Father's Day Gift Guide

May flew by while I was in Europe and it’s already time to drop my Pick 10 Father’s Day Gift Guide. Father’s Day is fast approaching next Sunday, June 19, so consider this guide your friendly reminder to plan now! I am incredibly blessed to have always been supported by an amazing group of men and I love any opportunity to let them know how special they are to me. They like to keep a low profile, so I won't shout them out by name here, but they absolutely know who they are. Of course, it’s never only about the physical gift, it’s always about the love and sentiment behind it. While I love giving gifts and picking out the perfect present, I always follow it up with a call, text, or note to make sure they feel the “why” as much as the “what.”

Without further ado, sharing my Pick 10 for Father’s Day:

1) Hyperice Normatec 2.0 - These Normatec boots are a staple of my recovery routine. Yes, they’re pricey, but maybe the full family can chip in for this gift (and borrow the boots for yourselves!). If you’re training hard in the gym, have restless leg syndrome, or are on your feet a lot for work, these boots can help you feel better. It’s tough to describe how they feel, but I’d say it first squeezes your legs like a blood pressure cuff and then pulses like a massage. Once the timed program ends and I take the boots off, my legs feel fresher and lighter. I travel with my Normatec boots and wear them at night before I sleep. I also like this gift idea because there are add-ons like a hip attachment and travel case for subsequent gifts that you can plan ahead and know that you already have something in mind for dad’s birthday or holiday gift. They're currently running a $200 off promotion.

2) BLK & Bold Coffee - BLK & Bold is a 100% Black-owned coffee business and certified B-Corp. They donate 5% of profits to organizations that support youth-in-need across the United States. If your dad isn’t into coffee, they also have some great tea options. I don’t drink coffee often (unless it's in Frappuccino form), but I always have it on hand for whenever we have company. I love the steeped coffee option, it looks like a single-serve tea bag. This is a great hack for travel or road trips - just throw one in your bag and go.

3) Bevel Shave Kit - When I tell you the number of people who have told me about Bevel! Bevel is a Black-founded brand focused on shave, skin, hair and beard products for Black skin types and hair textures, leaving skin nourished and fresh. Their website has lots of tutorials, articles, and videos to demonstrate how to best utilize the products and level up the shaving ritual. As we all know, I absolutely love all things skin care, body care and self-care, and I don’t think the men in our lives should be excluded from that conversation. It’s important for the hardworking fathers and father-figures in our lives to take some moments for self-care, and the shaving ritual is a great place to start. I need to build out some more resources on self-care routines and products for men, so please drop any other recommendations you have in the comments below - I’ll have Jozy test them out for me.

4) Black to the Movies: and other Pop Culture Musings - Shameless family plug - my step-dad Mike wrote this book! I’m so proud of Mike’s journey as an author. His passion for his subject matter really shines through. I wanted to highlight this book in particular because it’s his most personal - it is part career memoir, part movie reviews, and part social media essays. Movies have been a constant thread throughout Mike’s life, from his childhood in a lower middle class area of Cleveland, Ohio through his current career in the film industry. His passion for the subject matter is infectious and the book can inspire us all to reflect back on the defining moments and themes in our lives. Since Mike became a part of our family, movies have become such a point of connection and conversation, and I hope this book can encourage the same in your household.

So proud of my step-dad!

5) Coravin Pivot - We get a lot of use out of this in my house! With my training schedule, I rarely consume alcohol. When I do, it’s usually something bubbly or whatever we’re tasting at our Wine Down With Sloane fundraiser for the Sloane Stephens Foundation. However, Jozy and my family members enjoy the occasional glass of wine. This Coravin device is such a lifesaver when one person wants a glass but doesn’t want the full bottle to go bad. This Pivot is Coravin’s entry model, so it’s a more approachable price point and perfect for your go-to bottle of wine that you want to enjoy for the next few weeks after opening.

6) Igloo BMX Cooler - Summer is upon us and hopefully there are lots of cookouts, vacations, and roadtrips to be had. I think every household has at least 1 trusty Igloo cooler in the garage, and my household is no exception. It's a classic brand and a part of everyone's outdoor memories. I think it's time to help the dads level up their tailgate game with a cooler like this one. Don't ask me how, but it can hold ice for up to 5 days. If you need to camp out for more than 5 days, well, this is where my expertise ends.

7) Goldbelly Lobster Roll Kit - It’s lobster season up here in New England and these Maine Lobster Roll kits are the perfect way to share some of that summertime spirit with my step-dad and uncles across the country in California and Florida. Food is definitely a love language of mine, and if I can’t be with my guys on Father’s Day to cook in person, I can ship them a care package. It’s like a postcard…but with butter.

8) A Great Pair of Nikes - Dads can have swag too! I'm partial to a great pair of Jordan 1s or Nike Dunks, but pick whatever pair that you feel will give dad that extra boost in his step, both literally and figuratively. I've started noticing that people are wearing sneakers as part of work outfits more and more as style norms have relaxed a bit, so a great pair of Js can give dad some major cred at the office water cooler. Some styles can be harder to come by than others, so download the Nike SNKRS app, and scroll through some of my other sources like GOAT, StockX, Mr. Porter, Foot Locker, and Farfetch.

9) TopCourt Membership - Maybe the dad in your life loves some friendly competition, and a TopCourt membership can help bring his tennis game to the next level. TopCourt is like MasterClass but entirely focused on tennis pros. I sat down for a TopCourt interview a few years ago, so your dad can check out my classes or learn from legends like Venus Williams, Martina Navratilova or from young talent like Felix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud. Just in case dad gets a little too intense out there on the tennis court, I might suggest pairing this membership with the Normatec boots for a smoother recovery. Thank me later.

10) WHOOP - The best gift of all is health. I absolutely love my WHOOP and encourage all my loved ones to wear them too. By wearing a WHOOP band, your dad can have access to an incredible amount of data, including analysis on heart rates, oxygen levels, REM sleep, and physical strain. Each morning, wearers complete a prompted journal to reflect on actions and habits from the day before, so it is a great accountability tool for enforcing new habits. If you live far away from your dad or father figures, you can create a team and share data with each other, so you can see how hard dad worked on the tennis court or if he’s recovered from a busy week. They’re currently running a promo code FATHERSDAY for 15% off and free shipping.

Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing dads and father figures out there! I’d love to read some of your family’s traditions and gift ideas in the comments below.