This is James Townsend. He's a CrossFit enthusiast in his 30s, and the co-owner of Automo CrossFit in Moorpark, California, just north of Los Angeles, in Simi Valley.
James, who used to be a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears, strives to bring the best out of his daughters, especially his 4-year-old, Prisais "Princess P" Brooklyn.
A quick scroll through Princess P's Instagram feed is all the inspiration you need to get your fitness life all the way together. Through their shared love of fitness, Prisais is taking being daddy's little girl to a new level. And she's got the reps to prove it.
She's doing burpees.
She can clear 10 pull-ups. (I can't even do one.)
And she has the push-up game on lock.
Princess P is anything but ordinary. According to her father, the gym has always been her playground. "She grew up in the gym," James tells me as we catch up for a chat. "She's been in the gym since she was two months. So, by me being in the gym, doing CrossFit with other CrossFit athletes, she always picked up on it. She was always watching. So, when I would get done doing a workout, I'd let her out of her stroller, and have her run around. One day, when she was 10 months, she just picked up a 2.5 pound dumbbell and started doing dumbbell snatches. And I had never showed her any of that."
Prisais has always had a natural love of fitness, and she's lucky enough to be able to share the time she spends working out with her pops doing CrossFit. "She's been doing this since [she was] between 10-14 months old. So, from there I would put her on a pull-up bar and she would just hang. She would go to the gymnastic rings and she would swing," he continued. "She would do the hollow rocks on the rings. And from the rings, she would start going higher with her box jumps. And she would go higher with her jumps. She would start doing pull-ups on her own and from there, I just started filming her and showing people it's okay to train."
It's not uncommon to see videos of Prisais doing box jumps, pull-ups, or burpees on Instagram. Her love for fitness has not only fostered a connection between herself and her dad, but it has also improved her confidence, strength, and conditioning for gymnastics. And according to her doting dad, baby girl can train!
James explained, "Every Tuesday, we have a daddy-daughter CrossFit day. Her and I spend time together and I get to have father daughter time with her. I love working out and I love CrossFit, and she loves it too so having her do it with me, it's just our bonding time."
James is also proud of how Prisais has managed to poke holes in the idea that children who engage in physical fitness end up having stunted growth, since their bones are not fully developed. "It's okay to let your kids do physical fitness and train them with strict supervision. A lot of parents these days think that if you let your child do physical fitness or weight training, it will stunt their growth or hurt their joints, which is completely false. It actually does the completely opposite. It betters her," he said.
Medical experts would agree with James. In 2010, the New York Times published a finding from the Pediatrics review, where researchers with the Institute of Training Sciences and Sports Informatics in Germany found that children and adolescents benefited from weight training.
"It's encouraged for your child to train because, in America, we are going through a huge epidemic of childhood obesity."
"A lot of schools are getting rid of recess. We grew up on jumping from jungle gyms, climbing trees and physical activity but to limit our kids and take that away, it's adding to the huge epidemic of childhood obesity," he said. "So, now I feel it's my duty to have my child be the face of it, where she can empower other young women and young boys to go ahead and want to do physical fitness to better their lives. To be more active and to put an end to childhood obesity."
Prisais, who is always the go-getter, has not stopped setting goals for herself, and has goals to complete 100 push-ups in a row. But on the way to her goal, she fully plans to continue doing gymnastics and CrossFit training with her dad.
It's that confidence and that drive that fuels the passion behind James and his mission. The smile in his voice as he talks about Prisais and his other daughters is pure and evident. "I'm very passionate. [About] just empowering my girls period. I'm a father of three girls and they are my everything," he said. "Just building strong women and allowing them to be strong and to be confident and fearless in a male-dominated industry such as fitness, it's the best thing I could give her and any other young girl out there."
Take a look at Princess P killing her box jumps below. She's truly amazing.
Some women have their whole wedding planned out, from the bridal gown and venue to the bridal party and playlist. However, KJ was not one of those people. “I didn’t foresee a wedding in my future,” she reveals. “I was just gonna be the boss chick, rich auntie. I didn’t force love in my life until recently. I never had an idea of what a dream wedding would look like, it was easier for me to elope.”
KJ Smith
Photo by Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
And to many people’s surprise, that was their original plan – until Skyh brought up a valid concern. He was raised by his grandmother and thought she should be at the wedding, and naturally, that led to KJ wanting her grandmother to be there as well – then her mom – and later her sister – and, you’ve gotta invite the besties too, right? From there, the guest list continued to blossom. Much like the updo and pop of color bold red lip, she wore on her special day, which was initially on her Pinterest board as a soft glam look with her hair hanging on her shoulders, KJ is okay with changing her plan if it brings her and her loved ones happiness.
So let’s get into the wedding, which took place in Malibu, CA. The first thing you should know about the celebrity couple is that they’re non-traditional. They know, and they don’t care. So, in true unconventional fashion, they shared the morning of the wedding together.
“I woke up with Skyh, we walked our dog, had black coffee, and said good morning to the people who stayed at the venue with us,” she says.
Now, it was time for hair and makeup. While she was getting glammed up, she had Black-owned McBride Sisters wine and champagne (which ties into The Black Experience theme) on deck with her mom and friends, had her besties help rework her vows, retried on every outfit (sis is very Type-A), took photos, and ended the early-celebration with prayer and meditation. It seems very non-Bridezilla, I said.
“Yeah, I was the most unbothered bride ever. Everyone was just so supportive. As entertainers, we go on red carpets all the time. We actually have a production company,” she explains. “The get-ready process was like a day at work, but with people we love the most. Being entertainers, we didn’t feel stressed at all, but my excitement was so high.”
Things moved quickly, and before she knew it, it was time to line up to walk down the aisle.
“Yeah, I was the most unbothered bride ever. Everyone was just so supportive. As entertainers, we go on red carpets all the time. We actually have a production company. The get-ready process was like a day at work, but with people we love the most. Being entertainers, we didn’t feel stressed at all, but my excitement was so high.”
KJ Smith and her bridal party
Photo by Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
Since everything started with their grandmothers, the couple wanted to ensure they honored them and planned to keep an element of their wedding traditional. Although we’ve all seen the reception videos and photos online, you may have noticed visuals from the wedding itself are harder to find.
“We planned for it to be traditional, but we’re not like that, so we tried to create those moments. We jumped the broom and had a salt ceremony (where the bride and groom individually pour salt into a glass container, symbolizing their lives becoming one.) But honestly, still, nothing was traditional about it.”
She goes on to explain that her mom caught the holy ghost coming down the aisle, her glam team was on deck, and she became so nervous with excitement that she had an anxiety attack – something she struggled with for years, she explains tearfully. Her friends had to literally cheer her down the aisle because of how overwhelmed she felt until she eventually calmed down.
“Skyh was standing there with his hand on his heart; we have our own little language, and I could feel the support,” she shares.
It was surprising to hear all these emotional moments happened before the party we saw online. That is until she once again got into the backstory.
“As a Black woman actress, for so long, it was popular to be mysterious and secretive, but that’s not who I am or what I like. Plus, we both wanted to create an experience for everyone there. We are the people who always host family and friends,” she says. “Like for me, the first order of business was getting sandals for the women so they can dance all night long. We had oxtail, D'ussé, and a coffee and sativa lounge – which is part of Skyh and I’s lifestyle and routine. We wanted to bring them into our world.”
Skyh Black (L) and KJ Smith (R)
Photo by Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
She went on to discuss the dance routine she did for her husband at the reception, which has taken over the internet. Apparently, that’s another thing that didn’t go according to plan. According to KJ, she had promised a performance at their joint bachelor/ bachelorette party, but her outfit got stolen from her car. So, Skyh ended up performing for her – complete with a strip tease. Still, she never forgot her promise to dance for him.
So, she hired her friend as a choreographer, learned the routine, made friends and family watch it endless times, and attended Beyoncé’s Renaissance show a few days before for a confidence boost. It ended up being a show to remember. But that wasn’t all the night offered. Lil Mo performed, and the guests received special goody bags featuring their favorite Black-owned products like journals, hair care, and more.
“We made sure everyone was taken care of all night. That kind of stuff makes us happy. I wanted everyone there to experience the joy and love I have for myself, my partner, and for them. I wanted them to feel full and whole, and they had the time of their lives,” she says.
But naturally, the internet is going to internet, and while there were countless people praising the event and applauding the newlyweds, some thought it was too over the top. I was curious to know her thoughts on some of the criticism.
“It’s cool. We did what we wanted to do. I’ve decided to share my world with people. Just how I went on social media platforms and found inspiration, I want people to do the same,” she explains. “I don’t think it's fair to my supporters not to give that out. There’s so much I wanna share with brides, specifically Black brides. I love that people are adding it to their Pinterest boards."
"I wanted everyone there to experience the joy and love I have for myself, my partner, and for them. I wanted them to feel full and whole, and they had the time of their lives."
KJ Smith
Photo by Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
“I’m happy with it because we did what we wanted to do. They can do what they wanna do. Don’t be cruel, though, because you will get blocked,” she said, laughing.
The more I spoke with her, the more her sense of freedom shined through. People are always going to have their opinions, but at the end of the day, it’s you who has to live your life, and it seems like the couple realizes that and embraces that power. She also stressed the importance of not living for others and the lessons life has taught her.
“I’ve been to countless weddings, and I’ve been in countless weddings. I’m a generally older bride. So when women in my demographic get married, and you and your husband are busy working people like us, you deserve to have the one you want to have,” she shares.
“This is what we wanted to do. Our loved ones love and support us. We did so much to honor them, but we also wanted to start our own tradition, legacy, and creation. I'm not going to be pulled back into ideas of the past when I’m trying to create a future with my partner. “
If you’d like to see more of the couple, you probably won’t have to wait long. Although no content is planned yet, she admits to being an oversharer. “Me being open and transparent about my experiences lets people know it’s okay to have flaws; it makes you human, and for many years, I didn’t believe that was okay. I had pressure to be perfect, and I’d crumble every time,” she explains to xoNecole.
Now, she owns her flaws and uses them as a superpower to connect with her community and feel and express her love.
“Some people give us [Skyh and KJ] a hard time because they say we just seem too perfect. I’m like, why is that a bad thing? I love the people I love. From my man to my mama, to my friends - unabashedly. We move through time and space how we want to move. If we did it another way, we’d let ourselves and our union down.”
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Feature image by Stanley Babb/ Stanlo Photography
But if there’s one skincare ingredient that can deliver an all-in-one solution to most skincare concerns, it’s retinol.
What Is Retinol?
As the darling of the skincare space, retinol is a vitamin-A derivative that is used to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin texture, increase collagen production, and enhance cell turnover, leading to smoother and more youthful-looking skin.
How Does Retinol Work?
Retinol, which is commonly found in creams, serums, and other skincare formulations, works in several ways that benefit the skin. It promotes cellular turnover by encouraging the removal of old skin cells and the production of new, healthier ones, improving skin texture and reducing fine lines. Additionally, retinol stimulates collagen production, which combats wrinkled skin and helps to unclog pores, making it an effective ingredient to use against acne and enlarged pores.
Because the body can not produce vitamin A on its own, it needs to be provided through dietary intake and topical application to the skin via skincare products.
How To Start Using Retinol
Because retinol is an active skincare ingredient, it’s important to start adding it into your skincare routine gradually and taking note of your skin’s sensitivity and how your skin responds to it. If you're new to retinol, it's advised to begin with a lower concentration (at least 0.25% retinol) and allow your skin to acclimate by starting once a week or every other night.
As your skin becomes more accustomed to retinol over time, you can then gradually increase the frequency. After a few weeks, you may be able to use it every night, but some people may find that using it every other night or a few times a week is sufficient.
Always listen to your skin and pay close attention to how your skin reacts to the usage of retinol. Experiencing dryness, redness, flaking, or irritation while using retinol is normal, but it could be a sign that you may be using retinol too often or at too high a concentration. While it can be frustrating to go through the trial-and-error phase of using retinol, adjusting the frequency of use or switching to a milder formulation can yield the best results while minimizing potential side effects.
And, of course, always use sunscreen.
To get you started on your retinol journey, here are some of the best beginner-friendly retinol serums and creams to try out for yourself:
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Featured image by Renata Angerami/Getty Images
