Tuesday, August 4, 2015

RWR:MEET TORREY SHAWE of BEASTLY

"Music pulls me up when I am down and makes me smile even bigger when I am already feeling good."
~ Torrey Shawe of Beastly Threads

Today I am really excited to introduce you to Torrey Shawe, creator and owner of Beastly Threads.  I first met Torrey when I was 10 years old.  I was a tragic 5th grader and she was the badass older sister of one of my best friends.  Torrey was four years older than me and, thus, in a totally different world socially, but it never seemed to be an issue if and when we were hanging out.  I always thought that was so cool.  Through the years, we remained friends, seeing each other now and again when we were home from college and eventually reconnecting out in San Francisco in our 20s when we both ended up working for the same advertising agency.  That was fun.  Torrey has always been a big runner.  Though she played team sports in high school, I would often seeing her running through our town rocking out to Janet Jackson on her Sony Walkman.  As she got older, running continued to be a big part of her life.  When she lived out West, in addition to running recreationally, she tackled both the Honolulu  Marathon and the Avenue of the Giants Marathon and was a member of a 12 person team for the Calistoga-Santa Cruz Relay a couple times.  Eventually, Torrey got married and started a family but running has always remained one her many passions.

THE STAGHORN SCARF

Recently, Torrey's life took a big turn when she started her new company Beastly Threads.  Beastly produces beautifully hand crafted cotton voile scarves using ethical and green practices that are kind to both the environment and the workers who make them.  On top of that, with each scarf purchased, a significant contribution is made to one of several nonprofit organizations whose mission is to conserve natural habitat and protect endangered species.  Upon the launch of Beastly, I reached out and asked if I could feature her on RWM.  She's a runner and she rocks (both to music and as a person), so, clearly, she's a perfect subject for the RWR series.  Lucky for all of us, she was totally game and got back to me with her answers right away.  YES!  Okay, enough small talk from my end, let's meet Torrey, a runner who rocks.

RWR:TORREY SHAWE

Name: Torrey Shawe
Where you're from: Riverside, CT
Where you reside now: Washington, DC
Age: 43
Occupation: Founder, Beastly Threads
Blog/website: http://www.beastlythreads.com

RUNNING & MUSIC
What do you love most about running?
Let’s see…I love running because
1) It gets me outside.
2) It cleanses my brain and body by sweating out most (if not all) of what is bugging me at that moment.  As many have said, running is the cheapest form of therapy and it is REALLY effective.
3) I have pretty constant tummy discomfort (TMI?) and nothing makes me feel better than a good hard run.
4) It makes me feel strong and sort of badass-ish when I am otherwise feeling tired, weak, and tentative.
5) It’s mine, all mine!

THE CERULEAN SCARF

What do you love most about music?  
I love zoning out to a beautiful voice and/or a powerful beat.  Music pulls me up when I am down and makes me smile even bigger when I am already feeling good.  It is associated with many of my fondest memories and makes me feel connected to the world if I am driving or working alone.  Probably best of all, music enables family dance parties.  My 5-year old daughter Sarah, 8-year-old son Nathaniel, and 44-year-old husband Tony have some phenomenal/hilarious moves.  We laugh so damn hard and just rock out.  It is heaven.

Ice cream w/ daughter, Sarah

TORREY'S FAVORITES:
Band (current, all time or both): This is when I will show my age and general dorkiness.  
All time favorites: Pearl Jam (still obsessed with Eddie Vedder), Dixie Chicks, Aerosmith, Madonna, Nelly, Macklemore, Dave Matthews, Beastie Boys, Bruce, Eminem, John Hiatt, TLC.
Current favorites: Bruno Mars, Brett Dennen, Rihanna, Kenny Chesney, Eric Lindell, Little Big Town (love Girl Crush), Darius Rucker, Taylor Swift, Katie Perry, and lots of really cheesy but catchy country music.  
Album (current, all time or both): Not sure
Race venue: It has been a VERY long time since I did a race but I would definitely say the Calistoga to Santa Cruz Relay was by far my favorite.  It is an exhausting, incredibly difficult, beautiful, team-oriented event.  I highly recommend it.
Music venue: Great American Music Hall in San Francisco or Maple Leaf in New Orleans
Race distance: I think a half marathon is a perfect distance.  Significant physical challenge but won’t destroy your body.
Show you've seen live? Probably my favorite live music experiences have been at New Orleans Jazz Fest.  I’m sure many would say the same.
Ice cream flavor: Coffee heath bar crunch yogurt at The Ice House in Rye, New Hampshire (right outside of Portsmouth)





THIS OR THAT
Sweet or salty?  Sweet
Live or recorded?  Live
Coffee or tea? Coffee
Summer or winter?  Fall!




MORE MUSIC INFO:
Which band or artist would you go see tonight if you could?  Rihanna.  It would take a powerhouse like her to get me to go to a concert on a Monday night after a big 4th of July weekend.

Which band or artist (wait...but no longer alive or playing together) would you go see tonight if you could? Michael Jackson

Which band or artist would you like to have dinner with tonight if you could?  The Dixie Chicks.  As you may remember, they went through hell due to statements they made against President Bush and the Iraq War.  I’d love to talk with them about how they got through it and what they are doing now.

Which band or artist would you like to be playing alongside you during your next race (or long run)?  I need a good beat.  I will say Rihanna again but with Eminem coming in for a couple duets.



Top 5 Songs for running, dancing or both?  
Right now I am running to:
A remixed version of 'FourFiveSeconds' by Rihanna and Kanye 
A remix of Marshall Tucker Band’s 'Can’t You See' with Nelly (amazing!)
Bailando by Enrique Iglesias
I Love this Life by Locash
First Kiss by KidRock.

Last 5 Songs you listened to today?  
We listen to classical in the mornings.  I think today was a violin concerto featuring violinist Sarah Chang.

2 comments:

  1. I love the space here. I attended an amazing event here and I ate more than I should. I had bread pudding, apple crisp, waffles and strawberries and cream. The main floor at party venues in Houston is very large and good size without being overwhelming, also there's tons of bar space too to order drinks.

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