While it can be fun to incorporate the cool workout equipment you accumulated over the course of quarantine into your sweat session (hello, Bala Power Ring), sometimes you just need to keep things simple. Nicole Uribarri, program director and founding instructor of Bande, takes you back to basics in this episode of Trainer of the Month Club. She demos a classic barre workout that works your entire body in 20 minutes, no special equipment necessary.
“The goal today is simple, but not easy. It’s a classic barre class that’s meant to heat you up and work you out from the inside out,” says Uribarri. “So just do your best, and most importantly enjoy it.”
The first few minutes will get your blood flowing—and then the real work begins. Over the course of the session, you’ll use the back of a chair (which, in this case, will function as a “barre”) to work your abs, glutes, arms, and legs with a series of “small, subtle, strong” movements. The exercises will require a focus on breathing, pulsing, and isolations, which will leave your entire body quivering by the time you get off the mat. In other words? Get ready to embrace those shakes.
“This is going to start to burn real quick,” Uribarri says. And in those tough moments when you want to call it quits, she urges you to live in the discomfort.”When you want to straighten the legs, when you want to give up, just remember this moment is temporary. It will pass, and it is worth it because you are getting stronger, you are taking time for yourself, you’re committing to you.”
So carve out 20 minutes in your schedule, and press play on the video above for a full-body barre workout your muscles will thank you for.
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Thirty-six women, six teams, an 850-seat venue, and plenty of heat. The 2025 off-season’s a lot more exciting this year for women’s basketball fans with the launch of Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league co-founded by Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) greats Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. Created with the goal of providing an alternative source of income and competition for WNBA players during the offseason, the league features a slew of the sport’s biggest names from across the country, including Brittney Griner, Angel Reese, Jewell Loyd, and Skylar Diggins-Smith—among others.
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Since the start of their season, the league’s been praised by players and fans alike for the way they take care of their athletes. Before tip-off on January 17, Reese—who’s currently playing for Unrivaled’s Rose Basketball Club—tweeted “We get to workout, use the weight room, create new bonds/friendships, get treatment, get massages, use the sauna, getting 2 meals a day, and then a facial before I leave for the day??? yeah i love it here @Unrivaledwbb."
Photo: Unrivaled / Lexie Hull
Lexie Hull, guard for the Indiana Fever and newly crowned Athleta ambassador also playing on the Rose, co-signs Reese’s take on the experience. “I got a facial last week, and have a massage every week,” she says. “We’ve got great food by the former chef for the Celtics, protein shakes, whatever you can think of. The league is listening, and they're delivering.” And Unrivaled's resources, facilities, and services for their players are just the start of making women's basketball more equitable.
So, why is this important now?
The 2024 WNBA season shattered records. Attracting an all-time record of more than 54 million unique viewers across networks including ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ION, and NBA TV, the WNBA boasted its highest total attendance in 22 years at 2.3 million, up 48 percent from 2023, according to their website. Merchandise sales were up. Social media engagement, up. The momentum? Palpable, to say the least.
“People are really gravitating towards the rise of something right now, right? Women’s basketball is having a rocketship moment,” says Kirby Porter, Chief Brand Officer for Unrivaled, who played college basketball at Harvard University. “It does feel like a new beginning for women's basketball. Fans are really connecting to this growth story in women's sports.”
So, yes, Unrivaled aims to capitalize on this impressive growth and give the fans what they’re after. But, it’s bigger than that: The league also empowers players to stay domestic during the off-season. Pros often go overseas in the winter to continue to play and make money once the regular season ends—largely because WNBA players only earn a fraction of what their male counterparts collect from the NBA. For instance: Many were shocked when, the number one pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, Caitlin Clark’s salary was announced last year, a four-year contract that paid $76,535 during her first season. For comparison: Stephen Curry makes north of $55 million.
For those participating in Unrivaled, the average player salary during the nine-week inaugural season is over $200,000. For reference, this is close to the maximum base salary that the WNBA offers its players. Plus, the players also split a 15 percent revenue pot.
“Our players and co-founders have thought about what doesn’t exist and what they do want to exist with Unrivaled,” says Porter. “And so, it's like they’ve had the opportunity to craft what their ideal off-season looks like.”
Photo: Unrivaled / Breanna Stewart and Aaliyah Edwards
In that ideal world, no one needs to be away from friends and family. Especially for many of the players, like Collier and Stewart, who have children—the Miami-based league gives them an opportunity to embrace all of the roles they play on a day-to-day basis, from player to mom, and everything in between. This was a major contributing factor that made Coca-Cola enthusiastic to get involved, according to A.P. Chaney, Senior Creative Director for Sprite.
“This is all about amplifying women in their own right and not having them be compared to their male counterparts in the sport,” Chaney says. “It’s so important that these players get to stay home. They don't have to travel overseas. They get to rest, be around each other, and play in a new and innovative way.”
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Sprite is one of the many sponsors of the league who presented Unrivaled’s one-on-one Tournament. Through their contributions, the brand’s goal is to amplify the players and women’s basketball as a whole. “We need as many eyes and visibility as possible, to keep inviting people to the table,” she adds. “There’s no such thing as being late to the game. The more folks that join, the better the party is.”
Bop down to Miami, and you’ll be hard-pressed not to gawk at the state-of-the-art, $1.5 million custom-built compound for the league that totes everything the players could need. A childcare room for players who have kids, pristine training facilities, dedicated office spaces, and a content creation hub anchor the facility. And, you can’t forget the Sephora glam room. As the exclusive beauty partner of Unrivaled, Sephora stocks this one-of-a-kind space with the top products, Fenty Beauty hair products, and beauty pros to help get the players prepped for game day.
Photo: Unrivaled / Napheesa Collier
“The Sephora partnership makes the fans happy because they see a solidified connection between women’s basketball and lifestyle,” says Porter. “People are acknowledging that women's basketball players are great beauty and lifestyle influencers.”
Beyond the glam, one of the biggest perks is the intimacy of the league, says Hull. “It's such a small league and there's only 36 people here,” she adds. “Our locker rooms are all in the same hallway. It is fun to have this group here where otherwise I probably wouldn't have got a chance to interact with them like this.”
According to Hull, it’s also an opportunity to work on all aspects of her game. “It's pretty exposed on both sides of the floor,” she says. “You have a lot more touches on the ball offensively, more one-on-one possessions defensively. So, you have to work on every aspect, whereas like on five on five, a lot of times you have a specific role and you can hone in on that role and really focus on doing exactly that.”
What does success for the league look like?
This is a year where learning will be absolutely critical, says Porter. While Unrivaled is unchartered territory, they’re still measuring success based on the key metrics commonly considered, like viewership, attendance, and revenue. But without a doubt, year one is a win regardless of the numbers, she adds. “We got it to market and got it to market well, and that's also a success,” Porter says. “This year, we’re open to seeing what people are gravitating toward, and then helping that inform what success looks like in year two.” If you ask us? We can't wait to watch the league grow.
Want to tune in? The entire season airs on TNT, TruTV, and is available to stream on Max. For the full schedule, click here.
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When you think of Scarlett Johansson, the epitome of a picture-perfect movie star probably comes to mind. Everything from her red-carpet confidence to her glowy complexion seems flawless, effortless, and yes, a *bit* unattainable.
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Well, about that glowy complexion... Just a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to interview Johansson at QVC's Master Beauty Class event, where she got candid about her skin. Turns out, she’s not as unrelatable as you’d think—she’s struggled with her complexion for much of her life. (Stars, they’re just like us.)
At just 12 years old, Johansson began dealing with acne—a journey that would last well into her 20s despite seeing countless dermatologists and trying every pimple-fighting product she could get her hands on. "At the time, the message was very much like, ‘If you have acne, you have dirty skin that needs to be cleaned,’" she says. "Back then, we didn't know anything about the skin barrier and the pH balance of your skin, and how important that was."
This lack of education created a vicious cycle for her: Harsh products dried out her skin, which only triggered more breakouts and irritation. It wasn’t until she decided to simplify her routine and switch to sensitive-skin products that she started to see a real difference. After spending a few months committed to this gentler approach, she watched her breakouts and irritation decrease for the first time in years—and she finally felt confident enough to skip foundation.
The experience completely shifted her outlook on skincare and inspired the creation of The Outset, the skincare brand she founded as a reflection of her own story and hard-earned philosophy. Each gentle, hydrating product in the collection is designed to support the skin barrier and keep things simple—exactly the kind of products she wished she'd had as a young adult.
I’m no stranger to the struggles of sensitive, acne-prone skin, so Johansson’s story hit close to home. Before we wrapped up our conversation, I had to ask one final question: Which product from The Outset do you find yourself reaching for the most? I assumed her answer would be one of the brand’s buzzy bestsellers, like the Collagen Prep Serum (which I swear by) or the viral Blue Clay Mask that hydrates while exfoliating.
To my surprise, her answer was neither: Johansson revealed that her most-loved product is the Barrier Rescue Balm, which has earned a permanent spot on her bedside table and in her purse.
The Barrier Rescue Balm was originally formulated as a lip balm, but it’s much more versatile than that. Johansson coats it on her cuticles, the ends of her hair, dry patches on her knees and elbows—and even swipes it on her cheeks as a subtle, hydrating highlighter.
It’s also become a family favorite. "The other day, my daughter—she's 10—asked, 'Can I have the balm from your bag? My lips are so chapped,'' Johansson says. "So I gave it to her, and then my brother used it, and then I used it. My brother was like, ‘I should be videotaping this, it's great content.’"
Packed with nourishing ingredients like rose hip oil, jojoba oil, marula oil, and The Outset’s signature botanical hyaluronic acid, the Barrier Rescue Balm is formulated to hydrate and protect the skin’s barrier, making it the ultimate multitasker for dryness and irritation. Whether it’s protecting against harsh weather (these days, Johansson uses it to shield her children’s cheeks from the bitter New York temps), soothing cracked lips, softening rough patches, or adding a natural glow, this balm does it all.
So yes, when it comes to daily struggles like irritated skin, even stars like Scarlett Johansson are just like you. And you can be just like her by putting The Outset’s Barrier Rescue Balm (plus other favorites like the Night Cream or Travel Set) on permanent rotation. Your skin will feel deeply moisturized, soothed, and ready for anything—red carpet or otherwise.
