Athleisure Mag JUN ISSUE #78

ISSUE #78
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table of contents
issue #78
jun 2022
130
STYLE FEATURES
IN OUR BAG
147
91
ROCK THIS FOR YOUR NEXT
POOLSIDE BRUNCH INVITE
164 HOW TO DRESS
BEAUTY FEATURES
THE PICK ME UP
Smoke and Roll
Kenji Fujishima
This month, we talk with Head of Cultivation at Dr. Greenthumb + Insane OG Brand,
Kenji Fujishima. We talk about how he befriended B-Real over martial arts, being on
the road with Cypress Hill and growing cannabis to become legends in the culture.
16
144
RASPBERRY BEAUTY
The Grill Master
Chef David Rose
60
We caught up with Chef David Rose to talk about his passion and love for grilling. He
talks about his cooking EGGIN’, how we can enjoy the summer with a range of meats
and sides from Omaha Steaks and shares tips on how we can be grill ready.
92
LIFESTYLE FEATURES
ATHLEISURE LIST
ATZARO BEACH
9PLAYLIST
TM
76
Recording artist, Skip Marley shared his
9PLAYLIST with us.
Art of the Snack
82
This month we head to Hell’s Kitchen in
NYC with Indian cuisine at Jaz.
94
ATHLEISURE LIST
BAGEL + SLICE
AthleisureMag.com - 10 - Issue #78 | Jun 2022

The Power Of Relationships
Betty Who + Elan Gale
This month, Prime Video’s The One That Got Away premieried it’s full season. We
chat with pop artist Betty Who and Executive Producer and showrunner, Elan Gale
to talk about the latest social experiment reality show.
96
Governors Ball
Music Festival
108
Governors Ball came to Citi Field this
month with an array of artists from J.
Cole, Diesel, Kid Cudi and more.
63MIX
ROUTIN3S
TM
123
Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes from EDM
DJ/Producer, Plastik Funk who shares
his Morning, Afternoon and Night go-tos
and favorites that he does each week.
BINGELY
STREAMING
162
Here’s what we’re streaming in TV series
and podcasts this month - Netflix’ Iron
Chef: The Iron Legend, FX’s The Bear and
QCODE’s podcast, Listening In.
9LIST STORI3S
Alysia Reiner
TM
169
Storyteller, actress and producer Alysia
Reiner shares her must-haves in beauty,
style and fitness in this month’s 9LIST
STORI3S.
Issue #78 | Jun 2022
- 11 - AthleisureMag.com

For this month’s cover story we catch up
with Kenji Fujishima, who is Head of Cultivation
at Dr. Greenthumb and Insane
OG Brand. He shares how he befriended
B-Real over martial arts training under his
world-renowned father as sensei; going on
the road with the Cypress Hill crew; and
growing weed together to become legends
in cannabis culture. Kenji recounts
tours and trips in Amsterdam; the origin
and viral smash following of Kush Bubba
(known as Bubba Kush) and Insane OG;
and the insane path from growing underground
and the Dr. Greenthumb hit anthem
to going legit with Dr. Greenthumb’s
dispensaries taking over California and
expanding to legal states across the US
as cannabis mainstreams. Their mission
is admirable and necessary in delivering
top quality products at an array of prices,
while helping legacy farmers grab their
share against corporate giants pushing
to overtake the scene. We also delve into
how cannabis is increasingly crossing into
sports, health and fitness, and leisure activities,
particularly with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
smoke and roll, and their Team Insane
recently featuring the exciting Nicky and
Jacob "Jay" Rodriguez at Subversiv 7, their
participation in High Rollerz, and more.
ATHLEISURE MAG: So you met B-Real
through a friend around 1993 at a Cypress
Hill Show, with the Beastie Boys and Rage
Against The Machine?
KENJI FUJISHIMA: Yeah, I went to school
with this girl and her boyfriend sold weed,
and by way of linking with him in that
sense, he was like one day, do you want
to go check out a show? And it was with
Cypress Hill, Rage Against The Machine
and the Beastie Boys, a Leonard Peltier
Benefit close to LA; at Dominguez Hills
College, and we all pretty much started
hanging out from there. You can imagine
that line-up it was nuts.
AM: It sounds it! So you guys were hanging
out and then started training martial arts
together too? I see from your background
you started doing Shotokan from age 5,
right?
KF: Well my father is a world-renowned
Shotokan master, I kinda grew up in
the dojo. I started training when I was
like 3 1/2 probably a little bit more serious
by the time I was 5, because 3 1/2
is pretty young, you’re just still getting
real legs under you. Both my brother
and I, from the time we were in cribs
we were in the dojo, and then by the
time we were walking we were on the
dojo, and when we were actually cognitive
of learning things, that’s when
my dad started putting Gi's on us and
training us.
AM: And B-Real was doing Taekwowndo
before?
KF: Yeah, he was already training, we
shared the love of the martial arts and
stuff, and after many months of checking
my dad out, he wanted to switch it
up from Taekwowndo to training with
my dad. I want to say that probably
happened early '94.
AM: That's cool. So when did you get
into cannabis?
KF: Oh man, well I've been smoking
weed since late '80s maybe like '88-
'89, I barely turned 15 years old. Put
the first plants, just like from bag seed
in the ground around '91. And it just
evolved from there, you know. The
first time I went to Amsterdam was in
‘96 with them and that’s where I really
saw seeds and everything for sale.
I mean it was just a whole new world
when you saw seeds for sale - it kind of
all happened at the same time, right.
Like we were seeing stuff in Amsterdam
and then we were seeing things
starting to change back home with
weed. Because around ‘96 we were
starting to see little things of OG Kush
coming. So those years '96, '97, and
'98, I would say where my career in
cannabis started taking shape.
AM: Got it. Amsterdam is crazy! There
are menus, and even more, there’s the
culture.. different vibes and types of

Issue #78 | Jun 2022
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AthleisureMag.com - 20 - Issue #78 | Jun 2022

world music, like we had never heard of
Alpha Blondy, all of those different kinds
of hash - you just start experiencing some
similar things in and around all of the coffee
shops - that has never been re-created
yet!
KF: Yeah, you know the culture definitely is
really different over there. You know nothing
like we were really used to seeing like
being able to walk into a shop, buy weed,
smoke it, drink some coffee, have some
food and just bullshit all day if you'd want
to. There were the smartshops where you
could walk in and get mushrooms. We had
times where we were just trippin' out in
the Amsterdam streets, which was pretty
wild when you have a crew of like 10 or 12
people.
AM: - No one should be fooled by the small
mushrooms, those things don't go by the
size!
KF: [Laughing] Yeah those small ones,
those things did some damage, they were
no joke.
AM: We want to go over that story with
the original Bubba, and how that blew up!
Sounds like a crazy time how it went viral
and blew up.
KF: It was one of those things.. At that
time weed was like Indo, maybe it was
Chronic you know. There weren’t too
many different strains in the early 90s, like
you saw Skunk, Northern Lights, a lot of
the stuff we were seeing with seeds and
stems, not like Mexican Brick Weed, but
it was green, it was ok. Once the Hydro
stuff started coming, it was so expensive,
like less than a gram for $20-$25 bucks,
so you barely got a joint. Always worked,
but like man that was expensive. So we
wanted to mess around with the whole
growing thing. By the time we had started
doing the Bubba, we had grown out
some things, but those were from seeds,
we never kept any of the plants, we didn’t
know really too much about cloning or
any of that other stuff. So when the Josh
D crew and our crew connected and we
got a hold of the Bubba seeds, that's
really some our first attempts.
At that time we also had the genetics,
some of the seeds from Amsterdam,
where we were popping all of these
things to try to figure out what's a
really cool plant. That’s when I really
learned to clone and keep strains - the
start of that. The Bubba was given to
us by a friend that regularly went and
saw Josh D and Matt Berger, they call
him “Bubba.” We kind of popped all of
those seeds at the same time. We were
popping some of the ones we got from
Amsterdam like White Russian, White
Rhino, Cali-O, and a few other things.
And it was like our first real phenohunt,
the same batch of seeds was
coming out looking different, smelling
different, and totally different characteristics
and whatnot, and we came up
with that one pheno that became to
everybody the Bubba Kush. It was so
different from what we were seeing in
weed at the time from the brightness
of the colors, the stickiness of it, the
smell, I mean literally that thing stunk
up entire neighborhoods from not
many plants! We had never seen anything
like that as far as plants in front
of our face before.
AM: That was all in B-Real's house?
KF: That was in B-Real's house, we put
a couple of plants outside, which were
the first flowered out Bubba plants.
We built a little mother/propagation
room, he had an upstairs bedroom
with a bathroom and we did it in there,
and we used his garage to build the
first set of lights. I want to say we had
like four lights and that grow kind of
became the influence of the Dr Greenthumb
song.
AM: So how was all that? We had the
honor to talk with B about how that
came about. How was it when the song
was written and the choice to have the
track be what is and not to go commercial
with it necessarily..

KF: You know, I guess I really didn’t think
about it too much at time just because
we were road dogs, we were like already
together all of the time. If we weren’t
together at the house or going out doing
some shit, we were in the studios or
karate studio, and I guess it was cool because
maybe I knew him for 4 years or so.
Just to hear him writing verses on stuff
we were doing at his house was cool,
but i didn’t really think that was going
to change so much stuff for us because
that was B-Real, he was already talking
about weed. I didn’t think this Bubba
Kush or this Kush Bubba was going to
change a lot of the culture of weed out
there, and definitely think between that
and OG pushed a lot of people growing
weed in the valley at that time. It spread
so fast, there was nothing else that you
could do to make that much money at
the time. Even though we weren’t doing
it at huge scale at that moment, for us
we were getting like $7K or $8K a pound
and you’re talking about ‘97, ‘98, '99 and
2000’s at the time, and people loved it
and it was great weed. It made and ended
a lot of good friendships, I’ll tell you
that.
AM: All good things do..
KF: You know, money always has the
tendency to do that to people. You see
a lot of true sides come out, a lot of like
long and what I thought were tried and
true friendships came astray because of
it, but we kept doing our thing. At B-Real's
house, it was all pretty much personal
stuff, and then at my house I started
putting up rooms to pay for extra bills
and stuff like that, and sometimes I’d
have a roommate to take care of stuff
when we were on the road and over the
years of being in a bunch of different
studios and a hell of a lot of tours. We
were gone for like 6-9 months out of the
year for a long time, we would always
have our weed and when you took stuff
like that to the Midwest or East Coast
or even overseas, not many people had
seen quality stuff like that. So it definitely
changed the landscape of what we
knew cannabis as it existed at that time.
AM: Did we see that you guys put Snoop
on to some stuff too?
KF: Yeah, there was a studio session, and
B-Real wanted to link.. oh god this had
to be like ‘98-’99-ish, might have even
been 2000, but where he wanted to give
Snoop Dogg an oz. of the weed, there
wasn’t really production of it. You were
lucky if you could get an 1/8 in those days
and it was like $100. An oz. you know just
in general was like $500. Yeah Snoop
wanted one and he thought we were going
to give it to him. I was like it wasn’t
even mine, it came from my boy’s spot,
and yeah he had to pay the $500. He at
that time, he hadn’t seen nothing that
looked like that. You know it that Ooh
Wee Snoop Dogg type thing you know. I
mean for me, I was already just amazed
to be hanging out with Snoop Dogg and
crew. B-Real's definitely responsible for
it being introduced to a lot of artists
out there that talked about it and kind
of showed off whatever they had over a
lot time and a lot of fans were built over
those studio sessions. A lot of creative
stuff was done I’m sure.
AM: How much time was put to doing
martial arts when the tours were going
on?
KF: When the tour was going on not
that much. It was attempted, but between
going out there originally to train
with him, and kind of becoming a roadie
at the time and learning the ropes, and
those guys with their press schedules
and rehearsal, and shows and traveling.
Those kind of tours are super tiring, we
got to train here and there, but not really
anywhere like we wanted to. But I'll
tell you B-Real stayed very consistent at
home, at the dude almost got to be a
Black Belt. He was very serious about it
that’s for sure!
AM: We caught the Insane in The Brain
documentary for Cypress Hill on Showtime,
and it ends with a quote that's very

gripping that hits as a throughline for
us... "It's one of those eternal flames that
we all just keep lit, all of us keep going
and being masters of our crafts, better
men, better friends, better at business -
I mean look at us, 30 years later it was
all organic." Seems to be such an important
statement right there, what does it
mean for you to be the Director of Cultivation
for Dr Greenthumb and pulling in
the prior underground lines with Insane?
KF: It means a lot, right. We've been doing
our thing for so long on the underground,
and never really turned it to a
legIt brand. We were busy touring, we
loved what we did with the cultivation,
and the flavors and the smoking and
stuff like that. Everybody was just busy
doing the thing you know, we had to be
dodgy about it though - we were growing
in like houses and bedrooms, spare
rooms and guesthouses and everything.
The lifestyle wasn't like glamorous as
far as the cultivation was concerned, we
lived really grimy. The plants got better
and the bigger bedrooms. Half the time
we were sleeping in like living rooms or
the smallest room of the house. Everything
was always fucked up because you
can't always be super clean and too nice
blowing up an entire residential house
you know or multiple houses like we
did. There was a lot of work put in, but
it’s great to see it transition now into a
brand that is literally just growing every
day.
The team is getting bigger and stronger
and with any business and any new
crew a bunch of mistakes are made, and
we all learn from that and hopefully we
don't repeat any of the stuff and we
keep on elevating what we do. We don't
look sideways, we don’t copy what other
people are doing, we just do what we
like, we grow what we want to smoke,
and if people like it that's great we're
going to keep doing it – and if they don’t
that’s everybody’s individual opinion in
life and we accept that. We just want to
keep the people that support us happy
and keep bringing new stuff. Thats our
goal.
AM: Dr. Greenthumb's has new category
offerings from the Legacy, Loyal and Unapologetic
lines, it seems incredible that
you can get different quality, choices and
price points for different kinds of smokers.
KF: So over the years we've built up a lot
of relationships with different kinds of
farmers, you know some of those being
outdoor, or full sun or greenhouse, mixed
light or indoor - we know not everybody
can afford the top quality, like let's just
say Insane bags that might be like $50,
$60 an 1/8 at a store. But if there's like
sungrown, or mixed light or greenhouse
that we can work with our people that
we can get to the price points that we
want that can be the most affordable,
then we want to do that. We don’t want
these legacy guys and girls that have
been doing this work, you know ended
up a lot them in jail, raided, stolen from,
killed whatever, like there are so many
things that have happened to the people
that have tried to bring this culture
forward! Now that they are not necessarily
struggling, but it is a struggle every
day because now its mainstream,
all these companies with super deep
pockets are coming into the space and
not understanding the culture or really
caring about the culture. All they care
about the money, and them thinking
they’re going to come in and take it from
everybody. For me, I felt it was kind of
a responsibly to help keep these legacy
operators active and at least do whatever
I can to help support them as long as
we know they’re doing the quality, we
know we want to work with them and
actually instead of just whitelabeling or
purchasing whatever they do, them getting
the proper recognition for their efforts.
AM: That’s mad cool. Literally Farm to
Table
KF: It’s Farm to Table, that’s right yeah.

AM: So tell us about the Garbage Test
and the 1, 2, 3 thumbs up test..
KF: We got a bunch of guys over here,
we're all friends and we're all stoners,
and we see a lot of weed come through
these places. And for us it's cool because
these people want to submit these products
to make it into these Greenthumb
bags or Insane before bags and whatnot,
you can always appreciate peoples’
efforts, but we can’t put out garbage.
So it’s just a test, even our own stuff
that we grow, we do the same thing. If
I grow, let’s just say 10 new strains, I’m
gonna put them on the table and I’m
telling everybody OK honest opinions,
you tell me what we all like, and it’s just
a rating system based off of smell, taste,
effect - there’s levels to it. Because for
me I don’t want to grow stuff people
don’t like. For us we like stuff that’s a lot
heavier, so we kinda gauge to the stuff
that's a little bit on the stronger side.
And that’s it, you know if it’s good and if
a majority of us like it, it might make it to
the next phase depending on what we
are trying to do and how many strains
there are. We've all literally had sessions
where we all smoked 16 joints each and
each joint was a different strain in a test,
you know at one time, and it was a 5-6
hour smokeout and I think we kept 2 of
those.
AM: You had how many?
KF: Out of 16, 2 that we kept. Not saying
those other 14 weren’t good. They just
didn’t fit the profiles we were trying to
achieve at that time.
AM: You had raised strain standardization
before, makes a lot sense..
KF: Well, not saying everybody growing
the same thing, but standardizing ways
to do it, like we want to keep consistency,
especially a brand operating in multiple
states. So if somebody goes to a
store over here and they buy, whatever
an OG Kush from us, we want to be the
same over there, not just produced by
somebody and it’s totally different and
we just called it this. Yeah standardized
is hard, because there are a couple of
different levels of smokers over here.
Some people want it the same, they
want that same strain all the time, just
like us we love OG Kush we're going to
die by that you know what I mean that’s
our stuff. But like other people want
flavors, and people get bored of stuff.
Some of these strains may have a year,
2-3 year cycles before people are bored
of it. Like Ice Cream Cake or any of these
other ones, even though there are a lot
of people that buy it, names get played
out, artwork gets played out. So you
just gotta keep it fresh and always come
with quality. We standardize the procedures
of what we do so that our stuff
comes out, hopefully, the same every
time. There are plant issues or failures
that might lead to one or two batches
here and there not making the cut, but
for the most part standardized methods
to produce the same - that’s important.
AM: So the Insane Brand is sponsoring
Team Insane for the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for
Subversviv 7 on June 11 on Fite TV. How
did you guys put this sponsorship together
and connect with Nicky Rodriguez,
who is just blowing the sport up with his
brother. How did this come about?
KF: Well one of our buddies was working
with the Subversiv crew, I think he’s
catering the event, and he knows we’re
into martial arts and whatnot, and that
I've been involved with High Rollerz
camp that does the stoner Jiu-Jitsu stuff
too and he passed it to our team, and of
course B-Real and I loving and appreciators
of martial arts definitely wanted to
be involved, we thought Insane kind of
fits into the mixed martial arts category
and we wanted to be known as more
than a cannabis brand.
AM: Yeah speaking of Insane, I mean
Nicky has been wrecking people.. It’s just
been incredible how he's been progressing
to the whole industry, that’s going to
be sick, his brother too!

KF: That’s what I’ve heard, I didn’t know
too much about these guys, I took my
eye off paying attention and when all of
this came up, and I saw what these guys
were doing out there - it's kind of shocking
how much this sport has been coming
up and evolved, and guys like those
brothers that are out there just slaying
people. So I’m honored to get to meet
them and see these guys rolling and go
fuck some shit up. I love the sport and
the level of these guys training it’s definitely
something to watch.
AM: The High Rollerz looks cool too, how
did you connect with that and for those
that don’t know that they have cannabis
as part of the rulebook and the sport too.
KF: My buddy Matt Staudt is one of the
founders of it and right when they were
launching we were talking a lot and we
just wanted to support that too. It was
super interesting that the mainstream
people started hearing about the Jiu-Jitsu
and grappling events happening, but
for as long as I’ve been around Jiu-Jitsu
a lot of the guys that have been involved
in that have always been smokers - like
smoke and roll. It seemed to be one of
those things where you smoke before
you go roll, and be in that zen spot and
then training was just like that. B-Real
and I would go smoke and then train
with my dad for a 2 hour training session,
so you know some people function
on it, some people don’t. For us, smoking
puts us into a certain zen where our
concentration locks into whatever we're
into at the time.
AM - Yeah there’s a certain cerebral zone
you can hit right. And for recovery too
- so it can be good for training, fighting
and recovery?
KF: Well for me, definitely on the recovery
side too. I’m pretty much always hypertensive.
I had back surgery back in
‘02 and so i pretty much did my whole
recovery drug-free minus cannabis. It
was a little different because the injury
that I had, like even when I coughed
it hurt, so I had to be careful about how
I was smoking so I wouldn't choke too
much, but it would definitely help me
relax and help me get into sleep versus
taking a bunch of pills that were making
my stomach bad. To this day, peoples’
addiction to pills is crazy, I just never
wanted to go that route, so my medicine
has been cannabis you know.
AM: Makes sense the stories with the
pain pills, just a couple of missteps and
anyone can take a wrong turn with that.
KF: You never know, today there’s Fentanyl
and people are dying from the
smallest dose where they’re just normally
taking a pill or doing something
they’re used to and they’re just dropping
dead. I don’t really need to worry
about that because I’m not taking pills.
It’s just something I’ve never been into,
you do, or do too much of that and you
can’t control yourself, with weed I’ve always
felt I’ve been able to micro-dose
myself. I guess you can say control hitting
the joints or however just to get to
the point where I’m good and that’s it,
and then I’m going do what I’m going to
do. Smoke a joint and go ride 20 miles on
a bike just in my zen spot or smoke and
hike or go train or whatever. Yeah THC
and the other cannabinoids and things
like that the compounds in cannabis
definitely have medicinal properties and
should be researched a lot more so the
people can find the benefits from the
use of it.
AM: Yeah we're still scratching the surface,
between all the different cannabinoids,
the terpines and the entourage
effect.
KF: 100%
AM: So when you see customers coming
in, you have different groups of people
where some see the different Indica and
Sativa; some looking for the highest THC
possible; others CBD.. will people more
and more see what their personal relationships
can be and become connois-

seurs?
KF: That and combined with education, a
lot form people walking into dispensaries
and are just asking the budtenders ‘what’s
your strongest stuff;’ or ‘what do you
suggest;’ or saying they like this, this and
this; or the whole Sativa and Indica thing
which I personally really don’t believe it
too much anymore these days. There’s a
lot Sativas that look like Indicas, I mean it’s
a very hard thing to really solidly I guess
to say because there are so many things
are crossed these days. There are hybrids
and poly hybrids, a majority of stuff you
really can’t say is a solid Indica or Sativa,
with the exception of maybe a few strains
out there. Once people understand the
entourage effect and where terpines and
other cannabinoids combine, and even
the method ingested being smoking or
eating, have a big deal how it impacts a
certain individual.
AM: So what’s coming down the pike for
Dr. Greenthumb’s, you guys are opening
up stores everywhere and more states are
becoming legal, and you have all these
new lines?
KF: Definitely a few more states that are
being locked in right now for retail; as
well as the possibility of some third-party
stores carrying the Insane and/or Dr. Greenthumb
brands; we're going to continue
to partner with farms to add genetics to
the roster of Dr. Greenthumb as well as
new skus be it joints, vapes, or concentrates
and whatnot, and the same with
Insane - Insane will have a lot of new proprietary
stuff we're doing, a lot of breeding
is going down this year, as well as phenohunting,
so we're going to see a ton of
new strains coming out probably toward
the end of the year, first quarter next year
- and beyond that, we’re working stuff
on right now that will be released under
both lines, merch, extreme sports - keep
moving, keep building this culture.
AM: Who are 3 people that have inspired
you along your path and journey?
KF: My father for one, he gave me my
work ethic and discipline to do what I
do.
My wife, actually has been pushing me to
kind of come out of the shadows, right.
I never really talked about what I did. I
never cared about interviews or cameras,
we were old school guys, that didn’t
talk about it, we just did it, to kind stay
out of jail. And this community, B-Real
- that dude gave me an opportunity
back then to come work for Cypress Hill
and I was not in a good way back then, I
was making some stupid decisions. That
guy, by bringing me into the crew and
allowing me to do what I do and make
use of the resources that came around
to the camp, that really changed my life
and I’ll say it now and I’ll always say it
that changed my life and I’ll never forget
that.
Nicky Rodriguez is taking the Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu sport by storm. He transitioned
from wrestling in college and had breakout
success taking home Silver at ADCC
‘19 as a Blue Belt. Dubbed as the ‘Black
Belt Slayer,’ he trained under legend
John Danaher, and recently splintered off
to co-found The B-Team, based in Austin,
Texas. We chat with Nicky Rod about BJJ;
training for ADCC ‘22; cannabis and the
sport; team-building and nutrition; as
well as fighting for Team Insane at Subversiv
7 this past month, with his brother
Jacob “Jay” Rodriguez and female fighter,
Alex Enriquez.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We see that you wrestled
in college and made the move to do
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, what was involved
with making the switch?
NICKY RODRIGUEZ: It was a bit of a
tricky transition. There are some things
that coincide, like Jiu-Jitsu often times
we start from a standing position, so
Americanized wrestling is a small aspect
of the sport. There's a lot of things I had
to adjust as a wrestler you know, you
want to take your opponent down but
there is always a threat of a guillotine or

other submissions, so I had to really solidify
a solid defense to have success when
trying to be offensive.
AM: You were training under John Danaher?
NR: Yeah I was training under John Danaher
for maybe about 3 years, and man
I learned a lot, you know the guy is brilliant
in his space and dedicated his life to
the sport. So I was just there to soak up a
bunch of knowledge and it was very beneficial.
AM: And you guys formed the B-Team in
Austin?
NR: We opened up B-Team in Austin about
6 or 8 months ago, it's been going well.
We're a private competition-based facility.
Eventually we'll open up to white belts,
newcomers and outsiders, but for now
it's a strictly private location.
AM: And it's an elite gym, so you have to
be pretty advanced to apply?
NR: You have to be pretty advanced. We
have some lower level guys, that compete
pretty well, they train hard. You don’t have
to be a world beater to be in our gym, but
have to be willing to learn and train often.
Most train twice a day and want to be
professional athletes. We just are keeping
it like that because we're athletes ourselves
in our prime and we're still looking
to compete, and win and grow. Yeah it's
been a fun ride so far.
AM: What's next for Mexican Ground Karate?
NR: Well, ADCC Titles are our main focus.
ADCC World Championships are the
‘Olympics of Jiu-Jitsu' in September. We
have about 6 guys going from our team,
potentially more because we have Australian
and Asian trials very soon, and a few
guys competing over there. We'll have
quite a few guys at the event and would
be nice to get some gold medals.
AM: In '19, you just dominated people
and you got the Silver medal and had a
blue belt!
NR: Yeah, exactly. I was a blue belt at
the time and was training Jiu-Jitsu for
about a year and a half. I won the ADCC
trials and then with the year and a half
experience I ended up taking second
at the World's. That's pretty much why
people got to know me, because it was
not seen before, a wrestler making a
transition so fast successfully as I had.
So it definitely opened people's eyes to
how they can input NCAA wrestling into
Jiu-Jitsu. Now you see a lot more quality
wrestling in the sport, and yeah the
Americanized wrestling in Jiu-Jitsu has
been much more prominent over the
last several years.
AM: And they were calling you the Black
Belt Slayer?!!
NR: Yes, that’s definitely a name that
stuck. People liked it, I liked it. It seemed
pretty memorable, so I just rode the
wave on it.
AM: And now you’re a brown belt, we
see you got it earlier this month..
NR: I got my brown belt a few weeks ago
actually. So I’m a new brown belt, still
plenty to learn, still fresh in the sport
you know. I think it takes time to get acclimated
and keep learning, it's about
how many reps you do, you can know
moves, but you really have to learn and
be in-depth with those moves.
AM: So how many divisions are you going
for in ADCC ‘22?
NR: I'll be doing the heavyweight which
is over 99kg, which is no weight limit,
I’ve had guys from 200 to 300, 360, and
then the open weight division where
you can have much smaller quota like
125lbs all the way to the biggest guys.
So absolute division is the most recognized
and more valued gold medal you
can get because there is no weight class

and you are the absolute champion.
AM: You just fought in Subversiv 7 on Saturday,
how did that go?
NR: We had a team event at Subversiv 7
with 30K Grand Prize, I was representing
Dr Greenthumb and Team Insane OG,
they treated us very well when we were
out there. It was a high level competition.
Team Insane OG did well, we had some
wins, we had some losses. As a team, as
an event - it was fun, man. A lot of people
came out, it was good to see the support
in LA. It was a great event.
AM: How did you connect with those guys?
NR: I got contacted through social media,
they were looking to expand in the
Jiu-Jitsu world, they see the kind of content
I put out, and it was a mutually beneficial
relationship. I believe social media
has a lot to do with an athlete’s success
in the business world. Obviously you have
to win, but you also have to tell a story.
That’s what I do online, tell a story, so it’s
a really good relationship with us working
together.
AM: How was it fighting with your brother,
was this was the first time in a major
match fighting with him together?
NR: Yeah it was the first time we stepped
on the mat back-to-back and on a team at
the same time. In high school we wrestled
at the same school and stuff, but I was
graduating when he was getting into high
school, so we never got to be on the same
team together. So it was a great experience.
AM: And he is a blue belt right now? It
seems like he is also starting to take the
sport by storm, following your, and taking
his own footsteps, it is a crazy parallel..
NR: He is a bit of a Black Belt Slayer himself,
you know. He's been training for about a
year and a half. He just did his ADCC trials
where he got his purple belt on the podium,
right, but out of 7 matches, he also
sub'd all 7 opponents, most of them
high-level black belts. I would say his
trajectory is even bigger than mine, just
because the results he has had at a year
and a half you know, I was at ADCC and
winning matches, but he is finishing high
levels guys with minimal experience and
that's honestly never been seen before.
We’ve seen me use wrestling to negate
Jiu-Jitsu and win, but Jay with a year and
a half, he has been using strictly Jiu-Jitsu
to submit opponents. So it’s something
different and the speed of which he is
doing it has never been seen before.
AM: What are some lessons and recipes
about making good teams, be it about
Jiu-Jitsu, corporate or in general?
NR: To make a good team.. First you need
knowledge, you need to have somebody
where most people can go to answer
questions. Also, it's important to have
conversations before and after practice
about things you’re having issues on.
Many don’t know the right questions
to ask. It's a solo sport, although you’re
training with teammates, it’s only you
out there on the mat. So when you’re
practicing you really need to figure out
what you’re having problems with and
specify what they are so you can ask
your coach. So having the knowledge,
having people on the team that can answer
those tough questions and consistency.
Being consistent with your training,
for me I train everyday and that’s
how I like it. Other people can get away
with training less and do well. You can’t
expect results to come fast. I think people
train a couple times and expect it
to work immediately. Things take time,
and through pressure and time you can
make diamonds man.
AM: It was cool to see you with Team
Insane OG. What are some of the cross
overs of Jiu-Jitsu and cannabis culture?
NR: Most of the community uses it,
whether for nighttime or right before
training. It enhances my mood, how I
think cognitively about certain things,

sometimes it changes the perspective
that I’m having, so I can see and move different,
or make certain adjustments.
AM: Is that smoking or edibles, in what
format?
NR: Usually burn it, maybe roll up a joint or
use a bowl. Joint is pretty easy and pretty
immediate effect.
AM: Any particular strain?
NR: I’ve had Insane OG, probably the best
strain I’ve ever had to be honest.
AM: Yeah shout out to them.
NR: For sure, Dr Greenthumb and Team Insane
OG, those guys hold it down for sure!
AM: Have you competed in High Rollerz?
NR: I had a competition at High Rollerz a
while back. I did one of their beginning
events, it was fun man. I know the guys
that own it, run it. They put together a
great event. It was great to see the two
worlds collide, the hip hop, the cannabis
and Jiu-Jitsu culture. I think the two blend
together, it just had to be in the right format.
AM: It’s about the vibe, serious but fun, all
the blends together -
NR: I think the Jiu-Jitsu world makes it a bit
of a party, when you come out to a show,
it's not Jiu-Jitsu and leave, you know it’s
good music, good vibes, people are drinking,
food, there’s a lot going on, it's more
of a spectacle, a fun event instead of a
quick jits vibe.
AM: You have a handle @nickyrodeats, is
that about wellness and food too?
NR: Well it's something personal I’ve been
collecting like a food blog, I eat clean - like
mainly meats, fruits and veggies. I post
the cheat meals too, you know sometimes
I grab a coffee and a donut, or some ice
cream or something. It's not far fetched
to have a sweet tooth and display that,
but it is something I’ve been kind of
blogging about with no real direction. I
think eventually I’ll have some more in
depth content, maybe a Youtube channel.
But it's a bit hard to focus on being
an athlete and content, so for now
I have to really mitigate my time where
my thoughts are going.
AM: Sure it will come in time, people will
be interested.
NR: Yeah I’ll keep posting, growing it little
by little, and when I’m ready to fully
commit to it, I’ll be ready.
AM: Who are 3 people that have inspired
you along your journey?
NR: I'd say my coach John Danaher, the
most inspiring, at least the most valuable
asset to my immediate growth. Second,
my dad, because hard work runs in the
family and it is important to see it first
hand, experience it first hand, that way
so we can display it often. Three, I would
say myself, I’m pretty much self-motivated.
I never really get up and have it
not hard for me to get going, I never
really waste any time or have wasteful
thoughts. I like to gear my day towards
something positive, towards the next
things.
AM: Cool. What do you think can help
mainstream Jiu-Jitsu to levels like MMA
and boxing?
NR: I think of this here and there. Getting
on a major network, like ESPN
would help. There are a few things that
hold it back.
I think there are lot of different rule sets
within the sport, I think it makes it harder
for viewers to follow. I think honestly
this year’s ADCC will help push us closer
to becoming mainstream. It’s a bigger
prize, a bigger spectacle, the event itself
will be massive. But if we had a huge
Grand Prize like maybe $1M to win the
absolute devIsion, I think that will pull a

lot of people out of their seats and come
watch, or just be intrigued, and potentially
make it more mainstream to see these
guys fighting for a million rather than 10k,
20k or 50k.
AM: Well we'll be rooting for you! You're
style is entertaining and your definitely an
inspiration for us and a lot of people.
@killdrama
@nickyrod247
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Front/Back
Cover, 16 - 19 + PG 70 9DRIP Eitan Miskevich
| PG 20 - 23 + 27 - 35 Pedro Garcia | PG
24 Showtime |

This month, we're catching up with one of
our faves Alysia Reiner (who graced our
cover back in 2017 for our JUN ISSUE #18).
She has been in a number of shows that
we have enjoyed from Netflix's Orange is
the New Black, HBO's The Deuce and ABC's
How to Get Away with Murder. Her commitment
to her roles and how she peels
back the layers of her character like an onion
is what makes us excited to see what
she will do next. As a storyteller, Alysia
is an actress and a producer who is compelled
to find stories that explore themes
that are at the forefront of what we're
navigating as a society.
We caught up with Alysia in late May days
before the launch of Disney+'s Ms. Marvel.
We talked about how we navigated the
pandemic, the power of storytelling, how
she approaches her projects, her work in
front of and behind the camera, what we
can see her in next, the importance of representation
and women's ownership of
their bodies and how she advocates for
these issues.
ALYSIA REINER: How are you, how was
your pandemic? Congratulations for keeping
the magazine afloat!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Wow obviously we
went through it and we had to make a lot
of decisions. The fact that we were able to
keep it going was amazing!
I can only imagine as for you during the
pandemic, you were working!
AR: It’s funny because when it all shut
down, I started getting offers for work as
early as that first summer. I turned down a
lot of things because I just didn’t feel safe
enough, just the way you were talking
about. It was before vaccinations and it
was just like, no this is not worth risking
my life for and risking my family's lives for.
In those early days, you just didn’t know!
Different people took it very differently
and took it more seriously! I mean, we
took it very very very seriously from thebeginning
and it wasn't until Ms. Marvel
came that I felt that they had the money
quite frankly to keep it really safe.
They were testing everyday! When the
deal closed, within an hour, they had
someone come to my house to test me
– within an hour!
AM: Ok, they were like, “we’re going to
start right!” That’s amazing! It’s so fun to
be able to catch up with you as the last
time we were with you it was for our cover
for your June cover shoot 5 years ago
- in person of course. At that time Orange
is the New Black was about to release it’s
5th season, Better Things had it’s 1st season
that was already out there and you
were dropping your clothing line.
So being able to catch up as you have
such a presence and I always love hearing
from you – it’s good to see what you’ve
been up to! I have always thought that
you should be a super hero and/or in the
Marvel universe so it was no surprise to
me to hear that which is so exciting.
You’ve been in a number of shows that
I have loved seeing you in How to Get
Away with Murder, The Deuce – which I
loved your character in that. I was like,
“that girl can rock some sunglasses!”
AR: I mean on a fashion level, that was
so freaking fun right? The 1970’s style, I
can live in! It’s so fun!
AM: It’s fun to see you in STARZ's Shining
Vale and you’re going to be in Ms. Marvel,
what do you love about being a storyteller
and a creator?
AR: I think my favorite part is telling
stories that help evolve humanity you
know? I have been really lucky to have
been part of some seminal art in that
way like Orange is the New Black which
really changed the way people saw incarcerated
people, particularly incarcerated
women. The amount of women that
have been incarcerated has increased
by 731%. 731% in the past 30 years and it’s
not because women are being more illegal.
It’s about this system of slavery that

we have embraced and if anyone has not
seen Ava DuVernay’s 13th, it’s a really seminal
piece about what I mean by that. But,
how we see the incarcerated population,
mass incarceration and the business of incarceration
and additionally how we see
the trans community.
There has been some incredible things
that we have seen from trans humans and
acceptance of that as well as push back
from people that are deeply afraid. But,
I always say that that’s how you know
you’re succeeding is when people get
afraid. I feel so grateful to be part of that
kind of filming. With Better Things, we
saw an authentic flawed mother in a way
that we had never seen before. Now with
Ms. Marvel, we’re getting our first ever
Muslim superhero. It feels so outrageously
wonderful and I feel so lucky to be part
of that storytelling. That’s my favorite
part. I was talking to someone last night,
another producer friend. She was at a
meeting for the Oscars for The Academy
and someone said and I’m paraphrasing
here – that really in America, the 2 ways
people get their information is education
and entertainment.
It’s so deeply important that our education
system isn’t banning books and that
people are able to learn everything from
Critical Race Theory, the Holocaust where
some people are trying to fight against
that so it’s deeply important that we educate
people on that. But the truth is entertainment
has become a piece of our
educational system and so for me, there’s
a level of responsibility with that. I want
to enlighten people and to entertain
them obviously, but I want to connect
with them and I don’t want people to
feel so alone. I want them to feel part of,
connected, loved and that they belong. I
also want to be able to illuminate certain
things that people don’t know because
it’s only when we know about things, that
we can change them.
AM: What do you look for when it comes
to taking on projects whether it’s from the
actors lens or a producing role?
AR: I think it’s exactly that. I look for if
this is a story that needs to be told and
I am the best person to tell this story.
Is this a story we have seen a 100 times
before? I will be honest. I was asked to
look at a project a few days ago and I
chose not to do it because first of all it
was a story that had been told a lot of
times and I felt it had some stereotypical
tropes in it and some tropes that were
very specifically about an image and the
importance of one’s looks essentially. I
was like, I don’t need to tell that story. I
don’t need to be part of this essentially
antiquated ugly duckling storyline. I feel
like it’s one of the stories that we have
told since the beginning of time. The
ugly duckling that turned into the swan,
but I don’t feel like we need to tell that
story anymore. We can write a new story
about how we perceive ourselves and
how we love ourselves regardless of
what we look like. I guess the question
is, what is the new story there? I haven’t
cracked that but I do know that I don’t
think I need to keep telling that story.
AM: Do you have a process that you go
through when you begin to prepare for
your characters?
AR: I feel like every character tells me
something else. I sort of have to ask the
character what they need. Certain characters
it’s about a pair of glasses or an
accent or a psychological gesture. Some
is about research. Is it a period of time
that I wasn’t alive during. So each character,
sometimes it’s internal and sometimes
it’s external. So each character
sort of talks to me and tells me what
they need if that makes any sense.
AM: In looking at your other projects
that you’ve done. You have Egg which
you produced and acted in. How did
this come about and how did you get attached
to it?
AR: Oh, such a good question. Egg was
based on a play that I did almost a decade
before. I thought it was such a
seminal piece about motherhood and

the choice to be a mother. When I first
did the play, I was not a mother yet and
I hadn’t decided if I wanted to be yet. I
loved the questions, conversations and
thoughts that revolved around the issue.
Around what it means to be a mother,
what does it mean to be a father, what
does it mean to be a parent, what does
a family mean, what are those dynamics,
what does it mean to be childless, what
does it mean to be childless by choice and
why does society have so much problems
with that? I loved that piece and thought
there was such insightful wisdom in it and
it was hilarious. The writer did such an extraordinary
job with balancing those two
things.
Almost a decade later, I bumped into the
writer on a ferry from Fire Island. She was
coming from Kismet, Fire Island, so I like
to say she was coming from Kismet. She
said that she just wrote the screenplay for
Egg and if I wanted to read it. I said, yes. A
decade later, it was still all of these things
that we don’t talk about. I remember before
I became a mother, all of these people
were asking me when I was going to
be and it’s as if it was anybody’s business!
AM: I was going to say that! It’s like to ask
that question, you don’t know if the person
may not physically be able to or simply
chooses not to because they like their lives
as is.
AR: Exactly! It blows my mind how people
think that it’s their business! Once I had
my child, it became about when I would
have a second child. I was disgusted and
horrified at people’s responses. I would
say, I don’t think that we’re having anymore
and people would say, “oh, just the
one?” They were like mourning for the
second child that I wasn’t having. You just
have no idea what’s going on in anyone
else’s life and what’s best for them.
It’s the same conversation that we’re
having now with abortions. I am so ok if
you are deeply Christian, deeply Catholic
and think it’s a sin and horrific to have an
abortion. I am so down with that. I don't
care who you are and you can believe
whatever you want, just give me ownership
of my own body. That is my only
request. Every human deserves ownership
over their own body. This whole
thing is so deeply saddening to me. The
idea of children being born and unwanted
– can we just talk about that? People
being forced to have children, so you’re
bringing a child into the world that is
unwanted and that is absolutely heartbreaking.
AM: We're days or weeks away from
hearirng the decision on Roe v Wade
which has been around for 50 years, if
SCOTUS strikes it down, what other precedents
that have been established like
contraception, interracial marriage, gay
marriage – how will these be handled?
AR: It’s in so much trouble.
AM: It’s mindboggling to me.
AR: I will advocate for and love on every
human being to have access to their own
body. That’s really important to me and
that’s a big piece of what Egg Is about.
It’s on iTunes and we sold it to Gravitas
so you can now watch it online. I think
it’s a really important time to watch
it as it’s about this moment. There is a
conversation in this movie that’s about
abortion. So it’s really important that
we have these conversations and that
we don’t stop. That’s part of arts power
is to help have those conversations.
AM: Circling back to what we were
talking about before, how did you get attached
to Ms. Marvel?
AR: I don’t know how everybody gets
attached to a Marvel project. I would
say that for me, it came up out of the
blue. I never auditioned for anything, I
didn’t know I was being considered and
they are so secretive that essentially, all
I knew was that I was being considered
for a new show called Ms. Marvel and
that I had to sign a NDA to even be considered
for it. My lawyers had to do the

contracts for it and they would‘t even tell
me my character's name until we signed.
I couldn’t read anything, it was top, top,
top secret. Even though it’s coming out in
June, it’s been top secret to the very end.
They won’t let me say anything except
that I’m in it and I had a blast! I’m so excited
to be part of the Marvel family, not only
because of this particular story which has
the first Muslim superhero, but that they
keep on breaking boundaries in the world
of cultural change. In the Eternals we saw
a gay superhero and a blind superhero, a
deaf superhero and they really use the art
and the comics as a way of a Trojan Horse
to talk about the things that we are sometimes
afraid to talk about on this planet
right know. I am so excited to be part of
that family of storytellers that are down
with talking about things that other people
may be afraid to talk about.
And representation, authentic representation
of all communities.
AM: Can you tell us about where this series
sits within the MCU? We read somewhere
that there is another movie coming out
and will you possibly be in this movie as
well.
AR: I am not, but there is some crossovers
with some of the Marvels. There is definitely
potential for my character to cross
over additionally in the future.
AM: That’s very cool! What was it like being
on that set?
AR: It was so much fun! It’s a great group
of humans. Sana Amanat (Marvel Rising:
Initiation, Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors,
Marvel Rising: Chasing Ghosts) our showrunner,
is so fantastic and what’s so exciting
about her is that the character is
loosely based on her and that’s so cool.
To be with the person that it is based on is
awesome. Another magical surprise was
that Meera Menon (You, Outlander, Dirty
John) who directed my first picture that I
was a producer in for Equity was the director
of a couple of the episodes. Marvel
is so secretive that they didn't even tell
her that they were casting me. I texted
her and I was like, hey I’m coming
to Atlanta for a project and I heard you
were there and she said she was and she
didn’t even know. I thought maybe she
put in a good word for me she had no
idea. It was so fun to be back on set with
her and it was so exciting when Kevin
came to visit. We became a really tight
group of humans. We may have gotten
a tattoo together. One of the actresses
that I got really close to is named Yasmeen
Fletcher (Andi Mack, Upside Down
Magic, Let Us In) and she turned 18 right
at the end of our shoot. She brought
her uncle in and he's a tattoo artist for
her birthday and we may have gotten
matching matching tattoos.
AM: There is something about entertainment
being a way to educate because
you can hear something, but when you’re
watching it you can think about it and
you’re seeing things happen. Even if it’s
not an experience that you’re aware of,
it has to change you as a person one way
or another or to at least get that element
of being able to look out for it.
Going Places is another project that
you’re involved in that’s coming out soon,
what can you tell me about this movie
and why did you want to be attached?
AR: It is so fun! So, the filmmaker is Max
Chernov (Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness,
Blood Brothers) and I read the script
and I thought of my God it’s so fun this is
such a ride that I want to be on. We had
just wrapped Ms. Marvel, there were a
lot of stunts involve in this project and
I wasn’t afraid because I had just done
Ms. Marvel. But I did know what questions
to ask now that I would have never
known because I did Ms. Marvel. When
the offer came in I asked them would
there be a stunt coordinator, would
there be a stunt double? Because I did
my own stunts on Ms. Marvel, but they
did have all of those people just in case
I couldn’t do my own stunts. It was so
much fun. I did stunt training and stunt
fighting. I loved it so much.

Similarly, it’s a high action adventure comedy
that has some deep things to say. I
love something that is deeply entertaining
that also has some deep things to say.
Ms. Marvel does it by talking about racism
quite frankly. Going Places does it about
our perception of success and what does
it mean? Similar to Ms. Marvel, it’s about
high school students and it looks at what
success is and what does it mean. These
high school students have just graduated
and are on their way to college and the
amount of pressure they put on themselves.
In this moment, when I’m looking
at every headline that you’re reading right
now that talks about this generation. The
teens of today are under such pressure
and they’re really struggling with mental
health. I love this script because it goes
there about what the pressure we’re putting
on young adults – teenagers. I now
have a 13, and is technically a teenager.
What does it mean to be successful. I like
to call the COVID times the meditation retreat
that none of us signed up for. I really
see it that way. How can we use this experience
to really grow ourselves, to learn
and to really evolve? I don’t think that we
can do that unless we are willing to really
go deep and to look at what’s not working.
We have so many kids that are not
happy.
So something is not working friends.
How do we change that? I feel so deeply
that I only want my kid to be happy and I
don’t care about her grades and whatever.
I care that she does her best because
I want her to feel the esteem about that.
Really looking at what are the messages
that we’re sending young people going
into the world and why is not working
really – let’s be honest. There is a disconnect
there. So many young people are so
deeply unhappy.
AM: This is true. Because you have played
in so many roles. Are there roles or topics
that are sitting on your vision board that
you would like to do through this art?
AR: Ooo such a good question! I think I’m
deeply curious in this moment it would be
really fun to do a period piece. I’ve done
it on stage and I did it for one movie,
but I would like to do more in the past.
Something that is deeply gripping and
talks to the moment today which would
be the Salem witch hunts. It would be
interesting to do that as we’re pretty
much primed for that right now. So
that’s really interesting to me. If there
were a way and I was just talking about
this yesterday with some producers –
I’m really curious how we tackle abortion
and the war on women right now.
What does that look like, how do we do
it it in a way that it is the Trojan Horse
where more people will watch and that
it isn’t just a preaching to the choir situation.
Doing it in a way that everyone is
watching. I know that Handmaids Tale is
that but to an extent is there a different
version that really talks about it in a different
way and maybe not in a dystopic
way that Handmaids Tale so clearly is.
Those are issues that I’m really curious
about. I’m producing a movie right know
called Flat or James Thomas Thinks The
Earth is Flat which is a unlikely buddy
comedy between an 8th grade Black science
student and a very infamous NBA
player who thinks the Earth is flat. The
8th grade student has to convince the
NBA player that the Earth is in fact an
oblong sphere in his science fair. It’s so
fun and a real buddy comedy and a real
movie for anyone from 9 to 99. We have
Kelly Park (Call Me Kat, How I Met Your
Father, The Game) who is the director
who is a fantastic director. She has done
a bunch of TV including The Upshaws,
Grace and Frankie – she has incredible
TV credits. I’m producing it with Diana
DiMenna who produced What the Constitution
Means to Me and Thoughts of
a Colored Man and Spencer Paysinger,
the TV show All American, is based on
his life and he is the writer and producer.
Another actor Brian Tyrell Clark – I’m
super excited about that. That’s the kind
of storytelling that I want to tell. We’ve
never seen – at least I have never seen a
movie about a brilliant 8th grade Black
science student. And I will be probably
be one of the very few white people in

the movie. The movie is predominantly
a black story and it’s about Black joy and
obviously, it’s a Trojan Horse to how science
and medicine has failed the Black
community which it has in a 100 different
ways and we will be going there. We also
really want to celebrate a beautiful family.
They are a beautiful intact family and we
want to celebrate a Black scientist coming
into the world and to celebrate his brilliance
and intelligence. I’m on the board
of the Geena Davis Institute and we talk
about when you see it, you can be it. The
importance of representation and how
so many girls when they saw The Hunger
Games, the amount of girls that took up
archery or when Queen's Gambit came
out, the amount of people that took up
chess! That’s our dream for Flat that we
get this huge ginormous blockbuster hit
so that kids can be excited about science!
AM: That I so exciting and can’t wait until
this comes out.
AR: I am so exited about that for multiple
reasons but also being the environmentalist
that I am, I believe that science is an
innovation from youth and the ability to
see things in a new way and to reimagine
what can be possible. It can change everything.
AM: Like we’ve been talking about, if
you’re not being represented, there isn’t
an easy way to know this is something that
you would want unless you have the path
to place you there. I think this is awesome.
We were also talking about the madness
of the pandemic and a lot of us had to adjust
our lives and to figure things out. We
also had random hobbies and interests
that came out of this. But you became a
firefighter or you trained for it at least!
AR: (Laughter) I am officially a Probational
Firefighter. I passed all my tests!
AM: I mean! How did you decide that this
was something that you wanted to do and
what was it like training. We love watching
9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lonestar and any type of
show along those lines. I can imagine you
doing anything, but I didn’t have that on
the Bingo card – but I can see it happening.
AR: During the pandemic, we lived on
Fire Island which is a small island off the
coast of Long Island. It’s a series of villages
where there are no guards. In our
village, there is no police, no hospital, no
doctors full-time. The only thing there
is volunteer fire fighters. I feel like that
community created a safe haven for
myself and my family. I like to say that
when I was a little girl I would read Little
House on the Prairie books – I loved
them! I dreamed them! I dreamed that
one day I would live that way but I knew
that it wouldn’t be possible. Then the
pandemic happened and I lived like Little
House on the Prairie. I was alone on the
island, there were very, very, very few
people on the island. In our community,
maybe there were 10 families and no
one was going near each other. It was
a really seminal moment in my life and I
was so deeply grateful to that community
as it felt that it saved my life by giving
me health and safety and I wanted
to give back to the community. Really all
there is is volunteer fire. Similar to anything
that I have ever done that is really
really really hard, I had no idea how hard
it was going to be going in. So, I said yes
and I thought I want to do this and it’s
going to be easy. I didn’t think it would
be easy but I didn’t think it would be so
hard. I started my training and some day
I may actually write a book about it.
AM: You absolutely should!
AR: It challenged me on so many levels
that I didn’t anticipate! The first level
was my teachers were all older white
men and a majority of them being Republican
I believe. I had never spent so
much time with so many older white
men in my entire life. I was not educated
that way – I grew up in NYC – it was a
very different crowd. I didn’t feel that I
was good at this. I’m still learning. I have
a lot of acumen for a lot of things that I

do in my life and I feel pretty good as an
actor, I feel that I’m not a super strong
producer but I have produced a couple
of successful movies, I have movies that
are in development and a number of TV
shows that are in development – I know
what producing is and I know how to do it
successfully. I have been married for more
than half of my life now and I feel pretty
successful at that and I feel successful as
a parent and my child is doing great. I do
not feel successful as a firefighter. Every
day I would come home from training and
you can ask my husband, my chief, my
best friend – hours of tears happened.
I felt like I could not do this. The physical
work was really, really, really hard and I am
incredibly strong, you know me, I work
out everyday, but there is a level that I just
couldn’t. The body weight it takes to hold
a hose, you’re carrying 70lbs of weight
on your body and you’re carrying tools
and climbing up a ladder and a gas mask
on with oxygen on your back and you’re
blindfolded basically. It’s bonkers and
then I was never good at standardized
tests as a kid and every week, we would
get these tests and then we had a 4 hour
exam at the end. I have to tell you that
the first few exams I did, I failed! I hadn’t
felt like a failure in a really long time and I
really, really, really felt like one – because
I was failing. I’m not exaggerating and I
had to become ok that I got a 70 and not
a 100. I have an A type personality, I need
a 100.
AM: Same!
AR: I wasn’t getting 100s and I would
train at home physically every single day.
I passed in the end. My training will never
stop. I will continue to train because part
of being a firefighter is always being ready
for an emergency.
AM: That’s pretty amazing and I can definitely
see how it would be a little humbling
as well. But to also know that your commitment
to your community and to give
back in a way that was able to give back
to you in terms of being a safe haven was
so important that you were able to navigate
that to get to where you ultimately
wanted to be able to do which I think is
cool.
AR: Aw well thank you!
AM: I can imagine that that was really
tough. I thought, well dang, some people
were just making sourdough bread
during the pandemic!
AR: One of my best friends when I called
her hysterically crying and snotty, she
said you know what, do your best. If you
fail, it will be the best parenting lesson
that you could ever give your child. She
said, show your child that you can do
your best, still fail and still get back up!
I have the chills even saying that again
and I said ok, I’ll give it my all and if I
fail, it will be the best parenting lesson
of all. That got me through. I called her
later and said, “I’m a horrible mother, I
passed!”
AM: But she also got to see that sometimes
you can give 100% of yourself and
you may not get that back and that’s realistic
too! Things happen.
AR: She saw me coming home hysterically
crying, struggling with standardized
tests which was really, really, really
good for her.
AM: What do you want your legacy to be
seen as for all the work you do in front
of and behind the camera, the activism
that you do and just the way you dig in as
someone who is so present?
AR: Wow, the first thing that comes to
mind is my dad was a management consultant
and the motto for his company
was, “make a difference and have fun.”
I put that on his gravestone and it’s really
my words to live by. The words that I
think about for my life are love, service
and wonder. Our production company is
called 2 Wonder Full To Be Limited and
my biggest goal particularly as I age is
that the older people get, the more that

feel to know things, that the uncertainty
is untenable and I want to be more and
more willing to not know and to be comfortable
with the uncertainty and to be
ok with that and to not need to know.
I want to keep on wondering. I would
say that wonder is my biggest legacy
because it’s only when we wonder we
can keep on growing and learning and
that we can keep on loving other people
as opposed to whether you know
that someone is doing something that is
wrong and you know and you’re mad –
there isn’t a lot of space there. But if you
wonder, you can think about why someone
did something. I wonder – there’s a
little breath there. I guess my hope really
is that it’s my dad's thought to make
a difference and to have fun. That fun
is really key. As I learned in my course,
joy is an act of resistance and now more
than ever it’s so important that we value
joy!
AM: I love the word wonder!
AR: Yeah, I love the word wonder.
AM: When you say it, it’s nice sometimes
to think about that as opposed to the
black/white or win/fail. But when you say
wonder, it gives you that air to breathe
and maybe to put yourself in a number
of positions and maybe I should do that
a lot more because sometimes I’m like no
– it’s this.
AR: Well, it’s comforting to know. To
love yourself through that. It’s comforting
when you think you have the answer,
but to wonder, that’s where the air is.
@alysiareiner
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 43 - 51 +
PG 169 - 171 9LIST STORI3S Laurie Bailey
| PG 52 - 57 STARZ/Shining Vale |

You don't need an excuse to come together
with friends and family for great conversation
and good food! If you opt to make it
more of an intimate affair with your significant
other or to enjoy solo, a great meal is
always welcome!
In Nov 2020, we chatted with Chef David
Rose about how to prepare for the holiday
season. At that time, we were navigating
the pandemic and celebrations looked different
from years past. As we continue to
navigate the new normal, we're excited
to think about fun times ahead! We talk
about his first cookbook EGGin': David
Rose Cooks on the Big Green Egg (Volume
4), the art of grilling and how we can create
great meals for Father's Day and other
events that we're excited about - even if
it's just a random day ending in "y."
ATHLEISURE MAG: Since we last talked,
EGGin Volume 4 came out late last year.
Can you share with our readers about this
cookbook?
CHEF DAVID ROSE: I’m really excited
about this! EGGin’ is in it’s 4th volume but
it’s my first cookbook! This cookbook has
everything from mains, sides, salads and
desserts – everything that you need is in
there that you want that can be grilled! It’s
your heart’s desire! It’s just a celebration
of food, a celebration of every culture,
every region – every state has their own
culture of open fire barbecue and open
grilling. From asado in South America, to
North Carolina in the South to Alabama
to Texas to Korean and Jamaican. So this
book covers it all and pays an homage to
everything and doing it in a sensational
way. We have the honor of hitting #1 on
Amazon for a couple of days back in Feb
around my birthday. So it was the perfect
celebration for my 40th! So, the book is
huge and it’s doing very well.
AM: Every time we see you on Instagram,
Good Morning America etc – it’s like, that
man loves to grill!
CHEF DR: I do! If you can’t see my Instagram
and don’t know that I love grilling, I
don’t know how else to show it!
AM: What is it about grilling that you
love and why is it good to prepare foods
in this way?
CHEF DR: For me it’s just something
that, the cave men got it right all that
time ago, thousands of years ago. Raw
meats, fire – put it right on there! If it ain’t
broke, don’t fix it. I’m from the school of
utilizing that and the Jamaican culture,
I’ve grown up around these amazing
grilled foods – especially jerk chicken
and there’s something about the grill
being the secret ingredient where you
can infuse flavor with different types of
wood, different types of marinades and
anytime you smoke something, brown
is flavor, brown is deliciousness. You get
that great char on there and it brings
out that deep caramelization, sweetness
and savoriness and fruits and vegetables
and finish. I’m one of those guys
where grill season – I don’t know what
grill season is – for me, it’s 24/7, 365 and
even if it’s snowing – the grill is still going
to be hot so we’re going to have to
cook!
AM: Well, for people who aren’t familiar
with grilling – let’s say those that it’s
their first time. What are 3 tips that you
have for someone who has that grill, but
they’re not sure about using it?
CHEF DR: Yes, yes ok. The first thing I
would say is that a clean grill, is a happy
grill. Every time you finish and start up,
you want to brush off all that debris, grit
and grime. There could be an accumulation
of food, maybe a critter that might
have got up in there. Because you don’t
want none of that on your food. After
you’re done cleaning it, always use an oil
with a high smoke point to oil it down
like a grape seed oil, canola, vegetable
oil – because the last thing you want to
do is to spend all that time seasoning
and marinating and then the meat, protein
or vegetables stick to the grill. You
always want to oil the grate so that the
food releases. That way, you can taste it

and eat it.
I’d also recommend secondly, getting a
digital meat thermometer. That way, it
takes all of the guesswork out of whether
the steak is ready or not ready. Is your
chicken 165° yet? A high quality digital read
out thermometer is a great investment!
And 3, get a copy of EGGIN’, David Rose
Cooks from the Big Green Egg and keep
your freezer chock full of Omaha Steaks
so you can be ready to grill from your
hearts desire! There is a Harris Poll that
was done earlier this year that says 83% of
Americans agree that having high-quality
meat on-hand to prepare at a moment’s
notice would make their lives easier. So
with those three things, I think that those
are pretty good tools to get them started.
AM: I love it and like you’re saying, grilling
can take place any time of year! I’m originally
from Indiana, I live in NY, I love a
grilled meal! Now that it’s the summertime
and with all the holidays coming up, how
do we stay grill ready in terms of keeping
our fridges stocked?
CHEF DR: You know, the great thing about
working with Omaha Steaks is that we
carry a variety of steaks, poultry, seafood,
ready to eat sides and meals. The steaks
are expertly carved and trimmed and we
age them, especially our Private Reserve
for a minimum of 35 days and that maximizes
tenderness. We do a flash freezing
process and what that means is that
when the food is at the height of perfection,
the flash freezing presses that pause
button and until you thaw it out, it’s going
to remain in that status of deliciousness.
It’s a great thing to have everything at
the ready because you never know when
you’re hearts desire or a craving might
hit. So it lets us do the hard work for you
– by delivering you those quality meats
and having those recipes that we do have
on the website where we have them for
days like Father's Day. I have a sensational
recipe with their Private Reserve filet and
it’s a Blue Cheese and Chive Compound
Butter and a loaded Hasselback Potato.
I’m not sure if you know what a Hasselback
Potato is -
AM: Oh, I know my potatoes!
CHEF DR: Ok, ok you know! Hasselback
Potato, thinly sliced, cheese, bacon and
sour cream – that and the filet, it’s love!
What better way to show dad or yourself,
how much you care and to love
yourself with our steaks that can be delivered
anytime because that’s the gift
that keeps on giving – at least until you
eat it.
AM: Once again, what’s really great
about this time of year is the impromptu
nature of things. Whether you have a
deck, backyard, rooftop, front stoop or
wherever you’re eating. If we’re coming
to your house for an impromptu meal,
what are you making for us?
CHEF DR: Alright, well definitely there
will be a ribeye on there. The ribeye is my
favorite and we carry this Ribeye Crown
Steak – it’s the ribeye cap, the most tender
and coveted part of the steak so
you’re definitely going to find some of
those. We have some sensational St Louis
ribs so you will find some of that. I’m
Jamaican so I’m going to have to have
some of my snapper on there. We serve
Jamaican Snapper Escovitch with a marinade
of pickled onions, scotch bonnet
peppers, pimento, garlic and whenever
I’m cooking especially around my family,
spices are always in the mix. Of course,
Lobster Mac & Cheese because what is
a barbecue without Macaroni & Cheese
and just make it better with Omaha
Steaks Lobster Tails so it’s a win-win.
AM: A lot of people when they’re grilling,
they do think about meats and vegetables.
But the grill can also be used for a
lot of things. What are dishes that people
don’t realize that are totally a grillable
food?
CHEF DR: Oh yeah! In EGGin’, there’s
quite a few cocktails – smoked cocktails.
We have a Charred Pineapple Margarita,

we have a Grilled Watermelon Sangria and
also smoking adds a really good element
to baking! You can bake sweet items on
there. We have a Smoked Peach Crostata
a Jamaican Rum Raisin Bread Pudding – so
the great thing about the Egg and grilling
on it is that it can go low and slow, it
can do hot and fast and once you put the
plates on there called the convector, that
essentially turns the Egg into a convection
oven. So then you can bake, do pizzas and
anything that your heart desires. There
is nothing that I have yet to throw at the
Egg that it can’t do. So that along with the
Omaha Steaks with their meats, poultry
and sides, you can’t lose.
PHOTO CREDITS | PG 60 Omaha Steaks
| PG 63 - 67 Facebook/Chef David Rose |
AM: I love hearing about this and is there
anything that you can share that’s coming
up that we should keep our eye out
for whether it’s more cookbooks, TV segments
etc?
CHEF DR: Yes for sure! I have a couple of
really good events coming up in the near
future! I have Essence Fest which I will
do for the very first time that’s coming
up in July so I’m very excited about that!
I have a book signing and a demo coming
up with that! I will also do the Macy’s NBC
4th of July Fireworks Special and I will do
a demo for that as well! It’s kind of exciting
as well as a surreal moment! Growing up in
NJ, I would always watch it so it’s a full circle
moment. We have some great recipes
coming down the pipeline, even more deliciousness
with Omaha Steaks not just for
Father’s Day but for every day consumption
for meals and Sunday cooking with
the family.
AM: Well Chef, that’s a lot that’s going on
and congratulations on everything! A few
years ago I did Essence Fest for the My Black
is Beautiful booth where I shared style tips
and get ready! There are a lot of people
that come through there so definitely eat
your Wheaties!
CHEF DR: I’m ready – I stay in shape, I’m
ready!
@chefdavidrose

JAZ
THE ART OF
THE SNACK:

We always enjoy a bite that's filled with savory
and herbaceaous flavor. We head to
Hell's Kitchen to swing by Jaz Indian Cuisine
which is known for their British-Indian Cuisine.
We wanted to talk with owner Jas
Rupall to find out why she wanted to open
this restaurant, her 2 chefs that helm the
kitchen and what we can expect when we
swing by for a meal with friends, family or
solo!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Jaz, tell me about your
culinary background and how you came to
open this restaurant?
JAZ RUPALL: Growing up in a British – Indian
household and the daughter of Indian
immigrants to the U.K., I learned how
to cook from an early age. I have 5 siblings
and I was the second eldest, so I was always
helping my mother cook traditional
Indian meals to help feed our family. I
used to love watching her create these
amazing dishes from our native Punjab
region in India. This formed the inspiration
for the restaurant because I wanted
to create a warm and inviting space for
people to come and enjoy good food and
taste authentic British-Indian cuisine.
AM: Tell us about the chef that helms the
kitchen at Jaz. Can you talk about his culinary
background/journey and what he
does in the kitchen?
JR: Arif Ahmed started his career back in
2014 with Arora India as a Junior Cook. He
then went on to join Bombay Grill in 2018
where he worked as a second Chef. He
joined Sapphire in 2019 where he manned
the Tandoor Ovens and ran the kitchen
with the Chef. His journey finally lead
him to join Jaz Indian Cuisine in February
2022 as the Head Chef where he leads the
kitchen staff, he makes all of the sauces
and grinds fresh organic herbs and spices
in-house.
AM: For those that are coming in to dine,
can you talk about the ambiance of the
restaurant?
JR: Hell’s Kitchen has every type of restau-
rant available and for Jaz, we wanted to
create a warm inviting space that stood
out. We focused on providing an experience
that was upscale yet accessible to
all. Warm lighting, linen tablecloths, and
solid cutlery were important to me. We
wanted to provide context and quality
to the restaurant that reflects the effort
and quality of the food itself.
AM: For those who opt to stay at the bar
and enjoy Happy Hour, what are 3 items
you suggest from this menu?
JR: You cannot go wrong with the Salmon
Tikka Jalfrezi; fresh salmon that is
cooked with our signature blend of vegetables
and spices to create the perfect
dish to share. The Bhindi Masala has
been a huge hit; this is stir-fried okra
that is cooked traditional style with tomatoes,
spices, and cilantro. I have customers
ordering 3 at a time so they can
take them home and freeze them for
weeknights! The Sheikh Kebab is exceptional;
cooked in our Tandoor Oven, the
Kebab is placed on skewers and is slowcooked
with aromatic spices, grilled onions,
and tomatoes.
AM: To start our meal, what are 3 appetizers
that we should get when sharing
with friends?
JR: The Lasuni Gobi is a customer favorite;
these are lightly battered-fried cauliflower
florets that are dipped in garlic
sauce and is a good vegetarian option.
I would also recommend the Tandoori
Platter as this gives a tasting of the Chicken
Tikka, Ginger Chicken and Sheikh Kebabs.
This is a real treat for those looking
for lighter fare, my personal favorite is
the Shrimp Balchao; these are spicy panfried
shrimp with an onion-chili dressing
that provides a real pop of flavor.
AM: What are 3 entrees that we should
order when we come for lunch or dinner?
JR: Favorites include the classic Chicken
Tikka Masala; tandoori chicken pieces
(off the bone) in a creamy tomato sauce

that is a staple of our kitchen. The Saag
Paneer is a family favorite, creamy fresh
spinach and greens that melts in the
mouth, especially with a side of Garlic
Naan! For the more adventurous, the Goat
Curry is brilliant; a darker blend of spices
that is cooked with yogurt and onions,
(small pieces cooked with the bone).
AM: What are 3 sides that are a must to
enjoy with our meal?
JR: Our fresh naan breads are just divine,
my favorite is the Peshawari Naan that is
cooked fresh with raisins, almonds, and
coconut. We keep the Tandoor Oven hot
24/7 to ensure that we are producing
the absolute best tandoori dishes on demand.
The Matar Pullao Rice is a more flavorful
take on the traditional basmati rice;
spiced with cumin and green peas, it compliments
any of our curry dishes. For the
more traditional-minded, the simple Tandoori
Roti is a classic (wholewheat based)
and this is what I make fresh when cooking
for my family at home.
AM: What are 3 cocktails that we should
keep in mind?
JR: Our Pimm’s & Lemonade cocktail is
a big hit on the weekends, especially as
we enter the summer months. Pimm’s is
a British staple that is an essential drink
at any British garden party. Growing up
in the U.K., I wanted to serve this unique
cocktail at the restaurant as I believe it is a
marker of our whole ethos, serving classic
Indian food and drink with a transatlantic
twist. The spicy Chili Margarita is a fun
way to start an evening as is the Mango
Martini.
AM: For dessert, what are 3 that we can
share with friends?
JR: The Kheer Rice Pudding is exceptional.
My son has loved Indian rice pudding
since he was little, and this version is a
real treat; creamy rice pudding is lightly
spiced with Cardamom. It is just the best
way to end a meal. The Gulab Jamun is a
syrupy delight; sweet fried balls of dough
made from milk solids and semolina,
soaked with an aromatic syrup spiced
with green cardamom, rose water, and
saffron. For ice cream fans, the Kulfi has
pistachios with shavings of almonds. This
blend is formed on the basis of Indian
street vendor favorites.
AM: Guests have the option to eat inside as
well as outside, will you continue to have
this option throughout the summer?
JR: Yes, absolutely. We believe in giving
our customers the choice of where to sit.
The last few years have been a challenge
for the restaurant industry but one thing
I have seen in my years in NYC is that this
city is resilient and there is no better dining
scene in the world. Eating outside has
become part of the tapestry of the city’s
dining scene and one we encourage for
those who wish to do so to continue.
@jazindiancuisine
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | Jaz Indian Cuisine

Atzaró Beach is open for the summer
season. This A-list hotspot is great for
an upscale beach lunch or dinner destination
with fabulous sea views.
Chef James Adams has brought in a
new concept which includes a focus
on sharing plates, grilled options and
utilizing ingredients that are grown
on the grounds of the estate in their
Vegetable Garden. The new menu has
options that include wholesome, light
and delicious meals that include seafood
as well as organic fruit.
Meals can be enjoyed beachside on
their daybeds or sofas. We suggest
sitting back and enjoying bites with
friends from tuna ceviche with mango,
cucumber and lime, burrata with
sourdough and pesto as well as watermelon
salad with feta and mint.
ATHLEISURE LIST: Ibiza, Spain
ATZARO BEACH
For those who are hungrier, we like
taking in some pasta, grilled lobster
with garlic butter to order and 4 different
kinds of paellas that are perfect
to share.
When it comes to sweet treats, San
Sebastian cheesecake with a raspberry
compote, grilled pineapple with
coconut ice cream and chilli or orujo
panacotta with strawberries as well
as homemade icre creams and sorbets
- are great ways to complete your
meals.
For those who enjoy spending their
days on property, they will experience
a boho style 70's aesthetic of Ibiza. It
incorporates the environment it resides
with natural woods, terracotta
pots and local plants - cacti and palms!
The properties' color palette has soft
neutral sandstones with pops of color
AthleisureMag.com - 92 - Issue #78 | Jun 2022

that compliment the beach and crystal
clear waters of the sea beyond the
eyes' vantage point.
The low-key atmosphere is perfect for
lounging from day to night. From the
chairs, sofas, swing seats and more -
this is the way to take in perfect summers.
ATZARO BEACH
Playa, Av.
Cala Nova
S/N, 07849Camí de Sa Vorera,
Balearic Islands, Spain
atzarobeach.com
@atzaro_beach
PHOTO CREDITS | Atzaro Beach
Issue #78 | Jun 2022
- 93 - AthleisureMag.com

There are 2 foods that are always a
must, bagels and pizza. At Bagel+Slice,
there are a number of creations that
take these bites to the next level.
Founded by Brad Kent, a food science
professional, he is focused on improvng
the quality of delicious food.
Bagel+Slice is a concept where people
can purchase reasonably prices bagels
and pizza throughout the day in
a neighborhood setting and focuses
on sustainability, community involvement,
health and safety.
Although they are not 100% organic,
Bagel+Slice strives to be as organic as
they can and is focused on Regenerative
organic which means that by purchasing
ingredients in this category, it
contributes to the aim in the reversal
of climate change. Regenerative organic
farming has been listed as the
most highly effective way to seques-
ATHLEISURE LIST: Los Angeles, CA
BAGEL+SLICE
ter carbon from the environment to
reduce greenhouse gasses. These
farming practices add to topsoil as opposed
to eroding it which creates biodiversity
and improved crop yields.
It is important to Bagel+Slice that they
support the local community as well
as family farms.
Those selecting bagels and/or pizzas
will find that heritage seasonal regenerative
wheat in each one. Bagels
are rolled by hand, boiled and baked
on burlap lined bagel boards. Their
hand-crafted pizzas use mindfully
sourced ingredients with an array of
flavors and textures.
With a choice between an organic and
an organic gluten-free wheat bagel,
we suggest an Egg Breakfast Sandwich
(Keller Farms Bacon, organic egg,
AthleisureMag.com - 94 - Issue #78 | Jun 2022

cheddar and jalapeño pistachio pesto),
Goldilox (Kvaroy Arctic Lox, scallion
cream cheese, red onion, dill, capers
and lemon olive oil) or The Superfresh
(Select cream cheese or vegan cream
cheese that's nut based, tomato, cucumber,
red onion, dill and pistachio
chimichurri).
For those looking for the perfect slice,
we suggest Cheese (Red Sauce, mozzarella
and Parmesan Reggiano), Vegan
Vodka (Creamy tomato vodka sauce
that's nut based, vegan cheese blend,
mushroom fennel sausage and red onion)
or Pizza Bagel (Red sauce, mozzarella,
Parmesan Reggiano, extra virgin
olive oil and you have the option to add
pepperoni for an additional charge).
BAGEL + SLICE
4751 York Blvd.
Highland Park, CA 90042
bagelandslice.com
@bagelandslice
PHOTO CREDITS | Bagel + Slice
Issue #78 | Jun 2022
- 95 - AthleisureMag.com

We love reality shows and a number of our
readers enjoy The Bachelor/The Bachelorette
and even tweet along with us during
each episode. We love seeing the social
interaction, the dates, experiences and
more. Prior to the pandemic, reality shows
that focused on relationships went to the
next level with an array of social experiments
from Love is Blind, The Circle, The
Ultimatum and more. These shows break
new ground and really allow us to analyze
how we interact with another.
On June 24th, The One That Got Away hits
Prime Video. It allows people to look at
their past to see if someone at that time
could be a great fit for them. We caught
up with singer/songwriter, Betty Who who
is the host of this show. We talk about how
she got attached and what we can expect.
We also talk with Elan Gale who serves as
the show runner and executive producer
delves into the intracicies of relationships
with us.
ATHLEISURE MAG: It was such a great
show to watch as who doesn’t love how
we continue to explore social experiments
when it comes to dating? What drew you
to this show to want to be part of it?
BETTY WHO: I am such a fan of reality dating
shows and it actually started with The
Bachelor! I wasn’t really a fan of this and
being in this sort of world. Then I got the
chance to perform on The Bachelorette
in Becca’s season. I was shooting it and
I was thinking, “this is crazy – this world
and this whole thing.” So I got super into
The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and
that’s how it introduced me to the world
and now I feel like I’m a connoisseur and
I’m all about it now! So when this conversation
sort of started, someone came to
me and asked if this would be something
that I would be interested in. I was like,
“guys, I don’t want to oversell it but, I
would crush this job!” I think that this is
a very powerful combination for me. I
feel very lucky and yet very perplexed as
to why they booked me, but I did what
I could and I think that I showed up and
showed out I think!
AM: I think that it’s such an amazing fit because
in watching you, we’re used to the
formats of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette
where the host is interacting with the
primary person and the people competing.
In this situation, we have 6 people that are
exploring themselves, you coming in and
connecting with them and being able to
interact with them when they’re broken
down in the experience of it all! There are
some intense moments and being able to
see you in that way, what was your takeaway
in watching all of this?
BW: I think that I really appreciated the
opportunity to have conversations with
those contestants in that moment. I think
that as someone in my personal life, I really
want to be warm and a safe space for
my friends. I want to provide that warm
energy with people and that’s something
that I also like to do on stage as an entertainer.
You want to create that safe space
where people want to be able to come in
and enjoy themselves. It was a new way
for me to stretch my muscle in that way
as it was 1-on-1, but still in this very highly
curated environment where it’s still fundamentally
about entertainment for us.
I love to have a job, I love to entertain
and I love to have all of these incredibly
talented and creative people who know
so much more about how to make a reality
television show because what do I
know? They’re like, do this and I’m like,
ok this is such a fun adventure and I was
in good hands! I think that that is a huge
part of my enjoyment and experience on
the show being such a positive one. I give
that all to the people who sort of held my
hand along the way. I feel very lucky.
AM: I saw the initial 6 episodes via the
screener ahead of the launch on Jun 24th
and I can’t wait to see the remaining 4! I
really want to know as every episode I was
transfixed!
BW: I’m so glad that you’re hooked! This
is exciting!
AM: I am so hooked. As a reality junkie – I
love this format.

BW: Oh, so you’re our target demo! So if
you’re loving it, this is good news!
AM: For sure! At first when I heard the
concept about the portal I was a little confused
about it. But then I started watching
it and getting how you guys delved into
picking people from there past. Although
at one point, I was like, wait they literally
just got the guy that followed her on Instagram?
I’d be mad too. To see you reasoning
with her and asking her to go back one
more time because there was a better person,
was pretty funny.
BW: Um yeah, we’re definitely a little bit
shady! But I think that that is my favorite
part! I was watching to do some prep before
I hosted a television show. I was looking
at getting a lay of the land. I saw all of
these hosts that did different things and
I was watching Nick and Vanessa from
Love is Blind.
AM: Love that show!
BW: I love that show and I was checking
everybody out and I know that this isn’t a
dating show, but I think that Jeff Probst –
how shady Jeff Probst is on Survivor is one
of my favorite things about the show! The
way that he says, “so and so, I see you’re
still having a tough time over there.” He
is not afraid to stir shit up and I think that
that’s especially amazing. I pray for a season
2 so that I can get even more. I just
wanted to be nice the first time around
and to have everyone like me as I was totally
a fish out of water. But now that I
know what’s going on, I’m ready to start
some stuff up – you heard it here first!
If you have enjoyed watching The Bachelor/
ette, Elan Gale executive produced both of
these shows for a decade. A few years ago
while we were tweeting along with others
about these shows during a season, we noticed
Elan talking about the episodes and
providing insights.
With the launch of TOTGA, we talk about the
power of relationships, what makes a good
show and the impact of our interactions.
ATHLEISURE MAG: As long time watchers
of The Bachelor/The Bachelorette, it’s
amazing to chat with you and we love interacting
with you on Twitter to hear your
thoughts. Before we get into The One That
Got Away, what is it about relationships
that you love delving into as this is something
that has been a large part of your career
in creating these shows?
ELAN GALE: Great question! I think that
the honest answer is that I have always
felt that my relationships are the greatest
things in my life. I have a hard time focusing
on anything else if I’m being really
honest. I always found that I only know
what I know. I am only around the people
that I am around, I only have relations
with people that are in my life and generally
from where I’m from because that’s
where we are and that’s how we meet.
Relationship shows have always given me
an opportunity to just watch other people
interact with each other and watch them
build bonds that hopefully are life changing.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that the
relationship has to be permanent. I think
that that is something that often we put
too much emphasis on because almost all
of our relationships are impermanent and
it doesn’t mean that it’s not important or
that it doesn’t change us or make us grow.
So watching people focus on things that
are non-linear like relationships which are
probably the most important aspects of
their lives as well – I think it’s really interesting
and it’s a window into how we interact
with each other. I think that people
are really interesting! I like watching them
do whatever the hell they want to do!
AM: So what do you find to be the secret
sauce in terms of putting that into TV as
a medium? What are the dynamics that
make a good show about relationships?
EG: I think that more than anything, we’re
looking for people who are effusive. Anyone
could be a good TV dating contestant
really. What’s hard is finding people who
want to explore their emotions in real
time. When something happens to me, I

process it. I take some time and I’m pretty
shy about how I interact with my own
emotional life. I would go so far as to say,
almost a little cowardly in the way that a
lot of people who come on this show aren’t.
There’s an incredible bravery in being
able to say that I am going to go through
all of these intense emotions, but I’m also
going to allow people into that and to let
them into my world. So finding people
who have specific points of few, strong
emotions, strong desires, but simultaneously
willing to be able to get it wrong
because that’s what we usually do. We almost
always get it wrong until we get it
right! But it doesn’t mean that those are
the most compelling relationships either!
Looking at relationships that are raw and
based on feelings rather than logistics, I
think that TV shows do a really good job
of removing the logistics from relationships.
I think that’s also one of the things
that people find the most jarring about
them. It doesn’t feel real to me because
the logistics are taken away. But I have
found personally, and maybe this is just
me, I have found that when I am falling in
love, when I’m in a relationship and when
I am with people that I feel are important
parts of my life – logistics do kind of take
a back seat. If we’re going to continue to
claim that relationships are the most serious
driving force in our lives, then putting
logistics to the side is probably a good
idea. You can probably figure that out later.
The weird magic of love and whatever
is the stuff that you can’t do later and you
can’t figure that out thoughtfully over
time – I don’t think.
AM: I don’t think so either! What brought
you to want to be part of this project. I
watched the screeners and I’m obsessed,
the fact that all of the screeners weren’t
available at once made me mad because
I’m so invested and I want to know what
happens!
EG: I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you for
watching!
AM: It was a great watch. I took a Sun and
just let the storytelling unfold!
EG: That makes me so happy! Honestly,
these 6 people just went for it. This is a
terrifying show. You don’t know who is
coming through that portal and who you
are letting into your life. That is such a
bravery that they had to step into this – I
don’t have it! That’s part of what was so
exciting to me. I have a similar relationship
that I think that most of the people in the
audience had – I wish I could do that to
have the tenacity and the openness!
AM: I could never!
EG: For me, I have done so many dating
shows where strangers meet strangers.
There is such an interesting dynamic
there and I love those kind of shows. I
love watching those shows, but secretly
probably the show that I am most addicted
to is 90 Day Fiance. What I love about
this show is that by the time you meet
these people, they really have complex
relationships. You have to peel it back
like an onion as a viewer. So this – all the
things that I love about dating shows,
people meeting for the first time and adding
this layer of complexity where you get
to watch people who they were, previous
iterations of themselves and for me, I really
wanted to approach this show differently
from any other show. I wanted to
treat it like sci-fi. I wanted the portal to be
like a real time machine and if I’m being
honest, this might sound really crazy – for
me the show took more inspiration from
Rick & Morty than any other dating show
I have worked on in the past. Looking at
this like one tiny sliver of the multiverse
where you can suddenly live a life that
you have never lived for a short amount
of time and see what that life may have
been like. Yeah, if those relationships can
go back into the real world, maybe they
do – I don’t know. But if they do, that’s
really interesting and beautiful, but more
importantly this slice of life, this time and
this place where nothing really exists is interesting.
In the first episode, Jeff meets
someone who he hasn't seen in 15 years.
They were 2 people and now they're 2 dif-

ferent people just like everyone else is.
Getting to watch them date for the first
time, but also being able to come to terms
with how they’ve changed and to see that
through the eyes of someone that’s dating
them, it’s really one of the most transformative
processes for me as a viewer.
At the end of the day, that’s what I am.
Getting to watch them and these things
that were happening and to be able to
watch them and to really see them going
through it! The thing that I am most excited
about is that no one was focused on
results. Everyone got a happy ending but
it doesn’t mean that it’s the one that audiences
were expecting. I think that we’re
set up to believe that dating shows end
like this. And maybe they don’t have to.
Maybe dating is enough. Maybe moments
with people and experiences that you
share, looking inward on yourself through
the eyes of someone who knew you back
then – maybe that’s enough. I think it is
and I think that that’s what makes the
show so different.
AM: That’s so true. I think that when you
look to The Bachelor/ette where you have
a designated person that is available although
in the upcoming Bachelorette
there are 2 – but you have the designated
person and then you have this whole
group of people who are another dynamic.
The idea that you have a couple of people
for a certain person and how they interact
with the separate house and the main
house, that’s something because they’re
also bringing in their own versions of the
person that they know. That’s a whole other
sociological study right there!
EG: I think you made a really good point.
One thing that I think that this show does
really nicely is that it plays up the dynamic
friendships that the leads have with each
other and of course with the arrivals as
well. They’re going through this incredible
process together and it’s something
that no one else has ever been through
before. The bonds are permanent and
we don’t just revel in the rivalries on the
show. Someone goes out on a date 2 days
ago and their friends are hoping and wish-
ing and praying that they come home
happy and had a good time. Again, it’s all
about building that universe. We talked
about this on set. We called our location
Lacuna. You never see it on camera – it’s
just something that we talked about internally.
Lacuna is an unwritten piece of a story
or a missing page in a book. We just kind
of tried to build an environment where
whatever story that person had been
living, it was paused for a moment.
They were encouraged to write a new
story in this period of time and they go
off into the world. Maybe it folds nicely
into what you already have or maybe it
doesn’t but it’s going to be interesting
and it’s going to be messy. That’s what
I love so much about the show too! Life
is a fucking messy, disaster 90% of the
time! Acting as if things are linear, perfect
and meant to be – maybe they are,
but there is also something about embracing
chaos. I think dating is chaotic
and I think that that is also what makes
it fun. I’ve never gone on a first date and
went, “it’s remarkably average and I
can’t wait to do it again.”
AM: How did you go about finding the
arrivals? There were those like the person
from the confirmation, another who
went to school together and then you
had the one who just followed the lead
on Instagram?
EG: Honestly, it was the most complicated
process that I have ever been part
of. Primarily, the way that our casting
team did it was talking to family and
friends of the individuals and trying to
figure out people who they would be interested
in. The leads also gave lists of
people that they thought about, wondered
about or were curious about. So
there was some kind of dynamic combination
of people that their mom or sister
might have thought was perfect for
them, a best friend or if they were close
to their ex – someone that they thought
that they knew. It could also come from
someone from their very very long list

or someone who was fascinated by them
on their social media and felt more connected
than maybe they actually were.
I think it also points out the way that we
all create our own histories. We all tell our
own stories or what part of our lives are
important or not. I think that in a lot of
the cases of the leads that they may have
been more impactful on the lives of others
than they realized. That’s really empowering
for a lot of people where something
that you said, or something that you
did or a look you gave someone – even
if it wasn’t meant in a romantic way, it
stuck with them and made you important
enough to go through a whole casting
process, get on a plane, go to LA and then
just walk through a portal to see someone.
You had to have meant something
to someone to fill them with a feeling and
that’s a great place to start a relationship.
Even if it doesn’t go somewhere because
everyone can feel that a question that has
haunted them, can be answered in a way
that everything else is guessing. It’s fun to
have a moment in life where you get to
answer the many questions where I don’t
know about you, but I’m haunted and
plagued and live in a state of permanent
regret! If I could go somewhere – can you
imagine knowing what the sliding door
version of your life is or lesser so the Butterfly
Effect of Ashton Kutcher version?
It’s a good movie, underrated – fun!
AM: Like you said, in watching this show,
removing the dating/romantic aspect –
you think about the coffee cart guy you
see everyday on the corner and during the
pandemic, you didn’t have it and you felt
that there was a hole. The concept of relationships
and interactions and what it
means to you and the other person is an
interesting dynamic.
What do you want people to walk away
with in watching this. Should we all be digging
into our past to find our relationships
to figure our shit out?
EG: It’s such a good question! I’m not confident
that the takeaway should be that
we should go back into your past to
find your future. I don’t think that’s the
answer. I do think that the takeaway
should be, that if you are actively looking
for love, you should leave no stone
unturned. I think that most people will
not find their future from their past.
A lot of people might. But if you’re curious
about something and you have
been looking for this long, maybe you
don’t need a portal to do. Maybe you
do and I’m glad that these people did,
but these days you can pick up a phone.
You can send an email and ask a question
and it will probably lead nowhere
because most things in life do. It might
lead you somewhere really magical and
you might find the one that got away
and that would be pretty fucking cool.
@bettywho
@theyearofelan
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | Prime Video

Here in NY, we know that the summer season
has really gotten underway when Governors
Ball's 3 day music festival comes
to the city. Held at Citi Field Stadium, fans
came to enjoy hearing an array of artists
that represent those in hip hop, pop, rock
and more. Acts performed across 3 stages:
GOVBALL NYC presented by Verizon,
GOPUFF Stage and Bacardi Stage. Performances
included J. Cole, Kid Cudi, Becky G,
Jazmine Sullivan, Playboi Carter, Tove Lo,
DIESEL, Halsey, Coi Leray, A$AP Ferg and
Jack Harlow to name a few.
In between waiting for the next act, there
were plently of options to keep them engaged
from Instagrammable areas, staying
hydrated at the ElectroLit Zone, Casa
Bacardi to enjoy their classic canned beverages
and so much more.
This season those who couldn't attend
were also about to watch virtually via Governors
Ball Livestream on Twitch which
was presented by Levi's 501's as well as via
the radio on SiriusXM's app to keep the
good vibes going.
With high energy all around, here are some
of our favorite moments as we count the
days down to Governors Ball 2023!
@govballnyc
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 110 - 111 Aaron
Rickets | PG 1112 - 113 + 116 - 117 Paigge
Warton | PG 114 - 115 Greg Noire | PG 118 -
119 Charles Reagan | PG 120 - 121 Roger Ho
| PG 122 - 123 Mickey Pierre - Louis |

Who Can Receive a
COVID-19 Vaccine?
COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone ages 5 and older. You can get vaccinated if
you have:
Diabetes Liver disease A history of blood clots
Asthma
Cancer
Heart disease
Seasonal allergies,
such as a pollen allergy
HIV Allergies to medicine
Kidney disease
taken by mouth
Food allergies A lready had a COVID-19 infection
Other health conditions
Plans to become pregnant, or are
pregnant or breastfeeding
It is especially important for people with underlying health conditions to get vaccinated, as many
are at increased risk of getting severely ill from COVID-19.
The only reason you may not be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine is if you are allergic to an
ingredient in the vaccine or had an allergic reaction to a prior dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or to
another vaccine or injectable medicine. Even if you have or had an allergy, you still may be able
to get vaccinated, but you should talk to your health care provider before doing so.
COVID-19 vaccines do not contain preservatives, latex, eggs,
mercury, fetal tissue or human cells, gelatin or other animal
products, antibiotics, or microchips. Speak with your health care
provider if you have questions about vaccination.
COVID-19 vaccines are free, safe and effective.
Get vaccinated today!
For more information, visit nyc.gov/covidvaccine.
The NYC Health Department may change recommendations as the situation
evolves. 11.15.21

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Millions of children are losing the healthy meals they depend on as the
coronavirus closes schools, but No Kid Hungry has a plan to feed them.
We’re working with school districts, local government and community
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during school closures and all year long.
Find out how you can help at NoKidHungry.org
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Stay connected and follow us across our
social channels on @AthleisureMag!
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Bingely Books
BOARDS: STYLISH SPREADS
FOR CASUAL GATHERINGS
America's Test Kitchen
America's Test Kitchen
There is nothing that we enjoy more than
being able to scroll through our IG feed
and to see charcuterie boards and how
we can make them our own! In Boards:
Stylish Spreads for Casual Gatherings, we
have the blueprint of how we can do this
for our friends, family or when we want
one solo to enjoy during our next show!
ATK's food stylist and expert, Elle Simone
Scott shares how we can make our
own as well as to keep them
looking fresh all night long! This
book has over 35 boards and includes
150 recipes that you can
build your board around. It'll also
stir your imagination as boards
can be as creative as you want
and include a diversity of foods
to enjoy.
Regardless of the board being
presented, she shares the balance
between texture, flavor
and visual appeal. We enjoyed
seeing the customizable baked
potato board, DIY Bloody Mary
board and even a grilled platter!
You'll find boards for snacking as
well as those that are meant to
be enjoyed as a meal.
We also love that you can make
your own, buy items from a store
and arrange it or do a mixture of
the two.
LET'S GO NUTS: 80
VEGAN RECIPES WITH
NUTS AND SEEDS
Prestel
Estelle Schweizer
We know that nuts are a great
snack, but it's also a great item
to incorporate into your meals.
In Let's Go Nuts: 80 Vegan Recipes
with Nuts and Seeds, we
have a number of recipes that
show how this ingredient can be
used throuhgout the year and it
can be the star! Whether you're
vegan or not, the options are
endless.
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love us back in terms of nourishing our
bodies.
Rorie is known as a star in the kosher
cooking community and takes us
through a number of our favorites and
transforms them in ways that benefit
our bodies. Ensuring that the foods
that she creates align with a healthy
lifestyle is something that she is truly
passionate about. You'll find recipes
for a number of items from pancakes,
brisket, kugel, pizza, salads, chocolate
mousse and so much more.
We explore this superfood that is rich in
protein, healthy fats, fiber, and minerals.
Recipes include a no-cheese fondue,
walnut Bolognese on zucchini pasta and
lentil lasagne filled with cashew béchamel
sauce. You'll find soups, salads, dips,
cakes, breads and desserts.
Each recipe will have photography,
kitchen equipment needed and tips for
serving as well as substitutes. You'll also
learn about nuts and seeds from nutritional
information, history, origins and
how it can be used.
In addition, the 200 recipes that are
included have easy to find ingredients
and many are gluten free. She even included
prep and menu planning tips
along with a list of kitchen essentials.
For those that need more assistance,
you can scan the QR codes to watch
her shop, prep and cook the meal so
that you can feel confident in making
your new favorite!
FOOD YOU LOVE: THAT LOVES
YOU BACK
Mesorah Publishing Ltd.
Rorie Weisberg
There's something about the change
of seasons that makes us look into our
pantries to mix things up. In Food You
Love: That Loves You Back, we look at
dishes that can become our new favorites
and the fact that they actually
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Bingely Streaming
IRON CHEF: QUEST FOR AN
IRON LEGEND
Netflix Originals
Netflix
We grew up watching Food Network's Iron
Chef America as well as the classic Iron Chef
where competitors navigated culinary
challenges presented by
the chairman. The idea of being
able to create a number of dishes
from the secret ingredient was always
a thrill to see.
Like a number of our faves, Netflix's
Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron
Legend is back with a few twists in
it's 8 episode season. Challengers
who you may know from visiting
their restaurants or their appearances
on BRAVO's Top Chef go up
against 5 Iron Chefs (noted chefs
Marcus Samuelsson, Dominque
Crenn, Curtis Stone, Gabriela
Cámara and Ming Tsai) to see if
they can ultimately become an
Iron Legend. Each episode has secret
ingredients and Alton Brown
and Chef Kristen Kish keep us
connected to the action as well as
providing culinary nuggets that
we can use in our own kitchen!
The judges (Chef Andrew Zimmern,
Nilou Motamed - who both
serve as permanent judges and a
special guest that joins them) also
weigh in on the dishes and share
other culinary tidbits that creates
a relaxed style around the buisness
at hand.
THE BEAR
FX Networks
Hulu
This month, the much anticipated
The Bear hits Hulu. We follow
Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy
Allen White - Homecoming,
Shameless, The Birthday Cake)
who is a young chef who comes
home to run his family's sandwich
shop in Chicago due to a death in
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his family.
We see him navigate how this culinary
world is different then what he
is used to, the realities of working in
a small business, staff dynamics and
the impact of his brother's suicide.
With his understanding of what he
has taken on, he is also aware of the
need to transform The Original Beef
of Chicagoland, his brother's restaurant,
himself and his staff as he embraces
his chosen family.
LISTENING IN
QCODE
Spotify
We use voice assistant devices to
navigate our day. Whether it's adding
a note to our to-do list, turning on
devices without having to lift a finger
and pulling up other kinds of information,
it's such a comfort. What if
you were able to use your device to
find out about what's taking place in
Issue #78 | Jun 2022
your apartment building and you find out
more about your life that you never knew
- even a potential plot that could ultimately
affect your life? QCode's Listening In takes
us on this immersive ride.
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