Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Howard.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I was eight years old, I had an amazing dance teacher who would bring her baby son in while she taught dance and was probably one of the best dance teachers I’ve ever had. Even at that young age, I knew I wanted to be a dance teacher and bring my future children in with me while I taught. How many people can say that they lived out their childhood dream? At sixteen, I was blessed with the opportunity to teach dance lessons to little girls through a local homeschool coop and that began my love for teaching. I taught off and on until finally opening my first dance studio at eighteen, about fifteen minutes down the road from where I lived. It was a dream come true! Through that experience, I came to realize that I loved fitness, so when it came time for me to move on from the small studio, I began my certification in personal training and health.
I had been raised knowing how important health and fitness were as well as a basic knowledge of the medical field. My grandmother is a functional medicine doctor who taught my mother most of everything she knows, who then passed that knowledge to me. This passion for health and wellness has definitely been a driving force in my decisions regarding my dance studio as well as my current career. I’ve always had a passion for the medical industry, I just did not quite know where I fit in. So, personal training was me dipping my toe into this field. Eventually, as I got older and did more research, and started working with my grandmother (Dr. Carol Perkins), I realized I wanted to do more. My business interest grew into helping people restore balance back to their guts through nutrition which then led to helping clients balance hormones, inflammation levels, and essential minerals, which finally led me to getting my Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis certification.
Throughout the past three years or so, I have developed a business that is solely dedicated to helping people restore functional balance to their bodies through fitness and nutrition. I get to work with dancers, athletes, prenatal and postnatal mothers, teenagers who have hormonal imbalances, people with severe allergies, thyroid conditions, and infertility issues, and so much more right alongside my grandmother! It’s a huge blessing to be able to learn from her and grow as well as help others gain their health back. God has been good to me in my journey, and I believe it is only beginning!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My road to growing my business has been anything but smooth. Small business owners always have struggles, but I definitely felt at times that my road was rougher than most. I owned a pretty successful studio which, unfortunately, had to be closed because I expected to move out of state at the time. When that didn’t happen, I found myself stuck again which is when I discovered my passion for personal training and health. This began a new business which struggled to grow. It took me years to find my niche and I’m young which automatically makes things harder because people don’t tend to trust you. However, I’ve studied health, fitness, dance, anatomy, physiology, and science since I was sixteen. I even wrote a book at that age specifically for dancers, to help them on their journeys of being healthy and strong dancers. Recently, I have been starting from, what feels like, the ground up due to a recent move to Florida. I’m reestablishing myself which is always a struggle but being here has been more than worth it and my business is growing faster here than it ever did up north. In the past year, I have gained so much experience, made connections, and grew my following!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I always find it difficult to explain what I do because I fit myself into so many categories. I’m a dance teacher, business owner, and certified personal fitness trainer, and health specialist working toward achieving my certification in functional blood chemistry analysis. This allows me to order and read functional blood panels based on optimal ranges to further assess clients and identify underlying conditions. As a trainer, I specialize in teaching functional training practices using the individual client’s biomechanics to achieve full-body strength and range of motion. I also teach dancers conditioning practices to encourage pain-free careers and retirement by implementing unique training techniques for flexibility, strength, and range of motion. As a health specialist, I help people regain their health through nutrition. My company offers a wide range of specialized nutrition programs focused on common health issues (i.e., hormone imbalance, allergies, gut imbalance, liver congestion, weight issues, etc.) to help clients reverse these issues naturally through proper assessments, programing, menu plans, and foods. All of this is done with a doctor on hand to ensure quality of service.
I love what I do! I feel very blessed to be a part of such a thriving community of professionals that are constantly growing and learning every day. My proudest accomplishment is building this company on my own and watching it thrive. I adore working alongside and learning from my grandmother! Her wisdom is superlative and will be something I will carry with me wherever I go!
The greatest thing that sets me and my business apart from anyone else in this industry is that I view the body as a whole – physical, spiritual, and emotional. Health and wellness is not one-sided, one-size-fits-all, or even just eating healthy food. It is a combination of fitness, nutrition, and spiritual growth. A person cannot be angry all the time and repair their gut. Emotions all connect to the health of the body. Fitness isn’t just going to the gym and lifting weights. Fitness should be taught based on the biomechanics of the client to ensure protection of joints, connective tissue, and to strengthen both deep and superficial muscles to prevent premature aging. Nutrition is more than just going on a diet and counting calories. Nutrition should be a choice to eat well every day, to not worry about the calorie count but to eat good, whole foods. Villainizing foods because of what media says is bad or good is not going to make eating a joyful experience. Food is beautiful and should be a gift.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
One of my absolute favorite things to do is research. I research the heck out of everything I write about, talk about, teach about. I want everything I’m putting out there to be completely irrefutable because I don’t want to spread misinformation. Optimal the Podcast by Dr. Dicken Weatherby is one of my favorite podcasts for continuing education. I also host a podcast myself, A Beautiful Life, where I talk about all things health, fitness, dance, and athletics. And, to balance work with play, I love listening to The Office Ladies podcast because it just makes me happy. My greatest resource has and always will be my grandmother, Dr. Perkins
Contact Info:
- Email: amanda.howard@live.com
- Website: www.labelleviefitness.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/labellevie.fitnessanddance
- Facebook: facebook.com/labelleviefit
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2zBpkRhGmZ-A4doSByo75A
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/6invvsz4ZGa57FQvs7QoQD?si=e6ce12e4c4ce4328
