From the Editor: Winter 2017

Having both grown up (though we’re still works in progress) in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Ryan Benn and I have known each other for more than a decade. As the publisher of an iconic national health magazine in Canada, Ryan has a passion and drive for getting life-enhancing information to the masses that I’ve always admired.

So this magazine seemed like an obvious next step: with Ryan’s publishing expertise and my network of people with extensive knowledge and fantastic stories of inspiration, what more could a magazine collaboration need? Well, turns out a lot … but once we figured those details out, we made the easy decision to put our heads together and bring you alive.

I’m very fortunate in that I have amazing friends—whose work, drive and constant desire to push boundaries I greatly admire. In addition to the admiration I have for them, they fascinate me. I want to find out how they do it. Top-performing athletes, elite trainers, bestselling authors, musicians who sell out stadiums, eco and social entrepreneurs whose innovations change the way we live: how did they get to the top? And what do they know that the rest of us don’t? The purpose of alive is to find out, and then pass those secrets on to you.

In the premiere issue, we chat with some truly extraordinary folks: American Ninja Warrior champion Tim Shieff talks about his high-performance vegan diet; Alison Tetrick, one of the top pro women cyclists in the world, shares her mental toughness secrets; TapouT founder and president Dan Caldwell gives his insights on building a $100 million company from scratch; P90X creator Tony Horton shares his laws for living a better life; Sam Slover tells us how he’s built the long-awaited smarter nutrition label—and what that means for you.

What else? Beyond Meat president and CEO Ethan Brown talks about why the future of meat doesn’t involve animals. We also profile one of New York City’s hottest new gyms, The Dogpound. Plus, speed-reading aficionado Jim Kwik shows us how to speed-read like a boss (so you may want to read his article first).

Each issue of alive will also feature healthy, plant-based, whole-food recipes, including gems from my favorite new and beloved cookbooks. In this issue, we spotlight recipes from New York Times bestselling author Julie Morris’s latest offering: Superfood Soups. Heather Crosby shares plant-powered comfort food from her fantastic YumUniverse, and we profile one of the newest great American restaurants: LA’s Plant Food + Wine by plant-based chef extraordinaire Matthew Kenney. Plus much more—and that’s just issue one.

So join me, and remember: alive—it’s much better than the alternative …

Brendan Brazier Editor-in-Chief

PHOTO BY Scott Yavis