Meet The Local Experts Who Can Help You Feel Fit, Centered and Sensational For The New Year

A clear mind and a strong body—those are the most sought-after commodities of 2020. Meet the local experts who can help you feel fit, centered and sensational for the new year.

Kelly Bennett stands on the rooftop deck of the newly opened Fergusons Downtown, where she is the marketing director.

THE LIFESTYLIST

With recent professional credits including the launch of VegeNation and the new Fergusons Downtown, blogger and creative advocate Kelly Bennett (withkellybennett.‌com) aims to help local creatives manifest the life they were meant to live.

When did you start on your personal creative path? I’ve always been a creative person. My first business was a hair and makeup salon out of my bedroom when I was 16. My parents were entrepreneurial and my sister is an actress, so being around that energy made me want to create my own reality. I’ve always been interested in not going with the status quo. How did you go about achieving that? After graduating high school, I set out to really create my own lifestyle and explore how to do that in a way that would make a positive impact on the world. I didn’t know how to articulate it at the time, but since I was 18, I traveled the world experimenting, creating different ideas, working on different projects and seeing what I can do. Describe your lifestyle. I live in an Airstream, so I live very minimally. I cook a lot of my meals, and I seek to use all plant-based, locally made ingredients. I like to buy upcycled clothing or items made ethically. I am intentional with how I spend my time, and I always start my day with journaling. Why is journaling an important practice? As a creative, you can be inspired by so much or be so curious about so many things—which is amazing—but how do you start applying that? So being ‘pen to paper’ intentional with how you start your day makes a huge difference.

Charlie Peaches inside The Noise Project, a hair salon the business coach co-founded at Fergusons Downtown; Shot on location at The Noise Project at Fergusons Downtown.

THE BIZ BUILDER

Entrepreneur and inspirational business coach Charlie Peaches (charliepeaches.com) has helped to develop more than 20 companies and countless brands. Yours could be next.

What is some advice that you give to young entrepreneurs? I actually think that business is pretty simple. Humans are the hard part. Creating a harmony with people is the challenge. If I were to give advice to starter-uppers, I’d say that consistency and courage is really the formula. What seems to hold people back from pursuing their business ideas? I really believe that it is our light that scares us the most. You don’t need to get to that clean slate moment in life to say yes to things that we’ve always thought about. Just try it out. You have permission to do it right now. What daily rituals have helped you? I grew up an athlete, so I grew up with learning how to meditate and play mind games. I stay disciplined and tell myself every morning, ‘I am strong. I am kind. I am wise.’ A lot of ‘I ams’ and not ‘I want to bes.’ We all are already. We all have superpowers that are magic, and it’s really just believing in ourselves. I think affirmations are a great way to create a habit that really works. The brain and the mind really listens to what we tell it. How can people achieve their best work? When we are having fun, we get the greatest results. Life and business is all a game—it’s all a sport—and I want to have fun while I’m playing it. You can’t focus on the bad shots—you have to move on from them—and you have to really feel the good ones. I think there’s a really awesome ripple effect that happens from that.

Alex Lee, co-founder of Foodie Fit, is committed to providing healthy meal prep items that are cooked and delivered daily; Shot on location at Fergusons Downtown.

THE MEAL PREP PRINCE

From Bryce Harper, Ryan Reaves and other top athletes to performers and executives, Foodie Fit (foodiefitmeals.‌com) co-founder Alex Lee keeps busy people on the right nutritious track.

What made you start Foodie Fit? I moved here five years ago from Shanghai. I worked at Encore Beach Club and then at XS. Every night, me and my friend—now partner Andrew Kowal (who then worked at Intrigue)—would text each other to see what we were going to eat, and it was like, ‘Carl’s Jr. or Jack in the Box?’ We wanted a healthier option, so we found a meal prep company, and it was not good. We wished that there was something that tasted good that was actually healthy. We eventually landed on a company called Ninja Fit Meals that we liked, so we partnered with the owner Bo Vu (who is now our third partner and cooks everything), and we rebranded everything Foodie Fit. Where was Vu before? He was at Charlie Palmer Steakhouse for six years as an executive sous chef. To have someone with that level of culinary experience is not the norm. He has the best-tasting healthy food I’ve ever had. What causes people to get off track with nutrition? Lack of consistency and convenience. People will give in to temptation when their ‘diet food’ tastes bad and doesn’t fill them up. Convenience is also a big issue, especially in Vegas if you work nights, where you only have fast food as an option at 3am. What makes Food Fit special? From the beginning, we cook fresh and deliver every day. We focus on the taste, and we know the more you eat it, the healthier you’ll get.

Lacey Alderson was named ClassPass’ Instructor of the Year for two consecutive years—an achievement only attained by six other instructors nationwide; Shot on location at The Ride.

THE SPIN MASTER

When locals in the know want to torch calories, they turn to The Ride’s (theridecycling.com) straight-talking Lacey Alderson—a Lululemon ambassador and ClassPass instructor of the year for the last two years in a row.

What makes your teaching style special? My thing is my time is so limited, so I want my riders to get in there and get it all out in 45 minutes—mental, physical, even existential. I want them to be able to conquer and get ready for the next step. I don’t care if you’re a misfit or a billionaire. Let’s get together and let the energy in the room take over. Why do you think your classes are always sold out? A lot of people don’t know that I applied to two studios before The Ride, and The Ride was very hesitant. So I just thought, ‘I am not going to tone it down. I am going to own it 100 percent,’ and I went out guns a blazing. Within six months I was sold out, and I’ve been sold out ever since. The more I let my fear of rejection go, the more things evolved. What are some of the motivating phrases you use in the studio? I say these all the time: ‘Hidden in your fear lies your power.’ ‘Keep it prison tight.’ ‘No pancake ass.’ ‘Every day you’re getting harder to kill’—I’ve held on to that one so much because if you’re not doing something every day to make yourself stronger in some capacity, then what are we doing here? Do you have a new year’s resolution? I always want to keep moving more. I went to a doctor a couple of months ago who said that sitting is the new smoking, and I loved that.

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