Meet Katie Nassiff | Personal Trainer, Yoga Instructor, & Health Coach

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

Hi Katie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
For me, providing value is critical to my definition of success. If I’m able to provide value to my clients – able to really see them, and help them move better, feel better, and build a strong foundation for an active and healthy life – I’ve done my job. My success is dependent on my clients’ moving forward, which means I have to give them tools and teach them how to use them. My work isn’t about me – it’s about my clients.

What should our readers know about your business?
My business is in people – in particular, as a movement specialist. I own a fitness brand called Katie Nassiff Movement that specializes in supporting busy people on their health journeys through fitness programs and health coaching. My business isn’t just churning out workouts. I lead with compassion and consider the full spectrum of what it means to be a healthy human.

So often, my clients are exhausted, busy, or even broken – coming back from injuries or simply lost and unsure where to begin. They go to the obvious: “I must need to exercise more.” But sometimes, it isn’t about the exercise itself. Often, there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes. That could look like poor movement patterns created by years of making themselves smaller. It could come from disordered eating patterns rooted in work or life stress and anxiety. There’s so much more to health than BMI or pant size, and my job is to help teach regular people like you and me how to make health and fitness part of a lifestyle.

I think there are a lot of barriers to fitness, and there’s a lot of ‘all or nothing’ mentality in the high achieving populations I work with. My job is to break down healthy habits into smaller, actionable, sustainable steps that integrate well with a busy life, for the long haul, while not shaming or moralizing exercise and nutrition.

Up until 2022, I worked in corporate America, trying to hustle at work, and hustle on the side. I felt like if I wasn’t doing everything, then I wasn’t doing enough. I know what it feels like to feel sub-optimal, out of alignment, and like nothing is feeling right. As a trainer, I’m not here to bring my clients into balance. I’m teaching them tools to use for every season. Life isn’t balanced – it just isn’t. But we can learn how to be agents of our own health and use our knowledge, power, and ownership of our bodies and minds to stay afloat through the turbulence.

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?
Walking the belt line is one of – in my opinion – the best ways to experience Atlanta. It’s the perfect mix of being outside, witnessing the diversity in population, and having access to incredible food and drink. I’d probably start with coffee and pastry at Little Tart at Krog, and then meander toward Ponce City Market for more snacks and shopping. We might take a break at Piedmont Park, or make our way over to the Beacon for a burger and beer at Elsewhere Brewing (my favorite spot and personally, my local watering hole.) I love that there’s so much green space in Atlanta, but there’s always an option to be around people and feel like you’re in a big city.

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?
I’m incredibly grateful for the humans in my orbit who have lifted me up, taught me to see my value, and encouraged me to pursue a career in sharing my passion for health, fitness, and an abundant life. In particular, the communities at Highland Yoga, & Training Collective (both started by Elsie Brotherton), and Stat Wellness (owned by Kristin Oja) in Atlanta have been critical in creating opportunities for me to understand what it means to be a leader in the health and fitness spaces, to be generous with my knowledge, and to learn how to develop my own voice.

Website: www.katienassiff.com

Instagram: @katienassiff

Image Credits
Mary-Claire Stewart
Ira Jolley