Nike Unlimited Innovations Event in New York

I had an awesome opportunity to fly to New York for a very cool Nike event last week. It marked one of the biggest highlights of my blogging journey and I’m jumping in my seat as I type this because it was SO fun. Last week was truly a whirlwind week. I flew out Tuesday morning to make an event that evening. I was in NYC for less than 24 hours before I flew back just in time to host my fun workout charity event for my readers. You can read about that here.

Myself and the twins from A Double Dose flew in together and checked into the cutest boutique hotel in Soho, New York. I knew I wouldn’t be spending much time in this cute hotel as I wanted to make the most of my experience.

After checking in, we all headed straight to Nike’s Unlimited Innovations event space for a special moment with track and field legend Jackie Joyner Kersee. She’s won 3 Olympic gold medals, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals.

Photo Courtesy: Charlie Brooks, Nike

How cool to hear from a legend how she prepares for her events. It’s more than just physical preparation, but also a mental one. She said she trained and performed as though it was her very last Olympic event each time.

She also talked about embracing the butterflies and that resonated so well with me. It’s about relishing in those feelings and living in the now and channeling that energy into something more. Joyner-Kersee is also known for her colorful style during these competitions. She totally validated my “Look good, feel good” motto when it comes to wearing cute workout clothes to the gym. It’s all about how you feel – whether it’s your workout, yourself, or in general – if something as simple as a new outfit can help you feel better about yourself, do it. Probably won’t bode well for my shopping addiction haha.

The Unlimited Innovations event debuted the looks all the athletes will be sporting in the Summer Olympics in Rio. So cool to get a sneak peek of what Team USA will be wearing.

Photo Courtesy: Charlie Brooks, Nike

Photo Courtesy: Charlie Brooks, Nike

Photo Courtesy: Charlie Brooks, Nike

Photo Courtesy: Charlie Brooks, Nike

Nike’s AeroSwift tape is magical. I’d love to get a few of these and test it out.

We also had the opportunity to hear from two other legends: Scottie Pippen and Michael Johnson.

Left to right: Scottie Pippen, Michael Johnson, Jackie Joyner Kersee.

While the uniforms stayed true to the red, white and blue, Nike injected a vibrant palette of colors in the shoes. You can read more about why the designers chose such a colorful spectrum of colors here. I immediately fell in love and all of them, especially the soccer cleats. Come August, these will slowly trickle into the stores. Beyond just hot new apparel, we also learned about how Nike continues to innovate and make each product an essential part of athlete’s journey. Whether it’s to reduce drag, increase aerodynamics, or work in other ways to help the athlete perform at their best, it was amazing to hear more about Nike’s ideals and values when it comes to “obsessing over the athlete”. It’s an intersection of performance, design, and art.

We also got to see first hand, upcoming collaborations with Kim Jones, Ricardo Tisci and our Gyakusou collection.

Photo Courtesy: Charlie Brooks, Nike

Photo Courtesy: Charlie Brooks, Nike

If you’ve been following me, you know that I’m a huge fan of pops of color and statement pieces. Especially with my tights. I can’t wait to see the response of these collaborations.

Outside of the event, I was able to get some down time in this amazing city. I enjoyed a sit down dinner with Nike’s comm manager Heter Meyers, my friends Alexis and Samantha from A Double Dose, Ticara from CNK Daily, and Jordan from Stack. At one table, we had Dallas, Chicago, New York and Cleveland. Gilligan’s in Soho is an outdoor restaurant that takes up an alleyway next to our hotel. It has a nautical, coastal theme. Fortunately the weather held up, and we were able to enjoy a few drinks and bites. Given the chance to visit one of my favorite cities, I only caught a few hours of sleep before waking up for a Soccer Skills Training at 7am. I haven’t touched a soccer ball in years!

It was my first sport and my gateway sport into football and volleyball. I was a little intimidated because I have no coordination or handling skills at all, but I was open to learning and getting in a great workout.

Photo Courtesy: Natalie Campos, Optimist

We had the opportunity to train with retired coach Alecko Eskanderian. He put us through various group drills to work on basic soccer skills. Despite being nervous, everyone was so nice and encouraging. I had a blast! And I hit my step count before 9am. WINING!

Photo Courtesy: Natalie Campos, Optimist

Photo Courtesy: Natalie Campos, Optimist

Photo Courtesy: Natalie Campos, Optimist

Photo Courtesy: Natalie Campos, Optimist

Can we pause for a second to talk about these cleats? FIRE! These are Neymar x Jordan cleats and I LOVE THEM. Can’t wait for my next pick up game of flag football in Dallas to sport these babies. Aside from my gorgeous new cleats, it felt liberating to be out on the field and moving my body.

After the workout, I headed to the hotel, showered, packed and was ready to leave for the airport. I felt like I had been on an adrenaline rush for 2 days and couldn’t believe my trip to NYC was over.

Having the chance to learn more about one of my favorite brands was an amazing opportunity. My biggest takeaway personally is seeing that fitness is more than just being fit. There’s more to it than just looking good, or wearing the right gear for your sport. It’s a culture, a philosophy, a mentality, and an art. Till next time!