Today we’d like to introduce you to Rashida Marshall.
Rashida, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Health and wellness have always been major interests of mine, and I enjoy finding ways to educate others on the importance of healthy living. I grew up in South Florida as the oldest of three. I attended Florida State University and received my B.S. in exercise science. During university, I was very involved in community service activities and things which would allow for me to provide health education.
After graduating, I realized that I truly wanted to pursue a career as a fitness professional and went on to become certified as a personal trainer, group exercise instructor and nutrition coach. I love working with different people and being able to provide health education. The decision to move into the world of entrepreneurship came later on when I decided that I wanted to offer my training services on a larger scale.
I started with Skillfully Sculpted, through which I offer fitness training, nutrition coaching and health education, and a little while after, I added AFIYA Magazine, a bi-weekly health and wellness publication for black women. I’ve loved every moment of building each one.
Great, 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?
Entrepreneurship can be tough, without a doubt. There have been some times when it hasn’t been the smoothest ride, simply because I have had to learn a lot along the way. I’m a person of many ideas, and I’m always looking to do something. However, that can make thing much harder when you aren’t focused on completing one task first. I really had to learn how to not jump from one thing to the next and to stay committed to my vision.
Beginning AFIYA Magazine was a challenge, as well. Although the magazine contains content in my field of interest, the world of communications and journalism was not my main focus. I’ve had to figure out a lot of things as I go, and I’ve made several mistakes here and there. Another tough part was getting the magazine up and running while doing the majority of the work to complete each issue.
My passion and love for what I was doing helped to fuel me and push me past those times when it became overwhelming and discouraging. I have been able to learn so much which has helped to shape the magazine and myself as a business owner and fitness professional.
AFIYA Magazine – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
AFIYA Magazine is a bi-monthly health and wellness publication dedicated to the enlightenment and empowerment of today’s cultural and professional woman. Our mission is to enhance the awareness and knowledge of health and wellness issues important to African-American women while providing a platform for us to grow, expand and develop within our personal and professional lives. The name ‘Afiya‘ is Swahili for physical, emotional and spiritual health and wholeness, and this is the primary focus of our publication.
I am most proud of the ability to speak to and showcase so many phenomenal women as a part of the magazine. We appreciate the stories and knowledge that they have shared, and I believe that it has been extremely well-received by those who follow the publication. I believe what sets us apart is the fact that AFIYA Magazine focuses primarily on health & wellness for black women so we’re able to reach those who want to gather more information in that area.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I would say finally getting the AFIYA Magazine Wellness Scholarship up and running. We announced it earlier this year, and the scholarship will be awarded to low-income African American girls who are looking to pursue a career in health and wellness. A percentage of all of our sales will go towards it, and we will hold events to help raise money for it. It was something that I really wanted to start so I’m excited that we have been able to get things going so we can give out the first award in 2019.
Pricing:
- Print Copies of AFIYA Magazine-$6
- Digital Copies of AFIYA Magazine-$3.50
- One Year Subscription-$30
- Total Body Sculpt Fitness DVD-$12
Contact Info:
- Website: www.afiyamagazine.com www.skillfullysculpted.com
- Phone: 850-284-9151
- Email: info@afiyamagazine.com
- Instagram: @afiya_magazine @rashidaamarshall
- Facebook: AFIYA Magazine
Image Credit:
Dre Howard Photography, Tellis Rodgers Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
