Meet Kenya Simmons of Strong(H)er Fit in Southwest ATL

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenya Simmons.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kenya. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Where I am now begins with where I have been. I can remember working at my corporate job for six years, wavering back and forth about staying there and making it my career. I wasn’t clear in term of my purpose and there was some growing that I had to do before the water began to clear for me. I went through an extremely emotional timeframe during my time working there, and what I used as a coping mechanism was running.

I knew that I was coping in the best way because I wasn’t coping with anything that could hurt me. I soon learned that whilst i thought I was “taking care of myself”, it was merely a distraction from the urgent work that I need to do. I needed to be courageous enough to address my grief, process through it and heal. I spent a year, head deep in what felt like a radical evolution. It was the heavy, downtrodden, browbeaten time that I needed to gain clarity.

The moment that I came out of that season, I knew that the road that I had traveled gave me insight and perspective that could help others be brave enough to start on their path. I am a firm believer that the work that you do within your process, you become a steward of. You must use what you acquired along your way and minister over others. Fitness and journaling are two of the major pillars in my life, and I created the brand Strong(H)er Fit to provide services and events to help women begin and fall in love with their process, and feel empowered while growing. I went through my fire and emerged knowing that I needed to lead by example. I have moved and spoken from my most authentic place and this is what connects to every woman I encounter. I left my job and stepped fully into where I am just one year ago, this is my rookie season so to speak. I’m working to be rookie of the year.

Has it been a smooth road?
One thing about stepping out on faith is that you have to trust your vision, especially when everything hasn’t taken form. This is not easy to do when you are in the building stages of anything. You have to mess up in order to learn. You have to drop the ball to learn how to hold it. You have to move in the wrong direction to understand how to move right. It’s trial and error, and it’s tough. I’ve had my fair share of learning moments, and they will continue to come. I left the stability in my job and stepped into the uncertainty of a creative space. Watching so many people who had years of entrepreneurship under their belts was intimidating. I had phases of feeling like I’m not doing enough, causing me to divide my focus. This created an overwhelming space that I wasn’t able to move in. My journey got A LOT smoother when I tuned into mastering being a beginner. After being a beginner has run its course, it’s on to the next!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Strong(H)er Fit is a brand designed by a woman, for women. My brand offers personal and virtual fitness training, wellness and nutritional guidance, health and lifestyle coaching/consultations and curated events fostering the holistic health of women.

I am known for plant-based nutrition and strength coaching.

I am most proud of the moments when clients and strangers alike tell me how my coaching, my videos or a post on social media has spoken to them. This lets me know that however small, a revolution has taken place. Because this goes far beyond what you see in the mirror, it’s much greater than that.

I seek everyday to be my most authentic self so that this speaks to the truth and honesty in others. I have created a space within my business where I can wear my trainer/physical health hat one minute and seamlessly switch to another. I am invested in my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health, in turn allowing to be invested in the same ways with everyone I encounter.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Atlanta is a great city to find your niche and build it from the ground up. You can truly create and ride your own wave here, even if you have to balance a job in the beginning! Atlanta has truly become a diverse city and has leaned into the fitness/health trend that is moving around the world. This is a great city to be a personal trainer/fitness personality.

Contact Info:

• Address: EFFECT Fitness
  1995 Metropolitan Parkway
  Atlanta GA, 30015
• Email: simmonskenya@gmail.com
• Instagram: @kenni_breaux

Image Credit:
Simeon Kelley Jr., Paul McPherson

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