Polo Lifestyles November 2022: Ponies like Pumpkin, Too

For

Horses

HORSE

Eye-conic

Managing

Doing this gives me the opportunity to write a short note that encompasses the energetic field of the magazine from page 1 to 180. As I go over the minutia details one last time, I am extremely grateful for the contributions that go into making each issue of Polo Lifestyles. This month is no different, but looking ahead to November, thankfulness hits a bit differently. It’s a month set aside for thankfulness here in the United States, and as up and down and difficult as life can be, there is always something, someone, somewhere to be thankful for. So whether or not you cook a turkey for Thanksgiving – we don’t! – I hope you take the time necessary to reflect on bounty, blessings and thankfulness.

By the time you read this, the Opening Ceremonies for the XII FIP World Championships should be underway, live-streaming on ESPN (set your DVRs if you’re not going to be near a TV) in The Palm Beaches, Fla. Eight teams will face off at the National Polo Center to see who will hoist the trophy after the final whistle is blown. On the other side of the world, organizers for the New Zealand BMW Polo Open are working around the clock to receive 7,000 spectators for their February event after two years of fanfree polo matches due to Covid protocols and concerns.

I, personally, can’t believe it is already November… basically it’s time to start practice-writing 2023 on my checks, e-mails and letters! What a year it’s been, with no lack of spectacular polo matches to boot. There wasn’t a month in 2022 when we worried about filling the Scoreboards & Cocktails section with gorgeous, high-goal tournaments. Thank you to the event producers and open managers, the writers, videographers and photographers, grooms, players and families. It’s been an amazing year of Polo Lifestyles.

Cheers!

Josh Jakobitz josh@pololifestyles.com

I’LL LET YOU IN ON A LITTLE SE CRET: THIS IS ALWAYS THE LAST 350 WORDS WRITTEN FOR EVERY ISSUE OF POLO LIFESTYLES. SINCE OUR INCEPTION, MY PROCESS IS TO STUDY, REVIEW, CHANGE AND APPROVE EV ERY SINGLE PAGE OF THE BOOK, THEN HAND IT TO OUR PUBLISHER FOR HIS FEEDBACK AND APPROVAL. ONCE ALL CHANGES ARE IMPLEMENTED, I COME BACK TO WRITE THIS LETTER TO YOU, THE READER.

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A weekend in Aspen for Snow Polo

featured in Neiman Marcus'

2022 ABIERTO DE HURLINGHAM

THE HIGH-GOAL ARGENTINE SEASON

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FASHION & POLO CLASSIC ATLANTA'S

FASHION & POLO CLASSIC ATLANTA'S

ATLANTA - Polo Lifestyle magazine is literally the fusion between the game of Polo and the desire to express luxury. One of the best ways luxury is expressed is through fashion. Our fashion allows us to give the world a piece of who we are.

On October 9 in Atlanta, Ga., we were able to witness an event that fused those two worlds perfectly. The Fashion and Polo Classic is

an event that Miguel Wilson of the Miguel Wilson luxury men’s suit boutique locat ed in Phipps Plaza showed us how a fashion and polo event should be executed.

From the vendors like O2 Cigars hand rolling cigars to Sherrell Anderson aka the Hat Lady, this event weekend was full of amazing vendors. Atlanta Georgia was voted The best place to live in 2022 by Money magazine due to its booming job market and

undeniable ability to provide equality. That equality was on full display, especially the excellence by black people. The Fashion and Polo classic had the most affluent black business and fashion profes sionals witnessing Polo and an amazing fashion show. The fashion show was comprised of all black designers, some being new getting their opportunity to be observed by some of fashions icons and several being well established.

The fashion and Polo Classic was not just a one day event, it was a weekend of events showcasing the luxury and excellence by black people Atlanta has to offer.

Friday October 7nth was the Black Tie Experience, that featured a fashion show, live music, dinner, cocktails and an all-around fun night. Guests were required to come to the event in all-white diner coats to enjoy the night's

festivities. A stunning display of excellence as you walked into the event passing a myriad of Bentley’s one of the weekends biggest sponsors.

Saturday October 8th features two events. First being Polo’s and Pumps day party being held at the Fox theater and Saturday night Cocktails & Cigars, under the starts at the historic Georgian Terrace Hotel. These events were full of music and entertainment, setting up the right atmo sphere to get the Fashion and Polo classic started on Sunday.

Sunday afternoon the headlining event ensued. Upon arrival, the VIP guest were flown in by helicopter to the incredible Horse Mansion at Bouckaert Farm. Open bar, live music, amaz ing delicious southern style appetizers and 2 DJ’s welcomed you into the outdoor event. The Polo field, a mere shuttle away, held the Polo match that featured California based player Dale Johnson who sits on the Inclusion and Diversity Board along with the founder and of The Fashion and Polo classic Miguel Wilson for a high intensity Polo match. As onlookers awed at the athletes perform through the 4 chukkers they were visibly impressed by the athleticism skill level of the game of Polo.

Directly after the match, the fashion show began. The runway showcased several different designers with unforgettable fashions. The last to come down the runway with complete style and couture was the Miguel Wilson Collection, showcasing luxury designs for men’s wedding attire. Miguel ended the show strutting down the runway on a beautiful horse in a Miguel Collection exclusive suit!

This event had a bigger purpose. It was creat ed with fundraising in mind for the Road to the Olympics Foundation Miguel has started. Through this foundation, Miguel connects inner city kids with the outdoors through therapeutic interactions with horses. They are exposed to equestrian, the game of Polo and the history of the sport. One of the biggest accomplish ments through this foundation is establishing Morehouse College’s first Polo team.

FASHION & POLO CLASSIC ATLANTA'S

FASHION & POLO CLASSIC ATLANTA'S

Hello Autumnmmmm

PUMPKIN SPICE COLD BREW & LATTE

Autumn, specifically October and November, in the West Hemisphere is known as pumpkin season. Perhaps, you’re enjoying a Pumpkin Spice Latte as you read this. Whether you enjoy pump kin-themed treats or not, we

were pleased to discover that horses can eat pumpkin, too. In fact, from our unscientific study, we can say they enjoy them. Both the flesh and seeds are safe for their con sumption. Many bakers, treat manufacturers and horse

owners use canned pumpkin for baking treats, as it is less labor-intensive.

Our recipe for Pumpkin Oatmeal Horse Cookies is filled with healthy ingredi ents that your horse will love.

They’re easy to

and can even be kept at the barn. Natural, vegan, and filled with sweetness, these treats can also be rolled flat, baked and decorated with horse-friendly frosting: con fectioner's sugar and water.

RALPH LAUREN DINNER

SAN MARINO, Calif. –

Following Ralph Lauren's SS23 show in California, ce lebrity attendees were treated to an outdoor, candlelit dinner on the Huntington grounds.

Celebrities, influencers and fashion professionals mixed and mingled, while eating one of three entrée options: a Polo Bar burger, a veggie

burger or a grilled branzino. The cocktail menu featured an RL Royale, made with Grey Goose vodka; an old fashioned; a ridgway mar garita; and a nonalcoholic garden spritz, made with ginger, mint, cucumber, lime and sparkling water.

Waiters lined up to serve and remove each dish in syn chronicity, adding a flair of

elegance to the whole affair.

John Legend sat across from Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, and the trio made lively conversation throughout the night. Jessica Chastain spoke quietly to her husband Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo at the end of a table, and Sylvester Stallone sat beside his wife, Jennifer Flavin, and daughters Sistine

and Sophia Stallone.

The man of the hour, howev er, was Ralph Lauren. Mindy Kaling politely waited for the designer to wrap up a conver sation before eagerly intro ducing herself. Later, when Legend stepped away from his seat, Lauren filled it, strik ing up a conversation with Kunis, Kutcher and Lauren Bush, who sat to his right.

RALPH LAUREN DINNER

RALPH LAUREN DINNER

FOR THE HORSE WHO HAS IT ALL

MEET HORSE KICKS, A NEW BRAND OF SNEAKERS FOR HORSES CREATED BY LEXINGTON, KY.-BASED DESIGN ER MARCUS FLOYD.

“When the idea was pitched to me, I had no idea that there was such a huge market for horse tennis shoes,” said Floyd from his workshop in Lexington.

Floyd uses techniques learned from The Shoe Surgeon‘s customization workshop, SRGN Academy, to craft the foot wear, finding inspiration from some of the most beloved sneaker silhouettes.

“The project couldn’t have worked out any better than it did," said Floyd. "As a Lexington native - the horse capitol

of the world - I mean how cool is that the first horse sneaker was created here... by me?”

Floyd's original designs echoed fan favorites from Nike and Yeezy, but going forward, Horse Kicks will only be branded as such: Horse Kicks, a Marcus Floyd original.

Custom Horse Kicks retail for $1,200 and can be ordered from the Horse

Kicks website. Ten percent of each sale benefits Sneaker Ball Lex and its charitable endeavors and the collection will be on view at the Sneaker Ball Lex charity event November 12.

Breeders’ Cup World Championships attendees will also have a chance to experience the Horse Kicks pop-up ex perience in Kentucky from November 4 to 5.

HORSE KICKS DESIGNER MARCUS FLOYD

POLISH YOUR DICTION

HOW TO STOP USING FILLER WORDS

WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, THE LONG, COLD WINTER SEASON IN MINNESOTA WAS DOMINATED NOT BY BASKETBALL OR HOCKEY, BUT OUR UNDEFEATED SPEECH TEAM

All jokes about being nerdy aside, I learned some excel lent life lessons between 3 and 5 p.m. during Speech team meeting and instruc tion time. There were about a dozen or so categories and everyone picked theirs according to strengths.

Our coach, Mrs. Polfliet, drilled us in the art of public speaking, which was the backbone of every category and one of her absolute pet peeves was the feared "filler word": Um, so, well, 'cuz.

She'd slam her book on a desk and make you start over. Over and over and over. "Is a rose by any other name not as, like, SLAM! sweet?" Start over. "Four score and seven years ago, our, um, SLAM!, forefath-!" Start over.

Now, I cannot say that it has made me a perfect public speaker by any means. In fact, I'm terribly prone to fill in silences with what I hope will be a funny joke. What it did do for me, however, is make me aware of other people do ing it. And it drives me, um, crazy. I remember distinctly working on a mock interview prior to a TV spot with a high-ranking diplomat once. He said Um so many times during the practice sessions that I started counting. "You said 'Um,' 21 times," I report ed. "Let's try it again."

We, as human beings regard less of training, are notorious

for using these filler words. If you’re using too many filler words, it is time to stop the habit.

When we find ourselves rat tled while speaking — wheth er we’re nervous, distracted, or at a loss for what comes next — it’s easy to lean on filler words. These may give us a moment to collect our thoughts before we press on, and in some cases, they may be useful indicators that the audience should pay special attention to what comes next. But when we start to overuse them, they become crutches — academics call them dis fluencies — that diminish our credibility and distract from our message.

Using research that incorpo rates behavioral science, AI, and data, the average speaker uses five fillers per minute — or, one every 12 seconds.

So let’s take a look at what

BY JOSH JAKOBITZ AND NOAH ZANDAN

the data tells us about crutch words: how they jeopardize a speaker’s impact and how we can eliminate them from our vocabularies.

THE TROUBLE WITH CRUTCH WORDS

We know it’s hard to pay attention to a speaker when every third word is a fill er, but it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly how those verbal crutches are affecting our experience. The excessive use of fillers can negatively influence audiences in many ways, and three critical fac tors are significantly negative ly correlated with too many fillers.

To get your message across effectively, you have to keep your audience engaged. When you use excessive fill ers, audiences are less likely to hang onto your every word because the fillers get in the way of the emotional stories

NOTHING SAYS UNPREPARED, UNPOLISHED OR UNSEASONED LIKE A SPEAKER WHO INSISTS ON FILLING EVERY SECOND OF AIR SPACE.

or fascinating research you’re trying to share.

Audiences want to believe that you are acting and speaking naturally — the way you might in a one-onone conversation. While of course most people use fillers in casual conversation, when you bring them with you to the microphone, they distract from your core personality and make you sound ner vous, distracted, or disen gaged rather than authentic.

If you want your audience to buy into your message, you have to make it clear, logical, and easy to follow. Unfortunately, filtering through crutch words to catch the important parts requires more cognitive effort than audiences are willing to put forth. So too many fillers will likely mean they’ll tune out in favor of an easier cog nitive task —such as thinking about their to-do lists.

So why isn’t our speech flu ent? Studies suggest that we verbalize hesitations because we’ve been conditioned to fill the void even when we don’t have something to say. For example, we use “um” and “ah” to hold onto the “con versational floor” as we are planning what we are going to say next, with “ah” signal ing a short delay and “um” signaling a longer delay.

TO ELIMINATE CRUTCH WORDS, EMBRACE THE PAUSE

The good news is that you can turn this weakness into a strength by replacing fillers with pauses.

Research suggests that most conversational speech con

sists of short (0.20 seconds), medium (0.60 seconds), and long (over 1 second) paus es. Great public speakers often pause for two to three seconds or even longer. Our phonetic data shows that the average speaker only uses 3.5 pauses per minute, and that’s not enough.

This is understandable. Pauses aren’t easy to embrace. For many speakers, even the briefest pause can feel like an interminable silence. That’s because we tend to think faster than we speak. According to research, the average professional speaks at a rate of 150 words per minute. Yet, according to Missouri University, we think at 400 words per minute (and depending on who you ask, the rate may be as high as 1,500 words per minute).

Because of this discrepancy, when you’re giving a speech, your perception of time is often distorted, and what feels like an eternity in your mind is actually a few short seconds for the audience.

Despite how they may feel at first, well-placed pauses make you sound calm and collect ed, and they help three ways: Collect your thoughts: If you lose your train of thought, a pause gives you time to get back on track. As long as the pause isn’t too long (no more than five seconds), the audience won’t hold it against you.

Calm your nerves: Taking a pause before starting a speech is especially import ant for people with a fear of public speaking, as it helps calm nerves. The tactic is

useful in the middle of a speech as well. If you find yourself getting flustered, pause briefly to take a deep breath (as long as it’s not au dible or obvious) and reset.

Build suspense: Pauses aren’t always a defensive tactic. Strategically placed silence can build suspense, em phasize a point, or give the audience time to absorb a key insight.

Like filler words, pauses give you a chance to take a break and figure out what comes next. However, a pause makes you sound confident and in control, whereas over used filler words are distract ing and make you sound as if you don’t know what to say.

THREE STEPS TO SILENCING CRUTCH WORDS

The first step in changing any habit — whether it’s biting your nails or peppering every sentence with “you know” — is awareness. To identify your crutch words, record or review a transcript of your most recent talk, and deter mine what vocal fillers you rely on most. Once you’re aware of them, you’ll likely start to hear these words in your day-to-day commu nication. Pair your crutch words with small actions. Every time you catch yourself saying “like,” for example, tap your leg. Or have a fami ly member or close friend monitor your filler words and bring your attention to them with a clap or snap.

Next, once you’ve become cognizant of your filler words as they try to escape your lips, begin forcing yourself

to be silent. To practice, set up a video to record, and talk about what you did from the beginning to the end of the day. Practice using pauses instead of filler words as you recall the events.

Finally, I can’t stress the importance of preparation enough. Nerves are one of the biggest reasons people overuse vocal fillers. The less prepared you are, the more nervous you’ll be, which will likely cause you to speak too quickly, trip over your words, and forget what’s next. So practice. On average, the op timal ratio of preparation to perfor mance is one hour of practice for every minute of presenta tion, but at the very least, Dr. Trey Guinn, a communica tion expert, recommends speakers get in at least three full runs before stepping in front of an audience.

Used sparingly and effective ly, filler words can make you more relatable to your audi ence, give you time to catch your breath, and emphasize key points. That’s why Google built fillers into the latest version of its AI assistant, Duplex. But when they become crutch words, used out of nervousness or lack of preparation, they hurt your credibility. As you prepare for your next presentation, identify the words you lean on most, and train yourself to avoid them. Then, next time you’re in front of an audi ence, use silence to gather your thoughts, rather than filling the air with sound.

THE HOAX OF MULTIGRAIN MARKETING

MULTI-GRAIN IS A GE NIUS APPROACH TO SELLING BOTH WHITE BREAD AND RIGH TEOUSNESS. THE TERM CREPT UNDER THE UM BRELLA OF HEALTH QUI ETLY. IT WASN’T CLEAR WHY, EXACTLY. (THE GRAIN PART? OR THE MULTI?) AT LEAST IT WASN’T WHITE BREAD, RIGHT?

As many eaters of bread came to under stand that white bread is a nutritional equivalent of Pixy Stix—the nutritious, fibrous shell of the wheat having been removed, leaving us with only the inner starch, which our bodies almost in stantly turn into sugar—it needed some rebranding.

Multi-grain is now often used to im ply wholesomeness, a virtue to which it often has no claim. Containing the flour of multiple grains does not mean containing whole grains. When mill ers leave the grain intact before mill ing, this is whole grain flour. It contains fiber, appeasing the pancreas and mi

crobes that demand it for optimal per formance. So, the term to look for is 100 percent whole wheat. (Or whole grain, though the grain is usually wheat.)

It’s a valuable piece of health knowledge to have, more so in light of findings from an expansive analysis from the Harvard School of Public Health: Eating at least three servings of whole grains per day is associated with lower risk of death from cancers, heart disease, and stroke.

This is especially relevant, too, at a time when many people are needlessly avoid ing gluten, or simply think that carbs are bad.

“There is still some misconception about the role of carbohydrates in a healthy diet,” said Frank Hu, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard, and one of the study’s authors. “Some people still believe that all carbohydrates are bad, and some people still promote a very low carbohydrate diet without strong scientific support.”

Furio Brighenti, a professor of nutrition at the University of Parma in Italy, has studied in great detail—perhaps predict

ably—pasta. He explained to me how food structures affect the absorption of starches into sugars, which he has seen through studies of various types of pas tas. Even though they are made of the same thing, we absorb them differently.

Total meal surface area (after chew ing) may partly explain differences in the body’s response to different pastas, Brighenti explains. The thickness of pasta alone is a variable. In his findings, thicker penne has a lower glycemic index than thinner.

Pastas left al dente (really, the only way to cook pasta) also have lower indices than those left to mush like so much cafeterial nonsense.

He layers on complexity in diagraming for me that different pasta shapes tend to be eaten with different amounts of oils and sauces, and this changes the way the body absorbs the food—not just the glycemic index, but the rate at which the stomach empties. He cannot explain, though, why whole-wheat pastas have a glycemic index similar to white pastas.

“Glycemic index is just one of the factors that goes into the quality of a high-car

bohydrate food,” Hu emphasizes. “The amount of fiber, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals are also very important. Really, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”

The variables are many, but the take away is not complex: Eat whole grains instead of just their starchy white en dosperm whenever possible, and a per son’s odds of health increase. Hu and

every other scientist I’ve spoken to on the subject are confident in that. This has long been true.

A very similar, large meta-analysis will be coming out in another major med ical journal, and its findings are much the same. It tends to be the conven tion-upending studies that make news, though, so these studies may not.

What makes nutrition confusing is not the science, but the news cycle, the fad diet books warning against gluten and carbs, and the marketing of mean ingless things like multi-grain bread. When someone asks if you’d like white bread or multi-grain, suggest that they are doing damage to the health of the public by perpetuating a false dichotomy.

HIGH SOCIETY

BILLION-DOLLAR DIVORCE HOW TO HANDLE A

A GUIDE FOR WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR MATCH FLAMES OUT

FOR THE POTENTIAL NEXT WIVES OF MEN LIKE RUPERT MURDOCH, IT’S IMPORTANT TO CONFRONT THE VERY REAL POSSIBILITY THAT YOUR TYCOON MIGHT SOMEDAY LEAVE YOU. He’s a wild romantic, too in love with being in love for any real relationship to measure up. So how will you put your life back together when your husband dumps you over email, as Murdoch— who is 91 and not getting any young

er—reportedly did recently to Jerry Hall, his fourth wife? This only six years after they wed at Spencer House in London and he tweeted “Feel like the luckiest AND happiest man in world.” Here are some tips.

USE YOUR HEAD, NOT YOUR HEART

When you get that breakup email, no matter how many sad emojis it contains, do not respond. At all. His missive, and any response you send, are now evi dence. “It’s not just that your spouse has already consulted an attorney. They have

drawn up an entire strategy with a team and taken several moves to implement it,” says Thomas Kretchmar, an attorney specializing in matrimonial and family law at Chemtob Moss Forman & Beyda in New York City. “All you may have is what you’re thinking. Don’t hand it to them on a platter.”

Other things to avoid? Saying or doing anything that might imply that you still agree with the prenuptial agreement you signed. You do not. Trust us: Everything is still negotiable. If your ex drops $75,000 into your bank account to start

the monthly payments that you’re entitled to according to the prenup, get your divorce lawyer to send it right back with a note that says, in legal ese, “Nice try.”

And all those mutual friends you’ve made? You can’t trust any of them right now. “There are usually not a lot of oppor tunities to convey value to the super-powerful,” Kretchmar explains. So even if your friends are sincere when they ask how you’re holding up, it will be hard for them to resist spilling when your billionaire ex asks.

Sara Davison, a Londonbased divorce coach, advises you to cut off all your mutual friends. “You can do it in a nice way,” she says. “Say, ‘I’m reeling, so I’m taking a break from anyone connected to him. It’s nothing personal.’”

RETHINK YOUR POSITIONING

A divorce is an opportunity, like so many things in the 21st century, to relaunch your personal brand. But there are pitfalls to avoid here as well.

“Some people try to go back to who they were before the relationship,” Davison says.

“One woman wanted to go roller blading. I said, ‘You have kids. Let’s find some thing else for you now.’ ” And don’t make your new brand about trying to win him back.

“Some people will get plastic surgery” as a tactic to rekin dle their romance, she says.

“But it rarely works.”

If it’s a treat for yourself, however, go for it. “I had a nose job after my divorce,” Davison says. “And it made me feel like a million dollars.”

In fact, even if you don’t feel like seven figures, it’s important to look as though you do in public—which, unlike social media, is where you should be seen. “When Prince William dumped Kate Middleton before they were married, she went out to a club in this really lovely dress and had a great time,” Davison recalls. “You can fall apart in private, but don’t put your story on Twitter.”

DATE, JUST NOT TOO SERIOUSLY

When you do go out, you’re going to encounter men. More men than you’ve perhaps ever encountered. More, perhaps, than any one has. Patti Stanger, star of Bravo’s The Millionaire Matchmaker, recommends waiting a minimum of 90 days. The temptation to re

venge-date can be strong, but don’t do it. “Once you have that billionaire, you want a bigger billionaire,” she says. “You want Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk, if for nothing else than to say fuck you to the ex. You want to trade up, and who’s left at that point?”

Lisa Kerkorian, the former women’s tennis champ who was married to Beverly Hills billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, agrees. “Jerry Hall has probably never been hit on by so many younger men in her whole life,” she says. “Go have some fun, but trust your money to a money manager.”

It’s also a time to enjoy the company of men your own age—or, better yet, a fraction of it. Kerkorian met her hus band when she was 19 and he was 69. “I saw much of my youth through his politics, his

conservatism, his ageism, his misogyny,” she says. “When I was divorced, I immersed myself in younger people and how they saw the world. It really rounded me out as a person.” By then in her late thirties, she dated a 27-yearold and a guy seven years her junior with whom she had two kids. “They cared about what I thought and what I said,” she says.

Finding another billionaire is probably going to bring on the same relationship prob lems you had in your mar riage. “My advice,” Kerkorian says, “would be to resist trying to replace that big life.”

And while dating immedi ately might be a bad idea, Stanger insists you needn’t become a nun. “Getting your pipes cleaned out is a differ

ent subject,” she says. “If that’s what’s going to make you feel alive again, namaste. Just be safe.”

RELOCATION

Once you’ve started to get your groove back, consider taking it to a new zip code.

After Kerkorian’s divorce, real estate agent Jennifer D’Auria encouraged her to get out of Beverly Hills and scored her a rental house across the country, in the Hamptons.

“People said, ‘You can’t run from your problems.’ I wasn’t running away. I was looking for new people, new activi ties,” Kerkorian says.

The reset worked. Being the wife of a billionaire, she says, is isolating; you have to worry about how everything

you do and say will reflect on your husband. And such men are often highly controlling: Kerkorian didn’t want his wife hanging out with female friends because they might all speak badly of their husbands. The women in her social circle were suspect, largely because some of them flirted with her husband right in front of her.

Three thousand miles away, Kerkorian put her daughter in a new school, where she met the parents. She joined the tennis club, grew a gar den, went vegan. Her daugh ter started riding horses. “Letting my interactions with new people be about me, not who I was married to, was a lifesaver,” she says.

Amy Herman, a New York City real estate agent, tells

clients to move at least 20 blocks from their home—and not to a townhouse but a building where they’ll meet new people.

Also, you aren’t going to know how much you can spend on a place until the divorce is finalized, which might be years. So you’re going to have to learn a new word: rent. But that doesn’t mean you can’t buy some thing small for the weekends.

“Let’s get you a $2 million getaway place and wait for the rest,” Herman says. She suggests Water Mill on Long Island or Miami’s Venetian Islands and doesn’t discount the power of a water feature.

“You go to leading hotels around the world and meet people by the pool. It’s the same with a house.”

WAR HORSE

WILL BID ADIEU TO THE THEATER THIS MONTH IN LONDON

GIDDY-UP! WAR HORSE HAS RETURNED TO THE LONDON STAGE AT THE TROUBADOUR WEMBLEY PARK THEATRE.

Perhaps you thought you’d never live to see the day, but the time certainly has come for War Horse to dash right back onto the London theater stage. Having first run at the National Theatre back

in 2007 before transferring to the New London Theatre for a seven-year run, War Horse will make one last hoo rah before officially retiring.

Directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, this multi award-winning play based on the bestselling nov el by Michael Morpurgo has re turned to London for a limited time at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, which was set up by the same

team that brought the King’s Cross Theatre.

War Horse is such a spectacular play that even the Royal Family endorses it. Famous for its jaw-dropping puppetry from South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, War Horse never ceases to amaze after all these years. In fact, the show’s puppetry is so mesmerizing that even the late Queen Elizabeth II couldn’t help but fall in love with Joey the horse,

a puppet who performed for HRH on a number of occasions.

Aside from its astonishing special effects and life-sized equestrian puppetry, War Horse is also filled with emotionally provocative music and songs that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

The critically acclaimed National Theatre production, which has won both Olivier Awards and Tony Awards on Broadway, played in London’s West End for a total of 8 years. It eventually became an international phenomenon when it was staged in 11 countries

across the globe and has now been seen by a whopping 7 million people. The numbers don’t lie!

WHAT IS WAR HORSE  ABOUT?

At the dawn of the First World War, Albert’s beloved horse Joey is sold to the cavalry and whisked off to France. Albert soon gets caught in the middle of bloody battles and devastating crossfire and he can’t seem to forget his fourlegged companion. While not yet old enough to enlist into the armed forces, Albert is led by destiny on an unforget table quest to find and bring back Joey.

War Horse is a touching and highly imaginative drama that will take you on an unforgettable journey through World War I. Featuring a gripping story of a boy who loves his pet horse and a fabu lous cast of actors who work to bring the life-sized puppets to life, War Horse is absolutely unmissable.

Book your tickets to War Horse at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre now to make sure you gallop to secure your place at the show! War Horse tick ets are expected to get swept away fast, so be sure to book your seats early!

WAR HORSE

WILL BID ADIEU TO THE THEATER THIS MONTH IN LONDON

WOMEN'S POLO

THROUGH THE YEARS

WOMEN'S POLO

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE BY NIGEL GALLIMORE

POLO, TRADITIONALLY A MALE DOMINATED SPORT, HAS HISTORICAL LY LARGELY NEGLECTED THE CONTRIBUTION OF WOMEN TO THE GAME.

In the early days of the sport women were greatly disadvantaged in finding role models for their polo pursuits. In part, this was attributable to the fact that women’s polo was not particularly well publicized for a wide variety of reasons. For example, most women’s polo was played on private fields.

There was no national organizational support for women’s polo on the scale of either the United States Polo Association or the Indoor Polo Association of America, although some regional sup port groups did arise in the inter-war

years. If one article is correct, it was not until a 1923 match at Squadron A in New York that the first public tourna ment among women took place.

Women began to take their turn on the polo field in the United States over 120 years ago, largely at first through the efforts of Louise Eustis Hitchcock (wife of Thomas Hitchcock Sr.), a passionate poloist long before women became equal to men on the field.

In 1901, Louise Hitchcock played the first recorded game with women players in the United States. The teams were mixed men and women and Louise captained the team.

A newspaper article of 1907 mentions female polo players and before the First World War, many women played polo in America, at least along the east coast. In

1909, at Meadow Brook Club on Long Island, the first all-women’s team played a men’s team.

In 1916, Louise Hitchcock’s turf was Aiken Preparatory School, South Carolina, and Meadow Lark Club where she coached future polo stars. She was inducted into the Polo Hall of Fame in 1995 (the first woman to receive this rare honor).

The state of California may have been the pioneer of women playing polo in the United States. On the west coast a newspaper report of April 1, 1916, men tions a game in Santa Barbara, where four women made a first appearance in a mixed polo period. By 1925 women’s polo was an established game in Santa Barbara and by 1928 at least 14 women were playing polo regularly on the local fields.

In 1927, the Riviera Country Club, Santa Monica, became the first club to have regular weekly polo games between women’s teams. Consequently, the wom en played every Sunday before the men’s games. A tournament was organized at the Uplifters Polo Club in Santa Monica between teams representing the host club, Santa Barbara and Santa Clara.

In 1930, the Santa Barbara women’s team regularly played against the men, and often won. On March 27, 1931, the Ladies Championship of Santa Barbara was played at the polo club. It is sig nificant that this particular game was included in the USPA Yearbook. This mention is perhaps the first acknowledg ment by the USPA that women played polo in the United States. In 1932, many women in California were forming their own teams.

In 1933 the renowned player Reginald ‘Snowy’ Baker encouraged the forma tion of a Ladies’ Polo Association and on December 9, 1933, the first meeting was held at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles and the first women’s polo association was born. Louise Tracy (wife of legendary actor Spencer Tracy) was an early member and organizer of the women’s teams.

It was in 1932 that Mr. F. S. O’Reilly, Secretary/Treasurer of the Executive Committee of the U.S. Polo Association, wrote that the general opinion is that

The woman in California knew this was nonsense and successfully formed their own polo organization with the help of California men players and in June 1934, Dorothy Deming Wheeler of Santa Cruz organized and became the first Chairman of the Pacific Coast Women’s Polo Association (in 1936 the organization became the United States Women’s Polo Association). The first tournament she organized was at Pasatiempo, Santa Cruz County and the local paper gave the event extensive

publicity. This tournament was such a success that another tournament was scheduled for November and was called the North‐South championship.

By November 1936, Dorothy’s dream of high‐goal matches played at Pogonip came true. The third USWPA Circuit Championship was held at Pogonip and the Pogonip team won for the third time in a row. On October 3, 1937, the USWPA invaded the Golden Gate polo field in San Francisco. It was the first Open Tournament to be played by women. Unlike the Association tour

“polo is not a women’s game!”

naments, the women did not have to be team members, but could mix up and form teams of any combination. They received a great deal of press from the San Francisco newspapers, as many people had not witnessed this kind of horse showmanship from the ladies. One local paper wrote: “Arriving tomorrow with the Riviera women’s polo club, which plays Mrs. Deming Wheeler’s Pogonip club Sunday at the Park Bowl, will be Dorothy Rogers and Audrey Scott, respective six goal women players.” The finals between Riviera and Santa Barbara were played on October 10, 1937, and the Riviera team was successful in winning by a score of 9 to 4, thus winning the first United States Open Championship in which women were allowed to compete. The women then headed to the Del Monte Polo field in Pebble Beach to play the Governor’s trophy on October 15, 16, and 17. Once again the women could pick their own teams. On the final day of the tourna ment finals, it was the Pasatiempo team that was victorious.

An article on the increasing number of women playing on the Pacific Coast appeared in the July 1935 edition of Polo Magazine, and indicated that three women were registered with the United States Polo Association at the time. A month after the article came out, the as sociation officially removed them from handicap roles, writing in its minutes that it was not the policy of the associa tion to handicap women.

In June 1937 Ann Jackson took a women’s Santa Barbara polo team to play in the East. The Santa Barbara team shipped some 21 ponies back East but were met with a big surprise in the qual ity of play by one Majorie LeBoutillier. In Ann Jackson’ opinion she was the best player she had ever seen.

One of the finest polo players during the Golden Age of Women’s polo in the 1930s and early ‘40s was Elaine McInerney of California.

Elaine started playing polo at the Riviera Country Club at age nine and in her

early career played polo with Walt Disney, Spencer Tracy, Robert Stack, and Tim Holt to name a few. In 1935 she won the Will Rogers Trophy at age 12 as the “most Improved Lady Polo Player.” Her coach had been the remarkable Reginald ‘Snowy’ Baker and she went on to be a 6-goal woman rated player with the Pogonip team at Santa Cruz and participated in the U.S. Open tourna ment of 1937 and 1938 and was on the winning team of the Northern Circuit and the Circuit Championship that the Pogonip team won for seven years in a row. She also played in the Governor’s Trophy, and the Proctor, Pacific Coast Handicap, and the Scholastic Handicap tournaments.

Marjorie S. LeBoutillier was a female polo player of great ability, rated an 8-goal women’s handicap by the United States Women’s Polo Association. She first surfaces in Aiken, South Carolina, in Harry Worcester Smith’s ‘Life and Sport in Aiken and Those Who Made It ‘ (1935), in which he wrote about, “as lovely young ladies as you ever saw, two of whom, Florence and Marjorie S. LeBoutillier, with their attractive, happy faces, engraved their girlish love of sport on my heart.”

Florence excelled at tennis, and Marjorie at polo. In 1937, Marjorie led the Long Island Freebooters when they took on the hard-riding California Ramblers on fields in New Jersey and New York. In the first game, playing at back and ranked at 8-goals, Marjorie scored five goals and led the eastern team to a 7-6 victory. The ‘New York Times’ said she was “generally recognized as the best woman player in the world,” and continued, “Hereabout it is chiefly the exploits of Miss LeBoutillier, who plays and holds her own on men’s teams and who is popularly called the Tommy Hitchcock of women’s polo, that keep the women’s game in the public eye.”

At the end of the three-game East West series, it was East 3, West 0. In 1938, she was wed to Stewart Iglehart, one of only three American 10-goal players at the time and a member of the Old Aiken team. They had a son, Stewart Jr., but

after eight years of marriage they were divorced. Marjorie was then married to David Brown McElroy for 49 years.

In 1972, (40 years since O’Reilly’s letter) the USPA eventually assigned a hand icap to the first group of women polo players. However, few American born women polo players have attained a 2-goal regular handicap or higher - in fact only 21 women in the last 50 years - and only 2 have advanced higher (3 and 5).

It was the well-known Sue Sally Hale of California, who finally broke the gender barrier in the male-dominated world of polo five decades ago to become an icon of the sport when the USPA in 1972 awarded her a 1-goal regular handicap which was increased in 1983 to 2-goal. Her daughter Sunny Hale continued as a pioneer of women players and in 2002 awarded a 5-goal regular handicap, the highest ever attained by a female American player.

In 2022, ninety years since O’Reilly’s letter, the membership of the USPA is nearly 40% female with numerous young women emerging as star players in America on the horizon.

RALPH

RALPH LAUREN GOES WEST STYLE

FOR HIS SPRING 2023

SHOW, HELD LAST NIGHT, RALPH LAUREN DID WHAT LOTS OF NEW YORKERS HAVE DONE IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS: HE DECAMPED TO LOS ANGELES.

For the first time, Lauren showed out west, and he did it in inimitable Ralph style, bringing his grip of RL collections, from Polo to Purple Label to RRL, to Pasadena’s Huntington Gardens to show them all at once. “California has always been a land of dreams and contradic tions—rugged coasts and red carpets,” he said in the show notes. “For the first time ever, I bring my dream of living here, sharing my worlds in an experi ence that celebrates a way of life I have always believed in—a mix of grit and

glamor, energy and inspiration.” As if to remind guests that he remains fashion’s preeminent world-builder, the night was a showcase for the rest of Ralph World, too: the burger served at dinner after wards was the one on the menu at the Polo Bar in Manhattan.

The guest list was starrily multi-genera tional: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone and family, Diane Keaton, Chris Pine, Laura Dern, John Legend, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, supplemented by a few couches’ worth of TikTok stars. The weather cooperated, too: thanks, presumably, to the show’s botanical garden location, a particularly smoggy LA day was clear and crisp by the time the sun went down and the lights went up.

The show itself benefited from its range:

whereas the typical Ralph show limits its menswear to formal Purple Label, Thursday’s proceedings opened, charm ingly, with RRL, the brand’s deeply pa tinated tribute to 19th century western life. Models in cowboy hats couldn’t help but nod and wink at the audience as they emerged from the gardens’ central museum building: Howdy, ma’am. Good suit, right? (For a line typically heavy on indigo and cotton, the RRL suiting—al ways with boots—was killer.)

Purple Label came down the runway to a “California Dreaming” cover—on the nose, maybe, but in exactly the way the best of Ralph always is. You’re not here for subversive, ironic, post-trend fashion—you’re here to look good, and to feel good while doing so. If the tailoring leaned perhaps a little more Mediterranean than pure Californian,

that was fine: nobody wears suits in L.A., anyway.

And the good vibes real ly kicked up when the run of Polo models hit the runway, most of them accompanied by painfully cute toddlers in toddler-sized tweed blazers

and cricket sweaters. A blitz of Polo color—red, blue, yel low, and green, mixed in with neon—closed things out. The last models trickled back inside, and the music cut out. “Yee-uh,” shouted Euphoria’s Angus Cloud, wearing a newsboy cap, and the rest of

the crowd concurred.

As if to remind us that you can—you should!—wear all these things together, Ralph himself emerged for his bow in shades of white: a blazer, sweats, and a pair of running shoes, every little corner of

the RL universe somehow contained in one impossibly easy-wearing outfit. “LA’s fine, but it ain’t home,” Neil Diamond crooned over the speakers. Not home, neces sarily, but for a night, pretty good.

EYE-CONIC SHADES

MODULAR DETAILS, ERGONOMIC FRAMES, AND MIRRORED LENSES FORM THE BASIS OF SPECTACULAR EYEWEAR.

PROTECTION FROM THE ELEMENTS AND A DIRECT INFLUENCE OF SPORT ELEMENTS MAKES EYEWEAR’S SHIELD AND THE PHYGITAL CON CEPTS HIGHLY DESIRABLE. FUNCTIONAL QUALITIES PLUS FASHION APPEAL ARE TAN TAMOUNT TO ONE OF THE LARGEST CATEGORIES IN EYEWEAR IN S/S 23.

Modular details and mirrored and tinted lenses formed the basis of several spec

tacular items. Rick Owens’s wraparound ergonomic shield could be just the piece to protect one’s eyes against the sun’s glare in the Nile’s hot climes. Coperni’s temple-less shades are easy-wearing clip-on items and can hold a mysterious gaze behind a blackened lens. David Koma’s sport-infused eyewear pieces with contrasting frame rims were the most provocative and racy. While at Luar, otherworldly spectacles held wide solid frames with dark-tinted lens.

THE SPORTS RACER

The Y2K spirit has infiltrated S/S 23, with the 90s nostalgia coming full circle

with pieces reinterpreted with a “speed omic”, futuristic edge.

No longer just black tinted, the ‘speed omic’ racer eyewear, with its elongat ed and ergonomic shape, now comes with tinted reflective hues and is a must-have for the new season. Stella McCartney presents this streamlined silhouette in sustainable materials – a showcase for the partnership with LVMH. The profile is set with irides cent mirrored and tinted lenses. S/S 23 sees the importance of protective and functional eyewear emerging with smart innovation and design. At Dsquared2, the thicker frames reflect the bold colors

STYLE

in the collection without losing the vi sual appeal of the racer. Prabal Gurung’s space racers and Marni’s devilishly shaped colored lenses look even more futuristic with a sleek ‘cat eye’ structure.

BARELY THERE

A minimalist profile is a perfect aesthet ic as well as offering gender-inclusive design.

Streamlined and minimal, these bare ly-there designs are perfect for every aesthetic. Lightweight and versatile, frameless and ultra-fine metallic frames amplify the simple construction. Coperni’s no-fuss straightforward struc ture features a fine metallic bar across the bridge of the nose, and at Prabal Gurung, a slim approach to the design offers a sleek futuristic alternative.

Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood may be a little OTT, but the shape of the eyewear, with its frameless heart-shaped edges, and tinted lens es, is just right for an S/S 23 dalliance. At Prada, complementing the clothes, minimalistic shades make a statement for modular design. They are the chicest items for S/S 23; while Fendi’s ‘F’ shape metallic frames are perfect in under stated design. And at Tory Burch, her minimalist designs demonstrated how added features such as rose-tinted lenses and a simple structure could update a simplistic profile.

RETRO-SPEC-TIVE

Don’t underestimate eyewear. It can be a game changer to an outfit as well as to the look, be it sporty, fun classic or glam orous. S/S 23 heralds a retro-spec-tive in eyewear as designers look to the past

to create the future. Bold, maxi, state ment-making eyepieces are the choice for the season. Not all one size fits all, but in these maxi-minimalist designs, there is a shape for everyone.

Gabriele Hearst played with over sized round shapes with solid edges that framed the black-tinted lenses. Elsewhere frames looked as if they were cut from granite with inflexions of ap pealing color. Wes Gordon for Caroline Herrera introduced a pair of the most glamorous ‘Sophia Loren’ shaped eyewear with exquisite tortoiseshell frames. Eudon Choi’s simplistic circular frames bore a hint of nostalgia. At Max Mara, oversized wayfarer styles were equally glamorous and offered stream lined black frames. Prabal Gurung and S.S. Daley leaned on these larger retro shapes to significant effect. But as in

the shoes, Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent sent out chic and understated designs that were the most evocative of chic glamor.

CAT EYE

If ever there is an iconic eyewear piece, it is the Cat Eye shape – synonymous with femininity.

The popular Cat Eye shape has been synonymous with femininity for several decades. And as  S/S 23 is a season

that not just looks to the future but is also retrospective for choices, it makes perfect sense for this design to be a popular option for designers. Not only does it complement the face, but it has that je ne sais quoi sense of luxury and enchantment, conjuring up memo ries of bygone heroines on the silver screen. Perhaps that is why Pierpaolo at Valentino selected the shape as the only design for his sunglasses – some in simple classic shapes or others with a

slight touch of sparkle or a contrasting top frame

There is a ‘beauty and fearlessness’ in shape; Annakiki and KNWLS presented a variation on the theme with blownup thick-colored frames. Bora Aksu embellished the Cat Eye with military wings. Giambattista Valli pearlised thicker frames but kept the sensibility of the shape, while at Versace, those cat eye shapes in white were as subversive as they were bold!

THE OF A COVETABILITY GUCCI BAG

While the reasons behind the house’s suc cess are manifold, a constant component during the tenure of current creative direc tor Alessandro Michele has been excellent ad campaigns. These campaigns commu nicate Gucci’s mythically stylish brand identity on a grand scale, and in particular have contributed to making its accessories some of the most coveted pieces in the contemporary fashion scene. What are the secrets behind the house’s consistently suc cessful accessories campaigns? How does Gucci maintain such a mystical hold over our collective imagination?

KEY CHARACTERISTICS

Storytelling: Drawing on decades of histo ry punctuated by beloved design moments, Gucci sees itself as an unfolding story –one in which any independent personality can participate, provided they have the means and the style.

Eclectic yet Cohesive: Even with all its distinct characters and storylines, the brand maintains an instantly recognizable image across all its communications, an impressive visual cohesion that is largely due to the creative collaboration be tween Alessandro Michele and art direc tor Christopher Simmonds.

Totemic Power: In connection to its legacy of artful design, Gucci’s campaign com munications wisely position its pieces – in particular its bags – as almost mystical artifacts, powerful symbols that imbue their wearer with an unmistakable aura and connect them to the house’s expansive creative world.

Taking his cue from Alessandro Michele’s whimsical yet refined, retro-referenc ing designs, art director Christopher

Simmonds has developed an immersive and iconic visual world across Gucci’s campaign communications.

Nostalgic and dreamy, but exuding a contemporary edge, each campaign forms a new chapter of a story that un folds across this space between fantasy and reality.

Simmonds and Michele have also teamed up with a range of cultishly visionary filmmakers, like Yorgos Lanthimos, who created the high ly memorable “Of Course a Horse” campaign, which situated the house’s iconic equestrian-inspired accessories in a dreamy re-imagining of 70s Los Angeles, or Harmony Korine, who cooked up a number of fantastical campaigns, including the brilliant “The

“We decided to show the concept of ‘beloved’ in an ironic way in the campaign, being inspired by the fact that bags are the protagonists in my life and in the lives of many other people,” Michele shared. “We went back in time to the original TV talk shows, where the protagonist is the bag itself, the big star. Very often these creations are named after influential women who conditioned the habits and customs of many. It is precisely because they have great personalities that in the industry we gave them these powerful names; and now we have them in a show and twisted with the idea that there were

ALESSANDRO MICHELE / CREATIVE DIRECTOR GUCCI

THE POWER OF GUCCI IS INESCAPABLE: THE BRAND’S NAME ALONE IS ALMOST A MAGIC WORD, CONJURING UP DREAMY AS SOCIATIONS OF DECADENCE, VINTAGE FANTASY, AND THE SENSUAL SUPPLENESS OF AN EXCELLENTLY CRAFTED LEATH ER BAG.

Beloved Show,” a surreal talk show that put a spotlight on the personalities of iconic celebrity figures and their signa ture bags.

THE COVETABILITY OF A BAG

STYLE

two stars: the bag and the actual talent. A game of cross-references between the two great protagonists.”

Most recently, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of its bamboo top-handle bags, Gucci shared “Kaguya,” a gor geous and dreamy short film by creative director Toshihiko Tanabe and director Makoto Nagahisa that retells a classic Japanese myth through a dazzling and contemporary lens.

Though they branch off in many direc tions, Alessandro and Simmonds do im pressive work to unite each chapter into an aesthetic identity that, while distinct, is also unmistakably Gucci.

This fantastical, nostalgic yet contempo rary visual rhapsody is also supported by a keen attention to the power of mu sic, with different campaign soundtracks or musical collaborations alluding to a dig through the vintage record bin by an eccentric and sensitive tastemaker.

Within these distinct narratives, Gucci invites an eclectic cast of personalities to embody its stories, effortlessly setting an example of diversity and inclusion that organically arises from the brand’s ethos of independence, personal expression, and idiosyncratic beauty. This commit ment was particularly emphasized in the brand’s Fall 2020 Jackie Bag campaign, which featured all non-binary models, a progressive and striking way to assert that these bags can be for everyone and anyone.

Meanwhile, these characters are painted as almost mythical figures: through their connection to these pieces that attest to an iconic legacy of artful design, these powerful tools of persona, they become the guardians of Gucci’s heritage who will guide it into the future. There is certainly an aura around items that have the designation of “luxury,” and Gucci is doing some of the smartest work to fill this perceived energy with meaning,

communicating the fantastical through an object that is very real.

The house wisely uses its experimental digital retail space, Gucci Vault, to fur ther its connection to history and design heritage and leverage distinct pieces as covetable artifacts or symbols of a keen collector’s eye.

Through this platform, the house sells one-off vintage pieces “selected by the Creative Director and Gucci archivists for their particularity and character, and reconditioned by in-house artisans.” The platform also functions as a boutique for other brands and designers curated by the Gucci team, as well as a gallery for collaborations with artists both physical and digital, expanding the house’s status as a key figure at the intersection of art, fashion, and culture.

HOW SMART BUYERS NAME THEIR TERMS

DON'T GO TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE WITHOUT READING THIS

DANA ROMITA  LUXURY REAL ESTATE CONTRIBUTOR  @danaromita

HIGHER INTEREST RATES

HAVE HAD A

SWIFT AND SUBSTANTIAL IM PACT ON THE U.S. HOUSING MARKET. IN CONTRAST, NYC IS PIVOTING IN SLOW MO TION IN RESPONSE TO INFLA TION AND INTEREST RATES, SAID JOHNATHAN MILLER OF MILLER SAMUELS, A NEW YORK-BASED REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL AND CONSULTING FIRM.

The Manhattan market is transitioning to a buyers’ market, but sellers are not at a disadvantage – we call this a transition market. Low inventory, in conjunction with a slower transaction rate, is holding things in a balance, but market activity will begin to slow as people adopt a

wait-and-see stance. The silver lining to this is that with fewer buyers in the market, the buyers who remain have more leverage to negotiate. Armed with a good team to advise on market value and the numerous financing products available, buyers should feel confident to move forward and purchase.

THE MARKET TODAY

Manhattan home sales are down in Q3, but still above pre-pandemic levels. The NYC market seems to have lost its seasonality for now. Some of that can be attributed to luxury foreign buyers (Chinese, Indian, Singaporean, South American and Middle Eastern) who were a strong presence in 2022. They are here during what would typically be the slow season, leveling out the seasonality curve. It is also an inconsistent market – one listing may sit while one down the street may have four offers over ask (I have recently experienced this exact scenario).

Sales cooled, allowing for more negoti ations, and buyers have greater leverage than they have had over the last few

months, but it’s not a slam-dunk buyers’ market yet. New listings are decreasing in tandem with transactions. Prices remain higher, yet Q3 has seen a 7.3 percent average listing discount. Sellers need to price correctly - listen to your broker!

TODAY’S LUXURY BUYER

Older Wall Street’s dominance of the luxury market has ceded to the young er tech professionals. These buyers are increasingly drawn to Chelsea and its beautiful sunset views. Big tech compa nies continue to expand their presence in Chelsea, and young, high-income buyers are flocking there, along with Tribeca, the West Village and Soho.

Luxury buyers are mostly cash; people holding cash often look for alternative assets amid an unpredictable equity market - NYC real estate is an excellent option. Despite their ability to make all-cash purchases, a luxury buyer might decide that it makes more sense to fi nance (yes, even with these rates) if they don’t want to tie up as much equity.

FINANCING OPPORTUNITIES IN A HIGHER INTEREST RATE WORLD:

“There are no bad options when it comes to deciding how to finance something, there’s just a bad option for you,” said T.J. Williams, a financial adviser and regional vice president with Wealth Enhancement Group in New York. “That’s why it’s so important to consider every option on an individual basis.”

There are products to consid er other than a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. Adjustablerate mortgages (for example, a 5-, 7- or 10-year ARM) will benefit you if rates improve over the next few months.

There is no pre-payment pen alty, and you can refinance at any point in time into a fixed rate mortgage. An interest-only loan is a con sideration for those who are expecting a liquidity event, such as a bonus in the future.

Buying points is something else to explore depending on your anticipated ownership time horizon. A point costs 1 percent of your total mort gage; for every point you purchase, you can lower your rate by about .25 percent. An interesting option is to use closing credits from the seller to buy down your rate. This is appealing in a co-op deal, because a seller credit does not reduce the closing price for the seller; and the buyer likes it because it reduces the

monthly mortgage payment.

A Pledged Asset Line of Credit allows someone to borrow against their in vestment account, but you must understand the risk involved – rates are variable, and you could experience a maintenance call, which is in response to equity market movement. A solid repay ment plan is essential when pursuing this path.

Jumbo Loans tend to have lower rates than conform ing loans and lead to less liquidity loss. Then there are Intrafamily Loans which offer lower interest rates (some times 50 percent lower than market rates) that are set by the IRS and a way to divest income or make gifts. They may become more attrac

tive if estate-tax exemptions change.

Cash buyers may choose to purchase in cash and then finance afterward. Opting for Purchase Loan allows you a 90-day window within which to finance.

COMMON FINANCING MISCONCEPTIONS

“In a rising rate environ ment, there can be fear, hesitation and analysis to paralysis,” said Gary Tamboer of CrossCountry Mortgage, LLC. I asked Tamboer to share his thoughts on how we should think about financing options in this market. He said, “A common mistake is relying on the people closest to us for advice – friends, family, business associates.

The risk here is that without an accurate understanding of your individual financial por trait and needs, this advice could be more of a hindrance than a help and prevent you from finding the right financing solution. We will hear things like, ‘ARMS are dangerous’, ‘You should never pay points’ or ‘You’ll never pay off an interest-only loan’. Defer to the professionals on this and allow the team you

LUXURY REAL ESTATE

are working with to give you informed, of-the-moment, bespoke guidance. Options are the right way to approach a financial decision. Ask your lender for multiple options, and don’t be afraid to bom bard them with questions

- ‘What would it look like if I paid points; if the seller gave me a concession for points or a temporary buy-down, or if I took an ARM versus a fixed rate?’ An experienced

professional will welcome this and should be prepared to educate you, not just sell you – there is a difference. If you aren’t comfortable with the advice you are receiving, speak to someone else.”

MAKING YOUR MOVE

Your real estate broker should be a good resource for mul tiple lenders and real estate attorneys – find your people,

build your team and then make your move!

Working with a knowledge able real estate broker in con junction with an experienced mortgage broker-banker is the best possible way to pro ceed in this market. Armed with the power of informa tion and experience, take advantage of the opportunity to purchase your perfect property now.

MANSION OF THE MONTH PRESIDIO HEIGHTS PERFECTION

WASHINGTON STREET

FRANCISCO

WHAT COULD BE SAN FRANCISCO’S HIGHEST-PRICED HOME EVER HIT THE MARKET.

A 93-year-old residence that recent ly came to market in San Francisco’s Presidio Heights would be San Francisco’s single most expensive home sale if it sells at its $45 million listing price.

The estate, which played host to the 2010 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, was commissioned by Elsa

Guggenhime in 1929 and designed by architects Albert Farr and his part ner Joseph Francis Ward. The famous pair designed more than two doz en Craftsman residential buildings throughout the Bay Area — particularly in San Francisco’s Russian Hill, Pacific Heights, Sea Cliff and St. Francis Wood neighborhoods — during the first four decades of the 20th century.

The six-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom resi dence at 3450 Washington St. features nearly 10,000 square feet of living space, views of the Golden Gate Bridge, a large backyard and a redwood paneled threecar garage.

New amenities include a state-of-theart spa with sauna and steam room, a 3,000-bottle temperature-controlled wine cellar, a hidden cigar room, an elevator servicing all levels, silk wall pa per from Phillip Jeffries and a commis sioned chandelier by Lindsey Adelman. The home also has two chef’s kitchens.

It last sold in 2014 for $18 million and since then was completely renovated by Matarozzi Pelsinger and Handel Architects, an undertaking that finished in 2016. According to public records, the seller is an entity called YM2 LLC., which is linked to Mark Armenante, co-founder of both Vlocity and Veeva. It

MANSION OF THE MONTH

MANSION OF THE MONTH

3450 WASHINGTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO

was listed on Sept. 21 for $45 million by Compass agent Antoine Crumeyrolle.

“The grandeur and elegance of this stately home has been

perfected through a ‘downto-the-studs’ renovation fea turing a completely re-imag ined interior showcasing exquisite timeless finishes

throughout, creating a truly rare San Francisco offering,” Crumeyrolle said in an email.

Flip through the gallery above to see inside 3450

Washington in Presidio Heights.

ters

only

CASTILLO

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In Search of SolaceThanksgiving Wine Pairings FABULOUS WINES TO PAIR WITH TURKEY

WILLIAM SMITH @willismith_2000 COPY EDITOR & CONTRIBUTOR

UTUMN IS HERE IN NORTH AMERICA. AND MANY OF YOU, LIKE ME, MAY HAVE ALREADY HAD YOUR FIRST FIRES IN YOUR FIREPLACES TO INAUGURATE THE ARRIVAL OF THE SEASON.

We even had our first snowflakes in Santa Fe in late October, though I had traveled that very day to take in the beauty of the turning hues of vines in Napa and Sonoma as well as a stellar lunch at the stalwart of Napa joints, Mustards Grill.

By now, in the U.S., we are also prepar

Aing for Thanksgiving, that bountiful holiday full of resplendent culinary comforts. In my family, growing up in the northeast United States, it was always a traditional meal, right down to the green bean casserole (with a can of Cream of Mushroom soup) and the sweet potatoes covered in sweet and browned marshmallow. How’s that for haute cuisine?

Whatever is on your Thanksgiving table for consumption, it won’t be complete without the right wine and the unique foods and flavors of Thanksgiving create some incredible opportunities to choose the right wines.

My go-to for Thanksgiving is the most recently released vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau. I know, I know. I can see an upturned nose or two, but bear with me.

On the third Thursday of every November “le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé,” as the old marketing tagline

goes. Thought by many to be too gim micky, I treasure the ritual of the release of the year’s first wine. I mention this because drinking Beaujolais Nouveau is more than just tasting some wine, it feels like participating in a rite of passage alongside the growers, the hand harvesters, and winemakers who toiled yet another season.

The wine is made from gamay grapes and is quickly fermented for just a few weeks, earning its name as a “vin de primeur” or early wine. Fifty-five differ ent appellations in France are licensed to create early wines and these wines came onto the scene in the 1800s as one way to celebrate the end of the harvest. They are low in tannins, high in acid and bursting with zesty, fruity flavors.

The producers who get their wines to your local market can differ greatly, but the mass marketer of Beaujolais Nouveau, Georges Dubœuf, always

seems to end up in whatever locale I find myself. I also tend to always pick up at least one additional bottle of any other brand at my local purveyor, just to make some comparisons.

Beaujolais Nouveaux are simple, straightforward wines meant to be drank imme diately and slightly chilled. Typically deep cherry-red in color, they deliver bright fruit flavors of raspberry, cherries, fig and strawberries. I’ve always felt the lightness and lack of seriousness of the wine paired exception ally well with the homey flavors of roasted turkey with crisped skin and gravy, roasted brussel sprouts with bacon, and butter-drenched mashed potatoes.

In this act of pairing Beaujolais Nouveau with the Thanksgiving meal, two

rituals converge and ritu als, after all, enhance our lives through penetrating to something deeper to exis tence – thankfulness, the blessedness of having sensory perception, and the miracle of what human hands can do with earth’s bounties. Call me a romantic, I’ll own it. But give it a try.

Another classic red pairing for Thanksgiving is Pinot Noir and this year, I’ll have a few bottles of Belle Glos Pinot Noir on hand. Under the keen skills of fifth-gen eration winemaker Joseph Wagner, Belle Glos produc es a number of deliciously different Pinot Noirs from grapes grown across coastal wine regions in California. My favorite is the Clark & Telephone.

The wine is deep ruby in col or with a luscious texture and

harmonious tannins. Dark chocolate and ripe red berries boldly announce themselves at the first sip but evolve further into hints of vanilla and cinnamon. I recommend decanting 20 minutes prior to serving, which will allow the bold flavors to mellow a bit and not overpower that first bite of cornbread stuffing. Finally, if white is preferred, the foods of Thanksgiving are best enjoyed alongside a fresher white, rather than something with age and oak. I’ve been taken in by the brightness of Bonpas’ Luberon, which would com plement your Thanksgiving meal exceptionally well.

“The wine is steady while the world is turning,” is Bonpas’ motto, which feels like that additional layer of comfort at Thanksgiving in our top sy-turvy world. The wine is

a blend of Grenache Blanc, Vermentino, and Clairette et Bourboulenc. The grapes are left on the vines a bit longer and the wine shows a crisp evolution as a result. Flint and minerality meet summer stone fruits in a balanced pal ate whose brightness stands up to roasted fowl or richness of a butternut squash bisque.

I’ve enjoyed the Luberon so much that after my first taste I’ve ordered subsequent cases of the last two vintages.

Julia Child once said, “Wine is meant to be with food – that’s the point of it.” So when your food takes center stage, as it does during Thanksgiving feasts, make sure you’ve chosen wines that elevate the ritual of gathering and dining and yes, of giving thanks.

ALIGN WITH YOUR TRAUMA

A PERSONAL NARRATIVE OF COMING TO TERMS WITH UNTHINKABLE PAIN

Born a dreamer

A warrior lost to their ways When the darkness burnt too cold A spark lit his soul

- AMRITLAL SINGH

personal story. Caged in self-judgment for never having an even-standing, I growingly condemned my single moth er, who suffered from schizophrenia, bi polar disorder and a slew of addictions, for my lack perspective as it related to my origins and the belief that I would never amount to anyone of value.

AMy lifetime of abuse began with my mother and continued through the U.S. foster care system. After I left for col lege, I continued to feed my addiction to pain. As I kept my past hidden from my peers and colleagues, I numbed my ever-darkening, shame-laden heart with addictions that exponentially grew as any hope for self-fulfillment diminished with my rising sense of competition.

cope with reality grew. “Why me?” By age 35, I finally knew.

My depression, which began at age 10, after my first suicide attempt, became so unbearable in my mid-30s that I finally began to listen to my soul to feel without substances. As my higher senses evolved, I could finally begin to comprehend the power of my soul and the beauty of my racially diversified heritage.

For all of the abuse imprinted upon me, as I healed, I could sense more love not only in myself but in others. The beauty of life was magnified and growing in brilliance with every act I took to ex press my true self.

For decades, I struggled to accept my self according to the rules of Western society. Despite the heightened success of my investment career, my rising popularity and accolades, I was plagued by the indoctrinated narrative of my

For 15 years, I struggled with a fatal blood-clotting disorder, severe anxiety, depression, and eventually panic attacks. At every stage of escalating material suc cess, my existential woes and inability to

The trauma stored in my DNA, once healed, allowed my body to hold and emit more spiritual light. The truth is that I never expected to heal from a di agnosis of a lifetime of disease, I simply wanted to feel at peace with who I was.

AMRITLAL SINGH SPIRITUALITY CONTRIBUTOR @monarch_visionary

CCORD ING TO AMERICAN DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGIST, BRUCE LIPTON, NOTED FOR HIS VIEWS ON EPIGENETICS, “THE MOMENT YOU CHANGE YOUR PERCEPTION IS THE MOMENT YOU REWRITE YOUR CHEMISTRY.”

IN SYNC WITH YOUR VIBE

I never expected to realize that I was a Child of the Light.

As my blood began to clear, I realized it was generations of unhealed trauma stored in my organs that prevented me from operating at my fullest energetic capacity. As my chronic allergies and asthma subsided, the Earth revealed to me that for my entire life, my body was trying to clear the toxins of the civilized world, and the lifetime of medications prevented the natural order of life’s mag nificence, and the radiant expression of my DNA.

Through the inner work we do to em body our true selves in our fullest mag nificence, our bodies, souls and planet heal, naturally. Suffering grows in beauty as you gradually realize how glorious the cosmic design is for the evolution of the soul.

The Pain of Becoming, Our Gift in Training

Imagine a world of gods in the making. Children of stars, blissfully strolling along the shores of the universe, un aware of the force beneath their toes, the rising charge of friction sparked between dirt and sole. The rush of a mother’s love gushing from the Earth, rising to meet her children’s feet, the kinetic energy of their mutually expressed joy uniting as precious golden light; a reminder that their mother’s love is always holding them tight.

Unaware of the ever-present uncon ditional love, blind still of the infinite

beauty before our eyes, until our love for life dissolves the pain that taints our golden sight. Such is the creator’s gift to our soul’s pursuit of eternal life, as we grow in appreciation of our connection to the ever-growing divine light, so does our ability to perceive her full magnifi cence. Lifetime over lifetime, reuniting in love with the ones we resist the most. For it is those that hurt us the most that love us just the same. We are one with the Universe, and it is rapture of bliss from the union of opposing forces that compels us through the pains of our infinite rebirths.

“Why does love have to hurt so bad?” Because that is how we learn to create through the magic and beauty of our existence, as we rise above the distor tions of our own self-judgment and misdirected perceptions. When it hurts to pretend not to be who you’ve always been, that’s when you realize that Once awake, you must create. For you are the word that you speak into being. Creators of ever-fine, divine electricity, growing in emotional auric radiance – such is the beauty of how we are evolving. Beings of spiritual frequency, full spectrum gen erators of cosmic rainbow energies. We are the Guardians of the Light, celestial beings in training.

Evolving Our Story to Welcome the Beauty that We Embody Evolution manifests from stress, for we live in an electric universe, where the push for new forms of life is fueled through the pain we experience that drives us to end the dread of our own

suffering. Beings of emotional alchemy, while our surfacing frustrations may be gin with hate, we soon realize that love is the only answer to shift our collective fate.

American author, spiritual leader and political activist Marianne Williamson said, “Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on Earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experi ence love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.”

As servants of the Earth, as we heal our pain, our mother’s spiritual energy is raised through the transmutation of our trauma into deeper sensations of compassion and appreciation. Diamonds in the rough, pressurized by humanity’s heavy touch, as we torch our chains, our heart’s glow, empowered by the Sun’s love, naturally lifts us up. Beneath our human identities, we are all the Children of the Sun. As humanity heals from the generations of trauma of our ancestral bloodlines, the resulting biophoton emissions from our healed DNA mag nifies the Earth’s radiant luminosity. The collective Ascension of the Earth’s children is prophesied as part of her cosmic plan.

Compassion for the Path

As I continue my Ascension work, I grow in compassion for all that my

TRAUMA: THE COAL OF THE SOUL

mother endured, and the generations of souls before her. As I channel my anger to love, not only have I realized and repented for the destructive psychic energy that I have been sending her all along; I am humbled by the power of the force humanity collectively is transmit ting to the realms above, as we trans form the Earth below.

Star beings in Earth form, we incarnate to raise our mothers to the Heavens, as we realize the purpose of our birthing pains experienced on all ends. As we mature celestially, through every stage

of life, our revelations of life’s greatest mysteries deepen.

It is the love we gain as we realize our higher selves into being that fuels our drive to live. The rising vibration of our soul’s embodiment restores the struc ture of our crystalline rainbow bodies, activating dormant genetic expressions and decalcifying the god-center of our minds. Enlightened beings, empaths choose the path of suffering to show the way for others, unaware of the Golden Path that has hidden from so many.

Born to absorb and risen to serve, as we raise the resonance of our genetic vi bration, our resulting expressions create higher order from entropic disharmo nies. Beings of light and frequency, it is our negative belief system that sources rapid aging and disease. As we heal, we begin the process of becoming, one with the unbounded limitations of our imag inations, activating multidimensional aspects of our genome as we surrender our beliefs and learn to love being.

PERSONAL NARRATIVE OF COMING TO TERMS WITH UNTHINKABLE PAIN

MOLD YOUR MIND

SETTING GOALS

PREPARATION MATTERS

JOEY VELEZ HEALTHY LIFESTYLES CONTRIBUTOR @joeyavelez88

THE END OF THE YEAR IS UPON

US AND THAT MEANS IT IS TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT ONE VERY IMPORTANT THING: NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS.

Everybody wants to start off the new year on the right foot with a list of goals they want to accomplish, however, many people are likely to stumble despite their intentions. According to research, 25% of people give up on their resolutions after just two weeks and jumps up to 75% right after Valentine’s Day. People are setting goals but give up on them far too quickly. In order to increase your chance of achieving your goals, you must take a more deliberate approach in your preparation.

PREPARATION MATTERS

According to that same research, there are several reasons causing the high percentage of failure with new year’s resolutions. First, individuals tend to

give up because they lose motivation to complete their goals. I know in my past that I used to set new year’s resolutions because it was very much a societal expectation to do so. Everyone else set them, so why not me? The problem with this level of motivation is that it is likely to not last, which for me, it never did.

Second, often the goals that individuals set are not very clear. When there is a lack of clarity on what you want to achieve, there is a lot of room for ambi guity and justification for a lack of ac tion. In my early 20s, I had the constant goal of “being healthier”. Something everyone should strive for, but the vague nature of this goal has its problems. For example, if I eat pizza 6 times a week, but because of this goal I only eat pizza 5 times per week, that is technically being healthier. However, as you have probably identified, eating pizza 5 times per week will not help anyone be health ier. Also, “healthier” could be related to physical fitness, nutrition, or mental health, so there are a lot of interpreta tions of what “healthier” means.

Third, individuals often do not know what to do or where to begin, thereby lowering one’s motivation. I may want something, but if I do not know the actions necessary to take in the pursuit,

then I am less likely to put in the re quired effort. Growing up I felt over weight and always had the goal of losing weight, but I lacked the knowledge on what to eat, how to eat, what exercis es to do, or how much time I should spend working out to lose weight. It eventually got to a point where I was so overwhelmed with a lack of knowledge that I would end up putting off my own research “until next week”...in which that “next week” never came.

HOW TO PREP FOR YOUR GOALS

There are four areas to consider when preparing for the goals you want to achieve. First and foremost, you need to identify what you want to achieve! It is important to make sure your goal is spe cific. For example, if you want to “lose weight”, think about how much weight you want to lose. Do you want to lose 20 lbs.? 30 lbs.? Do you want to be a cer tain weight? Increasing clarity can help you have more directed effort and at tention. You also want to set a goal that is going to challenge you. For example, let’s say you currently run a 10-min ute mile, setting the goal of running a 9-minute mile rather than a 9:50-mile is going to require you to put in more effort to achieve, but it is something realistic for you to attain. If you run a

THE POWER OF UNLOCKING YOUR MIND

YEAR-END SERIES: PART 1

achieve your goal. Our values are what drive behaviors each and every day. They make up who we are. They impact our decision-making and have a great influence over our lives. If you align your values with your goals, now your goal will have more meaning because it is aligned with who you are as a person. Of course you will need to clearly iden tify values that you possess, not values you think would work well for your goal. If I do not value hard work, but know it will help me achieve my goal, utilizing this value will not provide the motivation needed.

Once you identify your goal and which of your values will help you achieve your goal, you now want to identify three to four areas that you need to work on in order to achieve your goal. For example, last year I had the goal of running a 10k. In order for me to achieve this goal, I knew I had to work on my physical fitness, nutrition, and also recovery. Physical fitness was

important because it was going to be needed to make sure I made it the whole 6-plus miles. Nutrition was going to be important because it would help provide the energy needed for the run. Recovery was going to be important because there was a lot of training involved, so I needed my body to recover in order to set me up for the long-term. This requires you to think about potential obstacles you might face along the way because that will indicate what areas you may need to focus on.

Finally, you want to create actionable steps to chip away at the developmental areas you created. These steps are the work that needs to be done to help get you one step closer to your goal. For example, I had the actionable steps of doing a foam roll for 10 minutes before bed every night and to also stretch for 5 minutes after every run. These two steps reminded me of what I needed to do in order to prioritize recovery to

ensure that I stayed on track with my goal. Having actionable steps for each of your areas that you need to work on can provide the en ergy, effort, and attention towards the right things to help make progress towards your goal.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This preparation strategy lends itself better and more effectively to longterm goals. If you have a short-term goal to run twice this week or to paint your office, putting in this much time to prepare for those tasks might do more harm than good, but if you have a goal that may take a few months then this process is what you need. Also, we discussed looking at obstacles to know what you need to work on, but you also want to look at the best things that can come from you achieving your goal. This will help provide energy to over come your obstacles and the motivation to achieve your goals.

Goals are not always easy to achieve, but that is what makes them worth it. In order to increase the likelihood of achieving your goals, take the time to prepare so that you have the ammuni tion needed to crush your goals. The new year is not too far off and the count is on…

LIFE COACHING AND EXPERT WELLNESS EXERCISES

FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD & HOW AN INSTITUTION FAILED US

JUSTIN "GOLIATH" JOHNSON WELLNESS CONTRIBUTOR @goliathcoaches

“FAITH WITH OUT WORKS

IS DEAD.” THIS IS ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE THINGS

TO USE TO GROUND MYSELF.

As I was growing up, I legitimately wanted to see the best in everyone, I wanted to believe them, and I learned how to have faith in almost anything. If you told me, I believed you.

As a starry-eyed and naïve child, I had no desire to witness all the deceit that sets into our consciousness as we live, learn and mature. I wanted, nay, loved, to see the best in people, as I do now; the difference, now, is that I am not as

hurt or surprised when humans act human. I have a much greater appreci ation for the ying and yang of life along with the polarity of people. Faith is a beautiful thing: it can help you through tough times. Faith can be something you lean on, that small voice in the back of your mind that eases you. It can help you understand that it will be okay, especially when it doesn’t seem so. It’s comforting to believe that every thing is not completely reliant on skill. Everything that happens, or does not happen, is not just your own doing or your fault. Here is also where faith can be such a danger to us.

The black American church was built based upon a system of faith. The black experience in America during the formative years of the black church was one of intense hardship – it took enormous faith to believe that anything could and would work out. We have come a long way from those early years

of hardship intertwined with faith. Yet, today we find ourselves in a place where we live with a dangerous faith: a faith that has become an easy escape from individual and collective accountability.

Faith without work is dead. It is all too easily forgotten that to execute the blessing that faith provides, you must do something. Action is often the other side of the coin. You don’t just have faith in your system of worship, but you have faith in yourself to act and help execute a plan.

A big problem I have with black faith is its Savior, whose supernatural ability is to save us, regardless of our prior sins, deeds or inactions. This Saviordependent faith allows us to overlook facts, such as learning necessary tools to achieve a higher level of success. It too easily allows us to be victims. Of course, I’m speaking generally; not all people of faith see themselves as victims, and

I’m certainly not condemn ing systems of belief as a whole. Let me repeat myself: Faith without work is dead. Being an active participant in change is required.

For your world to be better, you have to become better. You must take some account ability. We can sit in places of worship, scream, cry, shout and praise, but if you go home and sit right back on the couch, exhausted from praising your faith, how does your life change? No one is

going to save you – not here and not now.

You were not made to be saved. You were made to execute the purpose you feel is yours on this grand spinning rock. We spend a lot of time in the fantasies of growth. There is absolutely nothing wrong with dream ing, but what happens when you wake up? How do you execute that dream?

Dreams are for sleep. But being awake means you are

able to go and execute those dreams. God is not going to do it for you. The man who works is the man who eats. It is absolutely necessary to work and ground that work in something that you enjoy so you do it well.

When you offer the full func tion of your being, the high est level of faith is produced. This is why we celebrate star athletes or top-tier entertain ers: they are living their lives being the best versions of themselves. They are func

tioning at such a high level that people can see their faith spilling out of their pores.

The lesson here? Wake up from your dreams. Put your feet on the pavement. Keep believing, keep attacking, keep becoming the best version of yourself. Your faith requires a plan; your plan does not require faith… it re quires execution. Go execute faithfully!