In: Fitness

Influencer Series: The Fit Brunette

January 17, 2018

Y’all. I am SO excited about this influencer. Samantha Bowers is not only all the #fitgoals, but such a genuine, down to earth, AMAZING lady. She posts some amazing healthy recipes, at home & in the gym workouts, and always gives you great tips and advice about pursing a healthy and balanced lifestyle. There are so many different ideas going around in the fitness industry about how to be healthy, fit, look good…. all that good stuff. Samantha truly takes a REAL approach to health, fitness, and nutrition, to make it more of a lifestyle and not just a trend.

Quick Facts:

She is a certified Personal Trainer!
Sam is currently in school
She is constantly trying new fitness classes and trends, so if you ever have any questions, I’m sure she has tried it!
Her hair and makeup are always flawless…even when working out!

You might recognize Samantha from the beauty pageant world. AMAZING right?! She is currently a college student at Mizzou and seriously rocking the whole balancing act. Be sure to look out for her in 2018 because I KNOW her blog is just going to grow immensely. If you don’t already follow her, you are truly missing out. THIS GIRL IS GOALS.

The Interview

When did you start blogging? Why? How did you get into the fitness industry?

Before I started an actual website, I would post photos of healthy recipes I had created on Instagram and people would comment saying I needed to start a blog, but I didn’t really have an interest in doing so at first. When I finally started an actual blog in July of 2016, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to blog about or who I was even trying to reach. I started with just a general lifestyle blog where I covered fashion, fitness, food, lifestyle – basically everything. I quickly learned that while I loved fashion, it was not something I found rewarding to blog about. I realized that fitness, wellness, and healthy recipes were where my passion lied, so in March of 2017 I officially created “The Fit Brunette.” When I found my niche, really focused on sharing the things that I loved, and created content that would truly help people – that’s when it started to grow. I am a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, so honing in on fitness and living a healthy lifestyle as the focus of my blog just made more sense for my overall brand. I initially became involved in the fitness industry while I was training for the Miss Teen USA pageant. I was 17 years old, and I started to look in to different kinds of exercises and programs to prepare for the swimsuit competition. After I started learning more and seeing results from programs that I was creating myself, I decided to become a certified trainer so I could share my workouts with others and help them live their best lives.

What has been a challenge you’ve overcome? For blogging, fitness, or anything in life.

Hmm this is a tough one! Of course, everyone faces challenges in different areas of their lives. But for me, especially recently, one of the biggest things I have had to get past is falling into the comparison trap. In the worlds of fitness, pageantry, and social media – it can be so easy to compare yourself to others. When I catch myself doing so, I take a step back and remember that what people share on social media (including myself) is their highlight reel. The biggest thing I have learned is you truly cannot compare your chapter one to someone else’s chapter 20. If you are working hard, pursuing the things you love, and doing the most good – your time will come.

What’s your daily routine like?

Every day is pretty different, but I can definitely give you a rundown of “a typical day.” I am a college student so a lot of my time is spent in class and doing homework (boring I know) during the semester. Typically I wake up at 4:25 a.m. and my day starts from there. My morning routine is something I refuse to sacrifice – it helps set the tone for the rest of my day and I have found I am not as productive when I do not follow it. I eat breakfast first thing when I wake up (I am always so hungry in the morning) and then I go work out. I usually lift weights followed by a HIIT routine for about an hour and a half (depending on how much time I have that morning) and then I leave for Mizzou’s campus. I usually stay all day on campus and go to class, train clients, and blog during my breaks in time. I usually get home around dinner time, cook a meal, finish up some homework and prepare my clients’ workouts for the next day, and go to bed around 10:00 p.m. or 10:30. For me, it’s all about finding those little breaks in time when I can be productive. One of my favorite productivity hacks is to do homework or blog on the stair climber. It’s actually surprisingly easy to balance a laptop on them. 😉 On weekends or days when I am off from classes I love to work on developing new healthy recipes, go to fun group fitness classes with friends in Kansas City, or spend time with my family.

What is something many people don’t know about you?

Oh wow, I am a pretty open book so this one is tough! I try to be as transparent and authentic as possible (on social media especially). Hmm, I would say there are probably a few things that are just weird little fun facts that not many people know. So here are a few 😉

I grew up playing sports and was actually a pretty big tom boy before I started competing in pageants.
I started playing the piano in first grade.
I haven’t eaten a french fry in 8 years.
I love public speaking and broadcast media and would love to host my own healthy cooking show one day.

What is the best piece of advice you were ever given?

My parents have always been a huge part of developing my work ethic and drive to achieve the goals I set for myself, but they were never over-the-top about anything. Before I would go play a basketball game when I was younger, my dad would give me his long list of things to focus on during the game (like any sports dad would), but at the end he would say “have fun.” After months and months of preparation for a pageant, at the end of everything right before I was about to go on stage my mom would look at me and say “have fun.” And I think what I take away from this the most is that you can do everything you can to the best of your ability and it can still not go the way you want it to. You can work as hard as you can to accomplish something but in the end if it’s not meant to be, there is an even bigger plan in your future. So, HAVE FUN at everything you do and you will be successful. Be yourself, work hard, do your best, and if it’s meant to happen it will!

What is a goal you have for your blog and your fitness? Is there something you want to see more of on your own blog or in your business?

Absolutely! In 2018 I am planning on publishing an ebook that takes a holistic approach to fitness. I believe fitness is more than just exercise – it is a combination of movement, nourishment, and mindfulness, and the book will cover all of these things. I have been working on it for months now and I will be sharing more details about the launch soon (which I am super excited about). Blogging has opened a lot of opportunities I didn’t even know existed and I am hoping to start hosting more mini-fitness challenges online and in-person pop-up style workouts to reach a wider audience. Ultimately, the main goal of my blog is to inspire others to live a healthy lifestyle. I have seen the difference exercise and healthy eating have made in my life and I want to share that with everyone who visits my blog or Instagram. If I can inspire or motivate one person to live their best life through movement, nourishment, and mindfulness – my mission is accomplished.

Favorites! Favorite color, season, item of clothing, designer, retailer, movie, and holiday!

Yay I love this! Okay here it goes:

Color: Hot pink without a doubt. My website’s main color is hot pink and I feel like it represents my personality well.

Season: 100% SUMMER. I am not a cold weather girl! I love being able to take my workouts outside or go for a jog along the beach. Kansas City is my home, but I see myself relocating to one of the coasts after I graduate college.

Item of clothing: Hmm… Either leggings or sports bras. Probably leggings, because there are so many different styles and patterns you can get to really show your personality while you sweat!

Designer: I have so many favorites! For activewear: Fabletics. For business style dresses: BCBG. For gowns: Sherri Hill. For heels: Gianni Bini. For running shoes: Nike.

Retailer: Nordstrom or Dillard’s! You can find anything there.

Movie: Hmm… This one is tough too! I think I’ll have to go with Bridesmaids. It’s too funny!

Who inspires you? Why?

I get inspiration from a lot of people in my life but I think my parents are my main source. I know I can trust their advice and opinions and they are always there for me no matter what time of the day or what the situation is. Growing up, they instilled the value of a hard work ethic in my brother and I. My dad always tells me his favorite quote by Henry Ford: “If you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” And this is a motto I try to apply to all areas of my life. You mind controls so much of what you are able to accomplish in life and the power of a positive attitude and hard work combined cannot be beat.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

ICE CREAM. 100% WITHOUT A DOUBT. ICE CREAM. My favorite is birthday cake batter. I have the biggest sweet tooth in the world, which is why I started creating healthy desserts – because I couldn’t live without my sweets while I trained for Miss Teen USA. I love making foods that taste great and will actually help you achieve your goals.