Steve Doss discovered a passion for events somewhat by accident. After years working as an actor in LA, he found himself—through a series of unexpected circumstances—shadowing an event planner at an ultra fancy dinner for the Academy Awards.
Fast forward 14 years and Steve is responsible for bringing activations and events together within the walls of Refinery29. On the road to that role, he also hosted a workout show, called Busy Body, for the website. "It blew up," he said. "I ended up shooting 60 episodes of the show and going all over the city to do the most wacky workouts ever."
While working out remains an important part of Steve's life, natural products and ingredients are a burgeoning interest. To show us how he maintains his health and lifestyle, Steve gave us a peek inside his medicine cabinet, and a look back at how he originally found fitness.
A supplement he swears by.
I take fish oil, and charcoal pills if I have a stomachache. My boyfriend is all about rubbing peppermint and lavender oils on my temples if I have a headache. I don’t like to take pills, I never have, it’s always been a thing for me—even if I have a hangover I’m not taking four Advil. But my boyfriend is all about essential oils, he thinks they’re magic.
His approach to health and wellness.
I discovered fitness when I was coming out of the closet in my young 20s. I went to a theater school for college and the gay representation that I saw there was very much comfortable with who they were. I wasn’t quite there yet, and I didn’t really relate to these gentlemen. I needed an outlet, so I started going to the gym and found it really was an escape for me. I could leave myself at the door, focus on me, sweat it out. It became part of my life very early on.
Years later, fitness is still important for me. I work out six times a week, and I eat right—no dairy, and I stay away from bread, but I’m Mexican and Japanese so I love tortillas and rice and dive into both of those. If I don’t work out and eat right I literally feel the effects immediately and that doesn’t sit with me very well. I’m not so much a social drinker either, I drink rarely—maybe a couple times a month. I value my days, I don’t like to feel crappy.
I've recently gotten very interested in natural products. There are so many chemicals in things that we put on our faces, and bodies, and skin. Charcoal toothpaste is honestly what first piqued my interest in going more natural. I was like, you’re telling me you’re going to get a brighter smile by using this black toothpaste? That definitely awoke something in me.
The health concerns he thinks about.
My mom has an autoimmune disease and it’s affected her liver and now she has diabetes. We’re thinking she’ll probably need a liver transplant in the next couple of years. And a friend of a friend developed a liver problem because of his synthetic protein shakes—I’d never have thought feeding your muscles could actually result in something being problematic later on. These things just remind me to put good things into my body. With that in mind, I don’t drink a lot—I know it’s doing me harm at the end of the day and I don’t like the effects it has on me. In New York, we’re such a boozy community it can be a little challenging at times, but I’m usually completely fine ordering a club soda and everyone else can have a cocktail.
Natural remedies from growing up.
My grandmother was Japanese, and when I was small and she would take care of me, if I ever had a stomach issue or something was bothering me, she always gave me a warm ginger water. That was always grandma’s remedy. It didn’t really dawn on my until my adulthood when ginger had its moment, and I was like wow that’s so funny that something that I used to have as a small child and thought of as grandma’s fun, warm drink, was actually doing my body good.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
This information is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult a physician before treating any disorder.