2019-04-01 Women's Health

“Let me not put extras on it,” she says, lest I

think she’s about to detail some sort of extreme

CrossFit-inspired routine worthy of a super-

hero fl ick. “I exerc i se for, l i ke, a n hou r e ach

day. My neighborhood has a bunch of hills, so

it’s walking up hills. Then I alternate between

walking and jogging. I hate jogging—you’re

going in circles, but I recognize that it helps.”

Besides, she explains, even if she’s not

loving the physicality of it all, those hours are

essential for her mental well-being—some-

thing she only discovered via a happy accident.

“You know those earbuds that you put in

your ears? I was running, and one fell. It was

dark outside and I couldn’t find it. So I was

forc e d to ju st be a lone w it h my t houg ht s, a nd

I was like, ‘Oh, I need to do this more often.’

Those moments are the most creative. I think

finding those moments while also nurturing

you r b o dy i s i mp or t a nt.”

It’s a lesson she is constantly relearning,

reinforcing, and being reminded of by the

black women mentors in her life. Casually,

Is sa ment ion s t hat she get s che ck-i n c a l l s f rom

Debbie Allen and Ava DuVernay. “We, as black

women, don’t take care of ourselves enough,”

Issa recalls the Selma director telling her after

she tried to laugh off a mysterious out-of-the-

blue a l ler g ic re ac t ion t hat lef t her fac e c om-

pletely s wol len. Is sa wa sn’t pla n n i ng on goi ng

to t he do c tor u n le s s it happ ene d aga i n.

DuVernay’s incredulous response of “Sis,

if it happens again?! Are you kidding me?” was

the kick she needed. That encouragement

to make the time for herself and get to the doc

was a crucial reminder.

Luckily, Issa was fine, and once the swell-

ing went down (and she could see a computer

scre en aga i n), it wa s back to work on t he

myriad of projects she has lined up for 2019.

Up first: The Dolls, a limited-run series on

HBO about the 1983 riots in small-town

Arkansas that erupted over Cabbage Patch Kid

dol l s. I n add it ion to w r it i ng t he ser ie s (a long

with her Insecure collaborators, Amy Aniobi

and Laura Kittrell), she’ll star with fellow HBO

vet Laura Dern, who picked her out for the

proje c t when t hey were sit t i ng toget her at t he

2018 Golden Globes.

After that, she’ll tackle Love in America.

The movie-musical, announced in late 2018,

finds Issa teaming up with her producing part-

ner Deniese Davis and Aniobi. Though Issa

isn’t a huge fan of musicals (“I only like West

Side Story and The Lion King”), hearing Davis’s pitch centered on

people of color sealed the deal for her.

Throughout our conversation, Issa very pointedly highlights

her collaborators (unsurprisingly, they are mostly women) and

names like Aniobi’s and Davis’s repeat frequently. Balancing new

projects with existing commitments is nothing new for her,

and in order to Do. It. All., she’ll rely on one major tenet of her

work ethic dating back to her YouTube days.

“Find a good team. Find a good team.” Issa repeats the words

like a mantra. “It matters....It’s enabled me to not lose my mind.”

It stands out that she is unafraid to give credit where credit is

due and is clearly confident enough not to be intimidated by

others’ success—in fact, she encourages it. As a boss, she’s made

sure to cultivate an environment in which her writing staff feel

heard and consider themselves collaborators. With her team

in place and her approach to wellness ever evolving, Issa’s future

is looking bold, daring...and of course, secure.

I was forced to just be alone

with my thoughts, and I was

like, ‘Oh, I need to do this

more often.’ Those moments

are the most creative.”

PH5 top, $185, and

skirt, $255, ph5.com