Fit for a King
Words: Michelle Wallace IG @my.michelle.w
Photography: Sergey Yusin @sergey_yusin
Wardrobe: Jaxson Maximus @jaxsonmaximus
Make-up: Julia Brig @juliabrigmia
style | June 01, 2021
Permission to Play
model | @aubrymarie
Writer | @therollingsloan
photographer | @sergey_yusin
body care, November 1, 2021

Yoga Instructor, Breathwork and Meditation Facilitator, and badass photos on Instagram.” However, as soon as we started talking, those layers of labels peeled away and now all I saw and felt
was a contagious smile and heart-emanating vibrations.
So what is Aubry’s philosophy on eating well?
Well, she wasn’t always the intermittent-fasting, clean eating gal that she is today. Coming from a small town in New Mexico, she was brought up on primarily processed foods from not-so-grass-fed sausages in the morning to the best deal for a pizza at night. She fully admits the hardships of her childhood growing up in poverty, never truly being able to “be a kid,” always having to work instead of play. She had to adult pretty fast because she has a disabled mother, meaning everyone in the house had the same levels of responsibility. Getting home didn’t mean taking off your shoes and kicking it back, but rather putting on your boots and going to chop wood outside. She had anger, anxiety, and sadness within her from a young age.
Yoga, breathwork, meditation, and journaling have been instrumental in finding her flow in life and coming back to calm. Her mindful journey started with yoga, and she now sees her yoga practice as the backbone to everything else she does in life. It’s what’s given her this “permission to play” as she calls it, since she couldn’t do that much as a child. Eating better naturally came along with these self-love generating practices, and Aubry now finds herself eating plant-based foods most of the time. Her food philosophy comes from a place of understanding what foods fuel her, and also from a place of compassion after seeing how terrible most of the meat and dairy industry can be. She sees food as sustenance, with the occasional celebratory indulgence. Her “late night meal” these days is no longer a Checkers run at 2am, but a stop at Bodega for some 10pm


tacos. No doubt, this journey has gone with a lot of ups and downs. One of the first times she decided to clean up her diet was when she cut back on meat and processed foods for her first Ninja Warrior. But when celebrating after the competition with chips and drinks, she quickly saw the change in how she felt and looked. Traveling to places like Morocco brought her lots of plant-based eats which also made her feel clean, but being back in the States during the pandemic brought justifications for ramen and old habits.
It was all along the way that she figured out, and is still figuring out, what feels good for her. It’s knowing that the reason she can’t do an extra 10 one-handed pull-ups over on Muscle Beach is definitely because of the Coke she had the night before, and knowing that it’s her choice to choose foods that heal, or foods that hurt. At the end of the day, it’s important to honor your body and know what truly feels good for you! Feel good with what you eat, and you’ll be a happier, more energetic person, spreading those good vibes to everyone around you.