Meet Ahlaiah Lewis

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

Hi Ahlaiah, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
When I started my business, my goal was to help as many young women as I could that were in the same shoes that I was once in – insecure about my body, lacking confidence, and evolving from a community and culture that was mostly ill-educated on health and nutrition. I’ve had a muscular frame since I was a little girl because I’ve been an athlete my entire life, but I was always teased for it. I looked very different from the average pre-teen, and during that time, all I wanted more than anything was to fit in. For years, I internalized being called the “buff” girl as being “boyish” or “manly”, which in turn caused me to be extremely insecure about my body. As a result of this and other environmental factors, I also suffered from anxiety & depression, which I was unaware of at the time.
Over time, I got tired of feeling bad about myself, and I realized there were certain things about myself that I just couldn’t change. As I started growing my relationship with God and maturing into a young woman, I was reminded that – this is the body God blessed me with, so instead of resenting it, I need to take care of it. This is the moment my fitness journey began, my junior year of college. After slowly finding my confidence through working out and learning more about nutrition and nurturing my body, I grew a burning desire to pay it forward. I wanted other woman, especially minorities, to experience the same feeling of empowerment I felt on my fitness journey. I wanted to help women reclaim their confidence and learn to be stewards of their bodies. Additionally, I wanted to make a difference in my community. African American women in the US have leading numbers in hypertension, obesity, and depression & anxiety (just to name a few) – all of which are directly impacted by physical fitness and nutrition. I was on a mission to help change these statistics, and I felt both a passion and obligation for being a positive fitness representative for my community. So, in 2018, 9 Rose Fit was founded by myself and my bestfriend – 2 black girls who wanted to inspire. educate, and assist black women in becoming the best, and strongest versions of themselves through health and fitness.

What should our readers know about your business?
9 Rose Fit is a female, black-owned fitness brand whose mission is to help women regain their confidence through health and wellness. We specialize in educating and empowering the female black community through strength & conditioning and nutrition, offering both online and in-person training services. What sets us apart from other fitness brands is our dedication to building our community, in all facets, not just fitness. We want our people to be healthy physically, mentally, spiritually, and financially, which is why we serve in several different ways. What many people don’t know is that I (Ahlaiah) am also a real estate investor, on a long-term mission to clean up low income areas, provide housing opportunities for my communities, and educate young black women on how to become home owners and build wealth. I also lead a virtual and in-person women’s book club, which focuses on self-help reads and open discussions about personal development each month. My co-founder (Malika) is also heavily invested in the community as she serves as a Full-Time Pediatric Travel Nurse and mentor to aspiring nurses. We strive in leading by example and being humble servants for our community. For us, it’s not about the money or recognition, but about how many lives we can reach and impact.

Passion & perseverance are what have gotten me to where I am today honestly. ATL fitness is a tough market to tap into because there’s so much competition. Right now it’s like a trend to become a fitness coach/influencer, which is great because that means more people are becoming health-conscious. But at the same time, it does kind of convolute the business because, like anything else, you have those people that are in it for the wrong reasons, and it makes it more difficult for accredited fitness coaches who really are trying to run an honest business and positively impact the community. That said, this has definitely not been an easy journey. The biggest challenge I’ve faced is finding mentors and like-minded leaders who have the same values as me and are willing to build other’s capabilities. I pride myself in handling business with ethics and morals, and one thing I’ve learned is, unfortunately, not everyone has those same intentions. When you’re protecting your energy and not willing to compromise your values, sometimes the journey can be long and lonely. I’ve had a lot of trial & error, being disappointed, and figuring things out on my own, but my passion for what I do has made it worth it and kept me pushing. And even though the road is long and narrow, the reward is knowing that I stayed true to myself and I’m making a difference in people’s lives. And now through my experiences, I can be the mentor I wish I had for other aspiring trainers/entrepreneurs!

What I want the world to know about 9 Rose Fit is – we lead with love. We make it a point to be a light in everyone’s lives that we touch. When you experience 9 Rose, you can expect a loving community & a safe place to be you while working on you. We don’t have life completely figured out, we’re just trying our best and sharing everything we learn along the way. And the beauty of it is having genuine people to do it with. <3

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would definitely start the day with a workout at MultiFitness in College Park or the Daily Pilates 🙂 Yes, I’m the friend that makes my friends workout on vacation lol. Then we would probably go to the Beltline or Battery for patio drinks and brunch cause I’m an outdoor girly, not to be confused with an outside girly, cause baby I can’t hang anymore lol. We’ve retired from the club/hookah lounge scene so we’d probably do something more chill like go get massages at Waldorf Astoria or pool day at LOA or Omni. Dinner would definitely be at Steak Market. I love chill Mexican spots too, Zama is one of my favs. My friends and I are pretty low key these days so some good food and drinks and a chance to get cute or relax is all we need. The main thing I love about ATL is there’s literally so much to do, I will get ok TikTok and find a move in less than 12 seconds lol.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My biggest shoutout goes to all my clients (now family), especially the ones that were with me from the very beginning. They trusted me to lead their fitness journey while I was still growing, learning, and figuring things out myself. They’ve been faithful to the process, loyal, and most importantly, my greatest supporters, to which I owe the BIGGEST thank you! I also want to shoutout MultiFitness gym & Omari and his team in College Park. Unfortunately, the black fitness community in ATL as a whole can be a bit intimidating, and from my experience, it’s rare to run into genuine fitness trainers that are professional, take pride in their business, and actually care about building and positively impacting our community. I’ve been to many gyms here, and MultiFitness is the first Black-Owned gym I’ve been a part of that really made me feel welcomed and supported, like a family. After being in this industry for 6+ years and dealing with so many different challenges and setbacks, it’s easy to lose sight or get discouraged, but this community really helps me to remember why I became a trainer in the first place. Thank you Omari and MF fam! I can echo the same sentiments about my extended fitness family at Grind House in Birmingham – the best gym in the city, always uplifting the community! Lastly, want to mention my Boxing fam in Birmingham at Battle Republic, one of the first gyms I ever worked at who supported and believed in me 10 fold and are GREAT people, and my best friends and business partners Malika and Eugene who have always been in my corner and are on the same grind as me – genuine people just trying to do good and pay it forward.

Website: 9rosefit.com

Instagram: @Layrozay_

Other: TikTok: @ro.layy

Image Credits
Business name: Shot by Rob Instagram: @robthegentlemen AROD Photography, LLC Instagram: @iam_aaronw