focus my time on animal welfare and adoptions, but I am also a strong supporter of the environment and veterans.

MP: What’s been one of your biggest lessons so far in life?

TH: I had massive back surgery in December 2009 and have started to get back into yoga

TRICIAHELFER.COM | ACTINGOUTLAWS.TV 18 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

TH: That animals are just as important as we are.

MP: Tell me about your yoga or mindfulness practice. What influence has it had on your life?

over the last two years. There are things I need to be careful of, so I will never be as intense, but it brings an all-over centeredness that no other exercise does for me. Probably because it’s the only time that I’m breathing properly and not holding my breath to some extent. I’m a work in progress! MP: Tell me about your latest projects. TH: I just finished filming Ascension. I was drawn to the project because of the overall story that takes a bit to build, like peeling off layers of an onion. On a charitable note, my company with Katee Sackhoff, called Acting Outlaws, is producing our first motorcycle ride in Los Angeles on November 2. Our company mixes our love of riding with causes we believe in. Our ride will benefit PATH, a prominent organization fighting homelessness in Southern California. PHOTO: TRICIA HELFER

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“WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES, BUT WE ALL ARE ALSO CAPABLE OF ACCOMPLISHING EXTRAORDINARY THINGS.” KS: First, I allow myself to feel the pain. If I’ve been hurt, I’m not one of those people who can hide it or bury it deep within. I give myself time to work through it, cry, journal, pray, call my best friends. Then I try to take a step back and get perspective. I try to remind myself of all the positive things in my life and do my best to let it go. MP: How do you keep your center in the middle of chaos? Do you have a daily routine? KS: Ever since I went to college, my grandma June has sent me a subscription to Daily Word. I keep it in my bathroom and read it every morning as I brush my teeth. It’s covered in Colgate, but it’s a good reminder to be compassionate, that we are all connected in love. MP: What’s been one of your biggest lessons so far in life? KS: Things are not always what they appear to be. I’ve learned that nobody is either all good or all evil. We all make mistakes, but we all are also capable of accomplishing extraordinary things. MP: What truth do you know for sure?

Kelly Stables Interview: Maranda Pleasant

GIVING HER HEART TO FAITH, MOTHERHOOD, AND THE PERFORMING ARTS Maranda Pleasant: What makes you come alive or inspires you? Kelly Stables: I am a musical-theater nut. When the lyrics, orchestration, and performance all come together just right, I come alive and can feel every cell in my body. For example, “For Good” from Wicked or “All That Jazz” from Chicago or even “Never Never Land” from Peter Pan. MP: What makes you feel vulnerable?

KS: Jesus loves me. MP: What causes or organizations are you passionate about? KS: The Michael J. Fox Foundation and Remembering Our Babies. MP: Tell me about your latest projects. KS: This November, a whole new season of The Exes will air on TV Land. We have such a talented cast, and there’s a lot of funny stuff in store. I also have a fun part in Horrible Bosses 2, in theaters this November, and voiced the lead character in the Cartoon Network original movie Tom and Jerry: The Lost Dragon, released in September. I continue to direct and choreograph local theater and am in development for a TV pilot and screenplay. MP: Why are these important to you? KS: I am an artist. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve known I wanted to be a mommy and to put on a show! I love every aspect of the performing arts and can’t imagine myself doing anything different. I give my heart to every project. MP: What is love for you? KS: Hearing my son laugh.

KS: Being barefoot. MP: If you could say something to everyone on the planet, what would it be? KS: “Take a deep breath.” MP: How do you handle emotional pain?

Kelly Stables plays Eden in TV Land’s comedy The Exes and has a recurring role as the bubbly receptionist Melissa on Two and a Half Men. Kelly also appears in Horrible Bosses 2 and recently voiced the lead character in Tom and Jerry: The Lost Dragon. TOP PHOTO: TV LAND, BOTTOM PHOTO: MARC WOOD

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INTERVIEW: MARANDA PLEASANT

A H S SYE CADO R E M esty, On hontance, and accep present being

MARANDA PLEASANT: What makes you come alive or inspires you? SYESHA MERCADO: When I am in the moment. I come alive when I look into my boyfriend’s eyes, when I embrace him, when I hold his hand and I am completely present and appreciative of all his love. MP: What makes you feel vulnerable? SM: Performing. It could be thousands of people or just two, but I can’t hide behind anything when I am singing my own songs. MP: If you could say something to everyone on the planet, what would it be? SM: Let’s all sign petitions to make Earthships and organic home gardens the normality. MP: How do you handle emotional pain? SM: I embrace it. I accept it as if I chose it and [then] learn from it. I remind myself, there is a beginning and an end to all things. MP: How do you keep your center in the middle of chaos?

you ignore another homeless person on the street, just remember that that could be someone’s father or someone’s mother and they have a story. Addictions and mental disorders are like a disease, and they need treatment. MP: Tell me about your yoga or mindfulness practice. What influence has it had on your life? SM: Meditation and prayer are my secret weapons, and when I use them, I can move mountains. I love to put on frequency music or binaural beats to keep myself centered. It helps me with mental clarity, and it gives me a moment to breathe and be present. MP: Tell me about your latest projects. SM: Thankfully, I am working on my first album, available next year. I am also working on a showcase in New York City that will give my audience a glimpse of what they’ll hear on the album—soul/folk music. I am also looking forward to sharing PropheSye with the world. MP: What is love for you?

SM: Meditation, prayer, and uplifting music.

SM: Love is sunshine, music, nature, my puppies, my boyfriend, my parents, my siblings, my true friends. It’s a connection that allows us to coexist on this planet.

MP: What’s been one of your biggest lessons so far in life?

MP: What is the most important thing for us to do as beings?

SM: Sometimes being honest with someone or hearing the truth hurts, but it is always better to be honest and accept what is.

SM: To cherish one another and find our purpose. I feel that sometimes we are so distracted by superficial things, we forget what really matters: cherishing those around us. We allow temporary satisfaction to have most of our time. At the core of every human being, there is a need for love.

MP: What truth do you know for sure? SM: In the end, all that really matters is love. MP: What causes or organizations are you passionate about? SM: I am extremely passionate about my nonprofit, PropheSye. Before TEAMSYE.COM 22 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

Syesha Mercado, known for her soulful voice and girl-next-door charm, rose to fame on the seventh season of American Idol, in 2008. Popular for belting out hit songs, she ended the season as the second runner-up. She went on to star in The Book of Mormon, Dreamgirls, and more.

Amy Ippoliti Lives: Boulder, CO

Teaches: Yoga classes and professional development for yoga teachers all over the globe. Founder: 90 Minutes to Change the World and Wildspirit, Inc. Mat: Jade

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INTERVIEW: MARANDA PLEASANT

JENNIFER WIDERSTROM ON FEARS, PHILANTHROPY, AND FITNESS

WE ARE ALL HERE TO LOOK AFTER EACH OTHER. MARANDA PLEASANT: What makes you

MP: How do you keep your center in the

Jennifer Widerstrom: I love to see people win. You can literally see a person change through achievement on this emotional and spiritual level.

JW: I prioritize people. This grounds me and reminds me of my place in the world.

come alive or inspires you?

MP: What makes you feel vulnerable? JW: Besides being in deep water where I can’t see my feet? And karaoke? Sharing my true feelings about someone whether it’s positive or negative. I feel that one of the greatest gifts you can give someone is the truth, but sometimes my words will get stuck on the way out.

middle of chaos?

MP: What’s been one of your biggest lessons so far in life?

JW: Know your audience. If I don’t share in a way that will be understood, I lose my ability to connect.

MP: What truth do you know for sure?

MP: If you could say something to everyone on the planet, what would it be?

JW: We are all here to look after each other. I would not be where I am, as the woman I am, without the love and mentorship I have in my corner.

JW: “Please be kinder to yourself!”

MP: What causes or organizations are you

MP: How do you handle emotional pain? JW: I choose to not ignore or push away emotional pain. Instead, I allow it to move through me. Sometimes, that’s quietly working on a puzzle and listening to an allstrings Pandora station, and others, it’s being vulnerable with a trusted friend. Either way, I let it have its place. TEAMJENNIFER.COM 24 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

passionate about?

JW: I love visiting our troops overseas and doing volunteer work with children, especially in Africa.

MP: Tell me about your yoga practice. What influence has it had on your life?

JW: Yoga is so much more about the

instructor than it is about the practice itself. It’s their point of view and the way they teach that makes the experience so special and opens things up for me.

MP: Tell me about your latest projects. JW: I am one of the new trainers on The Biggest Loser!

MP: Why is it important to you? JW: This show puts everyone on the same page, exposing our fears, faults, and questions that are inspired by the human condition. I see this show as a huge opportunity to use my experience to have a beautiful and supportive conversation with America.

MP: What is love for you? JW: To be truly seen and heard . . . and celebrated for it. Jennifer Widerstrom is a new coach on the hit NBC show The Biggest Loser. Formerly on NBC’s American Gladiators, Jennifer is an elite personal trainer and fitness instructor certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is also a master trainer for Dynamax and a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer. PHOTOS: THE RIKER BROTHERS

ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 25

Camila Alves Interview: Maranda Pleasant

On what inspires her and what makes her cry

MARANDA PLEASANT: What makes you come alive or inspires you?

CAMILA ALVES: Anytime I am doing

something that will help someone in any way. Whether it is a simple recipe, a tip, a decoration thing, or a life-change thing as we do with the [Just Keep Livin] foundation and others, it brings me to life and inspires me to do more of it. And how much every single one of us can do!

MP: What makes you feel vulnerable? CA: I feel vulnerable in a good way. When

I talk about my family, I usually have happy tears.

MP: If you could say something to everyone on the planet, what would it be?

CA: That’s a tough one. It depends on the

circumstances, but one that I like is, “Life is not supposed to be easy. Stop working so hard to make it that way. Go ahead and handle it!”

MP: How do you handle emotional pain?

Most of the time, it is not personal. It may have nothing to do with you but, instead, what the other person is going through in their life.

CA: I allow myself to feel all that I need to

feel for a little while. Then I try to look at what I’m supposed to learn from this and what others around me are supposed to learn as well. A lot of times, drama around it is not for the worse but for the best in the long run. If we look at it that way, I have learned to find the best of it in most situations.

MP: How do you keep your center in the

middle of chaos? Do you have a daily routine?

CA: Unfortunately, daily routine is the last

thing I have with all three kids, family life, work, the foundation, and the amount of travel that I do! So truly, what I try to do to keep myself centered is take breaths in between and before I start a new thing throughout the day. Also, not taking small things so seriously at the end; it all works out one way or another.

MP: What’s been one of your biggest lessons so far in life?

CA: That it is not personal. So many times,

we take things to heart and that eats us up, and we think it over and over again with work and our personal life. But most of the time, it is not personal. It may have nothing to do JKLIVINFOUNDATION.ORG 26 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

with you but, instead, what the other person is going through in their life.

MP: Tell me about your latest projects.

MP: What truth do you know for sure?

initiative for the holidays. I’m also continuing to do what I can to empower and inspire other women.

CA: That we are all going to die one day.

Everything else, my friend, I am not sure.

CA: I’m partnering with Target for an

PHOTO: JOHN RUSSO

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INTE

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Don’t p

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Maranda Pleasant: What makes you come alive or inspires you?

KT: Some Elvis music and a good cry always helps.

donating as little as $250, you can give the gift of a smile and change a child’s life!

Kristen Taekman: Elvis Presley—his music, his movies, his photos. I come across a new image of him every day and try to imagine what he was thinking, what inspired him. His talent and beauty were just incredible, and his passion for life, family, and friends inspires me.

MP: How do you keep your center in the middle of chaos? Do you have a daily routine?

MP: Tell me about your latest projects.

MP: What makes you feel vulnerable? KT: My kids! They run so hot and cold. One minute, I am in complete control and feeling like Supermom, then the next minute, my two-year-old is having a tantrum in line at the supermarket and is inconsolable, and I feel so helpless and I want to crawl in a hole. MP: If you could say something to everyone on the planet, what would it be? KT: Don’t worry, be happy! Just like the song. So simple yet so true! MP: How do you handle emotional pain?

KRISTENCARROLLTAEKMAN.COM 28 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

KT: I am a creature of habit with my food and snacks. I make sure to get in all three meals and drink my Eboost every morning, and lots of hot tea keeps me going! MP: What’s been one of your biggest lessons so far in life? KT: Don’t put down a deposit on worry. MP: What truth do you know for sure? KT: Family is forever and the most important foundation in life. MP: What causes or organizations are you passionate about? KT: Smile Train provides free cleft-repair surgeries to kids in need all over the world. By

KT: Last Night’s Look is my blog. I am having so much fun mixing high-low fashions, talking about my passions, my must-haves, and just what’s on my mind. Through that, I have some fun collaborations taking place. I am working on a nail polish line with Ricky’s here in New York City, a jewelry collaboration with Jennifer Miller, and maybe something with, who else, Elvis! MP: Why are these important to you? KT: I like when things happen organically and make sense. All of these things have evolved from my blog, and they all are very true to me and things that I am passionate about. MP: What is love for you? KT: Love is having endless support from my husband and the hugs and kisses from my kids.

PHOTO: ANTHONY BATISTA

ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 29

TANTRA, AYURVEDA, AND RIPENING EMOTIONAL MANGOES feeling your feelings By Katie Silcox

remember hearing Ayurveda healer and teacher Dr. Vasant Lad say that our emotions are like mangoes. “We have to learn to ripen them,” he said. And then juice them. And when emotions are juiced, they are deeply nourishing. Even sweet. His words gave me permission to feel. I started to believe the unfathomable—that emotions could lead to nourishment and revelation. Through my now decade-long study of Tantra and Ayurveda, one thing has become clear: there is no running from what is occurring inside me. And in the words of Eve Ensler, “I am an emotional creature.” The word “emotion” comes from the Latin word “emovere”—to be moved. Emotions move us. They are a call to action and attention. Emotions are energy in motion. Our feelings only become a problem when we short-circuit their natural tendency to move by “not feeling” or by overreacting. According to Tantra and Ayurveda, our emotions can be powerful gateways into grace, revelation, and even ease. When the emotions are repressed or misused, they lead to more pain and suffering. When systematically channeled, they are portals into more empowerment and self-understanding. A deeply experienced emotion can help us dissolve blocks in our energy body as well as embedded psychological patterns from the past. When we are lovingly present to feelings, they can come to a natural completion. This completion usually drops a golden nugget of revelation into our surprised laps. KATIESILCOXYOGA.COM 30 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

When we are lovingly present to feelings, they can come to a natural completion.” I find that many of us are afraid to feel our emotions. Oftentimes, when I teach on the topic of emotions in my yoga workshops, I can sense the room beginning to squirm. “Oh, no,” the students seem to be saying, “This woman is telling me I can feel my feelings. She is going to open up the floodgates, and I will never be able to turn my emotions off.” They fear turning into wild, emotional banshees, throwing temper tantrums or balling up in bed for days. What I have found is that the contrary happens. The more I let myself deeply feel my feelings in an appropriate time and place, my daily emotional life is a much calmer sea to sail on. I am more aware of my reactions, and I feel confident because I know how to digest any emotional residue that wasn’t properly channeled in the moment. Ayurveda says that if we “juice” our emotional mangoes in the moment—when they are ripe—we become calmer, more stable people. We seem, ironically, less emotional.

This paradox is the quintessence of Tantric alchemy. Juicing emotional mangoes is turning what feels like cow dung into holy ash. But the process can be scary, especially because women’s emotions have been demonized and men’s emotions have been denied and shamed. But through this unfortunate denial, we have also dampened our ability to access wisdom and intuition. I am one of many beings on the planet inviting herself and others back into the power of our heart’s capacity to be present to our emotions and body sensations. I hope you will join me. The gift is waiting. Katie Silcox is the author of the upcoming book Healthy, Happy, Sexy: Ayurveda Wisdom for Modern Women. She is a nationally recognized yoga teacher, Ayurvedic practitioner, writer for Yoga Journal, and senior teacher within the Sri Vidya ParaYoga lineage under Yogarupa Rod Stryker. PHOTO: DJ PIERCE

ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 31

Finding balance between city and nature

Robert Piper: What inspires you? Jorja Fox: Wow. I think I’m very easily inspired. People, wildlife, nature, music, art. I think that I’m lucky that I have this great sense of wonderment about life in general. RP: How do you stay healthy? JF: I like to think I’m healthy. I exercise a lot. I have this great dog, and I walk her about five days a week. I dance, I surf. I eat mostly vegan, try to get enough sleep. For me, that’s really critical. RP: What kind of research goes into a role? JF: Well, it depends. For instance, [on] CSI is a character that I had very, very little experience with when I started, so I did a lot of research. I went to the Los Angeles crime lab; I went to the Las Vegas crime lab. Spent some time with folks that really do the job. I did a lot of reading and—thank goodness for the Internet at that time—a lot of web searches about the idea of it. Science is not something that comes all that natural to me, and then, of course, every once in a while, you’ll get that character that I feel, like, Oh, I know this person or This person would be a good friend of mine or This person’s a lot like me. Then, of course, there’s less research involved. RP: What projects are you working on right now? JF: Right now, I’m doing the fifteenth season of CSI. We premiere September 28, so [I’m] kind of getting excited. It’s always nice to be off the air, to just sort of be away somewhere, working quietly, and then it’s really exciting to actually get back on the air and get that adrenaline rush every week. I’m looking forward to that.

Interview: Robert Piper

I produced a couple of documentaries recently. One of them is called Lion Art, and the other one’s called Extinction Soup. Both of those documentaries are on the film-festival circuit right now. Lion Art deals with transporting twenty-five former circus lions from Bolivia to a wildlife sanctuary outside of Denver, Colo. Extinction Soup is kind of a combination of stories, but the primary purpose of the film is to sort of tell the tale of shark-fin soup and what it’s doing to the oceans and to shark habitats across the globe. RP: How do you find balance in life? JF: It’s really about being outside, being in nature. I can kind of go into the wild places and immediately feel rested and rejuvenated. Often, even if I’m struggling with a decision or something, if I just go out into the ocean, that answer will come without thinking about it too much. I try to balance work and play. Again, I’m really grateful that I can kind of have that philosophy, so I can try to get out of the city as much as possible, even though I love the city and I’m not ready to leave it. Jorja Fox is an actress and musician. She can currently be seen on the hit show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She has also starred in ER and The West Wing.

“OFTEN, EVEN IF I’M STRUGGLING WITH A DECISION OR SOMETHING, IF I JUST GO OUT INTO THE OCEAN, THAT ANSWER WILL COME WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT IT TOO MUCH.” JORJAFOX.COM 32 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: ELIZABETH MESSINA

ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 33

Louise

ROE

On family, blogging, and the little things N D A PL EA SA N T IN TE R VI EW : M A R A LR: You can never, ever predict the curve balls it throws you. So just roll with it, and don’t forget to enjoy the moment and soak it up. Don’t just Instagram it. MP: What truth do you know for sure? LR: Family is everything. MP: Tell me about your latest projects.

MARANDA PLEASANT: What makes you come alive or inspires you? Louise Roe: Playing with my nieces and nephew, strolling around the Getty Center on my own, seeing creative new trends on the runway at New York Fashion Week, reading a great biography, watching Audrey Hepburn movies, shooting stories for my new fashion blog. MP: What makes you feel vulnerable? LR: Being away from home and loved ones, being overtired. MP: If you could say something to everyone on the planet, what would it be? LR: “Be kinder. Kindness is underrated!” MP: How do you handle emotional pain?

LOUISEROE.COM 34 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

LR: I’m a talker. I don’t bottle things up. I always call my mum or a close girlfriend and try to talk things out. MP: How do you keep your center in the middle of chaos? Do you have a daily routine? LR: I need a semblance of routine, so little things, like having my morning cup of English breakfast tea and going to Pilates early before the world gets hectic, keep me calm. And I love old TV shows like The Golden Girls and Magnum, P. I. Don’t ask me why, but they give me that at-home feeling. MP: What’s been one of your biggest lessons so far in life?

LR: I’ve just finished my first book, which will come out in the spring. And I am launching my first-ever fashion blog, Front Roe. It has been a true passion project. I love working on it. MP: Why are these important to you? LR: I get to be creative and to write: two of my favorite things. Louise Roe is a TV host and fashion expert hailing from London, living in L.A. She hosts style-based shows, like MTV’s Plain Jane and NBC’s Fashion Star, and covers the red carpet for Access Hollywood. Louise is also an ambassador for Step Up Women’s Network, helping to advise and motivate high school girls.

ent and m o m e th y jo n e to Don’t forget t Instagram it.” s ju ’t n o D . p u it k soa

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Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage S PA R K I N G A R E V I VA L O F H A W A I I A N L A N G U A G E A N D C U LT U R E BY RAMSAY HORN

ōkūle‘a and Hikianalia, two prestigious Hawaiian voyaging canoes, sail across Earth’s oceans to join and grow the global movement toward a more sustainable world. Covering forty-seven thousand nautical miles, eighty-five ports, and twenty-six countries, the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage highlights diverse cultural and natural treasures and the importance of working together to protect them. The Hawaiian name for this voyage, “Mālama Honua,” means “to care for our Earth.” Living on an island chain has made Polynesians acutely aware that our natural world is a gift with limits and that we must carefully steward this gift if we are to survive together. The worldwide voyage means to engage all of Island Earth—practicing how to live sustainably while sharing, learning, creating global relationships, and discovering the wonders of this precious place we all call home. Eternally inspired by the strong tradition of giving an offering or tribute in the Polynesian culture, luxury lifestyle brand OluKai has partnered with the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage. Crew members aboard both the Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia are exclusively wear-testing

HOKULEA.COM 36 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

It is more than a voyaging canoe; it represents the common desire shared by the people of Hawai‘i, the Pacific, and the world to protect our most cherished values and places from disappearing.” footwear from OluKai’s spring 2015 collection. OluKai konohiki (caretaker) and one of Hawaiʻi’s greatest ocean-sports pioneers, Archie Kalepa, will join the Hōkūle‘a for several legs of the journey. To guide the voyaging canoe Hōkūle‘a, navigators use traditional wayfinding, with stars, waves, wind, and birds as mapping points for direction. Pacific Islander people mastered wayfinding and used it to find and inhabit islands in an ocean area of over ten million square miles. Thousands of years ago, this remarkable achievement of humanity involved finding and fixing in the mind the position of islands that were sometimes less than a mile in diameter. The voyages were all the more remarkable in that the canoes were navigated without instruments by expert seafarers who depended on traditional

As the voyage expands across the globe, people of all backgrounds can learn together in order to design a better future for all of Island Earth.”

knowledge of the stars and patterns of nature for clues to the direction and location of islands. Hōkūle‘a began as a dream of reviving the legacy of exploration, courage, and ingenuity that brought the first Polynesians to the archipelago of Hawaiʻi. Cultural extinction felt dangerously close to many Hawaiians when artist Herb Kāne brought people together to build a double-hulled sailing canoe similar to the ones that his ancestors sailed. Though more than six hundred years had passed since the last of these canoes had been seen, this dream brought together people of diverse backgrounds and professions. Since Hōkūle‘a was first built and launched in the 1970s, it continues to bring people together from all walks of life. Its sails, filled with the winds of the Pacific, brought voyaging back to life and helped spark a revival of Hawaiian language and culture and a revaluing of Hawaiian knowledge and technologies. It is more than a voyaging canoe; it represents the common desire shared by the people of Hawaiʻi, the Pacific, and the world to protect our most cherished values and places from disappearing. Over the past thirty-nine years, the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) has sailed over 140,000 nautical miles within its Pacific Ocean home, reconnecting with the past and reimagining the future as it navigates to places as diverse as Nippon (Japan), Aotearoa (New Zealand), and Sāmoa. To expand the reach of what it can learn and share during its first worldwide voyage, Hōkūle‘a’s sister canoe, Hikianalia, uses sustainable solar and wind energy and combines the latest ecological technology with the heritage of the voyaging tradition. It is equipped

with the communications technology that will allow PVS to connect to a global audience, combining contemporary and traditional indigenous knowledge to bring the world along on this journey. During the 2013 Mālama Hawaiʻi sail of the worldwide voyage, Hawaiʻi’s entire statewide public education system, independent schools, and the University of Hawaiʻi established an “education promise” to join the voyage through online canoe-to-classroom links, special lesson plans, and video exchanges. The ocean school created by Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia includes science, technology, engineering, and math education; the arts; geography; and cultural and social lessons about living sustainably. Hawaiʻi’s learners of all ages will continue to join with people throughout the world on a journey of exploration and cooperative problem-solving. As the voyage expands across the globe, people of all backgrounds can learn together in order to design a better future for all of Island Earth. The Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage began in 2013 with a Mālama Hawaiʻi statewide sail and will continue through 2017, when a new generation of navigators take the helm and guide Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia back to Polynesia after circumnavigating the globe. The Polynesian Voyaging Society was founded in 1973 on a legacy of Pacific Ocean exploration, seeking to perpetuate the art and science of traditional Polynesian voyaging and the spirit of exploration through educational programs that inspire students and communities to respect and care for themselves and their natural and cultural environments.

ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 37

YOGA, ANATOMY, AND THE ART OF CONNECTION ADVICE FROM A KRIPALU SCHOOL OF YOGA FACULTY MEMBER

BY MICHELLE DALBEC Q: Does anatomy affect what postures we can do, or does our mastery of postures depend on how frequently we practice? Definitely anatomy affects what we can do and how we do it. I had a student who had been practicing yoga for fifteen years, and even after all that time, when she did Seated Forward Bend, her back was almost perpendicular to the floor. It might have been something about the depth of her hip socket, or maybe she had shorter hamstrings. Every body is constructed differently. And we each have so-called issues in the tissues—stress and tension that can affect mobility. Trauma, whether physical or emotional, has a lasting effect on the body. Even though your pose may not look like the cover of Yoga Journal, you can experience the essence of the posture. When you find stability, ease, and expansion, that’s your posture.

Q: Can you share one way in which you use yoga tools off the mat? One of the simplest, most powerful ways to use yoga off the mat is by stopping to connect with the breath when you’re feeling an intense emotion, whether it’s anxiety or anger or even joy. Watch how the breath can reconnect you to your body, just as it does when you’re feeling intense sensations in a yoga posture. When I’m on the mat, I’m watching the conversation that’s happening as my body encounters the experience and my mind reacts. My practice off the mat is to watch those same conversations as I move through everyday life. This gives me huge insight into the flow of my life. It’s a breathing space in which I can pause and be compassionate with myself. Q: For newer yoga practitioners, what tips do you offer when developing a home practice? Is it harder to develop safe alignment when you’re practicing on your own? Yes, it’s possible to be misaligned and also to fall into ruts; it’s easier to resist what feels challenging and just do what feels more comfortable, which can cause an imbalance in your practice. It might be helpful to practice in front of a full-length mirror for a few postures. Sometimes, when we’re still developing our proprioception, the sense of the relative positions of the various parts of the body, it’s easier to see misalignments than it is to feel them in the body. But, most important, I encourage my students to empower themselves: do research, search the web, watch DVDs, read yoga books, go to classes, and allow all that to inform your practice. Michelle Dalbec, E-RYT 500, is a passionate Kripalu Yoga teacher who hosts yoga programs, delivers dynamic and motivational workshops, and directs yoga teacher training. The 500-hour Kripalu Yoga Teacher Training is open to 200-hour-certified students from any tradition.

WHEN YOU FIND STABILITY, EASE, AND EXPANSION, THAT’S YOUR POSTURE.

KRIPALU.ORG 38 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

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XOSHA

ROQUEMORE ACTRESS: THE MINDY PROJECT interview: maranda pleasant

JUST BEING HERSELF MARANDA PLEASANT: What makes you come alive or inspires you? XOSHA ROQUEMORE: So many different things make me come alive: performing for people, making people laugh, music and dancing or any kind of physical activity that gets me out of my head and into my body. I’m constantly inspired by my surroundings and people I see that are “killing it.” MP: What makes you feel vulnerable? XR: Honestly, not being well received makes me feel very vulnerable. Not being included or regarded highly enough makes me crazy. In my industry, it’s unfortunately something I’ll have to deal with. So I try not to take things too personally, because most of the time, people aren’t even thinking about anyone else but themselves. MP: If you could say something to everyone on the planet, what would it be? XR: “Operate from a place of love, be kind, and be yourself.” MP: Do you have a daily routine? XR: My daily routine varies, but there are certain things I try to stick to, like journaling in the morning and establishing my mood before I check any social media or take any calls or e-mails. That helps get me started on the right foot. MP: What’s been one of your biggest lessons so far in life? XR: A big lesson that I’m always having to be reminded of is, you can’t control how you feel, but you can control how you respond. I can be very reactionary. It’s a gift and a curse. MP: What truth do you know for sure? XR: I know for sure that everything will work out. No matter how crazy

or bleak the situation is, it will work out. Everything passes, good and bad.

A big lesson that I’m always having to be reminded of is, you can’t control how you feel, but you can control how you respond.”

MP: Tell me about your latest projects. XR: My latest project is season three of The Mindy Project—Tuesdays, 9:30/8:30 p.m. (CST) on Fox. MP: What is love for you? XR: Love for me is family, close friends—an unbreakable, unconditional bond. Love is people telling you when you do something wrong and being there to celebrate when you do something right! Love is support, kindness, and warmth. That’s all I have so far; I’m still figuring it out. Xosha Roquemore steals the show weekly as outspoken nurse Tamra on Fox’s hit comedy The Mindy Project. Film audiences know her from GBF, The Butler, and Precious. She’s a Los Angeles native who enjoys living a healthy California lifestyle. PHOTO: THEO & JULIET PHOTOGRAPHY

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ARGUS JACKET Keep warm and dry, while an adjustable cinch system for the hood and hem creates a perfect fit. An internal security pocket with media port will keep your tunes playing.

OBERLIN JACKET

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Look forward to a winter wonderland in the water-resistant Milly Jacket with 650-power-fill down. An interior chest pocket will keep essentials protected.

LASSER JACKET Stay comfortably warm this winter in the water-resistant Lasser Jacket with 600-powerfill down insulation. The hood and hem have adjustable cinch systems, and a chest pocket zips securely closed.

PRANA.COM ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 41

I’m not working because I’m dropdead gorgeous with a fantastic body. I think I continue to work because I’m good at my craft.

try to get through my to-do list, with my kids’ homework being at the top of it, and then try to prepare for the next audition or whatever scene I’m shooting next. Balance. A new thing I’ve been doing is just making sure I clear off my desk and try to only touch a piece of paper once, so I get the mail, open it up, deal with it then. My son’s homework, or what I get from his teachers, the same way. That way, it’s not nagging me, things to add to my to-do list. RP: How did children impact your life?

INTERVIEW: ROBERT PIPER

Adina Porter on grief, dedication, and balance Robert Piper: What inspires you in life? Adina Porter: I guess I’m a pretty curious person. I like doing new things. I like being challenged. I’m competitive. Trying to beat my personal best. RP: How do you stay healthy? AP: I work out. I used to go to yoga every day. Now I just incorporate yoga into my warm-up and my cooldown. I drink a lot of water, and I go to therapy. RP: Can you talk about dedication, and what it really takes to commit to a role? AP: I come from a theater background, so I THEWORLDMUSE.ORG ADINAPORTER.COM 42 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

always like to dissect the scene and try to get some hint about what the author was trying to get at. I still look up the meaning of the name of the character to see if there are any clues in that. I’m not a—I’m beautiful, but I’m not working because I’m drop-dead gorgeous with a fantastic body. I think I continue to work because I’m good at my craft. I’m dedicated to bringing to life what the author is trying to portray. I try to make the producers cry and the crew laugh. RP: How do you find balance in life? AP: I’m a mom of a seven-year-old and a four-year-old. I don’t strive for balance. I just

AP: It’s not just about me anymore. I’m newly widowed, so I’ve gone from having a life partner, and having another brain to make decisions with, to doing it all on my own and questioning what I’m doing. I have to be a calmer person, because my anger can look pretty terrifying to a young person. Also, yelling and screaming won’t really get what I want from my kids. It forces me to figure out new ways, so I read. It affects every decision that I make. Every dollar that I spend, every dollar that I make. I just have to make sure that my kids are healthy, physically and emotionally, especially since we’re all grieving the loss of their magnificent dad. He had a heart attack after working out in the gym. RP: So sorry to hear that. That’s devastating. AP: I’m very glad that our last day together just so happened to be a really wonderful, magnificent day. It would have been awful to have been mad at him for not taking out the garbage. I still sense his energy, and I believe in that even more now. Adina Porter is an actress and can be seen in HBO’s True Blood and in HBO’s The Newsroom. PHOTO: NICK PHOTO: HORNE HEAVEN PHOTOGRAPHY MCARTHUR

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MARULA OIL Cold-pressed, high in antioxidants, and easily absorbed, this yummy oil works great on dry, chapped, rough skin of the face and body.

ACUREORGANICS.COM ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 43

WHAT’S YOUR

BIGGEST STRUGGLE, AND HOW DID YOU

COME THROUGH?

SARASVATI HEWITT

DASHAMA

Yoga instructor

Pranashama Yoga Institute founder and teacher

My biggest struggle has been with depression. I was lucky to have had experienced yoga and to know the pure light and love that the practice can reveal again and again. When I was depressed, yoga acted as a lifesaver of light in the dark. Now I help others to overcome depression and mental illness with the neuroscience of yoga. SARASVATIHEWITT.COM PHOTO: LINDSEY BOLLING

I was drinking in high school and struggled with eating disorders. I developed a thyroid disease and was involved in car accidents that resulted in the loss of the cervical curve in my spine. This lead me to seek solutions and, ultimately, discover the healing path. I now lead yoga teacher trainings and retreats worldwide. DASHAMA.COM | PRANASHAMA.ORG

SAMI LEA LIPMAN

CHRISTOPHER RIVAS

Creative director of ORIGIN Magazine and yoga teacher

Founder of Lifestyle Dezine

At sixteen, I underwent surgery on my spine after two herniated disks and a stenosis diagnosis. At twenty-one, a wreck left me with a titanium rod stabilizing my pelvis. Doctors told me I would probably never be able to give birth naturally. Opening my body back up through yoga gives me hope that someday I will prove the doctors wrong. SAMILEAYOGA.COM PHOTO: CLAYTON AYNESWORTH

My biggest struggle was also my greatest blessing: realizing I am exactly where I need to be. I can be nowhere else, so I might as well make the most of this moment. I’ve not always been proud of my actions—asleep, on autopilot, never true to myself. Through meditation, spiritual practice, and an enormous amount of work, I’ve found myself on a path of honesty, peace, and love. LIFESTYLEDEZINE.COM | LIFEISNOTABITCH.COM

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You do not need to spend two or three hours in the gym. There’s only a certain period of time where you’re going to be able to maintain your mental and even your physical push.”

Don Saladino Interview: Robert Piper

GETTING PEOPLE TO MOVE ROBERT PIPER: WHAT’S YOUR BEST RECOMMENDATION FOR PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY DON’T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO WORK OUT? Don Saladino: One of the projects I was just involved with, we put out a series of “turbo workouts”—really short workouts, from five to fifteen, twenty minutes. I think my whole purpose in this industry is to teach people that you do not need to spend two or three hours in the gym. There’s only a certain period of time where you’re going to be able to maintain your mental and even your physical push. You’re not going to be able to go too much longer than forty-five minutes to an hour and a half; after that, quality starts diminishing. A lot of the workouts I set up, we’re in a circuit, something that’s going to give you a lot of bang for your buck. So you might look at a goblet squat, a swing, a row, a push-up. You might turn around and pick a number that you can comfortably achieve on all four of them and just continue to do rounds. It’s that simple. This is about throwing wood on the fire, the fire being your metabolism. So if we can get them in on a Tuesday, when they would normally say, “I only have fifteen minutes before I have to get in the shop,” we get them doing something. In time, they’re going to notice that their appetite changes, their metabolism is going to change a little bit. Their energy level is going to increase. So I think it’s a whole chain of events, but I think you nailed it right on the head. I’m saying less is more, and it really is, most of the time. DRIVECLUBS.COM 46 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

RP: WHAT KIND OF WORKOUTS DO YOU DO WITH THE CELEBRITIES THAT YOU TRAIN? DS: I pretty much design my routines in blocks, so a block is anywhere from one to three months. And what I do is I really rotate. I try to incorporate a certain level of strength training and functional training. One block might be something that is just a little more athlete-based, as if you’re trying to get someone to be an athlete, to get someone to move better. And then, I do throw in bodybuilding blocks, because it’s a different stimulus. I think the biggest problem with trainers is that they go to one tool or they go to one thing. I know people who will just train with a kettlebell. We almost have them regress to get these people to move better to where they can do these specific movement patterns so we can get them to do things that are more advanced. I think a good trainer is someone who comes in, screens a client, assesses, sits there and discusses with a client what their goals are and then you as a trainer, looking at the individual, finding out what they actually need. Then you have to blend it. You got to combine it, and you got to keep them excited, and you got to keep them intrigued. Don Saladino is a celebrity personal trainer and gym owner (Drive 495) based in SoHo, Manhattan. He’s trained Ryan Reynolds, Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, and Ryan Gosling, to name a few. PHOTO: JEFF TSE

WINTER

must-haves

2 3

1. WOMEN’S ZERMATT JACKET Constructed with Marmot MemBrain shell fabric and filled with 650-fill goose down, the waterproof Zermatt has dialed-in technical ability with a sporty and stylish silhouette. 2. WOMEN’S ANNABELLE INSULATED SKIRT The Annabelle Insulated Skirt merges fashion and function into one incredibly cute, warm piece. The wraparound-style Annabelle is stuffed with Thermal R insulation, making it warm but not bulky. 3. WOMEN’S AMA DABLAM JACKET The stylish and practical Ama Dablam offers the perfect amount of down protection for hard-core mountain mamas to style-conscious city dwellers. 4. WOMEN’S FAB DOWN JACKET The timeless Fab Down boasts 700-fill-power down insulation with a weather-shielding Marmot MemBrain face fabric. Comes with a zip-off, down-filled hood and removable powder skirt. 5. WOMEN’S HAILEY JACKET Short and sassy, the 700-fill down Hailey comes with a removable faux-fur ruff which offers protection on frigid days and looks amazing around the town. 6. WOMEN’S QUASAR JACKET It weighs slightly more than a carabineer, yet the Quasar is heavy on warmth. Constructed with Pertex Quantum shell fabric and 900-fill, this jacket has unbelievable warmthto-weight ratio. MARMOT.COM ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 47

FIND YOUR JOY with more than 200 delicious vegan recipes

DDD

from the world-renowned founder of the Jivamukti yoga method

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<< LOVE OF MY SOUL EARRINGS Divinely feminine earrings (aquamarine and gold vermeil) to remind you of the sacred purpose of life. The center ornament represents Mother Earth, encouraging you to celebrate your beautiful self.

LOVE OF MY SOUL RING A powerful rose quartz / citrine is held by sacred ornaments representing prana, life-force. In alignment with your values, it’s made from recycled silver, 22-karat gold, and ethically sourced gems.

OM TAT SAT RING May this gold vermeil ring, engraved with the “Om Tat Sat” mantra, accompany you when you are living your highest potential, being saturated in unconditional love and happiness.

ANANDA

Soul Creations ONE OF OUR FAVORITE COLLECTIONS

PRECIOUS YOU BRACELETS >> Precious You bracelets, made by mothers of Balinese street children, have amethyst and blue topaz, gold vermeil, and lavender thread. Each purchase supports the moms and helps a street child go to school.

GANESHA SHARANAM NECKLACE The elephant god Ganesha, considered the lord of success and the destroyer of obstacles and evil energies, is said to bring protection and blessings on a person’s journey through life. Amethyst gold vermeil.

TEARS OF GRATITUDE EARRINGS These gold vermeil earrings are a reminder to give gratitude for all the amazing blessings you are receiving in your life, as part of a practice that humbles and softens our hearts, bringing us peace and joy.

ANANDASOULCREATIONS.COM ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 49

WEWOOD: KAPPA NUT The Kappa Nut joins WeWood’s line of eco-lux accessories. Walnut wood was chosen for its strength, rich color, and sustainability. When you buy a watch, WeWood plants a tree! WE-WOOD.US NINETIMESTWELVE: YOGA CHARMS Handcrafted silver yoga charms from ninetimestwelve look as great on your mat as they do on a necklace. Bring focus and inspiration to your yoga and your life. NINETIMESTWELVE.COM

LUNA & LARRY’S COCONUT BLISS: GINGER COOKIE CARAMEL Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss is the evolution of ice cream. The Ginger Cookie Caramel features spicy gingersnap cookies and creamy caramel swirled in rich vanilla ice cream. COCONUTBLISS.COM

JILL-E DESIGNS: OSCEOLA SMARTPHONE CLUTCH The Osceola is not only cute but really versatile. It carries your phone, credit cards, and lipstick and has a removable coin purse. It lets you travel light, with room for essentials. JILL-E.COM

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JADEYOGA: JADE TEAL YOGA MAT The Jade Teal Yoga Mat has great grip and comfort and is ecofriendly. JadeYoga donates five dollars for each teal mat to ovarian-cancer charities and plants a tree with every mat sold. JADEYOGA.COM

HUGGER MUGGER: PARA RUBBER YOGA MAT The new Para Rubber Yoga Mat in the color Storm provides excellent cushion and stability for your practice. The unique variegated pattern adds originality to this sustainable mat. HUGGERMUGGER.COM

hnu: A & i x Cotopa l Good + Socia Design ng Stunni

Volta 35L Rolltop Sleek rolltop with ample storage for international adventures, impromptu weekend getaways, and crazy-long walks in nature. Each purchase contributes to Brighten Your Corner in Kpong, Ghana. cotopaxi.com

Ahnu: Cityscape Collection Dress them up or down. Ahnu’s new Cityscape Collection is supple and stylish, with fashion-forward colors and fun color pops that are an Ahnu signature. ahnu.com

Pacaya Terracotta Khaki Women’s Insulated Jacket A great layering or outerwear piece, the Pacaya jacket features Polartec Alpha insulation, and each purchase contributes to the Vida campaign with Choice Humanitarian. cotopaxi.com

Bengal Darkcotta Women’s Waxed Canvas Jacket Perfect for fall afternoons and active lifestyles, the chic Bengal wax canvas pea coat will keep you warm with a quilted lining and Polartec Alpha insulation. Its sale assists Choice Humanitarian. cotopaxi.com

Kpong Satchel Because you can’t always carry a backpack! This easy-access messengerstyle pack is resilient and sleek. Each purchase contributes to Brighten Your Corner in Kpong, Ghana. cotopaxi.com

ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 51

OUR FAVORITE ATHLETIC SHOES

VIVOBAREFOOT or’s picks! edit

STEALTH The Stealth is a soft on-road/treadmill barefoot performance shoe. Go further and longer while keeping your cool in the lightweight, breathable Stealth.

ULTRA 2

ONE

The Ultra 2 is the ultimate amphibious shoe made for land, water, and everything in between.

The ultimate on-road/in-gym performance shoe. The One is fine-tuned for a pure barefoot experience, letting your feet do what they do best.

TRAIL FREAK

EVO PURE

The Trail Freak is designed for the trail with optimized barefoot feeling, structure, and breathability. It gives a comfortable and secure fit for trail-loving feet.

Vivobarefoot has removed everything your foot doesn’t need and created a light and breathable performance shoe. It offers a pure barefoot experience.

VIVOBAREFOOT.COM 52 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

OUR EDITOR NEEDS AN INTERVENTION

HER FAVORITE SOREL BOOTS SLIMBOOT

SLIMPACK RIDING TALL

The ultimate in protection with Westerninspired style. Waterproof full-grain and oiled suede leather, textile knit lining, and leatherwrapped heel.

Slim pac boot with the timeless style of an equestrian riding boot. Waterproof full-grain leather upper and insulated waterproof vulcanized rubber shell with wrapped leather heel.

MEDINA II Fully waterproof rain heel with waterproof full-grain-leather detachable gaiter and sleek metal hardware.

CONQUEST CARLY WINTER FANCY TALL Equal parts sophistication and winter protection on a slim and light pac shell. Waterproof full-grain leather and fleece lining with seam-sealed waterproof construction.

Takes cues from Sorelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iconic Conquest boot. Waterproof full-grain and nylon upper. Full-length gusset construction with bungee and lace closures for customized fit. Waterproof vulcanized rubber shell with leather-wrapped heel.

SOREL.COM ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 53

Wordologies: Scented Candles Wordologies scented candles are handcrafted stoneware featuring an inspirational message and filled with scented soy wax that burns clean. When the wax is gone, find other uses for the stoneware. wordologies.com

BEAUTIFUL

PEACEFUL

YOU G. M. Collin: Bio Organique Treating Serum Energizes the skin for a more youthful appearance and helps prevent the visible signs of premature aging. The all-natural serum protects and hydrates the skin, leaving it awake and revitalized. www.gmcollin.com

Alaffia: Africa’s Secret Africa’s Secret multipurpose skin cream contains ten restorative ingredients that are ideal for thirsty skin, use as a night cream, and treating skin discolorations. alaffia.com

Lumina Health Products: Cellfood Oxygen Gel Cellfood Oxygen Gel was specially formulated to give all the topical benefits of Cellfood’s unique oxygenreleasing technology—now with lavender blossom extract. luminahealth.com

54 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

Sportique Brands: Skincare Apply. Breathe in, breathe out. Soothe your skin and soul. Natural, creamy, healthy, effective. Made from botanicals, no fragrances added, no petroleum or parabens. A natural act of kindness to yourself. sportiquebrands.com

UDO’S CHOICE ENZYME BLEND Udo’s Choice Enzyme Blend helps to reduce gas and bloating following meals rich in carbohydrates. This complete enzyme blend helps break down fat, carbs, soluble fiber, starch, and complex sugars.

GALLEXIER HERBAL BITTERS Sometimes it is good to be bitter. The bitter taste can trigger the optimal functioning of the digestive process. Gallexier Herbal Bitters help to round off those heavy holiday meals.

RED BEET CRYSTALS Deck your salad out with Red Beet Crystals! Naturally sweet, they’re obtained from the juice of freshly pressed, certifiedorganic beets. They blend well into smoothies, cereals, salads, and more.

SLEEP-ESSENCE Sleep-Essence will help to melt away your stress and anxiety with its soothing combination of chamomile flower, lemon balm, linden flower, passionflower, skullcap, and lavender.

SAMBUGUARD Don’t let the sniffles keep you down. Support your immune system with SambuGuard, a potent combination of wild-grown elderberrys and elderflowers, fresh-pressed Echinacea purpurea, acerola cherry, and vitamin C.

FLORAHEALTH.COM ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 55

ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 1

GIFTS WE

LOVE CLOTHING JEWELRY SKINCARE GEAR

MUSIC LEGEND

QUESTLOVE YOGA. GETTING HEALTHY. STAYING THIRSTY FOR LIFE.

Annie LENNOX + CREATIVITY WOMEN

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THE WATER CRISIS SOPHIA BUSH + OXFAM

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REDEFINING SUCCESS MICHAEL FRANTI JOHN MACKEY MOBY

Gloria

STEINEM

EQUAL RIGHTS

Arianna

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Koele, Lana‘i — Hawaii

H O N O R T H E P A S T . D E F I N E T H E F U T U R E . W A L K S T O R Y .™

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not tonight, I’m too tired. When “I’m too tired” is more than just an excuse. We’ve all faked a headache or used the excuse “I’m too tired” but the truth is many of us really are too tired…too tired for a little romance, too tired for exercise, and too tired to concentrate. Life is busy and trying to juggle family and work can leave you feeling exhausted and run-down…especially if you are iron deficient. Never mind the fact that those dark circles under your eyes and pale skin can leave you feeling unattractive. When going to bed early is your idea of a “good time”, it’s time for a change. Floradix is an easily absorbed, plant-based, nonconstipating, liquid iron supplement with no artificial additives or preservatives and has been helping women reclaim their energy for over 60 years.* So redefine your definition of a “good time” with Floradix and rekindle the romance. Vegetarian + non-gMo + additiVe- & PreserVatiVe-Free 888-436-6697 | VISIT WWW.FLORAHEALTH.COM TO FIND A STORE NEAR YOU. *THIS STATEMENTS HAS NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.

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Modern-Day ERA BY AMANDA STUERMER

world muse founder talks to icons gloria steinem and amy richards about bringing equal rights front and center THEWORLDMUSE.ORG 8 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTOS: HEAVEN MCARTHUR

“We are disengaged and overburdened. Sounds like it is time we . . . get reenergized and reinspired.” —AMY RICHARDS

e hear “ERA” and think of burning bras and grainy photos of Gloria Steinem from the ’70s. An equal-rights amendment seems like an item on our feminist to-do list that has been checked off. Sadly, it hasn’t. The federal ERA was introduced in Congress in 1923 and passed in 1972, but it was never ratified. It’s been ninety-one years. Where’s our outrage? Shouldn’t we be burning our customfitted underwires? World Muse recently held an event to support and celebrate statewide ERA ballot measure 89 being voted on in Oregon this November. Surprisingly, less than a handful of the fourhundred-plus equality-minded attendees knew it was even on the ballot. Two feminist icons, Amy Richards and Gloria Steinem, shared some of their recent musings on the ERA matter with me.

Amanda Stuermer: Why didn’t the ERA get ratified back in 1972? Gloria Steinem: In retrospect, I think the anti-ERA forces succeeded for a mix of reasons. First, they knew very well that equality would cost a lot of money, and they were motivated to stop it. Second, they had crucial influence in many state legislatures where business interests reign. Third, many or most anti-ERA women were operating out of an unfounded but well-cultivated fear that the ERA would weaken rather than strengthen their ability to be supported as dependent homemakers or to get child support if divorced. They gave the press an image of women against women. In Manifesta, Amy Richards wrote, “[T]he presence of feminism in our lives is taken for granted. For our generation, feminism is like fluoride. We scarcely notice we have it—it’s simply in the water.” AS: Is that why we are currently so disengaged with the ERA? Amy Richards: As much as younger women are infused with a greater sense of possibility than most women of preceding generations, as a generation we are generally politically disengaged. Plus, the goal of equality seems to disproportionately burden women, since it’s

assumed that they have to assume more responsibility, while men can remain the status quo. Women have to do all of the catching up. So we are disengaged and overburdened. Sounds like it is time we ditch the complacent fluoride-in-the-tap-water feminism and get reenergized and reinspired. At our recent World Muse ERA event, we asked attendees—women, men, girls, and boys—to consider what liberty and equality for all means to them personally. We believe world change comes from within, so we wanted individuals to contemplate how equality fits into their everyday lives. One very young muse kept it simple and sweet: “I love to hug ever butty.” An older muse put it like this: “Begin to think of the first thoughts we had as children. Everyone was the same; we saw nothing but a friend.” AS: What would the founders of our democracy think about the ERA? GS: The truth is that our democracy is a work in progress. We are all its founders. We are all learning that we are linked and not ranked.

We are linked and not ranked. Ever butty is equal, everyone is the same. Muse on that.

“Our democracy is a work in progress. We are all its founders.” —GLORIA STEINEM

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Interview: Robert Piper

VALENTINA ZELYAEVA

If it’s December and people eat coconuts from Thailand, your body goes, like, ‘What is going on?’ You need to eat what’s local.”

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LIVING THE ADVENTURE Marmot Athlete Paige Claassen staying comfortable and focused on the first ascent of Middle Earth (5.13+) at 13,000 feet in Cajas National Park, Ecuador. Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hannah Reversible / Everyday Knit Pant Photo: Jon Glassberg

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FINDING INSPIRATION FOR BODY AND MIND ROBERT PIPER: What inspires you in life? VALENTINA ZELYAEVA: Well, many things. First of all, nature; it always inspires me. Living in New York, it can get quite stressful sometimes, so on the weekends, I like to go hiking. Traveling inspires me. I also like to read different traveling blogs. Also, photographers, travel photographers.

RP: How do you find balance in life? VZ: Traveling around, it can get very stressful sometimes, and I found yoga, thank God, like a couple of years ago. I went to my first yoga class, and I got hooked on it, and I go almost every day when I’m in New York. I find that it really balances me. And also, morning meditation. I like to wake up at six o’clock in the morning so I have a very long morning, so I have time to meditate. I can really tell that it makes a difference—the days I don’t have meditation and the days when I do.

RP: How do you stay healthy? VZ: I start my day with a lot of water; I make sure I hydrate my body. I drink a lot of vegetable juices. I don’t usually do fruit juices, but I eat fruit because it’s better for the body. I stay active, I go to yoga, I work out with a personal trainer, I also make sure that I get out and get the pure oxygen that you only get in the forest when hiking. I just make sure that I eat local foods, what’s in season. I go to Union Square where there’s a farmers market like three times a week, so I go there and see what’s local, and that’s what I eat. If it’s December and people eat coconuts from Thailand, your body goes, like, “What is going on?” You need to eat what’s local. So that’s what I’m trying to do—just be as close to nature as possible.

RP: How has your career inspired you? VZ: I wanted to be a model and travel the world. I started in Japan. I was there for a couple of years, then I wanted to go to New York because I always wanted to go to New York. So I came here, and during Fashion Week, I went to different clients. I’m with Ralph Lauren, and I’ve been working with the brand ever since. You know, I’ve been doing modeling for over eleven years. I know my body now, and my travels have inspired me, and meeting new people, and discovering new cultures. Now I know what works for my body, and I can share with everyone using my blog, which I [started] a few years ago. Valentina Zelyaeva is a model, spokesmodel for Ralph Lauren, and yoga lover. VALZELYAEVA.COM 14 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

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DELIVERING BABIES

DISASTER ZONES 16 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

Robin, along with local Filipina midwives and a rotation of foreign midwives, offers free [maternity services], delivering over a hundred babies a month without electricity or running water.

ROBIN LIM’S QUEST TO BUILD PEACE, ONE CHILD AT A TIME By Dana Romanoff “In much of the world, the most dangerous thing a woman can do is become pregnant” (Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times, February 6, 2014). Nearly three hundred thousand women worldwide die each year from complications during pregnancy or childbirth, ninety-nine percent of them in developing countries.

disaster in history, and Philippines is unique because so many babies are born. This center is the eye of the storm,” says Robin. She believes that birth keepers are the earth keepers and that by caring for the babies at birth, midwives are building peace—one mother, one child, one family at a time.

Robin Lim is working to change these conditions. CNN’s 2011 Hero of the Year, Robin is an internationally recognized midwife serving the poor and medically disenfranchised and committed to changing the world one gentle birth at a time. She has a nonprofit clinic and education center in Indonesia, Bumi Sehat Foundation International, and has worked in disaster zones around the world. Robin was on the ground shortly after Typhoon Haiyan, the largest storm to ever hit landfall, devastated the central Philippines and claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and destroyed the homes of over sixteen million people.

I spent ten days at Bumi Wadah and witnessed astounding juxtapositions: birth and death, disaster and joy. There are so many layers to what I saw: the continuing devastation of the storm on some of the poorest of the poor, what it means to live in a country where the Catholic church blocks contraception, and the need for a different, gentle approach to birth. But what surprised and affected me most was witnessing how, despite the harsh conditions, birth can be such an empowering and ennobling event. In the middle of a disaster zone, in a hot, tented delivery room where babies are born to women who survived the largest storm to hit landfall in history, I saw more compassion, empowerment, and beauty than ever before.

Almost a year after the storm, the disaster is not over. Millions of women and girls of reproductive age are still in need of urgent care and protection. Over eight hundred women, often malnourished and suffering dehydration, high blood pressure, extreme trauma, inadequate shelter, and lack of transportation, give birth every day. Under a canvas tent, in the skeleton of a destroyed elementary school, BSFI and Wadah Foundation came together under Robin’s leadership to create the Bumi Wadah birthing clinic in the township of Dulag, outside of Tacloban City. At this time, it is the only clean, free twenty-four-hour maternity service. Laboring mothers travel from villages often hours away. Robin, along with local Filipina midwives and a rotation of foreign midwives, offers free prenatal care, birthing services, and medical aid, delivering over a hundred babies a month without electricity or running water. “The structure falls apart in a country after a disaster, but women are still having babies and doing so while homeless. No shelter, hungry, and no clean water. No other group of midwives are dealing with this many deliveries in a disaster zone. This is the biggest

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ADAM DURITZ

COUNTING CROWS

On the terror of love and closeness PART TWO

Interview: Maranda Pleasant

MARANDA PLEASANT: What is love to you? ADAM DURITZ: I feel like I’ve been in love, but I have stood aside from it over and over again in my life. It’s all you want, but it’s terrifying. Closeness to another person is like a fear of falling off a building to me. It’s really, like, physically painful, and it’s a brand of crazy I don’t appreciate having. You want to embrace, but I can’t figure out how to hold on to it. MP: It’s the thing your soul longs for the most, but it’s the thing that’s the most terrifying.

AD: I think it has to do with the fact that it’s hard to look at yourself and see the failures, the flaws, and everything that’s wrong and sort of accept it, and when someone loves you, they start to do that. They start to say, “Hey, I see you and I understand you entirely,” but that means they see all that shit too, all that dirt that you don’t want to look at. Then it either repulses them—and you can have a serious fear of that—or they accept it. But then you have COUNTINGCROWS.COM 18 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

to look at it because they’re seeing you for real, and that kind of forces you to see you for real, and that’s braver than I am a lot of the time. I’m really good in a crisis, because I don’t panic. I’m really good in pain. I snapped my leg in half on stage and played a whole show. But I can’t sit there with someone that loves me. Bravery is what you can do in the face of things that hurt and scare you, but you do it anyway. If you want to really love someone, you’ve got to let go and loosen up and just care. I’m so busy trying to breathe through the pain that I’m breathing through the pain of being with people, and that is no way to spend a life. Eventually, they’ll just go away, because you will make them sad. That’s something I’ve proven quite adept at doing over the years.

MP: I want to talk about your new record,

Somewhere Under Wonderland. Every time you make an album, it’s like you just open your heart and let it bleed out and we can all bleed with you.

AD: It’s a very different record to me than a lot of our other records. The first song on the record, “Palisades Park,” is about these two kids growing up in New York in the ’60s and ’70s. They discover punk music, and they discover dressing up in women’s clothes because it’s cool and different, and they experiment with a bunch of drugs and stuff. It kind of enabled me to get outside of just my life. I think I’d been limiting myself in some ways just writing in first person all the time. I took it to a friend of mine who’s a really great songwriter. I told him that I was worried that people would find it less personal. He said, “I kind of feel like you spent the last twenty years writing this epic tragedy about what it’s like to be crazy and have mental illness f—k up your whole life, but that’s not all you are. This record is like spending a couple of hours in your head. For me, this is more you.”

PHOTOS: DANNY CLINCH

“Bravery is what you can do in the face of things that hurt and scare you, but you do it anyway.”

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INTERVIEW: ROBERT PIPER

CURIOSITY,

COLLABORATION, and CLEAN WATER ROBERT PIPER: What inspires you? SOPHIA BUSH: I’m inspired by everything, really. I’m inspired by locations and travel, I’m inspired by art and music, I’m inspired by people. When my curiosity peaks and I want to know everything about the subject, I want to know how I can get more deeply involved. RP: What kind of training goes into playing a detective on Chicago P.D.? SB: Oh, my goodness, so much. We had a full week of boot camp before the show began. I think that I was pretty comfortable going in because I’ve been proficient with guns for a long time, just as a hobbyist. It made that whole portion of the training really fun. And then what you don’t expect is how difficult it is to learn how to handcuff someone who doesn’t want to be handcuffed. And learning about the way you respond to things. The way that you read a room. RP: What kind of research went into the character?

YOU CAN’T WORK ON THE BICEPS AND IGNORE THE REST OF THE BODY, AND YOU CAN’T JUST SAY ONE ISSUE IS IMPORTANT WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING AT HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.”

SB: For me, it was really conversations with my writers and creators, because obviously, they dole out history on who these people are in small doses to the audience. But I like to have a much greater base and know a lot more about my character before I begin to fill the person. So a lot of it really entails sit-downs with them, determining who she is, where she came from, and why she reacts a certain way, and then I was really able to expand upon a lot of that and create a lot of that story on my own. So it’s a really collaborative experience, and it’s just constantly building. RP: You do a ton of activism work. Can you explain some of the work you do? SB: People like to say, “Well, you’re a celebrity. You should really pick a cause.” I felt that’s like telling a doctor, “Well, you should focus on one area of the body.” Current issues, global issues, political issues, women’s issues—whatever one you want to talk about. It’s systemic, you know? You can’t work on the biceps and ignore the rest of the body, and you can’t just say one issue is important when you are looking at how to make the world a better place. So for me, I’m looking for things that are really connected—education, both in the developing world and at home. The way that that affects communities and, in particular, women. When I’m talking about a developing world, I also look at clean-water access—women who are more vulnerable to sexual violence when they’re fetching water. And talking about what we have going on here, with our carbon footprints and our emissions, is just as important to me as figuring out how to provide clean water to people who need it in regions around the world. Sophia Bush is an actress, activist, and director. She can currently be seen on NBC’s hit show Chicago P.D. CROWDRISE.COM/SOPHIABUSH ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 21

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INTERVIEW: MARANDA PLEASANT

MUSIC + PASSION + FREEDOM + AUTHENTICITY + NOSTALGIA + EVOLUTION

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“EVERYONE’S LIVING THESE EXTRAORDINARY, INTERESTING LIVES WHETHER THEY KNOW IT OR NOT.”

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MARANDA PLEASANT: You’ve made such a huge impact on millions of lives, especially women, and you’ve been such a strong voice for so many of us. Before we talk about your album, can you tell me some of the things that you are passionate about? ANNIE LENNOX: I’m passionate about everything, actually. I’m passionate about life. It’s hard to pinpoint one specific thing, because I think the whole experience of being a human being on the planet is such a mystery, to be honest. Trying to figure out one’s purpose and [asking] “What is it all about?” I guess what I’m passionate about is, I see so many things that I find that there’s no real solution to, and you’re only here for such a brief moment in time, even if you live to be a hundred years old. Yet, what happens within that time frame? So many things happen.

Sometimes, I think, How do people stay positive? How do they manage to deal with some of the challenges they have to face? Imagine living in abject poverty and not knowing anything other than that for generations. Or alternatively, imagine being born into a really wealthy family, but there was no real love. Everyone’s living these extraordinary, interesting lives whether they know it or not. MP: I love that. “Everyone’s living an extraordinary life whether we realize it or not.” AL: In a way, it’s all down to perception, isn’t it? And everyone has their own take on everything. I mean, each individual is as individual as their fingerprints, and I think that’s extraordinary. Nostalgia, the title of this album, was really about memory in a strange way and time, the

“A LOT OF PEOPLE ASSUMED I WAS GAY BECAUSE I WAS WEARING A MAN’S SUIT, AND ONE HAD TO LEARN THAT IT’S OK, PEOPLE WILL DO THAT, AND YOU DON’T ALWAYS HAVE TO EXPLAIN IT ONE HUNDRED PERCENT.”

change and evolution of what takes place and what’s left behind. When I referred back to these songs from the ’30s, they’re this incredible archive of deeply moving songs that are testimony to the musicians that performed them. So many people have performed them and recorded them, and now, almost a hundred years later, they’re still resonant, these songs; they’re still about the human theme. The momentum of time is always going forward. You cannot repeat what has been done before. You can’t go back. That’s so interesting to me, because in memory, you can access something from the past, anything that you’ve experienced that you remember—it’s there. Now, you might have a memento of it in a photograph or in a film or a building or some clothes that you wore. There might be something that connects you to this memory. But all of us are just all caught in this time, whatever that is. It’s a human invention, after all. But nevertheless, we’re all born, and if you’re going to live to be elderly, you’ll have gone through a life journey different than anyone else’s. It’s unique to you, but you’ll have some common themes. We think that this is just our world and we don’t know what other people are thinking. Music actually is a phenomenal connector in that respect. It’s a special language

that defines certain boundaries and connects people in a particular way, a very emotional way, I have found. MP: When I was younger, I remember you gave so many of us women permission not only to be strong but to be super creative and to be different. And you single-handedly came out as strong, beautiful, talented. You came out with these amazing videos. You were not trying to be a Barbie doll; you were a creative artist. AL: It was a challenge because I didn’t want to be a Barbie doll. I didn’t want to be a passive entertainer. It wasn’t how I wanted to present myself. Obviously, at that time, it’s hard for me to talk in a sense of I, only I, because I was in a partnership. I was in a duo with Dave, and it was a joint vision. So whatever I was thinking and whatever he was thinking, we shared it. I want to be true to who I am. It wasn’t about fashion. It wasn’t about style. It was about having the freedom to express and be authentic and to explore and not to have to repeat oneself to go forward and to reinvent. Especially around that time, when you could make these

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videos. We were really getting the kind of opportunities to recreate our music and present it in a visual sense. But more than anything, I think everything about appearance is illusory. People see you, and they think they understand what you’re projecting, but actually, they have their own interpretation of it, or they put a label on you. I had a number of different labels. A lot of people assumed I was gay because I was wearing a man’s suit, and one had to learn that it’s OK, people will do that, and you don’t always have to explain it one hundred percent, because they’re never going to accept what your own interpretation is. It’s all illusory. Everything is illusory. You cannot label something and feel that that is the beginning, middle, and end of it. I wasn’t trying to be a role model for anybody. I don’t think that you can. I think that you can only be true to yourself. Nobody can live up to other people’s expectations. You will always let them down. There will always be something they won’t like about you. So you have to be quite grounded, and I don’t know what that is. Sometimes, that means being vulnerable. You say you saw a beautiful, strong woman. I didn’t necessarily always see that beautiful, strong woman, and I felt very vulnerable at times, and to be labeled as a strong woman when you feel vulnerable is a strange place to be, because then you’re, like, “Oh, I have to be strong now. But I don’t feel strong. I feel alienated. I feel isolated. I feel that things are very surreal, and they’re not authentic, and this is all just very overwhelming.” So it’s a lot more complex, in a way. MP: I think that only when we’re vulnerable can we be truly strong. When we’re vulnerable, we’re compassionate, we’re more sensitive, we’re more feeling, we’re more intuitive. We can connect more. AL: Tricky, isn’t it? Because vulnerable without strength is vulnerable, and being vulnerable means you can be victimized. There’s a flip side to everything, right? I think that the thing is, all those years of creating music or trying to express something of a dark shadow, an existential angst that I have felt most of my life and still feel today, to not be overwhelmed by it. Music, in a way, is a great vehicle, a means by which one can express all these somewhat contradictory feelings. One realizes after a long time that, actually, we are contradictory, all of us. We are not consistent. We have both these dark sides and some light as well. To be human is to have a whole spectrum of these experiences that arise within us. As you get older, there will be a new challenge arising. What you thought you’d accomplished once, maybe the goal post has shifted and it’s not what you’re pursuing anymore, because you’re not interested in that anymore, you know? ANNIELENNOX.COM 26 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

MP: When you talked about your existential darkness, you hold so much of it, but you reflect so much light. You are so absolutely vulnerable and questioning, but you’re at the same time strong, like “I’m going to do it anyway and I’m going to keep expressing.” AL: I guess that’s true. I can’t deny that. At times, I’ve been so absolutely terrified of what I was about to do, whether it was public speaking or performance. Whatever it was, sometimes it had me really, really shaking in my shoes, and I decided that I was going to do it no matter what. And, of course, the critic is there, and afterwards, there’s this, “Was it good enough? Was it really all I wanted to say?” I think it takes a lot to put oneself in a place where, you know, that thing about “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” You wonder what the driving force is that makes you want to do that and not just stay in a safer place. For example, I’m not a risk taker physically. I just have no interest in swinging myself off a mountaintop or parachute gliding or skiing down a totally vertical drop. These things don’t interest me in the slightest, but I get so caught up in the color or the texture of the sounds of something. That’s so funny to me. MP: Is there something about this album that felt important for you to do, or was there something special about this one? AL: I don’t think I would have recorded this album when I was younger. In fact, I know I wouldn’t have. If I had wanted to, I would

“I WOULDN’T HAVE KNOWN WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER THAT WHEN I WAS COMING UP TO BEING A SIXTY-YEAR-OLD WOMAN THAT I’D BE MAKING MUSIC, I’D BE RECORDING MUSIC, TALKING ABOUT MUSIC, AND INCORPORATING MY VIEWS ON THE WORLD INTO THE MUSIC-MAKING. SO IT’S A VERY RAREFIED PLACE TO BE, AND I’M VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT.”

have done it a lot sooner. Somehow, I was at a point where I was thinking, I want to do something musical. I don’t know quite what it’s going to be. And there was something I hadn’t done, and that was to explore this particular jazz genre, and I felt that my voice had something in it. There’s a quality in my voice that I wanted to put down in the record, and I wanted it to be there for posterity. Whether somebody likes it or hates it doesn’t matter. I needed to do it. It was my personal challenge to myself. Not in a competitive way, but it inspired me. I thought, I don’t want to make an album of cover versions of other people’s songs—it’s not that. I have to make something that really interprets these songs in a particular way that brings something fresh to them that people haven’t heard before; otherwise, there’s no point, because so many artists have covered thousands and thousands of different versions. And some of them I actually didn’t know. I didn’t grow up with them. I learned them. I captured them. I assimilated them. I transcribed them. I arranged them. It was very much a labor of love. It truly was. At the end of the day, the work is done and this album is what it is. Now it’s a kind of journey, talking about it and performing the songs. I wouldn’t have known when I was a teenager that when I was coming up to being a sixty-year-old woman that I’d be making music, I’d be recording music, talking about music, and incorporating my views on the world into the music-making. So it’s a very rarefied place to be, and I’m very grateful for that. MP: Can you tell me about some of the causes you’re involved with? AL: I’m very intrigued that in this culture of reality television and celebrity—which is an enormous industry and generates billions and billions of dollars—we’re so resourceful. There are so many things that we could do to change the world in so many aspects. There are people working in nonprofit organizations, tackling the issues that we so desperately need to face, while governments fail so appallingly. It’s extraordinary, the complexity of that fact. We’re not interested to know the real heroes. We’re really more interested in the villains, actually, and they seem to thrive, and it continues to be business as usual. And the very fact that the planet is probably unsustainable with all that we’ve done to it and are doing to it, it’s an appalling piece of evidence. It shows our complacency, our lack of passion or inclination to be authentic and really understand our true values. It’s consistently depressing, but nevertheless, we carry on. There’s good stuff and bad stuff, but you continue on. I’m not prescriptive—I cannot tell anyone else what to do with their lives, and I’m a deeply flawed individual—but this is it. We’re all just living it and . . . bless us all. PHOTOS: ROBERT SEBREE

“I WASN’T TRYING TO BE A ROLE MODEL FOR ANYBODY. I DON’T THINK THAT YOU CAN. I THINK THAT YOU CAN ONLY BE TRUE TO YOURSELF.”

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OXFAM

BY COCO MCCABE

By providing clean water, hygiene promotion, and sanitation services during emergencies, we can save countless lives. OXFAMAMERICA.ORG 28 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

N SOUTH SUDAN, THE THREAT OF FAMINE LOOMS; ACROSS WEST AFRICA, AN OUTBREAK OF DEADLY EBOLA IS TERRORIZING COMMUNITIES; THREE MILLION REFUGEES ARE ON THE RUN FROM SYRIA. THOUGH THE SOURCE OF THEIR SUFFERING IS DIFFERENT, EVERY FAMILY ENDURING THESE CRISES HAS AT LEAST ONE THING IN COMMON: THE NEED FOR CLEAN WATER AND DECENT SANITATION SERVICES.

A BOV E : Children who have collected water bring it back to their temporary homes at a settlement in Awerial, South Sudan. Access to clean water for cooking and drinking significantly reduces the risk of waterborne diseases like cholera. PHOTO: GEOFF PUGH / OXFAM BE LOW: Oxfam has set up massive facilities for displaced people in South Sudan to access clean water, such as this water point in Juba. PHOTO: MACKENZIE KNOWLES COURSIN / OXFAM

AB OV E: In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010, Oxfam set up taps where people could access clean water, like this one in Port-auPrince. PHOTO: TOBY ADAMSON / OXFAM

Both are essential for human survival. Without clean drinking water, a person can only live for a few days. And without careful attention paid to hygiene and the safe disposal of fecal waste, the deadly diseases they trigger can race through crowded settlements with devastating consequences. “Ensuring people have the right information and materials they need is vital to improving the public health and well-being of communities,” says Myra Foster, a senior adviser on public health for Oxfam America, a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice. “In emergency situations, when families are often crowded together in unfamiliar surroundings, helping them meet their basic needs for clean water and sanitation is absolutely essential. It saves lives.”

OXFAMAMERICA.ORG ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 29

THE CHALLENGES OF WATER DELIVERY As vital as water is, providing displaced people with enough of it can often be an enormous challenge for aid workers. International guidelines, known as the Sphere standards, call for each person in an emergency to receive up to fifteen liters a day of water to meet their basic drinking, cleaning, and cooking needs. That’s just shy of four gallons—a fraction of the eighty to hundred gallons an average American uses in a day on activities like showering and flushing toilets. “At home in the U.S., we turn a faucet, and abundant, safe water comes out,” says Kenny Rae, Oxfam America’s senior adviser on public health engineering. “This is a luxury denied to countless people around the world, especially during emergencies. Water is either in short supply or contaminated, or both. Oxfam works to provide not only sufficient water but also to ensure that it is filtered or treated to ensure its safety and the health of those who use it.”

“EVERY FAMILY ENDURING THESE CRISES HAS AT LEAST ONE THING IN COMMON: THE NEED FOR CLEAN WATER AND DECENT SANITATION SERVICES.”

Delivering that precious water to displaced families living in temporary camps or scattered through urban neighborhoods requires not only hardware—pumps, pipes, storage tanks, and faucets often flown in from great distances—but logistical ingenuity. When Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines last year, it caused massive damage, killing eight thousand people and forcing four million others from their homes. Among the communities particularly hard hit was the city of Tacloban. But within days of the storm, more than two hundred thousand people there were again receiving clean, safe water after Oxfam worked with the local water department to repair and reconnect the municipal supply and install new distribution points and tap stands. SANITATION AND HYGIENE ARE ESSENTIAL TO HEALTH But water is just part of the equation. Hygiene and the safe disposal of waste are just as critical to protecting lives. It may sound like a small thing, but the importance of hand-washing can’t be overstated. Stemming the spread of germs and bacteria is key to saving lives. That’s why Oxfam places so much emphasis on hygiene promotion. In South Sudan, where the fighting that erupted in December 2013 has forced more than a million people from their homes, seasonal rains have increased the misery of many—and the danger of disease. In a settlement known as Mingkamen in Lakes state, Oxfam has been digging latrines and working with a team of public-health promoters to help spread the word on hand-washing, latrine use, and community garbage collection. Among the seventy-eight promoters in Mingkamen in May was Martha Nyandeng, who fled from Bor with six children when fighting broke out. Health promoters earn a small bit of income for their work—about ten dollars a day. Nyandeng takes her work seriously, ensuring that the toilets she’s in charge of are kept clean. And she regularly provides hand-washing demonstrations to children. “I take care of this latrine as my own, not for Oxfam. I keep them clean to prevent us from getting sick,” says Nyandeng. “People are learning. It’s good because when they come to the toilet, they wash their hands, and when they go home, the bacteria is removed. They’re preventing diseases.” YOUR SUPPORT HELPS AID GROUPS RESPOND

TOP: A boy in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, washes at a community water tap built with Oxfam’s support. PHOTO: ABBIE TRAYLER-SMITH / OXFAM B OTTOM : A boy demonstrates the difference between the clean water Oxfam is now providing and the dirty water from the Nile River in Awerial settlement, South Sudan. PHOTO: GEOFF PUGH / OXFAM

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Aid groups can’t always predict when disasters will strike, but their job is to respond when they do. At Oxfam, that life-saving work depends on the support of individuals and foundations. Their donations fund essential equipment and allow Oxfam and its worldwide network of partners to spring into action when a crisis hits.

“THE IMPORTANCE OF HANDWASHING CAN’T BE OVERSTATED. STEMMING THE SPREAD OF GERMS AND BACTERIA IS KEY TO SAVING LIVES.”

TO P: Martha Nyandeng, an Oxfam-trained public health promoter in South Sudan, teaches children how to properly wash their hands. PHOTO: AIMEE BROWN / OXFAM G R A PHI C: OXFAM AMERICA

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KRIST INCAV ALLA RI INTERVIEW: ROBERT PIPER

32 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

Designing a healthy, balanced life

There is nothing I love more than helping someone realize how corrupt our food system is and them making great changes in their own life because of it.”

Robert Piper: What inspires you in life? Kristin Cavallari: Helping people have a better, healthier life through food. There is nothing I love more than helping someone realize how corrupt our food system is and them making great changes in their own life because of it. I love seeing someone else’s health improve. Also, my family inspires me, because they push me to be the best version of myself that I can be, and spirituality, because it brings more love into your life. RP: How do you stay healthy? KC: I don’t eat any toxic chemicals, and I eat organic as often as possible. I also work out four to five times a week. I try to always be in touch with my emotions so that I’m mentally clear as well. I don’t let myself get worn out. I always listen to my body and take care of it if I’m run-down. RP: How do you find balance in your life? KC: I’m lucky because I can make my own hours, doing my shoe and jewelry lines. I work on those when the kids are napping or after they’ve gone to bed. It can be hard when I have to travel, though. I hate being away even for a day. But I’m happiest when I’m working and have my own things going on, so it ultimately makes me a better mother and wife. RP: You’re doing a lot of stuff in the fashion industry? KC: I am! My shoe line, Kristin Cavallari by Chinese Laundry, is for the woman that wants to be on trend without spending a fortune. The collection for fall is all about boots and booties. My favorite is the thigh-high boot, because it’s such a hot shoe for the season and can be worn with almost anything. We just did a presentation at New York Fashion Week, which was a dream come true. I’ve been to Fashion Week as a spectator before, but to be part of it was surreal. I still can’t believe I’m able to call this work. I’m also launching a jewelry line, Emerald Duv, on October 2, with Planet Blue. It’s an affordable line with everything under a hundred dollars. The pieces are simple while still being creative and unique. RP: Are you involved in any charities? KC: My husband, Jay Cutler, has a charity called “Jay Cutler Foundation.” We help children with type 1 diabetes. Kristin Cavallari is a fashion designer, television personality, wife, and mother.

PHOTOS: JONATHAN CLAY HARRIS

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MUSICIAN, ENTREPRENEUR, YOGI

“QUESTLOVE” AHMIR

THOMPSON OF

THE ROOTS INTERVIEW: MARANDA PLEASANT 34 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

”

MARANDA PLEASANT: What does it feel like when you take a step back and it really hits you, that you’ve become revered as a music legend? QUESTLOVE: Do you want to know my secret? MP: What? Q: I will never do that. That’s a jinx to me. I feel as though the second an artist starts celebrating their work themselves, that becomes problematic. And you know, I don’t sit there, I don’t bask in the awards I’ve won, read my bank statements—I refuse to. To me, that’s how you start losing the hunger. So for me personally, I just don’t celebrate it. I’m happy right now. But I’ve seen a lot of situations where this could instantly end, just like that. MP: You do everything: your hoodie shop, food trucks, music, and collaborations. Is that what keeps you hungry? Q: Absolutely. Even when you’re on top, blammo! It could be taken away from you any second. Now, it doesn’t mean that I walk around like a Debbie Downer, you know, preparing for the worst, but I’d never stop hustling or working. I can’t afford to. MP: I’ve heard about your healthy lifestyle and some changes you’ve been making. Q: I’ve pretty much done a health overhaul of my life. I started in late 2011. I was starting to hear the word “stroke” just a little too much. Friends of mine have died of strokes at forty, and it was disturbing me. It was absolutely killing me that I’ve spent the first twenty-five years of my life trying to avoid bullets. That was always the main concern. Don’t go out late. Don’t go to any shady neighborhoods. Don’t hang in bars alone. Why? Because you want to avoid bullets. Once I get to thirty-five, then I was, like, “Woo, OK. Made it.” And now there’s a new warning: now it’s, like, strokes. I got to watch my health. So, there’s a trainer. His name is Darryl Aiken-Afam. He trains in a way that’s sort of unorthodox, ’cause he deals with people that have—in my case, I’ve always had a case of lymphedema, so I’ve always had lymphatic issues. I hired a trainer, a yoga instructor, a lymphatic masseuse, a chef, an acupuncturist, and a therapist. So six people, which is probably a little extreme, but I think it’s very important, especially because I want to be as healthy as I can be, so I can make it past fifty, make it past sixty, and make it past seventy. You know, the hip-hop lifestyle doesn’t really celebrate health, and most people look at it and are, like, “That’s kooky.” MP: Right.

Q: Granola hippie! [Laughs.] I’m seeing a lot of people fall by the wayside ’cause you can’t live off of four bottles of Patrón a week. You can’t live off of excessive smoking. You can’t live off of just greasy, fatty foods and stay up till six in the morning just partying. You got to take care of yourself, so yeah. Basically, I’m caught somewhere between a vegan and a pescatarian lifestyle. My chef has totally taken out gluten, wheat, and most dairies out of my diet. I told her I’m not willing to part with seafood all that quickly. Two days of the week, I get to have fish, shrimp, or lobster. The other five days, it’s either seitan, soy, or tofu. I do a lot of greens. I do a lot of juice cleansing—ginger, a lot of beet juice. It’s just a total turnaround. MP: Stic from Dead Prez does our health column, so we’re not quite a normal magazine. He’s been a pioneer for years. He says that his passion is to get black men—especially those who are high-risk, low-income, on the street—get them to take care of their bodies. And watch what they put in their minds. Q: He has no clue how he’s affected me. Like his “Be Healthy”—that haunted me probably more than any hip-hop song. Probably one of the most revolutionary songs they’ve ever done. The same way that N.W.A.’s “F— tha Police” affected me when I first heard it. When I first heard “Be Healthy,” I was on tour with D’Angelo, and I was, like, “Yo, listen to this.” We sat there with our mouths dropped, like we’d never heard black men talk about this, ever. Like, really? So that’s always been in the back of my mind as I go through the struggle. And it is a struggle. One point, I’ll sit back and think of my heaviest back in ’99. I was about 480 pounds. MP: Are you serious? Wow. Q: We did a song called “Glitches” in 2001, and that’s when I was at my heaviest. When Big Pun died of a heart attack, that was my first scare. So I managed to drop two hundred pounds and go to, like, three hundred, but you know, it’s not even safe at three hundred. Compared to what I was, yeah, I weighed [less]. But it’s not even safe to be three hundred pounds, so I’m trying to even drop another one hundred pounds just to live in the area of two. MP: Is somebody documenting that? Taking pictures and documenting your whole journey? Q: I kind of want to do this quietly, you know, because it’s just like—well, not quietly, like this whole major press I’m doing. I think one of the major reasons why people don’t try to attempt something that’s hard is the perception or the outcome of failure. And there have been periods in which I’ve been, like, “Psh, I’m done.” You know, going four months just

“I DON’T BASK IN THE AWARDS I’VE WON . . . I REFUSE TO. TO ME, THAT’S HOW YOU START LOSING THE HUNGER.” eating what I used to eat, especially being on the road. Now I’m settled and I’m kind of steady in New York and I want a future. I’m trying to get a wife and kids. You know, that type of stuff. I got to take care of me. MP: Did you say that you tried yoga? Q: Yeah. I was one of those skeptics that thought that yoga was for kooks. Now, you know, I yoga. I’m on a very strict regimen. I work out. That’s another thing I’ve learned— like relaxing, sleep, yoga. I didn’t know that that’s as crucial as going hard, as working hard, as exercising hard. I never knew. I thought, OK, I got to be at the gym, like, five hours every day going balls to the wall. And what my yoga instructor, what my trainer, what they’re trying to teach me is that, no, it’s sleep. That’s just as important as working out. On Monday and Tuesday, I work out in the gym from about eight to eleven. Wednesday, I do acupuncture at nine in the morning until ten, and then I do yoga from ten thirty to eleven thirty, and then Thursday, I work out. Friday, I do yoga again. Saturday, I do lymphatic massage. And Sunday, I take the day off, then I do yoga at night. MP: Not only am I so incredibly proud of you, but I’m also very envious. [Laughs.] Q: Well, you know, I got vanity reasons too. Most people are, like, “Oh, I got a photo shoot” or “I got an album cover I got to shoot.” But my vanity reason is a little different. I want to go to Six Flags and not have to worry about fitting in the ride and stuff, so that’s my goal. You know, there’s going to be a lifestyle choice, but my reward is, hopefully, I’ll be fit enough so that I can enjoy myself at Six Flags. QUESTLOVE.COM ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 35

“I WAS ONE OF THOSE SKEPTICS THAT THOUGHT THAT YOGA WAS FOR KOOKS. NOW, YOU KNOW, I YOGA.”

36 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

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INTERVIEW: MARANDA PLEASANT

ON THE TRANSFORMATIVE NATURE OF LOVE, MUSIC, AND YOGA MARANDA PLEASANT: WHAT INSPIRES YOU THE MOST? WHAT IS AT THE HEART OF YOUR ART AND WHY YOU CREATE?

MP: IS THERE ANYTHING ON THE PLANET RIGHT NOW, IN THE HUMANITARIAN SENSE, THAT YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT?

Michael Franti: I have a passion to make a difference in the world. And that difference can be just making the fans at my show leave with a smile on their faces and feeling uplifted. And on a larger level, I want to promote positivity. I believe that through positive thoughts, speech, action, and attitudes, we change things for the better.

MF: I’m passionate about so many things that are taking place in the world. I believe that in order to tackle the big issues of the world today, like environmental issues, we need everybody’s involvement. We need the resources of the corporate world. We need the cooperation of governments. We need the wisdom of indigenous people. We need the spending power of everyday citizens. And we need to connect it to our spirit so that when we hit our first stumbling block, we don’t just give up. That, for me, is where my yoga practice comes in.

MP: WELL SAID. HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH YOUR PAIN WHEN IT COMES? MF: When there’s other, more long-term things, I write about them, and I put them into my songs. I always know when a song is good or close to finished. When I sing it, it makes me feel the emotion. My tears will start flowing or I’ll start laughing. I’ll start feeling whatever intensity or emotion was the seed of that song. MP: DOES YOUR YOGA PRACTICE KEEP YOU CENTERED? MF: My yoga practice, I do it because when I get on my mat, I know I’m going to be transformed. I know that whatever stresses are in my life or whatever worries I have or whatever monkey mind is happening for me, when I get off the mat, I’m going to be transformed. I think that the transformative nature of love is why we are so drawn to it. And you think of all the things that are happening in the world today that people are doing that are good and why they do it. We don’t have to be good, you know? No one’s telling us that we have to do good things, but we do them because we know it makes other people feel good and it makes us feel good. So it’s that transformative nature of love and music and yoga that really inspires me.

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MICHAELFRANTI.COM

Sharon Gannon, David Life, they have been very influential teachers in my life. Also Seane Corn, Eddie Modestini, and Nicki Doane because of their constant connection of the practice to everyday things. It’s not enough to just get on your mat and do Triangle Pose. You have to get on your mat with an intention and an understanding of something that you’re trying to move in your personal life and something that you are hoping to move in the world. And then do your practice through that passion and through that love of wanting to serve something that’s bigger than yourself.

I KNOW THAT WHATEVER STRESSES ARE IN MY LIFE OR WHATEVER WORRIES I HAVE OR WHATEVER MONKEY MIND IS HAPPENING FOR ME, WHEN I GET OFF THE MAT, I’M GOING TO BE TRANSFORMED.”

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“BY BEING VULNERABLE, EITHER WITH YOURSELF OR IN THE PRESENCE OF ANOTHER PERSON, THAT’S WHERE ALL GROWTH AND ULTIMATE WELL-BEING COMES FROM.” SUCCESS3SUMMIT.ORG 40 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

about neuroscience and trying different meditation practices. It’s a really big part of my life. But it’s sometimes hard to talk about and not sound—there’s so many people in the world who don’t live in Southern California, and they don’t spend their time meditating, you know? Like, it’s perfectly natural for me to sit down and talk about meditating and spiritual practice with my friends. But then I realize, how would it sound to a drunk, cynical guy in London? Basically, what’s happened over time is, a lot of people have realized that a good spiritual practice, a good meditation practice, all these issues, have real benefit. It’s not just something nice to do to make the universe happy. People who meditate and have a good spiritual practice, their immune systems are stronger. Generally, they are happier and healthier. One of our jobs is, how do we present this work to people in a way that will reach them where they are?

MOBY VULNERABILITY + SPIRITUALITY INTERVIEW: MARANDA PLEASANT

MARANDA PLEASANT: With meditation, it’s funny how sometimes the things we see as electives or the things that we try to fit in are probably most important to our mental health and growth. MOBY: I almost feel like, someone who’s meditating could possibly benefit their meditation practice and their well-being just sitting down and thinking about things that they love for ten minutes. In my case, I really love dogs. So simply sit down, close your eyes, and think about dogs for ten minutes. On a very clear physiological and neurochemical level, your body is changed by just these really positive thoughts. Sometimes, people will think, I need to have presanctioned spiritual joy. Getting joy from my contemplative meditation practice, or getting joy from reading Thich Nhat Hanh books. Those things can be joyful, but I think it’s the small, simple joys of, I don’t know, playing with dogs or having sex with someone you love or going for a walk outside—stuff that we tend to ignore. I would say, based on my research, it’s incredibly beneficial to actually draw our attention to those joyful things that we tend to ignore. MP: That’s really beautiful. What are some of the things in life that make you feel vulnerable? M: Well, one is talking about spiritual issues and not sounding too New Age-y. I spent so much of my life reading about spirituality and reading

Going back to your question, what makes me vulnerable is, honestly, any genuine expression of emotion in the presence of another person. It makes me vulnerable, and my inclination is, of course, immediately to back away from anything that makes me vulnerable. But by being vulnerable, either with yourself or in the presence of another person, that’s where all growth and ultimate well-being comes from. MP: We just talked to Brené Brown, and she said, “Your courage is only equal to your vulnerability.” M: To paraphrase Paul from the New Testament, he has a great soliloquy about love where he’s basically saying, if I’m the smartest person in the world and I don’t have love, then my intelligence means nothing. And if I’ve figured out the secrets of the universe, but I don’t have love, figuring out the secrets means nothing. I can be really academic and I can spend years studying things and being in therapy and having a very analytic, spiritual meditation practice, but without the emotional component, without the softening that comes with love and vulnerability, everything else I do is really just surface. And a lot of times, I think that vulnerability—there’s just an honesty to it, and it’s an honesty that sometimes we spend our lives trying to cover up. One of the goals of a spiritual practice is self-awareness. And one of the best tools of self-awareness is actually just simple emotional vulnerability.

“IF I’VE FIGURED OUT THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE, BUT I DON’T HAVE LOVE, FIGURING OUT THE SECRETS MEANS NOTHING.” MOBY.COM ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 41

PRESIDENT AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

of Huffington Post Media Group

Arianna Huffington is the chair, president, and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group; a nationally syndicated columnist; and author of fourteen books. In 2012, The Huffington Post won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. In 2013, Arianna was named to the Forbes “World’s Most Powerful Women” list.

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“The current maledominated model of success—which equates success with burnout, sleep deprivation, and driving yourself into the ground—isn’t working for women, and it’s not working for men, either.”

Interview: Gina Murdock

Gina Murdock: How do you define success? Arianna Huffington: Success for me is going beyond money and power, and measuring success based on a third metric—one founded on well-being, wisdom, our ability to wonder and to give back. Money and power by themselves are a two-legged stool. You can balance on them for a while, but eventually you’re going to topple over. Basically, success the way we’ve defined it is no longer sustainable. GM: How do you tap into your own wisdom to make good decisions? AH: We all have within us a centered place of wisdom, harmony, and balance. Whether or not we believe in the existence of the soul, we’ve all experienced times in which we’re fully connected with ourselves. The second truth is that we’re all going to veer away from that place, again and again and again. In fact, we may be off course more often than we are on course. Meditation, yoga, and walks are all ways to regulate our stress and reconnect. We’ve launched an app, called GPS for the Soul, which gives advice on ways to regain that inner balance. GM: What has The Huffington Post taught you about life? AH: That very often the only difference between success and failure is perseverance. I was already in my mid-fifties when we launched The Huffington Post. It wasn’t an immediate success. Well, we kept going. GM: Do you have any regrets? AH: Eleven years ago, I was in Madison, Wisc., where I was supposed to give a speech. Then I learned that my father, who was very ill in Athens, had taken a turn for the worse. I began what seemed like an interminable journey—Madison

to Milwaukee to New York to Athens. I talked to him from the plane. “I’m going to wait for you,” he said. My sister, Agapi, and two nuns met me at the airport. Halfway to my father’s apartment, we got a call from Vicki, who had cared for my father, who told us my father had died the moment my plane landed. I still regret not canceling my speech so I could arrive earlier. For a long time, I was consumed by guilt, not only for missing my father’s final moments but because the whole episode was an illustration of how my priorities were horribly misplaced. GM: Tell me what you’re most passionate and concerned about? AH: At HuffPost, we’re doing a great deal around the theme of “The Third Metric: Redefining Success.” This is a great moment for all of us to acknowledge that the current male-dominated model of success—which equates success with burnout, sleep deprivation, and driving yourself into the ground—isn’t working for women, and it’s not working for men, either. GM: How do you use your platform as a writer to spread the word about ways people can instigate positive change? AH: For too long, reporters for the big media outlets have been fixated on novelty, always moving too quickly onto the next big score or the next hot get. Paradoxically, in these days of instant communication and sixty-minute news cycles, it’s actually easier to miss information we might otherwise pay attention to. That’s why we need stories to be covered and re-covered until they filter up enough to become part of the cultural bloodstream. That’s what I try to do as a writer and as the editor of HuffPost: cover important stories in an obsessive way that enables them to break through the din of our multimedia universe.

GM: Was there a turning point in your life? AH: About five years ago, I fainted from exhaustion. I hit my head on my desk. I broke my cheekbone and got four stitches on my right eye. It started me on this journey of rediscovering sleep and balance and integrating my life. I think everyone should stop and reassess their lives before you hit your head on your desk. GM: What does vulnerability mean to you? AH: Realizing and accepting that failure is an integral part of life and that perfection is not of this world. GM: What inspires you most? AH: I was raised in Athens by a father who was a newspaper editor, and I grew up on the romance of journalism. In a way, I am still pursuing that dream every day. As for The Huffington Post, bringing together people from different parts of my life and facilitating interesting conversations has always been part of my Greek DNA. From the beginning, the whole point of The Huffington Post was to take the sort of conversations found at water coolers and around dinner tables about politics and art and books and food and sex, open them up, and bring them online. GM: What is one of the best decisions you ever made? AH: One of my big milestones came when I turned forty and promised myself to stop worrying about all the things I thought I might do but never really would. I was very relieved when I realized that you can actually complete a project by dropping it. That’s how I “completed” learning to cook and learning German, becoming a good skier, and a list of other things too long to recite!

ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 43

Q: WHAT IS THE LARGER GAME THAT YOU ARE PLAYING IN THE WORLD? Finding approaches and viewpoints that are the most inclusive, most comprehensive, most integral systems available, stopping the typical approach that is fragmented, partial, broken, and limited.

Q: WHAT ARE THE GIFTS THAT YOUR UNIQUE SELF IS COMMITTED TO GIVING IN THE WORLD? Wholeness.

Q: WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU? Wholeness.

Ken Wilber, originator of Integral Theory, is one of the most important philosophers in the world today. He is the most widely translated academic writer in America, with twenty-five books translated into some thirty languages. He founded the Integral Institute, the first organization fully dedicated to the Integral Approach in relation to contemporary global issues.

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Ken Wilber

AUTHOR OF THE INTEGRAL VISION AND FOUNDER OF THE INTEGRAL INSTITUTE

Tony Hsieh CEO of Zappos.com

Q: WHAT IS THE LARGER GAME

THAT YOU ARE PLAYING IN THE WORLD?

Inspire other communities and cities to reinvent themselves.

Q: WHAT ARE THE GIFTS THAT

YOUR UNIQUE SELF IS COMMITTED TO GIVING IN THE WORLD?

Help inspire people to realize they are capable of changing the world.

Q: WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU?

A great brand/ company/city/ community is a story that never stops unfolding.

Success is getting to a point where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be truly OK with losing everything you have and starting over.

Tony Hsieh is author of the number-one New York Times best seller Delivering Happiness and Zappos.com CEO. He helped Zappos grow to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually. Tony is leading the Downtown Project, a group committed to transforming downtown Las Vegas into the most community-focused large city in the world. ZAPPOS.COM | DELIVERINGHAPPINESS.COM | DOWNTOWNPROJECT.COM

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JULIA ORMOND ACTRESS, PRODUCER, AND PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF ASSET

(ADVANCING SYSTEMIC SOLUTIONS TO END ENSLAVEMENT AND TRAFFICKING)

WHAT IS THE LARGER GAME THAT YOU ARE PLAYING IN THE WORLD?

LEGITIMIZING GLOBAL WORK PRACTICES FOR THE WORK FORCES OF PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAINS, AND ADVOCATING THAT THE PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAIN, FROM SOURCE MATERIAL TO STORE, IS AN ORGANIZING MAP FOR DELIVERING HUMAN RIGHTS.

WHAT ARE THE GIFTS THAT YOUR UNIQUE SELF IS COMMITTED TO GIVING IN THE WORLD?

STORY-TELLING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU? SHOWING UP AND BEING ABLE TO WORK FOR THE COMMUNAL GOOD.

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ENSLAVEMENT IS WHEN ONE PERSON COMPLETELY CONTROLS ANOTHER PERSON, USES VIOLENCE OR VIOLENT THREATS TO MAINTAIN THAT CONTROL, EXPLOITS THEM ECONOMICALLY, AND PAYS THEM EFFECTIVELY NOTHING. TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS IS A PROCESS OF ENSLAVING SOMEONE.”

Julia Ormond received an Emmy for executive-producing the documentary Calling the Ghosts: A Story about Rape, War, and Women, used as a lobbying tool for the arrest of the indicted war criminals in former Yugoslavia. She participated on Call and Response, a documentary on the state of slavery today.

ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 47

Cofounder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Market

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Q: What is the larger game that you are playing in the world? Waking up. Growing up. Showing up. Helping heal myself, other people, and the planet through natural, whole, and healthy foods.

Q: What are the gifts that your unique self is committed to giving in the world?

“The heroic business is motivated by the desire to change the world. Not necessarily through service to others, or through discovery and the pursuit of truth, or through the quest for perfection, but through the powerful Promethean desire to really change things—to truly make the world better, to solve insoluble problems, to do the really courageous thing even when it is very risky, and to achieve what others say is impossible.”

My sense of higher purpose, creativity, passion, and wisdom.

Q: What does success mean to you? Fulfilling my higher purposes for my life.

John Mackey, cofounder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, has led the natural and organic grocer to become a $13 billion Fortune 500 company. He cofounded the Conscious Capitalism Movement and coauthored Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business to encourage a way of doing business that is grounded in ethical consciousness. WHOLEFOODSMARKET.COM | CONSCIOUSCAPITALISM.ORG

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Esther Perel Psychotherapist, relationship expert, author, and speaker

What is the larger game that you are playing in the world?

I want to engage people in an honest, enlightened, and provocative conversation about the nature of erotic desire and the intricacies of intimacy and sexuality. The object of my game is to bring nonjudgmental, multicultural understanding to the challenges and choices of modern relationships.

What are the gifts that your unique self is committed to giving in the world?

I have more than thirty thousand hours of family and relationship counseling experience under my belt. Over the years, I have seen changes in relationship trends walk through my therapy office doors. My richest gifts are translating the complexities of love and desire in modern relationships into something simple and accessible. I can offer informed advice that makes people feel comfortable, knowledgeable, and confident.

What does success mean to you?

Modern love is the enterprise that everyone wants to be a part of, yet there’s a fifty percent divorce rate in round one and a sixty-five percent divorce rate in round two. Success, to me, is helping one person or many people counter the isolation and pseudoconnectivity of our lives by boosting their ability to connect to themselves and to others. SUCCESS3SUMMIT.ORG 50 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

ESTHER PEREL, ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST ORIGINAL AND PROVOCATIVE VOICES ON COUPLES AND SEXUALITY ACROSS CULTURES, IS THE AUTHOR OF THE BEST-SELLING BOOK MATING IN CAPTIVITY: UNLOCKING EROTIC INTELLIGENCE. HER CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED TED TALK HAS REACHED OVER FIVE MILLION VIEWERS, AND SHE’S WORKED WITH EVERYONE FROM OPRAH TO FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES.

ESTHERPEREL.COM

Erotic intelligence stretches far beyond a repertoire of sexual techniques. It is an intelligence that celebrates curiosity and play, the power of the imagination, and our infinite fascination with what is hidden and mysterious.â&#x20AC;? ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 51

President of the Center for Integral Wisdom Dr. Marc Gafni is a philosopher, public intellectual, and wisdom teacher. He holds a doctorate in philosophy from Oxford University and rabbinic certification from the chief rabbinate in Israel as well as private rabbinic ordination. He is the director of Center for Integral Wisdom, an activist think tank he cofounded in 2010 with Mariana Caplan.

IEVOLVE.ORG

Q: What is the larger game that you are playing in the world? We need to evolve and articulate a global ethics for a global civilization that integrates and evolves the passionate truths of every great system of knowledgeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;pre-modern, modern, and post-modern. That is the mission of the Center for Integral Wisdom, an activist think tank working in partnership with all the individuals and movements that recognize this urgent need and are committed to its fulfillment. We need to participate directly in the evolution of consciousness, which, at its core, is the evolution of love. SUCCESS3SUMMIT.ORG 52 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

Q: What are the gifts that your unique self is committed to giving in the world? Loving people, articulating frameworks of meaning, activism, catalyzing community and evolutionary change, loving people.

Q: What does success mean to you? Success means to wake up, grow up, and show up, living your unique self, giving your unique gifts to the larger evolutionary symphony of life which needs your music.

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CEO OF THE CANFIELD TRAINING GROUP “I CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE AN INVERSE PARANOID. I ALWAYS OPERATE AS IF EVERYTHING IS PART OF A UNIVERSAL PLOT TO ENHANCE MY WELL-BEING.”

WHAT IS THE LARGER GAME THAT YOU ARE PLAYING IN THE WORLD?

My life purpose is to inspire and empower people and organizations to live their highest vision in a context of love and joy and in harmony with the highest good of all concerned. My three main goals are (1) to positively impact one billion lives through our books, trainings, and the media, (2) to transform public education, and (3) to train one million people to teach others The Success Principles. We currently have five hundred people teaching these principles and techniques in forty-seven countries around the world.

Jack Canfield, originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, fostered the emergence of inspirational anthologies as a genre and watched it grow to a billion-dollar market. He is founder and chairman of The Canfield Training Group, which trains entrepreneurs, educators, and motivated individuals to accelerate personal and professional achievement. JACKCANFIELD.COM | CHICKENSOUP.COM

SUCCESS3SUMMIT.ORG 54 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

WHAT ARE THE GIFTS THAT YOUR UNIQUE SELF IS COMMITTED TO GIVING IN THE WORLD?

I have spent forty-five years teasing out the universal principles of success that are necessary to create massive breakthroughs. I am committed to teaching and disseminating those around the world. I also believe that most transformational leaders are focusing too much on outer techniques and overlooking the important inner qualities of beingness and presence that are required to create real and lasting transformation in the world.

WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU?

My definition of success is “the fulfillment of your soul’s purpose.” I believe if everyone fulfilled their deepest life purpose, the world would work perfectly.

“ACTION WITHOUT VISION IS CHAOS. VISION WITHOUT ACTION IS FANTASY.” FOUNDER OF AGAPE INTERNATIONAL SPIRITUAL CENTER AND AUTHOR OF LIFE VISIONING

Q: WHAT IS THE LARGER GAME THAT YOU ARE PLAYING IN THE WORLD?

I am inspiring and activating others to wake up to their unique selves to anchor the next stage of our unfoldment.

WHAT ARE THE GIFTS THAT YOUR UNIQUE SELF IS COMMITTED TO GIVING IN THE WORLD? An ability to create sustainable spiritual community that is as inclusive as it is diverse and is a living example of the possibilities for the human race.

Q: WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU? Success with a small s is based on accumulation and materialism. Success with a large S is based on the unfoldment of our soul and the generosity of Spirit made manifest by the giving of our gifts.

“WE’RE NOT HERE TO SAVE THE WORLD. WE’RE HERE TO SERVE AN EMERGING PARADIGM.” Michael Bernard Beckwith founded the Agape International Spiritual Center, a transdenominational community of thousands. Agape’s local community outreach programs feed the homeless, serve incarcerated individuals and their families, partner with community organizations, support the arts, and advocate the preservation of our planet’s environmental resources.

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AUTHOR OF THE SOUL OF MONEY AND COFOUNDER OF THE PACHAMAMA ALLIANCE

Q: WHAT IS THE LARGER GAME THAT YOU ARE PLAYING IN THE WORLD? Bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence in the world. Creating a world that works for everyone, with no one and nothing left out.

Q: WHAT ARE THE GIFTS THAT YOUR UNIQUE SELF IS COMMITTED TO

YOUR TRUE LEGACY IS HOW YOU LIVE, NOT WHAT YOU LEAVE.”

GIVING IN THE WORLD?

My stand. My capacity to create possibility. My commitment to give and receive love in every interaction. The distinction of sufficiency.

Q: WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU? Making a difference with the life you have been given. Being of real service and consequence in the world. Living in a way that serves and supports all life and all children of all species for all time. SUCCESS3SUMMIT.ORG 56 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

Lynne Twist—a global activist, consultant, speaker, and award-winning author of The Soul of Money—has dedicated her life to global initiatives that create a sustainable future for all. She is cofounder of the Pachamama Alliance and founder and president of The Soul of Money Institute. LYNNETWIST.COM | PACHAMAMA.ORG

CRISES PRECEDE TRANSFORMATION.

Barbara Marx Hubbard FOUNDER OF THE FOUNDATION FOR CONSCIOUS EVOLUTION

WHAT IS THE LARGER GAME THAT YOU ARE PLAYING IN THE WORLD?

WHAT ARE THE GIFTS THAT YOUR UNIQUE SELF IS COMMITTED TO GIVING IN THE WORLD?

WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU?

My mission is to tell the story of the birth of ourselves as a universal humanity, awakening all of us to our unique opportunity to participate through our own conscious evolution.

As a feminine cocreator, having lived through the arc of evolution from 1929 to the present, I offer encouragement and vocational arousal to all!

Success means participating fully in the conscious evolution of humanity, contributing to the shift in time to avoid the chaos and disasters foreseen.

Barbara Marx Hubbard has been called “the voice for conscious evolution of our time” by Deepak Chopra and is the subject of Neale Donald Walsch’s book The Mother of Invention. A prolific author, visionary, social innovator, evolutionary thinker, and educator, she is cofounder and president of the Foundation for Conscious Evolution. EVOLVE.ORG SUCCESS3SUMMIT.ORG ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 57

Founder/Editor-in-Chief of ORIGIN Magazine, Mantra Yoga + Health, and THRIVE Magazine

Q: What is the larger game that you are playing in the world?

I’m committed to transformation on climate, women’s rights, equality, and endangered species. It’s time to disrupt the system, create new models, and be committed to action and measurable impact. We’re changing the face of media and using notable people to bring important issues to the mainstream. We need to talk about hard things. I believe we can heal ourselves and the world if we pull the dirt out from our closets, talk about the things we are most ashamed of, and transform pain into power.

Q: SUCCESS3SUMMIT.ORG 58 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

What are the gifts that your unique self is committed to giving in the world?

I live at the intersection of art, creativity, and action. I am here to serve and connect changemakers and encourage the collaboration of artists, nonprofits, and celebrities for action on human rights and largescale issues. We must connect emotionally and work together to see real impact.

What does success mean to you?

Freedom. Being able to live fully, speak openly, sleep in, work from anywhere, and surround myself with people to captivate me. When my passion and art, my work, and my call to the greater good all overlap, I am completely nurtured and fulfilled.

Life is too short to spend at war with ourselves. Let’s choose to surround ourselves with people who create, dream, support us, and get things done.” Maranda Pleasant, founder and publisher of three national magazines—ORIGIN Magazine, Mantra Yoga + Health, and THRIVE Magazine—partners with the most effective organizations and artists impacting, preserving, and protecting the planet, endangered species, and human rights. She is a former conflict journalist, photographer, and artist using art for impact, with a passion for telling the stories of the voiceless. ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM MANTRAMAG.COM MYTHRIVEMAG.COM

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The woman who does not require validation from anyone is the most feared individual on the planet. ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 59

SHENAE GRIMES-BEECH INTERVIEW: ROBERT PIPER

WITH HOPE AND HARD WORK Robert Piper: What inspires you in life? Shenae Grimes-Beech: My husband, my mom, and the same goals and dreams that I’ve had since I was a kid. I’ve always been pretty set in what I liked and what I want to achieve, and I haven’t faltered from that very much. Every day, it’s taking it one step closer. RP: How do you stay healthy? SG-B: I try to eat right. Living in L.A. is an awesome luxury on that front. I don’t think anywhere else beats the food here. I try to stay fit. I go through my phases—months of not training at the gym—but when I do finally get back on the horse, endorphins released and whatever, after a half hour at the gym, I feel so good. TWOHALVESSTORE.COM 60 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

RP: What projects are you currently working on? SG-B: My husband and I launched our online store a couple of months ago, called Two Halves. We’ve been working really hard on that. We’re designing a new mini collection right now. We’re not seasonal, so we’re making things as ideas come. We’re growing it. We started doing jewelry and tees and are now moving into hoodies and hopefully our first handbags. It’s really exciting. It’s a lot of work. RP: How do you stay balanced? SG-B: My husband is kind of my other half in everything. When I met him, I felt like I literally leveled out in so many ways. Every day, it’s kind of a great portrayal of the balance that we create in each other’s lives.

RP: Any charities you’re working on? SG-B: Right now, we’re in the process of becoming affiliated with an antibullying organization. We want to tie that hand in hand with the brand. Over the years, I’ve never picked one that I fully identify with. When issues come up that I feel are important to me and there’s an opportunity to support or give back, we’re there with bells on. We just did a build for Habitat for Humanity not that long ago. I hope to do another day out there soon. Shenae Grimes-Beech is an actress and owner of an eco-fashion clothing line called Two Halves. She also starred in 90210 and Degrassi: The Next Generation.

PHOTOS: ELIAS TAHAN

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN PRETTY SET IN WHAT I LIKED AND WHAT I WANT TO ACHIEVE, AND I HAVEN’T FALTERED FROM THAT VERY MUCH. EVERY DAY, IT’S TAKING IT ONE STEP CLOSER.

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INTERVIEW: MARANDA PLEASANT

SONGWRITER, PRODUCER, MUSICIAN

JOHN FELDMANN

ON ANIMAL RIGHTS, MEDITATION, AND THE EVER-CHANGING MUSIC SCENE

MARANDA PLEASANT: What makes you come alive or inspires you? JOHN FELDMANN: I love just going out; long drives, the ocean, my kids, new music, new gear, new plug-ins, coffee, and donuts at four in the morning. Even just waking up and writing. A new piano, a new instrument, listening to stuff I grew up on like The Police and Social Distortion. All that stuff gets me super pumped. Also, having the right people around, having new clients to work with and seeing old clients that I haven’t seen in a while. Really good production gets me super pumped too. MP: What makes you feel vulnerable? JF: Talking about life experiences and growing up, talking about my dad dying. Whenever my kids get sick. Watching a great movie—just any great movie like The Fault in Our Stars or Guardians of the Galaxy, that kind of stuff. I feel like that opens me up to being inspired. My kids and my wife make me feel vulnerable. Talking about adversity that I’ve walked through in my own life or hearing an artist talk about their own adversity makes me feel vulnerable. MP: If you could say something to everyone on the planet, what would it be? JOHNFELDMANN.COM 62 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

JF: Probably “I love my life” would be something I would say out loud to the planet—just that positive affirmation. And also, “Life is short,” “Don’t take yourself so seriously,” and “Lighten the f—k up.” And if that offends you, you really need to lighten the f—k up.

everything to him. I realized that once he’s gone, he’s gone. No matter how angry or resentful or whatever. We may have had our arguments through the years. I learned that once it’s over, it’s really over, and to not take anything for granted.

MP: How do you handle emotional pain?

When my son got sick and he was in the hospital, and they took out his kidney when he was less than a year old, I definitely learned that each moment is really precious and I don’t want to take anything for granted. I try to remember at least twenty to thirty things I’m grateful for every day, and I share those with at least one person that I am super grateful for.

JF: Not sleeping, talking about it, coffee, sugar, crying, watching a good movie, or writing a great song. It helps to find someone else who’s been through it and find out how they dealt with it. MP: How do you keep your center in the middle of chaos? Do you have a daily routine? JF: I meditate every day for between ten to twenty minutes. Every morning, I work out and go to the gym for an hour. I pray to the architect that designed me. I’m grateful. Whether I’m stressed out or angry or happy or depressed— however I feel, I say “I love my life,” no matter what. That usually keeps me centered. Walking my dogs, playing with my kids—all of that is really good stuff to keep me centered. MP: What’s been one of your biggest lessons so far in life? JF: I’ve learned that each day is definitely a gift. When my dad died, I made sure I said

Also, things always work out if you don’t send that e-mail. That’s another great life lesson: I’ve sent enough e-mails of just “f—k you, f—k you, f—k you” and hit send. I’ve learned a lot from never being able to take back that I sent that e-mail. I’ve learned the idea of pausing when agitated or doubtful. I can still write the e-mail but instead of sending that e-mail to the person I’m in a fight with, more often than not these days, I just delete it. Or I run it by someone else that I trust before I send it. And then I usually laugh at the e-mail and how funny it is. MP: What truth do you know for sure? JF: Nothing is for sure. Change is the only thing that is the absolute. Life will always

change, and I’m always thinking about how to have a good-enough attitude to roll with the changes of life, of an ever-changing landscape. Finding the right attitude to roll with my career, the music business, my kids growing up, different styles of music—that kind of stuff. How do I not get so wrapped up in what I think needs to happen? Going with the flow is the way to do it. MP: What causes or organizations are you passionate about? JF: I’ve always loved PETA. I love Ingrid Newkirk; she’s a hero of mine. I’ve done a lot with PETA and animal rights and just educating people on where their food comes from, how leather is made, how factory farms work, how bad for the environment the meat industry is, and how bad for the world and your health eating meat can be. I’ve talked a lot about colon cancer and the result of living on a meat-based diet versus a vegetarian diet. PETA has always been close to my heart. MP: Tell me about your yoga practice. What influence has it had on your life? JF: I did yoga for about five years. Ray Cappo from Youth of Today and Shelter actually was my yoga teacher. I’ve had a lot of physical damage from touring: a herniated disk in the neck, I tore my ACL, I’ve had a bunch of knee surgeries, I broke my nose, whatever. A bunch of random injuries happened on tour. Yoga

really helped with stress relief and just not hurting myself when I tour. It really was super helpful. I started meditating when I started taking yoga lessons with Ray. I do pranayama breathing now as a meditation, and that’s very helpful. Meditating changed my life. MP: Tell me about your latest projects. JF: I’ve been working with a band called Sleeping with Sirens that is an awesome live band with an amazing superstar frontman. I’ve known them for about two years now, and I’ve been following them up from the club level to theaters, and I’m honored to be working with them. I know I can help them develop a production and a sound that’s going to help grow the band and really help them with songwriting, arrangement, melodies, and all sorts of stuff. I just feel a real connection with these kids, and I’m really honored to work with them. I’ve also been working a lot with 5 Seconds of Summer. I met them a couple years ago as well. I feel honored to have been a part of the beginning of them leaving Australia and watching them grow into this huge worldwide powerhouse of a live band as well as songwriters and just watching them become this household name. It’s been really amazing to be a part of that journey. They’re really, really great guys and great writers, and their songs are great. I’m really stoked to be a part of it.

MP: Why are these important to you? JF: As an artist and a songwriter myself, I like to feel connected to modern culture and watch how sounds change. I moved to L.A. for the hair-metal phenomenon, that whole thing. Then I watched Jane’s Addiction and Fishbone and the Red Hot Chili Peppers change the face of music and really start what became modern alternative; I watched that whole shift happen. I saw Rage Against the Machine and Tool play their first few shows and watched it kind of change and morph into something new. Then starting a ska-punk band while watching that whole thing happen. I got to watch a rock-based alternative-radio trend change to this EDM world that we are kind of growing out of, now watching 5 Seconds of Summer shape it back into a Green Day, Foo Fighters kind of thing. It’s just been really cool, and it’s important to me to be a part of this vibrant new culture in music and to stay true to who I am and the groups that I grew up on. And yet also be a part of the ever-changing world that we’re in. MP: What is love for you? JF: Having my daughter in the backseat with her best friend, singing “Let It Go,” the Frozen song, at the top of her lungs, and just watching her sing when she thinks no one is watching. That, to me, is pure love.

THINGS ALWAYS WORK OUT IF YOU DON’T SEND THAT E-MAIL.

OF THE BACKSTREET BOYS interview: maranda pleasant

64 ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM

BIG ON HEALTH, FASHION, AND FATHERHOOD MARANDA PLEASANT: What makes you come alive or inspires you? A. J. McLean: What inspires me is my daughter, because I want to set a good example for her, as does my wife. I set a good example with my way of being, eating, acting, speaking. MP: What makes you feel vulnerable? AJM: When I came out in the public about my struggles with alcohol and drugs, that’s probably the most vulnerable I have ever been in my entire life. I try to be an open book now as much as possible. Vulnerability and me go hand in hand. I try to put myself first so that I can take care of my family, so I try not to fight vulnerability as much now. MP: If you could say something to everyone on the planet, what would it be? AJM: I had this question asked of me recently when I was buying food for my wife and brother-in-law, and I would like to ask it of other people: “Why is it that most celebrities pay with cash as opposed to credit card? Is it so that they are not recognized right away and want to be more unassuming?” MP: How do you handle emotional pain?

AJM: I know for sure that my daughter and wife love me. I know I am on this earth for bigger and better things than just being a Backstreet Boy. I am already experiencing something better than being a pop star, and that’s being a father. It’s the best job in the world. A lot of work, but a lot of fun. MP: What causes or organizations are you passionate about? AJM: I am passionate about the ASPCA. I am a huge animal lover. I have also been involved in LGBT organizations like The Trevor Project, and I worked with Perez Hilton on the It Gets Better campaign. There are still so many amazing organizations out there that I would love to get involved in. I would love to go to Africa and be a part of an AIDS benefit. MP: Tell me about your latest projects. AJM: My wife, a dear friend, and I are starting a clothing and accessories line called Alexander Jaymes; Jaymes is my daughter’s middle name. We are also working with some lovely young ladies on a kids clothing line called All The Cool Kids. I am a part of Xale, which is a drink that is the polar opposite of your typical energy drink. This drink is anti-stress and way healthier. I am also working with Anvil, which has been creating road cases for sixty years, on new mini road cases for laptops and cell phones. MP: Why are these important to you?

AJM: I used to drink and do drugs, but now that this is not an option, I just sit in it. I accept it, walk through it, and then come through the other side. You have to be comfortable in the uncomfortableness. MP: How do you keep your center in the middle of chaos? Do you have a daily routine? AJM: Meditation is a huge part of my life. And prayer. I am not a religious person. I don’t go to church, but I am very spiritual. I do believe that there is a greater being that has brought me this far through life. Something or someone is on my side, teaching me valuable lessons. I try to meditate every day for at least five minutes. I put my phone on silent, sit in quiet, and try to find my center. MP: What’s been one of your biggest lessons so far in life? AJM: A dear friend of mine once told me that the only way around is through. I now live by this. I have no regrets. I believe you have to go through everything to grow and learn. Accept life on life’s terms and just let things go. MP: What truth do you know for sure?

AJM: The clothing and accessory lines are important to me because I have been a huge fan of fashion for years. I have always wanted to branch off and become a fashion guru. I want to share my artistic views with the world. Xale, I think, is going to change people’s lives and change the way energy drinks are seen. Anvil is important to me because I have been surrounded by the brand my entire career in the music business. To bring the fans into the world of being like part of the crew through things like cell phone cases, making them feel like they are on tour with their favorite band, is a cool thing. MP: What is love for you? AJM: Love for me is innocence, honesty, compassion, trust, loyalty, a gentle summer breeze, sunshine, a great cuddle. There is nothing like the love of a child. The relationship between father and daughter— there is no other love like it and there never ever will be. It’s beyond unconditional and is the best form of love there is. A. J. McLean, Backstreet Boys’ bad boy, was chosen as one of VH1’s Save the Music’s ambassadors in 2012. He’s a vocal supporter of marriage equality and has teamed up with Give a Damn Campaign as well as The Trevor Project.

I try to meditate every day for at least five minutes. I put my phone on silent, sit in quiet, and try to find my center. AJMCLEAN.COM | DRINKXALE.COM ORIGINMAGAZINE.COM 65