ATHLEISURE MAG #65 MAY 2021

ISSUE #65

PHOTO CREDIT | UNSPLASH/LERONE PIETERS

@AthleisureMag

TM

PUBLISHER Paul Farkas

EDITORIAL Kimmie Smith

Co-Founder, Creative + Style Director

Paul Farkas

Co-Founder, Artistic Director + Tech Director

FASHION CONTRIBUTIONS PHOTOGRAPHER | Tina Turnbow |

ADVERTISING

info@athleisuremag.com

@ATHLEISUREMAG CONNECT + VISIT

E-mail: info@athleisuremag.com Website: www.athleisuremag.com Athleisure Mag TM , a Division of Athleisure Media LLC.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Paul Farkas | Kimmie Smith

HOST Kimmie Smith

MIXING Athleisure Studio Team

ATHLEISURE STUDIO PODCAST NETWORK SHOWS #TRIBEGOALS | ATHLEISURE KITCHEN | BUNGALOW SK | THE ROAD TO TOKYO 2020

LISTEN ON APPLE PODCAST | IHEARTRADIO | SPOTIFY | GOOGLE PODCAST | HIMALAYA | STITCHER | CASTBOX | ACAST | SOUNDCLOUD | AMAZON MUSIC |

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E-mail: info@athleisuremag.com Website: www.athleisureStudio.com

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table of contents

issue #65 may 2021

STYLE FEATURES

38

THE GO GETTER

90

IN OUR BAG: PREPPING FOR SUMMER SPORTS

115

ROCK THIS WHEN YOU’RE ENJOYING MEMORIAL WEEKEND

For the Community with Nick Sagar

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We talk with this month’s cover, STARZ’s Run the World, Nick Sagar. He talks about how he got into the industry, his career and the power of family.

BEAUTY FEATURES

110

LEMONGRASS BEAUTY

119

ATHLEISURE BEAUTY

142

HOW TO DRESS WHEN TAKING IN THE SUMMER

In Balance with Laurie Hernandez

46

We catch up with Team USA Gymnast Medalist, Laurie Hernandez. She talks about being part of the Final Five at the Summer Games in Rio, perparing for the games in Tokyo and how important being a creative is to her.

Chris Brickley LIFESTYLE FEATURES

84

ATHLEISURE LIST OPUS

86

ATHLEISURE LIST TRX TRAINING CLUB

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We talk with celebrity basketball trainer, Chris Brickley about his career.

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Art of the Snack

72

We find out about Balade Restaurant, a Mediterranean eatery in NYC.

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9PLAYLIST TM Heimana Reynolds

This month’s 9PLAYLIST comes from Team USA’s Skateboarding hopeful, Heimana Reynolds who shares his 9PLAYLIST.

In Sync Steele Johnson

144

We talk with Team USA Diving Medalist, Steele Johnson about his first Summer Games in Rio, his preparation to compete for Tokyo and more.

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Athleisure Studio

Listen to Athleisure Mag’s podcast network Athleisure Studio on Apple Podcast, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you enjoy listening.

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Change Agents Needed

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9LIST STORI3S TM David Boudia

159

Gurwin Singh Ahuja talks with us about his career in civil rights, his political service and his focus on his sustainable marketplace, Salvos.

This month we chat with Team USA Diving Medalist David Boudia who provides us with his 9 must-haves.

AthleisureMag.com

This month, our cover story features Nick Sagar, we chat about his career with the premiere of his show Run the World on STARZ which airs this month. We talk about how he got into the industry and a number of his creative talents from martial arts, breakdancing and soccer. He also shares how he approaches his craft and picks projects that allow him to showcase his varied abilities. We also talk about the power of family and how it not only cultivates him but allows him to stay grounded.

In addition, we talk about the importance of giving back and using your platform to help those that were key to his success.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We’ve been a fan of a number of the shows that you have been in over the years and we’ve been waiting for months for STARZ’s Run the World to premiere this month. Before we get into your career, in prep for this interview, we saw that you grew up as a breakdancer and that you also loved playing soccer which is quite interesting especially since that really hits the ethos of our intersectionality!

What do you love about these creative outlets and do you still enjoy doing them?

NICK SAGAR: You know what? Growing up, my parents were very keen on being focused to push us to try whatever sports that we showed an interest in. They would support us and growing up in London, naturally, soccer – or football as we call it, was a natural thing. Me and my brother, we were just obsessed with it. It would be all day everyday. If we couldn’t play in the garden, we would ball up socks in the house and we used to drive my mom mad!

But it was just that we slept, ate and drank, football! Dad used to play so it was easily passed down and we did that!

I mean, probably my first 16 years of my life – I got up to playing semi-professional, but as you get a bit older, sometimes the motivation moves you and I wanted to try something different. And that’s what segued into breakdancing. But what I loved about both of them was that soccer had the team aspect as well as being able to improve on your individual skills, it was a

team sport. You got to be able to be with your friends and every game was different. You know, I was thinking about it earlier – playing that sport, you’re forced to be present. Whatever was going on outside of that becomes irrelevant when you start playing and training. Being present and in the moment is really that gift of life. Not worrying about the past or the future, I think that bundled with all that stuff, I think that’s why I enjoyed it so much.

And breakdancing came because my older brother is 10 years older than me and he would show me stuff! Sometimes it was stuff I wasn’t meant to see – haha! But it would be all the stuff from his era like DJing, hip-hop and breakdancing. He showed me a video when I was a kid and that was it! I fell in love with it and then from about 12 to about 17, I kind of stalled back on football and focused on breakdancing.

And again, once you were training and doing the moves, that was all that mattered and you were present!

AM: So when did you realize that you wanted to be an actor and to follow that path?

NS: It’s funny. It’s like what I was saying earlier about my parents, pushing us to do many things. In school, we always had these drama classes and weekend classes in the local theater where I grew up and I just gravitated towards it. I did a lot of performances and showcases and I just found it that was something fun to do. A lot of my friends were allowed to play out in the neighborhood and my dad was kind of strict – he didn’t really let us out until about 12 or 13. So up until then, it was all social activities and acting classes and theater and that type of stuff. We always had an enjoyment for it and we would recreate stuff we saw on TV. The family, we were huge movie buffs so it was always kind of there, I just never knew it was a career path until I got older and I decided to give it a go.

AM: When you get a project that comes your way, what are you looking for when it comes to you ultimately deciding to accept that role?

NS: Um, it depends you know? Variety – I like the people involved – that’s a huge thing. But I do like variety. If I did something before, I will try to do something that’s not too similar straight after. I like to switch it up. One of the things that I fell in love with with acting is that it’s the ability to play so many different roles and to be able to walk in so many different shoes. It’s amazing in real life that some of those things transfer and you get to play into these people’s different walks of life. Being a huge movie buff from love and romance movies, comedies and dramas, thrillers, horrors – I just want to do a bit of them all! For me, it’s more the role, the script, the people involved – but I do like variety.

AM: Well, a number of our readers and ourselves included, we loved you in USA’s Queen of the South, Tyler Perry’s Have and Have Nots, Freeform’s Shadow Hunters – what is your process like when you’re preparing for your roles? To your point, they are so different. Do you have a set way that you go about it?

NS: Kind of! It varies for different roles.

My main thing is to read the script several times over first. The second or third time, things usually start popping out as opposed to when you read it for the first time. Then I begin to delve into the world of the character. I look at what the director and the producer wanted originally in the audition and I try to take that into the character breakdown and then I use a lot of my imagination to create the rest because, I kind of trained in both using my own life’s circumstances and imagination and they both work for different types of roles. I like to use at the end of the day, imagination more because that’s why I got into it – to create. It’s kind of like an escape from your own life – not like I’m trying to run from my own life. Sometimes, we can get so pinned down in our

own lives and concerned about our own things that sometimes don’t matter. The beautiful thing about acting – especially when using your imagination, you get to create this whole new world and you get to live in it!

AM: You just completed filming the third installment of Netflix’s The Princess Switch which has become quite the obsession and the talk around the team at Athleisure Mag as well. What can you tell us about it and when is it slated to drop?

NS: Well definitely expect a lot more switching shenanigans for sure!

AM: Ha – that show is crazy! It’s like wait, that’s Vanessa Hudgens again!

NS: Yeah, Vanessa is terrific. She really had to carry the lion share of all of the switching that she’s doing. I mean, in this new one, there’s even more shenanigans and the gang is back together. I don’t want to give away too much, but it’s a little different and it’s new things that arise. I’m trying not to give away too much, but it’s pretty fun!

AM: We assumed that’s what you were going to say – not too many spoilers to share!

NS: Haha this one is keeping it the same, but showing something a bit new for the third one. It comes around Thanksgiving of this year.

AM: We love podcasts and your character, Officer Ramirez in QCODE’s Borrasca, an audio fiction thriller was really good.

NS: Oh thank you!

AM: QCODE’s immersive approach to sound in their podcasts and stories are really well produced. How was it to prepare for that medium as opposed to when you’re doing something for film and TV? NS: No I don’t think it changes it. It wasn’t something that I had done before, but I actually really enjoyed it because with film

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and TV, obviously you have to worry about your look and appearance. It becomes an aspect because of the camera and having so many people in this huge unit because it’s on TV. The beauty of doing the podcast and just being in the recording studios is that it’s just you and your fellow actors and you’re less worried about your appearance and it’s focused on the internal work and it’s just funny that it ties into what you asked earlier about preparing for a role – the internal work is really where you plant the seed and then water it and let it grow from the internal and that becomes the role. Something about the podcast is that you don’t have to worry about any exteriors so you’re just watering that seed and enjoying the moment of being. You can get really lost in it and it’s really funny, I always wanted to do things like voice overs and animation – doing that made me realize that, “man I would love to just turn up in sweats and voice Bugs Bunny for a couple of weeks.”

AM: This month, Run the World premieres.

What can you say about the show and about your character, Anderson Louis?

NS: I’m really excited about this one. I really am and I think that this show is definitely needed and is coming at the right time. I don’t think that there is anything quite like it at the minute. You know, it’s 4 strong Black women who are running the world. They’re living in NYC which is a wonderful place and it covers the trials and the tribulations of their life and running their own world which is career, relationships, community and how they navigate it. The beauty of it is that I think that people are really going to resonate with it just because we haven’t seen something like this – 4 strong Black leads and they’re crushing it. I do love all forms of drama and I just think that a lot of it has been focused on a lot of struggle up until now. So now it’s nice to see thriving love, healthy love, forms of toxic love – just life in general at this day and age and what it’s like for this generation. This generation right now, we’re all trying to balance our careers, love life, friendships, our communi-

ty and still growing as a person. I think that this is really grounded in that and credit to the creators Leigh Davenport and Yvette Lee Bowser because they are just phenomenal and I’m really really excited about this.

Anderson, I’m interested to see how people take on him. I don’t want to give away too much, but he is Ella’s (Andrea Bordeaux) – at the star, he is her ex-boyfriend and he’s trying to navigate winning her back. They have been on and off for a very long time. They know each other so well and they have a deep deep connection. I think that the beauty about it is that I think that this generation – we’re trying to navigate love lives and careers. We want to grow and have something outside of our love which drives us. Often, the struggle comes with balance, especially with two people who work very different careers.

We get to see a little bit of that with some of the stuff that goes on in the first season without giving away too much!

AM: As someone who is a Black Co-Founder of Athleisure Mag and seeing that show, thinking of a lot of my other girlfriends who are also killing it whether they are running their own businesses or just running massive departments, it’s so exciting – especially in this time, to see something like that that is so beautifully done. I was just drawn to it from the first 30 seconds of seeing the teasers for the past 7 months.

So what drew you when you read that script to saying that without a doubt, you wanted to be in this?

NS: I just read the breakdown. I read the pilot and I was like, this is so so needed.

Like I said, I am a fan of all forms of media, film, TV, drama and I just felt like this was needed. Something that shows a different point of view and something that is prevalent. Like you said yourself, there are people living this lifestyle and it hasn’t been represented as much as we would like. I think that we need more stuff like this to showcase what is possible and what is going on now. To bring in some fun, laughter, tears and love – it’s got an

incredible mix of everything and I’m not just saying this – the 4 ladies are fantastic.

I remember doing Zoom read throughs because we had to navigate the whole shooting due to what was going on last year, but I remember reading on Zoom and watching them. Zoom is really hard because you’re not in the room and you can’t really pick up the energy and I remember cracking up – these ladies have it down. They are hilarious and so talented and yeah, when we got to watch the season, I was like, “this is incredible” and I’m excited for the journey.

AM: Definitely looking forward to this! In terms of entertainment, do you ever think about other areas that you want to tackle in terms of behind the camera?

NS: Yeah – absolutely. I love all things film, television. I studied media in both school and college. I went to university because I figured – I mean, I didn’t last very long because I picked the wrong courses – but I figured that I would go behind the camera to get in front of it. It worked out the other way around, but I do think that maybe one day in the future, being able to direct, produce and to dabble into creating some of my own stuff. So I’d really love to be able to get into that absolutely in the future.

AM: Are there other projects that you’re working on or shows that you’re able to share with us that we should keep an eye out for?

NS: At the minute, just the Run the World season. I’m taking a lot great meetings and opportunities, so I’m just waiting to hear back on a few of those. I’m kind of in a position right now, where I am incredibly fortunate and grateful that for the past 5 years, I have been able to work on some amazing projects. At the moment, I’m kind of looking for something more where I can really delve in and use some of those skills that I have been training on. Especially here with some martial arts, with Shadow Hunters, I was able to do somethings there, but I would love to

do something that’s action based which would be so fun!

AM: You’re a certified fitness trainer, but how did you get into doing martial arts and why was that something that you wanted to be able to have within your routine?

NS: It’s a combination of things. You know as I said, my parents – my mom pushed us into karate. Like many things I did as a kid, we got really far and then I quit. But when I moved to Los Angeles at 21, my dad came with me and I was always interested – when I grew up, I was very close to my dad’s uncle’s older brother and we’d watch all the Kung Fu movies with Bruce Lee – they were constantly playing in the house and me and my older brother were constantly beating each other up to re-enact our favorite movies and we would drive our mom mad. When we moved, my dad pointed at this studio which was Taekwondo and he said that I should start there in case I got into any kind of action stuff. I went in, met my master and I just fell in love with it straight away. Once I started with that, I just kept going which was nice too! The audition process can be so stressful and you just dwell on it all the time, that gave me something that I could focus energy on that I could take on.

I could take it as I wanted. I didn’t have to rely on someone to give me a job. If I wanted to train, I could go do it and that really gave me a wonderful balance. After studying and getting my black belt, I’ve kind of branched out into studying Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu. It’s just fun for me. I’m not trying to compete or anything.

AM: Was just going to ask that.

NS: Well, I’ve done small competitions in Taekwondo and maybe I’d mess around sparring in Muay Thai and maybe I’d try a competition one time but for me, mainly it’s for movies. I grew up watching Bruce and Jackie Chan and I know they were real fighters! Mine is just for the movie and TV outlet.

AM: What’s a typical workout session like

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for you? Do you have go to moves that you would like to put in your routines – what is that like?

NS: It’s kind of varied. I like to wake up and see how I feel. I usually take 1 day off a week. I’d go to a gym which would be more weight training because I was really into that in college. Then the following day would be martial arts, but I really like to mix it up and keep throwing in different things – something I saw on Instagram or YouTube and I’d say, “that’s kind of cool – I want to try that.” Because you can run the risk of your workouts being stale so I just like to flip and alternate. So I do the gym and then martial arts the next day and then maybe – I used to when things were a bit more open, I’d do football or soccer and I was getting into rock climbing – I’m just a fan of sports in general!

Growing up, I liked tennis, swimming – just fun physical activities.

AM: When you’re taking time for yourself and relaxing from your schedules, what would we find you doing?

NS: Good question – that varies too! I mean, mostly, I love movies and TV. I’m always catching up on new shows and new films. I have an excuse to enjoy it because you never know, I might get an opportunity in that – so I watch that. Other than that, I love spending time with my friends and family. I have a lot of friends and family that are back home so FaceTime and Zoom calls – watching stuff together. Just hanging out with people that I love! I think that the business is wonderful and I enjoy it, but I try not to make it the be all and end all of everything of my life. I try to make sure that family, friends, community and just other things go on as well. I love what I do, but it can be a bit consuming if you give it too much energy. I’m likely to have good people around me that give me that balance and keep me in check! I’m a huge fan of meditation, reading books and that just really helps me as well.

AM: You know, over the last year, the most insane year yet to navigate – a pandemic,

fighting for social justice, the election – just all these different things and now with the vaccines being here and various forms of reopening’s that are happening, what are you looking forward to doing this year in terms of coming back into life?

NS: Just human connection! Being able to be around others. I know it’s always been something that was very important to me and I’m sure it is to many other people as well. Being able to freely be around family and friends and enjoying those moments.

If anything this year that it has made me personally realize is how vital that is to us and as people sharing that experience.

How much connection and communication is so huge and important – it’s a wonderful and beautiful thing. I’m just looking forward to seeing people with smiles on their face and doing what they love!

AM: You grew up in London and you also currently live in LA, what are your 3 favorite places you like to eat at in each city?

NS: Oooo that’s a good question! In London, it’s going to be my mama’s house!

AM: There we go!

NS: In LA, it’s going to be my aunties house!

No joke! I like – I mean, I have to control myself sometimes. I have been known to dabble into fast food – in the past – I’m getting better at it. But growing up, especially in London, my friends who read this will laugh. There’s a place called Dixy Chicken – kind of like a Popeye’s Chicken sandwich – I’m talking about in the past though haha – AM: Right, you’re just qualifying this answer haha – NS: Yeah, it don’t qualify, it don’t qualify but you know, any Jamaican or Guyanese in any of those cities, that’s my go to. But mainly, it would be mom's and aunt's because there’s nothing like home cooked food when it is cooked with love.

AM: Your dad was a bespoke tailor and

that you’re thinking about reinventing his suit line. Can you tell me about that?

NS: You know, these are some amazing questions – fantastic!

AM: It’s what we do!

NS: No it’s really good. Yeah, my dad. I have a funny story about him – he wouldn’t find it funny. But, he never got the support that he needed for his artistry and he was very much into fashion and sports. Very similar to us as children. So that’s why I think he pushed us so much. He had a factory where he used to create women’s leather and clothes in the late 80’s and 90’s. Then he had a market store which was big back in the 90’s and I think there was a crash back then, but I don’t really remember.

He was always into fashion, creating and that stuff. It wasn’t until 2005 or 2006 that he had gone back to creating men’s suits which was based out of Hong Kong and he really does make great pieces, I’m not just saying it – but so much so that I wore his stuff to the Ill Manors movie that I did years ago. He fitted me, my brother and a friend and it looks amazing and I wore some stuff to Queen of the South as well from the line. He believed in me so I’m in the position now where I need these types of things and I have to say, "hey dad, I believe in you" and repay the favor. He just has really good talent. We have to wear so much of this stuff so why not keep it in the family? We’re working on it and getting it back out there, creating pieces again and hopefully in the future, our line will be something that is recognized by many.

I’m very grateful to my parents. When they say it takes a village to raise a child, it’s very true! My aunties, my uncles, the neighborhood we grew up in, the teachers – there have been some fantastic people that have been in and out of my house.

My family, they’re still there and are able to recognize things from when we were growing up. So I can say, I enjoyed this then, there’s no reason why I can’t enjoy it as an adult. That really gave me a great foundation. I had friends that were super

talented, but they didn’t have those outlets or the ability to explore those opportunities. So when they got older, when you’re looking for something new or you want to try, they didn’t know that these things were in their realm. So I was lucky to have martial arts, or fashion or movies or whatever it may be. I’m very fortunate for my parents and the way that they brought us up. So grateful – shout out to moms and dads and uncles and aunties – and grandmas and grandpas.

AM: Even the faux ones that you call Uncle So and So, but you don’t know where they came from, but they were always there!

NS: Yeah yeah for real – so true! Some of my uncles I mean, Uncle Leroy, he loved martial arts and he was always pushing that. Uncle Harry was just a jokester. My Auntie – so many of them. Just wonderful, lucky and very grateful! @NickDSagar PHOTOS COURTESY | PG 16 - 25 Tina Turbow | PG 26 - 31 STARZ/Run the World

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THE GO GETTER JADE PURPLE BROWN

We've been a fan of the art created by Jade Purple Brown who is known for her pops of color! You've seen her work with clients that have included Drew Barrymore's Flower, EOS, Murad; a splash page for Adobe Illustrator, images that have included iconic pictures of Diana Ross and Beyoncé, or whether it's been her creativity when it comes to showcasing strong women in a 60's and 70's style! We took some time to talk about her portfolio, process and how she got into the industry.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist?

JADE PURPLE BROWN: In college, I studied Fashion Marketing & Management because I originally wanted to pursue a career in fashion styling. I knew that gaining a strong business background would be great for me and help further support my career. While I was in the program they taught us the basics of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign to create marketing materials and I quickly fell in love. With the help of online tutorials, I started using the programs on my own time to create unique designs. From there, I slowly started to figure out that my true passion was art and design and that I had a natural talent for it.

AM: As an artist, how do you get inspired to create your work?

JPB: Strong go-getting woman, 60s and 70s Interior Design, Bold fashions, and the Black community as a whole, constantly inspires my work. These themes always pop into my brain as I sketch out new pieces or begin planning my next moves. I also find that a clean organized workspace and good music really keep my ideas flowing.

AM: As an entrepreneur, how do you balance between creating pieces that align with your vision, commissioned pieces, and doing the day-to-day business of elevating your brand and goals?

JPB: All of the clients that I choose to work with come to me specifically for my

style, which is amazing because it better ensures that my overall vision will stay intact. However, I do challenge myself on an ongoing basis to create personal work so I always feel like I’m growing and experimenting within my work. Most clients reach out because they’re drawn to my self-initiated projects, so taking the time to challenge myself and create freely helps with gaining new client work as well.

AM: You have worked with a number of brands from Sephora, TikTok, Drew Barrymore’s Flower Beauty etc – as an entrepreneur, what’s your process when it comes to onboarding projects. Do you look at synergies that exist between you?

JPB: Before accepting new projects I always make sure that the brief really champions my artistic voice and make sure that it would be a project that I would be proud to include in my portfolio. My agent also makes sure we’re all aligned on deliverables, timeline, and budget to make sure that everything goes smoothly.

AM: Your work centers on positivity, individuality, and what it means to be a female artist/woman of color – how do these themes and messages manifest themselves in your work?

JPB: The overall theme of all my work is joy. I want people to feel good when they see my work. A lot of my work features characters who are Black and people of color — something that I didn’t see a lot of in art and design growing up. I want people to be able to see themselves in my work and feel good about who they are and optimistic about the many possibilities of life.

AM: Are there color palettes that you tend to incorporate into your work and if so, why do you lean towards those?

JPB: Color can evoke so many different emotions. For me, I want to evoke freedom and fun, so I use a lot of punchy colors, and then I’ll also balance them out with more neutrals, browns, blacks, and

whites. Juicy, mouthwatering colors like red, orange, pink, and yellow are my goto's.

AM: Your work has been on prints and recently on throw blankets, although they are currently sold out will you bring these back or have future products like this available?

JPB: It’s been really fun to create bold contemporary art prints + thoughtful art-centered products that aim to add a post of joy to everyday life. A new throw blanket design will be coming out this winter, and I’ll be launching Beach towels this summer.

AM: Currently, you partnered with Murad which launched their Intense Recovery Cream which assists stressed-out skin. You created artwork that we can download to color to continue feeling calm – can you tell me more about this image?

JPB: We all need to stress less these days which is why I’ve partnered with Murad to create an art piece that evokes a sense of calm as you color your way through the sheet’s white spaces. The illustration pulls inspiration from Murad’s newest innovation, Intense Recovery Cream – a dose of calm for your face, and is outlined in Murad's signature black cherry shade. The shapes are filled with soft yellows, blues, and purples, while relaxing nature elements along with the words "Peace" and "Love" are illustrated in hopes of relieving daily stress @JadePurpleBrown PHOTOS COURTESY | Jade Purple Brown

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Inspiration doesn’t just occur.

It’s created.

Perfection isn’t simply achieved.

It’s worked for.

Reserved for those who get out and go. Fueled by nature. Motivated by spirit. How do you go?

IN BALANCE with Laurie Hernandez

We fell in love with Laurie Hernandez's personality and energy when she competed in her inaugural debut at the Summer Games 2016 in Rio! She showcased her skill and commitment to the sport of gymnastics with the Final Five and left with a team gold medal and a silver as an individual.

We wanted to know what she has been up to since we last saw her on the global stage, how she maintained her training during the pandemic as well as a number of projects she has taken on - including, winning ABC's Dancing with the Stars in season 23 with her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy. We're also looking forward to seeing her in Golden, a docuseries on Peacock that takes us behind the scenes on what it takes to make the Team USA Women's Olympic Gymnastic team as she prepares for the Summer Games in Tokyo.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in love with gymnastics and what was the moment that you realized that you wanted to go professional?

LAURIE HERNANDEZ: I fell in love with the sport when I was watching it on TV as a little girl. The gymnasts were such an amazing mix of power and grace that I looked at my mom and told her “I want to do that!” and not long afterwards my parents started me in gymnastics.

AM: What is a normal day or week like for you when you’re in training mode and do you have go to movements that you enjoy incorporating into your fitness routine?

LH: I practice Monday-Friday around 5 hours a day and Saturdays for about 3 hours. I also have physical therapy twice a week to help with any aches and pains.

Before training I use Hyperice tools like a Hypervolt gun to help with warming up my muscles and at home Normatec leg compression for recovery.

AM: Did you always feel that the Olympics would be part of your journey as an athlete and what does it mean to you to represent the nation on such a global stage?

LH: It was always a dream to go to the Olympics but of course when I first started I had no idea where it was going to lead.

AM: In terms of the sport of gymnastics, we’re familiar with the activities that take place; however, do each of you have your specialties that you take on and if so, what are yours and why do you gravitate to them?

LH: Absolutely! Every gymnast has their own strengths that they bring to the sport and that’s what makes it so fun to watch.

I love to perform and get the crowd involved so floor exercise is one of my favorites!

AM: At the Summer Games in Rio in 2016, you received a gold medal as the Final Five team and silver individually for beam.

What was it like to be there for your first Olympics and competing with your team?

LH: It was such an honor to represent the USA and I will never forget the feeling of standing on the podium, listening to the National Anthem with USA on our uniform. What hit me even more once I got home was the impact it had on the young Latinx generation. I had parents come up to me and tell them that their child had started gymnastics because they saw me at the Olympics and I looked like them which gave them the confidence to start the sport. That has really stuck with me and something I will forever cherish.

AM: Last year at this time, the Olympics was in limbo although it seemed like it would be postponed. We have talked with a number of athletes about how they had to modify their workouts as they didn’t have access to their normal facilities. Did you find yourself doing workouts that were modified (ie Ryan Murphy was pushing a car up his hill, April Ross created a gym in her home, Steele Johnson was walking on his hands in his backyard) in order to get in a good workout and to stay on track?

LH: Of course. I was doing stretches and

yoga in my home to keep up my flexibility, going through routines mentally, running in my neighborhood, etc.

AM: You just competed at the Winter Cup earlier this year which you choreographed and was Hamilton inspired – what was that like and what are your personal goals as you anticipate a second appearance at the Summer Games?

LH: I loved being back out on the competition floor and had so much fun with my new floor routine! I did go back and do a few small choreography edits so stay tuned for my next competition. One of my biggest goals this whole journey is to comeback for myself and to have fun with the sport.

AM: Tell us about Golden. I know that LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s Uninterrupted are creating this docuseries that includes you and additional gymnast Olympic hopefuls to obtain the remaining 4 spots. What can we expect from this show, do you know when it’s available on Peacock and why did you want to participate?

LH: It will focus on the day-to-day repetition it takes to become an elite athlete in our sport and a behind the scenes look at the ins and outs of our daily lives. I love all the girls that are participating alongside me and some are my close friends, so it made it a fun project!

AM: The Road to Tokyo has a number of events to qualify for being on the team.

What’s your schedule look like right now and what competitions should we keep an eye out for?

LH: My next upcoming competition is the U.S. Classics on May 22nd.

AM: Part of the fun of the Olympic Games in addition to the actual competition, is being able to navigate the city outside of the Olympic Village. As we’re all emerging from lockdowns, have you been given a sense of what being at the Summer Games

will be like outside of when you’re training and competing?

LH: We have not been given any specifics, but I know that without family and friends in the stands it will feel a bit different than previous Games.

AM: After a successful debut at the Olympics, you took some time off and won ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, published 2 books and were the inaugural host of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior Junior – why was it important for you to take the time off to take on these projects?

LH: It was super important for me to take time off and find out who I was and what I liked outside of gymnastics. Something my mom always told me was you are Laurie who just so happens to do gymnastics, there is much more to you than just one thing. Finding my love for dancing, acting, and hosting was very rewarding and also helped me realize I still loved the sport too.

AM: How important is it for you to balance your competitive nature while also embracing positive mental health and fueling your creative side?

LH: Extremely important. Mental Health awareness is something I am very passionate about sharing and embrace fully. This was actually another reason partnering with Little Words Project was a great fit.

Spreading kindness and self-love is huge and I hope others benefit from wearing some of my favorite words and affirmations.

AM: We know that you love poetry and are a fan of words. Tell me about Little Words Project. Why did you want to collaborate with them with your collection of bracelets and how excited are you that it is available at Nordstrom?

LH: Words have always had a big impact on me and Little Words Project was the perfect partner to share my affirmations with others. I loved creating the sayings/

words on each bracelet and am so excited to see others showing kindness to themselves and others by wearing them. @LaurieHernandez PHOTOS COURTESY | Laurie Hernandez

As we head closer to the NBA Playoffs, we caught up with Chris Brickley, a Player Development Coach who played at the University of Louisville under Rick Pitino, worked with players at the NY Knicks and launched a successful training company, BlackOps Basketball. His training has been sought after by a number of basketball players, entertainers and more.

We took some time in between his busy schedule to find out about how he built his career, how he became so influential in the sport as well as his personal projects.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in love with the game of basketball?

CHRIS BRICKLEY: I fell in love with the game at 11 years old. I realized I could use the game to do some amazing things and I became obsessed with it.

AM: You played at the University of Louisville under Rick Pitino and went on to coaching at Ole Miss and being the youngest assistant coach at a NCAA Division I school at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

What is it about coaching that you enjoy?

CB: Being in love with the game of basketball and learning from Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to teach young men the game of basketball and the game of life.

AM: How did you transition from coaching there to being at the NY Knicks?

CB: When I was coaching at FDU, I would workout JR Smith at night at Manhattan College. That season JR was 6th man of the year. The Knicks heard about me and hired me.

AM: What is a Player Development Coach and what do you do in that role when it comes to interacting with your players?

CB: My role was to make development plans for all of the players and to make sure during the off-season and season they were constantly improving. I loved it.

AM: When did you realize that you wanted to start BlackOps Basketball and why was that important for you to do?

CB: Being with the Knicks for 4 seasons, I believed that I had enough connections to branch out on my own. Even though leaving a guaranteed Knicks contract wasn’t easy, I’m glad I made the decision. BlackOps Basketball is something I am proud about.

AM: What are your days like with your clients during the season and off season?

CB: During the season, it’s a lot of text convos and dinners, taking about their games and what they can do better. The off-season is grind time - we make a plan and work extremely hard to attack that plan.

AM: When it comes to taking on clients as you have a number of NBA stars, those looking to hone their skills for college as well as those that are entertainers, what do you look for?

CB: I look for players and people that genuinely love the game and want to get better. You don’t need to be an NBA star or a celeb, you just need to be urgent about getting better. Simple as that.

AM: What kind of intake questions do you ask for those that have worked with you for the first time? Do you ask what they want to improve, athletes that they want to play like etc?

CB: We have many conversations before we start up. I ask them what they think they need to improve & work on. I tell the them what I think they need to improve and work on and we come to a common ground. Then we work.

AM: In working with your clients, how much interaction do you have with their teams’ coaches?

CB: I have a lot of interaction. In the off-season players coaches will come in

the gym and watch the workouts. They will also give me stuff to focus on.

AM: You have also been working with J. Cole who will premiere this month playing for the Rwanda Patriots BBC for the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League. I know this was a dream for him to play at a pro level, what was it like working with him to get him to this dream?

CB: J. Cole was someone I looked up to way before working with him. So to work with him every night for 4-5 months was amazing. He got so much better and now he’s a pro!

AM: I know that Quavo has worked with you for a while and introduced you to Travis Scott, which brought you on tour with him, how do you schedule your time as your work can literally take you anywhere?

CB: So Quavo is one of my close friends so shout-out to him. When he introduced me to Travis, Travis asked me immediately to come on tour with him. His tour hit all the NBA cities and it was during the winter so it worked perfectly. I could work with Travis and also see my clients in their cities.

Shoutout my guy Travis!

AM: We’ve enjoyed looking at your feed over the years where you’ve shared pick up games at Life Time Athletic with LeBron James, James Harden, Carmelo Anthony etc. – how did these come about and did you realize that this this would be such a draw for others to want to participate in as well?

CB: One night Melo and I were hanging out in Puerto Rico and he said when we get back to NYC schedule a pickup game.

He said he wanted to play some 5 on 5.

The first one I scheduled had Kevin Durant, Kemba Walker, JR Smith along with 10 other NBA players, it went viral and the rest is history.

AM: How do you take time for yourself when you’re not watching games, prepping for your clients, working with them in

person, etc.?

CB: I listen to music, hangout with friends and go on walks. Music and walks are my peace of mind.

AM: You’ve partnered with BODYARMOR. How did this partnership come about and what is it about your synergy that made sense for you to work with one another?

CB: I’m very excited about my new partnership with BODYARMOR. Seeing the growth they’ve had in the last few years and the potential they have to do more – along with the fact that they have incredible athlete investors who I regularly work with like Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Trae Young – it was a no-brainer for me. I know my brand and company is still on the rise too, so we’re both grinding to be the best out there and that makes it even more special.

AM: Why do you like including BODYARMOR within your routine?

CB: Now more than ever, athletes and trainers – like myself – are paying close attention to what we put in our bodies.

To perform like the best, you need to prepare like the best – and hydration plays a major role in that. BODYARMOR is my go-to because it gives me exactly what I need – potassium-packed electrolytes, vitamins, and antioxidants – to ensure I’m feeling my best out on the court and can perform to my highest level.

AM: Tell me about Color Blind. What’s the ethos behind it and what is the product assortment that’s currently available?

CB: Color Blind is my baby! It means so much to me. I love fashion and I love the meaning. It represents the light in all of us. Doesn’t matter your race, your gender, your religion, we are all humans. I have some amazing collabs coming soon!

I can’t wait for you guys to see.

AM: What other projects are you working on that you’re able to share with us? Based

on your IG, it seems like you’re working on some music?

CB: Yes BlackOps Presents ‘Welcome To The Grind’, it is going to be the soundtrack for all hoopers and athletes across the world. When athletes and people in general are working out I want them to play this album. The album has some of the biggest names in music. It’s going to be a

classic!

@CBrickley603 @BlackOps.basketball @ColorBlind PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 56 - 61 Chris Brickley/Social | PG 64 BODYARMOR |

What New Yorkers Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines New York City is committed to keeping everyone safe and healthy by ensuring that access to COVID-19 vaccines is fair and equitable. COVID-19 vaccines will likely be available for most New Yorkers by mid-2021. Some people, such as health care workers, essential workers who cannot separate from others, and older adults and other people at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 can currently get vaccinated.

When you get vaccinated, you are helping to protect yourself and your family and friends.

You are also helping to make your community safer. We know New Yorkers care about their communities, including health care workers and small business owners.

Do the vaccines work?

• Two COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) have been approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In clinical studies, both vaccines were more than 94% effective at protecting participants from COVID-19.

Are the vaccines safe?

• Yes. You cannot get COVID-19 from the vaccine.

The vaccine does not contain the virus. It teaches your body’s immune system how to fight the virus, so it can fight the virus if you are exposed to it.

• The COVID-19 vaccines have gone through large clinical studies involving tens of thousands of people of various ages, races and ethnicities. The evidence from those studies was closely reviewed by the FDA and independent organizations.

• Researchers have been working on vaccines for coronaviruses for years, so they did not start from scratch.

Are there side effects?

• It is normal to experience side effects after the first or second dose of the vaccine. Common side effects include soreness in the arm where you got the shot, headache, body aches, tiredness and fever.

• If you have any questions or concerns, call 311 or talk to your health care provider.

• Side effects can be unpleasant, but getting vaccinated helps protect you may help protect and other New Yorkers.

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This month, we're embracing Spring transitioning into Summer which is the perfect time to try out new places that have been on our list. It hasn't missed our attention that National Hummus Day is May 13th. In this month's issue, we talk with Balade's chef and restaurateur, Roland Semaan to find out more about his Lebanese-American restaurants.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about your background in culinary and how you came about opening Balade?

CHEF ROLAND SEMAAN: Balade is the Lebanese word for “produce of the highest quality.” That’s what diners can expect at Balade in the East Village. I am a native of Beirut, Lebanon’s Capital City. My interest in hospitality started in the kitchen of my childhood home in Lebanon as I watched my mother and grandmother cook. My father was a diplomat, and my family home was the host site of elaborate dinner parties that welcomed political guests from around the world.

At eighteen, I traveled to Le Bouveret, Switzerland where I attended Cesar Ritz College and studied hotel and restaurant management. After graduating, I went to Dubai for a year to work in the hotel industry. I came to the United States to attend Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island where I earned my Master’s in culinary arts. From there, I moved to New York City where I began my career at Great Performances, a catering and events company managing the company’s large-scale events. Then, I took a management position with the Atlantic Grill, part of B.R. Guest Hospitality. From there, I worked at Hilton Hotel in Times Square to serve as its food and beverage director.

My entrepreneurial spirit led me to develop my own restaurant concept. I found the perfect location in the East Village and returned to my Lebanese roots with the opening of Balade Restaurant in 2010. My mission is to introduce Lebanese cuisine to New Yorkers. The restaurant has since

a staple serving the neighborhood and destination clientele.

AM: What can guests expect when they come to dine at Balade?

CHEF RS: The interior design reflects the culture of Lebanon adorned with circular cut pieces of wooden cedar trees and Arabesque tiles – all imported from Lebanon. Outdoor seating is offered in a heated space with transparent partitions, picnic tables and chairs, and astro turf. Hardcover cookbooks line a top shelf above the outdoor dining area.

Guests can also expect food authenticity, all our cooking is made from scratch and grandma recipes. (Items such Olive oil and Zatar are imported from Lebanon).

AM: What are foods and/or spices that are indicative of Lebanese cuisine?

CHEF RS: Hummus, Taboulé, baba gha nouj, Warak einab, Shawarma.

AM: What would you say is a signature of Balade that we can enjoy?

CHEF RS: Hummus is our secret. The steps from cooking the chickpeas, to grinding and mixing it to get out our fine Hummus are very delicate and specific.

Hummus is our home run signature and one of our best sellers!

AM: In honor of National Hummus Day on May 13th, what are 3 that we should enjoy at Balade?

CHEF RS: Hummus Beiruté: Chickpeas purée, with tahini, cumin, cucumbers, tomatoes and scallions.

Hummus Lahme: Chickpease purée with lamb topped with pine nuts.

Hummus Kebbe: Chickpeas purée served with kebbe krass garnished with nuts and pistachios.

I also suggest the hummus sharing plates which can pair well with Balade’s curated selection of Lebanese wines/beers.

AM: To start our meal, what are 3 dishes you suggest that we should order?

CHEF RS: Dinner can begin with a spread of savory, shareable plates called Mezze.

Jwaneh are chargrilled chicken wings that are marinated for 48 hours with Balade proprietary spices and imported olive oil from Lebanon; there is also Mouhmara, freshly-ground red peppers and walnuts topped with pomegranate; Makanek beef sausages flamed table side with fresh lemon juice.

AM: For family platters, what are 3 dishes you suggest that we should order for the table?

CHEF RS: Family-style platters like the Supreme Mixed Grill is served covered in Balade’s famous house-made bread and edged-open to reveal a medley of grass fed beef kafta, lamb kabab, chicken tawook, and lamb chops served with chargrilled vegetables. The Samke Mechwiye is a whole grilled branzino, bone-in, marinated in lemon, olive oil and salt served with tahini dipping sauce. Djej Al Fahem is a half chicken marinated with their Balade’s signature recipe of fresh herbs and spices served with hand-cut fries.

AM: And for dessert?

CHEF RS: Ashta consists of “white pudding,” a rich cream traditionally made by repeatedly skimming the film that appears on the surface of boiled milk. The pudding is then coated with honey and topped with pistachio and fresh strawberries. Mouhallabie is a recipe handed down from his grandmother. It consists of a milk pudding topped with ground pistachios and orange blossom. Lebanese Ice Cream is available in pistachio and vanilla made from rose water.

AM: What do you offer in terms of beer and wine?

CHEF RS: We have a well-curated wine list that consists of mostly red and white wine imported from Lebanon, in addition to France and Italy. Our beer selection comes from Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Morocco.

AM: In addition to your restaurant, Balade, you have Balade Your Way, what can you tell us about this?

CHEF RS: Balade Your Way, the healthy fast-casual eatery exuding the allure of middle eastern markets, and is the sister restaurant of Balade. We also offer hummus as a cold appetizer and dip.

Balade Your Way can be a grab-and-go option for a picnic in the park, an office lunch, or an option to take home for dinner.

I suggest enjoying our Hummus: Puréed chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon.

Hummus Ginger: Puréed chickpeas, tahini, ginger, lemon.

Hummus Jalapeño, & Cilantro: Puréed chickpeas, tahini, jalapeños, cilantro.

AM: It has been quite a year and very challenging for a number of restaurants. How were you able to navigate this time between Balade and Balade Your Way? CHEF R: Restaurants are the heart of many communities and so is Balade. Due to Covid-19, consumer behavior has changed and our Management Team lead by myself has been working very hard to adapt and adjust to the changes by putting the main focus on the safety of our diners. We have put in place strict sanitation measures and we are following the DoH guidelines to 100% to keep a safe and happy environment for our dinners and staff!

All our Employees are now vaccinated!

Even though we never closed, this whole year has been a transition. It was a tough year but thanks to the continued support of our customers we made it through the

hardest times! Surviving the pandemic will for sure make us stronger and stable in this world! Brighter days are coming for us and our Community. We cant wait to welcome you all back at Balade! @BaladeNYC @BaladeYourWay PHOTOGRAPHY | Balade NYC

ATHLEISURE LIST: TECH

OPUS

If the past year plus has taught us anything, we have a lot going on and we've all found ways to take time for ourselves so that we can recharge.

OPUS' ethos is that they exist to help empower people to heal themselves from the inside out and to create a more emotionally fit world through emotional sovereignty (becoming the master of our own emotions and feeling empowered and purposeful in our life), embodied service (showing up as an inspiring example for others and sharing our gifts with the world) and collective coherence (coming together as families, communities and a planet to create from a place of cooperation and compassion).

SoundBed offers self-care, made effortless - all you do is lay down, relax and experience.

There are two elements that are utilized when using this: spatial vibration and spatial sound. Spatial vibration uses vibroacoustic technology to resonate your entire body with purposeful vibration and specific frequencies.

This eases you out of your stress response, attunes your energy, and delivers you into a deeply relaxed, parasympathetic state. Spatial Sound can be experienced with headphones, envelopes you in a world of sounds that quickly captivates your attention, dissolves distracting thoughts and brings your attention back to your body.

They're doing this through SoundBed, an at-home immersive SoundHealing platform that acts like a home gym for your heart, emotionally speaking. The

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Together, these targeted experiences create immersive SoundHealing, a unique and powerful method for

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relazing the body, opening the heart and expanding the mind.

the users settle in while the SoundBed begins the journey. Opus “Journeys” are crafted by a community of leading experts in meditation, peak performance, breathwork, relationships, emotional intelligence, and more. The exclusive content ranges from 7-60 minutes sessions; including shorter experiences designed for daily relaxation or mood enhancement, to longer format “Journeys” intended for deeper exploration and personal growth.

While impactful on it’s own, SoundBed stacks the power of sound & vibration with guided support and proven selfcare practices such as a meditation, breathwork and visualization, helping amplify the existing benefits of those practices to provide potent benefits to mental and emotional healing.

Through the OPUS app, users fill out a short emotional intelligence questionnaire that helps assess and personalize the experience. Based on your intention, OPUS recommends a particular journey to help you reach that desired state.

OPUS www.feelopus.com @feelopus

After selecting the desired experience, users lay down on SoundBed, put headphones on followed by the eye mask and weighted blanket. Next, Issue #65 | May 2021

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ATHLEISURE LIST: Streaming

TRX TRAINING CLUB When it comes to Functional Training, TRX is a global leader and creator in the Suspension Training category with its TRX Systems and accessories that assist in getting your desired workout wherever you happen to train.

fingertips, anytime, anywhere.

TRX Live Classes: Users can join a live virtual class with an unlimited number of participants scheduled at pre-determined times throughout the day/ week.

This month, TRX launched TRX Training Club (TTC), a new digital platform that embodies TRX's "Let's Move" campaign by allowing users to utilize a variety of functions to optimize fitness needs anytime, anywhere.

Virtual Personal Training (VPT): Book a one-on-one training session with a TRX Trainer specifically matched to individual users.

With unlimited videos, users are able to find the training that they are looking for which is led by TRX Pros. Class options include strengthening, toning, stretching and everything in between and facilitates all skill levels. In addition to taking classes of your choice, you're able to track your efforts from how many hours you've been sweating, classes you have taken, videos

TTC provides a range of ways to interact with the platform: TRX On-Demand Classes: Users can choose from thousands of guided workouts aimed at specific body parts, total-body, cardio, yoga, recovery, etc. with a wide variety of TRX trainers leading each workout available at their

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that you’ve watched, personal training sessions you’ve taken, and more. Additional features will be added to the platform. Currently, TRX is offering 30 days free for TTC when purchasing a TRX Signature Suspension Trainer.

TRX TRAINING CLUB www.club.trxtraining.com @TRXTraining PHOTOS COURTESY | TRX Training

Issue #65 | May 2021

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Stay connected and follow us across our social channels on @AthleisureMag!

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CHANGE AGENTS NEEDED with GURWIN SINGH AHUJA

This month, we talked with Gurwin Singh Ahuja whose career has included his public service in focusing on Civil Rights, working in the Obama Administration as well as being focused on the importance of sustainable access to cure issues such as Climate Change and being ready for how we go about our work as we continue to evolve.

Although Gurwin has worked in various political capacities, it's worth noting that he interned at the National Economic Council in the Executive Office of the President during the Obama Administration; he was a National Field Coordinator for the re-election campaign for President Barack Obama's 2nd term; he founded the Know Your Neighbor Coalition which partnered with the White House to enhance civil rights policies at the US Department of Justice, US Department of Homeland Security, US Department of Education, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; he also worked as a Special Assistant and later an Advisor to the Office of the United States Trade Representative in the Executive Office of the President during the Obama Administration to name a few. He also became the Co-Founder and Advisor to We Are Sikhs, an organization advocating what Sikhism stands for the equality of women and men and denounces any discrimination pertaining to gender, race, caste, creed, religion, or color.

In addition to being the Director of Strategic Communications at The Glover Park Group, a leading strategic communications and government affairs firm which was founded by former White House and Democratic campaign officials Carter Eskew, Michael Feldman, Joe Lockhart and Chip Smith, he continues to fight for change.

He's focused on a sustainable marketplace he founded, Salvos which allows people to make conscious choice through their purchase power. We talk with him about his career, the importance of making an impact in order to make a change and what he wants his legacy to be seen as.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We were looking for-

ward to this interview as you have covered a number of areas from your political involvement to launching Salvos, the sustainable marketplace, what did you think you were going to be when you were growing up?

GURWIN SINGH AHUJA: That’s a great question. I didn’t know really. If you had told me about the stuff that I did when I was a kid, I wouldn’t have believed you. I wouldn’t have thought that those things would have been possible for someone like myself. I was a fairly average student.

I was a pretty confused kid. I didn’t really get it together until I was 19/20 years old.

AM: That response is surprising as I know you graduated from Ohio State and went to grad school at Columbia Business School!

GSA: Yeah, I didn’t go to Ohio State initially, I was rejected, I went to a community college at the University of Dayton and then I transferred to Ohio State. When I got there, I then excelled.

AM: Last fall, we had Kal Penn as a cover and some of our readers had no idea that he was involved in politics and served in the Obama Administration just like you, what made you interested in politics?

GSA: It was really Barack Obama to be honest with you, I was following the election closely as an 18 year old and I remember sitting in my US government class thinking that before I knew who Obama was, I thought, maybe there would be a Black president when I’m old. Given the trajectory of the progress of our social fabric of our country effectively, I watched him and it inspired me. You saw somebody and sometimes this trope is over used – but you saw somebody who was literally a person of color and at that time, it was very unique, there’s been many strides since then. As an 18 year old, I thought, if he can do it, maybe I can do it. If I work hard, apply myself and do the things that I’m supposed to do, that really helped to focus my attention and I wanted to get involved in politics because of him. I never

would have guessed that I would actually end up working for him.

AM: As a Black Co-Founder of this media house, I remember seeing him and thinking that in my lifetime, I would never see a Black president and what that has created has been phenomenal. Historically, the different things that have taken place in this country, you never would have thought that something like that would happen.

What was it like working with him to lend your voice, be in service and to make change happen?

GSA: To that point, I remember watching him get elected and I was sitting in my dorm room and 4 years later, I remember this very distinctly and I was in his boiler room on election day. The boiler room is kind of the place to be with all of the big people that are there – the campaign manager, the CEO of Google was a volunteer for the campaign, top White House staff – I’m sitting in that room 4 years later at 22 years old! It was wild to go from in a dorm room to that.

In working in his administration, it was what you would expect it to be. It was a very buttoned up operation, very professional operation and working in the administration actually generated hope for me. I was like, “wow this is how politics work and how politicians are.” We have learned that he is more of an aberration than a base case really. It was his personality that really permeated through the organization. I think that the fact that he was such an underdog made the people around him, we all became family.

AM: We enjoyed the We Are Sikhs Funny or Die video, Let's Talk About Turbans. The exchange that takes place as people are trying to communicate with those that come from a different background and making it so awkward as opposed to just saying it really resonated.

GSA: That was kind of the purpose of that. The subliminal message of that is

that we’re all human beings and we should just treat each other as human beings as opposed to being avatars for the groups that we belong to.

AM: We believe that looking at someone from a particular race does not mean that they are the representative of that entire group – as they are not a monolith. Seeing that in that video and once again making that statement that one should ask about a person’s particulars and not making it an assumption for everyone was also a great message that you shared. As long as it’s respectfully done, you can just ask! How did you come up with We Are Sikhs? What’s the purpose of it and what’s behind it – what’s your involvement in it?

GSA: I’m the Co-Founder of that as there are other founders. The thing that motivated me and this goes back to the Obama campaign during 2012, there were a group of white supremacists that went into a Sikh Temple and started shooting people.

6 People died and 1 person was permanently paralyzed and it was kind of jarring. At that time, discussions about these kinds of ideologies and people were really not mainstream. The Sikh community, our core beliefs and organizing principles are: gender equality, racial equality, religious tolerance and the belief in one universal God. So very universal beliefs but because we have beards and turbans and we're from India but we look Middle Eastern in a post-911 world, there was a lot of confusion about who we were and what we stood for. I remember sitting there and thinking, if our community could just capture 1/100th of the magic of this campaign, maybe not for an attack of this degree – but the bullying and discrimination would die down. So basically, I got some of Obama’s top people like David Axelrod and his firm, people that really put together his message which has become famous of hope and change. I had them work with my community to put together a very comprehensive campaign that has become successful beyond my imagination. We had the opportunity to work with Funny or Die, Ben and Jerry’s, UFC,

NBA and so many amazing organizations.

We won a bunch of different industry awards like the Shorty Awards for the video. It’s been something else!

The Funny or Die video came about in an interesting way. When President Trump became president, there were a lot of racial tensions obviously and it was shocking for me and it kind of shook my beliefs in the country for a couple of months. Then once we started going out and talking to people, I noticed that there was a high capacity for people to learn, but there was this feeling that despite their political ideology – unless they were so out there, most people who don’t care about politics all that much, not as much as I did, I found that there was this wall of hesitancy to get engaged because they didn’t want to be called out or to be called a racist. I wanted people to ask questions because we were so different and the only way that they could gather information – because they wouldn’t learn it in school about our community. I wanted people to ask questions. I sensed this hesitancy. I know that when you establish that you’re willing to have a conversation and you can see that the other person is going to be respectful, a lot of dialogue is able to happen. I wanted to do it from that angle. I also took a lot of inspiration from The Office and funny enough, some of the people from that show has seen it like Rainn Wilson (plays Dwight Schrute) and a few others. None the less, the point was to create a common humanity.

AM: What is – whether it’s your platform or the organization’s platform coming off of a pandemic and an election, there is a whole social justice movement that took place last summer and now we’re focused on hate crimes happening to Asians, with your focus on civil rights and equality, how are you using your platform to lend your thoughts to these issues?

GSA: That’s a great question. I think about them everyday and I engage with people on it everyday in a variety of capacities.

One thing that we did to give a larger

voice to a large number of communities which started at the White House was a program called Know Your Neighbor. It was modeled after We are Sikhs – it hadn’t launched yet but there were sketches of that launch. We had a lot of polling that influenced the White House to start Know Your Neighbor which was helpful to spread awareness on a range of communities. There were 2 moments that influenced Know Your Neighbor and we renewed it under the Biden Administration. There was 1 more minor incident that people probably struggle to remember because it was in the news for only a day. There were some Muslim kids that were in a parking dispute and they were killed and the other one where there was a kid who was 18/19 who lost their life over an argument. Obviously, the more famous incident that people know more about, the shooting in South Carolina at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the kid went in, went to the prayer service and murdered everyone after. That was another influencing moment and we renewed this under the Biden Administration as the White House is partnered with us on that. It ended up changing a lot of policy in the Obama Administration and it’s just under way in the Biden Administration. Hopefully we can change more Civil Rights policy. Interestingly, all the people that helped form the program on the administration side are back in the same roles. So it makes it super easy!

AM: Do you have an official capacity under the Biden Administration?

GSA: I don’t have an official capacity under the Biden Administration, I’m a fan of the President and I do help the administration on a few things here and there.

AM: How are you able to manage all of these hats that you’re wearing with these organizations, you’re with the Glover Park Group as well as Salvos, your sustainable marketplace – how are you able to do that?

GSA: That’s a great question. I work an

fuck ton! There’s absolutely no way around that. Another interesting thing is because we’re in a pandemic, it’s hard to socialize – it’s either that or I watch TV! AM: How did you decide to create Salvos – there is a vast assortment.

GSA: We’re actually working to narrow it down to things that really sell well. You’ve structured this conversation kind of personally. My interest in climate change has really been driven from all of the social justice and equality work that I have been doing.

The bigger picture here is that climate change is going to be a very serious threat to the world. Obviously, we’re going to survive it, but it’s going to change a lot of things. When I say changes, I’m not just talking about the sea levels getting higher or the weather being crazier. It will fundamentally change where people live, how they grow food and there’s going to be hundreds of millions of people that can’t live where they are living and will have to leave. This will cause tensions in places where they are moving in. We’re worried about xenophobia today which is pretty modest in terms of immigration and refugees. I can only imagine when a solid percentage of the world has to migrate and that people will have to change the way that they work. Most of the world is still just farmers working on their own farm.

Small farmers will not be able to work and will need things to do. We are already in a situation where the number of quality jobs are shrinking. My point in saying all of that is that we have this vision of the future that is always going to be more prosperous and just from the past. I think that climate change really creates a situation where the future may not be a more is more future – it may be more chaotic. We have to change our economy to mitigate these effects so that we can preserve all of these positive changes that we have been able to work towards for over a century!

AM: Wow, that’s a thought. The more

things change, our very way that we go about doing what we do will also be very different.

GSA: So, bringing it back to the business and bringing it more closer to Earth, we have this big problem – being sustainable is hard! I even have a hard time doing it!

It’s hard because it’s unclear whether the products you’re getting are sustainable and if you’re being greenwashed. It’s hard to find them. We wanted to make a place, where people could make at least 1 change, find genuinely sustainable products in one place and we’re slowly building. We will narrow things down to focus more on home and bath because that is what has been selling well and that makes sense. We’re ultimately trying to provide credible products, to make one change to ultimately mitigate the effects that we talked about earlier.

AM: What is your criterion? Being someone who outside of Athleisure Mag. My career is rooted in fashion as a Celebrity Fashion Stylist and as an Accessory Expert.

In the jewelry business for example, there is a whole issue with Blood Diamonds and knowing the supply chain from where it’s put together to how it comes forward so you know that you can identify where the problems are should a part of the chain not be in compliance. How are you doing that from your side in terms of onboarding those products and those brands?

GSA: That’s a great question! There’s 3 cases of the criteria. The first one is the material – is it a more sustainable material? Like it is made with bamboo instead of plastic, is the clothing made out of hemp as opposed to regular cotton. The second one is the actual use case. Is the use case actually sustainable? If it’s biodegradable is it living up to its claim? There is one product that exemplifies the use case methodology which is – we sell these phone cases by Pela, they make biodegradable phone cases. They’re basically big hunks of plastic and they work. If you dig it into the ground, within a few months, it's going to go away which is kind of crazy. I use

it today and it’s one of the best sustainable products that I use and the case is just as good as a normal case. I don’t even know we have normal cases and I have dropped my phone a number of times and it’s super protective. I’m not sacrificing anything by using it and when it’s done, it will just got away as opposed to being here for thousands of years. Third, the most important one, like you said – the supply chain is super important. It’s very difficult to monitor it so the way that we hack it is the certifications that are out there that assesses companies and their products that are done by scientists that are far outside of our capabilities. So we look for products that have genuine eco-friendly certifications.

AM: I think it’s smart as I would do this when consulting with the retail industry that you do have to look at the numbers in order to hone in on the assortment and to do swingshops on the other items. To see everything there was interesting.

GSA: It’s hard, there are a lot of products with varying quality some are good and some aren’t – it’s just interesting as I dug into it, to see all the issues and successes of the industry.

AM: What other projects are you working on as you seem to be oscillating between a number of things. I’m sure like us, even when you’re relaxing, you’re thinking ahead to the next group of things that you want to embark on.

GSA: I know what you mean! I have made a vow to myself to take a breath and not to add more stuff. I’m finding that I have had a decade of craziness and doing a lot of stuff and sometimes doing a lot of stuff, doesn’t actually help in generating new ideas, sometimes it just makes you tired. So I don’t know – I’d be interesting to hear your experience on that. I’m trying to pause myself from doing more and more. The more I am going to do, the less I will be able to actually do it.

AM: I can agree with that. I also find that

when people know you for certain things or they understand that you have an adjacency that works, it becomes very difficult.

I have a 3 layered system – anything I take on, has to actively support what is already going on. If it’s reasonably adjacent, you’re not spitting yourself too much. But if you ask me if I want to go to Mars tomorrow, I wouldn’t see how that works well within what I am already doing. But if it’s reasonable, the timeline works, you find yourself saying ok – and then in the middle of the night you’re like ok that was a chunk right there.

The pandemic allowed us to hone in on things that maybe we wouldn’t have greenlit before because we were looking at being busy in other ways. We’ve been able to analyze and understand what we really want to do and to look at the resource allocation to see it in its proper light.

What do you want your legacy to be?

GSA: I think about it often. When I was in business school they made us think about this. I’m not sure if I want to be known as doing any one particular kind of thing or job per se. In some ways that’s outside of my hands as many things are out of my control. I think what is in my control for today and moving on with life, the thing that motivates me from all my projects is that we see each other as humans and as equal despite our differences. That’s what motivates me throughout all of these people and work. It motivated me to get involved in politics with Barack Obama because I saw myself and it motivated me as I saw us as equals, to do We Are Sikhs and Know Your Neighbor because I wanted other people to see each other as equals and it motivated me to do sustainability and climate change because I see that problem and that situation getting worse if we don’t handle this issue. That’s what motivates me and I hope that when my life is over and everything is done, I can be seen as somebody who helped to see one another’s common humanity. @GurwinAhuja

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1 in 4 kids may face hunger because of the coronavirus.

With schools closed and parents’ paychecks cut, countless children in America don’t know where their next meal is coming from. You can help feed them during this crisis, and in the recovery to come.

Find out how you can help at NoKidHungry.org

BingelyBooks Recipes include those that plantbased, one pot and slow cooker meals. For those who are all about meal prep, Jessica Merchant includes weekly dinner plans, ideas, tips and tricks. Her focus is to keep cooking easy and fun. Dishes that caight our eye: Tuscan Cheese Tortellini Soup, Honey Dijon Pretzel-Crusted Salmon, Grilled Peach BB Pork Chops with Napa Slaw, and Garlic + Chive Butter Smashed Potatoes.

RIPE FIGS

W. W. Norton & Company Yasmin Khan Yasmin Khan is known for her successful cookbook - Zaitoun.

She is back with Ripe FIgs with a number of vibrant recipes and stories that bridge between the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

EVERYDAY DINNERS: REAL LIKE RECIPES TO SET YOUR FAMILY UP FOR A WEEK OF SUCCESS Rodale Books Jessica Merchant

It seems like we have all been doing quite a bit of cooking over the past few years and we could shake up our options as well as reduce the amount of time we spend doing it! Everyday Dinners does just that with recipes that take 30 minutes or less without sacrificing the taste and with great eye appeal!

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As a region, the Eastern Mediterranean is known as the intersectionality between cultures and cuisine via trade, commerce and migration. Yasmin examines this activity throughout the region from the Ottoman Empire and forwrd to those communities that inhabit the area now.

In addition to these tales, she looks at what identity means in an interconnected world and how these recipes create commonalities. She shares ingredients that are used including dill, Issue #65 | May 2021

tries in In Bibi's Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean.

We are taken into their kitchens where they share flavorful recipes and stories of family, love, and traditions. Somali Chef Hawa Hassan and food writer Julia Turshen share 75 recipes and stories from bibis (grandmothers) from eight African nations: South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, and Eritrea. These eight countries are the backbone of the spice trade and are exporters of things like pepper and vanilla. In addition to connecting through food, they teach us about family, war, loss, migration, refuge, and sanctuary.

oregano, citrus, dates, thick tahini and soothing cardamom. You'll find a selection of healthy, seasonal, vegetable-focused recipes, such as hot yogurt soups, zucchini and feta fritters, pomegranate and sumac chicken, and candied pumpkin with tahini and date syrup.

The perfect cookbook for the home cook, there are stunning food and location photography that celebrates this diverse region.

IN BIBI'S KITCHEN: THE RECIPES AND STORIES OF GRANDMOTHERS FROM THE EIGHT AFRICAN COUNTRIES THAT TOUCH THE INDIAN OCEAN Ten Speed Press Hawa Hassan with Julia Turshon

This cookbook introduces you to grandmothers from 8 Eastern African counIssue #65 | May 2021

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BingelyStreaming studio in Bergdorf Goodman with a clientelle that included Jackie Kennedy and ultimately, taking on the apparel world.

This is illustrated as we see him in the 60's to the days of Studio54 as well as beginning of the AIDS epidimic. We meet his muses, go behind the scenes of the iconic and historic The Battle of Versaillses Fashion Show and we learn about the positive and negative experiences of business decisions that Halston made as he took on investors to support his brand and how he lost control due to this involvement.

HERE COMES THE BREAK Double Elvis Productions x Def Jam Recordings iHeart Radio

HALSTON Netflix Limited Series Netflix When it comes to American Fashion Icons, Halston exemplifies his ability to understand a woman's body, being a trailblazer in including Black models within his show to reflect diversity, and pushing licensing as it pertained to categories in fashion and outside of it. In Netflix's Limited Series, they talk about the rise and fall of Halston delving into his early beginnings as a boy growing up in Indiana, becoming a fashion darling who was known as a hatmaker with a AthleisureMag.com

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Fans of Double Elvis Productions (Disgraceland, 27 Club, Blood on the Tracks: The Phil Spector Story) know that he delves into the history of some of the biggest names in music from entertainers and producers. In this network's latest podcast, Here Comes the Break, this audio drama follows Ruben who is navigating school and is dealing with anxiety and mental health; however, a new passion emerges when he creates a podcast that shares up and coming artists. We hear him navigate creating his podcast, working with a team and balancing his life. As he goes to shows and interviews them, his persona becomes larger than life.

Issue #65 | May 2021

In many respects, this film, which is directed by "The Greatest Showman's" Michael Gracey, is endearing and revealing and can be seen as a love letter to her family and her fans.

Although this is a scripted show, you get real interviews from up and coming artists on Def Jam as well as hearing their latest songs.

P!NK ALL I KNOW SO FAR Amazon Original Movie Amazon Prime Video

This month, P!NK All I know So Far an Amazon Original Movie drops.

Since her debut in 2000, Pink has released 8 studio albums and sold over 60 million albums. In this music documentary follows pop superstar P!nk on her Beautiful Trauma Tour as she balances her hectic schedule as a performer, being a boss, as well as being a mom and a wife. We get an all access pass to a mix of footage that takes us with her on the road, behind the scenes interviews and personal material. This tour included 156 shows across 18 countries. The tour sold 3 million tickets worldwide and is the 10th highest grossing tour in Billboard's Boxscore's history - the biggest tour for a women in over a decade.

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IN SYNC

STEELE JOHNSON

This month’s issue marks another interesting milestone within the past 15-16 months.

Last year, our May Cover Issue #53 was 2 X Team USA Beach Volleyball 2X Medalist April Ross and at that time, we were unsure of whether the Olympics were going forward or if they would be postponed. A year later, we have navigated a pandemic, vaccines are being administered and we have a number of sports and events that have come back. The Summer Games in Tokyo is moving ahead and although it’s been a strange year, it’s amazing to think about what this year has been as we all have our individual stories.

As an athlete, there have been a number of challenges to continue to train in advance of the Olympics whether that has meant modifying their workouts, and/or waiting for training centers to reopen; however, with Olympic Trials ahead for Team USA Swimming next month, we caught up with Team USA Diving Silver Medalist, Steele Johnson. He competed in his first Olympics in Rio in 2016 where he competed in the 10-meter Synchronized with his partner, David Boudia (you can see the 4 X Team USA Diving 4X Medalist's in this month's issue for our 9LIST STORI3S) where they went to the podium with a Silver medal and he competed in the 10-meter Individual. We talk about his Olympic experience, training and qualifying for the upcoming games, what this past year has been in prep for it, Olympic Trials and the importance of creative outlets.

ATHLEISURE MAG: It was a pleasure to see you a few weeks back during the KT Tape Virtual Press Day with you and a number of Olympians that are ambassadors for the brand. When did you realize that not only did you like swimming, but the moment that you realized that you wanted to be a diver.

STEELE JOHNSON: I spent a lot of my time in the summers as a kid in the neighborhood pool. This was at the age of 4, 5, 6 and every time, instead of swimming in the shallow end with my friends, I would always go into the deep end and just jump

off the diving board. My mom and dad said it was just all day long and they couldn’t get me off of that diving board. Year after year, I just started teaching myself different flips like front flips and back flips. It got to a point where I was 7 years old and my mom was getting super nervous with the things that I was doing at the neighborhood pool. So she signed me up for some diving lessons just so that I could learn how to be safe with the sport and maybe to give me a sport to do in high school. Overall, it was to learn how to do it safe and if I liked it, I’d be able to keep doing it. The rest was kind of history! I enjoyed it, I stuck with it and I got really good at it from a young age. I just got seen by the right people in Indianapolis and started training in Indianapolis full time by the age of 10.

AM: Diving is a fun sport to watch at the Olympics and obviously, it looks like a very technical sport and you compete solo as well as in a team. Can you breakdown the event in terms of how you go about obtaining points and the fact that you’re doing it with someone else at the same time?

SJ: So, the way it’s scored, especially in Synchro than in Individual – in Individual you have 7 judges, they watch the dive, you get a score. The top 2 scores are dropped and the bottom 2 scores are dropped so that you of course get the middle average. It’s the same for Synchro except, each diver has 3 judges, the high and low are dropped and the middle score stays for each individual diver and then there are 5 Synchronized judges and they keep the middle 3 of those as well. So, it’s a little different score wise, but it’s ultimately the same thing of when you’re doing Synchro.

I mean across the board you pretty much see that everyone chooses one person who just counts – like 1, 2,3, go. Everyone has their own variation of it. For David and I, we just count 1, 2, 3, go and when we say go, we do our dive as normal and it’s in training that you learn the timing of each other, the way we walk down the board,

the way we jump and stand and eventually, that stuff becomes second nature the more that you do it. So, it just takes a lot of repetition at home and since we’ve been doing Synchro for a long time, David and I have had the same coaches over the years, all our mechanics are similar all our foundations are similar so syncing up with David is especially easy just because we dive so similarly.

AM: That’s amazing and when you’re outside of the Olympics and doing Championships and other meets, is he always your Synchro partner or is it someone else and is that difficult if it is someone else?

SJ: Over the past few years, especially with 10-meter Synchro, I have competed with multiple different partners – all of who have been my teammates that I train with full time at home. So, it’s been easy for me because the people that I have done Synchro with, I have been able to train with them every day of the week!

Whereas, some Synchro teams don’t live in the same city or the same state even and they can train together maybe once or twice a month for a few days. But now, when I compete with David, I only compete Synchro with David so all of our timing – we’re training together every single day.

AM: What are your favorite dives to do?

SJ: On 3-meter, I really enjoy the 3½ Tuck mostly because you start standing backwards on the end of the board so there’s no walk to the end of the board. It’s in that walk to the end of the board that we call the hurdle, that more things can go wrong. I like standing on the end and doing that 3½ and that’s my favorite dive on 10-meter as well. Being able to do it on 3m as well was just a bonus.

AM: We know that you and David are partners, but what are the things that you look for in a partner and what is your training like when you’re together?

SJ: I mean when looking for a partner, it’s

typically that you look for and find 2 of the top divers that are in the US and you pair them up!

AM: Oh wow!

SJ: Luckily for David and I, we live in the same town and we have the same coach.

Training for us was pretty simple. It was, “hey do you want to do Synchro? Let’s try it out.” We tried it out and if we’re good at it, we can start perfecting it and training more. It all starts with trying it out, trying a couple of jumps and dives – simple stuff to see if we even have a natural ability to time up. If we do, that’s great! Because a lot of times, you don’t have a natural ability to time up and you can work at that and make it better. Typically, you take a couple of the best divers in that event, pair them up and see if they work out.

AM: In 2016, you won the Silver Medal in the 10-meter Synchro at the Summer Games in Rio as well as participating in the 10-meter Individual. What was that like for you with that being your first Olympics, going to the Opening and Closing Ceremony games?

SJ: It was honestly one of the most coolest experiences! My goal when I realized that the Olympics could really be a reality for me, was to make the Olympics. So going to the Olympics, I was just ecstatic to be there. I was excited to go to the Opening Ceremonies, be able to compete and to represent Team USA. To be able to walk away with a medal in my first Olympics ever was just icing on the cake. It was something that I had always hoped for, but I wasn’t holding too tightly to because I didn’t want to walk away from my Olympic experience having my head down if I didn’t achieve what I had wanted to achieve. But rather, I wanted to walk away being excited that I had gotten an Olympic experience. So walking away with the medal, I was just beyond excited and so happy that I could share it with David because he and I have trained together for so long! When I was 10 years old, he actually drove me to and from practice because both of my parents worked. It

was cool to actually have that relationship going into a Synchro pairing and going to a podium finish.

AM: We always like asking athletes about the workouts that you do to optimize yourself for your sport. What do you focus on for diving?

SJ: Yeah, the biggest things that I do is core workouts and leg workouts. That’s pretty much 90% of everything I do whether it’s in the weight room, at the pool in dry land. We do pretty intense core workouts because diving is all about having tight form, staying tight through the water so that you can have a small splash. So, all of that tightness starts at your core. If your core is not tight, your dive is not going to be tight and the dive is not going to be pretty. The legs – you just need to get as much out of the board as you can.

The jump has to be as high as you can to generate as much force as you can and that comes from the legs. We don’t really do too much arms or upper body because if your upper body gets too big, it makes it harder to make a small splash going through the water. So it’s important to have healthy shoulders and to keep them stable – stable but not to work them too much where you’re building a lot of muscle mass.

AM: This time last year, it was up in the air on whether the Olympics would take place as scheduled or if it would be postponed, so it forced people to not even train in their normal places that they would do.

What were the alternative exercises that you had to do to still be ready or at least to maintain what you needed to do?

SJ: We weren’t able to do normal practices because the sport of diving, you obviously need a pool and you need a springboard and platform – which in my small apartment, we don’t have! What I had to do was just a lot of core workouts on the floor. I had mats at home that we would lay out in our spare bedroom and I would do just as much core workouts as I could.

Just trying to keep it fresh and to make up variations. Luckily, we had a bench and some dumbbells, so I was able to do some light squatting stuff, but nothing near as much as being in an actual weight room with a squat rack and things like that.

It’s tough to be out of the pool or not to be able to do all the diving specific stuff.

Thankfully, our sport is so technical and core focused, there was still a lot that we could do out of the pool that would still benefit us. Thankfully, we were only out 3 months total out of the pool. That’s the longest break that I have ever had in a long time. In hindsight, that’s not too much time to miss. We were able to pick things up kind of right where we left off.

AM: Now that we’re a few weeks out from Tokyo, what does your schedule look like leading up to the Summer Games in terms of qualifying, Championships and other things that are going on?

SJ: We just have our Olympic Trials coming up in the 2nd week of June. So right now, I’m just training fulltime for that. I also work a fulltime job as a videographer for a foundation repair company in West Lafayette. So between the training and the work, I’m pretty busy all the time whether it being at the pool for 4 or 5 hours – doing my workouts, stretching, core and all those things or running off to the office to film videos or sitting in front of my computer for a few hours a day editing and things like that. I’m keeping pretty busy, but with all of that being said, it’s been nice to be able to work from home during this time so I feel like I can get rest and be off my seat when I need to be off my seat.

AM: With things reopening and vaccines being available as I know you just got your second shot, do you have a sense of what the Olympic experience will look like in terms of whether you have to quarantine prior, will you freely be able to move around the Olympic Village? What will that look at as this Olympic experience will be different than any other!

SJ: Right! I don’t know much of any details

at the moment. Honestly, I’m not trying to focus too much on those details right now. My goal is to keep my head down, keep my eyes forward, train as hard as I can these next 4-5 weeks to prepare for the Olympic Trials and to just get through the Trials first and do the best that I can there to put myself on the Olympic team.

Then, once I qualify for the Olympics, that’s when I will start to look at all these details and to see what this is going to look like!

AM: Looking at the Summer Games in Tokyo, what do you anticipate will be the events that you will participate in?

SJ: So at the Olympic Trials, I will be competing in the Mens 3-meter Individual and the Mens 3-meter Synchronized. Those are the only 2 that I will be doing. I’m hoping to qualify for both of those events and I’m feeling really strong for them at the moment.

AM: How do you decide in terms of Synchro and the Individual – the types of dives that you are going to do?

SJ: A lot of the dives once you get to the Olympic level are pretty standard for each event. In the Mens event, you have to do 6 dives total, 1 from every category – so you’ve got, a front facing dive, a backward, a reverse, an inward and on 3m you have to do 2 twisting dives. Whereas on 10m you do 1 twister and then a handstand dive. With each direction, there are tons of dives that you do, but each of them have a specific degree of difficulty. Once you get at the Olympic level, you pretty much have everyone do the same exact list because we’re all reaching that maximum degree of difficulty of dives that are humanly possible.

AM: What’s your routine like the day of an event – heading into competition. Do you have certain things that you just have to do – what’s that like?

SJ: A lot of it depends on what time the event is. I like to wake up early and get

over to the pool and get into the water pretty early in the morning. I like to do maybe half of my competition list just maybe 1 of each of them – something quick. Just to wake up and get my body moving.

It doesn’t necessarily matter how those dives go in the warmup because ultimately, the competition matters. I’m using it as a way to wake my body up and get ready for flipping. Then, I like to get away from the pool, go out and get coffee/breakfast whatever and then come back to the pool for the event warmup and do the other half of my list and then touch basics for whatever I think that I need to work on right before the event. Then I just listen to music and get in the right headspace for the event and hope that I do well!

AM: As we mentioned earlier, we saw you at the KT Tape Virtual Press Day and we know that you are sponsored by the brand.

Why did you feel that this was a synergy for you to be with them? Have you always used their products and how does it optimize your work that you do?

SJ: I have been a huge fan of KT Tape for a long time now. From as early on as I could remember. I even remember as far back as the 2012 Olympic Trials which were the first Olympic Trials that I competed in, I had a pretty major ab injury. At the time, the team doctors and the trainers were putting KT Tape on me and I realized that it was helping a lot and it helped me to get through the competition and to feel good enough to keep diving. Over the years as other injuries such as my shoulders and my triceps and back have popped up, my first line of defense has been my KT Tape because I’ve seen it work for me. Even at the 2016 Olympic Trials, I was competing with KT Tape on. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, I have been using KT Tape for 8-9 years now and I just love how useful it is and how helpful it has been for me. So when the opportunity came to partner with them, I jumped on that because it was a no brain er and something that I use whether they are sponsoring me or not. Being able to

be supported by that company and to represent them was kind of a dream partnership for me.

AM: What are your favorite go-to KT Tape products?

SJ: Definitely the KT Tape Pro Extreme which is their Pro Tape, but it’s got much stickier adhesive so obviously being in and out of the water constantly, I need tape that is going to stick while I am doing flips in the air, I’m underwater, drying off, getting wet again and that stuff has just been so great for training and in competition.

It’s knowing that I can do a full training session and it’s not going to fall off, just gives me the confidence knowing that I’m taped up and that I’m not going to have to worry about it the whole training session.

AM: In prep for talking with you, we saw via your social that you love to play music and that you’re into photography and videography. How important is that to you to have these creative outlets and what do you do when you’re not pool bound?

SJ: I think that having creative outlets even if you don’t classify yourself as a creative person, is vital for people! Me being a creative, I think that that is a pretty cliché thing to say. But there is just a lot of freedom of being able to sit down after a rough day of practice and to just sit down and play guitar and play base or to edit a video that I have been working on in the previous days – edit photos or to go out and take a film camera and to take pictures with my wife. It helps you separate the sport you’re doing or the main thing you’re doing which in my case is diving, it helps it separate from the rest of my life. I’m able to leave diving at the pool as much as I can when I have these creative outlets. I’m not just diving, diving, diving and then coming home and watching diving video, talking about diving and thinking about diving because then that gets exhausting and you’re subconsciously tiring yourself out. By having creative outlets and having hobbies that you can kind of be a little out.

By having creative outlets and having hobbies that you can kind of be a little mindless with, it helps me naturally relax and take my mind off of the stressors that diving can be sometimes is I have a bad day or week in the pool.

AM: Clearly you have a lot going on and I know you’re moving to Nashville with your wife soon. How excited are you to go to this city and what are you looking forward to?

SJ: We are super excited. We have family that lives just south of Nashville so we have been visiting the city many times every year for the past few years. My wife has been going there even before she and I met. We just love the city, we love the culture, we love the people and for me, I love the coffee scene. I’m a huge coffee snob so the coffeeshops there are unmatched! The food is great and it’s just a great environment. You know, I have been in Indiana for over 25 years now so it will be nice to have a change in scenery and a change of pace, but we’re just really excited to be close to family and close to friends and be in a new environment that we get to explore together. Just getting to learn what it’s like and to love the city and the surrounding. @SteeleJohnson PHOTOGRPAHY COURTESY | KT Tape

Issue #65 | May 2021

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AthleisureMag.com