ATHLEISURE MAG #81 SEP ISSUE

PHOTO CREDIT

CODY

table of contents

155 ROCK THIS WHEN IT’S TIME TO LUNCH WITH THE LADIES

The Power of Healing Alok

This month, we caught up with EDM DJ/Producer and philanthropist, Alok to talk about his passion for music, his creation proceess, his #1 Billboard charted DEEP DOWN and the importance of making the world a better place.

The Queen’s State of Mind

Serpent Queen: Samantha Morton + Liv Hill

We talk with the stars of STARZ’s Serpent Queen, Samantha Morton and Liv HIll who play the older and younger Catherine Medici. We delve into how they prepared for the role, the modern take on her story and revealing who she is in this series.

Food is Community

Chef Justin Sutherland talks about his new cookbook and community.

Living Her Tint

We chat with Deepica Mutyala, founder of Live Tinted to talk about her brand.

Chili is Community Brian Baumgartner

This month, we talk with Brian Baumgartner who played Kevin Malone in The Office. We talk about this character and iconic chili scene and how he came to launching Seriously Good Chili! This NY Times Bestselling Author talks about his passion for this dish, storytelling through podcasting and more.

9DRIP Armin van Buuren

EDM DJ/Producer Armin van Buuren shares his 9DRIP of what he bought when he made it, his go-to style and how he gave back to others.

TM

Hozho

EDM DJ/Producer Hohzo shares his 9PLAYLIST with us.

63MIX ROUTIN3S

Sloane Stephens

Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes from WTA tennis star Sloane Stephens who shares her Morning, Afternoon and Night go-tos and favorites she does.

Leylah Fernandez

WTA tennis star, Leylah Fernandez shares her must-haves in beauty, style and fitness in 9LIST STORI3S.

This month, our cover is with EDM DJ/Producer Alok who has over 20 million month ly listeners on Spotify, over 26 million fans and is the most listened to Brazilian artist in the world! He is also the 4th Best DJ in the world via DJ Mag's Top 100 in 2021. Known as one of the most influential Brazilian artists of all time, he has worked with a num ber of icons in creating great music from John Legend, The Rolling Stones, Dua Lipa and more. He previously shared his 9PLAY LIST with us in our MAR ISSUE #75 .

We talked about his passion for music, how he approaches it, his latest single DEEP DOWN which is #1 on Billboard here in the US, how he collaborated with Ella Eyre, Kenny Dope and Never Dull, his recent performance and panel discussion here in NY where he kicked off Climate Change Week as well as his intitiative with The Future is Ancestral, his work with indigenous people and their communities and the power of making the world a better place!

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you loved music?

ALOK: I think it was when my grandma would sing me songs so that I could go to sleep. So, I think it probably started from that. But I would also say that I never had any doubts about me and music.

AM: When did you realize that you wanted to be a DJ/producer?

A: Well that’s actually, my parents were DJs right? It’s kind of a very direct inspi ration you know what I mean because honestly watching them performing at parties and stuff and also the ecosystem that they worked in for the festivals and parties – it’s kind of like I got very inspired by that and also the whole lifestyle. For many people, that kind of wasn’t a career to be a DJ. Sometimes, it was weird when I went to school and they asked what did my parents do and I was like, “oh they’re DJs” and people did not understand at all. It’s also like, they kind of didn’t want me to be a DJ to be honest! They wanted me to be able to go to university, but you

know, I’m a dad now guys and I under stood that your kids will not do any thing that you tell them to. But they will do exactly what you do! So how can they tell me to not be a DJ when they’re performing everywhere and I was always with them because they had no one to leave me with.

So me and my brother, we started to play at night, but at 12, I would say that we were professional. We started to do our own songs and we started to get our first fees. So 12 years old, we started our career.

AM: That’s a great story! How do you define the Alok sound?

A: I would say that I am a free spirit you know? In my life, I always tried to define my sound. When I was doing psytrance for 7 years, people said that it wasn’t psytrance and that it was kind of house trance. When I started to do house, people said that it wasn’t house – it was kind of whatever. Then I started to say that this was techno and people said, that this was not techno.

So, I said that I created Brazilian Base and they were like, ok this is Brazilian Base and it started to work well. It was that collective mindset where it was like, ok this is Brazilian Base. But at some moment, I didn’t want to be stuck myself to only one kind of style because it’s kind of a prison you know? I feel that my creativity does not fit into one place only. So, it’s like I can do whatever I want to do. Of course, you’ll still feel and kind of understand my signature there and there will be something that you will be able to relate, but definitely it’s not going to stick to one kind of style.

AM: When you’re creating, how do you stay inspired and how do you approach creating your music?

A: It really depends, every music has a different kind of inspiration and where

comes from. For example, sometimes I’m traveling and it inspires me you know? Looking at the ocean or nature inspires me. But also, when I am leaving a process in my life. For example, I was 3 months in Europe so that whole process to be there, inspired me to do songs that relate to the culture. When I’m back in Brazil, for ex ample, I start to create the music based on what’s going on over here to under stand specifically the markets because I do not believe that all the time you can create one formula that can work every where. It’s hard, but what I do, for exam ple, is that there are songs that I do that perform well in Romania and Poland. So we start to promote over there, but it doesn’t happen really in other parts of Europe and there were songs of mine that went huge in Europe, huge in Mexico and Brazil, but never got across the US. So it’s really about understanding where I am and where I want to be and I am very hap py actually that this is the first song, DEEP DOWN that I got #1 on Billboard in the US. But for example in Brazil, it’s not working haha!

AM: OMG what? First of all, I love that song. I love Crystal Waters and love Gypsy Woman so when I heard it, I knew that it was going to be amazing! The fact that it is #1 on Billboard congratulations. Tell me how this song came together with you and Ella Eyre, Kenny Dope and Never Dull. What was it like to put this collaboration together and to be part of it.

A: I feel that this song, if you go to the credits on Spotify, you can see how many people are involved. I think that it’s going to beat the world record of the most peo ple involved in one song! Why? Because as you said, Crystal Waters, there’s also Chi cago Hills, and Ella Eyre, she was writing a song which was very similar to Chicago Hills so we said it’s got to be a new version of it. Then I was doing this version with her and suddenly, Never Dull released the mashup on Tiktok between those 3 songs but in the very old school style, I think it was 20 seconds of audio and it became huge on Tiktok. But he didn't have the li

cense for it and it was only kind of a mashup on Tiktok. So I got the idea and I was like, “this is a very good idea” to mix those two classics. So that’s what I did and when I did it, I finished it and I invit ed Never to be on one of the songs be cause he inspired me with the idea and also Kenny Dope he had all the rights for the song and it was a lot of team work. To be honest, the most hard process of it all was the office. It was the background of how to make the deal work and I was in the creative process and I was ready for a long time already!

AM: You have had such a busy summer! You played in Hï Ibiza in the Main Room and you had your summer residency and you were just at Tomorrowland. What does it mean to you to be able to show your art and creativity to so many people across so many different platforms?

A: The first question you asked me was when did you realize that I loved music. I feel that the music has something that accesses your emotion and it can be like emotionally healing and it can be something where you kind of forget your problems. It reminds you of some mem ories and some great new memories so to be there, I really feel that I am kind of serving people. I don’t know how their life is going what there issues are or problems – I don’t know. But in that moment, I want them to have their best time of their lives.

That’s kind of the reason why I want to be connected to them when I do the DJ set. That’s why when I am doing the DJ set in Europe, I want to play what brings the energy up. But if I play the same set in the US, it wouldn’t work. If I do the same set in Brazil, it also wouldn’t work. So it’s kind of like I’m respecting the place where I’m at. But it’s a very good feeling when I see people say, “hey this is the best night of my life,” and I say, “how old are you?” They say 50 and I say,”are you kidding me?” The best night in your life? You’re 50, there are so many nights that you've had. But that's the power of

the music. It’s not mine it’s just the power of the music. I’m very grateful to be able to spread this around the world.

AM: We just saw your set at Rock in Rio which looked amazing. It was great to see all of the performances that you did as well as seeing that there was a gaming aspect to this festival. Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion were also performing. Can you tell me more about what this festival is and why you wanted to be part of it?

A: This is by far, the biggest festival that we have in Brazil at the International level. We have all of those huge names and of course we have Lollapalooza which is very big. But Rock in Rio, is something that is kind of our own brand. So we feel very proud of it because it’s a local and national festival that has an international component to it as well. It’s probably one of the few ones that can bring all those huge international acts and for me, it’s very important!

In Brazil, 93% of the songs that we listen to are actually local songs. Only 7% are the in ternational ones. Where I am competing with Harry Styles, Adele and all of these people. I’m there in that 7% because my songs are in English and I have this kind of English career right? If you go to the Top 50 on Spotify in Brazil, you won’t see any of the US in there, it’s all just local.

The point is, for me to be there it’s a very important moment for me to position my self of course between all of those huge acts and to show that – it’s kind of like a special moment for me to be there. Every one that does a show at Rock in Rio is a unique experience that they cannot do anywhere else. So it’s important for me to create this awareness around what we have been doing. It’s also a statement on what’s next.

AM: Your shows have such high energy. Do you have any routines that you do hours before your performance and then are there things that you do after the performance so that you can come down after

A: No, ha ha. It’s funny, in the past I would get very nervous before the show and that’s kind of a sabotage you know? You get too nervous, you lose control of it. So the same feeling that you have when you’re nervous, you also have when you’re excited. It’s the same butterfly in your stomach – excitement or nervous ness. I just kind of switch and change the key so that every time I start to feel this nervous energy, I say, “no no this is excitement.” I am excited to be there. I have worked so much to be there that I will go there and I will do my best. I was in Brazil and the reporter was asking me what was going on for the show. I told her that she show has started and she asked me if I had to go right now and I said, “no I still have 10 seconds it’s fine.” They were all shocked because people said that I was too relaxed for the show!

AM: Ok, I’m going to have to remember that. I know at various points when I’m working on something or doing something, I get anxious feelings and I have that “holy shit” moment. But I’m going to think about turning that key to know that what I’m actually feeling is excitement and that is what I am going to tell myself.

A: Yeah. It is actually the same feeling.

AM: When you said it, I know that I know that and it’s a smart thing.

You have a collab coming out next month on Oct 7th. What can you tell us about this?

A: So it’s a collaboration with Ellie Goulding and Sigala. It’s a song that I have been working on for awhile. I think that this one has 30 versions. I’m a big fan. I started it with Ellie and in the middle of the process, I felt that it could con nect well with the melody of Enjoy the Silence from Depeche Mode. I did a test and it actually fit very well. So we got the sample of Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence and mixed it together with the Ellie Goulding song that she wrote

and again, it was a mashup. I’m very excit ed about this one. I think that it’s going to be very interesting.

AM: We can’t wait to hear this as well!

I know that you were just here in NY at the United Nations over the weekend kicking off NY’s Climate Change Week with The Future is Ancestral Event where you performed on the rooftop of the UN Building as well as partnering with your institute and the UN Global Compact Brazil for urgency to recognize Indigenous People Globally and their importance of the Future of Climate Change. Can you tell me more about what this was for you?

A: Ha you said everything!

AM: Yes, I’m that good!

A: Basically, last year I asked myself, where was the future? And the answer came to me. The future is ancestral. I started to work on an album that was inspired by indigenous roots with the indigenous. I did 12 different tribes. But my connection with them started 9 years ago when I was looking for inspiration in my life. I went on a very long journey. I went 13 hours on the road, I don’t know how many hours on a flight and then 9 hours on a very very small boat and I got suddenly to the Yawa nawa tribe and I realized that I was in the heart of the Amazon. I had no option but to live in the culture and at that moment, I started to change my whole perspective about my career level, my spiritual level and also the way that we deal with nature. I also realized that there’s so much about culture and there are various failures and goals.

I felt that last year, we’re always talking about how can we protect the forest, but we are also very disconnected with it. I think that the best way to do this is to lis ten to what the forest has to say. A good way to do this is through indigenous songs because it’s kind of like they are translat ing that. I found that the music could amplify their voices. So actually, this project

is a very important project of my ca reer. That’s because it’s not about me, it’s about how we can get their voices out there through this collaboration. So I was there and of course at the UN we talked about all the topics among Climate Change and global warming. It wouldn’t make sense not to have the indigenous there and we brought them via the Alok Institute along with the UN Global Com pact and we joined forces. And I also did a performance there when we were on the rooftop. So, it was a very interesting environment.

AM: That’s amazing and you also committed to support the Ancestors of the Future fund which benefits the Brazilian Indigenous communities. What can you tell me about this fund?

A: I realized that I’m 31 years old, a white man, I have a lot of privilege and I had access to school, university and everything. I realized that everything that I had learned was wrong. Why? Because they never had the opportunity to tell their story. They also don’t write so everything in the culture is done orally. So it’s kind of like, how can we change this collective mindset about the indigenous and I feel that entertainment is a very good instrument that we can do this through the music, the venue, the Web3 and the cinema. But giving them the protagonists the ability to tell their story with their point of view and so we can learn it properly. Also, what we learn in school is based on a European coloniz er point of view. I feel that this will help them to be the protagonist through all of this entertainment stuff and also we have in the second path, technology. So getting good technology to help them preserve the forest – very nice drones, sophisticated tools so that they can instantly integrate and communicate what they wish to say in order to share it with the world.

I was asking myself about the future and we always think about it in an apocalyptic way. Like there are neon cars, there

aren’t forests any more and there are fly ing cars or whatever. What is the future like for the indigenous in small boats, in the middle of the Amazon where you can just take a sophisticated phone and scan the birds, you can see the borders of where they are with the scientific points and they are searching for healing with humanity. It’s kind of like, how can we change this mindset of this apocalyptic future? I think that this project is really about bringing consciousness. It’s more than just music you know?

AM: What is the Alok Institute and why did you want to create it?

A: If you asked me 9 years ago if I believed in philanthropy, I would say no. I would have said, why don’t you buy a Ferrari and just be happy. I didn’t have this kind of perspective on philanthropy. But at one point in my life, I had everything that people told me was a success. I had money, I had popularity, I had cars, my part ner whatever and I suddenly realized that I was feeling a huge emptiness inside of myself. For me, life had no reasoning any more. There had to be something else for why we are here.

So first, I went to the indigenous tribe which I told you and it was a very game changing experience. Then after, I went to Chokwé in Mozambique. We had a project where we had 300 kids and I remember that there was a lady there and I think that she was 80 years old and she was blind in both of her eyes. That woman told me that she was praying to God to send someone to help. I told the trans lator to tell her that God didn’t exist be cause if he did, there wouldn’t be so much poverty and that he had abandoned her. The translator told me her answer and it changed my whole life! The lady said, “no, no, I’m very connected and I’m praying for him and I can feel it.” So at that mo ment I realized I was the biggest miserable person there. I had everything and I was complaining about God's existence when she lives in that existence and she was still connected to the divine. She was

way more connected then I was. I realized that God never abandoned her. What abandoned her was us, you see the stories of what took place in Africa, we abandoned them and at that moment I realized that I couldn’t aban don the situation any more. Of course, I can’t change the world, but I can change their world. So I started there. We have 20,000 kids there. Oh and I sent her to the hospital and she had cataracts so it was easy to help her. So one year later, she met me personally and saw me and it was a very interesting moment that we had. She finally looked at me.

I realized that my life could only have real meaning if I use my success for philan thropy as well. It’s about making this world a better place, it’s not about me it’s about a big movement that already exists. I was in a depressive mind and I was only thinking about the negative points. I remember I was feeling sick once and I took this antibiotic and the next day, I woke up better and I looked at this medicine and I said, “who creat ed this?” I remember that there were a lot of people that were working hard so that this world is better today and so that we can have a better life. I want to be part of this movement. It’s really about giving meaning to my life.

So the Alok Institute developed after a few years through a lot of money that came through a collaboration that I did with the game, Free Fire. It’s the most downloaded game. And when they asked me what super power that I would like to have, I asked if it was possible to heal people? They asked me if I was sure and I said yes. I was doing music to be on the top charts and yet I was also doing it to use music as a way to heal. Then the Free Fire team gave my character the ability to do this and my character became the top selling one not because of me but because of the super power that actually created a whole new dynamic of the game. So I wanted to heal inside and outside of the game. So I do nated 100% of my royalties, to charities

around the world. If I could, I would have brought most of it to Brazil because we really need it here, but I also had to bring it to other countries. There was a coun try that I couldn’t bring in – South Africa because the players there weren’t buying and I convinced them to do it. I convinced them and that was 6 million there.

The Institute came because I really felt that with this amount of money, I needed a structure that had this brain that could think about the best solutions with the money. Because I was only doing it from the heart and there wasn’t any kind of strategy and we needed the Alok Insti tute to do it in the right way. We are very very very small in terms of employees and I almost don’t spend money to keep it be cause what we do is co-create together with projects that already exist so when we spend money, it’s not for us. We find the best projects that are going on and we help them to improve. We believe that there are so many amazing projects going on already that they only need that collab oration.

AM: In researching you, speaking with you today, knowing your impact in music as well as learning more about how you are giving back, what do you want your legacy to be known as musically as well as being a changemaker? What is that fingerprint?

A: First of all, I don’t know how, but in the future, the same way that I looked at the antibiotic – where there were a lot of peo ple working hard to make the world a better place – there wasn’t just one person doing that. It was part of a movement. I don’t know who created that antibiotic, but I know it worked.

I don’t want to be reminded with my name, I want someone to remember that a lot of people in the past were part of a movement that made this world a better place. It’s more about giving meaning to my life because I was very afraid of death and what happened after death. But now I know, the right question isn’t what happens after death, the right question is,

why are we here? I know that if I don’t do this, I will go back to a very deep de pression because this is what drives me. I feel that depression is very hard to explain – it’s like how can I explain to you about something that you have never tried or never tasted? So, the flavor of sugar, but you have never tried sugar –how can I explain that to you? I do feel that people who have depression have a very powerful mind, but it’s just in the wrong direction.

For the past few months, we have been excited for STARZ's The Serpent Queen as it tells us the story of Catherine De Medici. We caught up with Samantha Morton who plays Catherine as she fills us in how she approached it and why this show spoke to her.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What drew you to want to be in the Serpent Queen and obviously, being Catherine Medici?

SAMANTHA MORTON: I think that firstly, it’s an incredible role to play as an actress and to be given the opportunity to play her. To play somebody that goes from being an orphan, the daughter of a shop keeper and to be put in a convent to then marrying a prince, be sent off to a different country – child trafficking basically. Them having to be an adult, a child in an adult’s world. To then becoming Queen of France to then becoming Regent is incredible. And so, that is what drew me to the role and I had been playing another fantastic role for a very long time which is Alpha in The Walking Dead and now the spin-off that we have, Tales of the Walking Dead. That again is another incredible character to play. She’s very complex and it’s a juicy role and I wanted to do something that was going to challenge me as much as Al pha had. You know, when you’ve played that role, the next thing you want to do is something different, but equally as ex citing.

AM: Very true and I love that the format of this show between breaking the wall and this modernized version and being able to see Catherine as an adult and also as a child, how did you prepare to play this character?

SM: Firstly, Justin Haythe (The Clearing, Revolutionary Road, Bohemian Rhapsody) who is the showrunner, the writer and the director – I was speaking to him and he sent me the scripts and the synopsis and just getting to grips with what this show was going to be. Then I listened to the au dio book about her because it is based on the audio book. That was just fascinating and really really interesting. Then, I tried

to find portraits of her – photographs because I wasn’t able to travel every where. I was in NY so whatever I could find online and also trying to understand the time that she lived in. How things were different then and what her world was like, but ultimately, I had to go back and to rely on the scripts because that’s my launch pad – that’s my Bible if you like. That was my everything. And also spending a huge amount of time, thank you very much Justin! I asked a lot of questions and making sure that I under stood the dialogue. Looking at who’s who and because I don’t play the younger Catherine, I had to make sure that I was really aware of what Liv Hill (Three Girls, The Great, Serpent Queen) was going through so when I inhabited the older Catherine, that I carried that history.

AM: I like that because seeing you and Liv go back and forth, how much did the two of you work together? We see bones of how she will be when she is older and then we see certain uncertainties in the beginning – how much work was that between the two of you?

SM: We had quite a few conversations where we talked about our interpretations with the character, falling in love because of her relationship with Henry and my relationship with Henry. And then we were trying to talk about – a little bit about ourselves personally. This way, I don’t know so that we had a connection which we did and we’re both from a very similar part of the world and so we had a similar approach to acting. We have a down to Earth way of acting and about inhabiting the character from the heart – the inside out – rather than the outside in. So that was really nice and we had a voice coach Nia who I had worked with before who then came on board to help Liv understand some of the way that I spoke and things like that. That way, we could have a bit of continuity and likewise, me with her. I had done a lot of period things before so I was used to wearing the corsets - you breathe differently, you walk differently

and so just having those conversations!

After talking with Samantha, we took some time to chat with Liv Hill. She plays the younger Catherine and wewanted to know how she approached this role and how she sees this royal.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What drew you to wanting to play in Serpent Queen and playing Catherine Medici?

LIV HILL: I remember reading the script and having a visceral reaction to it and I just felt that I must play this character. It’s a gift for any actress. She’s so multi-lay ered, she’s vulnerable and also emotion ally available and at times she isn’t. She’s weak, she’s strong – all these things and very compassionate, but stoic when needs be. The idea to play her and then to be able to be surrounded by these really talented people as well in every depart ment. I would be so stupid if I didn’t take the opportunity to play her.

AM: I love the subject matter and I remember reading about her in school, but the format of the show is next level and your facial expressions when you’re breaking the 4th wall is so good!

LH: Oh thank you!

AM: It’s so modern. How did you prepare to play this character?

LH: Well I started reading the book Cath erine De Medici: Renaissance Queen of France by Leonie Frieda which was really dense with information, but I didn’t fin ish reading it before we started shoot ing because it was really thick! But it was very very good! After that, I went to the director, the writer, the producers and a bit with Samantha (Minority Report, The Walking Dead, Tales of the Walking Dead) as well! Just to discuss motivations, inten tions – I think that the main thing that I remember is that in playing her with the intentions to survive. I just kind of – liter ally that’s it! So I dialed that up and down depending on what the scene required,

but that was always a state of being.

AM: What’s that like because we’re constantly flashing back and forth between the younger and older self of her. How much work did you do with Samantha when you’re looking at where you need to go or the nexus of where this was going to start?

LH: I mean, we didn’t talk as much as I thought that we were going to which wasn’t a bad thing either. We talked a little bit about Catherine and our inter pretation. The main thing I remember her saying was that I needed to trust myself and that she was very happy that I was playing the young Catherine and that felt like a really generous and kind thing for her to say to a young actress. I think that she knew that I felt a little bit overwhelmed to fill her shoes. So, that gave me that relief and it made me do my own thing and I didn’t feel too overwhelmed and imitating Samantha. I just focused on who I thought that Cather ine was.

AM: What do you want everyone to take away from in watching this. It’s beautifully done, I love how modern it is, the style of the music! People may not know the story, but what is it that you want audiences to feel in coming to the premier of this?

LH: Well the Serpent Queen has that con notation of being evil and manipulative and two-faced and all that stuff. Even if you don’t know Catherine beforehand and she is known notoriously in history as being this “evil” Queen, you would kind of already have this idea going in –this is what she was. But I hope that au diences take away is that this show debunks that. It shows her in all her glory and in all of her weaknesses as well.

I think that the fact that she remains so resilient and has this unwavering self-be lief in herself despite this emotional and physical abuse that she receives throughout her life is very inspiring and

I think that’s what I hope that most peo ple will take away. Just that inspiration to be resilient in their own lives.

AM: In playing her, how was it to wear the corsets and learn how to do the things that you would normally do in such a constrictive garment?

LH: Yes, I mean that’s exactly it – it was restrictive. That corset was made to keep women restricted in that aspect! Those costumes were some of the most amazing garments that I have ever worn and what it did do for me is that it gave me a different posture. It made me feel more powerful and strong. I gained a confidence that Catherine desperately needed because she was somewhere that she didn’t belong. She needed to keep her strength and it really helped in playing that.

@samanthamorton

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | STARZ/The Serpent Queen

We always like when we have the chance to catch up with our favorite chefs. Chef Justin Sutherland is focused on sharing his love of food for restaurants such as Handsome Hog and Big E . In addition to being the host of Fast Foodies, he loves sharing the stories of BIPOC chefs as they bring their passions in the culinary space via Taste the Culture. When we spoke to him earlier this year, he let us know that he was working on his cookbook which is out now! We talk about his passion for food, giving love to the Twin Cities culinary community and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We always enjoy talking with you. The last time was earlier this year ahead of the Fast Foodies second season. We’re happy to connect again and I have to say that we sent prayers your way after your accident. Just seeing your positivity coming out from everything that you have done. How have you been able to maintain such resilience and positivity with your surgeries and your recovery?

CHEF JUSTING SUTHERLAND: I mean, hon estly, a lot of that positivity and strength comes from the incredible outpouring of support that has come from friends, the wider food community and just strangers from across the country and the world that have really been keeping me going and giving me the strength to want to get back ASAP!

AM: Like you, I’m from the Midwest which has a lot of influences from the South as well as global areas. From a culinary stand point, Minnesota has had a spotlight on it from chefs such as yourself, Yia Vang (Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, Relish, Unit ed Shades of America), Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, What’s Eating America, Bizarre Foods: De licious Destinations), can you tell us what people can expect from the Minnesota or Twin Cities culinary scene?

CHEF JS: You know, I’m very happy that it’s getting it’s due. For a long time, peo ple have looked at the Midwest as that fly over region where nobody really associated us with good cuising. I think that we

have one of the best in the country. I think that something that understated about Minnesota is that it is thought of as Scandinavian and very meat and po tatoes but it is actually such a melting pot of different cultures. We have the largest Somali population in the coun try, the largest Hmong population in the country, a huge Vietnamese influence, a huge Native American influence – so I just think that the food that is so Minne sota, is so global.

AM: Where do you draw your culinary in spiration from?

CHEF JS: You know very globally as well. I have a huge multicultural background. I have a grandmother from Japan, I have a grandfather from Mississippi, another grandfather who is Norwegian so we ate sushi, collard greens and Lapskaus all at the same table growing up. I was very lucky to be able to eat very globally as a kid and to be able to cook with my grandmothers.

AM: What is it about the Twin Cities specifically, that draws you to want to contribute to the culinary scene?

CHEF JS: There’s no reason to leave and to try to do it somewhere else you know? I’m very happy and blessed to be able to be part of resurgence of that dining scene and it wouldn’t be right to leave!

AM: You have a number of restaurants under your belt, Handsome Hog being one of them. It is defined as Contemporary Southern. What does that mean to you and what can guests expect when they come to dine.

CHEF JS: It’s you know, a love of that Soul Food culture. Once again owing to my grandma – Sunday suppers that al ways had that pot of collard greens on the stove and having that cooking. I just think that Southern Hospitality and that comfort that you get when you think about Soul Food in the South as well as what you get when you walk into Hand

some Hog and you get into that beauti ful and high energy environment. Some times I think that we relate that humble food with roadside eateries that you do at home with your families and then sudden ly you take that cuisine and put it in that beautiful environment.

AM: Earlier this year, you also opened Big E in Portland at The Moxy Hotel and I know that you have another one in Minnesota. In prepping for the interview, I literally drooled over these friggin’ sandwiches. I like Her Name is Yoshimi and think that it’s amazing and clearly there is a major egg focus here and a nod to Biggie himself, tell me more about this concept and how it came about?

CHEF JS: You know it’s 2 of my favorite things. I love egg sandwiches and I travel extensively and every time I’m on the road, I’m asking hotel concierges where the best egg sandwiches are and at what spots. It’s always been something that I have loved and music has always been a big part of my life. The Notorious B.I.G. being one of my favorite all time artists – it was a good way to meld my favorite things and then with the dining trends that were changing and coming out of the pandemic and being able to do some thing that’s quick service where you can still give high quality chef driven food that we can replicate and pop up all over the country in fast casual.

AM: Love it and as mentioned at the top, we talked earlier this year with your cohosts Kristen Kish (Top Chef, Selena + Chef, Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend) and Jeremy Ford (Top Chef, Fast Foodies, Isaac Takes On). What was your favorite episode from the second season of Fast Foodies and is there any word on a 3rd season?

CHEF JS: Oh man! That’s tough. The sec ond season was really fun and it was real ly great being able to have our finale with Joel McHale (Community, The Soup, Celebrity Beef ) to come back - he is a wild card! We love working with him and that little spin where we didn't know that he would

be our final guest. We had already formed a relationship with him but that spin on the finale episode was a lot of fun to work with him on. Season 3 is still in talks. We don’t know and haven’t started filming, but we do plan on having another.

AM: You host and Executive Produce, Taste the Culture. I love this show, I just watched the Pop Up Empowerment epi sode that also had Brady Lowe in it – I'm a fan of Brady as I was a judge for one of his Cochon555 events here in NY.

CHEF JS: He’s one of my best friends.

AM: Oh yeah? So seeing him there and having you talk about all of these things. Tell me about the show, what made you want to do it as it is now one of my favorite shows since I have seen it.

CHEF JS: I really appreciate that. It’s kind of been one of my first opportunities to be an executive producer and again to be able to make the kind of show that I want to make and to tell the kinds of stories that I want to tell! There are so many untold stories in the BIPOC food community around the country that generally get overlooked. So it was an opportunity to take the spotlight off of me and move in and just help amplify those voices and to tell those stories.

AM: What was your favorite episode?

CHEF JS: It ended up being in season 2 which is coming up in a few weeks. Two of my favorites will be in the new sea son. But the High Hog Farm Education one was amazing. It was just such a cool way to spend the day on that farm. Es pecially because Black farming gets very very overlooked and just being able to tell their story and to learn their story –it was one of my favorite episodes.

AM: Over the past few days, you’ve literally been on a junket with you focused on promoting your book Northern Soul: Southern Inspired Home Cooking from a

Northern Kitchen. Can you tell me more about why you wanted to create this cookbook and to approach it in in this way?

CHEF JS: Soul Food, Southern food has al ways had a place in my heart from watching my grandmother cook to going to school in Atlanta. I dove myself into that culture and this is a collection of recipes from family, Handsome Hog and a lot of the stuff that people have emailed or asked me for these recipes after dinner on how we did stuff. It was time to share and to give everyone what they were ask ing for.

AM: Chef Kwame Onwuachi wrote the forward on this book. Why did you want to include him in this?

CHEF JS: Many reasons. He has been a good friend for a very long time. The things that he has accomplished at his age is incredible. I just thought it was important to include him in this. I was very bless ed that he said yes.

AM: I love that the cookbook spans so many things from lunch, brunch, dinner etc. But I also like that you have a section on Pickled Things – I love pickled things and although I had never heard of Water melon Rinds being pickled, it’s cool that it is in there. What are 3 recipes that you are super excited to be in this cookbook?

CHEF JS: The Pickled Watermelon Rinds are one of them. I think that especially in the North this is not something that we would think about. You think of watermelon rinds as something that you would normally throw away. The amount of fla vor that can be found in there and paired with recipes, I was happy to share that. My favorite recipe and I think that it tells the story of Soul Food, Southern Cuisine and ultimately food that came over from the slave trade is Collard Greens. I think that this tells the story of Soul Food. If you can break it down for me, then I think that that is it.

AM: In a few days, you will be hitting the

festival stage at Bourbon and Beyond which takes place in Louisville. We love when food and music come together. What is that you will be cooking and why did you want to be part of this festival?

CHEF JS: I have done a number of food festivals across the country and I was so lucky to be able to do this 3 years ago before it went on hiatus due to the pandemic. It was one of the most fun food and wine festivals combined that I had ever done. There are so many sim ilarities between food and music and I just think that having those two things combined is incredible! I also think that Louisville has a special place in my heart that's where my Top Chef season was and that’s where my career got a jumpstart and being able to be back here, Louisville will always be special to me!

I’m going to combine 2 of the recipes from the cookbook. I’m going to do a Lobster from the cookbook. I’m going to do a Lobster Biscuits and Gravy. We’ll be demoing the Buttermilk Biscuits with the Bacon, Chives and Cheddar. Then, I will take the Lobster Etouffee base and will use that as the gravy and it will be a kind of upscale version of biscuits and gravy.

AM: That sounds fantastic! I love Louisville, I went to Indiana University so we spent a lot of time there since it was about 2 hours away.

You’re the Culinary Consultant for Allianz Field the home of MLS’ Minnesota United F.C. What does your role involve in terms of being in that position?

CHEF JS: It really started pre-conception when they started building the stadium. Where Allianz is located, it’s on University Avenue which is an extremely mul ticultural neighborhood. It was really important and especially with me coming on, to reflect the neighborhood and soccer. Soccer is such an international sport so making sure that we are celebrating all the multicultural cuisines that

are part of soccer and Minnesota.

AM: We know that you’re always repping Hybrid Nation since you are a co-founder of this brand. It also has a collab with MLS as well. How did that collab come about and are there upcoming projects with the brand that we should keep an eye out for?

CHEF JS: I mean the brand is ever evolving. My younger brother conceived it – shoot, 10 years ago! But I think that our trademark In Diversity We Trust on our hats and branded everywhere, it just made so much sense in soccer. Again, such a diverse support, every country plays it and it’s this natural global equalizer so I think that the partnership only made sense.

AM: Like we talked about before, you have a lot of things going on. We know that Taste The Culture Season 2 is coming out. Do you have anything else that we should keep an eye on and are you thinking of having another cookbook coming out?

CHEF JS: Yes, there are other projects coming out and unfortunately, I can’t share them with you! Just keep and eye out. There were projects that were in the works that had to be put on hold due to the accident and we’re just finally picking those back up. Definitely keep an eye out but there is nothing that I can share with you or my agent will kill me!

AM: Well we want you to stay alive so that we can see everything that you have going on!

@chefjustinsutherland

PHOTOS COURTESY | Justin Sutherland

For the past few months we have shared a cosmetic and skincare brand, Trinny London that looks great on our vanity but also focuses on keeping our skin looking radiant no matter our skin type. We wanted to find out more about the brand and how its founder, Trinny Woodall created the brand and what we have to look forward to from this beauty line.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Before you created your beauty brand, can you tell us a bit about your background as we know you started as a fashion and makeover expert! As a fashion stylist, I have actually seen you on What Not to Wear on BBC .

TRINNY WOODALL: I started my career in media for twenty-years and first estab lished myself as a fashion advisor, initial ly as a columnist for The Daily Telegraph, and later as a co-host for What Not to Wear and The Trinny and Susannah make over shows, filmed across 20 countries and viewed by over 30 million women. In 2007, I founded Trinny London on a mis sion to give everyone the tools they need to feel their best.

AM: What is your approach to style when it comes to dressing others and yourself?

TW: On Sundays, I like to put together outfits for the week ahead, I don’t like to worry about what I’m going to wear. I like to mix patterns and prints and be creative with my looks. Sometimes, I also love matchy matchy! For decades I was led by style rules, but I now follow one mantra for clothes: ‘Does it make me happy?’ If you feel happy in what you’re wearing, you will radiate happiness to those around you and that’s what dressing should be about.

AM: With your success in TV and in fashion, what led you to launching Trinny London?

TW: I was inspired to launch Trinny London after struggling to find a suitable makeup brand or counter in a department store. I saw a gap in the market for stackable,portable and premium makeup and spent

four years perfecting the products, while developing the brand’s signature Match2Me algorithm, an online tool that helps our customers find the right shades for their complexion.

AM: I remember trying out the makeup first and love the concept of how they stack together – who is the Trinny London customer?

TW: Before I launched Trinny London, I felt there were a lot of age 35+ women who were being ignored by the main market. We never use professional mod els for our marketing campaigns, we like to prioritize realism over aspiration, which is why our brand appeals to old er women who feel under-represented in the beauty industry. Our products are suitable for all ages and skin types, but we wanted to ensure the brand was catering towards the 35+ demograph ic, creating a unique point of difference from other premium brands in the space.

AM: Why did you want to include skin care within this line?

TW: I’ve always been passionate about skincare and spent years suffering from acne. Through my work with thousands of women around the world for over twenty years, I’ve interviewed hundreds of skincare experts, tried thousands of skincare products and spoken to millions of women every week about their skincare dilemmas and aspirations. With skincare, I wanted to provide cus tomers with a clear way of understand ing it, so that you can actually diagnose what you should do. My goal is to de mystify the world of skincare by divid ing it into easy-to-understand chapters so that our consumers fully understand what their skin needs are, which is why we’ve launched one skincare category at a time.

AM: The packing and fun colors that are found in the skincare are really the ultimate in the perfect shelfie or sitting on your vanity - how do you decide what col-

ors should be with what product?

TW: We want to make a skincare routine a fun and enjoyable experience for every one, which is why we created joyful and colorful packaging that is also sophisticated, so you’ll want to keep it out on your vanity and pick it up every morning and night.

AM: I remember attending a few of your virtual launches and I would always messaging your PR team about new products that I thought would be natural progressions and so far, you have been checking off my list – can you tell us about additional products that will be coming to the line?

TW: As this goes to press, we are launching our most innovative serum called Plump Up and we have done alot of clinical trials on this peptide serum which increases skins firmness and elasticity by 64% and it’s a game-changer in anyones routine and you can layer it by alot of different products! I’m so excited by it! I think I’m most excited by this than anything we’ve ever launched.

AM: What are your 3 favorite go-to products for Trinny London?

TW: I obviously love all of our products, but our BFF Rebalance is really special to me. When I suffered from badly congest ed skin, it was so difficult to find a product that gave me enough coverage, wasn’t too shiny, and would actually not make my skin worse by wearing it. This product delivers just the right amount of coverage while helping to tackle congested skin. Our Miracle Blur is a continuous bestseller and what we call our little pot of wonder. Not just a miracle by name, the creamy, colorless formula blends effortlessly into the skin for a seamless base to smooth fine lines, pores and acne scars. Another go-to product is our Lip2Cheek. It’s matte and perfect for giving your lips a little stain that will leave you looking gorgeous.

AM: When you're not working on Trinny London, how do you take time for yourself

to recharge your batteries?

TW: I either have downtime with my daughter, Lyla and we just go shopping or go we in the car and we play loud mu sic. Sometimes, when I’ve got something on that I’m worried or stressed about I will tidy my cupboards and I find it very therapeutic. When I’m really relaxed and my brain has space, I do the New York Times crossword because it gets chal lenging each day of the week and I feel that need to challenge my brain so I get stimulated by that and when I’m doing the crossword I know its a point where I’m really relaxed, I’m on holiday or I’m having a day off where I totally tuned out from work.

@trinnylondon

@trinnywoodall

PHOTO COURTESY | Trinny Woodall

The fall is a great time of year to look at fall fashion as well as our skincare choices that we can include in our cosmetic kits. We've really enjoyed including Live Tinted as it's a clean skincare and cosmetic line that keeps skin looking radiant as well as covering up blemishes and marks that we would rather cover up when we choose. We took a moment to sit down with the brand's founder, Deepica Mutyala. We talk about how she built her brand, the importance of representation and what is coming up in the next few months.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Prior to launching Live Tinted, can you tell us a bit about your background?

DEEPICA MUTYALA: I have been an active member of the beauty industry my whole career, even before creating my 2015 viral color correcting hack. I began my career in corporate beauty and, since the release of the video, transitioned to working as a full time beauty influencer. It was from this engagement across social media that I began to become passionate about connecting those who the traditional beau ty narrative often leaves out – especially WOC. It was with this in mind that I went on to found Live Tinted, first as just an on line community platform, where beauty consumers could trade insights and feel cohesion through similar shared experi ences and beauty concerns. In 2019, based on shared community feedback, Live Tinted grew into a full fledged national beauty brand with the launch of our first prod uct – the HUESTICK .

AM: When you launched your company and called it Live Tinted, what did that name mean to you?

DM: As mentioned above, Live Tinted was first launched as a community platform. Thus, the name “Live Tinted,” really em bodied the mission behind the communi ty’s creation and purpose – to encourage beauty consumers, of all different back grounds and hues, to live their tint – em bracing their natural physical beauty and feeling comfortable and empowered do

ing so!

AM: We love and use Live Tinted – our faves are HUESTICK’s Origin for dark spots, HUEGUARD for primer and Ray’s Copper Eye Masks to name a few – what is the ethos of this brand?

DM: Thank you – so happy to hear that your team enjoys the products! All Live Tinted products are created with pur pose in mind, beauty meets skincare offerings that target specific issues that our community struggles with –i.e. HUEGUARD is an SPF option with no whitecast, HUESTICKs for color correcting on all skin tones, etc. This brand ethos, based on community sourced feedback, is incredibly important to our brand and has informed all of the inno vation that we have created to date and will continue to roll out in future.

AM: Your product assortment continues to grow. What’s your process in terms of identifying the next area you want to target, the product that will focus on it and bringing it to market?

DM: Our main goal at Live Tinted is to continue to innovate tangible and effective beauty solutions catered specifically to our Live Tinted community’s needs and direct feedback. While of course, we weigh feasibility around production, supply chain, and more when evaluating whether it is possible to bring a new, requested product to market, we always put our community first, setting realistic goals around innovation and ensuring everything we put out has them first in mind!

AM: You’ve done a number of collaborations, but you just dropped LT X Never Have I Ever. We have a number of readers that are fans of this Netflix show. What was it like partnering with the show?

DM: Yes! At Live Tinted, we are always looking for synergistic partnership op portunities. In the case of our recent collaboration with Never Have I Ever, I

knew from the start that this was a part nership that made a lot of sense for Live Tinted – not only because I am a genuine fan of the show, but because of the over all mission and message behind the pro duction.

Never Have I Ever is the show we all need ed growing up and I'm so proud that we are partnering with them! It feels so good to be part of the change. To know that people growing up today see Live Tinted and Never Have I Ever and see themselves represented, maybe for the first time, makes me so excited and proud.

AM: Are there additional products coming out that you can share with us that we should keep our eye out for?

DM: Yes, so many! Just this past August, we launched our new, go-to lip product, HUEGLOSS – universally flattering glosses that nourish your lips while adding a beautiful, non-sticky reflective glow. We also are launching HUEBEAM in the second half of this month – a silky smooth, highly pigmented Blushing-bronzer duo fea turing two bronzers and one blush with a gradient finish that allows you to go from subtle to full impact color. Looking into the rest of 2022 and 2023, we plan to continue to expand our cosmetics portfolio with exciting new products – catered towards every part of the face from com plexion to brows!

AM: As we continue to the fall, look for ward to the holiday season and 2023, what are you focused on with Live Tinted?

DM: Moving into the later half of the year and the holiday season, we have a lot planned as a brand! Notably, for the gift ing season, we will be unveiling two pack aged kits: Guard & Glow Kit & Huegloss Trio – highlighting some of our favorite heroes and new Live Tinted products. Ad ditionally, leading up to holiday, around the traditional South Asian holiday of Di wali in October, we will be unveiling an ex citing collaboration!

AM: You were named in TIME Magazine’s 2022 Next Generation Leaders. What did it mean to you to have this honor?

DM: Yes, this was a huge honor and an in credible milestone moment! For me, re ceiving recognition as a next generation leader by a source as credible as TIME is proof that everything we have creat ed thus far with Live Tinted is making a difference. It is through the emergence and promotion of diverse brands in the beauty category that we are starting to see the narrative change and more peo ple feel represented and included in the space. I am so proud to be at the helm of that charge and am excited to see the continued growth in this area – especial ly as generated through the Live Tinted brand.

AM: As a WOC co-founder of Athleisure Mag, it’s amazing to see diverse women lend their voices across various verticals. As a WOC in the beauty space, what does it mean to you to create a brand that you’re passionate about that’s successful and being someone who others can look up to when they think about how they will make an impact in the world?

DM: This is a responsibility that I do not take lightly. Again, I am so honored and privileged to have the voice that I do and intend to continue to be vocal across both my own and the Live Tinted plat forms.

With that being said, I also want to en courage other young up-and-coming female entrepreneurs and WOC leaders to find their own passion and calling –taking my career as a case study to then find their specific voice within their respective category of choice. I think it's al ways important to act as a mentor while also encouraging other WOC to make their own mark on society – pushing for continued inclusion and representation in unique and meaningful ways.

AM: When you’re not focused on your line, how do you take time for yourself

to recharge your batteries?

DM: When I’m not thinking about Live Tinted, I’m probably taking a walk with my friends or watching a show on Netflix. if I’m in Houston- spending time with my nephew & niece.

@deepica @livetinted

PHOTO COURTESY | Deepica Mutyala

This month, we caught up with Brian Baumgartner who The Office fans know played Kevin Malone. We talk about this iconic show that brought us into a branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton PA. Viewers enjoyed seeing all the dynamics that are involved with co-workers, engaging in office politics, breaking the 4th wall copiously in a mockumentary style and of course the iconic moment when his character introduced us to his chili! We wanted to know more about how that came together and what led this New York Times Best-Selling Author Brian Baumgartner to drop his own cookbook, Seriously Good Chili Cookbook 177 of the Best Recipes in the World which is available now! We talk about his approach to creating the cookbook, gathering fans of the show as well as chefs who have won awards for their creations and how he really examines the world of chili from including his own recipe, chili con carne, chili verde, white chicken chili, texas chili, other categories and of course Kevin's Famous Chili! We're pleased to share that you'll find our recipe for Mezcal Jalapeño and Tortilla Strips Chili Verde along with my recipe for Mexican Lime Crema in this book with a little story of why this is one of our favorite chilis to make as a connoisseur of the category!

We talk about the impact of The Office, how his enjoyment of the original British series led by Ricky Gervais made him want to be part of the US one, his podcast that peeled the many layer of the onion on how this show came together in The Office Deep Dive Podcast and his other podcast, Off the Beat which digs into some of your other favorite shows and sharing the ac tors thoughts on it as well as jobs that they had, stories that you may not have heard and moving on from their iconic roles!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We are fans of The Office and we love that you played Kevin Malone. What drew you to the show and the role and what did you enjoy about playing Kevin?

BRIAN BAUMGARTNER: Well look, I was a big fan of the British version of the show

and I had recently moved to LA and I knew that they were looking for people that weren’t known. At that point, that was definitely me, I was doing theater at the time, mostly traveling around the country and I knew that they were looking for people. I thought that the British version was genius and nobody at the time knew it, but I knew that that was the part that should be mine and that I should play! I auditioned shortly after I moved to LA and met Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks and Recreation, Hello Ladies) and Ben Silverman (The Office, The Biggest Loser, Running Wild with Bear Grylls) and the rest of the gang there and 10 years later, this is where we’re going!

AM: During the pandemic, I actually enjoyed listening to The Office Deep Dive podcast. What made you want to do that Project? It was great to hear you go behind the scenes.

BB: You know, truly it may be the first show in TV history that got bigger once we were done filming. I mean the ex plosion of the show over the last 3, 4, 5 years is insane. For me, it truly started with a question which was – why, how did this happen and why are younger people watching the show? This was not a show that we were making for young people and I’ll be totally honest about that! It’s not that they were excluded, but we thought it was for people that could relate to people who were in offices – meaning people who worked in offices. For me, getting the gang back together again and trying to figure out what happened and if we could find some clues in terms of how the show was set up, written and acted and the style and all of that on why people were so drawn to it. So that was the reason for getting everybody back together.

AM: Love that and honestly, it’s great with the format as there’s something about constantly breaking the 4th wall! Seeing other people who since that show aired have been successful with that like Abbott Elementary that does this as well.

I think that rawness, working in an office and what that means – it definitely grabbed people!

BB: Nice, thank you!

AM: Where did Kevin’s love of chili come from? Did you create that or did it come from the writer’s room? How did that happen?

BB: No, that was the writers. I think that the show and why a lot of people still re spond to the show is that it is a celebra tion of ordinary people. So I think that the writers were constantly looking for char acter traits that allowed these characters to thrive in certain settings. So that was totally them and they had the idea that this was the thing that Kevin does the best! I never imagined that we would still be talking about it all these years later! It was just a scene that I thought that was funny and well done and it required a lot of hours of rehearsal and preparation be cause of you know the mess that we all knew it was going to be. But, yeah I never imagined that we would still be talking about it or that I would have a chili cook book!

AM: Where does your love of chili come from?

BB: It really was that. I am a cook. I prob ably 5 times a week I’m at the grill usually doing something or some other sort of thing. It was a little bit of time after that scene had happened and I had the idea. It was a fall day and I’m sure that there was football coming on and I thought that I would make some chili. I found a recipe, made it and I’m sure I took a picture. Because pic or it didn’t happen. I took a pic ture of it and posted it online and people went bananas. They just thought that it was the funniest thing. So, it didn’t occur to me at that point that people would re spond that way. So I kept making it and I think that I did a pretty good job and now I have my own recipe and I continue to change, develop and experiment with and I was invited to The World Champion-

ship Chili Cook Off. There are hundreds of people there and there are all kinds of chili and everyone who is there is already a champion and they have won their state, region, district or whatever!

So, these are all people who know what they are doing and there is something about the culture of it that I just love! It’s people that are celebrating each other, getting tips and I think that I consider chili to be communal – you don’t make a pot of chili for yourself. It’s not some thing that you do. It’s all about sharing it with friends or family or around some event. So I like that aspect of it as you’re usually not doing it by yourself. It’s usu ally about community I think. I say it not to be cheesy at all – that’s what it is. So for me, it’s particularly fun. So I had the idea to assemble the best recipes around that I could find. We have so many of the World Champion recipes the International Chili Society – we got access to put a bunch of those recipes in the book, we have chefs, celebrity chefs, fans of the show who we also got submissions from, publications and other cooking organizations and sites. We tried our best to taste them all and to vet them! The truth is in the number, we were looking to try and get 100 – there are 177 of them! I mean they just coming in and they were so good, so interesting and so different, we wanted to have something for everyone! So there end ed up being 177 of them and I am proud of all of them that are in this book!

AM: That’s amazing! I’m from Indiana originally, I live in NY and I love chili. Indiana chili is a big thing. What I do love about it is that you have all of these varieties. I grew up on Skyline Chili.

BB: Sure!

AM: But because of Athleisure Mag and everything else like that, I had started making for years a green type of chili instead of using a red based one. So the recipe we submitted was the Mezcal Jalapeño Tortilla Strip Chili Verde recipe!

BB: Nice!

AM: Yes, because I love Mezcal so that was a thing and when we were making it, I had never added Mezcal before, but it was so good and so tasty! So what were your 3 favorite ones that are in this cookbook?

BB: Well I mean I guess I have to start with mine!

AM: Right!

BB: So there’s that. I just made a couple of weeks ago finally, a chili that I had just loved and that I had tasted last year at the championships which was a finalist which was a Chicken White Bean Chili that starts with grilling chicken, chopping chicken –I had never done anything like it before. I had never made anything like it before and it was delicious! So good, I made it and can't wait to make it again because it was so good. And then the one that actually won last year and I had passed 3 chilis to the final, one which won as well – which was much more traditional in the homestyle category. Which basically means, chili with beans, but more traditional that won that was really delicious.

Yeah, personally, I have not made all 177! I have tasted a lot, but I am going to work my way through it. I just made a note for the Mezcal – I’m going for it!

AM: Oh yeah, it has 3 different meats in it – love it! It was great as it was on brand for Athleisure Mag, but it is Mezcal and that room smokes when you add it!

BB: Nice!

AM: So your book had been in preorder the last few months and it drops on Sep 13th

BB: That’s right!

AM: What are the things that you’re going to do to promote it? Are you going to be on Good Morning America doing chili demos?

BB: I think that the Today Show – I will be

in NY running around going to Barnes & Noble there, The Strand will have signed copies of the book. So yeah, you’ll see me around making chili for sure on vari ous programs.

AM: Outside of your cookbook, you have a podcast called Off the Beat can you tell me about this?

BB: Yeah, in fact, I was a couple of min utes late talking to you because I was talking with Kevin Pollack (Billions, American Crime Story, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and Busy Philipps (Dawson’s Creek, Vice Principals, Girls5eva) who are going to be upcoming guests. Yeah, it was born out of The Office Deep Dive and the conversations that I had with my old co-workers there and I just loved diving deep into the story. That was much more about The Office and the show. But for this, my idea was to talk to people about the unexpected moments that shaped them and their careers. Like what brought them on and led them to their specific journeys that they’re on. So I have just loved doing it. I have been able to talk in a different way with so many old friends that I never knew their story and then new friends as well! So, I’m having so much fun doing that and I encourage everybody to listen!

AM: Are there other projects that you have going on that we should keep an eye out for?

BB: You know, right now, we’re selling books!

AM: Oh yeah, you’re the book man!

BB: Right now I am the book man! I’m going to be going on a tour to some col leges and elsewhere coming up soon so look for dates on that!

@bbaumgartner

PHOTO COURTESY | Brian Baumgartner

There's never a bad time to have a great steak, but with the seasons about to change to the fall, heading to Vinyl Steakhouse is on our list. From enjoying a fantastic steak and having a soundtrack filled with vinyls as we eat and a cool vibe - we're already making our reservations! We take some time to chat with the owners of this experience, Kevin and Sofia Flannery to find out about this concept, what we should eat on our next visit and of course cocktails that we need to have!

ATHLEISURE MAG: Kevin and Sofia, I’d like to know more about your culinary/sommelier background and where you previously worked which led to Vinyl Steakhouse.

KEVIN FLANNERY: I have been in the in dustry my whole life. I started as a dish washer at a small BBQ joint in Akron, Ohio, worked my way up to General Manager of Morton's Steakhouse, the youngest (at the time). I was GM of Morton's Steakhouse in Burbank California and Wash ington D.C, and finally on to General Man ager/Regional Director of Ocean Prime New York City. It was very exciting, and I worked very hard, but ultimately my goal was to always open my restaurant. And I did! I got my certified sommelier certifi cate in 2008.

SOFIA FLANNERY: While Vinyl has been my first foray into the industry, I have been around restaurants my whole life. I became very interested in wine about 3 years ago, and decided to get my certifi cation earlier this year. Albeit under the tutelage of my husband, we are still very different sommeliers.

AM: What was the thought behind opening Vinyl Steakhouse as that’s 2 interesting concepts being brought together?

KF: I always wanted to have a fine din ing steakhouse that played rockin' mu sic. Loud and present music. That juxtaposition was always intriguing. The vinyl aspect came into play simply because I thought it is not something you ever see at fine dining restaurants and how amaz

ing it would be to listen to crackles of tangible music in the order the artist intended you to listen to their records. It really is an experience day in and day out. Combining fine dining and an ap proachable and entertaining setting was always something I wanted to ac complish.

AM: What kinds of music do you play, how you go about curating your collec tions and how will this experience be shared to diners?

KF: We play all genres, but definitely lean into classic rock from the 60's/70's. That's what we have most of. Howev er, nothing is off the table: Rock, Funk, Jazz, Soul, Punk, RnB, Rap, Disco, and Hip-hop. We'll usually pull a setlist at the beginning of the night and select from there as the night trickles along. People are still always shocked to walk in and see the music they are hearing being played on a record player.

SF: Our selection definitely corresponds with the vibe of the room at that time, the time of night we're at, and some times even the weather! Does anything go together more than rain and jazz?

AM: In terms of the ambiance of Vinyl Steakhouse, what can guests expect in terms of the look and the feel of the space?

SF: It's very glam meets grunge. We have 2 gorgeous bars wrapped in cop per, which when the lights go down, always stands out. We have a wheat paste wall in the front of the restaurant which is our record library. The wall is adorned with vintage posters of music venues, artists, iconic photos, landscapes, and movie posters as a full-size collage. That was very fun to put together. Moving in wards, we have a huge 14 seat cocktail bar right in the middle of the restaurant. As you move past the bar you enter our intimate dining room which seats about 30 people. The walls in the dining room boast huge black and white photos of

The Beastie Boys with Run-D.M.C. on one side and the other side is Debbie Harry and her guitarist Chris Stein. The massive, tall press tin ceilings give the space an impressive look as well. There is an intimate kitchen right next to the dining room as well, making the setting epically New York. In short, we wanted a space that provided a stunning setting worthy of fine dining and the best steakhouse ex perience in town, but still is very relaxed and not stuffy.

AM: For those who opt to eat at the bar what are 3 items from the bar menu that you suggest for those looking for a bite to eat?

KF: Easy. Our Sliders, Crispy Sushi, and Shoestring Fries.

AM: For those coming in for dinner with friends and/or family what are 3 appetiz ers that you suggest?

KF: Our Crabcake is phenomenal. It's in spired by the state of Maryland. So you can find hints of sweetness, and Old Bay seasoning. The Torched Teriyaki Salmon Nigiri is a great choice as well. I just love the idea of having a few bites of sushi be fore a steak dinner. I would also recom mend our Kale Salad.

AM: For those who are coming for a great steak, what are 3 entrees that you suggest?

SF: The Porterhouse is one of the best you can get in the city. Our Cajun Dry Rubbed Ribeye is just the right amount of spice for a little something extra on a steak. And lastly, our Flatiron Steak which is a great value at $49 for 10 oz and delicious.

AM: For those that are either looking for chicken or vegetarian options, what are 3 entrees that you suggest?

KF: We have a Chicken Parmesan with Homemade Tomato Sauce as well as fresh rolled pasta. For pescatarians, we have a Scallop or Salmon Dish. We are always happy to whip up a specific dish to dietary

needs as well!

AM: A great steak needs amazing sides what are 3 that we should have to complete our meal?

SF: Loaded Potato Pavé. It's like a constructed scalloped potato. Our Creamed Spinach Carbonara is a super unique take on creamed spinach and is actually served with the yolk in the middle. The idea is to blend it in while the spinach is hot to make a very creamy, true carbonara. Then, our Bone Marrow Corn. It's grilled corn served on a husk with bone marrow butter.

AM: What are 3 desserts that we can end our meal with?

KF: Our Upside-Down Apple Pie is fantastic. We have a Key Lime Mousse that is lay ered with graham crackers, as well as a towering Red Velvet Cake - someone said the other day that it reminded them of the Flatiron Building, which is nearby.

AM: In terms of your cocktail program, what are 3 drinks that we should enjoy on our next visit?

SF: Without a doubt the Vinyl Martini is a standout. Grey Goose is the base spirit and it has olive bitters that makes it like a clean dirty martini. Our Rose Negroni is also very unique: Bombay Gin as the base with a plethora of Martini & Rossi Vermouths. It is a stunning deep rose color when presented to you. I would also suggest our 1987 Cosmo. Cosmos are back and ours is it.

AM: Steak and wine are always a great combination. What are 3 wines that people may not think pair well with a steak but are actually perfect to do so that are offered at your restaurant?

KF: We have a Beaujolais that can pair quite nicely with a filet mignon. A Chianti, which is generally paired with pasta and pizza, actually has great tannins from the Sangiovese grape that match very well with a marbled steak. Also, from the

Southern Rhone Valley, Chateau Mont Redon whose main varietal is Grenache - the smokiness and cured meats on the nose of these wines go particularly well with dry aged beef.

@vinylsteakhouse

PHOTOS COURTESY | Vinyl Steakhouse

Festival season continues on and one of our favorite DJ's that we have enjoyed for years has been Armin van Buuren! We caught up with him right before he headed to EZoo to perform here in NY. We wanted to know more about his label, his performances at festivals and his B2B set with David Guetta.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Why was it important for you to launch your independent label, Armada Music and what do you look for in terms of artists that are available on it?

ARMIN VAN BUUREN: Before I started Armada, I worked with United Recordings. They gave me a label (Armind) but refused to sign the tracks I wanted to release on there because they didn’t be lieve in those tracks. I got all these dem os because I started a weekly radioshow “A State of Trance” which was highly suc cessful. I understood that the best way to release those tracks and get exclusive stuff for my sets and radioshows was to have my own label.

AM: You perform at a number of festivals as a headliner, from Tomorrowland, Zouk Out Dec 3rd in Singapore etc do you have any routines that you do prior to hitting the stage to get ready for your set?

AVB: Mostly, I have already prepared my set weeks in advance but I never pre-pro gram my set to the minute. I always leave room for last minute additions or change the sound of my set if I feel the crowd is actually up for a different sound or isn’t feeling my sound at that moment. I always try to work out, eat healthy and sleep be fore a show. Then I take a shower and try to be on time before a show so I’m not stressed about traffic or something.

AM: This summer you played a B2B set with David Guetta at Ushuaїa in Ibiza, which was the first time that has happened! What was that like and do you have other people on your list that you would want to do a B2B with that you have yet to do?

AVB: It was incredible and I didn’t expect

the crowd to go crazy like that!! We have been friends for a long time but never re ally worked together. We came up with the idea when I met David in Los Angeles when we were both working there. It was also a success because it was a one off show and we made special edits and mash ups before the show. Earlier this year, I played B2B with Reinier Zonneveld at Ultra Music Festival which was also very inspiring. I don’t really have a list of names I want to go B2B with but I will always consider one if I feel we can find common ground in our sound.

@arminvanbuuren

ATHLEISURE LIST: Mobile App + Venice, CA BREATHWRK

Breathwork as a category is rooted in bonafide clinical science. Not only are breathing exercises proven to positively impact qualitative stuff like how you feel, they also improve biometrics like heart rate and blood pressure. Breathing exercises provide nearly instant relief, and with prescriptive combina tions of inhales, exhales and holds, require no skill or experience.

For all these reasons, the team at health app Breathwrk believe their product is one of the most powerful solutions for the mass market. In the app, content is grouped into 4 core categories:

Night Time: Trouble shutting your mind off before bed can result from an overactive sympathetic nervous system, which controls your fight or flight response. Extended exhales raise your

body’s relaxation center, the parasym pathetic nervous system, to soothe overactivity and help you sleep faster.

Calm: Whenever someone tells you to "take a deep breath," the techniques in this category are what they’re refer ring to.

Perform: Executing a challenging breath hold at the end of your exhale increases your body’s red-blood-cell production for superior oxygen effi ciency. The techniques in this category also support faster recovery by lowering your pulse after periods of intense exertion.

Energize: Short-burst inhales & ex hales raise your body’s activity center to prime your nervous system for intense mental & physical effort, increas ing heart rate, alertness and focus.

The free version of the app includes a small percentage of the exercise li brary, with their most popular breaths. For those interested in a deeper and more diverse Breathwrk practice, the competitively priced Pro version un locks all content. There are a number of features that incentivize habitual usage. The most powerful is tracking against oneself, using features like Streaks to motivate consistency.

The company also extended into the real world with one of the first studios specializing in breathing exercises, building an even stronger community. At the studio, classes will help people wake up, strength train, sleep better and even achieve psychedelic-adjacent states.

If you would like to check out Breathwrk's app for a 7-day free trial,

then click here to get 30% off Breathwrk Pro for 1 year, exclusive to Athleisure.

BREATHWRK

904 Pacific Ave Venice, CA 90291 breathwrk.com

@breathwrk

@breathwrk

PHOTO CREDITS | Breathwrk

ATHLEISURE LIST: POUND locations, On Demand + CRUNCH POUND

POUND fuses drumming and move ment to connect mind, body and sound and combines cardio, conditioning, and strength training, for an electri fying experience set to incredible mu sic. They use Ripstix, lightly weighted drumsticks engineered specifically for exercising.

POUND offers three different group class programs and has one on-de mand class.

POUND Rockout. is an all out 45-min ute group fitness class that turns drumming into a sweat-inducing work out. The intervals and fat-burning se quences offer a high-intensity workout in a short amount of time. It mixes brain-boosting and stress-reducing ef fects of drumming.

POUND Unplugged is a new 30-min ute group fitness class designed for mental wellness. We created this class so you can rock and reset. It blends 20-minutes of high-intensity train ing and a challenging mat workout to build strength inside and out with 10-minutes of rhythmic breathing, re storative stretching, mindfulness and meditation.

Generation POUND is a kids program that combines kid-friendly choreog raphy and group activities, it pro motes social and emotional well-being by fostering relationships, building self-esteem and self-awareness, and inspiring the next generation of happy, healthy kids.

POUND Backstage is the on-demand

option. You can access a variety of POUND workouts filtered by length, area of focus or your favorite instructor!

They worked with experts to address breathwork, mental wellness and fit ness movements to offer an efficient holistic 30-minute class with 20-minutes of high-intensity training and strength-building mat work combined with 10-minutes of restorative stretching, guided meditation and breath work. Mental well-being and self-ex pression have always been at the core of POUND. POUND Unplugged is the perfect next step to support people and help them feel lighter emotionally and more in tune physically.

PHOTO CREDITS | POUND

POUND

Over Labor Day Weekend, over 100,000 fans enjoyed the "last dance" of summer at Electric Zoo 3.0 on Randalls Island Park in NY. With performances by DJ Diesel, Cheat Codes, Afrojack, Carl Cox, Martin Garrix and over 100 international artists were across multiple stages, it was a great way for us to come together and to keep the good vibes going.

As guests "plugged into the matrix," the grounds were transformed into an AI tech-driven environment. This allowed for new stages to debut at this festival, previous stages to be reimagined, innovative production and creating an immersive experience. Already, plans are undwrway to take these elements to the next level since they have a year before the next one rolls into town.

Michel Julian, EZoo's Chief of Marketing shared that “Having spent 13 years with EZoo since its inception, I have to say that this was one of the most special editions we’ve ever had. Working together with the new ownership we’ve brought about the start of an inspiring collaboration. We’re thrilled by support and such positive feedback from our fans, artists, and the industry – and can’t wait to show everyone what we have in store next year.”

This year's festival included an updated festival layout and all-new designs of the An theon, The Landing, Morphosis, and Levitron stages created visual drama with their pyro, fireworks and massive LED walls.

@electriczoony

PHOTOGRAPHY

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BingelyBooks

dishes, his recpie, Kevin Malone's from the iconic episode and an array of recipes from various chili enthusiasts, chefs, award winning chefs and more! You'll even find that we have a recipe in this book for Mezcal Jalapeño Tortilla Stips Chili Verde and our Mexican Lime Crema for garnish!

BOWIE @ 75

Motorbooks

Martin Popoff

This slipcased hardcover is for the music collector and fan of David Bowie. Bowie @ 75 has a gatefold timeline, gatefold art work, frameable pull-out gig poster and a pull out photo print!

SERIOUSLY GOOD CHILI COOKBOOK: 177 OF THE BEST RECIPES IN THE WORLD

Fox Chapel Publishing

Brian Baumgartner

With the fall being upon us, we're excited about a number of dishes that are perfect for this time of year! A key one is chili. This dish has a number of variet ies and you can learn about them in Seriously Good Chili Cookbook: 177 of the Best Recipes in The World, created by Brian Baumgartner from The Office who played Kevin Malone. In this cookbook, he takes us through the history of chili, the kinds of chiles that are used in a number of

Veteran rock journalist, Martin Popoff looks at his career and highlights 75 career and life achievements that he had. We get insight into his 27 albums, various singles that have been earworms in our culture and how his events made his career what it was! From his debut LP in 1967 to his final album Blackstar which dropped 2 days prior to his death, we get to see a num ber of the people who worked with him and were inspired by his passion for music from Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Tina Turner, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nile Rodgers and more. We also have a look at his iconic style, personas, ro mances, film and television roles.

The effects of what he brought to the entertainment industry will continue to be felt.

FABULOUS MODERN COOKIES: LESSONS IN BETTER BAKING FOR NEXT GENERATION TREATS

Countryman Press Paul Arguin + Chris Taylor

The perfect dessert is the cookied and with recipes such as Pumpkin Snickercrinkles, Coffee Bean Crunchers and Bronze Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, we're excited to try out these finds. In Fabulous Modern Cookies: Lessons in Better Baking for Next Generation Treats you'll find the modern and scien tific takes on making an array of cook ies from those that you grew up with to those that are new to you. They have even created updates on classic cookies which is always a nice twist.

BingelyStreaming

during the podcast, Jason will say how the House of the Dragon and the books by George R. R. Martin support one another. In addition to each episode recapping the ep isode, there are interviews with those in front of and behind the camera as well as telling us more about the characters and what we can expect later in the season or in future seasons.

DAHMER MONSTER: THE JEFFREY DAHMER STORY

Netflix Original Netflix

THE OFFICIAL GAME OF THRONES PODCAST: HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

HBO Original Spotify

As our readers know, we are fans of companion podcasts that give more insight to the show, reflect on where the program sits within our world and hearing interviews by those that are part of the show! It adds an extra layer and should we have missed an element, we can pick up what is missed. THE OFFICIAL GAME OF THRONES PODCAST HOUSE OF THE DRAGON does this and much more as we listen to its hosts Jason Concepcion and Greta Johnsen walk us through each episode. Both have watched Game of Thrones (the sequel to the prequel that is currently airing) and at various times

There are a number of true crime stories that we are familiar with; however the ins and outs of what made some of the most noto rious serial killers do what they did, may be lost due to when it happened and the lack of media scruitny that exists today where people can learn very quickly about something that is taking place.

In Ryan Murphy's DAHMER MONSTER: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, we learn about how a man went from growing up to become one of the nation's most grizzly se rial killers. We also see that the crimes that he committed had racial aspects to it due to the kill ings of black and brown gay men were not seen as something to in vestigate despite those who real ized something was wrong telling them about it.

It also delves into how Dahmer's family navigated what happened

once he was arrested and during his time in jail. We also see how the city decided to move on despite nearly 20 victims being affected by these horrific crimes.

RUBIROSA

Witness Docs + Stitcher

Spotify

We are big fans of James Bond and there has always been a question as to who this character is molded after. The Broccoli family has always stated that he is a blend of various inidividu als; however, people continue to try to find the inspiration(s). In Rubirosa

Christopher Rivas shares his journey in finding out about Porfirio Rubirosa a diplomat, race car driver who drove in Le Mans, a playboy and Do minican who was known for having wealthy wives.

In this podcast, Rivas tells us about how he became who he was, how his

paths and exploits crossed Ian Flemming, being friends with The Rat Pack and how identity and being aware of who you are is important no matter who you are.