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

Hi Serina, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Growth requires risk. Without risk, you won’t grow. Taking risks in life is what has brought me to where and who I am today. From taking risks of speaking up about how I feel, to taking risks in business and high financial investments. When I was younger, I was encountered by many situations where I knew if I did not voice how I was truly feeling, then things would not get resolved. I did not know what the consequences were going to be when I spoke up about how I felt until after I did it. When I took that risk of speaking my truth and voicing the emotions and feelings bottled up inside me, I felt a sense of power. Power that no one can take from me because at the end of the day, your happiness is the most important thing. Therefore if the situation is not serving you, then you have the right to speak up about it, only then change really happens. On a business level, taking the risk to leave my 9-5 job with no financial security was a huge, yet very worthwhile risk to me. I always knew I wanted to be my own boss, have financial freedom, and positively impact millions of people world wide. Yet, I had no idea how I was going to do it, all I knew was what I wanted but not how I was going to get there. At the age of 20-21, I started studying to become a certified personal trainer and nutritionist, while going to college full time and working 2 jobs. It was extremely difficult to do and most definitely a challenge I was willing to take on. Once I completed my personal trainer certification, I quit one of my jobs, and then started training clients here and there as a side hustle. Then, after COVID hit, school became online, so I had more flex time in my day to educate myself more on social media, coaching, and how to start a business. I spent countless hours, and sleepless nights trying everything I can to figure out how to run an in person and online fitness & nutrition coaching business. One of the first opportunities that was the catalyst for bringing me to where I am today, was one of my biggest risks I had taken. I was presented with an opportunity to become an independent contractor at SMTF Scottsdale, however it was a huge risk for me. First of all, it was a fairly big monthly financial investment for me, because I had to pay a high monthly rent, when I did not have any clients, and already had loads of expenses on me compared to my income level at the time. I was extremely excited when this opportunity was presented, but I was also very scared to take the risk to invest into it. I sat with myself for a few days and did some research about the gym and weighed out my pros and cons for getting started at the gym. Some pros were that they would assist me in getting clients initially, I knew that this would be the beginning to my dream of becoming my own boss and positively impacting the lives of others, and that if I don’t take this opportunity now, what will I be doing to eventually getting to where I want to be? I knew I had to start somewhere. The cons were I did not have the liquidity to afford monthly rent, I didn’t know how I would attain clients, and I had no idea how to run a business. When I analyzed the pros and cons, I realized that the cons weren’t really cons, they were derived from fear. Fear of failure, fear of the unknown, but one thing I always live by is you can face everything and run or face everything and rise. I choose to face everything and rise. I said worst comes to worse, I try it out for a few months and if it doesn’t align with me, I leave it and find something else. So, I decided to take the risk and use the money from my current 9-5 job to assist me in paying gym rent, placed charges on my credit card to also help me afford it, and again consistently educated myself, connected with people I met on social media, and just kept constantly asking questions to any resources I could find (because if there is a will, there is always a way, no excuses, ever). It was still scary to me but I let my fear fuel me into keep going after what I want and never stop, because even when I get there, there will be another level for me to keep growing and learning. After a few months in, business started to pick up for me and the load of a 9-5 job, and going to ASU full time was becoming too stressful and impacting my mental, physical, and emotional health. So, I decided to take a huge risk and quit my 9-5 job, still without having financial security because although business was picking up a bit more, there was still inconsistency in the money I was making and the amount of clients I had each month. However, I didn’t let that stop me because my vision was so vivid, I was only looking at the bigger picture, and immensely focusing on my desire. About 4 months into quitting my 9-5 job, I graduated from ASU with my B.S. Psychology and business minor. This now gave me even more time to focus on growing my company and continuing to educate myself to be the best I can be and provide the greatest and distinct service. In addition to taking the risk of starting at the gym, I took another financial risk of investing into a business coach to improve my skills and learn how to be an online coach. When I got on the call and found out that the cost of the 12 week program was going to be $10K, I freaked out and said “let me think about it because I don’t want to make a fast decision.” I did NOT have an extra $10K just laying around to pay. The coach’s response to me saying “let me think about it,” was “what do you need to think about? Don’t you want to make a change and get out of being stuck where you are?” Deep inside I knew that’s exactly what I wanted. To be unstuck, to have more confidence in myself and my coaching skills, to make a change. So, I responded by saying “Yes, but I don’t have the money to pay for that.” She then helped me come up with a payment plan that would help me afford investing into the program. I was still scared to take the risk, thinking and asking her questions like “What if it doesn’t work out? Can I get a refund? Will I really be able to generate high ticket sales after investing into this program?” All my questions derived from fear of taking a risk and fear of the unknown, but I knew that if I kept putting things off, and staying in my comfort zone, then I will never know what could be on the other side of that risk. So, I took the risk, I invested into the coaching program, and it aided me in getting high ticket sales, WAY more confidence in myself, and A LOT of skills I did not even realize I needed. It was one of the best decisions I had made, because since then, it made me realize that if you REALLY AND TRULY want something bad enough and have that burning desire to make a change, you will find the money and/or resources to make it happen one way or the other. Through lots of trial and error, sweat and tears, excitement and abundance, taking a leap of faith into the unknown here I am 1.5 years later into taking the risk of starting my company, quitting my job, and it was the best decision I ever made. I am so grateful for the opportunities and risks I have taken to bring me to where I am today, inspiring and positively impacting thousands of people world wide, working for myself, and on the path to creating full financial freedom. I’m excited to keep growing and inspire millions world wide.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I take a much different approach to fitness, Nutrition, and mindset. I work deeply with my clients to help them reprogram their subconscious mind to achieve physical results. I provide them with PROVEN strategies using neuroscience to achieve optimal physical health, mental clarity, confidence, and maximum energy they can bring to their life NOW!

The core of my program emphasizes compassionate discipline and allows my clients to discover a balance of nutrition and workout intensity that fits their lifestyle. This approach will allow you to still eat the foods you enjoy, have free time to spend on things other than fitness, and achieve sustainable results.

Compassionate Discipline is understanding that there is a deeper psychological process that goes behind weight loss. I use neuroscience and discipline to help keep you accountable because I know the results that you’re investing in, and I want to do everything I can to help you achieve those goals.

With my clients, we focus on identifying their subconscious limiting beliefs, that is preventing them from reaching their fitness goal (for ex: losing weight and sustaining the results). We then implement small changes to create sustainable habits within their lifestyle. Then continue to progress from there.

We emphasize and foster the importance of consistency, discipline, and community.

Being an entrepreneur / busy professional is mentally and physically demanding. Some entrepreneurs/professionals, though successful, remain in poor health for prolonged periods.

Most successful leaders follow a routine that allows them to remain in good physical and mental health, especially if you’re working behind a desk for hours!

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” — Benjamin Franklin

Good health, wealth, and wisdom go hand in hand. I mostly work with entrepreneurs and busy working professionals, to help them evolve their mind and body through compassionate discipline.

I currently offer VIP Online Fitness/Nutrition/Mindset Coaching, In Person Training at SMTF Scottsdale (1-1 and semi-private sessions).

My business partner, Bee, and I are also currently in the process of launching The Mandala Mentorship in Spring 2022, a 12 week online coaching program that guides busy professionals / entrepreneurs reach their fullest human potential; improving the main domains of life, transforming their physical, mental and spiritual wellness, to live a life of purpose.

I am most proud of myself for committing to myself and my long term success. I have always had a vision to work for myself since I was little, and now that I am seeing it all come to fruition is beyond exciting for me. Sometimes I feel like I have no idea how I got here today with my business, but the other part of me knows that all I needed to do was just START. Although I had no idea how or where to start I found a way to make it work. I had a burning desire to improve the lives of others on a physical, mental, and emotional level. Having that burning desire plus elevated emotions towards the goals I wanted to achieve is what vibrationally aligned me with others who were ready, open and willing to support me and give me guidance in my business. I have attracted many mentors and coaches who provided me with so much value to support my growth, and I did not even have the finances to hire anyone at the time to guide/coach me. They all were attracted to my strong determination to grow, my burning desire for achieving my goals, my commitment, and most importantly that I was coachable. I am always ready to learn, without letting ego get in the way. I am always a student of life. I’m very excited that this is just the beginning of my journey and that I have so much more to offer the world and excited to connect with more amazing individuals who have a strong desire and commitment to growth. I am so happy and grateful now that I allow myself to live in the unknown to create what I desire, without letting my past be the source of my creation.

I started my fitness journey around 12/13 years old. I grew up watching my mom take care of her own health through exercise and eating healthy, and as you know, its ‘monkey see , monkey do,’ Whenever I would watch my mom exercise and eat healthy, I copied her same routine. I started off by following home workout videos with her then took it to the gym. As a few years progressed, at about 15-16 years old, my goal was to lose weight and tone. I started to take my own route in my fitness journey and tried everything from weight watchers to juice detoxes. I would “yo yo diet” and try all types of workout routines, from 2 a day workouts to just working out a few times a week. My results were never consistent for years, I was always up and down with my weight loss progress, and constantly stressing out about my body and how I feel. I then realized, with the help of my studies and my mom, that I wasnt sticking to consistent results because i was constantly stressed out about my body, and my external environment. Because I was in stress mode, my body was constantly staying bloated, which was very frustrating, considering I was very mindful of my eating habits and consistently exercising with proper recovery. I then started to implement holistic techniques such as breathwork, meditation and affirmations techniques to work on my solar plexus chakra, which is an energy center located in your stomach area. It’s responsible for confidence and self-esteem, as well as helping you feel in control of your life. I was experiencing low self-esteem and lack of confidence in my body because I was constantly bloated and holding in stuck energy due to the external stressors I was experiencing. At 18, I hired my first personal trainer because I decided I wanted to make a change for myself and learn more since I enjoyed working out. (BTW, I didn’t always enjoy working out. Sure, I would workout with my mom when I was younger, but aside from that, I was never a fan of gym class in school, and constantly wrote myself notes to excuse myself from gym classes, especially when it came to doing cardio, like running. My gym teachers were fed up with me at one point haha.) After hiring my first personal trainer, I learned a lot more about nutrition and exercise and became my friends go-to fitness and nutrition advice over the years. From there, one of my friend’s was ready to join the airforce and asked me to train him. I wasn’t a personal trainer at the time when he asked, but I had considered it for a while. But, when he asked me if I would train him, that was the catalyst to getting my personal trainer and nutritionist certification. I was already going to college full time, working a full time job, and just grinded to get certified as a trainer and nutritionist. I put in long hours, sacrificed going out with friends, sacrificed some sleep, because I had a goal to reach, and with my busy schedule already I had to make it fit one way or the other. I would either wake up as early as 4 am to study and get things done or be up as late as 1 AM to finish my studies. I eventually got certified and started training him for about 4 months until he went to the airforce. After he went to base military training, he told me he was very physically and mentally conditioned and scored higher than most in the group because of our training together. That experience gave me a lot more confidence to continue to pursue the personal training path. At the time, it was still a side hustle. I would train friends and family here and there, because now at age 20-21, I was working 2 full time jobs, going to ASU full time, yet trying to have time for myself and a social life. And as you can imagine, that is very difficult to do and I was worn out, even more stressed, so I eventually quit 1 of my jobs, continuing ASU, personal training side hustle, and my other job. From the age 21-22, when the COVID pandemic hit, school became online, so I had more spare hours that I used to educate myself more about fitness, nutrition, and constantly working on self development by reading, listening to audiobooks, podcasts, etc. In that time, I started taking my personal training more seriously and started posting content on IG and growing my page, then fast forward a few months I decided to rent a gym space in Scottsdale, AZ and start taking on clients, which was not easy at all since I had to find the clients on my own. When my clientele started to pick up, it become too overwhelming between full time school, my 9-5 job, and now personal training. So, i took a leap of faith, with very little financial stability to quit my 9-5 job, to pursue my personal training and graduate from ASU. A few months shortly after quitting my 9-5 job in Feb 2021, I graduated with my B.S. Pysch & Business minor in May 2021. From May 2021, to now I continue to educate myself daily on fitness, nutrition, mindset, business, etc, as well as implementing daily self love practices such as affirmations and meditations to prevent / alleviate holding in stuck energy in my body and repeating my patterns from when i was younger of negative self talk towards my body and self-destructing eating and fitness habits.

The biggest obstacle I’ve overcome so far in my business is the lack money mindset I had. I didn’t have the confidence to charge what I knew I deserved for my services. I used to think selling an online 4 week customized workout program with coaching for $90 was too much to ask for and who would buy it from me anyways? I had no confidence, though I was putting hours educating myself to provide the best value and service. And growing up, in society we are always taught to never talk about money with people or bring up finances, and that sales is “bad”, you shouldnt be “selling” to others, selling is a scam, etc. I worked really hard on myself to break those beliefs that were part of my paradigm. As soon as a thought would come up in my mind of “That’s too much to charge, they probably will say no anyways,” I quickly become conscious of it and change it by saying “they’re paying for my time and energy to provide them the best service” Money is nothing more than a form of energy exchange. So by learning more about money, and how it’s a vibration, I surrounded myself with a lot of millionaires who were talking in millions of dollars like it was nothing. I became confident to discuss money and ask for what I’m worth because I know for a fact I can get clients results, and if anything, the higher ticket coaching is what attracts the high quality clients I work with. The clients who are willing to invest in themselves knowing that their financial investment is nothing compared to the life changing value they will be investing into their physical, emotional, and mental health. Overall, through self-development education, hiring business coaches, and committing myself to growth through consistency and discipline, I have been able to overcome my lack money mindset and know that I am worthy of receiving. I also learned how to set boundaries with myself and others who are not in alignment with who I want to be, as well as boundaries between myself and the idea that I have to satisfy everyone with the sacrifice of my own happiness. I was saying yes to things that were not in alignment with myself, my values, or energy, so that i don’t come off as rude, or disrespectful. Then one of my coaches helped me realize that “when I say yes to others when the task at hand is not in alignment with me, i am disrespecting myself, not them” That was a light bulb moment for me!

I want the world to know that in order to truly achieve your desired goals, then it is extremely important to be intentional with your thoughts, vibrations, actions, and your environment. The more intentional you are, the more you will align with what it is you desire. Your thoughts create a vibration which creates your action, which creates your reality. Your personality is your PERSONAL REALITY, so be mindful of the personality that you have compared to the personality you want to create. Embody the person who you want to be. Tap into your future self by becoming the person you want to be. How does that person walk? Talk? Who does your future self surround themselves with? How do you dress? What do your daily habits look like? Its so important to ask yourself these questions and start creating actionable steps to gear yourself in that direction. Even if you dont know how, set that intention with an elevated emotion and the universe will start to bring people / situations to you to show you the path to get to where you want to be. Dont be afraid when people start to vibrate out of your life. You are becoming a new person which requires a different level of strength and environment. Also be open to receiving and being in the unknown. Too many of us, myself included, are so quick to want to create our future based on what we know or think to know based on past experiences and beliefs. But, if you allow yourself to be in the unknown and have strong faith that the universe will bring you what you desire, then you will be attracting an abundance of opportunities to you. Create from the unknown, not your past. Today is about the new. Explain your new story you want to recreate for yourself and write it down! There is very strong power behind writing (pen and paper).

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take my bestfriend to explore AZ, somewhere thats also pretty new for the both of us because I love to explore new places. I would most likely start off with Sedona because Sedona has such beautiful views. The mountains and nature there are just mesmerizing. We would go hiking, and I would take them to Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park in Sedona because the Buddha statue is really cool and its a cool experience being able to meditate there as well. I would also check out different rooftop restaurants and cafes. One of my favorite places is LUX Max Annex because its all pink and I love pink, going there allows me to tap more into my feminine energy too. I would definitely go to the Princess Resort as well to hang out by the firepits, its one of my favorite resorts to visit, as well as The Scott. Their food is really yummy and I love the vibe of it. I would also love to visit Antelope Canyon and check out different spots on IG that I can visit that have unique experiences. The Van Gogh Experience in DTPHX looks really cool, I have yet to check that out. Overall, anywhere where we can have a new and fun experience that allows us to connect with nature, and a place that has good vibes is where we’d be at!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Huge shoutout to my mom for being there to support me through my entire journey. She provided me with a loving, nurturing, and supportive environment that gave me the space to grow. She has also been there to witness my difficult challenges as well as my wins and I am beyond appreciative of all her love and support. Shoutout also to my sisters who believe in me and support me in what im doing. Shoutout to all my mentors and coaches along the way who have showed me ways to improve my skills and helped me overcome mindset blocks. And shoutout to all my friends and family who have been supporting me from day 1 on my journey.

Website: www.MbgCoaching.com

Instagram: @MindBodyGainz_Fitness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mbgfitness/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ_SZuCpkEIfQHvAW9T54SA/featured

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