Depending on your connection to the music industry, fashion industry, philanthrophy, business or even fitness, Russell Simmons is someone different to all of us. That’s how you get the title of mogel, though, you excel in a variety of different areas. Simmons’ career includes being the co-founder of Def Jam Records, creating fashion labels PhatFarm, American Classics and others, writing several books, and making philanthropic efforts a priority. 
Running an empire like Simmons does, as the third wealthiest person in hip-hop, takes a lot more than an efficiently planned calendar, it takes a lot of balance that has to come from within. Simmons strikes that balance by giving a lot of priority to a dedicated yoga practice, being a vegan and finding spirituality as a Buddhist.
He’s about to show the world how he does it all in a new show on Oxygen, “Running Russell Simmons,” which premieres November 2. Like any good man there’s a better woman behind him, and in the case of his company Rush Communications, there are several women behind him. The show will give an exclusive look into his team of assistants, available to him 24/7, and how they help him run the business, his professional life and his personal life.
We had a chance to speak with Simmons, and executive assistant Simone, one of the stars of the show, as they prepared for the premiere. He opens up about how yoga is a key factor in helping him manage his professional and personal lives. He and Simone also discuss the fit and healthy corporate culture of Rush Communications.
Click below to listen to the interview, and continue reading to learn more about how yoga influences his, and his company’s, life.
“Giving something that promotes a stable and lasting happiness versus giving something that you don’t believe in really does help to make you a better, more stable businessman,” says Simmons about his yoga practice. “You get what you give.”
Simmons explains that the spiritual connection he’s found in yoga defines his purpose and that it “speeds up your evolution.” He talks about how in his new book “Super Rich“, due January 2024, he discusses how reading scripture reminds of the things we already know, and that we don’t do a great job of defining them; those messages “ring a bell” for us. “Yoga, for me, was the bell,” he says.
This isn’t a practice or ideology he keeps to himself, Simmons’ has made it the corporate culture at Rush Communications. “I take my employees with me,” he says. His employees are asked to read his book “Do You” and Deepak Chopra’s “Seven Spiritual Laws of Success“, and then write a report on them.
As a member of the employee pool most closely affected by this, Simone enjoys working in an environment that promotes veganism, working out, and having a lighter carbon footprint. She says Simmons encourages her to live an active lifestyle, reminding her that it helps to produce those happy endorphins and alleviate pain.
You’ll see how all of this plays out in their day-to-day during the premiere season of Running Russells Simmons on Nov. 2 on the Oxygen network.