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9PLAYLIST | MEB KEFLEZIGHI

May 11, 2021

Read the Apr Issue #64 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Meb Keflezighi in mag.

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9PLAYLIST, AM, Mar 2025, Music
9PLAYLIST | KAAZE
9PLAYLIST, AM, Mar 2025, Music
9PLAYLIST, AM, Mar 2025, Music
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Music, Sports, Social Distancing, Athletes
9PLAYLIST | RASHEE RICE
9PLAYLIST, AM, Music, Sports, Social Distancing, Athletes
9PLAYLIST, AM, Music, Sports, Social Distancing, Athletes
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Feb 2025, Sports, Music
9PLAYLIST | JALEN HURTS
9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Feb 2025, Sports, Music
9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Feb 2025, Sports, Music
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9PLAYLIST MULTI, 9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Jan 2025, Olympian, Olympics, Sports
9PLAYLIST MULTI | CARISSA MOORE
9PLAYLIST MULTI, 9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Jan 2025, Olympian, Olympics, Sports
9PLAYLIST MULTI, 9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Jan 2025, Olympian, Olympics, Sports
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Music
9PLAYLIST | KENDRICK LAMAR + SZA
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Music
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9PLAYLIST | PAUL VAN DYK
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Music, Nov 2024, Sports, TV Show
9PLAYLIST | SARAYA
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Food, Nov 2024, TV Show
9PLAYLIST | CHEF MICHAEL VOLTAGGIO
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Food, Nov 2024, TV Show
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Music, Sep 2024
9PLAYLIST | CALVIN HARRIS
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Music, Sep 2024
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Music, Sep 2024
9PLAYLIST | CHANEL IMAN
9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Music, Sep 2024
9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Music, Sep 2024
In 9PLAYLIST, Apr 2021, Athletes, Music, Olympian, Olympics, AM Tags Meb Keflezighi, 9PLAYLIST, Music, Athlete, Sports, Olympics, Olympian, Runner, Marathoner
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WINNING IS A HABIT WITH KELLEY O'HARA

April 7, 2021
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Soccer season is upon us and our eye is on the US Women's National Team's Olympic Gold Medalist, 2 X FIFA World Cup winner - Kelley O'Hara who also plays for the NWSL Washington Spirit. With a season that kicks off next month, we took some time to talk about how she fell in love with the sport, being able to play for the DC team, what it's like when she's in training, her schedule when competing with the national team as well as her home team, joining KT Tape as one of its newest ambassadors and of course her upcoming projects in film, podcasting and her beauty brand.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in love with soccer?

KELLEY O'HARA: I think I fell in love with soccer in high school. I played a lot of sports growing up, and soccer was one of my favorites, but it wasn’t until I decided soccer would be the sport I wanted to pursue full time and wholeheartedly that I really fell in love with the game.

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

KO: I always knew I wanted to play for the USWNT, however I didn’t think much about turning “pro” because for most of my high school and college career there was not a professional domestic league to play in. My goal was always to continue to play post college, but I always thought that would mean having to make the national team as my only option. Once the WPS came around, I realized I had the opportunity to get drafted and play not only for the national team but also for a pro team.

AM: What is the role of a defender?

KO: Technically I play defender, but I play it in a very attacking minded way. My number one priority is keeping the ball out of the net for the other team, but my next biggest priority is contributing to our attack in a meaningful way.

AM: The season is about to start next month for your team, Washington Spirit which you recently joined. I know that you also live in DC so how exciting was it for you be able to play for your city?

KO: Honestly, it’s a dream come true. I feel like every pro athlete would probably love to be able to live where they play. I have spent the last 10 years of my professional career moving from city to city - spending season in one place and off season in another - it’s nice to be in one place and living at home full time! Plus, DC is such a soccer city! I am really excited to play for the fans here and try to win a championship for the District.

AM: What are the weeks leading up to the start of the season like for you in terms of training and getting ready to get back on the field?

KO: We just spent three weeks down in FL for spring training to prepare for the Challenge Cup, which is the NWSL preseason tournament this year. That starts in April and then regular season starts in May.

AM: What are your workout routines like when you’re training for the week for the next game versus off season?

KO: In season training is all about recovery, preparation, and then execution in the game to get a win. So, most of the training is focusing on making sure you’re physically ready, i.e., your loads for the week are enough but not too much, and you’re tactically prepared for whoever you’re playing. In the off season, my workout is very individualized and is about working on weaknesses. It allows me to create a quality base physically for the season ahead and offers me the luxury of working on technical aspects I want to specifically focus on.

AM: On game day, what’s your routine like leading up to hitting the field?

KO: Game days are pretty chill. My main focus is preparing my body to perform, so eating and drinking the right things leading into the game, while also mentally preparing for what needs to get done.

AM: You joined the KT Tape team earlier this year, what does this partnership mean to you and how will you partner with them?

KO: I’ve been using KT Tape pretty much my whole career, so it’s cool to turn it into an official partnership. I love that their product is athlete focused and really works! I’ve relied on their tape throughout the years to give me the extra assistance my body might need, so to know they are now supporting me not only on the field but off of it is pretty great.

AM: What are your go to products?

KO: I have primarily used their KT Tape Pro, both for performance and recovery. I just tried their newest product the KT Recovery+ Wave and it was incredible! It helps to relieve pain in tissues and joints with sensation-free electromagnetic waves. You don’t feel anything from the device, but it modulates nerve activity to give you pain relief and it really works! I was blown away.

AM: In addition to being on the Washington Spirit, you’re also on the US Women’s Soccer Team. How is it managing both of those schedules and are there differences for you when you are competing?

KO: It definitely makes for a busy schedule, but I feel lucky to have that problem! When it comes to competing for my two different teams, I don’t approach them differently. My goal is always to win - whether that’s in an off-season pickup game, practice, an NWSL match or an Olympic final - I aim to bring the same competitiveness to everything. Winning is a habit, so it’s something I am cultivating.

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AM: We're looking forward to seeing LFG which comes out on HBO Max which focuses on the US Women’s National Team’s fight for equal pay and has you, Megan Rapinoe, Jessica McDonald, Becky Sauerbrunn, Sam Mews and others on the team speaking and advocating about this issue. Why did you want to participate in this film?

KO: We wanted to tell our story in our own voice. I think a lot of people really only know what has happened or is happening by what or how the media writes about the lawsuit, but most people don’t know the amount of time, energy, and persistence this legal battle has taken. Plus, we know that our fight and hopefully win has the potential to create important change we need across all industries.

AM: The past year has definitely been one that we have all been navigating. With the Olympics postponed to this summer, what are you looking forward to with the upcoming games?

KO: Definitely the joy that is competing and chasing after a goal with my team. I’m also looking forward to the Games hopefully giving the world something to look forward to and to showcase the unity and joy that sport can provide not only for athletes but for their fans

AM: Outside of the sport, you’re the host of Just Women’s Sports. Tell me more about this podcast and why you wanted to have this included in your platform?

KO: The Just Women’s Sports podcast was born out of the desire to give female athletes a space to tell their stories. Only 4% of media coverage is dedicated to women’s sports, and it’s something I have personally felt my whole life. Haley Rosen, the founder of JWS, wanted to change that. I came on board to help advise the company, but that quickly turned into wanting to be involved and do the work to help change the future of what covereage looks like for female athletes.

AM: What other projects are you working on that we should keep an eye out for?

KO: I am an owner and partner in Tame the Beast - a company of grooming and shower products with a focus on sustainability and reducing plastic consumption. I am creating a unisex skincare line with them that will be launching this summer, which I am really excited about!

AM: You have so many accolades from being a 2 X FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion, an Olympic Gold Medalist and receiving the Hermann Trophy in 2009, what do you want your legacy to be in the sport?

KO: A winner and a good teammate - the type of player and person you always want on your team.

IG @KelleyOhara

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 36 KT TAPE | PG 38 - 40 USWNT |

Read the Mar Issue #63 of Athleisure Mag and see Winning is a Habit with Kelley O’Hara in mag.

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63MIX ROUTIN3S | SARA HUGHES
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AM, Apr 2025, Athletes, Sports, Tennis, Wellness, Wellness Editor Picks
RUN THE COURT | TAYLOR TOWNSEND
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AM, Apr 2025, Athletes, Sports, Tennis, Wellness, Wellness Editor Picks
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63MIX ROUTIN3S, AM, Apr 2025, Athletes, Sports
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9PLAYLIST MULTI | BRIANNA COPE
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9PLAYLIST MULTI, AM, Athletes, Apr 2025, Sports, Action Sports
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UNSTOPPABLE | RASHEE RICE
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AM, Athletes, Mar 2025, Sports
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AM, Athletes, Action Sports, Food
BBQ BEACH BITES WITH BRIANNA COPE
AM, Athletes, Action Sports, Food
AM, Athletes, Action Sports, Food
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AM, 63MIX ROUTIN3S, Athletes, Mar 2025, Sports, Action Sports
63MIX ROUTIN3S | BRIANNA COPE
AM, 63MIX ROUTIN3S, Athletes, Mar 2025, Sports, Action Sports
AM, 63MIX ROUTIN3S, Athletes, Mar 2025, Sports, Action Sports
In Athletes, Sports, Editor Picks, Olympian, Olympics, AM Tags Kelley O'Hara, Soccer, NWSL, Washington Spirit, USWNT, US Women's National Team, Gold Medalist, Olympian, Olympics, Defender
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9PLAYLIST | APRIL ROSS

February 16, 2021

Read the Jan Issue #61 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | April Ross in mag.

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9PLAYLIST, AM, Mar 2025, Music
9PLAYLIST | KAAZE
9PLAYLIST, AM, Mar 2025, Music
9PLAYLIST, AM, Mar 2025, Music
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Music, Sports, Social Distancing, Athletes
9PLAYLIST | RASHEE RICE
9PLAYLIST, AM, Music, Sports, Social Distancing, Athletes
9PLAYLIST, AM, Music, Sports, Social Distancing, Athletes
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Feb 2025, Sports, Music
9PLAYLIST | JALEN HURTS
9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Feb 2025, Sports, Music
9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Feb 2025, Sports, Music
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9PLAYLIST MULTI, 9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Jan 2025, Olympian, Olympics, Sports
9PLAYLIST MULTI | CARISSA MOORE
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9PLAYLIST MULTI, 9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Jan 2025, Olympian, Olympics, Sports
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9PLAYLIST | KENDRICK LAMAR + SZA
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9PLAYLIST | PAUL VAN DYK
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Dec 2024, Music, Festival
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Music, Nov 2024, Sports, TV Show
9PLAYLIST | SARAYA
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Athletes, Music, Nov 2024, Sports, TV Show
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Food, Nov 2024, TV Show
9PLAYLIST | CHEF MICHAEL VOLTAGGIO
9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Food, Nov 2024, TV Show
9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Food, Nov 2024, TV Show
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Music, Sep 2024
9PLAYLIST | CALVIN HARRIS
9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Music, Sep 2024
9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Music, Sep 2024
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9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Music, Sep 2024
9PLAYLIST | CHANEL IMAN
9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Music, Sep 2024
9PLAYLIST, AM, Celebrity, Music, Sep 2024
In 9PLAYLIST, Athletes, Jan 2021, Music, Olympian, Olympics, AM Tags 9PLAYLIST, April Ross, Music, Athlete, Olympian
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NEW YEAR, N3W YOU

February 13, 2021
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Read the Jan Issue #61 of Athleisure Mag and see NEW YEAR, N3W YOU in mag.

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AM, Jan 2025, NEW YEAR N3W YOU, TV Show, Athletes, Olympian, Olympics
NEW YEAR, N3W YOU
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AM, Jan 2025, NEW YEAR N3W YOU, TV Show, Athletes, Olympian, Olympics
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AM, Jan 2024, NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Athletes, Olympian, Olympics, Sports, TV Show, Prime Video, Celebrity, Music, Food, Style, Travel
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AM, Jan 2024, NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Athletes, Olympian, Olympics, Sports, TV Show, Prime Video, Celebrity, Music, Food, Style, Travel
AM, Jan 2024, NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Athletes, Olympian, Olympics, Sports, TV Show, Prime Video, Celebrity, Music, Food, Style, Travel
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AM, Celebrity, NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Dec 2023, TV Show, Style, Music
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Jan 2022, AM, NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Athletes, Sports, Wellness
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AM, Dec 2021, NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Celebrity, Sports, TV Show, Athletes
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AM, Dec 2021, NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Celebrity, Sports, TV Show, Athletes
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NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Jan 2021, Celebrity, Athletes, Beauty, TV Show, Food, AM
NEW YEAR, N3W YOU
NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Jan 2021, Celebrity, Athletes, Beauty, TV Show, Food, AM
NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Jan 2021, Celebrity, Athletes, Beauty, TV Show, Food, AM
NEW YEAR, N3W YOU
NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Dec 2020, Editor Picks, AM
NEW YEAR, N3W YOU
NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Dec 2020, Editor Picks, AM
NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Dec 2020, Editor Picks, AM
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NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Sports, Fitness
NEW YEAR, N3W YOU
NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Sports, Fitness
NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Sports, Fitness
In NEW YEAR N3W YOU, Jan 2021, Celebrity, Athletes, Beauty, TV Show, Food, AM Tags NEW YEAR, N3W YOU, April Ross, Beach Volleyball, Olympian, Gold Medalist, D'Andra Simmons, Bravo, Real Housewives of Dallas, Chef, Ming Tsai, Ole Henriksen, Jamie Anderson, Pro Snowboarder, Team USA
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ALWAYS TOPPING WITH RYAN MURPHY

August 17, 2020
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This month, we have the honor to have 3 X Team USA Olympic Swimming Gold Medalist, Ryan Murphy join us for the cover feature. Known as a decorated backstroke swimmer who also has a world record in the men's 100-meter backstroke, we talk with Ryan about how he got into the sport, transitioning from an activity to going pro, his experiences at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio as well as being a part of that riveting 4 x 100m medley. As he looks forward to the Olympics in Tokyo that's slated for next year, we talk about how he trains and modifies his routines as we all navigate COVID-19, the importance of mental health and how he is approaching his goals. He also shares how he is focused on impacting the sport of swimming whether as a competitor or simply enjoying water activities. He also talks about how he gives back to others and how this changemaker has been inspired by others.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We are so excited to have you as our 55th cover for the July issue as well as for an upcoming podcast episode of #TRIBEGOALS for our changemakers who are making an impact within and outside of their industry!

RYAN MURPHY: Thank you! I’m stoked to be a part of this awesome opportunity. Where are you guys at right now!

AM: We are based in NY.

RM: Oh wow so how has that been?

AM: Well, it’s funny. If someone said a few months ago that we would be indoors for a week – it would have been impossible! We had a number of plans that we were looking at regarding the Olympics and a number of activities that take place here across the industries that we cover and obviously some of those things are not happening this year. We did our cover shoot in mid March with Rachel Nichols host of ESPN’s The Jump. Literally, the NBA had just announced the day before that they were postponing the NBA season. We were still able to do our shoot which was great, and had a great afternoon with Rachel, and sheltered in place. Obviously, being in NY, it was just wow!

RM: Oh yeah, I mean it’s been going on for so long! I mean, I remember when we got our schedule in April, and it was like we were going to be out of the University of Caifornia, Berkeley pool through all of May. I got that schedule and I was like, what the heck and at the time, I was like “this seems pretty aggressive.” And here we are in July – still doing it!

AM: Exactly! It’s just amazing how things are being altered in so many ways so it’s very different. On the other side, the way we have been able to still enjoy, learn and connect with people such as yourself and still share your stories – but it’s strange times!

RM: Well it’s great that you guys are able to pivot – that’s a positive.

AM: Absolutely, it was about finding other ways to do it. But we thought that maybe this would be a couple of months or so honestly you just wake up and think, “this is like Groundhog Day, but there is no Bill Murray.”

RM: Haha exactly!

AM: I know that you grew up in an athletic family, how did you come to the sport of swimming? When did that transition from being an activity to one that you wanted to participate in in terms of competition?

RM: So I’m the youngest of 3. I’ve got an older brother, older sister and you nailed it. We were kind of just like that family in the neighborhood that was doing everything. So that’s how it started. We were all born in Chicago. We moved down to Florida literally when I was 6 months old and the summers in Florida are just so hot. We’d go down to our community pool and my older brother and sister were old enough to get onto the swim team and I was just that little kid running around the pool with floaties on.

So when I turned 4, I went on the Summer League team just following in their steps and it really progressed naturally. At first, I hated going to practice, I came up with an excuse every single day just to get out of practice! Until, we were at the end of summer and a week out from the big championship meet and they were like, “alright Ryan, we’re picking our 4 x 25 Free Relay and we’ve got 3 guys chosen and it’s down to you or Billy for the 4th spot. So, we’re going to do a 25 yard pre-swim off right now. If you want to be a part of it, you’re going to need to swim this right now!” So I get up out of my mom’s lap and walk up to the side of the pool, win the swim off and from there, I feel like I was just into it. That swim off taught me the love of competing and from that point on, I was into it.

So when I turned 7, I started swimming year around, when I was 12, I gave up other sports and really when I gave up other sports, that’s when it started to become a little bit more serious for me.

AM: Wow. Did you always dream of being an Olympian and at that time, what did that look like or mean to you?

RM: Yeah of course! I always dreamed of being an Olympian. I mean, I also dreamed of being an NFL player or an NBA player so I kind of dreamed of reaching the top in every sport. It just turned out that swimming and the Olympics was probably the most realistic of those goals. I do think that every swimmer grows up wanting to be an Olympian and I can remember watching the Sydney 2000 Olympics. I had just turned 5 when the 2000 Olympics were on and I have some memories of that that I can go back to right now. I remember watching the Womens 400 Free Relay and that was just the coolest thing ever. It continued to kind of grow from there. In Athens 2004, I remember watching Michael Phelps and him just absolutely crushing it! In Beijing 2008, I was 13 at that point so I was really enjoying the sport and I remember most of the races from 2008. For London 2012, I got 4th in 200 Backstroke for the 2012 Olympic Trials and 6th in 100 Backstroke and I was watching guys that I had interactions with them at that point. So that was really cool and so every Olympics was cool just to see how my perspective on the sport changed as I grew older.

AM: What is it about the backstroke that you enjoy and did you just naturally go to that part of swimming that you wanted to do?

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RM: Yeah, I think inherently, you enjoy the things that you are good at. That’s probably why I enjoy backstroke more than breaststroke. Breaststroke is just not my natural stoke. I do train all of the strokes and I think that that is really good to keep it fresh. Backstroke is just different, it’s always been a little different. I remember growing up that my coaches would try to give me technique tips in every stroke and they would try to give me technique tips on backstroke and I’d be like, “mmm like you know the way I’m feeling it right now, this is better.” That was me as a 10 year old. As a 10 year old, I knew that the things that I was feeling were potentially a little different then the way that the coaches had taught technique in the past. It’s kind of weird looking back, because I have always been a very obedient and respectful kid. In my mind, I was like, ok I’ll act like I am taking this advice, but I wasn’t actually taking their advice for backstroke technique. I guess that now that you asked me that question, I never really thought about that before. But the backstroke has always felt natural and I have always felt that I have a really good feel for the stroke.

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AM: Especially when you talk about a sport like that where there are different kinds of strokes, you can tell when you see someone that is hitting it and that they’re just on autopilot. It’s not about the 1, 2, 3, 4 – it’s just the natural and that’s why we wanted to know because we can tell that you really like that backstroke!

RM: It’s the same thing like when you watch a marathon. Those guys and those women that are winning the marathon, like Eliud Kipchoge is holding in like the 4 minute range for a marathon and it doesn’t even look like he’s trying! It’s like holy crap! That’s some serious talent right there.

AM: What was it like for you to be at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games from the opening/ closing ceremonies, competing, getting 3 gold medals and setting a new world record to boot for the 100m backstroke. What was that like for you especially since it was your first Summer Games that you went to?

RM: I mean, yeah it was an absolute whirlwind. I think that one of the things that I did a nice job of going into it as we talked about before was that it was always my dream. It was my dream to go to the Olympics and when you’re living your dream and when you are actually in that moment, that could be a very pressure packed situation. What I did well was to downplay the significance of the moment, a lot. That helped me a ton at the Olympics. In terms of the experience itself, it’s just absolutely unreal. When you’re there, it’s a swim meet and I have been to hundreds of swim meets in my life. So you don’t really realize it when you’re going to the ready room, you’re getting behind the blocks and you do your race. You only realize it when you get out of the pool and you’re kind of chauffeured immediately to NBC and you can literally, if you want to, talk to over 100 different outlets right after your race. That’s something that I have never had to experience and navigating that was very interesting. I think that and it's so cliché, but the thing that I appreciate most is the friendships and the memory of it. It’s really cool to think back to the conversations that you had with a guy like Phelps or Ryan Lochte – people that have been doing it for so long and are absolutely iconic in our sport and to be able to develop relationships with those guys that are lasting is really cool.

AM: We remember, watching and cheering the 4 x 100m with you guys – you, Michael Phelps, Cody Miller, Nathan Adrian – how do you from a training perspective prepare for this particular event since there are a number of people with you doing that? Is that difficult for you?

RM: I think that relays are the easiest part of the sport. I absolutely love the relays. It’s so fun to go behind the blocks with 3 other guys. You never feel more patriotic. I’m going behind the blocks and I’m wearing the USA cap. And Cody and Michael and Nathan are all wearing the same. They’re all super fired up. It’s the end of the meet, we’re super excited that we had all had great meets at that point and we’re all excited about that. We’re excited about the race and I think that the coolest part about that is that obviously you’re swimming with the most iconic Olympian of all time.

I think what’s really awesome to see is that you go and walk anywhere with Michael Phelps at the Olympics – it could be the warm up pool, the ready room, behind the blocks – every single person whether it’s a swimmer, coach, official, volunteer worker, wants to look at Michael Phelps. Everyone, for at least a split second is off their game because they’re observing Phelps. That just gave me so much confidence. It was like, “wow this guy is so iconic that everyone has to stop what they are doing and he’s on my team.” That was just a huge confidence boost behind the blocks and it totally added to the adrenaline of the moment. I was thinking, 1. I have to nail my leg, but 2. I really can’t screw this up for Michael. He’s won 23 gold medals – if he goes out on a silver medal, that’s just weird. We’ve gotta get him a gold here.

AM: We remember when we watched it live and booked our entire night around seeing that event to watch it in real time. In preparing for talking to you, we watched it again and that moment still gives you goosebumps watching it because all 4 of you are just killing it and it is one of the most iconic moments in Olympic history in our opinion. What lessons did you take away from those Summer Games in Rio?

RM: Ooo that’s a good one, I really like this question. I think that every swim meet is a really good learning opportunity. The biggest lesson that I probably learned from Rio is that when you’re in a situation like that where there is so much pressure and every emotion is going to be heightened, the highs are going to be really high and the excitement levels are going to be through the roof, but then the feelings following a bad performance are going to be really really low. I think the biggest thing is just recognizing that the entire scope of emotion is going to be felt by both yourself and your teammates and you have to be aware of that. I think that’s the biggest thing and then learning how to get in and get out. When I’m at the pool, be intense and when I’m not at the pool – let’s chill. Let’s enjoy this moment and enjoy the Olympics. You’ve gotta even during that 8 day meet, you still have to have balance. You can’t just be eyes wide open, super intense for 8 days and still be firing pretty well on day 8.

AM: Well, what’s an average training day like for you when it comes to gym time and pool time?

RM: So right now it’s a little different. When we’re in our “typical schedule,” we go 3 practices on Mon., Wed. and Fri. and then 1 practice on Tues., Thurs. and Sat. On Mon., Wed., Fri. we go from 6–7:45am in the morning, 1-2pm in the weight room and then 2:15–3:30pm in the pool. On Tues., Thurs., Sat. we just go from 8-11am in the morning as an absolute burner of a pool workout.

AM: How have you adjusted your workout because of COVID-19. We saw on Instagram that you were pushing an SUV up a hill in neutral!

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RM: Yeah and I think that that particular video was in the lag time where I was training in Colorado at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center as the Corona Virus situation was really ramping up. The Olympic Training Center closed down and so we had to fly back to Cal and there was a 6 day period between the Olympic Training Center shutting down and the Olympics being postponed. We come back to Cal, we didn’t have access to the pool or weight room. I didn’t really have any weights at our house so, we’re trying to work out, we’re trying to figure out that if the Olympics are still on, we have to be prepared, we have to be safe, we have to support our communities and we have to prepare for our dreams essentially. We did a workout in the garage and we were like, alright we feel that we have hit arms pretty well. We didn’t feel like we had hit legs super well and I’m looking around to see how I can workout my legs without any weight. I’m looking around and I see my car and Josh Prenot, who is one of my roommates he’s still swimming and he won the silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics for Team USA for the 200m breaststroke. I said, “ok Josh, let’s try and push my car up a hill.” We live on the top of a big hill in Berkeley. I didn’t know if we could get it very far, but it could be a solid workout. We pushed the car and the street we live on is a little more steep then what we were hoping. We didn’t get it super far, but it was cool. It was cool to get creative in this time. I think that it's so easy as an athlete to fall into a routine and stop thinking of creative ways to get better, so that is something that I have really enjoyed at this time. Getting creative, finding new ways to improve and really just pushing the envelope on performance.

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AM: We know that when you’re coming into an Olympic year, there are things that you typically do in one month versus another month. How do you mentally make the change over now knowing that it has been pushed back for an entire year, how does that work for you in terms of training, your goals and just being in that mindset that it is pushed back a little bit further?

RM: I think that from the mindset, when that Olympic decision came down, there were a couple of different ways that people approached it. The way that I approached it is, “ok, that’s the end of my season.” I took a couple of weeks off, I went home and stayed with my parents for a little bit which was great. I hadn’t been able to be home in about a year. So it was cool to be able to go back to Florida, hang out with them for a little bit and then when we started to get back into it, it was like the progress that we had made in the past year that progress was made. Just because we didn’t get to see a time on a scoreboard at the end of a year, doesn’t mean that we didn’t improve. So, I was able to accept that pretty easily and going into this season, it was like, “ok we’re going to start off slow, build the intensity both physically and mentally and then we’re circling June and July of 2021 and everything is going to build towards that. It’s a bummer that the plan changed and knock on wood, the Olympics are happening next summer. We shifted and we’re prepping for that and we’re hoping to put on a really really good performance there.

AM: What are your goals that you have going into the next Olympics? Do you have certain things that you want to tick off and to achieve there beyond what you did for the last Olympics?

RM: You always want to be topping yourself and everyone else. My goals going in, I’d love to be able to defend my titles in all 3 of those events 100m back, 200m back and the 4x100m relay. They added a new event this time around. It’s the 400m mixed medley relay where you take 2 guys and 2 females and you can put them on any strokes. I’m hoping to get on that relay and I’m hoping to get on that relay and I'm hoping that the US wins the inaugural 400m mixed medley relay as well! I’m someone that totally thrives on the competition. That’s a daily motivator for me and I think that the thing that I have to be super careful of is just making sure that throughout the season that I’m still just focused on self-improvement. The competition can be a motivator for those days when I really don’t want to get up at 5:20am and get in the water. The competition is going to push me to want to do that. It’s going to push me to wake up, to get out of bed, go to practice and work my butt off. At the end of the day, I’ve got to get up and push myself as far as possible and that’s my goal throughout the year and then the hope is that that culminates and being good enough to win at the biggest stage.

AM: You have amazing brands that you have partnered with from Bridgestone and Speedo as sponsors. How do you determine the brands that you align with based on your synergy and do you kind of have a bucket list of other people or brands that you want to partner with just to expand your portfolio?

RM: I think first and foremost, I want to be with world class brands. That was a motto of ours at Cal. We wanted our aquatics program at Cal to be world class and that’s something that really stuck with me. I want to be associated with people that do things the right way and that they do it really really well. That’s what I look for and Speedo, Bridgestone and Goldfish Swim School all have that in common. They all do things super well, first class – I think that they’re all very very competitive and they want to be the best. But they also do it with class.

The executive team at Bridgestone is incredibly impressive and they flip that switch by saying that they want to be the best tire company in the world. At the same time, they are the nicest people ever. Same thing with Goldfish, same thing with Speedo.

So, that’s the biggest thing that I do look for. It also has to make sense in my daily life. On a daily basis, I drive my car everyday and I drive my car on Bridgestone tires. I live at the top of a hill so if my tires weren’t good, I wouldn’t be able to get up the hill. I wear a Speedo everyday, so that makes sense and then Goldfish Swim School, they do a ton to teach kids the sport of swimming which is something that I am super passionate about. Both from a life saving perspective because if you get swim lessons, and I don’t want to mess up this stat, you are 90% less likely to drown if you had formalized swim lessons. That is incredibly powerful.

I want to grow the sport of swimming and I also think that even if you don’t choose swimming as your sport, water activities are incredibly fun. So many of my favorite memories have come in the water both in competition and in the ocean and the river. I love the water and I want everyone to experience the gifts of the water. All 3 of those brands have made a lot of sense for me.

In terms of bucket list brands, it’s just something that’s got to be a part of my daily life. I have things that I really enjoy whether it’s going golfing or following the stock market. I’m a little bit of a nerd and I love following the stock market! I will say that I don’t splurge on a ton – I think that I'm pretty frugal, one thing that I'm willing to splurge on is watches. I absolutely love watches as an accessory piece. Any of those things that fall within my interest would make sense for me.

AM: In terms of working out as we’re always looking to add to our fitness routines, what are 3 of your go to workouts that you tend to do in a session that we should consider putting into ours?

RM: I think that first and foremost in a sport like swimming, the most important thing is abs and your stabilization muscles. So abs and back, I hammer those on a daily basis. Exercises for that I do the pretty typical crunch, side crunch, V-ups, plank and side planks. Stuff like that, it’s all pretty simple. I also really like the Olympic lifts and I love doing clean. I guess if I’m talking to someone who is less of professional athlete, I’d say that an alternative to clean would be front squats. I’m not a huge fan of back squats, it’s easy to hurt the back and I’m much more of a bigger proponent of front squats where you really have to brace the abs and hold your body upright. You can’t do as much weight, but it’s really a whole body exercise.

For an upper body one, I love pullups. You can do so many different variations of over hand and just really isolate the lats. You can do under hand and get a little bit of biceps in there. You can go wide grip and get a little bit of chest so there’s just so many different kinds of variations of pull ups. I think that that’s really a great full upper body.

AM: From a dietary standpoint, what kinds of foods do you incorporate to your regimen that fuels your workout and optimizes the goals that you’re trying to do?

RM: I try to keep the diet pretty simple. At the simplest level, most of my meals I’m looking to try to get a really healthy grain/carb, a really solid vegetable, a pretty lean protein and then like anyone else, I love avocado – throw some sriracha on top – I’m all about the sauces. At its core, I keep it pretty simple.

I like oatmeal, then I make an omelet for breakfast. For lunch, a lot of time I will make a smoothie which is essentially a vegetable smoothie to kind of throw in potentially any kind of veggie that’s in my fridge. I’ll just throw it in there and throw in some cinnamon to kind of make it taste better! I’ll drink that down and for dinner, I’ll go to your quinoa or rice, potatoes, a pretty lean protein – salmon, turkey, chicken and a healthy veggie. I mix up the veggie a lot in that one as well.

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AM: When you are splurging, what are your splurge foods that you treat yourself with?

RM: Well I mean, there’s a lot! I also mix up the splurge foods. I absolutely love steak. If I’m splurging, I’ll have a big fat piece of ribeye – that’s just fantastic! Or I’ll have a pizza, a burger – I love ice creams. I mean God, you’re making me hungry when you’re asking me this question!

AM: How important is mental health? In times like this as well as when you’re training, how do you check in with yourself to ensure that you’re in the right place to be the best you?

RM: Mental health is huge. I think the biggest part of athletics and really life is being able to maintain your levels of motivation and being honest with yourself. The same way that I talked about that super scope of wide emotions at the Olympics, I feel that at a time like this, the scope of emotions has widened for a lot of people. The way I check in with myself, is that I feel that I am incredibly fortunate to have an incredible inner circle. I talk to my family all of the time, I talk to both of my parents, my brother and my sister, my inner circle of friends. We all stay in touch very frequently so, that’s what I really do. I do consider myself very fortunate and I don’t want to make myself sound like an expert on mental health. I honestly never struggled in that area, but I do consider myself very fortunate in that aspect. But I do think think that everyone could benefit having very open conversations with their inner circle which has helped me. I've never felt like very very low, but obviously, everyone has bad days and so on those days, I totally lean on my inner circle to help me out.

AM: When you’re not training, what can we find you doing when you’re just hanging out and taking time for yourself?

RM: In this time, it’s been a little tough. I’m a massive sport fan. I like watching football, basketball. I would literally set reminders on my phone when the Michael Jordan documentary came out because I was feening for sports so bad! I totally miss that aspect, but I have been into golf for a little while now, so I’m lucky that I live 5 mins away from a golf course in Berkeley. I go up there all the time and I’ve been playing probably at least 1 round a week, I go to the range probably 2 times a week. So that’s been so great.

I love following the stock market. As I mentioned earlier, I am a bit of a nerd and when I turned professional in swimming, the biggest thing I was nervous about was feeling like I was losing my mental sharpness. I wanted to make sure that I had something that was engaging my mind and the stock market is that. I find it absolutely fascinating in just looking at how everything mixes based on people’s investment horizon – how long they wanted to be in the market, whether they were looking purely at the financial statements or if they are going off of the news cycle. I absolutely love that and in this time, there has been so much volatility in the market that I think that there has been some really good opportunities to make money in these past couple of months.

I’ve been dabbling in that a lot and I know that was a little long winded but essentially, my hobbies are watching/ participating in sports with golf, hanging out with the guys and the stock market.

AM: Five of our covers at Athleisure Mag have been awesome CNBC hosts, we've spent some great times with them, so finance and lifestyle for us has been a pretty big pillar for us. Just like you said, it’s a measure of what’s going on in a given environment and what people are leaning towards and away from. We love the financial mix.

Earlier you were talking about how you help children how to swim. Are there ways that you give back to the community at large or even specifically in the swim community with kids coming up that want to be just like Ryan Murphy?

RM: I try to spread out my time pretty well in terms of the swimming community. Totally at the earliest stage at the grassroots level, I want to grow participation in the sport and that’s why I partnered with Goldfish Swim School and that’s why I am involved with USA Swimming Foundation. USA Swimming Foundation does a lot of really really good work to increase the reach of the sport. It’s no secret that minority participation in swimming is lower than white participation. So USA Swimming Foundation for the past couple of years has done a lot of work in that area to try to increase minority participation in the sport and minority ability to swim. So that is something that I am really really passionate about. As people move up in the sport, there’s a guy named Carson Foster. He’s going into his freshman year of college. He’s been someone who’s reached out and said, “hey, I’d love to pick your brain on some stuff.” I absolutely love doing that. It’s cool that now at the age of 25, I’m a veteran and that’s crazy but it’s also cool that people want to hear from my experiences and what has made a difference in my career. I’m always willing to pay that forward to the younger athletes.

Then completely outside of swimming, I have done some work with the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund. So getting back to being an avid sports fan, Tom Coughlin was the head coach of my hometown's football team. So he was the head of the Jacksonville Jaguars (he was also the head coach for the New York Giants) and an icon in Jacksonville. He has an incredible foundation that works with kids and the family of kids who have cancer. In this time, I have done a couple of Zoom calls with a couple of those kids because they’re going through cancer treatments and the visiting hours in hospitals are limited due to COVID-19. They’re really just looking for interaction and its absolutely incredible with these kids. Every single one of them is so optimistic, so fun, so outgoing, so mature while they are in the fight of their lives. Those conversations are incredibly powerful and they definitely impacted me more than I have impacted them. That’s been really cool to be involved with them for the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund as well.

AM: What is the legacy that you are looking to build whether it’s in the sport or outside of it that you want people to recognize you for?

RM: I think that the biggest thing is that it’s not about the accolades or the accomplishments. Records are going to be broken, there is always going to be someone younger – probably more talented at some point who is going to out do everything that you did at the pool. My biggest goal in terms of my legacy is that I want people to recognize that I have done and will continue to do everything in my power to reach my potential and to grow the sport of swimming. Those are my biggest goals. I want to be the absolute best athlete that I can be, but I also want to raise the profile of this sport. I view swimming as an incredible sport and I want people to be involved. Those are 2 goals of mine and I hope that people do recognize that I am doing absolutely everything in my power to reach both of those goals.

AM: As a changemaker, being someone who a lot of people look up to, who have been 3 people for you that have influenced your career or the way that you look at life?

RM: I’d say that number 1 would be my grandpa. My grandpa is an absolutely an incredible human and kind of a wizard! He has his PhD in math and so he has made his career off of writing math books. He has written over 100 math textbooks in his life and it’s absolutely insane. He’s so smart and probably one of the smartest people that I have ever met. He's an incredible mentor to me – he just has such a down to earth view on life. He has had an incredibly successful life. He didn’t come from much and he really valued his education and has now made a really solid living off of that. He is just someone that I respect so much and he has always been someone that I lean on for advice. Honestly that includes my parents as well so number 1 include my grandpa/my parents.

I guess #2 I will go more athletic. It would be Aaron Peirsol. As we have talked about it, I have always been a backstroker. When I was growing up, Aaron Peirsol absolutely dominated. He dominated from 2000 – 2010 in the backstroke events. He had a huge impact on my career. I would always be glued to my TV when he was swimming. Not because of how he swam, but his personality. He was so chill that he would be the guy that would walk out to his races with his cap and goggles in his hand. Everyone else would have their cap and goggles on and a lot of time, they were over their eyes already. He was just so chill that he would walk out as if he was going on a Sun. swim for a country club. Then he would go and dominate everyone and win gold records. I thought that that was just the coolest thing ever.

The 3rd one that I would go with is a coach. My current coach, Dave Durden, the head coach of Cal since 2007 and the head Olympic coach for the next Olympics. He’s 43, super young in the coaching world and he has such a quiet confidence about him that is just contagious. He's so calm and so measured. I've been swimming with him for 7 years and have only seen him lose his cool probably 1 time in the 7 years that I have swam with him. He’s dealing with 30+ college aged guys. We’re an all guys program and there is a lot of horseplay and personality going around and he just keeps his cool at all times. He’s another guy that I’m so impressed by his demeanor, his ability to plan and his ability to adjust. In this time through COVID-19, he has been an absolute maniac. He’s been jumping through hoops to figure out how we can train safely and just getting all of us on board for his plan. He’s an absolute incredible coach and incredible mentor. David is someone that is going to be a friend for life for me and I am super appreciative of the impact that he has had over my life and my current livelihood!

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IG @Ryan_F_Murphy

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Front Cover, PG 16/17, 28, 32, 33, 34/35, Back Cover: Speedo USA/Photographer Richard Phibbs | PG18, 21, 31, 40-41: Photographer Jack Spitser | PG 24-25: Speedo International | PG 26-27: Speedo USA/Photographer Aaron Okayama | PG 42 -45: Xinhua/Imago/Icon Sportswire | PG 46: Photographer Sean Juo | Front Cover, 16-17, 22-25, 28, 32-35, Back Cover: Editorial Design by Athleisure Mag | PG 52- 53: Photos courtesy of Goldfish Swim School |

Read the July Issue #55 of Athleisure Mag and see Always Topping with Ryan Murphy in mag.

Hear 3 X Team USA Swimming Gold Medalist, Ryan Murphy on our show, #TRIBEGOALS - which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.

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In Athletes, Jul 2020, Olympics, Road to Rio, Sports Tags Ryan Murphy, Michael Phelps, Cody Miller, Nathan Adrian, Team USA, Swimming, Olympics, Olympian, Bridgestone, Speedo, Goldfish Swimming School, Rio Games, Tokyo Games, Summer Games, Dave Durden, University of California Berkeley, Aaron Peirsol, Backstroke
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ATHLEISURE MAG | #55 JUL 2020

July 31, 2020

This month’s cover and back cover is 3 X Team USA Swimming Gold Medalist, Ryan Murphy. Our cover shoot editorial – Always Topping with Ryan Murphy, talks about Ryan’s career, how he got into swimming and his love of the backstroke, his success in the Summer Games in Rio in 2016, his approach to the upcoming games, how he is furthering the sport of swimming as well as encouraging others to embrace water sports. This interview will also be in an upcoming #TRIBEGOALS podcast episode. We also have an interview with Celebrity Fitness Trainer Harley Pasternak as we talk about working out from home, how he advises his clients in terms of what they needed on hand, his thoughts on gym and studio openings, a correlation between sugar and COVID-19 and how he has been passing his time for the past few months. We check in with Team Canada Pole Vaulter Ashlyn Newman who recently participated in The World’s Greatest in Greenville, South Carolina, this year’s first USA sanctioned Track & Field event. She talks about how she got into the sport, her training focus and what she looks forward to for the upcoming Olympic Games. Her interview will also be on an upcoming podcast of Bungalow SK. We check in with one of the Co-Founders of Huda Beauty, Mona Kattan. She talks about her role with the brand, their product assortment, KAYALI fragrance which is a part of this beauty empire, the power of fragrance and how she is spending her time in Dubai. We also talk to Head Winemaker of Cupcake Vineyard, Jessica Tomei. She talks about how she got into her career, harvest season, their newest line Cupcake Light Hearted and the importance of keeping it delicious. This episode will also be an upcoming podcast episode of Bungalow SK. In this month’s The Art of the Snack, we talk with James Beard Award winner, Food & Wine winner and runner up on BRAVO’s Top Chef Season 11 and Fan Favorite, Nina Compton. She talks about her culinary journey, her two restaurants, how she has navigated COVID-19 and signature dishes and cocktails that can be enjoyed there.

Read the July Issue #55 of Athleisure Mag here.

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In Jul 2020, Athletes, Sports, Fitness, Food, Beauty, Editor Picks, Ath Mag Issues Tags Jul 2020, Ryan Murphy, backstroke, Olympian, Harley Pasternak, Nina Compton, Mona Kattan, Ashlyn Newman, Sports, Athlete, Wine, Jessica Tomei, Cupcake Vineyards
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ATHLEISURE MAG | #53 MAY 2020

May 29, 2020

This month’s cover and back cover is April Ross, 2 X Team USA Olympic Beach Volleyball Medalist. Our cover shoot editorial – To the Beach, talks about April’s career, the difference between indoor and beach volleyball, her relationship with KT Tape and how she is staying fit at home while she waits for the return of the AVP Tour and Olympic Games in 2021. We will also have this interview as an upcoming podcast for #TRIBEGOALS. In our feature, Something You Should Know, we chat with Emily Skye, Celebrity Fitness Expert about staying fit, being a wife and mom with baby #2 on the way and a great workout we should incorporate into our routine. This month, we chatted with Seniesa Estrada, WBA’s 18-0 flyweight title holder. She talks about her career, how she is training during this time and what it’s like to have Danny Trejo in her corner. We also talk with International CrossFit star, actress and Resident Tagger on FOX’s Ultimate Tag, Brooke Ence. She talks about CrossFit, being in Justice League and Wonder Woman as well as her new show.

As usual, we have our monthly roundups including our 9LIST (Athleisure Mag’s picks that we’re loving this month in style, beauty and fitness) featured roundups. This month’s 9LIST STORI3S (picks supplied by celebrities) gives us insight into tennis powerhouse, Rafael Nadal. This month’s 9PLAYLIST includes Supermodel and Fashion Icon EDM DJ Naomi Campbell who shares her favorite songs with us. As always, you can enjoy Athleisure List (Peleton and Purple Carrot), The Pick Me Up, Bingely Books, Bingely Streaming, Style Files, Rock This For Your Virtual Happy Hours, Athleisure Beauty, How to Dress, In Our Bag, #TRIBEGOALS and Papaya Beauty. 

Read the May Issue of Athleisure Mag.

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In May 2020, Ath Mag Issues, Editor Picks, Athletes, Sports Tags Athleisure Mag, Naomi Campbell, Rafael Nadal, April Ross, Olympian, EMily SKye, Seniesa Estrada, KT Tape
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ATHLEISURE MAG | AUG ISSUE

September 3, 2018

Our issue is covered by Dagmara Wozniak, who competed in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympic games and received the bronze medal in Rio. As she prepares to return to the Team USA team in Tokyo, we shot our cover girl at the Manhattan Fencing Center. We talk about her Olympic journey, how she fell in love with the sport, and where she has enjoyed traveling around the world.

Additional interviews include NASCAR's Ryan Reed and how he manages his diabetes; we sit down with Louisville based interior designer Natalie Officer; the power of olive oil and health is shared by restaurateur and author Chef Seamus Mullen; we talk about yachting with Adventure Chef and star of BRAVO's Below Deck Mediterranean's Chef Adam Glick; composer, guitarist, producer and entertainer Tetsuro Oda shares his love for creating music for anime as well as Rock & Roll; for fans of USA Network's The Sinner - we talk with Ellen Adair about acting, the scene of scenes in the show and how she gives back to a number of great causes; and we chat with Tia Mowry about how she and her family stays organized.

We have a number of features that are in each month's issues including The Art of the Snack - focusing on NYC's City Kitchen, Bingely Books, Bingely Streaming, Something You Should Know, Athleisure List, Athleisure Beauty and more roundups that focus on how to dress for Labor Day Weekend, 5 must have sneakers to wear in and out of the gym. 

Read more from the Aug Issue here.

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In Editor Picks, Aug 2018, Athletes, Sports, Style, Olympics, Olympian Tags Athleisure Mag, Style, Sports, Olympian, Fencer, Olympics, Olympians, Ryan Reed, Natalie Officer, Chef Seamus Mullen, Chef Adam Glick, Ellen Adair, Tia Mowry, Dagmara Wozniak, Manhattan Fencing Center, Team USA
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TO THE SLOPES WITH LINDSEY VONN

April 21, 2018

One of our favorite Olympians to hit PyeongChang during the Winter Games last month, was none other than Lindsey Vonn. The stunning Alpine Skier not only went home with a little more bling, but went on to continue competitions. We caught up with her here in NYC to find out when she fell in love with the sport, what it's like to perform at a high level, her partnership with Bounty and her personal style. 

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about how you got into the sport of Alpine Skiing.

LINDSEY VONN: My Grandfather was the pioneer of skiing for our family and he passed that love onto his kids and my Dad passed it onto me.

AM: We have interviewed a number of Olympians and have heard various fitness levels when preparing for the Olympics versus maintaining fitness goals. What was your training like leading up to the Olympics and then while you were there?

LV: Well, I’ve been training for this Olympics for 8 years! I’ve been in and out of rehab for my knee and elbow, but have still maintained a strict training program to keep me in shape. In between racing, I work out every day and during races I get up early and ride my stationary bike for a warm up.

AM: You're fresh off winning your Bronze Medal at PyeongChang - what was your biggest take away from the experience?

LV: The best part of my experience was just accomplishing my goals of getting a medal for my Grandfather. This Olympics has been such a long time coming that I’m just thankful I made it, I was healthy, and I did the very best I could.

AM: We know that you partnered with Bounty as we saw your commercials throughout the Olympic Games, tell us about this and why was it a natural fit to do?

LV: Bounty is a natural fit if you have 3 dogs! It was a great experience filming the commercial with my dog, Lucy.  She is now more famous than I am!

AM: The schedules of Olympians are always crazy, but you left the games and continued on with other races - tell us what you've been up to in terms of races that you have participated in as we know you were at The World Cup Finals.

LV: Yeah, I couldn’t take as much time off after the Olympics as I would have wanted. I had a press tour and then had to head to Sweden for the World Cup Finals. Getting 1st and 3rd in finals was a great ending to a perfect year. I’m that much closer to beating Ingmar’s record. I think I may have a chance to beat it next year!

AM: What does the racing season look like for you in terms of how much of the year it takes up?

LV: Well it’s not just the racing that takes up time, but the training—and that’s a full-time job.  So I have a weeklong vacation once a year and then it’s back to the gym, training, and head to Europe for the World Cup--I don’t give myself room to slow down.

AM: As we've been fans of yours for a while, we checked out your IG and see that you were on the set of Ballers - does this mean that we'll see you on the upcoming season with The Rock?

LV: I wish! I’ll have to work that out with Dwayne next time I see him :) I was on Law & Order though, so I have some experience with acting.
 

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AM: Tell us about going to the Oscars and share with us details about your dress as it looked beautiful.

LV: The Oscars was amazing! I just took in every moment of it because it was such an honor to be invited. Well, my dress was supposed to be long-sleeved!  It was too tight to get my arm through so we had to cut the sleeves at the very last minute. It was crazy, but I loved that dress and I felt great it in.

AM: What are you working on now professionally coming off of so much activity?

LV: I have been busy in New York on a press tour and am headed back home to Colorado for my Foundation Gala event and to spend some time with my family and my dogs. 

AM: What are you working on? 

LV: Personally, I’m working on just taking it easy and having fun. Now that the Olympics are over I can relax!

AM: We know that this fall, you have a Signature Skiwear Collection with Under Armour coming out which we're excited to see. Tell us about your personal style - what would we see you wearing when you're going out for cocktails and a night out versus running errands about time?

LV: 99.9% of the time I’m in sweats. I live in head to toe Under Armour, so it's nice to dress up and feel pretty. For cocktails, I like to wear maybe leather pants and a fun top.  And heels… I love a great pair of heels.

AM: Wherever you're based, where could we find you grabbing drinks and a meal, shopping and then your favorite fitness studio to go to.

LV: You can find me at Starbucks anywhere. I need my coffee! For a meal it depends where I am—probably at the hotel restaurant. For shopping, I love going to boutiques where you can find one-of-a-kind things. I am either in my gym at home, at the Red Bull gym in LA, a hotel gym or outside. 

AM: Tell us about the Lindsey Vonn Foundation - why it was created, what it focuses on and who it assists.

LV: My Foundation was created because Picabo Street inspired me as a young girl to be an Olympian within five minutes of meeting her. I know the impact that a little encouragement and inspiration can do, and I want to give that to girls. We have had three free camps helping 300 girls to be friends, leaders, and gain confidence.  I stay with them the entire 2-day camp and work with them. We will have our 4th camp in LA this summer with 200 girls. We just relaunched our Scholarship Program this spring focusing on enrichment activities for both girls and boys to help find their passions outside of school. Whether it’s a ski club, violin lessons, or cooking class—we want them to be able to find and do what they love.

PHOTO CREDITS | PG 128 Under Armour Launch of Lindsey Vonn's FW18 Under Armour Signature Skiwear Collection | PG 130 Bounty | PG 132 Bstefanov Lindsey Vonn (USA) at Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Ladies' Super G on February 26, 2012 in Bansko, Bulgaria |  

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Read more from the March Issue and see On the Slopes with Lindsey Vonn in mag.

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PHOTOGRAPHY | Paul Farkas

PHOTOGRAPHY | Paul Farkas

I MOVE ME | STEVE AOKI

November 16, 2017
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This month, we attended an immersive experience with Anima Sana In Corpore Sano known as Sound Mind in a Sound Body - or better known as the 70 year old iconic Japanese brand, ASICS. This experience introduced a partnership and campaign between the sports performance brand and Grammy-nominated, DJ/producer, international entrepreneur and fitness fanatic, Steve Aoki, who serves as the face behind the I MOVE ME campaign in North America. 

The campaign allows the brand to connect with new audiences in an ever-changing fitness industry and builds upon ASICS' core philosophy. I MOVE ME aims to bring people together and inspire them to be healthy and happy through movement.

At the event in the LES, guests enjoyed a large Jump Room with 180 degree cameras tracking their movements, and of course, Aoki also showed his movements on the trampolines as well. 

The actual campaign is a sensory film that stars the DJ, set to his new Kolony track and reflects the correlation between his music and movement. In addition, their is an inclusion of energy, motivation and passion that he brings to whoever his path crosses. He also connects with other passionate people from Kinjax, Overthrow and Cobra Fitness Club. 

The campaign is shot in his home in Las Vegas, in LA and in NYC. In addition, ASICS sponsored athletes - four-time World Championship Wrestler and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist, Jordan Burroughs (U.S.) and World Champion track and field athlete and bobsledder, and three-time Olympian Lolo Jones (U.S.) intersect with the DJ as he appears during their training routines.

"I am really excited to work with ASICS, an iconic Japanese brand," says Steve Aoki. "My life is not only about music and fashion, but also fitness, nutrition and health. I'm really grateful for an opportunity to partner with an athletic brand that not only supports the same philosophy as me and allows me to infuse my DNA into the creative process, but is also aiming to inspire and encourage others." 

You can see more on the I MOVE ME campaign as well as how it will roll out socially, in stores and beyond by starting with the 90 second film.
 

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Read more from the Oct Issue and see I Move Me in mag.

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In Athletes, Celebrity, Editor Picks, Fashion, Fitness, Footwear, Lifestyle, Magazine, Oct 2017, Paul Farkas, Pop Culture, Style Tags Steve Aoki, ASICS, Japan, Japanese Brand, I Move Me, Lolo Jones, DJ, Producer, Fitness, Fitness Fanatic, Olympian, Anima Sans In Corpore Sano, Sound Mind in a Sound Body, Grammy nominated, Grammy, LES, Kolony, DJ Set, Jordan Burroughs, World Champion, campaign
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SHOT @ ESPN in Bristol CT | PHOTOGRAPHY Paul Farkas | STYLIST Kimmie Smith |

SHOT @ ESPN in Bristol CT | PHOTOGRAPHY Paul Farkas | STYLIST Kimmie Smith |

WE ARE SPORTSCENTER

April 1, 2017

We grew up watching ESPN to catch highlights of our favorite games and to see what was going on in the world of sports. Without a doubt, SportsCenter is the essential destination to stay in the loop on whatever games are taking place in the world. Regardless of the time slot that you're viewing it on, it's the anchors that become extensions of your sports action, friends and family. 

There's always something amazing going on in the world of sports; however, we were pumped to head to the headquarters of ESPN during the NFL's Free Agency and right before Selection Sunday of March Madness! Being in the midst of the energy, history, bumping into sports analysts, former coaches and more was definitely exhilarating and a lot of fun!

We are thrilled to profile and share the journey of these anchorwomen of SportsCenter, from what stations they came through, what their timeslot of SportsCenter is like, how they feel the state of women in sports/sports media is and how they balance life. We enjoyed shooting, styling and chatting with them in their world (at work, working out and outside of work) and sharing it with their fans! 

Although we didn't talk to all of the anchorwomen of SportsCenter, we enjoyed walking in the shoes of Sarina Morales, Toni Collins, and Dianna Russini - three women who lead busy lives covering up to the minute stories, prepping before they are on air and living their lives.

ANCHORWOMAN | SARINA MORALES

SPORTSCENTER @ 7AM

ATHLEISURE MAG: We see you on SportsCenter and everyone has a story of how they got to this point, can you tell us where you're from, what college you went to, what stations you came through and whether these jobs were in sports coverage or other areas?

SARINA MORALES: I’m from the Bronx, New York. Woot woot! I went to Syracuse University. Whose house? Newhouse. As for my job path, that’s a good question. I don’t even know how to answer this because mine was definitely the road less traveled. When I started at ESPN someone was like 'Oh, where did you come from?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I’m from New York City.’ And they were like, ‘No, what station did you work at?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I came from National Geographic.’  They were just like, ‘Oh … OK.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, what’s the big deal?’ But I had never progressed on the so-called natural track.

A little background: I practically moved to London after graduation because it was 2008, the market crashed and I couldn’t get a job. When I came back to New York, I applied to be Nike's field reporter. It was a new position where I would get to interview all of their Nike athletes. Ethically, traditionally, you didn’t take these jobs as a journalist. But I understood what Nike was trying to achieve, being that they’re pretty innovative and creative with the way that they approach commercials and their technology and whatnot; this was a brand actually allowing a reporter to get inside access and create content.

I worked for Nike for a little over a year. And then after Nike I applied to News Channel 12 in the Bronx thinking. 'All right, here is my moment. I'm going to get a reporting gig and start my career in journalism.' And apparently that Nike job hurt me in a sense. They thought it was branded. They were like, ‘Well, you’ve interviewed all these celebrities, why would you want to work in local television?’ I was like, 'because I want to grow my work as a reporter and I want to start my career in sports.’ They said no and I ended up working at an investment bank to pay the bills.

The path from there was disjointed: Sideline reporter for Verizon Fios on the side, covering high school basketball in Staten Island. Then TruTV as a digital coordinator where I worked on shows like ‘Impractical Jokers,’ which was super fun, but I had limited job growth.

A year after working at TruTV, I came to a crossroads where I had an offer from CNN’s new morning show as a production assistant and an offer from National Geographic Channel as a social media coordinator at the same time. It was a risk for me to turn down the CNN job, because again, since graduating from Syracuse, all I wanted to do was to be a sports reporter, and yet, something in my gut told me to take the job with Nat Geo. So I moved to Washington D.C. 

At the time, the VP who oversaw the marketing department said to me, ‘Listen, I know you want to work in sports, I know you want to be a sports reporter and be on TV, but I think you can find some fulfillment in this position. If you can work in sports in this job, do it. If you can do so some on-camera work and do interviews, then do it.’ So I did just that. I would tweet from the Nat Geo Wild account on Sundays like, ‘All right, the Chicago Bears aren’t playing all that well, but we’ve got real bears playing really well on Nat Geo Wild.’ 

I looked at the job so differently. I was helping grow the social media accounts for their Sunday programming.

In the year and a half I was with them, I was promoted from a temporary, to full-time social media coordinator, and ended up being a manager of the social media accounts at Nat Geo. I worked on the Nat Geo ‘90s special, I grew their Facebook page on Nat Geo Wild from 300,000 followers to 6 million in just over a year that I was there.

I was just so fully involved in the social media job at Nat Geo that people were like, ‘Let’s give Sarina some opportunities to host the talent show. Let’s give Sarina the opportunity to be the face of this ‘Explorers’ contest.’ And it was that contest that caught the eye of Rob King at SportsCenter at ESPN. He brought me in for an interview. He saw that video I did for Nat Geo because I uploaded it to YouTube.

And ESPN, what great timing, kind of saw that I had some value with my background in social media, my background in journalism and my background in sports that that would be a really good combination to come and work at ESPN.

So, no stations, just a lot of random jobs that kind of made me a good fit for ESPN.

AM: Were you an athlete in college and if so - what sport?

SM: So, I never made it to the collegiate level playing softball or baseball or volleyball - I played those throughout highschool. But I did play baseball in the Bronx for 10 years growing up. From age 7 to 17, I played. You know, at first it’s cute, right? There’s a little girl playing and there might be a few sprinkled around the league out of an 8-10 team league. There were fewer and fewer of them as I got older. By the time I was 14 there were two and they were both on the same team – it was me and this other girl. And then 15, 16, 17 I was on my own. I played in a league outside of my highschool.

I thought I was going to play college softball until I popped my hamstring my junior year, which is usually when athletes get recruited to go to college. I practiced with the baseball team at DeWitt Clinton High School my junior and senior years. So I was practicing with the baseball team, playing on the softball team. I came back and I had a really strong senior year playing softball, so I got looked at by other colleges, but no D-1 schools. At that point, I realized that if an injury like this can come pretty easily and take me out for a season, then I really need to focus on academics. So no, I never played college-level softball, but my dream before really focusing on journalism was to become the first female to play for the Yankees. I was going to take Bernie Williams’ spot in centerfield for the Yankees. It didn’t happen, so I went to Newhouse instead.

AM: When did you first realize that you loved sports and how did you know that that would be a career for you?

SM: The first time I realized I loved sports was – I can’t remember the precise day – I guess I was 5- or 6-years old and I was watching Saturday morning cartoons with my father. I was sitting on the couch with him. Usually, my mom would kick me off the couch and have me go play Legos or whatever after Saturday morning cartoons were done because she didn’t want us watching TV all day. My dad would stay though, because on weekends they would have afternoon Yankee games – Saturday or Sunday 1 o’clock games. So one day, I sat next to him and stayed. I was like, ‘I’m not going to move. I’m going to see what’s going on. I’m going to sit on the couch with Pa.' It was good family time, so maybe my mom decided to not kick me off the couch. Once I realized I what I had achieved, I was like, ‘All right. I beat the system. This is good.’ The wise 5-6 year old in me hung out watching baseball with him, and naturally, I just started asking questions. The inquisitive mind wanted to know: ‘What’s that white thing called?’ And he’s like, ‘That’s a base.’ And I was like, ‘What does that do?’ And he was like, ‘Look at this 5-year old child asking random questions.’ I was like, ‘Who is No. 23?’ He goes, ‘Oh, that’s Don Mattingly!'

I asked him enough questions and I beat the system to where on weekends I was always sitting down after cartoons and watching afternoon Yankees games with my dad.  So it was great that after a couple of summers my dad was like, ‘Maybe I should put my daughter on a team.’ 

I caught this one ball that was hit to me one game and I earned my spot in leftfield for the first baseball team I played for. We won the championship my first year playing baseball for the Marlins. It was the best feeling to win and to beat everyone and know we were the best team. The best feeling was the smell of the grass, dirtying my white pants and putting stirrups on and kind of started to learn superstitions. I had to have my stirrups washed with my socks laid out before the game a certain way. My dad would buy me new cleats almost every season and I had to have my batting glove on one hand and not the other. It was the best feeling in the world to have that ball, catch it where the glimpse of sun would hit it as it falls into your leather glove. It’s just the best feeling. And that awesome summer breeze and the ice cream truck music would play and people would be shouting different things. You’d see people peeking through the metal fence to watch at Harris Field in the Bronx. I just fell in love with it. There’s nothing better than the noises and the smells and when that ball connects with that bat and the timing is just right, when you’re using aluminum bats, that clink is both scary and then exciting. Because it's like, OK, you're either running to catch that ball in the outfield and diving to make the best catch ever or you’re the one making that contact and you know it’s going to drop in the perfect spot and you’re going to get to second base. So, I knew by 6- 7-years old that I wanted to be in sports somehow.

The career was going to be, Bernie Williams, see you later: Here comes Morales, starting center field for the Yankees. I still didn’t decide on a walk-up song or anything.

AM: Even in 2017 we still focus on women in media - especially in sports and how we continue to break barriers - where are we in our journey as a collective?

SM: I think we’re in the middle somewhere. The norm is now a woman is allowed to be on TV and talk about sports. And that is something that is becoming more normal. But it's all forward-facing jobs. I’m just seeing at ESPN us getting female producers. It is becoming normal to see two female anchors hosting SportsCenter together. Forget what tweets they’re going to receive and the criticism that they’re getting, it is something at least more normal and accepted. It’s funny, a friend of mine said the other day that we had hyped up a lot having four females on ‘Around the Horn’ for the first time ever this year, in 2017. And we hyped it up. It’s a big deal. And it is. It’s a huge deal to have four females being guests on Around the Horn. But we are in 2017. So we’re definitely not to the point where it’s normal to have that, which is absolutely ridiculous with the amount of females covering sports now. Forward-facing talent, we’re getting there. I don’t think we’re anywhere close to equality in terms of  
we're still going to see all the criticism.
We’re still going to get more comments about our looks than about what we're actually saying an the words that we use. I don’t think you really hear a lot of women doing play-by-play.

The producers, people who are making business decisions and higher up producers making larger content decisions, I don’t think there’s been a lot of opportunity for women there. And until there is someone that breaks that mold, the first person that does it is going to have the most difficult time. I'm so impressed by someone like Linda Cohn or Chris McKendry or Robin Roberts, Hannah Storm and Suzy Kolber - these women were pioneers. It's just so difficult, I can’t even imagine. But they made it so that it is normal for me to be on SportsCenter. Which is crazy. It’s just the generation before. So, I would say we’re in the middle if not lower middle. Low meaning we haven’t gotten anywhere and high meaning this is the best and it’s equal all around. So we’re not there yet. We’ve made improvements, but women in sports media are far from the norm.

AM: Who were your mentors that assisted you in getting to where you are today? 

SM: I would say I have two mentors, now three. But my first was Harold Tamara. I interned for him while I was at Syracuse. Harold did not go to Syracuse, but I worked with him in digital media one summer when I was in school and he was so supportive as a mentor because he pushed me to think critically. He was the one who told me to get on Twitter. He was like, ‘If you want to do storytelling, then here’s another vehicle for you to do storytelling.’ He put me on to do interviews for different digital projects that he was working on and he just took chances on me. He showed me so much respect and taught me to think in unconventional ways. He pushed me to go study abroad. He pushed me to think critically, to think ethically. And so, Harold long term is still a mentor to me today. He’s helped me when I think about stories. He’s helped me when I did an interview with Laurie Hernandez recently. He talked me through the piece that I wrote for The Undefeated.

Another mentor is Hayes Tauber who was one of the people that hired me at National Geographic. He said, ‘Take the job at National Geographic. Be the social media coordinator here and then move up and make the space that you need and make the job that you need it to be so that you feel fulfilled and we can help you grow personally.’ And right now, Adnan Virk who is on ESPN is another mentor to me. He’s the one who has kind of made sure that I’m meeting with the right people at ESPN. He’s being critical of my work and giving me support when he thinks I've done well and talks me through questions that I’ve had being new in the journalism space – or I should say ‘conventional’ journalism space – because I when I look back at my work, I’ve been practicing certain aspects of journalism this whole time. It just wasn’t conventional. He’s been very supportive here at ESPN.

It’s funny that it’s been three men who have made the most impact but I’ve said this many times before, I think women can’t be their own cheerleaders because we’re fighting for our own selves to make space. I can say that Linda Cohn has certainly been a mentor to me in giving me advice here and there, but for long-term purposes it’s been three different men and again, that’s critical because those are the
guys who can speak up for women because they have a voice that women don’t have still.

AM: SportsCenter is such an iconic show - tell us about what you do, your time slot and what's a day like on an off the set?

SM: My job for the last year at ESPN has been co-hosting on SportsCenter A.M. with Kevin Negandhi, Jay Harris, Jaymee Sire and the newest and very valued member, Randy Scott.  So there are five of us on the show. It's been a year now, or just over a year, of being a part of that show and working with great producers like Mark Eiseman; Heath Henry – he’s the CP of the show; Scott Clark helped us launch the show.

It was the first time we ever did such an early SportsCenter. It will be part of SportsCenter and ESPN history and that is such a big deal. So, every day I wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning. I get ready and I’m in to work between 4 and 4:30 in the morning and I’m looking at the rundowns. It’s a three-hour show, so there’s a lot of stuff that needs to get in there, but we get to digest and break down the bigger stories in sports, which is great.

Plus, we’re the first SportsCenter that people are waking up to. We used to just re-air Stan Verrett and Neil Everett overnight until the 9 a.m. SportsCenter, so this is great that we’re starting at 7 a.m. I go through the rundown when I arrive and see all the stories that we’re going to talk about. I’ll write in leads to video. I’ll do some extra research for some of my shot sheets that I’ll use to talk through highlights. If there are things that aren’t in there, this is the time before the show to question it. Like, ‘Hey, overnight I saw X, Y, Z …’ There was a day that Simone Manuel became the First African American female swimmer to win a gold medal in swimming at the Olympics. To me that was a huge deal. Yet her story wasn’t in the top of the show and I felt strongly about her being on the top of the show so that was something that we had a discussion about after she won. Michael Phelps had also won his Xth gold medal, but at the time I thought that was really important, her making history. There was a time when you had segregated pools, now you have this woman, the first black woman to win a gold medal for team U.S.A. in the Olympics. I felt like that was so important and needed to be in the top of the show because, again, as SportsCenter, as the first show in the morning, we set the tone for everyone else in sports that day and to have that understanding  is important. We have to really hold ourselves accountable to set the tone for the rest of the sports day. So, it's a great position to be in. I suggested the story, we got that in. So that is the first part of the day. From 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. it's working on the show and executing all of that on the show. After that, we have a post-show meeting. I might have some meetings that will take me to maybe noon and then I’ll go home and take care of my personal life and naps and start my work day, again, at 6 o’clock, 7 o’clock at night where I regroup with the producers on a big e-mail chain about who is going to be on our show the next day. I put on the TV, I watch SportsCenter or I put on whatever game I want to watch and take some notes. I go on the internet and see what stories are growing. And then whoever is our guest that day, I’ll put together some questions for them. So we start the production process overnight and we have a great overnight crew that also puts in stories. They’re watching games for us if we’re not up to watch them. So the workday is broken into two parts. It’s a long day and it takes a lot of work, but because we have such a great crew and everyone is working and putting into the show, it kind of makes you feel like the work that you do matters.

AM: How do you juggle your personal life against the demands of ever changing news?

SM: It’s super difficult to juggle the two and I’m really bad at juggling, so there’s that. It’s really about the people that you keep around you. So luckily for me, Jaymee Sire being on the show with me is one my first friends that I had at ESPN. ESPN is such a huge company. There’s about 4,000 people just on the Bristol campus alone so being where you’re working, a lot of people just end up being friends with people at work. And at that point, there’s an understanding of, ‘Sarina is getting up to work at 3 in the morning, she can’t go have dinner with us.’ That’s a basic understanding. Dating is very difficult. I think that finding someone who works in sports and understands sports has been extremely valuable to me and also we can talk about everything.

Dating someone who understands my job and the demands has made it a lot easier because if that wasn’t the case, I’d be pretty miserable. My family, my mother has been super supportive. She’ll watch the show from her phone. My boyfriend wakes up every morning to watch the show and watch it with me, almost. As he wakes up, he watches it and gives me feedback on things throughout the three hours. If he sees something that he thinks works for the show, he’ll send it to me overnight. So having someone who knows the workload, who understands the sports world, who understands my job makes it a lot easier to then fit in those personal spots in the rest of my life. It’s so much more clear and easy. And again, having Jaymee, who is one of my closest friends here and at ESPN, to work with her Monday through Friday, to have our dinners on Wednesday nights, once a week we meet up and just kind of hash out and relax and the understanding of, ‘Hey, let’s have dinner at 4 o’clock,’ is not an odd thing to request because we’re both on the same schedule. So it’s really about the people that you keep in your life and those people have been very, very, very supportive. I couldn’t do all of these things without supportive people. That has made my life so much better and made my career and my career growth stronger in a lot of ways because I’ve had people who are strong for me when I can’t be.

AM: Who are your favorite teams?

SM: Oh, easy. The Yankees, Bronx Bombers, let’s go, pinstripes. The Knicks, which has been tough over the years but I always brag about the ‘90s Knicks with Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason (R.I.P. to Anthony Mason) and Ewing and Starks, that team, what the Knicks did for me was just taught me to just be such a hustler and to work hard. Just that mentality of New York. And the Yankees have always been an example of how to win. Being a kid and a Yankees fan, it taught me the winning mentality of you can be down in the ninth inning and win the World Series if you have Mariano Rivera pitching for you. So I learned a winning mentality from the Yankees. The hustler in me is definitely from the New York Knicks.

And the Giants, they’re just a stress factor, but it makes the football season really interesting. And obviously, clearly, probably the most influential team in my later years is the Syracuse basketball team. My eyes were drawn after the 2003 NCAA championship that they won. I applied to Syracuse in 2003 and it was apparently the hardest year to get into Syracuse, the year that I got in, because everyone applied and everyone wanted to go to Syracuse after winning a basketball title. So that was huge for me. Syracuse Basketball, another stress in my life, but for the better and going to the Final Four last year was such a great experience. Syracuse basketball keeps me busy all year round.

AM: March Madness is here - what's that like and how does it affect your normal day to day as you head into the office?

SM: March Madness is the greatest thing that’s ever touched the world of sports, besides the Yankees. I love March. It’s my favorite month. It’s one of those things where you just never know what’s going to happen. The games are exciting. I love watching these Cinderella teams trying to make their way to the second rounds, to the Sweet 16, to the Elite Eight. And it’s one-game elimination. It’s a genius, genius way to get basketball fans excited. The Thursdays and Fridays that they have all the games, that weekend, it’s great to work at ESPN, because I usually would have to take off from work for those days to watch all those games and now everybody has got a TV at their desk. You can just watch these games and it’s been so great to work at ESPN where everyone will have their TVs on. Everyone will watch them around lunchtime in the cafeteria so it’s like a joint force of excitement. People are all watching like, ‘Oh! Put on this one! This game is crazy! Oh, this one is close!’ There’s always a buzzer beater. There’s always one where it’s like, ‘How did this one happen?’ I had Michigan State last year going to the Final Four and with them losing in the first round, it made me feel a lot better about life because even though my bracket was messed up, then Syracuse had a shot of actually making it to the Final Four. So, it’s just so great. It makes my job more interesting and I’m very grateful to have the job because I get to watch sports and this is like the best time of the year to watch sports.

I actually went down to Brooklyn to take over the Syracuse social media accounts for the ACC Tournament. So here’s an example of this time of year making my job a little stressful. I went on SportsCenter that morning at the normal time, so got in at 4-4:30, did the show, left at 10 a.m. and drove over two hours to Brooklyn to watch Syracuse play Miami and I did a Syracuse Athletics Snapchat takeover, being the super fan that I am. I got to take in the game and be a storyteller again and that was a cool perspective, because I was able to panic for my team as well as show what panic looked on other fans’ faces as well. And then after the game, I had an even longer drive back to Connecticut to do the show the next day, I mean, I worked a very, very long 16-hour day to take in college hoops, but it’s so worth it. To be there live, that was a close game Syracuse had against Miami. We lost, but seeing Jim Boeheim at the press conference after the game and hearing typical Jim Boeheim comments, it was all great, it was all worth it. And it was fun to be able to do storytelling again via Snapchat.

AM: For this feature, we included Dianna and Toni - how much, if at all do you cross paths in terms of being on set, working on projects etc?

SM: Dianna works in the evenings, and Toni works on the shows right after I do. So it’s sort of like me and then Toni and then Dianna as far as like the timeslots. So because of that, I don’t have opportunities to work with them directly on any specific projects, but it is nice that we can throw support at each other. I tossed to a great piece that Toni Collins worked on just the other day, with the Dominican Republic World Baseball Classic team and how important that team is to the community and raising money and just the community feeling good about themselves as something that gives the community hope. After the show she walked past me in the hallway and said, ‘Hey, thanks for promoting my piece.’ I was like, ‘Absolutely.’ Again, we don’t get to work on projects necessarily, but we can support each other, because it’s a rolling day. At least we have it spread out. It’s not like they threw all the women together in one time of the day. We’re spread out so we can take the day and support each other throughout a 24-hour period.

AM: During our shoot, we shot you guys working out - tell us about your workout routine and how you stay fit? What are 3 exercises that we should do for tones arms, abs and legs? 

SM: It’s difficult for me to work out with these hours because I used to wake up and work out first thing in the morning. But because the sun isn’t out, I don’t run outside before work. So after work I’ll usually try to get in a run. Especially during spring and summer, I’ll run outside. I did two half marathons last year. I can’t even count anymore, how many half-marathons I’ve run. I ran the New York City Marathon I think four years ago. So, running is my escape and it kind of fills  the competitive void that I have, that I used to satiate playing baseball. Running for me has been a great sport that I’ve found that I can work on individually. I’m trying to pick up golf and I’ve been doing a lot of yoga in the early evenings. So I say a mixture of yoga and running have been my two things that I do to keep in shape and to keep mentally healthy as well. I think those two sports are good for both. I also go to the batting cages, too. You can find me in New Britain hitting 80mph balls on a good day.
 

Three things that I do: For legs, I would start with any squat. I’m big on squats. So, jumping squats or something with a weight, holding a dumbbell and doing a squat. Sitting in a chair position I think is great. Or any kind of jumping in general I’m big on for your legs, because it also exhausts the rest of your body. You’re getting your heart rate up. Another all-body workout is jumping rope. I’ll even do it in front of the TV in my apartment while I’m watching a game.

For abs, I do an elevated crunch. So I just balance myself on either a Bosu ball or a place where I need to keep my balance and then do a crunch that way. I think planks are great for that as well and a lot of workouts that I do for my legs and my arms also I use my core to keep myself balanced. So if I do a squat on a Bosu ball, then I’m also working on my core in that way. So I think a lot of the workouts that I do are core focused, even if I’m not doing a crunch of some sort. I also think yoga is really good for my core as well.

For my arms, I’ll do pushups on a Bosu ball. Those are great. Or with a medicine ball, doing one-handed pushups. They’re awesome. Again, I think they help the core a lot.

AM: Who do you like to listen to when you work out vs when you're out and about?

SM: When I work out, I usually try to listen to – depending on the run I do – it might be something really calm like Coldplay or it might be something really high energy, like we’re going Jay-Z or we’re going home. But it depends on the day and the mood I’m in. If I’m out and about, if I’m driving on a long road trip or something, I usually try to put on a podcast. I know a lot of people listen to podcasts when they work out. I have a hard time doing it because I just want to kind of zone out and hyper focus on my breathing. But I do love to put some really good high-energy music on when I’m using weights. If I go for a long run or in yoga, obviously, I’ll do something that’s a little more mellow so I’ll zone out. There’s been a couple races, like I’ve done four-mile races, where I’ve literally played the same song on repeat the whole time just to help me reset and go back into this zone of hyper focus. Music is very helpful for me when I work out, so if anyone has new music to send me, I’ll gladly accept.

AM: You're always on the move, what do you eat for great energy to keep you going and what do you love to splurge on?

SM: The secret to success is overnight oats. It’s awesome and for me is also good because I’m allergic to wheat. So I get gluten-free oats and again, because I’m so tired in the mornings when I wake up, the most I can do is make my coffee. So I don’t really want to think about making anything else or preparing in the morning. So with overnight oats I'll get some gluten-free oatmeal and I’ll pour in either soy milk or coconut milk, rice milk, really any type of milk that you want to use, and pour that in with the oats and put some honey, cinnamon, some nutmeg and some vanilla for taste and I'll let that sit overnight in my fridge, and in the morning if I have some raspberries or blueberries I’ll throw that on top and put it in a mason jar and just put the cap on it and take it with me and eat it when I get to work. So that’s a very easy breakfast. It’s filling, it’s healthy, I’ll put some chia seeds or flax seeds in the overnight oats as well, and it tastes good. I’ll eat that a lot in the morning and that kind of gets me through the show at least. Because I’m up and I forget to eat sometimes. I’m waking up at 3 o’clock in the morning and I’m working until 10. That’s 7-8 hours and you’re eating one meal. So for me, that’s super helpful because it’s filling and I try to start my appetite as soon as possible so I can get into a routine of not eating too late or overeating at one part of the day. So I would say that’s the key.

My splurge? Definitely French fries. I have a major problem with French fries. They’re the best thing that man has created. And I’m not using a hyperbole statement here. French fries are amazing. All of them. You got the steak fries that are great. Curly fries – shoutout to the curly fries that were big in the ‘90s. I love sweet potato fries. Who doesn’t want a sweet potato with a nice garlic aioli? Fries are great. They’re really great. A salted potato? You can’t go wrong.

AM: We see you on air - what would you say your style is on set versus when you're out and about with friends?

SM: Style on air, I try to keep it classy, San Diego. I try and also have my unique spin to my clothing. So I love jumpsuits.  It’s freezing in studio, nobody knows this because people seem so warm on air, but we are freezing in studio. Some of the guys don’t get cold the way women do. So, I try and wear pants a lot, which apparently is very unique for people who watch television and are used to seeing women wearing dresses – just check my @ mentions. So I try to change it up and wear more pants. Pocket Square Fridays are my favorite days, not just because it’s Friday but I get to wear a suit and kind of add my own personal touch with the pocket square which I also don't think you see on TV too much.

But, you know, it’s just as classy as possible. I don’t try to distract the audience by what I’m wearing versus what I’m saying. I wear a lot of black but I know I need to wear more color. And then off camera, the first thing I thought about is my camo T-shirt. There’s this one camo T-shirt that I bought at a London thrift shop when I lived there in 2008 or ’09 and I still have that shirt almost 10 years later. It’s like one of my favorite shirts. But like a camo T-shirt, some jeans and a pair of really cool kicks, that’s like a classic put-together outfit for me. A lot of black but there’s always a splash of color. There’s some pop of color that I’ll add to my outfit. But I try to keep it classic because it’s easy. When you think of the super geniuses of the world, like a Steve Jobs, he always just wore the same T-shirt and jeans. He didn’t really think too hard about what he was wearing. So I think for me that I try to get clothes where I can just take one thing, put it with another thing and they always go together no matter what two things you grab from your closet.

AM: Being able to be on ESPN's campus, we have some favorite places that allow you to truly take in sports history, where or what are your favorite spots? 

SM: I think the newsroom is cool, seeing where stories break. I was sitting in the newsroom when Tom Brady’s Deflategate suspension was upheld and the newsroom went crazy. I think I heard one person scream. So to think about all the news stories that have gone through that newsroom over the years in Building 4, that to me is super cool. ESPN has with its reputation that if a big story breaks, people are putting on ESPN. Just the way that they’ll put on a CNN or an ABC or NBC, ESPN is the place to get breaking news in sports. So I think that’s really cool to walk into the newsroom sometimes and see all the different anchors and knowing that I'm part of this history. That’s a really good, cool feeling.

AM: What's your favorite story that you worked on?

SM: I guess my story with Laurie Hernandez, which is more recent. There’s a couple reasons why that’s my favorite. One, my favorite thing to do is interviewing. I love it. I enjoy being an anchor on the morning shows but I just really love sitting with someone and doing an interview and doing the work behind an interview – the research and trying to think of questions they might not have been asked. Or the way I deliver the question – whether I take a pause or I add a joke, or what’s the question that’s going to get them to be like, ‘Ah, yeah, I never thought about that,’ or to get a different answer. That’s a cool puzzle to solve as a reporter.

I had an opportunity to interview Laurie Hernandez right after her Olympic run down in Brazil and the success that she had. She was a success story out of New Jersey, she was a Latina. I felt like I could relate to. So I got to do a sit-down interview with her and her mom and her dad for a feature for One Nación, the special that we had on ESPN. It was her family story and the pride and the support that was poured into this young woman, this athlete. It really made an impact the way that you see these athletes as singular magical creatures, like superheroes. But the superhero can't be super without the support and I talked about that with her family. Her mom and dad put all their energy towards her because that was what they saw – she had a special gift. And her brother and her sister, the modesty and the lack of jealousy or anything on her family’s part to see how much she wanted to be an Olympian was inspiring. What an impressive thing.

To be an Olympian, to be a great athlete, to be these superheroes that we see in sports, that we idolize, there’s so much happening behind that one person. You can’t be that person without the support group. So for me, that was a really powerful story because that family didn’t come from money, that family’s superpower was the love that they had for Laurie and to see that firsthand was powerful for me because I felt like in some ways me becoming a SportsCenter anchor was the result of all of the love that my family had given to me.

The second part of why this is my favorite thing I’ve worked on is because I got to do a writing component that came to me during the interview and it was based on a question that I had put together from observations that I had made with Gabby Douglas and some of the racist comments and critical comments fans and media made towards Gabby when it came to her being a black female athlete and her hair and the way that she carried herself, or for not smiling. So I asked Laurie about the criticism that Gabby got and her observations there and how that impacted her as a teammate and did she also receive criticism in a similar way being the only Latina that was on that Olympic team. And she said to me that people were critical of her because she didn’t speak Spanish and they said she was a ‘fake’ Puerto Rican. And to me, that again touched something, a personal spot for me because I didn’t grow up speaking Spanish – except with my grandparents. My  dad was made fun of when he moved from Puerto Rico to New York City, because he couldn’t speak English. So the first thing that my dad did was to make sure that I spoke English so that I wouldn’t be made fun of. Which is pretty sad when you think about it, right? Couldn’t we be bilingual? I would probably be way more bilingual had my dad taught me the language that he knew first, but he was made fun of as a kid. 

For me, I still identify as being Latina. I still identify with Colombians and with Puerto Ricans. My family culture and traditions are something that’s really important to me and that make me feel safe. A good plate of Titi Glady’s rice and beans and pasteles is the most comforting meal I could have. So for her to be criticized for being a fake Puerto Rican when I myself am not necessarily fluent, it hurt me. So I was able to pitch this idea as Laurie being a fake Puerto Rican to The Undefeated and I had a writing component to the interview, which I thought was great. So to be able to stretch my skillset a little more and do a longer form writing piece was challenging but something that now I want to do more of because I was able to do that with the Laurie Hernandez interview.

AM: Do you do any charities/philanthropy?

SM: I donate a lot of clothes – except for the camouflage T-shirt that I have – but I donate.  Also, I volunteer myself to speak to students on a regular basis, which I kind of forget that I do because it happens so frequently. Some student will say, ‘Hey, can I send you an e-mail?’ or, ‘Can I call you to ask you questions about your career?’ This probably happens now once a week where I’ll gladly take 30 minutes to an hour out of my day to talk to a student if it's going to help them with their career and give them some insight to the business. I speak to Syracuse students.  I’m going to probably two or three career days in the Bronx this year and I also read to younger students recently for National Reading Day at a local school in Bristol. And then Habitat for Humanity, I volunteered with that group to help Katrina victims when I was a student at Syracuse. So I’ve continued to work with that group. I donate money to Planned Parenthood. Also, the Red Cross, during Hurricane Sandy, that was something I was part of with that group to help people that didn’t have electricity or food nearby, I brought food to those communities in Brooklyn who were hit hard by the hurricane. I’ve continued to work with the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity since those two tragedies.

AM: Please share anything that you feel you'd like to share!

SM: Sports is life. In sports, it’s a team effort. And if you don’t play on a team, you’re still part of a community. Even when I’m running by myself, I feel like I’m part of a running community. When I run past someone on a trail, I wave to them because I can relate to a community of other people who are running. The real ‘runner’s hi.’ So there’s that. And on teams, you obviously have community. Looking at the way that sports and outside influences like politics have all sort of intersected, it makes you think about the American dream where we’re supposed to have this idea where you make it on your own. I think that if you look at what sports tells us and shows us, clearly the most successful people don’t do anything on their own.

And when you look at women in this industry, you can’t do it on your own. When you look at winning a World Series or an NBA title or anything, you can’t do it on your own and I think that's a really strong lesson that sports has taught me.

As strong as you can be mentally,  the strength that comes to you, whether it’s an opposing team or to fight the institutionalized barriers that are set in place, whether you’re a minority or a woman or whatever it is that keeps you from getting a job or something, if you look at the foundation of sports, it’s about community and being supported, and we need to think about that when we look at other facets of the world.

I also think sports teaches us that while in the outside world we’re supposed to be so good with multi-tasking, if you focused on one thing you would do more justice to that one thing and do better in the bigger picture if you were able to do one thing really great. So, again, hyper focus with sports, you can’t play the field and you can’t hit at the same time. I think that there are a lot of lessons that we can apply in our daily lives and we can learn from any game, whether it be football or baseball or basketball or track or whatever.

The ideas of community, of work ethic, of leadership, of support, of being mentally and physically healthy and challenging yourself to what’s the next thing – setting goals. I think people don’t take sports so seriously, but if you look at the power that sports gives us as something to cheer for, even if you don’t play it, it gives communities hope that they can be supported by this team. There are heroes created. I don’t think athletes think enough about the impact that they create on their communities and how important that is because you give hope to the next generation. I think sports, and covering it, has been a real blessing because the foundation, the fundamentals of what any sport is, Sports are really the fundamentals that we should be applying to our daily lives.

ANCHORWOMAN TONI COLLINS

SPORTSCENTER @ 11AM

AM: We see you on SportsCenter and everyone has a story of how they got to this point, can you tell us where you're from, what college you went to, what stations you came through and whether these jobs were in sports coverage or other areas?

TONI COLLINS: So it's been a quick journey, but a fun one so far and God willing a long one! I went to the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. I played soccer there, majored in Media Communications with a minor in Sports Management. After college I found it hard to get a job so I interned at Univision in Miami, where I did everything from interning with their special events departments that mainly includes their TV Specials. But it wasn’t fancy haha, it was printing papers, umbrella holding for stars, getting coffee, transcribing interviews. Then I got moved to the networks magazine show Primer Impacto as an intern… and their reality show Nuestra Belleza Latina followed. I was there for about six months because I had applied at a sports radio station in Tampa and got the job! I was a board operator for almost 6 months. I had an opportunity to cover the Superbowl that year in Tampa, as well as the local Pro and college sports.

In the meantime I made a fake demo with several stand ups and sent it to several stations. Mcallen, TX local Univision and Fox station hired me off that! So I packed my bags, not knowing anyone and moved to Mcallen. I was there for 2 ½ years. I couldn’t have asked for a better first market. I covered it all! From Drug busts, murders, immigration stories, daily border stories, weather, sports. I reported for both the local Univision show at 5pm and 10 and the Fox newscast at 9. I also became the anchor for Fox toward the latter part of my time there.  While in Mcallen, an opening for Univisions' local Dallas sports anchor opened. I auditioned and was hired by Martha Katan.

That was by far also the best year of my life. 2011. Dallas Mavericks went to the NBA Finals and won it! In baseball the Rangers went to the World Series, and even though we lost, it was an unforgettable journey to cover the team and the local beat in the DFW area.
 
During that year, Univision Network launched their sports network and allowed local anchors to audition. I did and got that job. We launched the sports network and I was there for about a year. Then ESPN, my dream, called me to audition. I didn’t do so well the first time, but they gave me hope. At my second audition months later, they told me I could have potential in English, mind you my whole career for the most part has been reporting, anchoring and writing in Spanish. It was an opportunity I could not pass up so I said yes and came aboard on the digital side of ESPN. After 2 years I was “called up” as I like to see it hehe to do updates on the TV side. It’s been a year, but every day I keep learning and trying to get better and do well in English with the opportunities that come my way.
 
AM: Were you an athlete in college and if so - what sport?

TC: I was! I played soccer all my life. Had the chance to play for the Mexican Women’s National team U19  and for my college Mount Union.

AM: When did you first realize that you loved sports and how did you know that that would be a career for you?
 

TC: From the first day I played soccer. Probably when I was 10. It’s a feeling I can’t describe when it's you and the soccer ball and you can create opportunities, score, or hear the cheers and especially make my parents proud. Career wise, I knew I wanted it from way way back. I grew up in a newsroom. My mom is an anchor and reporter and my childhood was in a newsroom or in the field with her because she couldn't find a sitter so I tagged along. You know when people say, "Oh I want to be a vet or a doctor or a policeman!" … I never had those thoughts, I have never had any other desire then to be a reporter. I saw how amazing my mom was at telling stories while growing up and what a difference one can make telling a story, it’s all I want to do and get better at that as I continue to grow with ESPN.

AM: Even in 2017 we still focus on women in media - especially in sports and how we continue to break barriers - where are we in our journey as a collective, in your opinion?

TC: I think we are making great strides! And one day, it won’t be a story or a headline. Just normal. Linda Cohn told me once, just look at everything in a positive light. It may not be perfect, it may not be fair, but its up to you to see it in a positive light and focus on that and how one handles the reality and how one can help the journey moving forward in a positive way.

AM: Who were your mentors that assisted you in getting to where you are today?

TC: I have so many in front and behind the camera. ESPN anchor/reporter Claudia Trejos. She became my mentor and friend when we worked at Univision Sports and now we are together again at ESPN…She is amazing! One of the most respected sportscasters in sports TV. Jack Obringer, he’s one of my bosses. The man is honest and bless his heart because he has to deal with me haha, but in all honesty his constant feedback from my segments, shows, and stories here at ESPN help me grow, learn, and put perspective about where I am and where I need to be to succeed.  My mother. No words will describe how much I look up to her as a professional. She is unbelievable. To this day, I don't know how she did it! She was able to raise my sister and I, be a mother, be a  professional, a wife, and a fighter.

AM: SportsCenter is such an iconic show - tell us about what you do, your time slot and what's a day like on and off the set.

TC:  Yeah! I do updates for the SportsCenter show Coast to Coast from 11-Noon. I also am a reporter for both ESPN in English and ESPNDeportes. A typical day starts at 6:30 and ends around 3pm. However, so many things pop up such as meetings or if I’m working on a story and we voice and edit etc. Also I do some of the Voice Overs for the Sports Center out of LA so squeeze recording those during the week. I have so much fun reading those haha “SportsCenter brought to you by…”

AM: How do you juggle your personal life (dating/marriage, friends, family and personal time) against the demands of ever changing news?

TC: Well if we are honest. It’s tough. Dating is non existent haha and its ok! It’s a blessing in disguise right now as I’m trying to grow and learn the most I can. If I'm not at work, I’m with my girlfriends from here at ESPN, Griselda Ramirez and Alexis Nunes or my friend from back in the day in Mcallen, TX who lives in NYC a drive away, Janice Perez. That’s on weekends, but they are the balance I need from work, thank God for them!

Family wise it’s tough, but thankfully my mom being in the same field understands I can’t make it for holidays or birthdays etc. I try to go home every 5 months or she tries to come up, but she’s also so busy!
 

AM: We know you love Barcelona for soccer, who are your other favorite teams?

TC: Barcelona for life because of my father. He was from Cataluña and loved Barcelona, he passed away a couple of years ago so Barca means so much more than just a team. I do love the Steelers, Texas Rangers, Club Leon from Liga MX .. For hockey I’m totally on the band wagon and I’ll admit it, but I’m a Maple Leafs fan! I’m Mexican American and their star rookie Auston Matthews is as well. I find it so freaking awesome he is dominating a sport not really associated with Mexico. It’s so cool to see how all the sacrifices he and his family have gone through are paying off! 

AM: For this feature, we included you, Dianna, and Sarina - how much, if at all do you cross paths in terms of being on set, working on projects etc?

TC: I get to see Sarina more because we cross paths when I go in for makeup. She is typically done with her show and I’m just heading in. Dianna, I  always catch her doing her thing on SportsCenter! I wish we got to spend more time together, but given our schedules its so hard! So when we do have the time it’s always a blast! Like this one! It was so much fun to spend time, laugh and catch up!
 
AM: During our shoot, we shot you guys working out - tell us about your workout routine and how you stay fit? What are 3 exercises that we should do for toned arms, abs and legs?

TC: Oh man I’m so bad on my own I have help form a trainer. Nate Pagan. Bless his heart too because he’s got quite the task! Hahaha For legs, squats and deadlifts are a must. For abs, we religiously do hollow holds and planks, and for arms, simple and to the point…. bicep curls and tricep extensions.
 
AM: What do you like to listen to when you work out vs when you're out and about?

TC: When I work out, I love to listen to fun, fast paced music. When I’m out believe it or not. Spanish and country music is a must! I’m a Latina country girl for sure! haha

AM: You're always on the move, what do you eat for great energy to keep you going and what do you love to splurge on?

TC: I always have a Quest Bar or a bag 

AM: You're always on the move, what do you eat for great energy to keep you going and what do you love to splurge on?

TC: I always have a Quest Bar or a bag of almonds on me. I tend to go to the cafeteria too to see if they have snacks or a piece of fruit. I am Latina therefore I love carbs haha, love love love bread, so combine that with my love for Italian food and I splurge on pizza! Give me pizza and I will love you forever!
 
AM: We see you on air - what would you say your style is on set versus when you're out and about with friends?

TC: Off camera I’m very chill. Steelers/Rangers/Mavs/Barcelona cute shirts and jeans. Love my Adidas sneakers too. When I'm on air, I tend to do a ton of dresses. It’s really hard for me with style because I’m such a tomboy. I really count on my mom still to help me out. She has such style! Its amazing and love what she picks out for me. But yeah I live in dresses and heels on tv and off tv sneakers tshirts and jeans.
 
AM: What's your favorite story that you worked on?

TC: So far it has to be the one I just finished in the Dominican Republic called Striking Out Poverty. Water is the primary need of the poorest communities in the most rural areas of the Dominican Republic. Growing up in the small modest town of Villa Mella, Pittsburgh Pirates’ Gregory Polanco is well aware of what the needs are in his home country. Polanco is one of 40 Major League Baseball players who have partnered with “Striking Out Poverty,” a campaign launched by the organization “Food for the Hungry” to raise nearly a million dollars to help nine of the poorest communities in the Dominican.
 

ANCHORWOMAN DIANNA RUSSINI

SPORTSCENTER @ 7pm or 9pm

AM: We see you on SportsCenter and everyone has a story of how they got to this point, can you tell us where you're from, what college you went to, what stations you came through and whether these jobs were in sports coverage or other areas?

DIANNA RUSSINI: I was born in the Bronx, New York, but eventually moved to New Jersey. I attended Northern Valley Regional at Old Tappan. I was a 4 sport athlete in high school, a decent one. I played soccer, basketball, softball and eventually ran track. My goal was to play Division One soccer. Not one school was interested. So I had a coach reach out to George Mason University to get me a tryout.  They agreed because I think they felt bad. I walked on and made the team, barely. The head coach kept me, but at the end of the season he said, "I’m just going to let you know that I am going to cut you in the fall. You’re not good, you’re too little, too skinny – you don’t have enough muscle or skills.” So I said, coach give me one more spring season before the fall season and let me try out again. That spring I gained thirty pounds of muscle and was the leading scorer on our team. That fall, I made the team and eventually earned a scholarship. It was an incredible experience. I really had no business being on that field playing with some of the most elite players that I have ever played with in my life! They’re all still my friends to this day and we all joke about how bad I was, but they were the reason I was able to rise above and push myself.  They all believed in me.

While I was in college, 9/11 happened. I was a freshman and I had only been at George Mason University, which is in Fairfax, Virginia, for about a month. My father was in Tower 1 that morning. He got out – which was a blessing. But, he drove down to Virginia to take me out of school immediately. Because at that point he was going through a lot of different emotions and I’m sure that one of them was,  let me get my family all together. So he took me out of school and we sat and watched the news for hours and hours and hours – just like many New Yorkers did. 

Everyone has stories from that day. My University  was 5 miles from the Pentagon – which was another target. It was just bad timing. I still reflect on that day and it was the worst day of my life. But I feel blessed that the people who I love were able to get out. It was a moment that I realized when I was watching the news that I had had an interest in being a journalist. I knew I liked something about reporting, but I didn’t know what it was. At that time, I was 18 or 19 and I wasn’t too sure. Then after 9/11, I knew that that was exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a local news reporter and to be like those brave reporters who were down there reporting and being a messenger to the people. Those men and women were so important that day!

The next summer, my father suggested I get an internship at Channel Seven Eyewitness New in Manhatttan. Well, I put in for an internship and you know how it goes in NYC. Everyone applies to them because here are 1,000 schools. I drove up from school after practice and I was the last one to get an interview. The assistant news director Bill McFarland who wound up giving me the internship, told me that it was because I asked great questions. I’ll never forget when they called me to tell that I got it. I knew that once I got the internship at Channel 7, because we know how good of a station that is, that everything was going to come together. They supplied me with everything I needed to become a journalist.

come together. They supplied me with everything I needed to become a journalist.

From there, I did sideline reporting in college and I had to put together a tape. Mine was awful, but this little station called News 12 hired me in Westchester County, New York. I worked there and broke a couple of crime stories. The News Director at WNBC in New York heard about me through the grapevine and inquired. I met him for dinner, we talked about my process, and my goals to be a NYC local news reporter and he said, "how would you feel if I could make your dreams come true right now?" So at the age of 24, he hired me as the youngest General Assignment Reporter in NYC – which was so cool!  A few months later, he was let go as the news director as were many of the people he hired. That’s when our sports anchor Bruce Beck suggested I get into sports. So I packed my bags and moved to Seattle, Washington and got a job there. From there I moved back to the East Coast and I went to the NBC affiliate in Connecticut and was a Sports Anchor and news reporter. While I was there the News Director from the Washington D.C.’s NBC affiliate was driving through CT, got tired, got a hotel room, flipped the news on and I was anchoring. The next day, he called my boss and said, can we hire her as a sports anchor in DC. It was good timing. WRC NBC Washington is one of the most respected local news stations in the country. I went there and a few years later, ESPN approached me about working as a SportsCenter anchor and I took the job!

AM: Even in 2017 we still focus on women in media - especially in sports and how we continue to break barriers - where are we in our journey in your opinion?

DR: We’re a little better – not great. I think the thought is, there are so many women on television or writing for newspapers/blogs in sports, it must be an even playing field now. It's not.

The respect that women receive in sports has improved in some areas, but we still have a long way to go. Here’s a concrete example. 

Two weeks ago I was in Indianapolis at the NFL combine (a place where future NFL players work out in front of coaches, owners etc). Reporters have the opportunity to get out there as well to meet with all the people that  are in the league. It’s an invaluable environment to get quality facetime with decision makers. There’s one or two steakhouses everyone hangs out in after dinner. It’s incredible, you can be standing next to Jerry Jones and Bill Belichick at the same time if you are there at the right time. One morning, I ran into a NFL head coach walking by Starbucks.  He said, "I heard you were at the steakhouse last night until 1am." I said, "yes I was, why is that an issue?" He said, "you know as a woman, it looks really bad to be out past midnight with men in the NFL." I responded with “What do you mean. Everybody is out – what are you talking about there were 100 people in there.” He said “you don’t want people assuming that you’re doing anything unprofessional. Being out late could be dangerous.” 

I could feel my face turning bright red, I was infuriated. What does staying out late have to do with being unprofessional? Dangerous? Is there a rule that networking has a curfew? I quipped back at him “because I’m a woman, I have to go home while my male competitors get the opportunity to hang out and network because they are men? Why don’t they go home! They get a few more hours in front of the coaches because they’re men? That makes zero sense to me.”

He felt bad and apologized while adding, "you always want people to respect your credibility and you never want them to think that you're getting stories any other way." Which I said, "if that is what people want to believe, that’s their problem – not mine!" Here we are in March 2017 and there are still these issues for women. I don’t blame him – it’s just part of the culture. When Adam Schefter or Chris Mortensen break a story nobody questions how they collected the information, but every time a women breaks news in sports, it’s always “what did she do to get that” and it’s unfair to women who are doing it the right way. So when you ask me to reflect on the barriers, my response is there’s still a thick one between men and women.
 
AM: Who were your mentors that assisted you in getting you to where you are today?

DR: That is probably the most important part of my journey! You are not able to be successful in this industry without great people around you. I’m really lucky because because I have many mentors for different reasons, but my family is the reason I have been
able accomplish many of my goals. I have two very different parents. My father is very cerebral, thinks things through. I then have my mother, who is a spitfire, competitive, and filled with love and personality. They have kept me grounded and focused every single
time I take another jump to another station or another level in this business. My brother and sister are both married and I have in-laws and my entire family is all-in on my career. They don't miss a SportsCenter, they watch every single show. My brother in-law follows me on Twitter to see what I am talking about and they call and text me. In terms of me, where I’m at in my career, I keep pushing it harder because if I don’t reach the goal or get to where I want to go to – I have these amazing people that I can fall back on – my family. 

AM: SportsCenter is such an iconic show - tell us about what you do, your time slot and what's a day like on and off the set?

DR: I anchor SportsCenter during the evening hours. Sometimes the 7 pm SportsCenter or the 9 pm. Those shows have tons of highlights and most games are going on during those hours. It’s our job to update the viewer when they come over to us. Most of the time, my highlights aren’t even done yet because the game isn’t done yet! So I will just give you an update on here what’s happening in the 3rd quarter for Knicks/Bucks – here’s the score and here’s what happened. So it moves – it’s the fastest moving show at ESPN. This requires you to be organized, prepared and requires you to have a free spirit. You have to be ok that it’s not going to be perfect.

Off the air, I get in hours before and I start researching the game and thinking about what the storylines are for the games going on. I work with an amazing team on how to best prepare and give the best information to the viewer for when they tune in. I'm usually on for a minimum of 2 hours and for a maximum of 4. It's a lot of live television. It kicks your butt and it makes you really good!

AM: How do you juggle your personal life (dating/marriage, friends, family and personal time) against the demands of ever changing news?

DR: Ah that’s so cute, you think I have a personal life. Just kidding. It’s a work in progress for me. My family is all in New Jersey still so I try to see them once every two weeks. I also have a great group of friends back home that keep me sane. They keep my life balanced and healthy. Also when I started at ESPN, I was introduced to another ESPN host, Cassidy Hubbarth and we became really good friends immediately. When we hang out, we talk work for 30 minutes and we’ll say, “hey I caught you last night you need to do this” or “hey I saw you last night on the sidelines at the Rockets game – I loved your interview.” It’s great to get feedback from someone I respect, but also trust. We do everything we possibly can to keep things positive and to not talk negatively about anything at ESPN. That’s really important to our friendship, being positive.

From there, we’re just Cassidy and Dianna. We text all day and both worship Jennifer Lopez. For us she embodies what we want to be: classy, powerful, successful, and cool.  When we are actually in the same city at the same time, we go out to dinner or just walk around Manhattan. I’m a better sports anchor because I met Cassidy. She also reminds me that I’m not defined by this business. It’s ok to love it and be passionate about my work – but there is also more to life. She’s a big reason why I am so happy at ESPN.

AM: Who are your favorite teams?

DR: Ok this is the worst part! I’m a die hard NY Jets fan, I'm proud to be a New York Yankees fan, I'm a Knicks Fan, and Islanders fan. I'm a new Portland Timbers fan and I'd say for women's basketball I’m a Seattle Storm fan because I love Sue Bird.  

I anchor SportsCenter during the evening hours. Sometimes the 7pm SportsCenter or the 9pm. It's our job to update the viewer when they come over to us - it's the fastest moving show at ESPN.

AM: March Madness is here - what's that like and how does it affect your normal day to day as you head into the office?

DR: This time of year makes all the hard times being a sports anchor worth it. The environment in the newsroom, on set – the energy at this time of year is at the highest! Mostly because every one has a school that has a hand in the game and you want to cheer for it. It’s a great way to show that sports is a great way to unite people. I get more excited to go to work and sometimes I don’t want to anchor because I want to watch the games! That’s always a hard thing for me, but it’s so much fun and it never gets old. It’s something you look forward to every year. I can’t wait for it to start!
 

AM: For this feature, we included you, Toni, and Sarina - how much, if at all do you cross paths in terms of being on set, working on projects etc?

DR: Not at all. That was the first time that I had seen Toni in months. Toni and Sarina are morning people and I’m a night time anchor. When Toni is getting ready for bed I’m on TV so we don’t get to see each other and so I have to make an effort when I want to see the morning people and so do they. We all get along really well and I have to say that as much as it is competitive and we want to be the best and do whatever it takes, the women of ESPN do a really good job of supporting each other and understanding that there is room for everybody. 

There is an understanding where we need to stick together as we’re not where we need to be. 

AM: During our shoot, we shot you guys working out - tell us about how you stay fit? What exercises should we do for toned arms, abs and legs?

DR: I am a big body sculpting person! I hate running – if you told me I had to run for 5 mins, I would leave the shoot – that’s how much I hate cardio! I have figured out for my body type that I have a lot of energy and I’m intense. So body sculpting is the best avenue for me. When I was in Washington DC, I did pilates reformer every single day – 7 days a week for 3 months and then it was 2-3 times a week for the rest of the year. It changed my body completely and ended up toning my body. It elongated my body, I felt taller and leaner. If there was one workout that works for me that I would share with your readers, it's Pilates Reformer – you should try and it’s addictive.

I try, because I’m so busy, to take opportunities to work in little things during my day. For example, I have to walk from the newsroom to the cafeteria – there are these long hallways and I look crazy and I don’t care sometimes – I will do lunges there, when I walk to the car in the grocery store because I won’t get a  chance to go. For me my lower body is something that I am always working on and it’s the weaker part of my body. For my upper body, my favorite workout is to row.  My back is so much stronger. As for butt workout, besides the lunges – my go to is to get down on all fours and to do the raises.

AM: I do them all the time!

DR: They’re great right? Do you want to know who taught me to work out?  My mom as she would do the raises in the kitchen when she cooked! She'd lift her leg when she was flipping pancakes.

AM: As soon as I saw you do the lifts in our shoot, it brought me back to when I was little, when I would “workout” with her and she did those! I knew your mom taught you that retro move!

DR: It’s SO retro and I’m so glad you called me out on that!

AM: What is on your playlist? 

DR: I love Beyonce – you can put any song on and I feel like I’m going to take on the world. I don’t know what it is about her music but it gets me all the time. I love The Weekend. Anything poppy will get me going. Sia songs - “The Greatest.” I listen to this as I drive into work and I’m like, “I’m going to rule the world,” anything that fires me up, high energy with great beats. I’m a big podcast person. When I’m really zoned in at work, I’m a firm believer in keeping the process going during my day. This means, I anchor at night, I wake up, get coffee, and I go to the gym and I keep the process going by listening to sports in my ear while I work out. To add balance to my life. I listen to podcasts that are not sport specific too so I know what's going on in the arts, the economy, politics, pop culture etc.

AM: You're always on the move, what do you eat for great energy?

DR: Oh wow, you’re right food is really important and I am really lucky that ESPN has a great cafeteria. I’m a big grilled vegetable/grilled salmon person. When I first started, I ate a hamburger every single day. One day, the chef said to me, young lady have you ever thought about grilled salmon? I was like why and he said, I don’t know all this beef it may not be very good for you. I had never had it before but he said I bet you’re going to love this and I did. He changed my whole diet and so now I do grilled salmon and broccoli everyday and it’s delicious. I’m a big coffee person and I have learned through friends and my mom that if there’s one key to success when it comes to diet and exercise, it’s water! Water changes your life. If there is any take away from talking to me its this DRINK WATER! I see a difference in my skin, my body, my mind - everything changes. 

AM: What would you say your style is on air versus when you're out with friends?

DR: SO my style on set is categorized as sassy fun professional sporty. I don’t want to ever distract from what I am discussing so I keep it very plain. You’re dressing yourself 5 times a week and its hard to get it right all the time! The key to TV is to wear something that doesn’t distract. Simple solid colors, dresses are always a go to for me.

AM MAR WE ARE SPORTSCENTER-21.jpg

AM: Being able to be on ESPN's campus, we have some favorite places! Where or what are your favorite spots?

DR: My favorite places – the makeup room, because the women we have on our staff are incredible. They are so talented and supportive and sometimes you just need a second to breathe! That room is just the place. Those women who I now call friends should charge for therapy! It's where most women feel comfortable and you can let your hair down. I love my coffee so Starbucks is my place and the baristas are my best friends at ESPN. I'm always rushing and on the phone and they know what I like! In the summer time, especially in CT, one of my favorite things to do is to walk from the newsroom to the cafeteria when the sun is starting to set and I love to look around and remind myself that I work at the worldwide leader. It’s the best way to recharge myself and to remind myself that this is a lucky break that I got and it’s up to me to make it into something. 

AM: What's your favorite story that you worked on?

DR: My favorite interview that I have been able to be a part of – Kelsey Plum, a women’s college basketball player. She broke the record for most points scored in a career. I got to interview her after she did it! Her grace, humility and awareness of the moment inspired me. I also had the chance to have lunch/dinner with Josh Norman and D'Angelo Hall from the Redskins on camera. They were so open and honest.

AM: Do you give you time to charities?

DR: Yes! So it’s not really charity but giving of time - I really enjoy speaking to students and to women in the work-
force, sports or not. I make a point to volunteer my time to schools in NJ. I visit my little sister’s classroom twice a year. It's the most rewarding and fulfilling that that I have participated in my life. Every one always thanks me so much when I come to their classroom or convention, and I’m always like no, no thank you! I do feel tht you have to pay it forward and share the message.  I like to share the message of mistakes that I have made and I’m comfortable with that. I'm saying that I'm a mess, but a mess on a mission.

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We started this feature in our Dec Issue which featured a number of celebrities! We continued the feature in this month's issue as well.

We started this feature in our Dec Issue which featured a number of celebrities! We continued the feature in this month's issue as well.

N3W YOU

January 28, 2017
KATRINA SCOTT + KARENA DAWNFITNESS TRAINERS + CO-FOUNDERSTONE IT UP

KATRINA SCOTT + KARENA DAWN

FITNESS TRAINERS + CO-FOUNDERS

TONE IT UP

THE GOOD

We have our Tone It Up Challenge going on right now (you can sign up HERE for a free starter pack!). It’s basically 6 weeks of total body toning workouts paired with the day-by-day 6 Week Meal Plan to bring fitness results to the next level for 2017! 

THE BUZZ

We have something really big coming up in late 2017 that we’re getting super excited about! We’re announcing all the deets in March, so make sure to follow both of our Instagram accounts @KarenaKatrina and @ToneItUp for more info to come ;)

We also came out with 8 brand new workouts called BODY LOVE and 3 of them are with one of our fave fitness icons Jillian Michaels!! They’re absolutely amazing routines that kick some major booty and torch calories.

KAITLYN BRISTOWE + SHAWN BOOTH THE BACHELORETTE

KAITLYN BRISTOWE + SHAWN BOOTH

THE BACHELORETTE

THE GOOD

2016 was a BIG year. We moved to Nashville TN as a newly engaged couple. Living in music city, I was able to meet many talented song writers, and singers who have helped me pursue my passion in singing. It led me to hosting on the red carpet for the 50th anniversary of the CMA’s where I got to meet incredible  artists.

We have also been fortunate enough to start CitySTRONG, an indoor/outdoor group workout that takes place in cities all across the country. We’ve teamed up with our good friend Erin Oprea, who is also a well known trainer here in Nashville TN. It’s all about getting a good workout, but more importantly, having fun! A portion of the CitySTRONG proceeds go to a charity called “Creativets” which we are very passionate about. It helps soldiers overcome PTSD when they come back from overseas by pairing them up with song writers to help them create music. We are proud of that and have met some amazing people from that organization. Our platform has allowed us to have a voice with many different charities, meet incredible people who make a difference, and hear a lot of inspiring stories.

THE ADD

I think when it comes to resolutions, one that stands out to us is being more in the moment. We are all so caught up on our phones, and dealing with the pressure of being a public figure, that we always feel “on.” I think another thing we would love to do is work with more charities and make the world a better place. That is the stuff that evolves and makes us happy. Instagram is fun, but making a difference is rewarding. I know we love to say we will plan a wedding this year. But again, we don’t want it to be because of the pressure or expectations we are under from being on TV. We want to make sure it's when we are ready. Just because we don’t have a date, doesn’t mean we don’t love each other any less. We are busy. And hopefully in 2017 we can start to plan. 

THE BUZZ

I’m excited to announce my podcast. I have been brainstorming, and plotting for a while now on how to make it unlike any other. I always have a lot to say, and I like to make people laugh. I feel like I am meant for it. Who knows who will show up on there, but I’m hoping some people I've always wanted to get to know. I have also been co-writing songs, and recorded my first one the other day. I am proud of it and can’t wait to share it with everyone who believes in me. 

Shawn has been working SO HARD on his fitness and being the best trainer he can be. He is getting new clients all the time, and is also training for an IRONMAN that he will take part in this year. Now THAT’S an ambitious goal for 2017. I've never seen someone so dedicated in my life. You can tell it is his passion. He is extremely knowledgable when it comes to nutrition, health and fitness. Shawn has his own meal plans that he customizes to each person who orders one. It's not about a fad diet, he creates a healthy and achievable lifestyle. Whether you are a mom on the go, someone doing fitness competitions, or even just wanting to live a healthier life. There is something for everyone. 

He has been working every single day on his website that will be coming out soon for people to get on board. His passion for fitness is what inspired him to start CitySTRONG.com, where we get to meet people across the country and inspire them to be their best selves. 2017 is going to be a great year.

 

DAGMARA WOZNIAK TEAM USA OLYMPIAN 2016 RIO BRONZE FENCER

DAGMARA WOZNIAK

TEAM USA OLYMPIAN 2016 RIO BRONZE FENCER

THE GOOD

2016 was a memorable year for the books for so many reasons. It was a combination of the best moments in my life as well as some truly difficult times. I was able to qualify, compete, and medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. At the same time all this was going on I was going through some of the worst injuries I have dealt with in my career. It was an emotional rollercoaster, but that's life and instead of getting upset and feeling defeated, I never stopped hustling and never stopped putting one foot in front of the other. It was a time in my life that I felt I was tested emotionally and physically and it just made me grow more comfortable with who I am as well as understanding what I’m capable of.

THE ADD

This year I have decided to train and heal differently by slowing down. Athletes think stronger, faster, harder is the best way to go but at some point your body will shut down on you. One goal is to focus on clean eating that will help my body recover and heal faster from intense workouts and practice. Another goal is to improve my ability to be more self aware and strengthen my mindfulness in such a fast sport like fencing if you are worried about what has happened or what will happen, then you lose and I think that relates a lot to everyday life. You can’t be worried about losing a job for example or not getting an interview if you didn’t try to go for it. People tend to focus on beach body mode or losing weight for event and end up freaking out and binge eating. If you just take it one meal at a time, one meal at a time, one workout at a time, one becomes 2 and that becomes 5. Before you know it you went consistently for a month eating healthier and working out more. Making plans is necessary, but when taking steps towards it be in the moment and appreciate the handwork and everything that is going on at that point in time.

 

THE BUZZ

I recently got signed to Nike and I’m IN LOVE. I have always loved the company and its clothing so now to be a part of the family feels right. I got some things in the works so I can’t disclose them yet, but keep following me and check out my road to success! As of now, I’ve committed myself to training for 2020 Tokyo and I can’t be more excited about it. I love being an athlete and representing the US and I plan on doing it for as long as I can.

EDM TWIN DJ'S MIRIAM + OLIVIANERVO

EDM TWIN DJ'S MIRIAM + OLIVIA

NERVO

THE GOOD

2016 was ace! We were able to travel the world on many exciting tours through The America's, Asia, Australia, and all over Europe, played around 200 shows at some of the biggest festivals and nightclubs in the world, hosted our own NERVONation shows at Ushuaia in Ibiza and SLS in Miami, continued our biggest residencies in Las Vegas at Omnia and Wet Republic, and Ushuaia, Ibiza. We were able to connect with so many incredible fans that showed their love and support at every single show and also towards our releases.  We launched our own record label GOT ME BABY! Records, had a Billboard Dance #1 with People Grinnin’, released so many special songs, explored a virtual reality 3d music video with “Did We Forget”, had exciting collaborations with Timmy Trumpet, Kylie Minogue, Savi, Amba Shepherd, and Nicky Romero - among others, and reached the DJ Mag top 100 poll as highest ranking females.  On a personal level, we have become very close with the team of people we work with, creating our own little family and we were lucky enough to to take our brother on the road with us for three months where we built some everlasting memories. We can only hope 2017 is as special and we are very grateful for the good times in 2016!

 

THE ADD

Any creative person will tell you that they struggle with evolving and balance. You see, our jobs are all encompassing so we are “on” 110% of the time. This can work against finding down time, but we need this “down time” to come up with new ideas, so I guess you could say it is a constant battle. In 2017, we will keep trying to find the perfect balance. 

Like every year, we will continue to keep pushing boundaries, to keep growing musically and explore different genres.   We are releasing a more pop record in February through BigBeat, Warners, which may or may not connect with our fans, but to us, we are excited about trying something new. Prioritizing studio time is also super important for 2017. We need to set aside time to be creative in order to fulfill our creative aspirations so this will be a major focus for us.

Giving back to charity is also a goal for 2017. In the past we have been involved in Breast cancer charities. We chose Breast Cancer because our mother survived it, but we are also interested in some other charities which we hope to work with this year. 

THE BUZZ

2017 is going to be another very busy year for NERVO!  Aside from working up our label - GOT ME BABY! Records, we have some special collabs coming with DVBBS, Danny Avila, Quintino - to mention a few.

We teamed up with some people in the business to launch our own management company called 25Eight Entertainment and we will be announcing some new artists and clients that we are working with in 2017 and beyond.

Our NERVONation shows will be back at Ushuaia in Ibiza, as well as Miami for Music Week and also taking it to the slopes in Austria, Solden.

From March onwards, we are back on a heavy touring schedule and are super excited about playing Lollapalooza in South America. 

 

LACEY STONE CELEBRITY FITNESS TRAINER + CELEB TRAINER ON E! 's REVENGE BODY WITH KHLOE KARDASHIAN

LACEY STONE CELEBRITY FITNESS TRAINER + 

CELEB TRAINER ON E! 's REVENGE BODY WITH KHLOE KARDASHIAN

THE GOOD

This year was a huge year for me professionally. I got cast on Khloe Kardashian’s new docuseries REVENGE BODY, set to premiere on E! January 12th, 2017. I’ve been working in the fitness industry my entire adult life and I’m so excited for the world to see this show, because it’s not about extreme weight-loss it’s about health and being the best you can be from the inside out.
 
I traveled to Fiji for 2 weeks and spent that time meditating, reconnecting with my heart, and enjoying some long overdue quality time with 3 of my best friends. Being successful is RAD, but if you don’t take time to celebrate and reflect on your successes you miss  
out on the joy of achieving them.

My program 8 Weeks To Change Program has helped so many people find big time fitness results and increased happiness in their personal and professional lives. Because of this the Program has gotten a lot of national attention from The Steve Harvey Show, The Doctors, & E!

THE ADD

In 2017, I’m looking to expand 8 Weeks To Change Programs across the country and create a virtual environment which allows me to help people in all parts of the world find their inner athlete and the courage to be who they were born to be. 
 
I’m also looking to complete my first book and continue to spread the message that fitness isn’t about the scale, it’s about finding health from within.

If I were to choose one word to describe how I’m looking to live my life in 2017 it would be FEARLESS. I'm going to actively work at being the best I can be everyday, forcing myself to live life consistently outside of my comfort zone. Being fearless involves tremendous courage and to be courageous you must be confident in the unknown.
 
In order to grow my business and stay on top of what’s hot and what’s not, I’ll be hiring several more people to work on expanding my brand. That involves me learning to delegate and not be such a perfectionist control freak (hahahha). 

THE BUZZ

Some of my personal resolutions involve not being so hard on myself and learning to be more flexible and adventurous outside of work.

Last year Khloe Kardashian selected me as one of her go-to celebrity trainers on her new E! Show Revenge Body. The show premieres January 12th on E! 
 
I’ll being doing a fitness retreat in Bali with 14 lucky people looking to change their lives from the inside out. 
 
I’ll also be doing some clothing collaborations with Carbon38, which will launch in February 2017.

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In #AthTribe, Athletes, Celebrity, Fitness, Jan 2017, Lifestyle, Magazine, Mindfulness, Olympics, Pop Culture, Sports, Style, TV Show, Wellness, NEW YEAR N3W YOU Tags EDM, Nervo, Lacey Stone, Body Revenge, Tone it Up Girls, Olympian, Dagmara Wozniak, The Bachelor, Kaitlyn Bristowe, Shawn Booth
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Allyson Felix, 3-time Olympian gold medalist in Sprinting 

SPRINT TO THE FINISH, ALLYSON FELIX

May 26, 2016

Last month we began our Olympic coverage (Kerri Walsh Jennings, Joe Jacobi) as the Road to Rio inches closer. This month we had the chance to hang out with Allyson Felix (track and field sprint athlete and Three-Time Olympic Gold Medal Sprinter) as she introduced a new initiative by her partner, Bounty at the YMCA for "The 2016 Quicker Picker-Upper Games". 

ATHLEISURE MAG: When we talk with athletes about what their training process looks like - it's always eye opening! What is your routine like? 

ALLYSON FELIX: I love Kerri, she's so great! Well, my workouts are pretty intense. In total, I work out for about 5 hours. About 2 -3 hours are spent on the track and I do about 2 - 3 hours in the gym. 

AM: What are 3 workouts that you would suggest to get great legs like yours?

AF: When I'm in the gym, I'm all about plyometrics, which a lot of people forget about doing. I like to do Box Hops where you jump with both of your legs onto a box and then go into a squat.

A core workout is an awesome way to stay fit and Russian Twists are my go to exercises.

Finally, I'm all about the track. I think that you should always go out and sprint the straights and run the curves for a total body workout.

AM: How do you mentally prepare for the Olympics?

AF: It's about practicing and avoiding distractions so that you can  mentally prepare. I am also a major believer in visualization as it's very helpful for me to run through the race in my mind as I look at the perfect race.

Allyson Felix at the London Olympic Games in 2012

AM: What is the experience like being at the Olympics and is each appearance different?

AF: I'm nervous everytime, but it is a different experience for each one. The first one was very eye opening, I didn't know what to expect - everything was new. NOW going back a few times after that time, I am able to use the experience to be a bit calmer. You may still be a bit more nervous, but there is a comfort level there to be more effective.

AM: What's on your playlist when your training and about to hit the track? 

AF: Anything upbeat - hip hop is my go to before races and even in training. I really love Beyonce's 'I'm a Diva,' which really helps me with that transformation. I am super laid back when I am off the track, but when you have to get the job done, it helps me get into that different kind of zone.

AM: What habits do you have that change in terms of training and eating when you are closer to the games? 

AF: My stuff doesn't change too much actually. What I do in training and even getting closer, I try to keep my habits the same. When I'm eating, I eat a lot of fish, vegetables, and fruits. I don't like to have too many changes. How I am in training versus the races is the same so that I am consistent. I want to do the same thing when I am competing as for me. 

AM: Afterwards I'm sure you definitely enjoy a splurge fest?

AF: Icecream is kind of my go to! I love a good steak and just love to eat

AM: What is your track style versus when you're out and about going to brunch? 

AF: I like any detailed pieces and Nike has a lot of fun leggings and I love colorful and bright stuff - anything that is kind of unique. That's my go to. When I am out and about, I am very laid back and am a jeans and tee shirt girl. But when I dress up, I really like classic pieces - timeless pieces.

AM: When you're not training what do we find you doing in your down time?

AF: I'm an LA girl so I love going to the beach - I'm all about the beach cruiser and going into the water. I'm a homebody, since I travel so much - I like being with my family. When I have my off time, it's kind of great to do just nothing!

AM: How do you maintain balance?

AF: Balance is key and it's all about scheduling as you have so many responsibilities. I have a lot of help and an amazing support system with people that I work with as well as partnerships. 

Bounty (in addition to being her partner, but also a sponsor of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games), has been great with everything that they are doing. Currently, their initiative on social media allows people to tweet a Quick Tip. I did mine as I have a Yorkie - she's so much fun but just a little messy. So I put a little Bounty paper towel underneath her water bowl to pick up any spills. I would tweet this to @Bounty with #QuickTip and for each of those tips they donate $1 to P&G Team USA Youth Sports Funds. It's something that I believe in and is just a great way that they have partnered with me.

Throughout the 2016 Olympics, Bounty will share the best tips on their social media channels. Select winners will receive prize packs. 

I also make sure that I have some time for myself is key which is important for everything else.

Pictures courtesy of Bounty/PG + Nike

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In #Athspo, Fitness, Magazine, May 2016, Womens, Sports, Olympics, Road to Rio, AM Tags Allyson Felix, Olympian, gold medalist, Bounty, Sprinter, Road to Rio, Brazil, Bounty #QuickTip, Sports, Nike
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