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

Hi Myesha, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Starting out in my career as a fresh 21 year old college graduate I was working 55+ hours a week and viewed work-life balance as bar hopping on Friday nights, sleeping in as much as I could on Saturday mornings and spending my Sunday nights dreading going to work the next morning – with an occasional vacation every few months to “decompress” (aka check my work email still, but from the beach). It wasn’t all bad and seemed like everyone around me was in a similar “workaholic” mode, eager to attain a high level of perceived success, even if it means compromising their hobbies, personal time, and health.

As I grew in my understanding of self care I noticed the negative effects of burnout and not prioritizing my own health and changed my perspective. Now I advocate for utilizing your PTO days for whatever you choose (and not feeling bad for it!), creating a self care routine to follow throughout the week and finding ways to incorporate physical activity, breaks and fun into the work day. Work life balance no longer exists for me – working (in any capacity) is a part of life and we have to balance accordingly to achieve wellness! I started incorporating fitness into my new “life balance” with a basic gym membership and some Instagram videos I saved and my love for fitness took off from there!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
MuscleByMy provides health and fitness e-books and online fitness coaching services to people interested in starting or progressing their fitness journey. I started this company in the summer of 2020 after being on my own fitness journey for over two years and trying to find ways to avoid losing progress while gyms were closed during the pandemic. Being a person who relied exclusively on gum-based workouts, I had to reimagine at-home workouts and how much of an impact nutrition has on overall wellness and I wanted to help others do the same. During my weight loss journey I leaned heavily on internet “fit-chicks” and people who achieved real results through real effort, and I aspire to be that same inspiration to someone else. My goal is to scale my business to reach an international audience while continuing to provide a healthy space to shed light on fitness and overall wellness at your own pace, whether in a gym or at home.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I recently moved to the Atlanta area so I am still getting acquainted with the city but I love rooftop bars and restaurants, Stone Mountain and Piedmont Park of course, and the aquarium. I’ve heard great things about the botanical gardens so I plan to check that out next!

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’d love to dedicate my shoutout to my mom, Tisha Johnson, owner of Salon Cliche. When I was young I watched her pursue her passion of stylist hair on the weekends while working a full time job and still being a loving, supportive mother to my brother and I. She scaled what started as a side hustle to owning a salon for 16 years and running, while starting other businesses in her spare time with the goal of creating generational wealth for our family. She inspired me to start my own business and has always supported me in every way and I just want to thank her for everything!

Website: musclebymy.com

Instagram: instagram.com/musclebymy

Facebook: Facebook.com/musclebymy

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