Trustworthy Magazine, May 2020 Issue

Trustworthy Magazine

October Gonzalez

“It is kind of a moment for me to step into my light and do what I want to do”

In Honor ~of~ Mother’s Day

Author Tiffany Okafor Shares her life lessons

We share our best memories

May2020 2020

Trustworthy Magazine

Our Goal is to inspire & to be inspired. We know that everyone has a story; we want to know yours

Founder & Editor Amina Touray

Trustworthymagazine.com For comments, submissions & Inquiries pleses contact; info@trustworthymagazine.com

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On the cover: October Gonzalez Photographer: Amina Touray Makeup by: Niehla O Hair by: Justi Embree Styling by: Janel Styles Page design: Moses Dalton

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Photo: David Bartus

Photo: Harry Cunningham

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Contents 8 14

18 22 30 46 52 60 64 68 Vol 8

Mother’s Day Tina Bergqvist

The power of positive thinking

Homegirl’s Hummus Tiffany Okafor

Life Lessons & Glowing up

October Gonzalez Family, Quarantine & Tik Tok

Clarissa Hoffman Breathwork

Adel Anwar Mastering Memory Tina Bergqvist

Adventures in Bali

Steve Saracino Actor’s Spotlight Quarantine Days Trustworthy Magazine

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Letter From The Editor It wasn’t long ago when I was walking down the avenues of Manhattan with my mother, enjoying the tall buildings, street food smells, and diverse crowds. I’m sending prayers to NY, and all of the world, during this current time that we’re living in. Events that happened late last year or early 2020, almost seems like years ago. The lockdown has caused many mixed emotions around everyone. While some are enjoying this time alone or with their family, it’s also causing anxiety among people. The way that we are all handling this is broad, and all feelings are valid. This is a time when we need to check on our family, friends, and neighbors, and

of course, take extra care of ourselves. In this May issue, we have gathered stories that we hope will intrigue and inspire. In honor of Mother’s Day this month, we have shared our best memories. We also talk about the power of positive thinking, which can be very healing in a time like this. Author and content creator Tiffany Okafor shares her life lessons and what purpose is to her. Our cover star, the beautiful October Gonzalez, talks about Tik Tok and quarantining. Super coach Clarissa Hoffmann returns and teaches us how to use breathing as a tool.

We hope this issue will fill your heart.

Amina Touray

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Photo: Eberhard Grossgasteiger

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Mother’s Day

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Amina Touray with mom Christina

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y mother is the strongest woman that I know. She has always been hard working with thick skin, red nails and red lips. She set an example for me early to go for what I want in life. When you share an entire lifetime with someone (like your mom), memories come in so many different forms. There is no memory that is more precious than another. I remember everything from taking the train with my mother out to the countryside as a young girl, to look at sheep and cows, to my mom cheering for me in the audience after my dance performances, and the proud look in my mother’s eyes when I graduated from college. So when I look through both old and new photos of my mother and me, I realize that it was never just one particular moment, it was always the little things that mattered the most. From the time that I was a little girl, my mother taught me the importance of seeing the world. And with travel comes learning and experiencing new foods, cultures, and gaining friendships. That is something that we both love dearly. The older I get, the more I understand my mother’s story which contains adventures on motorcycles in the mountains in Greece, to flying fearlessly with a beginner’s pilot high up in the sky. Because it is that same fuel that she has, that also moves me forward.

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Niehla Ollie with mom Brenda & sister Joan From the time that I can remember, my mom has been the bedrock of our family. She taught us how to love unconditionally and laugh until our sides hurt. She has instilled the true sense of what family means in my sister and I. She’s a true character in every sense of the word and we’re so blessed to have her as our mom and role model.

Janett Jensen with mom Elsie A nice memory I have is when my mother came to visit me in Spain. We took long and pleasant walks, went shopping, and visited small cozy restaurants on the beach. Now we had time to just talk, and care for each other, which we had not been able to do for many years, partly because we lived so far apart and I worked very much and was rarely vacant. I hope we can do this again soon.

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Photo: Ylanite Koppens

Nura Awda with mom Jinan In our culture, food is a very important and special part of socializing and bonding, so naturally, mom and I consider ourselves Foodies! We always make the food and the restaurant that we choose, the center-point of our entertainment.

One memorable time was when mom visited me in Los Angeles and we discovered some of the most tasteful dishes we have ever had. One of them is an authentic Chinese restaurant where we were served lamb in toothpicks and spaghetti shaped zucchini wrapped in a delicious sauce and tender chicken strips. During the dinner the waiter served us prune juice to neutralize the spiciness of the food in the stomach (yes we even learned something new!) It’s not just the delicious food but also the experience of trying something new together that makes it memorable. It always triggers great conversations and laughter.

Another example of our food-adventures was an Ethiopian restaurant that we tried near Mid-Wilshire in Los Angeles. When we entered the restaurant it seemed like we stepped into a different world and ambiance, it made us quickly get into the cultural mood. The smell, the decorations, the colors, and the greeting was all very authentic. We were served several stews on top of Injera, a flatbread with a slightly spongy texture, and used our fingers to eat it. It was such an engaging and fun experience that we kept talking about it for weeks after.

We both think that if you have something in common that you enjoy, like food, you should find ways to discover more of it together. This is how our relationship has gotten stronger throughout the years and we are so grateful for all the memories.

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“We learn from each other every day, and she is my biggest cheerleader.”

Tina Bergqvist with mom Alena My mom is my best friend. She has given me the biggest gifts of all: the love for traveling, learning and loving. She is the most unselfish and caring human being I know. She always has an extra hand to help people around her, even if she’s too tired.

She is spreading so much joy and sunshine to everyone she meets. I feel very lucky to have been traveling so much with her: in Australia, Eastern Europe, and through thousands of books that we share the same love for. We have shared so many fun adventures together and I can’t wait to see which journey we will go to next. We learn from each other every day, and she is my biggest cheerleader. Thank you for being my mum and showing me how to be a better person. I love you!

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Beatriz Cazares Herman and mom Josefina In 2014, I was living in Alta Dena and I was getting ready to participate in a pageant - I was exercising often, eating healthy and practicing my pageant walk. I decided to invite my mother over one weekend to spend some time together. This would be the first time that my mother would come and stay with me since I had moved out of the house. The morning of that Saturday I invited her to come on a hike with me. Mind you that my mother is not one that enjoys this type of extraneous exercise. Nevertheless, my mother pushed up the hill of Chaney Trail. When we finally reached the top, the view was incredible. I was so proud of my mother for coming with me and never giving up, although it did get hard for her a couple of times. The best part of this story and what makes it magical is that when we stood there looking out, admiring the view, we were suddenly surrounded by a dozen or more monarch butterflies. I don’t remember ever feeling so close to my mother like I did that day. We embraced each other and I couldn’t help but get emotional.

I was never close to my mother growing up, so that moment was the first of many special moments that I would experience with my mother.

DeVonnda McCormick with mom Carla My mom raised me as a single mother. I remember the days she would eat bologna sandwiches just so I could eat school lunch. My mom has always made sacrifices for me my entire life never putting herself first. When my mom started to face health issues and the doctor said she would not live long I was there helping her through.

She had surgery changed her health and is still living today my mom is truly my best friend. She is the best mother in the world and I love her dearly.

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The power of positive thinking

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Written by Tina Bergqvist

hen something bad happens to you, or something that is out of your control impacts your life, does it make you go into a downward spiral of negative thinking, or does it make your brain go into solving mode? For me, it is the latter. Even though hard times happen for me from time to time, I always seem to come out a little bit wiser and happier on the other side. Here are my best tips on how you can do the same.

Turn the bad into something good!

First, let’s go through what positive thinking is not. Positive thinking is not about not allowing yourself to feel bad when something unfortunate happens. It is not about always pretending to be happy, or denying that bad things happen. However, negative thoughts are an indication that something in your life needs to change. If you need to cry or talk to someone, please do so. You will only feel worse if you bury feelings inside of you.

Rather, positive thinking gives you the possibility to overcome the bad experiences in life quicker and get back up on your feet again, to learn from the struggles, and find the good thing about everything that happens. It makes you see that everything happens for a reason.

Maybe, the canceled trip or the late bus was meant for your highest good, so you wouldn’t be in a car crash? What if your boss sacked you from work so your dream job could finally manifest?

Perhaps your relationship ended so someone even better for you can show up in your life. What if things fall apart because greater things are waiting for you?

Failure is an opportunity to grow! A person who is thinking positively is actively searching for solutions instead of focusing on the problem. Ask yourself - ”how can this situation benefit me (or the world)?” What positives can you find with whatever situation you are struggling with at the moment?

If positive thinking doesn’t come naturally to you, start with baby steps. Focus on the positives and be thankful for everything you have. Get into the habit of positive self-talk already in the morning, telling yourself this will be a good day, how happy you are to be the wonderful person that you are, or that you can’t wait to see what miracles this day brings along.

You can choose your thoughts when you become aware of what you are thinking, so focus on the good things and more good things will come to you.

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“Surround yourself with positive people, which also means distancing yourself from people who bring you down”

Surround yourself with positive people, which also means distancing yourself from people who bring you down. Exercise to release feel-good hormones. Be gentle with yourself and don’t judge yourself too hard, you are doing the best you can from what you know right now. Be kind to yourself and treat yourself like you would treat your best friend. It will make it easier to think positive thoughts about yourself too.

You would not be the person you are today if you hadn’t gone through what you have been through in life. Honor that. Bad experiences always carry a seed of something good and the possibility for something better. Look for what you can learn from the hard experiences, how you can develop that into something better for you.

If you would like to improve your positive thinking, consciously notice things you are grateful for, actively look for all the gold seeds that make your life better. Listen to yourself and your thoughts, and replace every negative thought immediately with a more positive thought.

Some of the many benefits of positive thinking are stronger immune system (!), less stress, you will handle tough times better and the risk of depression decreases.

One of my favorite quotes is: ”Live life as everything is rigged in your favor” by Rumi. That is how I live my life. Why don’t you join me?

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Photo: Fabian Wiktor

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Hummus Hash • • • • • • • • • • • •

Ingredients

1/2 Yellow onion 4 Garlic cloves Oil 2 Sweet potatoes 2 Large red potatoes 3 Eggs Salt Pepper 1/2 Bag of pre-washed spinach (rinse before use) 8 oz Carton of fresh sliced mushrooms Optional: Cheese of your choice Homegirl’s Hummus flavor of your choice

Directions • Dice the yellow onion, Dice the garlic cloves, Sauté them in 4 tbsp oil unit slightly transparent • Dice the sweet potatoes and the red potatoes. Add them to the veggies in oil. Mix and add salt and pepper to taste.

Pan fry on medium-high heat until brown and tender.

• Add fresh spinach and mushrooms. Once the spinach is wilted, remove the mixture from heat.

• Scramble the eggs • Separate hash mixture into four servings. Top with eggs.

Optional: add a sprinkle of your favorite cheese.

• Add a tbs of your favorite Homegirl’s Hummus flavor • Serve immediately. Enjoy!

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For more recipes, visit: pinchofkate.com Vol 8

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Photo: Johannes Plenio

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Enjoy the ride Vol 8

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Photo: Emre Kuzu

May 2020

TIFFANY OKAFOR

B eautiful I ndividual T hat C ommunicates H onestly�

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Life Lessons &

Glowing Up

Author and content creator Tiffany Okafor talks about confidence and purpose Written & photographed by Amina Touray Makeup by Olya K Tizer

n a world where anyone can create a social media account, it’s easy to get one’s voice heard by people across the globe. It gives us glimpses and access not only to the high profiles that we see on TV, but people that we can relate to, and perhaps even want to get to know. #1 Bestselling author of Bitchy, Tiffany Okafor, stands out in the crowd not just in person, but through her harmonic honey-smooth voice and the life lessons that she shares on her YouTube channel, youtube. com/tiffanyokafor. Tiffany says - “I write, teach, and make videos among many other things. I come in peace, and I desire peace for us all. Because peace is the foundation for manifesting all the fun things in life.”

Tiffany’s wisdom has taught us everything from how to be a “Bitch” to “How to live a happy life”, and pushed many of us to challenge ourselves. While the inspiration behind her channel originally was intended for her music, it has also become a safe lounge space to relax and motivate oneself. - “My goal was to get more people to hear my music. Music was the only content I had on my channel at the time. One day I had the idea to share a few life lessons I was learning and decided to title the video “How to be a BITCH”. Bitch stands for - Beautiful Individual 24

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That Communicates Honestly. People enjoyed it and it was easy for me, so I just kept sharing videos and creating things from there.” Tiffany says.

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Tiffany seems to move gracefully through life but embraces her flaws.

Her strong charisma doesn’t go unnoticed, and the confidence that she carries is contagious somehow.

When I tell Tiffany that her videos are

I wasn’t. I was actually super pessimistic and extremely anxious but one day I just got tired of feeling so crappy.

So I started reading a lot of self-help books, I took classes led by people who inspired me, and I did a lot of writing to help me sort out my feelings. Once I started feeling a little more confident, I suppose I started looking confident and speaking more confidently because other people began asking me

uplifting, she humbly replies -” Aww, thank you for watching and saying my videos are uplifting”. And one can’t help but wonder where the roots of her self-confidence begin. Tiffany continues - “I had to teach myself to be motivated and confident because

how I became so confident. It’s still quite funny to me because I now know that no one’s confident about everything. But I’ve learned to be excited about the parts of myself that I deem amazing and cool with the parts of me that are still in development.”

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And life is all about learning and perhaps even searching for one’s purpose.

Of course, everyone has their own definition of purpose, and what their purpose is. Some have found theirs, while others keep searching - “ To me, the purpose is knowing that you are valuable. And not because of what you do or what you have, but simply because you were born. It’s trusting that you exist therefore you are valuable. And yes, I’ve found purpose.”, she says.

Based on all the teachings that she shares on her platforms, I can’t help but ask her what she’d tell her younger self.

Tiffany laughs, and says - “I’d say, “Don’t date him, girl! … Nope, not him either!”

Just kidding, I honestly don’t think I’d tell my younger self anything. She stumbled and fell many many many times (and she still does) but that’s how she learns best.”

Tiffany’s go-to “feeling good” methods are pretty simple - “Anything that gets me out of my head! Listening to music, dancing, and cooking are probably my top three methods.”, she says. It seems pretty effortless if you ask me. One doesn’t need the world on a silver platter to feel good or to be happy. Sometimes it’s just the “little things” that makes wonders.

It’s safe to say that we’re currently living in a historical time with everything that is happening globally as we fight the pandemic. We’re experiencing things that most of us never have experienced before. One thing I’ve been asking is how this experience is and has affected us, and how we will have changed walking out of it. Tiffany says - “My heart goes out to everyone who is experiencing the difficulty of any kind right now.

Make no mistake, this ish is hard! There is so much that is uncertain, and uncertainty is scary. But I believe we’re all gonna walk out of this GLOWED TF Up! Literally, the only direction we can go from here

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To me, the purpose is knowing that you are valuable.”

is up. I’m hopeful that by us all having so much time to slow down, see and really sit with ourselves, that we heal individually and as a collective. That’s definitely what’s happening for me.” Tiffany has noticed changes in herself during the lockdown that she believes she will rise from. She says - “I’ve slowed down in all areas because I have no other choice.

I’m at home facing all the things about myself that aren’t pretty or put together and it’s not easy but I know it’s necessary if I want to come out of this quarantine better than I went into it. So I’m allowing the process.”

By naturally being an inspiration to many, I ask Tiffany what impact she wishes to make in people’s lives, whereupon she responds - “This is an interesting question because I’m not sure I know how to answer it. My first thought is that I trust that every person that comes into my life has something unique to teach me and that I have something unique to teach them. I trust that those exchanges will elevate us both, lead us into greater self-awareness and hopefully new and fun experiences.”

And maybe it’s just simple like that.

One makes the most impact when one is being their raw, authentic selves, like Tiffany!

Check out: Youtube.com/TiffanyOkafor

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Photo: Laura Stanley

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October Gonzalez Family, Quarantine & Tik Tok Written by Mia Nicole Photography by Amina Touray Makeup by Niehla O Hair by Justi Embree Styling by Janel Styles

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n a time where quarantine and social distancing have become the new normal in the year 2020, people around the world are taking full advantage of having to stay-athome. For October Gonzalez, wife of retired Hall of Fame Football player Tony Gonzalez, she is making the best of the situation, while thoroughly enjoying it. “Tobie,” which October is affectionately called, says “I have taken to social media in a way that I don’t even know who I am anymore! Making movies and using TikTok - I have a lot of free time on my hands, so I am all in. I am driving my family crazy but I love it!”

By the time COVID-19 finally becomes a thing of the past, Tobie just might be crowned as the “Queen of TikTok.” Follow her on all of her social media platforms and you will see why!

Growing up around addiction, Tobie moved from place to place as a child and was constantly switching schools. “I was always the new girl,” she said. However, in spite of those obstacles, she did not let that stop her creative nature. Tobie grew up performing in school and at church, making the transition into the entertainment industry an organic and natural progression. “During my 20’s, I dabbled in a couple of television shows and had a record contract.

However, I put my career on hold to get married and to start a family, which was the most important thing to me at the time,” she said.

While her background may have been difficult, it empowered her to be the kind of mom she is today. “I definitely wanted to create a stable environment with routine. I think it definitely had a positive affect overall,” Tobie said referring to her up-bringing.

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It is kind of a moment for me to step into my light and do what I want to do ”

Over the years, Tobie had a full-time job of moving from state to state, following her husband’s career. However, his retirement has allowed Tobie to pursue what she’s passionate about. “It is kind of a moment for me to step into my light and do what I want to do and pursue the things that I have always wanted to pursue because the timing was great.” Returning to

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television, Tobie was recently seen alongside Jamie Foxx on the popular game show “Beat Shazam.” She has also had the opportunity to contribute to many shows including E! News Pop Daily, E! True Hollywood Story, FabLife and Play It Forward - a Showtime documentary.

Naturally funny, Tobie has also established herself as a guest host on daily talk shows such as The View, Entertainment Tonight and Rachael Ray.

“It is all about “It is allour about re-framing idea of re-framing our idea what is the worst thing of what is the worst and molding that into thing and molding one our that of into onebiggest of our opportunities to grow biggest opportunities andand gain. to grow gain.”

One thing Tobie is extremely proud of is her podcast, Keep On, which she co-hosts with her good friend Kelsey Chittick. “It’s a fun discussion between two girls who have been through a lot and are trying to find the humor and the honesty and the positivity in the whole experience – the journey,” said Tobie describing the podcast. “Kelsey and I had been talking about doing a podcast for years.

However, we just never got around to it, just procrastinated and put it on the back burner.

Then about 2 1⁄2 years ago, she abruptly lost her husband from a heart attack. It put everything in perspective for us and we thought life is so crazy, so short and so precious, why are we putting anything on the back burner?

We need to live life now.” Motivation for the ladies starting Keep On was “re-framing life’s biggest obstacles into our greatest gift,” Tobie said. “It is all about re-framing our idea of what is the worst thing and molding that into one of our biggest opportunities to grow and gain. It has a lot of comedy and skepticism and our personalities intertwine.”

When not working, Tobie can be found spending her time with her husband and children, whom she calls, “The biggest rainbow, blended family. All ethnicities intertwined in there,” she laughs as she speaks of her 19-year-old stepson, her 11 and 5-year-old daughters and her 10-year-old son.

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Dress by @Sophia_Nubes Ring by @Blkhex Provided @Pr_Solo

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Despite her many television appearances, Tobie is very humble and doesn’t consider herself a celebrity. When asked how she balances life, she says, “I definitely would not call myself a celebrity. I am a pretty laid back person, maybe even to a fault. I just don’t put too much pressure on myself. I don’t feel like I have to be everything to everyone at all times. I think that definitely is my superpower,” she laughs. “For the most part, I am pretty okay with myself and I feel like I am doing my best and I take things as they come, I don’t push them. If they are not meant to be, I don’t feel the need to keep grinding them out. I listen to the Universe and God and if I feel like they are telling me this isn’t meant to be for the benefit of my whole family, then I don’t want it. I try to take things as they come and ride the wave.”

Having to stay home, aka “quarantine,” has been great for the Gonzalez family. “Tony takes on breakfast like a freaking champ! He is a morning person, which works out wonderfully for me because I am not. He will blast the French Café Pandora station while making pancakes, bacon, eggs - he has a whole morning routine, I mean it’s amazing.” In addition to enjoying social media, Tobie says there are other things that they do as a family to pass the time. “We try to exercise everyday together now that Tony has retired.

We use our home gym or we take walks outside for a couple miles and connect. But typically I’ll record my podcast, write a little bit and the kids will read. We also have a karaoke machine in our pool house. I bought a disco light for karaoke night; we are getting into this quarantine thing.”

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The most important thing I have learned is to slow down”

One thing near and dear to Tobie’s heart is helping others – especially the youth. Baby2baby. org and Scholarshope.org are two charities that she and her husband support. Baby2baby (www. baby2baby.org) is an amazing organization that donates basic necessities for babies such as

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Jacket by @Manganoofficial Provided by @Pr_Solo

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diapers and anything that children would need during this quarantine. They have really helped people get back on their feet and have provided childen with the necessities they need to be successful and live a good normal, healthy life.

Scholars Hope (www.scholarshope.org) focuses on tutoring and follows underprivileged kids from 4th grade to senior year. They help get students on track to apply for college and get into great schools as well as get social and emotional development - all of which they don’t have access to. They make sure that these kids have every opportunity that a privileged child would have, as far as getting an education and getting the push, motivation and support they need to feel as if they can become whoever they want to be.”

COVID-19 has changed the world. When the days of fearing for our lives and living in quarantine are over, Tobie feels that, “This experience will change everyone. I don’t think I’m alone in saying I thought I was the type of person who was so connected to my kids and took the time to appreciate the small things, yet I have come to find out that I don’t nearly enough. The most important thing I have learned is to slow down. I don’t just mean going to sit with the kids or do a craft with them, but slowing down in life. Looking around, looking up at the sky, not taking the little things for granted, such as going to grab a coffee. Anything can be taken away from you like that, now as we all know. I have found so much gratitude not just in the little things, but in my fellow man. It is so sad and it’s a hard time, but humanity is beautiful at its core. I am so inspired by these doctors and the people sitting on their balcony’s connecting with one another, delivering groceries, etc. Something beautiful has already come out of this and I think if we look at it from this perspective, this might not be such a horrific memory.”

Follow October at @OctoberGonz & @Keeponpodcast

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Dress by: @ElianaMurargy Shoe by @Jflondon_Walkoffame Blue ring, Provided by @Pr_Solo

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Dress by @Charlesandron Provided @Maisonpriveepr_La Provided @Maisonpriveepr_Alexandra

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Photo: Haley Black

“Reading is dreaming with open eyes”

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Breathwork

Written & photographed by Amina Touray

Life coach and breathwork facilitator Clarissa Hoffmann teaches us about breathwork, and how it can be used as a tool for transformation.

Tell us about yourself and what you do?

I’m the founder of Superpowercoaching which combines powerful breathwork and fun life coaching to help ambitious, creative women to free themselves of stress, anxiety, and fear and activate their superpowers for healthy success, true fulfillment and living their highest potential.

What exactly is Breathwork and how has it changed your life?

Conscious connected Breathwork is an active breathing meditation that allows you to clear, balance and powerfully energize your mind & body. People experience themselves as they've never done before. They usually feel like a brand new person just after one session with a crystal clear mind heightened creativity and productivity, immense motivation to take on the world and a deeply relaxed, energized body. And they might even have one of their most profound, life-changing experiences of their life. At least that has happened 46

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I had never felt so free, joyful and high on life ever before”

to me. I had never felt so free, joyful and high on life ever before. At the same time I was able to move blocks I didn’t even know I had and since then I’ve felt stronger from the inside, more centered, fearless, confident, brave, and doing things I thought before would have been scary for me. Like reaching out to Google and giving them a class after just 6 months of being a breathwork teacher. And they loved it. That’s the best. I get so amazing responses, it’s incredible to witness other people’s transformation with it, the peace and joy they feel when they finished a session. Immensely rewarding for me.

Is Breathwork a tool that anyone can use?

I would say yes. There are certain contraindications, like people who have a heart disease history, or are prone to seizures, or have high blood pressure. They can all be dealt with in a private session. I had a client who is prone to panic attacks and she was a bit nervous going into it, but in the end, she had a huge realization about her attacks: She almost intended to have an attack because she loved the feeling of peace afterward. After the breathwork session, she said that she was able to experience that feeling of peace without an attack. That was a big revelation to her. And just recently she reached out to me again, 8 months after we had done the session, to let me know how thankful she still is for this life-changing magical session and that she keeps telling everyone about it.

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I heard from other facilitators that they experienced people with asthma to heal from it thanks to Breathwork. So often those diseases are so strongly connected to fear we created in our mind. Limiting beliefs. Stories we keep telling ourselves. When we breathe, we are able to tune into our highest version of ourselves and find access to our inner wisdom and guidance. And that’s where we find the answers to finally let go of our fears or make peace with them and as a result, our body lets go of the dis-ease as well. For me, a disease is just an indication of the body that something in the mind isn’t working correctly. And the breath helps to clear it out. Physically and mentally.

What type of clients do you usually work with?

I work mostly with women who are feeling stressed, overwhelmed and have a lot of anxiety. They are craving a feeling of peace, fulfillment, self-love, more trust, and confidence, as well as enthusiasm for life. Their background is diverse. High performing managers on the edge of a burn-out, performers in the acting or musical field fighting with stage fright and insecurities, stressed women in the fashion industry and overwhelmed entrepreneurs. I love working with all of them because I can relate to all of them as I have worked in business before becoming an actress and then a coach.

2020 had a very rough start. What advice can you give to people to stay motivated?

Find a tool that keeps you motivated and do it regularly. For me, it’s meditation and breathwork. Breathwork is truly the most motivational, powerful and transformational tool I’ve ever come across. It takes away my fears and fills me up with motivation, the most beautiful feelings, new ideas, high visions, and excitement to take on the world. Nothing else needed.

For more info, visit Superpowercoaching.org

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MASTERING MEMORY

ADEL ANWAR Written & photographed by Amina Touray

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“I was the bottom half of the class that made the top half even possible”

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o you write lists to remember things? Or have you ever thought about the difference between being busy and being productive? Well, I do and I have! So when I had the opportunity to sit down and drink chai tea in NYC, with Guinness World record holder in “Memory”, Adel Anwar, and talk about his fundamentals to memorizing things, learning faster, and working more effectively, I was ecstatic!

During our conversation, Adel talks about going from failing classes in several universities to later succeed and self-learn how to master memory, and train people in learning and earning more, through the help of mastering your brainpower!

Adel, what is it that you do?

I am an expert of you using your brain to produce the greatest results. I do that because I’m an expert in human memory: so you know how to learn as much as possible in fields that enable you to grow or even earn more than you previously thought was possible, by you becoming the expert amongst experts. You become a human need for others and irreplaceable.

That’s interesting! What is your expertise in this area?

I am the Guinness World Record Holder for Memory. I went from rags to riches from being a failing student to becoming a registered lawyer by inventing methods to train my brain. Law Degree taught me how to think critically, analytically and logically.

Memory methods showed me how to super-charge that ability practically. Then I trained others to do this and they doubled their income and tripled their time off. So to answer your question: my expertise is two-fold. I train people to learn anything better than ever before using your memory. They are accelerated faster. I also train people to think better to solve problems and find opportunities, so you get the best results possible in life and work.

That’s unbelievable! Tell me about your background, and how did you got to this level?

Believe it or not, I was a total failure. At high school, I did horribly in sports and I went to a school where sports were paramount. I was hopeless. When I got into my first university, I failed university as well!

Then I went to another university. Finally, you would have thought I’d be successful, right? No! I failed yet

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again! You would have thought I was a hopeless failure in life - at sports and at studies! I was the bottom half of the class that made the top half even possible!

Are you joking?

Ha-ha! No, the above is the truth! Many people react like you.

I really did hopelessly in sports and in my studies at high school. The only reason I got into any university is using the science of sales to influence people. I don’t know how I got that, but I remember teachers at school saying you’ll either become a lawyer or you’ll be homeless! I could never understand why they said lawyer, but I guess I used to influence all the time but not necessarily in a way they liked in their paradigm! At my first university, I started practicing Taekwondo like crazy and rose to become a national university Taekwondo gold medals champion over and over again. Life was great and I had conquered. Even though I passed my first year of computer science, I failed the second year badly and was kicked out.

Then I used the science of influence to get into a second university where I did even worse, ending up with a grade of 8% by the end of the year. When I tried to influence the tutor to let me pass through anyway into the next year, they said that “even a random computer taking the exam does not get as low as 8%!” They were not going to let me stay! They concluded I was a hopeless “dumb” person. In fact, I had got a high 80% in business but did really abysmal in other subjects such as languages.

But don’t you speak many languages?

I speak up to seven give or take. But that’s memory power. Back then I was hopeless!

What happened now that you failed the second university?

I realized that my friends from the earlier university were graduating and at age of 23 I was out of my luck. I started to ask the philosophical question - “why is it that some people are just so successful?”. Do 54

you ever ask this question? I began to realize that people are successful in any area of their life because they simply do what I did in Taekwondo: they train harder, work longer, train smarter, keep fit, eat well to be blooming with energy, and have rest periods to recover using great time management. They think well and learn from feedback. They read, learn, and practice to get better and better! Therefore, over time, they get richer with brilliant health, high energy, and rich love life. The above was a breakthrough moment for me! But I didn’t stop there. I broke Taekwondo itself down to fundamental components.

What do you mean by “fundamental components”?

I realized that the Taekwondo Gold Medal’s success was simply about doing a few things very well many times, instead of doing many things. This was the secret of focus. I also realized there’s just a handful of techniques at the end of the day and they mostly consist of punching, kicking, blocking and footwork! That’s all! If one can, therefore, master just a few fundamental things very well, then one can perform like a champ. This got me thinking about the question - then what are the fundamentals of a rocking life? I realize that anyone can have great success if only they know how to learn faster and better; then you can turn that around and present, sell your idea, pitch and write. You can earn more, do more, and become more. This was it!

So how does one learn more? Does that also involve your secret tactic: fundamental components?

Yes! That’s right! In fact, I started to ponder the question “then what are the fundamental components to do with learning”?

Punching again? No! Not really! I realized if one could read faster, read better for understanding; retain the key concepts and integrate them to create new ideas, then one can be a super learner.

I’m guessing you started to drill down

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even further like asking yourself how to read faster or how to retain more knowledge?

Yes, you’ve nailed it! I applied the very same template to everything. I asked myself “how to remember better”. I saw a guy on T.V do these amazing memory feats: learn a deck of cards instantly, recall random numbers, remember the audience names and whatever else was thrown at him. Even walk into random casinos walking out richer by conquering the blackjack tables. I was mesmerized and wanted to crack the secret.

Did you crack the secret?

Yes! Not only did I crack it, but I taught it to so many others that have out-done, outearned, out-performed in life and at work.

How did you crack brainpower? What exactly did you do?

I wondered how I retained things in Taekwondo. That’s all I knew back then. So, I started with this! I remember the different places in the large gym where we would do different cross-training style exercises, and it would flow back to me. I wondered if I could apply the same method to remembering things. I picked up a random deck of cards and got to work. It didn’t even take that long, but I hacked a method to remember more and more cards. When I showed off to friends, they were flabbergasted! I realized I had developed something within me – something everyone has by the way. With this power now unleashed I can return to university and master any subject! I decided to turn my focus to law.

Using my science of influence skills, I got into law school much to the shock of anyone that knew me. That was an impossibility but really those influence skills got me into the first two universities as well. So now I was going from “the frying pan into the fire”! I started to learn and retain legal points at law school like a terminator robot!

What about your reading skills?

I broke down reading into fundamental components as well and realized that if you read faster you can concentrate for 56

much longer, and paradoxically even retain more points better! In many ways you do that already when driving: you drive at unbelievable speeds. I realized that to get faster and more powerful in Taekwondo there were drills where you’d just practice punching hundreds of times and kicking thousands of times over and over again.

The result of that was automatically developing lighting speeds. So I applied that to reading and lo-and-behold it paid back in dividends!

You mentioned thinking skills earlier. That sounds interesting, please elaborate on that.

If you can think better, then you can outthink, out-strategize, out-earn others.

I came to realize the same principles of breaking things down to their parts could be applied to outstanding thinking. One doesn’t have to know everything – just a few things – the nuts and bolts. And if one does those few things very well then you can get far better results. I can’t believe no one had ever thought of this ever before! I thought to myself - what is thinking-thing anyway? I realized there were several components such as logical, critical, constructive and creative thinking!

There’s more but let’s stick to this list for now. For example, I believe that “creative thinking” is simply ‘reversing’ everything!

Do the opposite! Making sensible into ‘not sensible’, else it would not be creative. But then abstracting from that to make it intelligible again. It was like Einstein imagining himself surfing on a beam of light. And Einstein then abstracted from this concept back into logical mathematics. When I did that with legal concepts, the quality of my legal essays and answers skyrocketed upwards. It’s how celebrity lawyers win those T.V cases, or Sherlock Holmes solves his cases. It’s how people invent things: whether it was Edison thinking to himself how to have a burning light bulb go on forever like a gas lamp but by using solid material instead of gas, or how to prevent viral disease made Louis Pasteur come up with his lightbulb moment: how about infecting people ahead of time so a micro-dose so they develop antibodies!

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No one had thought of that before!

So did you become a lawyer or what?

Yes! I rocketed through law school and much to the shock of my parents I got high grades hitting the proud achievement of a registered lawyer. But in the same year, my confidence was so high – I thought why not also show the world my memory. I became the Guinness World Records for Memory!

And now you train others. So are people just born with these genes already, or can anyone master these critical skills?

It’s nurture, not nature. Nature gives everyone basic gifts. It’s a level playing field.

But now it’s up to you to do something with those gifts to enhance them. If you’re not so muscular, then there are ways to train to get more muscular! There’s always a way even if you do not yet know it. So, if I can transform my life then so can any human being. It’s like computer coding.

Find the right code and you can make the computer do anything! I had cracked the brain code! And quite literally turned into mini-apps for the mind. So indeed I started training others worldwide and soon they got mind-blowing results as well. I had people in huge corporations working on very lucrative projects who blew their results through the roof generating many billions of dollars in the energy industry. I had families who pondered whether their kids would achieve anything worthy, that turned their children into ‘whiz kids’ in school and life. Many went onto professional degrees like medicine or law, engineering, architecture or accounting; and so forth. These are tough-as-nails subjects. Remember I was telling you about a phenomenal man on T.V that could memorize anything? I had become that man going on T.V shows. More important; so had my students! Students who themselves were doing very poorly that turned into rock stars in the business and life.

“One doesn’t have to know everything just a few things” your genes to become strong like you see many on Instagram these days with a huge following – well, you can do that for practicing life skills that will enable you to earn ten times more by learning more faster.

You turn around and apply those specialist learning at work or for clients. If you’re an accountant, an attorney, an engineer, or even a business consultant that know more and better than others in your field – your prospective clients – whether it’s your boss, your colleagues or paying clients will trust you more, come to you more often and quite frankly pay you far more than others who do the same thing as you. You’ll live a far higher quality of life, paradoxically finding yourself with far more time off to do other things you love, like travel, time for love with your partner or family, and so much more!

The fundamental nuclear core is your brainpower! The ability to learn faster, retain better, read quickly – and apply it to presentations, writing, design or business in the most competitive times in all of human history. In two words Memory Power!

Sign me up! But how do others find you You can look me up on www.memoryninja. com

Tell me again, does this work?

Just like you can get faster or stronger using known hacks and methods and thereby transcend the apparent limits of

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Adventures in Bali

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love to think back to when I visited Bali in 2013. I planned to have a quiet week, meditate and do yoga, but instead, my trip turned into one of the most fun and adventurous experiences of my life! I went there by myself, and I’d love to encourage anyone who would like to travel alone to do so too because you take steps outside your comfort zone which makes you more confident and independent. It also makes you more open to life’s magical adventures. When I arrived at the airport, I was welcomed by being given a beautiful flower wreath with orange flowers. How lovely is that?!

My second impression of Bali was not that good; the traffic was insane! Most people were driving mopeds, and if there were any traffic rules, I surely did not understand any of them.

I stayed in Seminyak in the Southwest part of Bali, which is one of the three main tourist areas. I chose Seminyak because it is known for its beautiful beaches, chilled vibes, as well as not being a party place. After all, I wanted to relax! However, my hotel was located at a bar street (note to self: need to be better at researching!), but the

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hotel itself, Fave Hotel Seminyak, was nice and felt very luxurious to be a budget hotel, with friendly staff.

During my second day in Bali, I went for a fullday tour. The first stop was to watch a traditional Balinese dance. It was a cultural dance that reminded me more of a theatre act, with a twist of naughty humor at the end. Then we took off to a jewelry-making factory. Lastly, we got a guided tour at a temple and visited a woodcarving shop. A bonus was all the amazing nature surrounding the places.

After lunch, we finally made it to Ubud. First, we went to Monkey Forest. The cheeky but cute monkeys were everywhere! I gave them bananas but apparently, that wasn’t enough as they tried munching on my legs too, haha.

My third day consisted of a dolphin tour, snorkeling for the first time, which was amazing, and a tour to Turtle Island. Since I didn’t see any dolphins on the tour (but I did see a blue whale!), I was given another boat trip for free. Very generous! I chose a sunset dinner cruise for another day, which was really lovely. I finished the day with a 2.5-hour amazing spa treatment, with a body scrub, massage and a big bathtub filled with thousands of rose flower leaves. Amazing! My favorite memory from Bali is when I went for some beach adventures. I am insanely afraid of heights, so I really challenged my comfort zone by trying parasailing. It was one of the most amazing experiences ever, and the best 3 minutes of my life! Haha. I also loved the banana boat and jet ski. Wow! Another amazing experience that day was that I went back to Ubud. I had hired a lovely taxi driver who drove me to Ketut Liyer (the medicine man from the movie/book ”Eat, pray, love” with Julia Roberts), without me knowing it was him I was going to meet.

We had a lovely chat! He gave me some future predictions and wanted me to read a postcard from Elizabeth Gilbert out loud for him. He talked and laughed a lot, and spread so much sunshine.

I also went to a place where they make coffee and tea, went shopping, and got more massage treatments. Some of the best things in Seminyak is the wide range of massage salons and spa places, as well as the tasty Indonesian food. Instead of a calm week, I had a really fun and life-changing week where I did things that I never thought I would experience. Balinese people are incredibly beautiful, helpful, kind and lovely, and I would love to go back again soon!

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Photo: Teresa Marenzi

Freedom is courage

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Actor’s Spotlight B Photo: Louella Allen

By Amina Touray

orn in Hoboken, New Jersey, actor, and teacher Steve Saracino later moved to San Diego, and eventually to Los Angeles with his daughter Janissa in the late ‘90s.

Steve continued his teaching career in LA while being active in several improv/sketch comedy groups, where he wrote sketches, performed, and was the groups’ musician. Steve retired from teaching to pursue careers in stand up comedy and acting on a full-time basis. In the Fall of 2019, he returned to his New York City roots, where he continues to study acting.

You have an interesting background, partly working with at-risk youth. How does that reflect in the work that you do today?

I taught for many years in the San Diego Unified School District. For me the most impactful of those years was working as a “teacher on special assignment” at an atypical high school, a continuation school called Garfield High School where students who were asked to leave their high school of origin came.

These students came to Garfield because of zero-tolerance infractions for weapons, drugs, gang affiliations, credit deficiencies or pregnancy. I ran an intake program called G.E.N.E.S.I.S which was an acronym for Getting Everyone a New Educational Start In School.

I was the first teacher they saw. Every week 30 new students came to that class for five days from 7:45 A.M to 11:45 A.M. In that class, I would take them through several activities in anger management, family relations, behavior examination, and discussion groups.

I would say to each group that came in: “I might not be able to give you comfort, but I CAN give you hope”. It’s difficult to tell you how my nine years at Garfield reflects in the work I do today without telling you of the following experience: In my third year at Garfield, a student of mine was killed in front of his house in a drive-by shooting. I brought 3 other students, all with gang affiliations, to the funeral. Walking into the church we saw the mother of the deceased kneeling by the casket, praying the rosary.

As we sat in the second pew, shots rang out from outside the church. We all ducked under the seats. When I got up, the first thing I saw was the mother lying across her son, protecting him from the gunshots even though he was dead. As she slowly got up she made eye contact with me. Her look was a haunting combination of sadness, fear, and hope – hope that I could somehow help. How does this reflect in my work today? How can I see something 64

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like that and not be changed forever? If I had to choose one word to describe the impact of that event on me it would be PERSPECTIVE. The event that I just described has become (In greatly expanded version) Part 2 of my one-man show, the working title being “…but I can still feel the pain.”

Last year you moved back to your roots in New York, after_(please fill in years)_ years in Los Angeles. What was it like to move back, and has it been easier or harder to continue your career within the acting industry over there?

I’m going to answer the second part of that question first. It is NEVER easy to be an actor, no matter where one is. It doesn’t matter if a person is in New York, L.A., or London. I’ll say again, it is NEVER easy.

People ask me how long I have been acting. I tell them “Since I was born”. Although I’ve only seriously studied acting for the last two and a half years, it is my second career. For many years, performing and teaching ran side by side for my entire professional life. I’m extremely excited to continue my studies here in New York City.

Acting is like religion or home; it is wherever you are and whatever you believe in. It has been great to come home after spending many years in the L.A. area, mostly in Burbank. Right now I’m living on the Jersey side, 1.5 miles from Manhattan across the Hudson River with a view of the famous New York skyline. A quick sidebar if I may: the horrible Coronavirus has curtailed many of the wonderful things about “the City”, as we here call it. Broadway, the museums, Time Square and all the great New York landmarks are suspended as if in some sort of post-apocalyptic movie. But here’s a message to people who are not familiar with New York. The energy is still here! New York has recovered from many catastrophes, some I’ve lived through and for some I’ve been away, but one thing is true now and will always be true: the spirit of people who live in the New York metropolitan area will

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shine through and be stronger than ever after this crisis. Some of my West Coast friends have been worried about me and have said that I “picked the wrong time to move to New York”. I tell them that it’s just the opposite. I wouldn’t want to be living anywhere else while going through these tough times. I’ll say it again. The energy is still here!

I’ve come home. My daughter is living in the City in Greenwich Village, my family is all here within an hour from each other either on the New York or Jersey side and everything is just as it was when I left, only better. I had a very successful high school baseball career here, playing on a field that sat directly above the Jersey entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel. At that time the field was all dirt but now it is beautifully covered with an all-weather artificial surface. Old apartments have been renovated, beautiful brick homes remain the staple of some neighborhoods and the park which I went to many years ago (And now I live less than a mile away) has been upgraded so that the lake is like a bird sanctuary.

I have nothing negative to say about L.A. I love L.A. but I have a deep, personal relationship with New York City, one that goes beyond love. If you haven’t guessed already I’m just crazy about New York! Yes, all the clichés about the City are true. It is warp-speed paced, crowded, loud and constantly in motion. It’s a powerful city brimming with energy. I can feel it every day as I look at the famous skyline, which by the way, is also changing from steel and cement to shiny glass. For me, it’s the greatest city I’ve ever been in and yes, I’ve been in many cities in the U.S., Mexico and abroad. I’ve always felt this way, and always will.

What type of characters do you prefer to play?

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been cast as a detective, a lawyer, a psychiatrist, a father, a grandfather, Lord Capulet in a production of Romeo and Juliet and a mob boss. Some of these characters represent the good in people, some represent the not-so-good, and some represent a mixture of the two. I believe I have all of those elements within me, as most people do. We all carry in our elements of good, bad and combinations of those traits.

When I take on a role I find the truth of the character in the elements of good and bad of the character and me and allow all to come out in my performance.

What have you learned within the film/acting industry throughout the years that you wish you would have known sooner? I’ve had many real experiences up to this point in my life. Experiences in travel (Running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain was certainly life-altering), relationships, sports (I was drafted by the NY Mets upon graduation from high school but didn’t sign), teaching and program director for gang interventions, parenthood (Father to a beautiful daughter who is also in the industry), music (I’ve written a musical which was produced on a community theater level in St. Louis) and writing. I have learned about life through these experiences. I believe I am the total of my experiences and not of any book. I have many emotions that are connected to these experiences…deep emotions. I’m not learning how to “to act”. My work lies in finding my truth in a scene and a character and allowing the emotions and feelings I have as a result of all my experience to come out of me until I’m not me for those moments on stage. I don’t wish for anything to have happened “sooner”. Everything is happening as it should. All that is happening within me is doing so on its timeline. My work is to enjoy the ride.

It’s almost impossible to look past everything that has happened this year, although it’s only been 4 months into, what are your goals for 2020?

My goal for 2020 is as it’s been for my whole life; to continue to evolve, through self-examination. Also to continue to study with the idea of pointing towards a future in which I allow myself to always remain open to joy, pain, and love. The material things will take care of themselves. To paraphrase a Gertrude Stein expression, there is no there. I’ll leave you with a quote that speak to this subject far more eloquently than I can.

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Nothing worth knowing can be understood with the mind.

Everything really valuable has to enter you through a different opening.”

- Woody Allen

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Photo: Luis Quintero

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Quarantine Days

By Mia Nicole

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ALL IN THE FAMILY (FUN) With Keena Wells

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t is said that “The family that prays together, stays together.” While this may be true, in the midst of a stay at home policy imposed by the government which is due to an unseen virus, it can also be said that “the family that plays together, stays together.”

And many families are using this time of quarantine to improve the quality of their familial relationships. For the busy parent(s) who are now responsible for guiding their children’s education in a way they may not have done before (homeschooling) - it can truly be a challenge trying to do it all.

Being a busy professional woman without children, I can only imagine how grueling and quite frankly stressful it can be trying to home school one child. But I definitely cannot even imagine trying to make sure that the schedules of seven children run smoothly. I had the opportunity to sit down with Mrs. Keena Wells, wife, mother of nine, yes nine and corporate recruiter who is doing just that – and loving it!

Not only is Keena the wife of Celebrity Chef Jernard Wells – Host of New Soul Kitchen on Cleo TV & Co-host of Cooking Chanel’s, Best Thing I Ever Ate she has her own lane and can be seen in the kitchen slaying with her husband from 70

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time to time. As the mother of 9 children – 7 living at home, with their ages ranging from 4 to 18, it is imperative that they stick to a routine or schedule – which in addition to homework and chores, includes family fun. Wanting to focus on her kids who she says are, “pretty tech-savvy” when it comes to the handling of their homework, I asked how it is done.

Mia Nicole: What are you doing as a family that is fun and productive?

Keena Wells: We wake up daily, do a mini workout, discuss what they are grateful for today, what they’ve learned about a sibling or parent in the recent weeks that they didn’t know, and finally we read together for 45 minutes. We have vowed to bring a round table family discussions back nightly before bed to make sure we are ending the day grateful for each other and the time we have! With our travels, we are trying to catch up on the time we’ve missed together. I tell everyone they have to come out of their rooms and we all meet in the family room.

We have also done a lot of Tik Tok videos – our son Kameron has a huge following on Tik Tok, so we have gotten into it. Also, we love how the older children are making sure that the younger ones are okay.

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MN: What would you recommend to families that are having a hard time dealing with being quarantined?

KW: I would recommend creating a schedule or some type of routine to bring normalcy to what’s not normal. I would try to make sure that you plan things in the house daily that involves everyone and finally tap into creativity during this time. I allow the kids to think of creative things we can do, that we haven’t done before so that they can see productivity during this time. I don’t want them to think life is on hold or over, let’s tap into your creativity and see what value each can add today! My oldest has discovered he has a talent for baking from scratch! He’s home from college and having to adjust to moving back in! He’s been baking donuts, funnel cakes, and cookies from scratch! Who knew? Our daughters discovered they have an eye for design and fashion. They turned old clothes into new pieces. They’ve turned pants into dresses! I even recommended taking a family drive still if possible getting out, without getting out. Let some sunlight on the skin or something.

MN: Have you and your family been able to help those outside of your family in quarantine?

KW: If they say yes, how did they accomplish that? Yes, we have! I am a recruiter. I’ve offered free career coaching, resume writing, and employment searches through networking to those that have lost employment. I’ve also offered to do this at my local church as well. We have also created a hand sanitizer together as a family. It’s called CleanWELL! My husband Jernard and our oldest son, Jernard Jr., helped by dropping needed supplies to some of our friends and neighbors that are working on the frontlines and couldn’t get out to shop or by the time they get there, the basics like toilet paper are gone. Finally, my husband, Chef Jernard, does live cooking demos weekly offering 30 minutes or less family meals and ideas to help with the art of cooking during quarantine!

To the amazing Wells family, I say, well done! Pun intended...

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Single and Surviving Quarantine

By Mia Nicole

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pring on the East Coast of the United States is an enjoyable time for everyone. With no shortage of ways to be entertained, The District of Columbia, or D.C., the nation’s capital, is rich with historical attractions, such as the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the Museum of African American History and Culture, just to name a few. And we cannot forget the magnificent cherry blossoms that visitors flock to every year as they bloom. D.C. also boasts a sensational nightlife where Generations X, Y, and Baby Boomers can be found mingling together, at places such as the Blues Alley Club, where iconic names like Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, and Harry Connick, Jr., have all headlined.

However, the spring of 2020 has turned out to be a different animal. Whereas the streets are normally filled with tourists and patrons sitting out on the patios of some of the most popular restaurants in Georgetown, one of the hippest sections of D.C. – they are now empty; everyone is home in quarantine with their families. But how do you handle being in isolation when you are single? We spoke with Jackie Jordan, a young government attorney to see how she spends her time in isolation.

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Mia Nicole: How have you been handling being quarantined?

MN: What has been the most difficult part of being in quarantine?

Jackie Jordan: I think being single has prepared me for this situation. I am an introvert, so it doesn’t really bother me.

I went on vacation in early March, and when I came back, the next thing I knew, we were in quarantine – told to stay at home. I do a lot of praying as I also have done. I got to church online to keep that routine going. When we were able to go out, my friends and I would go to brunch, movies, roller skating, we did a lot! Now to keep us going and in a good frame of mine, a group of us started the 21Day Meditation Experience with Deepak Chopra. I meditate; with everything that is going on in the world, it has been amazing for me.

JJ: Snacking! I live right around the corner from a Walmart and my snacking is getting out of control! I had to stop going to get food so often. I cook but I keep it simple since it is just me. I went to Costco and picked up things that will last me for a while!

I make sure that I eat what is in the house so I don’t have to go out too often; they said that the supermarket is the breeding ground for the virus. A few things that I do to help maintain my peace of mind keep my appearance up. I may not see anyone, but I still have to look at myself!

MN: What are some of the things that you do for fun?

JJ: I still get up very early and run. I keep my distance because of social distancing of course, which is why I do it early when there are not a lot of people.

If I see people, I jump in the street – of course making sure there are no cars coming! I still work but just from home, which is good. With nothing but negativity on the news, I try not to watch it. I don’t watch things that are heavy – so the “daily briefings” about the virus can be too much after a while. So I watch light-hearted movies on Netflix; I will also listen to Audible – they have been a big part of this quarantine life. I also make sure that I keep in contact with my family and friends. I am grateful to still be able to connect with people. My friends and I have decided to have a “virtual happy hour” on Zoom. That is a lot of fun!

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My hair is natural so I keep it in a bun or have a nice headwrap on. I don’t do a lot of makeup in the house, but I might put on a little foundation and I have been regular with my skincare routine, like a good mask. I had gotten my nails done before the shutdown, so they look good – for now.

I just make sure that I pull everything together. I will throw on a nice tee shirt and jeans – you know when you look good, you feel good. I do enough to feel normal. Being that we have never gone through a pandemic before, this can be hard.

Psychologically, I had to convince myself to be kind to myself. It’s okay to have a bad day.

All of this can be taxing on your mental health. But again for me, I make sure that I stay connected with the people I know and love. And I want to eat the whole bag of chips it is okay. I have to figure out what helps me on that day and don’t worry about the next day.

Trustworthy Magazine

73

Trustworthy Magazine

74

May 2020

Photo: Todd Trapani

Vol 8

Trustworthy Magazine

75

Trustworthy Magazine