AWARDS SEASON | DAYTIME EMMYS 2026 WINNERS

Last night, the Television Academy announced this year’s winners for the 53rd Daytime Emmys on NBC at 8pm ET and was streamed on Peacock. There were a number of amazing moments and as we are fans of Beyond the Gates, it was exciting for them to take home 4 Daytime Emmys! As we do throughout Awards Season, we share our predictions in bold, the ones we correctly identified as winners are in bold italics and winners that we didn’t predict are in italics.

Outstanding Daytime Drama Series

Beyond the Gates
CBS

Days of Our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]

General Hospital
ABC

The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Outstanding Daytime Talk Series

3rd Hour of Today
NBC

The Drew Barrymore Show
CBS Media Ventures

The Kelly Clarkson Show
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Live with Kelly and Mark
Disney Entertainment Distribution

Today with Jenna & Friends
NBC

The View
ABC

Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host

Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin & Ana Navarro
The View
ABC

Kelly Clarkson
The Kelly Clarkson Show
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Tamron Hall
Tamron Hall
Disney Entertainment Distribution

Jennifer Hudson
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]

Sherri Shepherd
Sherri
Debmar-Mercury

Outstanding Entertainment News Series

Access Hollywood
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Entertainment Tonight
CBS Media Ventures

Extra
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]

Outstanding Daytime Personality – Daily

Mona Kosar Abdi, Derek Hough & Terri Seymour
Extra
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]

Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner
Entertainment Tonight
CBS Media Ventures

Scott Evans, Zuri Hall, Kit Hoover & Mario Lopez
Access Hollywood
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Star Jones & Corey Jovan
Divorce Court
Fox

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actress 

Stacy Haiduk as Kristen DiMera
Days of Our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]

Karla Mosley as Dani Dupree
Beyond the Gates
CBS

Michelle Stafford as Phyllis Summers
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Heather Tom as Katie Logan
The Bold and the Beautiful
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]

Tamara Tunie as Anita Williams Dupree
Beyond the Gates
CBS

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actor

Eric Braeden as Victor Newman
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Steve Burton as Jason Morgan
General Hospital
ABC

Scott Clifton as Liam Spencer
The Bold and the Beautiful
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]

Thorsten Kaye as Ridge Forrester
The Bold and the Beautiful
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]

Christian Jules LeBlanc as Michael Baldwin
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actress

Linsey Godfrey as Sarah Horton
Days of our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]

Camryn Grimes as Mariah Copeland
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Beth Maitland as Traci Abbott
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Trisha Mann-Grant as Leslie Thomas
Beyond the Gates
CBS

Amanda Setton as Brook Lynn Quartermaine
General Hospital
ABC

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actor

Sean Dominic as Nate Hastings
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Timon Kyle Durrett as Bill Hamilton
Beyond the Gates
CBS

Michael Graziadei as Daniel Romalotti
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Roger Howarth as Matt Clark
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Mike Manning as Bradley “Smitty” Smith
Beyond the Gates
CBS

Lawrence Saint-Victor as Carter Walton
The Bold and the Beautiful
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]

Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series

Braedyn Bruner as Emma Scorpio-Drake
General Hospital
ABC

Al Calderon as Javier Hernandez
Days of Our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]

Alice Halsey as Rachel Black
Days of Our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]

Giovanni Mazza as Gio Palmieri
General Hospital
ABC

Ambyr Michelle as Eva Thomas
Beyond the Gates
CBS

Arielle Prepetit as Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne
Beyond the Gates
CBS

Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series

Jasmine Burke as June Hughes
Beyond the Gates
CBS

Jeff Kober as Cyrus Renault
General Hospital
ABC

Eva LaRue as Natalia Rogers-Ramirez
General Hospital
ABC

Christopher Sean as Paul Narita
Days of our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]

Ray Wise as Ian Ward
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Outstanding Daytime Personality – Non-Daily

Eva zu Beck
Superskilled with Eva zu Beck
National Geographic

Joy Behar, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin & Ana Navarro
The Weekend View
ABC News Live

Derrick Campana
The Wizard of Paws
BYUtv [Nomadica Films | The Dodo | Vox Media Studios]

Giada De Laurentiis
Giada in My Kitchen
Prime Video [Butternut]

Keke Palmer
Glam Through the Ages
KeyTV Network

Joseph Rosendo
Joseph Rosendo’s Steppin’ Out
PBS [Joseph Rosendo Presents]

Outstanding Lifestyle Program

A Different Breed
InkBlot Narratives [Purina Films]

George to the Rescue
NBC

With Love, Meghan
Netflix [Sony Pictures Television | The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC) | Archewell Productions]

The Motherhood
Hallmark Channel | Hallmark+ [Scout Productions | Deep Blue Productions]

The Wizard of Paws
BYUtv [Nomadica Films | The Dodo | Vox Media Studios]

Outstanding Legal / Courtroom Series

Caught in Providence
Debmar-Mercury

Divorce Court
Fox

Justice For the People with Judge Milian
Entertainment Studios

Mathis Court with Judge Mathis
Entertainment Studios

Outstanding Instructional / How-To Program

Ask This Old House
PBS | Roku [This Old House Productions]

Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House
Magnolia Network [Blind Nil]

Home Town Takeover
HGTV [RTR Media Inc.]

The Last Wright: Building the Final Home Design of America’s Greatest Architect
Magnolia Network [One Traveler | All 3 Media | A | Miziker Entertainment]

This Old House
PBS | Roku [This Old House Productions]

Outstanding Travel and Adventure Program

Expedition Unknown
Discovery Channel [Ping Pong Productions]

Long Way Home
Apple [Long Way Productions]

The Lovely Lemurs of Madagascar
Pets.TV [Allen Media Group]

Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross
Roku [Joy Mill Entertainment | Story Syndicate | Artists First]

Superskilled with Eva zu Beck
National Geographic

Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program

Beyond the Gates: Welcome to the Neighborhood
An Entertainment Tonight Special
CBS Media Ventures

Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter [IFC]

Variety & CNN Actors on Actors
CNN Digital | Variety

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
PBS

Working in the Theatre
AmericanTheatreWing.org

Outstanding Culinary Instructional Series

Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen
Outdoor Channel [Intuitive Content]

Be My Guest with Ina Garten
Food Network [Pacific Productions]

Delicious Miss Brown
Food Network [FRANK.]

Magnolia Table: At The Farm
Magnolia Network [Blind Nil]

Pati’s Mexican Table
PBS [Mexican Table LLC | Early Light Media]

Outstanding Culinary Cultural Series

America the Bountiful
PBS [Credo Nonfiction]

Best Ever Food Review Show
Best Ever Food Review Show on YouTube

Fork & Hammer
American Public Television [Susie Films]

Lucky Chow
PBS [Lucky Rice]

Savor the City
TV-One [Powerhouse Productions]

Outstanding Culinary Host

Kardea Brown
Delicious Miss Brown
Food Network [FRANK.]

Danielle Chang
Lucky Chow
PBS [Lucky Rice]

Ina Garten
Be My Guest with Ina Garten
Food Network [Pacific Productions]

Pati Jinich
Pati’s Mexican Table
PBS [Mexican Table LLC | Early Light Media]

Andrew Zimmern
Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen
Outdoor Channel [Intuitive Content]

Outstanding Daytime Special

Critics Choice 2nd Annual Celebration of LBGTQ+ Cinema & Television
Here TV

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
ABC [Disney Yellow Shoes Studios | Film 45 | EverWonder Studio]

Living Proof
Hulu [The DIVA Foundation | Shivelight LLC | Zables & Associates]

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
NBC | Peacock [Done & Dusted]

Unleashing Hope: The Power of Service Dogs for Children with Autism
Hulu [NY27 Productions | Shivelight LLC | Zables & Associates]

Daytime Short Form Program

Catalyst
LinkedIn News

Glam Through the Ages
KeyTV Network

Most-Ordered
Eater

The Path with Ryan Roslansky
LinkedIn News

Stand Up and Do Something with Michael Jr.
BYUtv [Monument Pictures]

Outstanding Casting for a Daytime Program

Beyond the Gates
CBS

General Hospital
ABC

The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Outstanding Main Title and Graphic Design for a Daytime Program

The Drew Barrymore Show
CBS Media Ventures

The Kelly Clarkson Show
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Tamron Hall
Disney Entertainment Distribution

Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup for a Daytime Program

Beyond the Gates
Episode 103
CBS

General Hospital
Episode 15719
ABC

The Kelly Clarkson Show
Episode 5033
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

The Young and the Restless
Episode 13273
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Outstanding Costume Design / Styling for a Daytime Program

The Jennifer Hudson Show
Episode 4140
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]

The Kelly Clarkson Show
Episode 5033
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
NBC | Peacock [Done & Dusted]

The Young and the Restless
Episode 13149
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

The Young and the Restless
Episode 13273
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Outstanding Art Direction / Set Decoration / Scenic Design for a Daytime Program

The Kelly Clarkson Show
Episode 5033
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Live with Kelly and Mark
Episode 250414
Disney Entertainment Distribution

The View
Episode 6280
ABC

The Young and the Restless
Episode 13145
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

The Young and the Restless
Episode 13244
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Daytime Program

Beyond the Gates
Episode 104
CBS

General Hospital
Episode 15624
ABC

The Jennifer Hudson Show
Episode 4010
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]

The Kelly Clarkson Show
Episode 6169
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
NBC | Peacock [Done & Dusted]

Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Live Daytime Program

The Bold and the Beautiful
Episode 9658
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]

The Jennifer Hudson Show
Episode 4039
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]

The Kelly Clarkson Show
Episode 5007
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
NBC | Peacock [Done & Dusted]

The Young and the Restless
Episode 13260
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Prerecorded Daytime Program

Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi
Wild Atlantic Way North, Ireland
PBS [Sauce & Liver Productions, LLC]

Dream of Europe
London Part 1 with Abbey Road Studios
PBS [Dream of Italy Productions, LLC]

Expedition Unknown
The Man-Eating Lions of Kenya
Discovery Channel [Ping Pong Productions]

Forever Young with Dr. Pablo Prichard
Wheel Of Age
NBC [Hearst Media Production Group | Agency X]

Long Way Home
Lost in Lapland
Apple [Long Way Productions]

Outstanding Editing for a Daytime Studio Program

Craft Roundtables
Editors
IndieWire.com

The Drew Barrymore Show
Episode 5137
CBS Media Ventures

Extra
Extra at the Emmys
Warner Bros. Television Group [Telepictures]

The Kelly Clarkson Show
Episode 5033
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Outstanding Editing for a Daytime Non-Studio Program

A Different Breed
The Season Begins
InkBlot Narratives [Purina Films]

Expedition Unknown
Great Pyramid Secrets Revealed
Discovery Channel [Ping Pong Productions]

King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch
Ken-ichiwa!
Netflix [Spoke Studios | Omaha Productions | Full Day Productions]

Long Way Home
Deep in the Forest
Apple [Long Way Productions]

The Wizard of Paws
Buster’s New Kicks
BYUtv [Nomadica Films | Vox Media Studios | The Dodo]

Outstanding Cinematography or Camerawork for a Daytime Program

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
ABC [Disney Yellow Shoes Studios | Film 45 | EverWonder Studio]

France Made with Love
PBS [Symbio Studios]

General Hospital
Episode 15719
ABC

Long Way Home
Lost in Lapland
Apple [Long Way Productions]

Superskilled with Eva zu Beck
They Climb in Skirts… I Tried to Keep Up
National Geographic

TrueSouth
Ocean Springs, MS
ESPN | ABC | SEC Network [Bluefoot Entertainment]

Outstanding Technical Direction and Video for a Daytime Program

Beyond the Gates
Episode 104
CBS

The Bold and the Beautiful
Episode 9511
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
ABC [Disney Yellow Shoes Studios | Film 45 | EverWonder Studio]

The Jennifer Hudson Show
Episode 4041
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
NBC | Peacock [Done & Dusted]

Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Daytime Program

Beyond the Gates
Episode 103
CBS

Have Guitar Will Travel World
The Shetland Sound
PBS [Have Guitar Will Travel World, LLC]

The Kelly Clarkson Show
Episode 5033
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Let Frankie Cook
Getting the Band Back Together
Tastemade [Linguine Pictures]

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
NBC | Peacock [Done & Dusted]

Outstanding Directing for a Daytime Studio Non-Fiction Series

Craft Roundtables
Editors
IndieWire.com

The Drew Barrymore Show
Episode 5127
CBS Media Ventures

Entertainment Tonight
Episode 45.7
CBS

The Kelly Clarkson Show
Episode 5033
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Today with Jenna & Friends
Hoda-Bration
NBC

Outstanding Directing for a Daytime Non-Studio Non-Fiction Series

A Different Breed
The Season Begins
InkBlot Narratives [Purina Films]

Let Frankie Cook
Pasta From Scratch
Tastemade [Linguine Pictures]

Samantha Brown’s Places To Love
Crystal Coast of North Carolina
PBS [Samantha Brown Media]

Superskilled with Eva zu Beck
How I Survived a Trek Through the Desert Alone
National Geographic

The Wizard of Paws
Buster’s New Kicks
BYUtv [Nomadica Films | The Dodo | Vox Media Studios]

Outstanding Directing Team for a Daytime Drama Series

Days of Our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]

General Hospital
ABC

The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]

Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Non-Fiction Series

Ask This Old House
Thank You Roger Cook
PBS | Roku [This Old House Productions]

Expedition Unknown
Searching for World War II’s Lost Hero
Discovery Channel [Ping Pong Productions]

Joseph Rosendo’s Steppin’ Out
Cuba
PBS [Joseph Rosendo Presents]

Lucky Chow
Made in Taiwan
PBS [Lucky Rice]

This Old House
Asheville Rebuilds
PBS | Roku [This Old House Productions]

Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series

Beyond the Gates
CBS

The Bold and the Beautiful
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]

Days of Our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]

General Hospital
ABC

BANK OF AMERICA WINTER VILLAGE AT BRYANT PARK

As we navigate deeper into the Fall, elements of Holiday begin to make itself known here in NYC. One of the biggest indicators is seeing the Bank of American Winter Village at Bryant Park which started on Oct 28th and runs through 3rd. The village is every bit of what the name suggests! Nesteled in Bryant Park where you see the back of the iconic NY Public Library, the Grace building, and a number of other buildings that are between 5th and 6th Ave, you have a number of activities to enjoy from ice skating (free admission and rental fees for the skates), holiday shops by Urbanspace that has an array of artisans from around the world, the Lodge Bar + Food Hall (this runs through Feb 28th), private entertaining space, and cozy igloos by Ororo.

Whether you planned to spend the day here doing a number of functions or you happen to just swing by to pass the time, it’s one of those experiences that you have to check out over the course of the weeks that lets you know the holiday season is really here!

TCS NEW YORK CITY MARATHON 2026

On Nov 1st, the TCS New York City Marathon connects all the boroughs together with an epic run! People from all over the world come together for this epic race and throughout the week, there have been a number of events to commemorate this event! For those who are spectators or are following someone who is participating, it is such a good time as you can track your friend’s number through the app and coordinate places where you can cheer as they navigate the city! With the great weather slated for the event, it’s bound to be a good time!

STILL GRINDIN' | PHARRELL + PUSHA T

When it comes to tackling your day, a caffeine pick me up is essential for so many people. Pusha T and Pharrell Williams (super-producer, multi platinum artist, entertainer, world renowned designer and entrepreneur) have partnered together this month to launch Grindin, powered by Lavazza and is available in dark and medium roasts for ground and whole beans. Longtime collaborators, Pusha T and Pharrell wanted to create coffee that allows us to enjoy our everyday hustles to work harder whether you’re an early riser, late-night grinders, and don’t simply stick to the storied 9-5. To enhance this partnership, they connected with Lavazza, the legendary Italian roaster whose legacy and heritage in coffee quality and craftsmanship dates back to 1895.

“Pusha and I have been building together since the beginning,” says Pharrell Williams. “From making Grindin back in 2002 to now, it has always been about intention and focus. Coffee has always been part of that discipline. It has been in the room with us when we create. Now it has a name.” Their love for coffee came from working an array of sessions in the recording studio, heading to the gym, being on the road, and creating a sharp contrast to a ritualistic experience.

“P and I were waking up really early. Like 5 a.m. early,” shares Pusha T on the origins of their coffee brand, Grindin. “That was our routine. Alarm goes off at 5, we’re up, and the first thing we’re doing is black coffee or the strongest espresso we can find. That’s how we were working. That was the fuel. We’d be in the studio creating, locked in, just grinding. And then from there we’d go ride 25 miles on the bike. That was the whole rhythm, create, move, create again. Coffee was part of that whole cycle.”

Grindin was roasted for superior taste and quality. The dark roast is sourced in Central and South America as well as in Southeast Asia with tasting notes of cocoa, caramel, and brown spices. The medium roast is sourced in South America and has notes of bittersweet chocolate, caramel, and roasted hazelnut. Whichever blend you choose to enjoy, they are both suitable for filter, espresso, and cold brew methods.

Born from that creative cycle, the hustle continued with a number of great sounds. Pusha’s instant classic, It’s Almost Dry in 2022 was followed by Let God Sort Em Out, which dropped in 2025 and was the first new album in 16 years from Clipse – the iconic and legendary duo that combines the creativity of Pusha and his brother Malice, which produced entirely by Pharrell. This album went on to be nominated for 5 Grammys including Best Rap Album and Album of the Year and ultimately, took home the prize for Best Rap Performance. That same night, Pharrell was honored with 2026 Dr Dre Global Impact Award to recognize his multi-decade influence on music, fashion, and culture.

With an exciting launch ahead with Grindin, Pusha wants us to know that their, “…customer is someone who builds things. The kind of person who wakes up and gets to work, who works out every day, who builds a strong community around them. It’s all about the grind, it’s the first move before you build something. That’s why this brand exists. It’s not about sipping and easing into the morning. It’s about ignition. It’s about the grind – the first move before you build something. That is why this brand exists.”

This belief in ignition has fueled Grammy-winning albums, award winning designs, global tours, runway shows and more. Without question, they understand the business of supply, demand, and hustle!

IG @grindin

@kingpush

@pharrell

PHOTO COURTESY | Grindin Coffee

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see STILL GRINDIN’ | Pharrell + Pusha T in mag.

THE MACHINE CARES | ALBERT PUJOLS

This month, we spent some time with HOF MLB greats to talk about the game, the importance of heart health, and educating others. We kicked off this time by sitting down with St. Louis Cardinals hitter, Albert “The Machine” Pujols who is a 2X World Series Champion, 3X National League’s MVP in 2005, 2008, and 2009. He is an 11X All-Star, 6X Silver Slugger and has won 2 Gold Glove awards. He will first become eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on the 2028 ballot.

In addition to these accolades, he is also the President of Baseball Operations for the Estrellas Orientales in the Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM) and he managed Team Dominican Republic in 2026 for the World Baseball Classic where they took Bronze.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What is the first baseball game that you remember watching and what drew you to the sport?

ALBERT PULJOS: I mean I have to say I’ve spent a number of times watching and playing this game growing up! It was incredible to be in my home of the Dominican Republic and to see the game in action! My dad was a local softball and baseball pitcher. I would play in the street – how could you not want to play this game? I was able to have that dream and was able to have that opportunity to have an amazing career!

AM: When did you realize that you wanted to go pro?

AP: I think that I was around 11, 12, or 13 years old when I realized this. I know that thing I had a special talent even as a kid. To love the game and to be able to win, what an opportunity.

AM: You have had incredible seasons playing with the Cardinals, Anaheim, and the Dodgers, what has it meant to you to have longevity in this sport?

AP: I think it’s all about work, education, and discipline. I knew what I wanted to accomplish in the end. I know that this game is not easy! You can learn a lot from it. I think for myself, it was just knowing what the mission was and that was to, you know, to try and to have a decent career! I was able to have an amazing career. I was so blessed to be able to do that, but through that – it was a lot of hard work, you know? I was in the gym. I had a lot of dedication and there was sacrifice. Sacrifice from my parents, to my family, and being able to have them love me along the way.

AM: As someone who is a MLB veteran, how do you stay in shape when it comes to maintaining your fitness goals? Are there 3 workouts that you do that we can look into including in our routines?

AP: Yeah, I think that besides your workout, you need to really watch what you eat, you know? I think that people say, “well, I want to lose some weight.” So they go to the gym and they burn 1,500 calories, but they put 3,000 calories in their body! So when you look at it from the numbers, it doesn’t add up!

I think at the end of the day, eating the right food can help you stay healthy, give you more energy. For myself, it’s been that. I mean, I was an athlete for a long time. I think when I retired, I took a couple of years off, I just wanted to give my body a break.

But then I got back into my workout routine and just really watched what I did. It wasn’t about just looking good, but I think that the most important thing is to be able to stay healthy and health is more important than just trying to look good, you know? So that’s something that I continue to do.

AM: You’re known as one of the greatest and most complete hitters in MLB with a 22-year career, primarily with the Cardinals. What does that mean to you?

AP: I think I was blessed to be able to stay long in this game and play for 22 years as a professional in 3 different organizations. But I was able to have great teammates, great people around me along the way to help me to have the success and put me in the position to be able to have the success because that’s something that you also need to give credit to the position, you know as well as to take advantage of that. I think for me, having great people around me that help me along the way. I give a lot of the credit there as well.

AM: Tell me about Playing with Heart and how did you get involved in this initiative?

AP: I had a friend of mine, I lost a really good friend of mine in 2002, Darryl Kile (Editor’s Note: Darryl was a Cardinals pitcher who died in his sleep from a heart attack caused by severe coronary artery disease.) who died at a young age. That was kind of somebody that was really special in my heart. Knowing what we went through that year, that season as a teammate, and knowing this program, you know, Playing With Heart. It is an initiative that educates to raise awareness about high cholesterol as well as to make sure that you go and get checked. Check with your doctors and make sure that everything is good with your numbers. That’s something else, you might be in the greatest shape ever and you know, without checking those numbers, you don’t know what’s going on. The leading cause of death in the United States is heart attacks and stroke. So, I think that to be able to partner with Merck and to have this opportunity to also raise awareness and also partner with the Kile family has been a blessing and a great project.

As much as I have done in the game, I also want to be able to do more off the field. I think that that is part of the opportunity that I get to raise this awareness for such a great cause.

AM: Why is it important for us to be proactive in terms of our health?

AP: You just need to be regular! You need to go visit your doctor and check yourself. I played for 23 years. Every year, I did a physical. I made sure to check myself. Now that I’m retired and 3 years into it, I still get 1 or 2 physicals during the year as well, just to make sure that everything is ok. I watch what I eat, I exercise, and I do anything to help with the longevity of my life. That the kind of message that I want to get across and you can also visit playingwithheart.com where you can find out more information about how you can take care and prevent this from happening to you.

AM: Since playing, you are the President of Baseball Operations for the Estrellas Orientales in the Dominican Professional Baseball League. You also managed the Dominican Republic team at the 2026 World Baseball Classic where your team received a Bronze medal. What does it mean to you to continue to leave your mark in the game?

AP: It’s about giving back. I think we all have a responsibility. We’ve got our family, our community, and for me, my country. To be able to give back, it means a lot. Trying to be just an example for others to follow, just like I have. Just like so many people before me that paid that price. So, I’m just another outlet out there that can help out.

It’s really important for me to try to be around the game, especially with young talent, especially for my country and the Dominican Republic.

AM: Outside of the game and your focus with Playing with Heart, you are a God fearing man, a family man, and a father. You give back through the Pujols Family Foundation. Can you tell us a bit more about it and why this is so important to you?

AP: Yes, my why is because of my daughter who has Down Syndrome. I think for me, having a daughter with Down Syndrome it’s really easy for me to choose to help out. I still call them kids, but some of them are older than me. They’re just special. You know, we do a lot of work in the Puljos Family Foundation for Down Syndrome as well as going to the Dominican Republic and working in the community building homes and cleaning water. I just building different programs. It satisfies me more than hitting a Grand Slam! Being able to do this through the Puljos Family Foundation with a great team such as Todd Perry who is our Director of the Foundation and a great group of people that believe in our program and support the fans as well!

AM: Tell me about your recent Cardinals Hall of Fame Ceremony!

AP: It was an incredible honor. It was a great weekend to be able to join with my wife, my family, my kids, my friends, and people that are really close to me. It was really special. Getting into the Big Leagues when I was 21 years old and seeing the red shirts and all the Hall of Famers wearing that red jacket was a really unique moment for me. And now to be able to be part of those legends who accomplished that before me – it was really special to share that honor with them. I know some of them are no longer with us anymore, but they have a really special place in my heart. That’s because they were there when I was young and they taught me so much about the game of baseball. And now having that opportunity of wearing that red jacket, it is really special for me. So it was just an incredible weekend. I think I get to enjoy it now more. I’ve seen highlights and stood when I was there because it was so overwhelming and there was a lot of things to do. But it was worth it. It was worth every moment, every minute. I got to enjoy it with the best friend in baseball, St. Louis Cardinals.

IG @albertpujols

@merck

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Paul Farkas shot with SONY

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see THE MACHINE CARES | Albert Pujols in mag.

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS PLAYING WITH HEART

After speaking with St. Louis Cardinals’ Albert Pujols about his career, achievements and why he partnered with Merck for their Playing with Heart initiative, we followed up by spending a day at Yankee Stadium to listen to a press conferenece with Chris Regent, who is the CV and Metabolic for Merck, as well as HOF Leader World Champion, 6X All Star Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia who also got his number No 52 retired that weekend as well. He was also joined by Yankee Manager, Aaron Boone.

Together, they talked about the importance of heart health, staying on top of your health, and their heart journeys. From CC’s stent to Aaron’s pacemaker, and Chris having a number of male relatives who passed away from heart issues. They also talked about Playing with Heart and how the MLB is assisting in this effort.

CHRIS REGENT: Good afternoon, everyone. It is great to be here with you. On behalf of Merck, I’m Christopher Regent. I lead CV and metabolic in the US. And I’m joined here by the Skipper, of course, from the Yankees, Aaron Boone. And, of course, the great Hall of Famer, C.C. Sabathia. And, you know, we’re all here today to talk about something that is very important. We’re here in National Cholesterol Education Month. Okay? I want to talk a little bit about what cholesterol is. And I want to talk about the bad stuff. which is called LDL. And LDL, you may or may not know, runs through the blood. It could be in your blood. And if it’s high, if it’s high, and there’s too much in the blood, it’s this fatty kind of sticky stuff. And it will build up on the wall of the artery. And what could happen is it could break off. It could clog the artery. And if it does, then you could have a heart attack. Heart attacks and strokes are the leading cause of death in the U.S. More people die from them than anything else in the U.S. And high LDL bad cholesterol is a major risk factor. Okay, so that’s important for us all to know. Now, why are we all here today?

We’re here today because Merck has partnered with 9 teams, clubs, from MLB with the Skipper here, with CC. We’ve come together and we have with this program called Playing With Heart. Playing With Heart is about how do we raise awareness? How do we educate?

I need all of your help for this. How do we make people aware of what the leading cause of death is and what they need to do? And what they need to do... is they need to understand what this bad cholesterol LDL is. They need to talk to their doctor. They need to go in and ask about it. They need to know the number they have. Very important. And if it’s high, they need to do something about it with the doctor. And the doctor can figure out the plan that’s right for them.

Why am I here? What motivates me? So, you know, many years ago, I’d say close to 50, I was a young boy, and I grew up with the Yankees. Right? And, you know, back then it was Reggie, Willie, Thurman, all of those guys. Phil Rizzuto on the TV. And I grew up with them, and, you know, I love the team. And my love for the game had started back then. And I looked at the players and I said, boy, you know, they’re all in great shape. I would love to be like them. So I started to play the game. I tried to eat right. I worked out. And through the years, what I found was that, you know, I did all of that. And I felt like I looked good on the outside, but on the inside, I was not so good because this LDL was starting to rise. It was starting to rise. And one day my doctor came to me and said, look, Chris, you need to do something. You need to get on a plan to reduce it. So I did at that point in time. And I realized that, you know, it’s not just me. It’s many people out there. It’s why the leading cause of death is there because you may look good on the outside, but it’s kind of silent what is happening on the inside. And you need the blood test, you need the LDL check, you need to talk to your doctor. So that’s kind of the way I look at it. That’s the story that I have. That’s why I’m here.

Next I want to turn things over to the skipper here just to, you know, tell your story. Talk a little bit about why MLB, why the Yankees, baseball.

AARON BOONE: I’m glad to be here. I think one thing that stands out is I think you guys have done a great job, and Mark Loretta (San Diego Padres) has done a great job, of getting out a simple message. I watch MLB Network all the time, so I’ve seen all of CC’s commercials and Jimmy Rollins’ (Philadelphia Phillies) commercials, and it really is simple. Like you said, this is a silent killer that can lay dormant that you can feel totally fine. But it’s so critical to know your number. I mean, you know, there’s obviously cancer and there’s many diseases out there. But as he said, you know, heart attack and stroke are the number one killer. And this is something that can lay dormant in you as far as how you feel. And that’s why it’s so important that you know your LDL-C number. You know, with your doctor, playingwithheart.com where you can go and get information about this. And this is something that you can stay on top of and be on top of and really be a life changer for you. So I know CC’s had a very real scary situation with cholesterol.

My heart journey is a little bit different in that I was born with a condition where I had open heart surgery in 2009. I have a pacemaker now that I got put in several years ago, not related to high cholesterol. I understand the importance of knowing this number and making sure that it’s at the right level. And you can have a lot of control in that. And your doctor and getting these tests and knowing what that is goes a long way in you preventing something that you may not even feel that exists right now inside of you.

CR: Thank you. Anything else you want to say? What do you think about what we’re doing with baseball and how it connects in here?

AB: Yeah, I love it. I mean, you know, baseball is Americana and, you know, it’s our national pastime. So I think it’s a great platform to get out. That is so critical. And again, that is something that you can absolutely get out ahead of and take care of and prevent. And this is what we want to do. We want to prevent as many strokes and as many heart attacks as we have. And this is the number one way to do that. And I think the simple message that is going out, again, going back, when I see CC, when I see Jimmy Rollins talk about their personal stories, talking about Charlie Manuel, the Skipper for the Phillies and their World Series team, like those simple messages resonate with me and I’m sure thousands of baseball fans out there that tune in and see those commercials And this is something that we can all be on top of and and should be!

CR: All right CC. So let’s hear a little bit about your story here. You have a very real one I think it’s very powerful. It’s very touching, but we’d love to hear from you.

CC SABATHIA: Yeah, so I’m here with Merck and playingwithheart.com because 2018 November I had a heart scare. More than a heart scare, I had a stint put in. But November 2018, me and my wife were in California, and I wake up in the middle of the night, and I started throwing up. And I looked at her, and I yelled at her, and I was like, “babe, I’m having a heart attack. I can just feel it.” I felt like something wasn’t right. But it kind of went away. Like, it subsided, went away. And then for two months, the next eight weeks, I was trying to figure out what was going on. I would get these little mini attacks. I was going to the doctor, but my symptoms weren’t normal of heart failure, which was like tingling down the arm or some of these other symptoms. Mine was, I was throwing up allof the time. So we thought it was something wrong with my stomach. I’m trying to figure out.

I was actually coming down here to the stadium. I was working out here with Stevie at the time. And there was one day I came down here. um and Stevie just looked at me he was like, “you don’t look right.” This was the beginning of January. I had still been dealing with sleepless nights by this time, sitting up on my couch, I couldn’t even lay down. Stevie goes, “you need to go to the doctor right away.” I went over to the hospital. They gave me a stress test. I couldn’t even give them 30 seconds of the stress test and they brought me into the operating room and put the stint in. Had I not known or not been on top of anything, I could have passed away at 38 years old from a massive heart. I think it is important for me to share my story, to be here, and talk about this with people so that they can understand.

You could be out pitching. You could be at the top of your game. I was pitching. And even when I pitched, there would be times when I would go out and throw in the bullpen before the game, and I’d have to come in. I would have to come in and sit down. I’d have to kind of undress and reset my whole self to get a second wind and I had no idea. I was like 90% blocked in my widow maker! I’m out here pitching and I could have passed out on the mound. So it’s important for people to understand their number and really check in with their doctor and understand what’s going on!

CR: Thank you so much for sharing all of that! It’s a very real thing. It happens a lot. That’s why there’s so many deaths. The important thing is we don’t wait until we get to that point. As you said, talk to your doctor about these things. Know what your number is for LDL. See if it’s in the right place. The doctor can determine what the right goal should be. But you see if you’re in the right place and you do the best you can, I’d like to say from a proactive standpoint - instead of waiting until we get there because again the scary thing is - this is silent until it’s not. You know, every man in my family has passed away from a heart attack except for my dad. He has a stint. I’m trying my best not to! It’s real, and I appreciate all of you here today to hear the stories.

AB: Hearing CC talk about November, I mean, I remember that very well. It was after my first year of managing, so I remember him coming in. I remember Stevie telling me. I remember going in and getting the stint in and how scary the moment was, but also how fortunate we were. That, man, we found this and that he was going to be okay. But I remember that. I remember hearing about the story of him being in California and having that feeling and what was going on. So thankful that he was able to get to the bottom of it.

CCS: But that’s a reality for so many people out there. And you can get out in front of this and it’s important that you do. The men in my family, we do suffer from heart disease. So I’m trying to do the best that I can. I have a stint, but I’m doing the best that I can to change my diet and make sure that I’m here as long as possible!

CR: You look great! I mean, he could pitch again I think! Aaron what do you think? Is he gonna pitch again?

CCS: Looks can be deceiving!

AB: Yeah, so I just want to say, you know, the key place that folks should go is playingwithheart.com. We have a lot of information there for them to start. And, you know, they really need to research this, to educate themselves, to talk to the doctor, to be empowered about it!

MEDIA POOL: CC, before your stint, had doctors told you about your LDL and where you were at for a certain amount of time? Since you felt fine, did you kind of just think you’d get to it later? Was that your situation?

CCS: You know, we have physicals every year in Spring Training and I would always have to go and get an extra EKG, but I never looked into why I had to go. I would get my EKG at the stadium and they were like, “oh, you got to go over here to the doctor. We got to just make sure everything is fine.” So, I had that going on. I knew I had high blood pressure for a long time and ignored that. I think that helps contribute to the heart disease. As far as knowing what was going on with the LDL, I didn’t. But I did ignore EKGs, didn’t follow up, and the high blood pressure – these things had been going on for a long time.

MP: Is that kind of easy to do when you’re feeling mostly fine?

CCS: When you’re in your 30s and you’re pitching for the Yankees, yeah, it is. It’s really easy to do for the longest time. I was just telling somebody over here, I put so much salt on my food for the longest time. All these different things that I knew was bad for me, but guess what? I’m out here like every fifth day pitching, so I got to be okay, right? In my mind, that’s what I’m thinking, and, you know, I’m slowly killing myself, you know, throughout my 30s.

MP: CC and Aaron, you guys had different cardio journeys. I’m just curious, what are some of the biggest adjustments you guys have made as, you’ve learned more?

AB: I mean, for me, it’s just obviously diets. You know, a very important part of it. Making sure you’re picking your spots to have your sweets and things like that. Exercise, obviously, is very important. I’m 53 now, so, you know, you get in your 50s, you know, you feel a lot more and do things that are going to prolong your life and allow you to be here for your family as long as possible. So, I think just taking responsible steps whether that’s diet, sleep, excercise, all those things. Like, you know, for me right now, it’s a busy time of year, obviously, but prioritizing, like, getting in there and making sure I’m walking and lifting weights and doing those kind of things is also very important.

CCS: Yeah, the biggest thing for me was diet, changing my diet. Now it’s like straight Mediterranean diet. You know, I feel good. I’ve lost a bunch of weight. I know I always lifted, but now I can do it at my rate, kind of my terms. I have a better routine. I’m in bed by 9:30pm most nights. I don’t have the stress that this guy has every night. So I think getting out of the baseball life is really, really huge for me and being able to set a routine and kind of live a normal life.

MP: Fans are accustomed to hearing you guys talking about performance and recovery. Do you think as athletes, there’s an opportunity and maybe even a responsibility for you guys to normalize more of these conversations about heart health, long-term wellness in the organization?

CCS: I do for sure. I mean, especially in my situation, I think, anybody that knows me knows that. Anything I’ve been through, I talk about it publicly, whether it’s alcohol dependency, my heart, anything that I have going on, I want people to know that I’m going through the same things that some other people are going through, and maybe my story can help.

MP: Talk about some of the women in your life and how you talk to them about their heart health. I know you’ve partnered with Women Heart, and I know women present very different symptoms when they are having heart attacks in particular. But talk about the conversations that you have with some of the women in your life as well.

CR: Okay, and I just want to introduce Celina Gorre. She’s in the back. She’s the CEO of Women Heart, and she’s been a great partner with us as well along the way. I think women, it’s very interesting when you take a look at what happens. You know, I’ve heard so many stories of a woman presents in the hospital with chest pain, and potentially they’re sent home, you know, because there’s this belief that... Well, because they’re women and the hormones, they’re protected to some extent.

But you know what? When someone shows up like that, it could be this, and it needs to be looked at. So I think a lot of the data shows that they’re undertreated to a certain extent, and I think more needs to be done about that. I think having Women Heart is very, very important.

I think the partner, the spouse, the person in the house is also important. I know for CC, your wife has been very important as part of this as well in the discussions that you’ve had.

CCS: Yeah, for sure. I mean, my wife, we talk about it and I’m open about how I feel, symptoms. I’ve had a lot of these conversations lately with my mom, my mother-in-law, my wife, aunts that are older now. It’s like, man, first of all, Cholesterol, knowing your number is crucial. You want to know that because you can prevent a lot of unforeseen things or things you’re not even feeling. But the importance of moving, like getting out and moving, especially here in the Northeast when it gets January and February, move. You need to move. You need to exercise. You need to know what you’re eating and be responsible with what you’re eating. You need to sleep. Those are eating, sleep, and exercise are, to me, the three critical pillars of not only how you feel during the week, but your long-term health as well.

MP: CC, you mentioned putting a lot of salt on your food when you were younger, thinking that you’re indestructible. How do you reach the younger generation of athletes?

CCS: Yeah, this generation athletes are not like my generation athletes. They are very in tune with their bodies. There’s no candy in the lockeroom right now. It’s a completely different clubhouse than what I came up in in the early 2000s. Even just thinking about my son, my 23-year-old, the way he’s in rookie ball and the way that he’s in tune with his body is incredible. It’s something that I wish I had as a young player. You know what I mean? But yeah, I mean, these guys don’t. They are locked in! I mean there’s nobody in that clubhouse that looked like I did when I played so they’re doing pretty good in there!

MP: So if you have an issue with LDL at least in the medical community has been full known and many times pushed their patient visits etc but do you think there’s a communication issue in terms of communicating the importance of that more broadly and how should that change? I know that that’s one of the efforts that we’re trying to do right now?

CR: Yeah, I think when we look across the U.S. at this point in time, there’s a lot of things that, let’s say, when you go into the primary care physician that they’re looking at. There’s blood pressure, there’s diabetes, there’s all these things they’re trying to look at. And I think more attention can be put on LDL. It is the leading cause of death. It’s a risk factor for the leading cause of death in the U.S. So I think as we look across how it’s being treated and looked at, as we look across the people in the U.S., what can we do? How can we be more educated about it? How can we be more empowered about it? That’s another important part of it. So I think... I’m not blaming anyone. What I’m saying is that I think everyone can do a part here. And that’s the importance of the partnerships that we have across 9 or 10 teams with Major League Baseball, with the legends of the game here that have come together to help us with Women Heart.

It’s going to take a village to just raise awareness of what we’re trying to do and to change the curve of what’s happening. In today’s world, we shouldn’t be sitting there saying, well, you know, Chris just died of a heart attack. What we should be saying is, well, what should Chris have done, right? And I think more of us could, you know, start to think that way. And you all have an important role here to spread the word on this, raise the awareness on this.

AB: Yeah, I mean, my heart situation, again, I had open heart surgery in 09, unrelated to high cholesterol or LDL-C. Honestly and even up until CC - it was an eye opener for me in that regard. And then now this campaign has even kind of crystallized it more of like, oh, this is something that we can all simply get out in front of, frankly. And so that’s why this has been cool for me to be a part of.

MP: Seems like this is affecting all areas of life. Obviously, Boone, you said you had a condition when you were younger, but CC, growing up watching you throw the ball, I would have thought you were thriving on the mound. So how soon would someone be getting checked out for this? Could it be when you’re young?

CR: Yeah, I think, you know, as I think about it, and there’s probably folks that could talk a little better about that than me, but as you’re younger, I think you get a blood test, and the HCP, the physician, could take a look at it. And there’s some conditions where it’s very high, and it runs in the family. So it should be looked at when you’re younger. because then you can determine if it is real high and it needs to be. But I think, you know, a person should be checked at some time as they’re growing up, see where it is, and then, you know, the doctor determines how they’re checked as they go through life, right? But each year, we should get a blood test and see.

AB: I mean for me it’s a perspective thing you know the season is filled with so many quote-unquote stressful moments highs lows and you know a lot of times it’s in those highs and in those lows that I have some of the best perspective that, you know, there is a, you do have to separate a little bit and you have to have that ability if you’re going to, you know, stay in this game or thrive, you know, from a family standpoint or from a health standpoint.

So it’s kind of a non-negotiable for me. Like there’s days that I’m going to go home and as best I can leave it here. I think I do a pretty good job of that. But there’s things throughout the season when things are going as good as possible and you think, oh, this is all great. I try to have perspective in those moments. And the same when it’s really rough, you’ve got to be able to get away and understand that this is our livelihood. We pour so much into this every single day, all year long. But at the end of the day, it’s also a game. And try and keep that perspective as much as I can as you go through the season.

CCS: I didn’t have the luxury of seeing it that way. I was in it all the time. So everything I thought about was winning every single time, all the time, the whole time I played for 25 years. I could be on vacation to Hawaii in the middle of December, and I know at some point in the middle of the summer, I’m at the picture of a big game against Boston and Fenway. There was no stress relief ever for me. So it was just a part of the job. You know what I mean? It was just the nature of the beast. That’s what kept me good for so long is that waking up in the middle of the night in the middle of December, like, oh, I got to get ready to pitch against Justin Verlander (Detroit Tigers) or whoever else is out there. That was always in the front of my mind. So now that I don’t play baseball, it’s a lot better now.

Our day at Yankee Stadium after this informative press conference also included private tours of the Yankee Museum, Memorial Park, finding out various facts about the stadium, attending batting practice, and of course catching a thrilling game against the Tampa Bay Rays!

IG @cc_sabathia

@aaronboone

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | Paul Farkas shot with SONY

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see KNOW YOUR NUMBERS PLAYING WITH HEART in mag.

ON THE STAGE | JASMINE "JB" BADIE

When it comes to watching your favorite entertainer, there are so many components that come together to bring their songs, performance, and personalities to life. Choreography is a major component! We sat down with Jasmine “JB” Badie who has worked with Sabrina Carpenter, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, and Megan Thee Stallion to name a few!

We sat down with this noted Creative Director and Choreographer to find out about how she got into the industry, the importance of movement, her creative process, and more!

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you enjoyed dance and movement?

JASMINE BADIE: I don’t know if there was one exact moment where I realized it. I think I understood the feeling before I understood what I could actually do with it. Music would make me see things — a certain sound could give me an idea, a character, an attitude, a whole visual. Movement eventually became the way I could get those ideas out of my head and make them real.

What’s funny is that I didn’t start out feeling like the strongest dancer in the room. I actually struggled a lot when I first started training. So my relationship with movement wasn’t built from, “Oh, I’m naturally great at this.” I had to find my own confidence in it, and I think that journey is a big part of why I create the way I do now.

AM: At what point did you realize that you wanted to be a choreographer and what do you love about doing it?

JB: I think I realized I had more to offer as a creator when the opportunity just kept knocking at my door. Eventually, I decided to walk in.

I’ve always believed you should wear as many hats as you can, get as much experience as you can and learn everything possible in the field you’re passionate about. Sometimes you’re so focused on one dream coming true that you don’t realize you’re also watering these other inspirations you never even knew you had.

That’s what happened for me. Dance opened the door, but through dancing I was learning so much more — about music, artists, performance, staging, storytelling and eventually what I wanted to create. Choreography became another way for me to use everything I had been picking up along the way.

What I love now is being able to see an idea become something real. Something can start in my head or in a rehearsal room and eventually end up on an arena stage, in a music video, or become a moment people want to recreate themselves. That’s still really special to me.

AM: Can you tell me where you trained and how you would define your style?

JB: My training was a little unconventional. I didn’t grow up in a studio training from the time I was three years old. When I started taking classes, I was actually SUPER insecure. Remembering choreography was hard for me and I would get in my own head about how I looked or what everybody else in the room might be thinking.

Once I moved to LA, I took as many classes as I could from different teachers and went to conventions like Monsters of Hip Hop. I wanted to learn, but eventually I realized part of my training had nothing to do with learning another step. It was learning to trust myself. Once I stopped looking around the room for validation, I realized, “Oh wait, I’m a performer.”

I don’t know that I would define my style by one genre. I think you can definitely feel where I’m from in my movement — Atlanta is always going to be in me — but I’m much more interested in how something feels. I like personality. I like groove. I like a little sauce. And I want the person doing my choreography to still look like themselves.

I also feel like if you have the ear for music and genuinely love the art form, you can do any style you put your mind to. For me, it’s less about putting yourself in a box and more about understanding the music, continuing to learn and being willing to stretch yourself creatively.

AM: Who have been some of the people that you have worked with?

JB: Whew! I’ve been blessed. Between my career as a dancer and my work as a choreographer and creative, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some incredible artists — Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, Pharrell and N.E.R.D., Megan Thee Stallion, Ariana Grande, Missy Elliott, Cardi B, Tate McRae, Victoria Monét, Rihanna and so many others. The list really makes me stop sometimes and say, “Girl… look at your life.” LOL.

And I’ve been fortunate to experience this industry from different sides of the room. Being a dancer first gave me an education that I still use as a choreographer today. Working with so many different kinds of artists also taught me very quickly that there isn’t one formula for being great. I think all of those experiences helped shape the creator I eventually became.

AM: You are a creative director, choreographer, and creative architect behind Sabrina Carpenter’s most talked about performances. How did you connect with her and when you are working with someone, what is your creative process when it comes to bringing your visions to life?

JB: Sabrina and I started working together when I was hired to choreograph Fast Times. We started rehearsing in October 2021, and honestly, it was kismet from there.

We clicked FAST. We’re both Tauruses, so it was very much, “Ohhhh, you get it, get it, got it!” LOL. And she has the same birthday as my sister, which I’ve always found so special. There were just these little connections from the beginning. But beyond that, I saw soooo much for her. I saw possibility. I saw where we could go creatively, and thankfully she trusted me enough to go there with her.

My process now is very instinctual, but it’s also incredibly detailed. I pay attention to the person in front of me. I want to know what makes them comfortable, what makes them uncomfortable, what they naturally do well and what we can pull out of them that maybe they haven’t seen yet.

I’m also a HUGE movie buff, especially old films. I’m obsessed with raw cinematography — when something can be captured so artistically and delicately and then you pair that with good writing? Ugh, it fills me up. I think that naturally affects the way I create. I’m not just thinking about an eight-count. I’m thinking about what you’re seeing, what you’re feeling and what the whole picture is saying.

AM: How do you approach working with someone for a music video, a multi city tour, or an intimate performance?

JB: I think the biggest difference is understanding what each space is asking from you.

With a music video, I have the luxury of the camera. I can make something really small feel huge because I know exactly what you’re going to see. We can do another take. We can change an angle. We can catch that ONE little moment perfectly.

A tour is completely different because whatever we create has to survive. LOL. This person has to do it over and over again, sometimes for months. So now I’m thinking about the whole journey — where we’re giving energy, where we’re conserving it, what happens between songs, how the artist feels physically and whether the person in the very back of the arena is still getting a show.

And intimate performances are fun because you can let people come to you. You don’t always have to yell creatively. Sometimes a whisper is enough.

That’s really the challenge I love: figuring out how big or how small something needs to be without losing its impact.

AM: How important is fitness, endurance, strength, mobility, coordination, and recovery of the body when it comes to preparing women’s bodies for these incredible performances?

JB: EXTREMELY important. LOL.

What people see is the final two or three hours onstage. They don’t see everything the body has already done to get there.

Especially for women, we’re asking the body to do A LOT. Sing, dance, remember choreography, breathe correctly, run around a stage, sometimes do it in heels, change clothes in two minutes and then walk back out like none of that just happened. That’s an athlete to me.

So I don’t look at conditioning as separate from the performance. It is part of the performance. I want to know that when the lights come on, your body already understands the assignment. And recovery has to be respected just as much as training. You can’t constantly ask your body to give without giving something back to it.

AM: Where do you start when it comes to building a dance routine especially one that becomes a storytelling element to an entertainer’s arc that we can enjoy on stage?

JB: I usually sit with the song before I decide what it needs.

I want to know what catches me without forcing myself to find it. Sometimes it’s a lyric. Sometimes it’s something way underneath the track. Sometimes it’s literally a pause. And sometimes the thing that makes the most sense is not dancing at all.

Then I start asking myself what we haven’t seen yet. If we’re three songs into a show and I’ve already given you BIG, BIG, BIG, maybe the next moment needs to pull you in instead. I think choreography becomes storytelling when you stop treating every song like its own little island. Especially in a full show, I want one moment to lead you into the next. By the end, hopefully you didn’t just watch a bunch of dances — you went somewhere with us.

AM: As you have worked with so many people as well as creating iconic moments and dances from Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion, Missy Elliott, Tate McRae, and Pharrell Williams to name a few — what are 3 performances that you are most proud of being part of?

JB: Oh this is MEAN. LOL. There are so many.

But right now, I would say Short n’ Sweet Tour first. Choreographing a sold-out arena tour is something I’m incredibly proud of. The amount of work and detail that goes into creating an entire show is completely different from creating one performance. Watching all of those pieces finally live together in front of thousands of people every night was very special.

Manchild would absolutely be another one. You create something in a room and hope people connect with it, but you can’t manufacture what happens after you let it go. Watching that dance go viral and then seeing it make its way into Fortnite was WILD. LOL. That’s when you realize something you made has officially left the room and belongs to everybody now.

And Sabrina’s Headlong performance at Coachella 2026. I’m just really proud of what we created there. Coachella gives you this huge canvas, and being able to create on that scale while still finding moments that felt specific was exciting.

And listen, I know you said three, but the BRIT Awards is getting an honorable mention because I LOVE that performance. LOL.

AM: How do you keep your body at its peak when it comes to being able to have the physical and mental resources needed to work with your clients?

JB: I play tennis whenever I can. I like that it gets my heart rate up without me standing on a treadmill staring at a wall thinking, “When is this OVER?” LOL. I’m competitive too, so give me a racket and now suddenly cardio is fun.

I also weight train with my trainer Oscar Cayetano. Strength has become really important to me because my work is physical even when I’m not the one performing. I can be on my feet for hours, demonstrating, rehearsing, traveling and then waking up to do it again.

Mentally, I’m still learning balance. I can get VERY locked into the work. So for me, taking care of myself sometimes means remembering that I am a human being outside of whatever I’m creating. Rest, getting quiet, playing tennis, watching a great movie — those things refill me too.

AM: What are 3 workouts that you do that we should consider placing in our fitness routines?

JB: I’m definitely a strength-training girl. I work my legs a lot because I need them! LOL. Squats are always in the mix.

I also focus on my arms and back. Push-ups are simple, but you feel them and you don’t need a bunch of equipment to do them.

And then core. Crunches, core work — all of it. I think having a strong center helps everything else, especially when your day requires you to be on your feet and moving as much as mine does.

So if we’re keeping it simple: squats, push-ups and crunches. You can do all three almost anywhere, so no excuses. LOL.

AM: How can choreography be a form of athletic training as well as building confidence?

JB: Anybody who thinks choreography isn’t athletic should come do a full-out rehearsal and then we’ll talk. LOL.

You’re using your entire body while your brain is doing ten things at once. You’re remembering movement, listening to music, thinking about timing, spacing, the people around you, your breath and what comes next. Then somebody says, “Again!”

But I think movement can do something even bigger for your confidence.

I know that personally because I wasn’t always confident in class. I used to worry so much about forgetting the steps or what somebody else thought about how I looked doing them. Eventually I realized I was giving everybody in the room more power over me than I was giving myself. When I stopped doing that, I found the performer in me.

SO yes, choreography trains the body, but learning to move without constantly judging yourself can train something else too. You start trusting yourself. And that confidence doesn’t have to stay in the dance studio.

IG @mssjb

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 90, 94, 100 Tommy Flannagan | PG 91, 97 Mason Rose | PG 98 COURTESY Jasmine Badie

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see ON THE STAGE | Jasmine “JB” Badie in mag.

FREE CLIMBING | EMILY HARRINGTON

A few years ago, we started watching free soloing (Editor’s Note: Free Soloing is a style where you are only allowed to use climbing shoes for grip and chalk for the hands. No safety equipment is use to catch climbers if they fall. This is different from those that do Free Climbing where your hands and feet are used to move up a rock, but you still use ropes and safety gear to catch you if you fall.) within a number of documentaries. Emily Harrington is a 5X US National Champion in competition lead climbing, runner-up in the 2005 IFSC climbing World Championships, and has made the first female free ascents of several routes. In 2020, she became the fourth woman to free-climb the 3,000 ft (910 m) granite wall of El Capitan (Editor’s Note: This is the largest exposed granite face in the world in Yosemite National Park, California. Generally climbers take between 2-5 days to climb this wall and sleep suspended over the Yosemite Valley. Alex Honnold, a professional rock climber who became world famous for completeing the first ropeless free solo climb of El Capitan and was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo) via the Golden Gate route, in a single day. She completed this task in 21 hours, 13 minutes and 51 seconds.

ATHLEISURE MAG: In prep for this interview, I watched Girl Climber, which was an incredible documentary and I love seeing your journey. We get to see that you were introduced and played a number of different sports growing up. What drew you to rock climbing and what is it about the sport that makes you so excited about it?

EMILY HARRINGTON: I think for me, when I first experienced climbing, I was 10 years old and I had been a ski racer and a gymnast. Those were sort of my two main things before I was 10 and I discovered climbing on a little artificial wall. I think I was naturally quite good at it because I was a gymnast, so I had some strength, flexibility, and body awareness. But I really liked the problem-solving aspect of climbing. It was different from gymnastics, which can be a bit rigid and kind of regimented. In climbing, you kind of get to solve your own puzzle. You get to find your own way, and it’s very expressive, and it can be very creative. I really enjoyed that aspect of it. I felt quite a bit of fear when I first climbed so I sort of felt the exposure and felt the air under my feet, but I was able to keep going and keep climbing! For me, I think that felt pretty empowering as a young girl.

So you know, immediately after I climbed for the first time I just said to my dad, I want to do this more. How do I do this more?

AM: Obviously, it’s a total body workout when you’re doing it. But what are workouts that you do to optimize yourself to be able to really do all the things you need to do?

EH: So I spend a lot of time in the climbing gym, which is the best way to train for climbing. You know, you’re doing climbing movements. It really distills the whole thing down. So most of my training is done in a climbing gym. I lift weights a little bit more for injury prevention. As climbers, we do a lot of pulling, so I try to do some pushing as well in the gym to sort of balance things out. I also really love running. I like trail running. It’s good for your fitness, but then obviously I think for me mentally, it’s really good. It’s very meditative. I really enjoy trail running. We have a lot of trails near my house, and so that’s kind of like the sport that I do on the side a little bit. And then I ski a lot in the winter, actually.

AM: Wow.

EH: So I think it’s kind of nice to have these different activities because climbing can be very hard on your body, and I think it’s important to kind of like mix up the activities a little bit. So I do a lot - gym climbing, a little bit of weights, and I stretch. I try to stretch. It’s hard for me. And I do some very specific strength training for my fingers.

AM: When you’re thinking of sports, there’s these set seasons. The NBA is around the corner. NFL just started. So from a climbing perspective, are there competitions or other things like that that you’re doing in addition to taking on the solo challenges that you create that are independent of the schedule?

EH: I mean, climbing, there is a competition aspect. I used to do competitions a lot. I don’t compete anymore, but it’s its own thing. As you know, It’s actually an Olympic sport.

AM: Exactly.

EH: It’s been in the last two Olympics. I love competition climbing. I follow it super closely. It’s very difficult. It takes a lot of sacrifice. Like nowadays, if you want to be a high level competition climber, that’s all you can do is train for competitions.

AM: Wow.

EH: Climb in the gym. So yeah, there’s a season for World Cups and Olympics and all of that. And then, in terms of outdoor climbing, there’s certain areas that climbers travel throughout the year and there’s seasons based on that and it kind of depends on what you want. The beauty of climbing is it is very much a lifestyle sport much like surfing or skateboarding or whatever you can do without competing. It can still be very meaningful and you can still do things with it and that’s more like the side that I’m on now. So I have specific goals in specific places. Some of them are locally and then some of them are in other parts of the world and I’ll just kind of base my training off of what my goals are and what objectives I want to do outside.

AM: That’s amazing. In watching the film, it’s interesting that it spans a lot of years. So what led to you deciding that you wanted to release this into the world and to show everything that goes on it. There’s a lot of vulnerability, frustration, challenges, and then kicking it into the next level. What made you want to put all of that out there?

EH: I mean, when it started it didn’t happen, like, that. That wasn’t exactly how it was going to be. I was filming with my friend Jon Glassberg on this project and he was just filming for who knows what? Maybe it was going to be a The North Face piece? We didn’t really know what it was for. So, you know, he was just sort of filming the story. And for me, I think I didn’t really think about it like that. I didn’t think about that it was showing my vulnerability. I think that’s just sort of how I am and I appreciate those kinds of stories. I think they’re very honest. In addition, it was just my friend Jon filming. So I didn’t really think much about where the footage was going to go. It was more like, it’s just me and my friend going out and he’s shooting me and that’s a part of my job. It’ll be cool to tell the story. So I didn’t really have those thoughts of like, “oh my God, you’re going to see this. What’s it going to be like?” I just didn’t think of it like that, honestly.

AM: When I first started to know more about this sport, it was through seeing Alex Honnold in his documentary, Free Solo. It was also the first time that we know about El Capitan and how important it is in the climbing community! Why does everyone like that particular mountain? Why did you want to do it as a free climb?

EH: Yeah, that mountain. It’s the most iconic big wall in the world. It’s really difficult. It’s really beautiful and sheer and it’s super historic. Climbers have been going there to test themselves for decades. And it’s interesting because it not only is it one of the biggest and most beautiful and most difficult, but it’s actually like... It’s right there off the road. It’s not like in some far away place. It’s not at high altitude. It’s not in like Kyrgyzstan or Pakistan or these other places where there are walls like that, but they’re just much more difficult to get to. The travel is complicated. This is in California. And so the accessibility of it makes it super famous. And the quality, it’s just very high quality. And every rock climber knows about El Cap. Everyone knows the history of it. And so everyone sort of aspires. climb up there.

I think one unique part of its history is that the first person to free climb El Cap in under 24 hours was a woman and her name was Lynn Hill and she did it in 1993 I think so a really long time ago and she had already done that when I started climbing I knew who she was and I just felt like the fact that this like really groundbreaking achievement and really meaningful achievement was sort of pioneered by a woman was really important and immediately I felt like climbing was a cool space for women and girls to excel at and I think for me that was just like something that stuck out in my mind as something that was inspiring and you know as I grew older and developed as a climber and started going outside getting more out of competitions and thinking about what my goals and objectives were going to be, El Cap was there because that’s just, it carried so much meaning.

AM: When you know that you’re going to do a climb, what is an average week like leading up to that in terms of you preparing, whether mentally or physically?

EH: Well, the week before, you’ve basically already done all the work. So it’s kind of about resting and recovering and kind of just like any sporting event like you’re kind of tapering at that point and getting mentally ready and hopefully you’re you know sleeping well and rested and then getting all the logistics in place for an attemp like that. You need everything to kind of fall into place - the weather and all of that so there’s a lot that goes into it but hopefully like the training part is over by the time you get to that week.

AM: You’re a 5X US National Champion and you have summited Mount Everest. What is your thought process like when you’re like to get all this gear on and tackle this big wall?

EH: I think you try to not think of it like a big wall. You try to think of it as just one move at a time. It’s about being present and thinking about what any athlete would do. You’ve been at the US Open this week, they’re thinking about one point at a time. Thinking about a whole entire match, that’s too daunting. Of course, they know they’re going to play a whole match! Of course, I know i’m going to climb the wall, but I’m not thinking about it in its entirety because that doesn’t mentally help you! You’re just really trying to be present and focus on what’s right in front of you and taking it one step at a time. So, I think that that is actually hard to do that. It takes a lot of training, practice, and mental preparation in order to do that. But for me, anytime I climb something difficult, it’s about trying to be very much in that moment. I know that I’ve prepared for the moment and that I’m ready. Having a lot of trust in that is really important. So having that confidence, I’m ready for this. I deserve to be here. I’m going to try to be as present as possible.

AM: Well, you trained with Alex in portions of your journey when you were focused on El Cap. How did you guys meet, and what did it mean to you to have him as part of that portion of your journey?

EH: Alex has been a friend of mine since we were really young. I was probably like 18 when I met Alex, and he was 19, so we were kids. It was be fore he was Alex. He was just a climber - a young climber and through the years, we kind of peripherally spent time around each other climbing in the same areas and then he joined The North Face team around the same time I did. That’s when we really started to climb together and hang out more and go on trips. So yeah, we have a history of climbing together and knowing each other really well. So that was really helpful to have him as a partner for that reason. Just that personal connection. And then also, he’s one of the best climbers in the world and in particular, he’s one of the best climbers on El Cap. That’s a very specific skill set that you need. And he’s probably done more than almost anybody up there. He’s one of the most comfortable people in that environment. It’s very much his happy place. He loves being up there so having that attitude and that positivity was really helpful for me and he’s actually a great supporter in several ways. He’s super honest so you know that what he’s telling you - he’s not blowing smoke! You can really trust that and so we had that mutual trust. You knew he was going to say exactly what he thought and that was actually really helpful and i’m really grateful for his friendship and support throughout my career.

AM: You could really see that bond between the two of you because he said what he said and that was it!

EH: With Alex, you know exactly what you’re going to get. There’s no fluff and he’s not going to bullshit you. It’s just like that is what it is. I do appreciate that.

AM: You had various attempts climbing El Cap. You had a 50 foot fall that I was so triggered by it that I had to pause the film for a bit. We kept thinking, “my God, how mentally can you come back and say, you know what? I’m still going to do this again?”

EH: I get asked that a lot, and I think it’s interesting because it never occurred to me not to try again. And I think that was because, you know, as climbers, we’re very used to failing, so that really, the whole failure part wasn’t really a part of it. And then in terms of, like, the accident, it was the worst accident I’d ever had in my career, and it was really traumatic. I don’t watch that part of the movie. Like, I don’t need to see it over and over again. But I think the key for me was I recognized the series of decisions that I made that put me in that position that made it dangerous.

And I recognized that it was a lot of my own doing and that in the future, I could avoid that. This wasn’t, like, a random accident. It’s not like, oh it could just happen again at any moment. No, actually, I could make decisions to change the situation and then it won’t happen again. So I took responsibility for it and then I was like okay, well now moving forward I’m going to avoid being in that situation and there’s a lot of ways to do that. So I had a lot of confidence moving forward! I got lucky and I learned a lot from that and I’m going to make a different decision moving forward.

AM: That’s amazing as going through something like that was just something that couldn’t be unseen and it was very cool to see you go back again!

In that last attempt, it was great to see that you had a literal crew that was there. Your husband, Adrian Ballinger (pro mountaineer and founder of Alpenglow Expeditions) was also there. What did it mean to you to have him part of your training and just being there?

EH: It was super special. It was really fun to feel like I had a team around me and feel like everyone was being really supportive and really wanted me to succeed. But at the same time, I didn’t feel that much pressure because we’re all climbers and we all know how it goes. And we know that failure is such a part of it. It was a great environment to try hard. And Adrian is one of my biggest supporters. He’s like so good at that. He’s just so wonderful when it comes to being that person. Without them, I just I don’t think it would have been possible.

AM: To go after this for so many years and to finally be able to achieve that dream that you climbed El Cap, what did that mean to you? It must have been so many levels at play there.

EH: Yeah there’s a lot of levels. A lot of times, after you do something like that, I think you hear a lot of athletes talk about there’s a bit of emptiness.

AM: Right.

EH: You had so much direction for so long and you can achieve this thing and you can be so psyched but at the same time, you can feel sort of empty and sort of like what’s next? Some people think that they thought this would make them feel one way and maybe it didn’t. You know, you think it’s going to solve all your problems and you’re going to be satisfied and you’re going to be happy. None of that is true. Like no amount of gold medals or whatever can make you feel like completely fulfilled I don’t think.

So I think learning that was a big part of the process because I did feel a little bit – lost I think. It wasn’t until years later, actually, when the movie actually came out that I was like, oh, “actually, that was so cool that I did that.” I really tried hard and I put all this effort. So I think I needed a bit of space between it in order to come full circle and be really proud of what I did. And now I’m at the point where I’m like quite proud of it. And it did take a lot of effort and I do recognize that now. But when you’re really close to it and you’re really in it, sometimes it’s hard to recognize that.

AM: What do you want viewers to see whether they are a climber, an enthusiast, or just someone that enjoyed watching something about resilience?

EH: I think they do see the resilience. I hope that they see the resilience and that they’re inspired by that, whether they’re a climber or not. I think it’s just a very human story about failure and struggle and all of these emotions that we tend to avoid in daily life.I think that actually confronting those things and sort of existing in that space with those uncomfortable feelings is something that we all should do a bit more of. We can learn a lot about ourselves and we can grow as humans through that. So, I hope they’re inspired to try hard things, fail, learn from failure, struggle, feel fear and sort of understand fear and risk and things like that. I hope they also see that story of partnership, friendship, leaning on your people for help, and recognize that as a very valuable part of the human experience as well. Lastly, I think it’s a cool story about rock climbing. I hope people who maybe never have seen climbing before are inspired to maybe check it out or learn a little bit about it because it is a really beautiful sport and it is something that is for everyone. It is something anybody can experience now! Any urban center has so many climbing gyms. People can literally walk in just experience the movement of climbing!

AM: We see a little bit of in the movie that over the years, you focused on the challenge of El Cap, but you were still doing other climbing and expeditions. What have been some of those projects since this movie came out?

EH: I’ve done a lot! I mean it’s been 6 years now. I continue to climb and I’ve had a lot of goals - nothing quite as all-consuming as Golden Gate. Thankfully, climbing is a sport that you can find all these different ways to challenge yourself. I’ve traveled a bit since then.

I actually went to Kyrgyzstan the next year and climbed a big wall there. I’ve gone back to Yosemite and climbed some things and done some hard routes around the world for me. I had a kid, so there’s that too. But yeah, I just continue to climb and find unique and interesting things that I’m curious about and ways to push myself. I just continue to do more of the same, essentially.

AM: Earlier this year, I enjoyed watching Alex do Taipei 101 and hearing your commentary on Netflix’s Skyscraper Live. What did it mean to you to be a part of that moment? I mean, it was so gripping!

EH: It was so fun, honestly. It was so cool. I’m so glad I got to go there and be a part of it. It was, of course, stressful. But at the same time, I just knew Alex so well. I just knew how within his ability it was, despite still being quite serious. There’s still nobody that can do what he did without a rope right. I knew that the climbing was so within his ability, but of course it’s stressful and of course none of us had ever been a part of anything like that before. The live aspect was great, but honestly it was so fun because almost every person on that job – I mean climbing is such a tight community. In order to pull off something like that you needed camera people who were climbers. You needed people who were rigging the whole scene to be climbers. And so basically every person on that job was a dear friend of mine and of ours. So it just felt like we were all having this crazy life experience all together as friends. And it was just so fun. You know, it’d be like having your best friends with you to do this crazy cool thing that just so happened to be like on live tv right but like you’re all experiencing it together. I’m just so grateful that we got to be a part of it.

The camera guys worked so hard they were out there. I was just commentating it which wasn’t that hard. The camera guys were just out there for weeks, all day, every day trying to figure it all out make sure they weren’t going to be in his way. All the logistics of it even the guy flying the drone, the helicopter, everything - every person that had a camera in their hand was a friend and it was awesome!

AM: Do you have any other projects coming up that we should keep our eye out for?

EH: It’s more core climbing stuff, a little bit nerdy. I have a lot of local things. I live in Tahoe, so there’s a lot of climbing there. And I’ve been trying to push myself and challenge myself. We’re going to go to Yosemite again in October. We go quite often. There’s always goals. I would love to go back to El Cap in the next year or 2 and try to do another route up there.

AM: Oh wow! How many routes are on that?

EH: There’s probably 15 to 20 now. Then there’s even more if you count aid climbing. Aid climbing is when you’re placing the gear and pulling on the gear. So there’s aid routes and then there’s free routes. Free is when you’re just climbing your hands and feet. So there’s several different routes. There’s like a dozen or so free routes and they all get climbed on.

AM: Seeing the graphics of what these routes looked like and where you had to go, really drove home what it’s like when you are up there. When you’re not climbing or planning a climb, how do you take time for yourself?

EH: It’s about family time. It’s important to me because I have a 3 year old. I like to chill with my husband and child, we like to cook dinner together, we like to watch shows! I’m actually really trying hard to learn Spanish. That’s my, non-active hobby. I’m really putting effort in it because we do spend a lot of time in Spanish-speaking countries. We go to Spain a lot and all of that. And I’ve been trying to learn for 10 years now. Finally, I was like, okay, this is... going to be my thing. And I have a teacher, so I like doing my homework and I’m trying really hard.

IG @emilyaharrington

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Emily Harrington

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see FREE CLIMBING | Emily Harrington in mag,

BINGELY TV/STREAMING

A DIFFERENT WORLD

Netflix Original

Netflix

Growing up, we enjoyed our weekly episodes of A Different World that took us to Hillman College which was the spinoff from The Cosby Show that followed Denise Huxtable as she made her way to this fictional HBCU. For fans of this show we fell in love with a cast of characters that were coming into their own as they transitioned from living at home with their parents to the beginning stages of adulting!

In Netflix’s A Different World, we are introduced to new characters as well as those from the original series whether they appear as reoccuring castmembers or cameo! The merge of old and new comes together seamlessly in this 10 episode series!

This series tackles what it means to find yourself when you’re going to college, finding your people,

finding/using your voice, and being impactful intentionally.

THE TRAITORS: NEW BLOOD

Peacock Original

Peacock

We always enjoy any edition of The Traitors and this season, the US version is back! This time, they have regular contestants (the US celebrity version will launch shortly) known as The Traitors New Blood and they are just as entertaining as season’s past! There have been a few twists that we have already seen so, we know that we will be in for quite a ride!

Whether the contestant is a Traitor or a Faithful, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Our favorite part of this show is seeing people put their theories to the test and seeing how long they stay once everything comes together. When you’re watching on Peacock, they release 2 episodes every Fri.

UNDERGROUND

BCB

Spotify

When it comes to fictional podcasts, we always enjoy those that are produced by BBC Sounds as they are an audio delight regardless of the focus of the series.

BBC Radio 4’s Limelight is a great storytelling podcast and in their latest series, Underground has 5 episodes, they are focused on high networth individuals that have opted to live in opulent doomsday bunkers. As part of sustaining their lives while waiting out what is taking place, those that have children hire private tutors.

Thornfield is a luxury underground that ensures the survival of the wealthiest people. Although there are a number of amenities from culinary options, swimming pools, farms, and saunas - the inhabitants are in constant fear for their lives as well as the way that they live. They also follow a strict series of rules.

We meet Charity a tutor who has been accepted to teach children in her assigned home. She notices strange things that take place as well as begins to wonder about the tutor that she replaced - what is going on in this secure underground and how can she survive?

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see Bingely TV/Streaming in mag.

9LIST STORI3S | EMILY HARRINGTON

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST STORI3S | Emily Harrington in mag.

THE ART OF THE SNACK | PARK AVE KITCHEN BY DAVID BURKE

Last month, we had dinner at Park Ave Kitchen by David Burke. We enjoyed a night filled with a curation of spirits, cocktails, and dishes that were filled with flavor and with a savory progression that we’ll be thinking about before we return on our next visit.

During dinner, Eddie Pugsley, the Director of Operations at David Burke Hospitality Management walked us through the menu, talked about the curated spirits that were available, and more. We talked with him for this month’s The Art of the Snack along with David Burke himself tell us about what we should know for our next visit.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about the ambiance and vibe of this restaurant?

EDDIE PUGSLEY: The Power Breakfast starts your day in the dining room. Park Ave Kitchen has a vibrant lunch, with guests enjoying a leisurely afternoon as well as people gathering for a delicious meal before heading back to work. The ambiance loosens with a fantastic Happy Hour (4p-7p daily) before melting into an unforgettable dinner experience. The professional staff buzz about, focused on the guest experience while some visitors pop in for a cocktail hoping for a chance to chat with their favorite celebrity Chef.

AM: Park Ave Kitchen is an interesting concept as there is the sit down dining menu as well as the Euro Market Style. What can you tell us about both sides of this space in general?

EP: Beautiful dining room and bar, highlighted by pink Himalayan salt brick walls and huge windows stretching down 48th street and along Lexington Avenue. The Cafe and Grab & Go space surround the very popular Park Ave Kitchen Coffee Counter. The restaurant is an oasis in a sea of midtown NYC business, providing a place for your Power Breakfast, delicious lunch, tension relief at Happy Hour and dinner for one to 100+.

AM: For the Market, tell us about 3 items for breakfast that we should consider?

EP: The most popular BEC - bacon, egg and cheese - made with Cooper’s Sharp cheddar. Be sure to request Chef Burke’s famous thick slab bacon! Avocado Toast with Chef Burke’s amazing pastrami-style salmon. When hungry, be sure to get the Scrambler with sausage, eggs and breakfast potatoes.

CHEF DAVID BURKE: Amazing Coffee. Breakfast sandwiches, including the Ham and Gruyere Croissant. A fresh made juice or smoothie from the juice bar - the Nut Butter Elevation Smoothie is packed with protein.

AM: In the Market, tell us about 3 items for lunch that we should consider?

EP: The Market Salad. A top seller! Kale & romaine blend, roasted beets, roasted sweet potato, farro, pickled blackberry, haricot vert, roasted Brussel sprouts, toasted walnuts, goat cheese, walnut sherry-shallot vinaigrette. Add grilled chicken for fresh protein. The Pastrami Sandwich is amazing. Rye bread, spicy brown mustard, smoked overnight, delicious. Our Grain Bowls are healthy & filling. Rice or farro as a starch, roasted veggies & choose from shaved prime rib, hard boiled eggs, tofu, baby shrimp, grilled chicken or salmon. Double your protein if you’re REALLY hungry!

CHEF DB: Angry Bird Fried Chicken Sandwich. PAK Burger. DB’s Poke Bowl

AM: For dinner, in the Market, what are 3 items for dinner that we should think about?

EP: The Angry Butcher Pizza is a show stopper with Mozzerella cheese, Pepperoni, Chorizo, Crispy Prosciutto, Arugula, & Mike’s Hot Honey. Park Ave Kitchen’s Steak Frites are a best seller with fresh hangar steak, thin cut fries and David Burke’s B1 steak sauce. Sushi! The quality of fish that comes into Park Ave Kitchen every day is exceptional.

CHEF DB: DB’s Signature BLAT Salad. Crispy Dynamite Roll from the sushi menu. Care Hangar Steak Frites

AM: For those coming to the dining room for breakfast, what are 3 dishes that you suggest?

EP: The 277 Park Breakfast options allow you to choose various options, including oatmeal, eggs, sausage, bacon, avocado toast and include coffee, tea or espresso. Blueberry & Banana Pancakes are amazing! An Acai Berry Booster Smoothie from David Burke Juice Co, the creative Juice Bar at Park Ave Kitchen.

CHEF DB: Breakfast in our dining room will feed the appetite with choices such as Creme Brûlée French Toast, Burke’s Smoked Salmon Platter & Bagel, and the pastrami hash and eggs. The Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes are also really special.

AM: For lunch, what are 3 dishes that you think that we should enjoy when eating in the dining room?

EP: Park Ave Kitchen’s popular Express Lunch options allow you to choose 3 courses from a variety of items for $45. Must try David Burke’s famous Lobster Dumplings as a first course. The Crispy-Skin Salmon is wildly popular, with angry broccolini, celery root puree & beet vinaigrette.

CHEF DB: The Tomato Soup “au gratin”. Burrata and Prosciutto. Crispy Skin Salmon

AM: For dinner what are 3 appetizers that you suggest that we should enjoy?

EP: Clothesline Bacon for everyone! For sharing or solo, thick slab bacon, finished with black-pepper-maple glaze, torched tableside, served in all of Chef Burke’s restuarants. Oysters come in fresh daily. Have them naked with lemon varbana mignonette on the side. Tomato Soup “Au Gratin” is unlike any tomato soup you’ve had before. Fabulous!

CHEF DB: The Lobster Dumplings. Tuna and Salmon Tartare. The Gruyere Popovers

AM: What are 3 mains for dinner that we should be thinking about?

EP: Have you ever had DB’s Roasted Belle Chicken? No one roasts chicken like this. It’s unforgettable. Bison Short Ribs fall off the bone. The Rigatoni Bolognese is made with fresh beef and port sausage, smoked mozzarella and finished with toasted garlic breadcrumbs. Excellent!

CHEF DB: The DB Burger. Angry Lobster. 42 oz dry aged “swinging” Tomahawk for two.

AM: For sides to accompany our meal, what are 3 that we should have our eye on?

EP: Asian Glazed Brussels Sprouts accompany any main course. Just the right amount of crispness & very flavorful. Grueyere Popovers, a David Burke specialty, can be ordered as bread service OR as an accompanyment to any dish. They’re perfect for soaking up all our delicious sauces and dressings. The NY Times wrote a wonderful article on the thinly cut french fries, perfected by Park Ave Kitchen’s Executive Chef, William Lustberg. They go with everything!

CHEF DB: Midtown Hipster Fries. Angry Broccolini. Creamed Leeks & Spinach.

AM: To complete our meal, what are 3 desserts that we should think about sharing?

EP: The Cake Pop Tree! Chef Burke invented the cake pop so these should be shared by all at your table. Topped with cotton candy that brings nostalgia to your table. Classic Vanilla Creme Brulee is the most popular dessert, and we serve it with a fortune cookie as an added surprise. If anyone has dietary restrictions, Park Ave Kitchen serves Macrons and Berries made with almond flour, as well as fresh sorbet (current flavors are coconut and raspberry).

CHEF DB: DB’s Triple Chocolate Mouse Cake. DB’s Cake Pop Tree (get your camera out!). Black and White Sundae

AM: What are 3 cocktails that you suggest?

EP: DB’s Best Espresso Martini can be made with vodka OR tequila, pick your poison! Our Smoked Cold Fashioned brings the blowtorch and cherry wood chips tableside. The show is only topped by the flavor of this cocktail. The Pisco Sour at Park Ave Kitchen is a perfect blend of fresh lemon & lime juices, with cracked egg white and aromatic bitters.

CHEF DB: Rockey Jones Boulevardier (named after my first grandchild!). The Barreled Martini (an award-winning NY potato vodka). Yuzo Bees Knees

AM: For those that are coming in for Happy Hour, what are 2 dishes and cocktail that you suggest?

EP: The Martini Flight is ONLY available during Happy Hour! THREE mini-tini’s - select your flavor - served on a tree for one or to share. Also only served during Happy Hour is the Sushi-Sake-Tini. Two pieces of nigiri, alongside a sake-tini garnished with a skewered piece of a Rainbow Roll.

CHEF DB: Everything is great and you should have the Deviled Eggs. Flatiron Steak Sanfo. Martini Flight. Anejo Tequila Flight.

AM: You’re also known for your sushi menu, tell us about it.

EP: The quality of fish that comes into Park Ave Kitchen every day is execptional. We stock the Grab & Go shelves with a wide variety of sushi, shumai and nigiri, and make custom rolls to order in the dining room. Park Ave Kitchen’s sushi chefs are on site from 6am until 10pm Monday through Friday.

CHEF DB: We’ve collaborated with Chef Sang Choi at Park Ave Kitchen to develop our sushi menu. We keep our signature rolls fun and fresh- with both familiar and inventive options and also offer them in the market for grab and go.

AM: Tell us about Brunch as well as 3 dishes that we should thnk about as we look ahead to the weekend?

EP: Steak and Eggs is a playful approach to a classic dish. Eggs any style are served INSIDE a greuyre popover, NY strip cooked to perfection and breakfast potatoes on the side. Chicken & Waffles is very popular, with a freshly made waffle topped with Chef Burke’s Fried Chicken. A big plate! Chef David Burke’s salt-aged beef patty means the burger blend is absolutely delicious. Order the burger. It’s the best in the city.

CHEF DB: Brunch is Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 AM - 3PM. Asian Fried Chicken & Waffles. Blueberry and Banana Pancakes. Brunch Flatbread

IG @parkavekitchenbydb

@chefdavidburke

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Park Ave Kitchen by David Burke

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see THE ART OF THE SNACK | Park Ave Kitchen by David Burke in mag.

NYFW SS27 EDIT

It’s that time of year again where fashion descends on various cities for fashion shows, presentations, pop-ups and more. As we looked ahead to SS27 trends and designs, it was another great season. We started off with New York Men’s Day to look at items that should be in our closets.

NYFW SS27 NYMD SESSION 1

Each season, New York Mens Day shares a number of designers that we should keep our eye on. This season, the first session had Avon Anglers, Ouila, Clara Son, and Alienant presenting their upcoming collection via standing presentations and rotating runway shows at Mercedes Benz Manhattan.

Of the 4 shows that presented their collections, we enjoyed seeing Clara Son which we have seen a number of seasons. We also enjoyed Alienant who was on Project Runway S21 with it’s Founder and designer, Yuchen Han. The collection had a number of streetwear looks. In attendance at his show was Project Runway S21 winner Veejay Floresca as well as S22 contestant, Bi Pham.

IG @newyorkmensday

@avonanglers

@ouilaworld

@clarasonstudio

@alienant_temple

NYFW SS27 MANKIND ON STAGE

We left that show to make our way to Jack Studios to see Mankind on Stage Presentation. This collection included an array of looks for men and women that were in white and black. Pieces included items that could be worn as evening wear as well as bridal looks. In addition, there were elevated looks for brunch and other special occassions.

IG @mankind_on_stage

NYFW SS27 RYNSHU

A few SS seasons ago, we had the pleasure of attending Rynshu’s fashion show. At this year’s show, we found ourselves at Virgin Hotels NYC in NoMad at their beach club where men’s and women’s streetwear was shown by a number of models including noted entertainer, Billy Porter (Kinky Boots, Pose, American Horror Story: Apocalypse).

IG @rynshu

NYFW SS27 NYMD SESSION 2

The second session of NYMD brought us back to Mercedes Benz Manhattan with collections from Ethan Lewy, Science Project Company, and Big Ocean X Andy Yu.

IG @ethanlewy

@scienceprojectcompany

@big_ocean.official

@49andrewyu

NYFW SS27 MODEST NOW THE SHOWS

As we continued through NYFW, we made our way to Rockefeller Center’s Radio Park to see Modest Now The Shows runway show while we enjoyed a pleasantly warm day. A number of the looks showcased elegant modesty fashion all in white from dresses outerwear and more.

IG @modestnow.theshows

NYFW SS27 CUSTO BARCELONA

Custo Barcelona is known for vibrant designs that have you vacation ready. So we were excited to go to Radio Park to see their SS27 collection which had vibrant garments that make you think of epic getaways by the beach and enjoying disco parties into the night! Cut outs, retro styles, and a bit of glam was on display during this show with NYC as its background.

IG @custobarcelona

NYFW SS27 Frederick Anderson

AS NYFW drew to a close, it was time to see the SS27 Frederick Anderson show at Nebula whose theme was My Garden Party. The runway show opened with a perfomance by Grammy Award and 3X Juno Award winner, Allison Russell. She also closed the show as well.

The show had models carrying stunning florals and wore looks of white, neutrals, lilacs, and more. Whether it was pantsuits, dresses, or separates the collection took you an array of parties, midday galas, and more.

IG @frederickanderson_designer

NYFW SS27 Valerian Hughes

Our final show of this year’s SS27 collection was at an art gallery space in Chelsea to see Valerian Hughes. The collection included dresses, suiting, and more for men and women that had a bit of island vibes woven throughout. The tailoring, accessories, and vibe of this show was a great way to end this season.

IG @valerianhughesparis

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 147 Max Bernetz | PG 148 + 149 PHOTOS COURTESY Ethan Lewy | PG 150 + 151 Alex Korolkovas | PG 152 + 153 PHOTOS COURTESY Modest Now | PG 154 - 156 David Warren

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see NYFW SS27 EDIT in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | NOFAR METHOD

We’ve been taking pilates for awhile on the classic reformer. This month, we had the chance to try out Nofar Method founded by Nofar Hagag who has a pilates background. She was focused on a method that combines the foundations of classic Pilates with a more athletic, dynamic style of training. By combining the Reformer and Cadillac within the same group class - Cadillac is normally reserved for private sessions at most Pilates studios. At Nofar, this allows a more dynamic, full-body experience while giving clients the benefit of 2 very different pieces of equipment in one 50-minute class. The classes are intentionally small so the experience remains highly personal, their instructors are trained in the Nofar Method. This signature class incorporates strength, cardio, mobility, coordination, and breathwork.

Their Intro Nofar Method are for clients that are newer to the method as well as those that are more advanced, but are looking for an additional challenge.

Throughout the year, they have specialty classes and workshops. They offer programming focused on areas such as longevity and movement for clients 55+, Pilates for men, and Pilates for teens, as well as educational workshops and certification programs for Pilates instructors. Clients who prefere a completely individualized experience, they also offer private one-on-one sessions. The Nofar Method Academy will be resuming their workshop and certification classes in October.

The Flatiron studio has an infrared sauna which was a great way to transition from the workout to having 45 mins of a reset. The studio also has changing rooms and restrooms. Studios are designed to let clients focus on the experience from the moment they arrive.

To get the most out of class, listen to the instructors, focus on form rather than trying to rush through a movement, and stay consistent. Pilates is a practice, the more consistently you do it, the more you begin to notice changes in your strength, posture, mobility, coordination, and overall body awareness. Make sure to bring your grip socks.

NOFAR METHOD

Tribeca

20 Murray St 2nd Fl

NY, NY 10007

Flatiron

20 Murray St 2nd Fl

NY, NY 10007

15 W. 18th St 2nd Fl

NY, NY 10011

Miami

1370 Washington Ave Ste 201

Miami Beach, FL 33139

nofarmethod.com

IG @nofarmethod

PHOTOS CREDITS | Nofar Method

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see ATHLEISURE LIST | NoFar Method in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | SALUMERIA ROSI

We made our way to the East Village to enjoy Northern Italian cuisine at Salumeria Rosi which launched in the UWS in 2008 and recently reopened in the East Village after 20 months of construction.

Upon stepping into this eatery, it has a mix of a cafe feel as well as a cozy restaurant. Owner, Andrew Loscalzo grew up in English pubs which served as an inspiration for this location. He wanted to create an envirnoment where people can come for a coffee, stay for lunch and then enjoy an afternoon aperitif. At 5pm, the lights come down, the candles come out and you may just stay for dinner as well.

For breakfast, there are a number of authentically Italian choices, but 3 to keep an eye out for are imported Sfogliatella from the famed Napolitan Pistecceria, Sal de Riso, and there is a choice of Stuffed Butter Croissants with Prosciutto or Mortadella. Their most popular item for this time of day is their Pressed Butter Croissants topped with dill crème fraiche, lox and lemon zest.

The perfect caffeine pairings take place at the espresso bar where they encourage “no espresso to go.” That means enjoying the espresso as much as the coffee. With a number of options, they suggest their Iced Lattes as well as their house Nutella Cappuccino.

For lunch or dinner, 3 Antipasta dishes that we have our eye on is their Burrata and Apricots as well as their Carciofi Fritti and their Alla Giudia style with Cacio e Pepe Cream.

For pasta options, we suggest their Cacio Pepe which we enjoyed. Their housemade Spaghetti alle Vongole is their most premiere dish. They import the vongole direct from Italy. The most popular pasta their signature Rigatoni Alla Salumeria which is their housemade rigatoni mixed with sauce, imported cured meats, and plum tomatoes, topped with Pecorino Romano.

For dessert, keep in mind their Torta Di Ricotta, Pistachio Panna Cotta, and Delizia al Limone (lemon cake).

We enjoyed their Hugo Spritz which was refreshing! They pride themselves on having a fantastic house wine selection as they believe guests should always have something very good to drink when choosing house wine. They have an Enzoni which is a grape twist of a classic Negroni. Their most popular drink over the years has always been their Aperol Gimlet.

For those looking for their next Brunch destination, Andrew wants us to know that it is all about eggs, eggs, and more eggs! If you are looking for something else or to add to this - they have Pancakes made with ricotta. Both their full menu and brunch menu are available during brunch hours.

SALUMERIA ROSI

222 Avenue B

NY, NY 10009

salumeriarosinyc.com

IG @salumeriarosinyc

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | AKSSS Studio

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see ATHLEISURE LIST | Salumeria Rosi in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

TAIPEI STORY

William Morrow

R.F. Kuang

This coming of age novel, Taipei Story is a coming-of-age novel that navigates dealing with grief, language, and culture shock during an unforgettable summer in Taipei. We find Lily Chen spending time in Taipei during an intensive Summer program alongside other Chinese American students that are looking to learn and connect with their heritage. Due to a number of activities she finds that she is frustrated and feels isolated and wonders why she is there and not back home.

When her grandfather passes away, she realizes that she needs to understand things about her family history which allows her to know more about herself.

Now she sees being in Taipei as a necessary experience that combines memories, stories that she’s been told and how it all connects to her.

WE CHASE SHADOWS: A WE SOLVE MURDERS MYSTERY

Pamela Dorman Books

Richard Osman

This book series is part of the A We Solve Murders Mystery collection. In We Chase Shadows, the italian hills at sunrise reveals a body that was found on the steps of a beautiful private villa! The body also contains a threatning note that is signed by a mystery man.

At We Solve Murders HQ, Amy, Rosie, and Steve are eager to tackle their next case. They realize that their suspect list continues to grow and they’re in more danger than they could have possiby understood.

OUR NOBLE SELVES: A NOVEL

Doubleday

Kate Atkinson

In Our Noble Selves: A Novel, we meet Harry Flynn during post-World War II in London. He was a crime correspondent turned war reporter makes his way back to Britain from Singapore in 1945. He has settled into a much quieter life with the Festival of Britain which is a government funded initiative that celebrates the nation’s creativity, grit, and ingenuity. He begins to work and connect with an interesting band of fellows that are ready for the Festival that is about to launch.

As he settles into this new role and life, a Frenchwoman is missing and he becomes a primary suspect for her disappearance as well as her murder! As more evidence comes in, he begins to wonder if he may have been involved in what happened. He also realizes that the people he is surrounded by have their own secret agendas.

The juxtaposition of horific events as well as the backdrop of a country whose focus on emerging from a war is one worth noting as these events come together.

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see BINGELY BOOKS in mag.

IN AND OUT OF THE RING | CHELSEA GREEN

For our WWE fans, we all have our favorites that we enjoy watching their storylines, promos, wins, and all the moments in between. Over the course of our 129 issues, we have enjoyed sharing these athletes on our cover. For our SEP ISSUE #129, we sit down with Chelsea Green who is the current WWE Women’s Champion! Whether you have seen her in WWE 2K26, Netflix’s Unreal or follow her on her IG, we enjoy seeing her energy and athleticism as she navigates the WWE Universe. We wanted to know more about how she got into this industry, being in the ring, and putting her passion and love out there as performs on global stages!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We’ve had the pleasure of watching you wrestle for a number of years.

CHELSEA GREEN: Love!

AM: We’ve loved seeing you on Netflix’s WWE: Unreal and seeing what happens outside of the storylines that take place in the ring on WWE.

We’ve watched you over the years. Obviously, those in the WWE Universe have watched you. What is the first wrestling match that you remember watching?

CG: You know, I actually didn’t grow up a huge WWE or WWF fan, but I went to a live show. A couple of friends from school dragged me to a live show. I will never forget seeing Kelly Kelly in a purple sparkly beautiful outfit and it was the first time that I had connected the thought of you can be badass and also look like a beautiful Barbie, you know? I think that that’s what really got me thinking that the 2 can coexist together. That’s how I’ve always been. I’ve always played a million different sports, but I still wanted to wear makeup. I still loved, you know, like cute outfits or getting my hair done.

AM: Yeah.

CG: That was kind of the most beautiful combination of those 2.

AM: At what point though, did you think to yourself, okay, well, I want to wrestle. I want to do this professionally.

CG: I was going to school for Kinesiology in Calgary and I was also bartending on the side. People kept talking in Calgary about this infamous Hart family. A quick Google search would show me that they were basically the biggest wrestling dynasty family ever! That kind of snowballed into Googling how to be a WWE Diva and turns out, there was a school, one of the best schools in the world, only 10 minutes away from where I lived at the time.

AM: Oh, wow.

CG: It was just perfect because I wanted a new hobby. I kept hearing about this wrestling thing and I decided, that they had a 3-month course. Let me check it out. So I ended up signing myself up for Storm Wrestling Academy. I mean, I took one look at the ring when I got there and I fell absolutely in love.

AM: It’s always interesting to hear how people come to whatever it is that they do.

What’s an average week like for you when it comes to training and getting ready for matches? One of the things that we really respect, and we’ve interviewed a tons of athletes across an array of sports. But the WWE athletes that we have had as covers from Nattie, Leah Van Dale, Daria Beranato, Danielle Moinet, Trinity, etc – you guys are traveling 300+ days a year! You’re wrestling, doing promos, special projects philanthropy initiatives, being with fans – the schedule is not easy. You were in Indy Thursday night and you could be in Dubai 2 days from now!

What’s that average week like for training?

CG: Of course, growing up being an athlete and then getting into personal training and Kinesiology, I loved to work out 6 to 7 days a week. Even when I said I wasn’t working out, I was still doing active recovery. I was going for walks or I was doing something that kept my blood flowing. But I’ve had to learn to be really forgiving with my body since getting into WWE. For the past 3 years, I have been lucky if I had one day off a week. So with all that traveling, and of course, now being in my 30s, I’ve really had to make sure that I take time not so much for lifting, or for getting cardio in, but for sleep, and for healthy habits. So if that means, you know, just making sure that I get all my protein in, or if that means getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep, if that means just making sure that I walk from point A to point B in between my appearances. That’s what I do. I give myself that grace and that freedom to take time off.

You know, that’s easier said than done because mentally I want to work out 6 to 7 days a week and I want to go hard. I want to always feel the burn that you feel when you’re having those amazing workouts and the sore muscles. We have to be careful because we are on the road, like you said, basically 365 days a year. So it’s my workouts and the way that I frame working out that has changed.

AM: What are 3 workouts that you do that optimize you as a wrestler that could be beneficial for those of us who are not wrestling, but would be great for our fitness routines?

CG: I love. a plyometric workout and I think the beauty of plyo is that you can expand on it. So you can do little mini jumps and then you can also go faster and harder and higher with plyo. You can pick up the pace, you can slow down the pace, you can do long jumps as opposed to high jumps - like there’s just so many ways that you can fit plyo into a short workout. You can do a hip plyo workout for 15 minutes and be absolutely drenched! So I think plyo is the easiest way to be able to do a workout without weights, without anything - except body weight. You can take that with you and workout anywhere.

Okay now I know everyone is on the pilates train!

AM: Yes

CG: I’m absolutely here for it. I like a high intensity low impact pilates class. I like one with a mega reformer. I think that people are so afraid of that machine, but if you just go in and face your fears one time everything else after that in that class will be such a breeze. It’s like plyo where you can add the weights and you can take them away. You can build on it. So I think that’s a beautiful workout to do to be able to keep kind of growing in your stability, flexibility, or lengthening your muscles.

The third one is a good old fashioned only dumbbell workout. It’s gonna get you everywhere. I’m telling you people who say that they don’t have the knowledge, the time, or the equipment for a workout - like you’re lying! You can pick up milk jugs, you can do body weight things there’s always an answer. All I need personally and this is coming from somebody who I’ve been working out for over 20 years. All I need is 10lb dumbbells. That’s it. That is it. I can build any workout I want with 10lb dumbbells. There’s no excuse.

AM: So true. We love Pilates. Like you said, it was intimidating the first time. I just tried a new method called the Nofar Method, they have them here in NY and in Miami they have the Classic Reformer and the Cadillac Reformer. So you do the 50 mins class and you have half of it on one maching and the other half on the second machine. It was the first time we were on the Cadillac and we were a little apprehensive, but you could feel the benefits a few hours later so we may be bringing that into the rotation.

CG: Ooh, that’s a lot. I get it. You know what I have taken? So I do, Hili here in Florida. It’s not everywhere, but it’s growing in South Florida and Central Florida. I brought some fellow athletes with me.

AM: Yeah.

CG: Some are totally intimidated. They hate it. They’re shaking the minute they get on and some think it’s a breeze. So, I think that’s kind of the beauty of these Pilates classes. We’re finding all these different methods, but, but they all have something in common, which is using some form of reformer. I mean, they’re hard as hell.

AM: Oh yeah, such a respect for it.

CG: I’m going to be taking my husband there. He agreed. He would try it out.

AM: What was your road to getting to the WWE? Years ago, MTV had a show where you had WWE hopefuls and you saw them compete to get a contract.

CG: Yes! Tough Enough!

AM: It was a great show because you saw people taking that step towards their dream, dedicate their time, but not everybody gets to win. The WWE has so many tracks/organizations as a way to get in, what was your road?

CG: So that’s funny you say Tough Enough. I actually was on Tough Enough, but my journey started before Tough Enough. So I started in 2014. After, you know, what I thought was going to be a fun little hobby for 3 month training at Storm Wrestling Academy, I fell absolutely in love with it. And I decided to kind of plunk myself in the middle of independent wrestling. So I wrestled all around North America. I wrestled in Japan. I wrestled in Mexico on the indie scene.

AM: That is very gritty.

CG: I was only getting paid $20. I’m killing my body. I’m doing death defying stunts. It was a lot, but for me, it was about showing my respect for this sport – professional wrestling. That was the right avenue and I’m so thankful I did that. I actually ended up on the indie scene for years and years and years on and off. I was hired at TNA for awhile and became Knockouts Champion. I went to Lucha Underground and wrestled Penta who we now know in WWE. I ended up having a brief stint at WWE for about 2 years before the pandemic.

Then with everything that happened with the world, I was actually released. That’s when I kind of reinvented myself. I changed my mindset. I reinvented myself as a wrestler. You know, I really had gotten into this vicious cycle of negative self-talk and negative talk within work. Instead of walking into the Performance Center and walking into WWE saying, “what an amazing day it is and how blessed we are to have this job.” I was like, “oh, it’s raining out and we have to wrestle for the next 8 hours.”

AM: Right.

CG: When I was released, I was like, “what was I thinking?” That was everything I have worked for since 2014. So I tried to do a master reset on my brain and just get into a space of being grateful. And that changed everything. When I was rehired back at WWE in 2023, I looked at the opportunity as, anything that I do from here on out is a blessing because I’m at WWE. I have a beautiful life, a beautiful husband, beautiful dogs. I’m building my dream house. I have everything I’ve ever wanted. So anything past this is just, it’s the icing on top of the cake. So that really changed everything for me because I said yes to absolutely everything that came my way in WWE. I never said no to an opportunity whether I was exhausted, sore, I hadn’t been home. I was losing a match or it seemed like it wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I just had this mindset of say yes and smile about it for everything.

Eventually after a year of doing that people started to recognize that and they started to appreciate it. They were able to rely on me. They knew that they could ask me to do things within WWE and I would never, ever complain or I would never make them feel like that was an opportunity that I was too big for. Eventually, that is why I ended up as the first United States Women’s Champion and again as the WWE Women’s Champion because I became reliable and there’s something to be said about just being a good hand.

AM: Agreed and I think that’s why it’s enjoyable to watch you because we know that you’ve been busting your butt while being authentic and staying present even when something wasn’t exactly what you wanted. You’re like, you know what? There is this grit and you just get in there.

CG: I grew up in a household where there’s no pitying ourselves. We’re not having pity parties. We’re not feeling sorry for ourselves. We’re going to do the job. We’re going to do it the best way that we can. We’re not going to quit. If we don’t want to go back and do it again, fine. But that’s kind of like what was instilled in me. So I tried to take that mindset that my parents gave me at an early age and apply it to WWE and to the workplace because trust me, there’s a lot of stuff that I don’t want to be doing! I want to be at home with my animals cuddling up to them on the couch but there’s only so much time that I’m going to have in this industry and I want to make the most of it.

AM: For someone who’s new to the sport, describe who Chelsea Green is when we’re seeing her on the screen, in the ring, and we’ve entered your bedazzled world in your closet in Unreal – who wouldn’t want to be in there?

CG: I’m literally talking to you right now from my closet!

AM: Thought so!

CG: I’ve taken the fans on a crazy ride for this character in the past 3 or 4 years. We started out as a very typical Karen character. She was annoying. She was outspoken. She was a complainer. Then it started to kind of shift after Unreal came out. Even though I was still playing that character in my heart, the fans kind of switched me into more of an underdog character where it didn’t matter that I was complaining. I deserved and I was allowed to complain. They got behind me because of, you know, the journey that I’ve been on, the indie scene, the broken bones and the blood, sweat and tears that they’ve watched me shed for 12 years. And so that’s where my character ended up becoming a good guy. And now, I’m in this new era where I am Champion and I am a good guy and that’s everything I was in 6 months ago. So, I’m trying to figure out who am I now? Because I never want to just night and day switch up just because the fans decided that I’m a good guy. I want to keep that character that has fire and spice and she’s quick-witted. She says exactly what’s on her mind and she’s got comedic timing. She makes people laugh and she’s the butt of the joke. I don’t want to lose that, but now we’re going to shift into a more likable version of that. So, you know, TBD on who Chelsea is in the following 6 months.

AM: Speaking of Unreal, this show lets us see what’s going on on the stage, how the stage comes together and the lives of the wrestlers as they navigate their world. In many way, it fills in the gaps. So in watching you, we know that you’re resilient, you bounce back, you have tenacity, but getting to know more about you to fill in the gaps at home.

What did it mean to you to be a part of the series? It’s really nice that they highlight and showcase Cody, you, CM Punk, Triple H, as well as those that are coming up.

CG: Well, you know what’s funny? I’ll never forget sitting in the Salt Lake City airport and getting the call about Unreal. I had no idea how big it would be. I had no idea that it would change the trajectory of my character and my career within the company. I just wanted to do it because I knew I had so much more to give to the WWE Universe. I understand that people watch me every Friday night and they think I’m annoying or they think I’m funny or whatever it is. But I’m just, I’m a normal Canadian girl who loves her family and who is on this journey building this house and who, you know, dated a wrestler and ended up marrying him. Like, there’s so much more to all of us that we don’t always get to show. And that was why Unreal really meant so much to me because I finally had the platform to show people that I am just a human and I am just a normal girl when the cameras go down. I have the same feelings everyone else does at their 9 to 5. I’m exhausted, I’m emotional, I’m just trying to make money for my retirement. All those things are relatable and all those things are what we are like on our days off. I think it’s really important. There’s some people who may not want to show that side of them, but for me I want everyone to feel like they can come up to me if they see me in a grocery store and talk to me. I think that that’s exactly what Unreal did.

AM: We used to watch WWE Divas when it was on E! We loved seeing how these women interacted with one another, being on the road, and in the ring. Once we started doing photo shoots with them, it was amazing to see those personalities in real time with us and we have had a number of those from the cast in our issues as covers. With Unreal, it has elements of that show but still feels new and different. There’s even more of a realism and being able to see the balancing act between the ring, reality, and planning. It’s a phenomenal show. I’m glad that they’ve brought that element back for those of us that want to see all those intricacies and how they come together.

CG: Yeah, you know, there’s something really special about being a fan of somebody and then finally being able to see the curtain pulled back and see who they really are. You know, I always loved watching documentaries about my favorite celebrities. So I knew that that’s why Unreal would be special. And I laugh every time I see online people say, like, “Unreal is scripted.” It’s not. It’s exactly what you see. It’s cameras following me. And sometimes I don’t even know they’re there because we’ve got so much going on. It truly is very, very real. When you watch Unreal, I also am watching at the same time. So when episodes drops, I’ve never seen a single episode ahead of you. I have no idea what you guys are going to see. I’m watching it at the exact same time. It’s really, really a unique experience.

AM: Wow.

What’s match day like for you? Do you have things that you have to do or want to do prior to getting into the ring just to get ready for that match?

CG: So there are a lot of wrestlers that have pre-match rituals and I’m actually trying not to. And the reason that I try not to is my schedule and my life and the companies I’ve worked for have been ever-changing since 2014. I have never been able to keep a routine on show day ever because sometimes we’ve got media, sometimes we’ve got meet and greets. Sometimes I’m filming a pre-tape, or like liners for social media, 10 minutes before I go out there. So I never want to rely on something and feel that because I didn’t do that thing, that everything’s going to fall apart.

Of course, you know, there are certain things like the night before. I need to make sure I get X amount of sleep. I need to make sure that when I get off a plane, I walk to try to get my body moving and try to get that puffiness out because I’ve got to get in my tiny little outfit. You know, it’s all those things. It’s taking electrolytes. It’s making sure I get enough protein on show days. It’s just sitting in the locker room with the girls and decompressing. It’s all of those things that matter. Making sure that I get enough food and water on show day is my number one priority outside of just being at work and doing the work.

AM: When the match is over, are there treats that you give to yourself for doing everything that you just did?

CG: On the road, every little city or town that we’re in is going to be different. The one thing that almost is in every town is Chipotle.

AM: There you go.

CG: I love me a little queso and chip Chipotle. Oh, damn.

AM: Yeah.

CG: So good. So, you know, unfortunately, like show days, we go from 8 to 10. So it’s tough because a lot of things are closed when we get out of our show. But I will try to pre-order some chips and queso and I will enjoy that in bed watching my favorite reality tv show and decompressing. You know, one thing that people forget is we are on such an adrenaline high after our show and that adrenaline - I mean it can really stop you from sleeping so a lot of us, we don’t get much sleep on show nights. Then we usually are on a flight around 6am the next day to go to the next city or to go home. So it’s just a matter of getting yourself as comfortable as you can for those hours until you have to catch that flight.

AM: You’ve had such an amazing ride. As you said, you’re the current WWE Women’s Champion. You’ve been in a number of WWE video games, which we think is so cool. What has it meant to you to be a part of this organization?

CG: I mean, it’s the top of the mountain, isn’t it? I am the WWE Women’s Champion, the champion of the best wrestling company in the entire world! If you had have told 8-year-old me that this is where I would be at 35, I would be absolutely amazed with my future self. I just every day, I wake up and I feel incredibly grateful. I feel surprised and amazed with myself. I thought when I first started wrestling that I was just going to blow up immediately. So the fact that I’ve now been doing this 12 years and I’m still going strong and I’m still in love with it - it just feels surreal. To be able to have these moments where you see that you have tangible moments of success –

AM: Yeah.

CG: The action figures and Unreal and a number of WWE video games (Editor’s Note: Chelsea Green has been in WWE SuperCard, WWE 2K24, WWE Champions, WWE 2K25, and WWE 2K26.) It’s just, it’s truly crazy. I’ve got a really amazing group of girlfriends back in Canada that they keep me equally humble, but equally, equally in that, “wow, you made it.” They remind me that I did the thing that I set out to do, they watch me, they support me, they buy my T-shirts and it’s amazing to have a support system that they don’t let my head blow up, but they also remind me that I did that. I did that thing that I set out to do.

AM: With all of the things that you have going on, how do you take time for yourself when you do have moments off?

CG: Well, My husband and I are Disney adults. Luckily, we live in Orlando, Florida. We’re close to Disney. We can go and treat our friends to Disney days and little mini staycations. I think that’s the key is just to fit fun into the work. Even if that’s something little like going with WWE’s Maxxine Dupri to the coffee shop and enjoying a iced vanilla latte or walking around London with my makeup artist, Ian. It’s just bonding, finding moments of beauty within the chaos because our lives are chaotic and the bigger you get, the more chaotic it is. The more chaotic it is, the more money you make and the more money you make, it’s just this cycle. So you just have to kind of take those little itty bitty moments that you get to just relish in whatever it is you want to relish in depending on the city.

AM: We call it a positive snowball because there’s a lot going on and you’re super happy about it, but it is still a snowball.

CG: That’s a perfect example of it. It is this snowball effect. It’s this vicious cycle, but it is a cycle. The bigger you get, there’s amazing things that come with it, you know?

AM: Are there any upcoming projects that you would like to share with our community that we should know about?

CG: I’ve actually got a horror movie coming out. It should be coming out in 2027. It’s starring Rory Culkin from Scream and Signs and Lauren Lavera from The Terrifier – these are horror actors. I’m excited to be a part of that. It was the first horror movie I’ve ever done. I’m trying to break into that moment. It’s very exciting that I get to be a part of that with 2 incredible actors.

IG @chelseagreen

PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM CREDITS | FRONT COVER, BACK COVER PG 18 - 22 Chuck Jackson, LOOKS Ryde Swim, TAN Tinted Sunless | PG 16, 30 Netflix/Unreal | PG 25 Michael Marques, GLAM TEAM - Jet Emini + Karen Perez , DESIGNER - Bohemian Prince |

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see IN AND OUT OF THE RING | Chelsea Green in mag.

9LIST STORI3S | JASMINE "JB" BADIE

Read the SEP ISSSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST STORI3S | Jasmine “JB” Badie in mag,

THE 9LIST

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FOLLOWING HARRY

We enjoy a great documentary that allows us to immerse ourselves into a story where we even get to know more than what we assumed! We just watched Following Harry which focuses on the life of Harry Belafonte who in addition to being a phenomenal entertainer, he also had a passion for Civil Rights. He not only had an interest in organizing, but he also wanted those who were engaged in the work to think bigger about the impact that they were making. Although he passed away in 2023, this documentary looks at the last 12 years of his life. We had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with Emmy nominated Director, Susanne Rostock to find out more about the film, her work with Harry, and what the takeaway should be in watching this film which will be available on a number of streamed platforms such as Apple TV.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Before we delve into following Harry, what is it about storytelling that you enjoy and what topics are you drawn to?

SUSANNE ROSTOCK: Well, what I enjoy about storytelling is essentially a beautiful way for us to connect as humans. You know, it allows you to share intimacy and secrets and to really understand each other better. So I think storytelling is such a gorgeous way to do that. When I started out in film, I was actually in anthropology and doing ethnographic filmmaking, which is storytelling from around the world, hearing the stories of other cultures and how amazing people are and how they choose to live and how they choose to relate to each other and rear their children and eat their food and dress, you know. Just such a gorgeous way to connect. The topics I'm most interested in are humanity, you know, stories about healing and love. And, you know, I work on a lot of films that deal with horrendous injustice, but there's always light and hope in there because there are these beautiful people who fight and, you know, what we do, how we choose to live. and live justly and fairly, and as Harry says in the film, and enjoy the universe. How do we enjoy each other and life?

So those are the films I'm interested in, which is pretty broad.

AM: This wasn't the first time, obviously, that you've worked with Harry. You know, what did you enjoy about working with him?

SR: Well, first of all, I never, ever thought in my life that I would get to even meet Harry Belafonte, let alone be allowed into his life the way he allowed me in. So what I enjoyed was... know, his wisdom, his passion, the way he lives his life, witnessing somebody, you know, I'm not a young person, but he was considerably older than me even when we first met. He's always been older than me. The way he even approaches aging and what you do with your life.

So I appreciated his choices, witnessing how he chose to live his life and the love, the love that he shared, the generosity. of him, of Harry, the generosity of him and the purity of his soul and really, really wanting to do good. I just appreciated being in that realm. Plus, he was just a great guy. He was fun. You know, we would dance. He was, you know, I told him that I took tap when I was a kid. At the end of each day, he'd come into my side of the office because he invited me to share an office with him after I met him. first film yeah yeah after I made the first film he invited me he was moving into a new office he said move in with me so I moved into this big loft and then he invited Carmen Perez in with the gathering for justice which he had started how he had started and she became the head of and so but he would come at the end of each day to my my side of the office and sit down and talk.

Harry was a real guy. He was a real person. And he owned up to anything. You know, he didn't feel that he had the absolute word on anything. He just shared his wisdom and listened. He listened to what other people had to say. You can see that in the film, how it brought all these young people in and listened to them and wanted to just help them not reinvent the wheel every time. Every time there's a movement and a crisis, but let's learn from the past and build for the future.

AM: This film covers the last 12 years of his life and it is about his activism. It also looks at how he took on these projects, how he infused the thoughts of other people, and made them think larger about what they were doing. Throughout the doc, we’re reminded about 2 parallels I'm constantly drawn to is that you're the participants of history that understands that things are happening and then reminding people that everything in history repeats again whether it's by an era, a decade, or even a location. How did you tackle all of these topics in just an hour and a half of the film?

SR: Well, there were so many more topics that I had to leave out because, I didn't want to short change anything. It was a real challenge because there's so much more depth to each story. Yet, I didn't want it to feel glossed over and fragmented. So I'm glad that it worked for you. I'm very glad, you know, because it was a challenge. People's attention span is not great these days, so I didn't want to make it an epic length.

Although, you know, I did have a much, much longer version. I'm sad about what I had to leave out. You'll never know, I hope someday that the footage will be repurposed and used because it's so important and this film is so powerful. You can sit for 90 minutes and you can have a real-life experience that changes your whole worldview. So instead of having to talk and talk and talk at people - you are able to watch something and then they can decide for themselves for what they will take it in. They will take it into their bodies. They'll feel it. They'll live it. Then they come to a real understanding rather than just words - words are very valuable, but the film is so powerful. I wanted to be sure that I hit the points that spoke to the period that I was making the film in. Now, of course, I worked on that film for a long time, so the periods kept on changing and got worse. So when Angela Davis stands up there and says, “you have to vote now because you have no idea what will happen.” Now is the time that we wanted to make sure that we got this out in the world. And, you know, now I'm hoping that the film can continue to influence others which is why we are releasing it now.

We feel it's very important for young people and all people to see this and be reminded of our own power and what happens if you don't use it for good. I think will be a continued reminder, just like when you watch films about the civil rights movement, a reminder of our power and the power of love and the power of demonstrating peaceful activism and the need to continue to fight. So that's my spiel.

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9PLAYLIST | GREEN DAY

PHOTO CREDIT | Alex Baxley

PHOTO CREDIT | Alice Baxley

PHOTO CREDIT | Emmie America

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Green Day in mag.