Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alissa Alter, Author & Speaker, located in Brooklyn, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business is a growing media company on a mission to empower women and all people living the female experience. I believe that women deserve to feel safe, knowledgeable, and at home in their bodies. And if we start spending as much time, energy, and discipline on our insides as we do our outsides, we will be unstoppable.
My work lives at the intersection of physical fitness and emotional wellbeing, leveraging what we know about physiology and applying it to our emotional bodies. Drawing from my experiences as a professional Broadway performer, certified Pilates instructor, comedian, author, speaker, divorcee, and happily remarried mom, I use whatever media necessary to support my missions and share my message.
My customers are people who want more. Of what? They're not sure yet, but they're tired of trying diets and fad workouts, looking for external solutions that keep missing the mark. My work is not a formula to lose 10 pounds or find a boyfriend or anything dramatic like that. My work is for the people who are ready to make small alterations to their mindset and lifestyle to literally move (we always use movement!) toward the life they were born to live.
Tell us about yourself
I got my Pilates certification right after graduating from Skidmore College because I knew I wanted to pursue a career on Broadway and didn't want to work at a restaurant. I wanted to use my time and energy toward something I was passionate about...movement. I worked in some of the world's top boutique fitness studios and elite gyms, and what became most interesting to me wasn't sculpting arms and abs but recognizing the parallels between someone's behavior and tension in their daily life and the behavior and tension exhibited in their physical bodies.
After a particularly difficult performance run of the musical Guys & Dolls, I sustained a back injury, a partially herniated disc. My physical therapist was studying to become certified in pelvic health and started teaching me about the pelvic floor and its effect on the pelvis and how that related to the alignment of our entire body. I went on to study and train with pelvic health experts in yoga, physical therapy, and other modalities to understand and learn as much as possible.
From there, my first company Pilates For Your Privates, was born. I have online courses centered on debunking all of the myths we learn or don't learn about our undercarriage and how the untapped muscular and energetic powerhouse informs all of your movement, inside and outside your body.
I was doing this work when I was pregnant with my son. I felt so physically prepared for childbirth and postpartum that I was blindsided when I experienced a fourth-degree tear (that's when you tear everything from your vagina through to your rectum). I felt like a failure on every level, and the pain was excruciating on every single level. While I would never recommend tearing your b-hole, I can say now that working through this trauma and rehabilitating my physical and emotional bodies has deepened my understanding of how our physical body affects our emotions and vice versa. It is a two-way street.
After my experience, I was furious that I did not receive adequate support or education on how to handle and what to expect in my recovery. The only reason I had access to this information was from the years of study I'd already done and because I have the privilege of being able to pay out-of-network costs to see specialists. This is unacceptable to me and why I was all in co-founding pstprtm, a media platform dedicated to revolutionizing the postpartum experience through unfiltered articles, diverse stories, and sacred events.
My work in the motherhood space is sacred. I feel this is my avenue for revolution, to empower mothers to reclaim their power and energy and shape the next generation. And I also believe that motherhood is not the only experience in a woman's life that initiates this kind of tectonic perspective shift or the only time she needs community, education, and resources to navigate transitions and the world. People and systems in this country are built on a lot of assumptions and antiquated ideals and expectations of women regardless of motherhood status.
So as I myself continue to grow and change, my business evolves with me, which is why I've recently launched a brand expansion that is inclusive of all women and still inclusive of motherhood. And this work is to remind us of what we already know. That sustainable and substantial change is built one step at a time. Piece by piece. That it's time to let go of pushing through or aggressive overhauls to make us fit into the life, we are expected to create and instead make alterations as needed to live the life we are meant to live.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I don't mean this to sound cheesy, but it really is getting emails and DMs from clients, readers, and listeners that something I said or taught them supported them in their daily life. That vocabulary I use helped them communicate with their partner, boss, or child in a meaningful way. That thinking about their body and moving in a new way has unlocked a whole new world of embodiment. That they laughed and found joy in a stressful moment where it used to send them spinning.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
It is SO easy to see the current trends on Instagram and social media and feel like that's what I'm "supposed" to be doing and that I'm wrong because my instincts are guiding me on a different path. I have to be consistent in connecting to and reminding myself that my truth and my intentions are what is right for me and my business. And since I'm a unique human being, it's A-OK that my process and progress are also unique!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Get ready to learn all of your big life lessons! Everything that shows up for you here is guiding you to your right path.
- Your metrics for success are up to you and will be far more satisfying if they're internal rather than external.
- Create, protect, and honor boundaries around your time and energy. I'm guessing you're really passionate about what you're pursuing because otherwise, you wouldn't be going after it! It's easy to work all the time and burn out quickly. It's not worth it! Slow and steady wins the race.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Creating your own business and/or brand does not have to be a lonely road. Start a meet-up with other people who work for themselves, and enlist your close friends for feedback when you start second-guessing yourself. Work with a coach when you need a cheerleader and when you need guidance. Every time you are stuck, feel lost, or second-guess yourself, you are exactly where you need to be and on the brink of something great!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website:
https://pstprtm.com/
https://alissa-alter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alissa-Alter-103480721779545
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alissaalter/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alissa-alter-0a79304/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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