Meet Samira Alston | Certified Personal Trainer, Registered Yoga Teacher-200hrs, & Sound Practitioner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Samira Alston and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Samira, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I didn’t know from the beginning that I was actually going to start my own business. I obtained my Bachelors of Kinesiology degree from Mississippi State University with hopes of eventually becoming a Physical Therapist. After completing an internship and a couple of semesters of a Physical Therapy Assistant program, I found that this career path just wasn’t for me. I grew up an athlete, so sports and movement have always been apart of my life. When I got to college in 2010 I completely fell off when it came to exercise. I would go to the gym sometimes on campus to play basketball, but I found myself only getting in most of my movement when I was walking to my classes. A couple of years after college I made the decision to completely get back into shape and participate in a 12-week program with an online personal trainer. I fell so in love with lifting weights, the process behind it, and how it started changing me internally that I decided to become a Certified Personal Trainer myself. I wanted as many people as possible to feel this feeling. This is the point where I exited the Physical Therapy Assistant program I was in and decided to focus solely on health and wellness. After working for many gyms and gaining some experience as a trainer, I am now an entrepreneur with my own brand known as Vibes & Exericise.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Although I am a Personal Trainer, when creating Vibes & Exercise I wanted it to be more than about losing weight. I’ve gone through so many different phases to get to this particular moment in life that I’ve learned that adjusting how you think and feel on the inside matters more than the physical. Along with being a Certified Personal Trainer, I am also a Registered Yoga Teacher and a Level 1 Sound Practitioner. It’s been really rewarding to see how transforming your entire self instead of just your body can have a big impact on your life. It’s been equally as great to pass this logic on to people that I get to train. Although being an entrepreneur has its up and down times that can be frustrating, I have enjoyed learning through this process because everything is a lesson. I look forward to continued growth and watching my brand grow overtime while also leading others towards their goals.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ve gotten into hiking heavily since moving to Georgia. Some of my favorite trails include: Sweetwater Creek, East Palisades trail, Roswell Mill, and Stone Mountain. Some of my favorite restaurants are Tassili’s Raw Reality Cafe, Urban Wok, and Sno-Good Snoballs.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Since moving to Georgia three years ago, I’ve met some really great people along this journey. I’d like to give a Shoutout to the BeHealth Conscious crew in Decatur, GA. Since becoming a personal trainer with BeHealth Conscious a little over two years ago, I’ve grown so much as a fitness professional and individual. This gym is filled with some of the best and knowledgeable trainers in the Atlanta area and we all help to push each other equally. I’d also like to shoutout the wonderful clients turned friends I’ve gotten to train since becoming an entrepreneur. They definitely keep me going, and it is a huge pleasure taking them on their journeys as I continue mine.

Website: vibesandexercise.com

Instagram: @vibesandexercise

Other: TikTok: @vibesandexercise