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New beginnings matter…so begin at once!

Every day you wake up is another opportunity to pursue your dreams and begin something new. So follow your heart and make great choices everyone – always – and no doubt heed the words of our President Barack Obama, “Choose to listen not to your doubts and fears, but to your greatest hopes and highest aspirations.”

A special thanks to my photographer Dana Patrick for these amazing new pics. Have an awesome day, and whatever you do, remember to get your workout in!

Peace – R

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Tola Talks with Singer/Songwriter, Cooper Phillip

Always a great time having Cooper Phillip in the studio…she’s rocks it in person and on the radio! Learn how she seeks balance, comfort and happiness amidst the ever-so ripply waters of the music business, plus find out more about her journey from Russia to Hollywood that began seven years ago.

For all you Halloween lovers, we also talk about Vatican sanctioned exorcisms, the highest grossing film in history with 10 Academy Award nominations , The Exorcist, and of course, my most delightful “10 Most Frightful Pickup Lines”.

Not to mention we play three amazing songs from the multi-talented singer-songwriter including her new hit single, Party By Myself.  Listen now:

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Tola Talks all things Millennial with Hollywood Writer, Ben Smith

Another great show on Columbus Day talking all things millennial with my good friend and Hollywood writer, Ben Smith.

Since moving to LA LA Land eight years ago, Ben has managed to survive by developing websites while pursing his passion as a screenwriter. He’s also become a much better writer and continues to hone his craft by taking show-runner classes at UCLA.

As a follow-up to last week’s “If I Were President”, I would raise the Federal Minimum Wage and require our unemployed receiving benefits to get their hands dirty, helping America achieve the cleanest streets in the world…no doubt!

In other news, Tola Talks Hollywood movies and gives a 5-star review to George Clooney’s The Ides of March, bestows the The Get Your Shit Together Award to a Judge in Michigan, plus “nudge” theory with this year’s winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in Economic Sciences.

Check it out below…and remember to get your workout in! Peace – R

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Get Your Yoga Groove On in 24 Cities Around the Globe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 06/30/16

YogaStyles of RICH and the Almost Famous Sets its Sites and Cities

Chicago, IL: With the filming of YogaStyles of RICH and the Almost Famous: Chicago less than a month away, the show’s creator and world’s best Yogatainer, Rich Tola, announced plans to visit 11 more U.S. cities plus 12 international cities to round-out Seasons 1 and 2, produced through Tola’s company, Two Strike Hitter Productions.

Yoga expert and lifelong fitness virtuoso, Rich Tola aims to inspire everyone on the planet. “It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, anybody can squeeze in a measly 5 minutes of Yoga everyday, and I will prove that. Spark it up with a quickie, a simple Warrior pose or balancing, plus it’ll help you reinforce a clear and positive mindset throughout your day,” declares Tola. “Not to mention that every practitioner, from beginner-to-advanced, should know the proper body mechanics of every pose, especially the twists, and more importantly, how to come in and out of difficult positions while avoiding injury.”

Tola and his band of beautiful “Yoga babes” appropriately called The Namaste Five, will also be demonstrating creative and challenging sequences with Rich leading the charge. While most of his teaching will be done to unsuspecting residents and tourists nearby historic landmarks and major attractions, Rich and his rockstar yoginis will take you to a new level, “We’ll show you how to make the hard stuff look easy,” Tola said.

The 12 U.S. cities for Season 1 include: Chicago, Denver, Austin, Philadelphia, Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Boca Raton, Boston, Boise and Washington D.C. And kudos to seven of these utopias who also made Yoga Journal magazine’s “America’s Top Yoga Towns,” including Chicago, Denver, Austin, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. The 12 international cities for Season 2 include: Beijing, Barcelona, Paris, Dublin, Sydney, Havana, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Singapore, London, Rio de Janeiro and Prague.

Since becoming a Certified Yoga Teacher in 2006, Rich has taught more than 25,000 students in over 2,000 classes throughout the United States. He also produced nearly 30 hours of instructional videos and DVDs including his film, Boulevard Zen (2009). Rich received BSE from The Wharton School (PENN) and MBA from The Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern).

For more information please visit our website, YogaStyles.tv, or listen to Rich and his students, Rhonda and Vika, talk about YogaStyles on WGN Radio 720AM, The Frank Fontana Show on July 26, 2016. (click HERE to visit the WGN website).

Inquiries: Angie Lee Chastain | producers@yogastyles.tv

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Tola Talks – First Three Weeks

Hot, current and definitely on the edge, Tola Talks is broadcasting live on the radio this Tuesday from 4-6pm (ET) on Hamilton-Radio.com (Channel 2). So tune-in and treat yourself to my “21st Century Talk for a No-Bullshit World”, not to mention some really cool and inspiring conversation with an assortment of celebrity guests…here’s our guest list for the first 3 weeks:

January 5th – Actress Troy Titus-Adams and Chef Lizette, Founder/Host of The Chef Network

January 12th – Comedians Lynne Roberts & Lauren Huffman and Fitness Guru Mandee Miller

January 19th – Recording Artist/Producer Moses Stone and Dancer/Yoga Teacher Jen Wycykal

Plus, I’ll be taking listener calls throughout the show, so feel free to give us a shout! Peace – R

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Next Stand-Up at Flappers Comedy Club on April 24th

flappersStand-up comedy is the most condensed form of all comedy, and for the really good comics, it’s simply a conversation with the audience. A really funny one at that.

Over the past six weeks and on the heels of our 150th episode of Tola Talks, I’ve been studying this rather frightening art form – for most entertainers, that’s for sure – and honed my skills at writing stand-up as well as performing in front of a large crowd…twice at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, CA. On my first attempt I “didn’t bomb” as one friend so eloquently put it. On my second attempt I definitely heard some roaring laughter and felt the exhilarating rush comics feel when the room gets going. I can see how stand-up comedy can be frighteningly addicting. Albeit, very challenging, to say the least.

With concepts like attitude, topic, premise, act-out, mix, turn, set-up, and punch, not to mention there’s no one up on stage to help you do anything, stand-up is hard. Whatever that means. But it’s also super gratifying when you get it right, i.,e, make people laugh. Or as legend Whoopi Goldberg once said, make them laugh and think. Because good comedy is not just funny, it’s also insightful about something everyone can relate to. Or should be, if you want laughs.

They say the third time’s the charm, so come check me out next Friday, April 24th at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank – we’re in the YooHoo Room from 9:30-11p. Should be a blast! – R