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Meet Anissa Amason and Ellen Nicoll of Anissa & Ellen Raw in North

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Anissa Amason and Ellen Nicoll.

Anissa and Ellen, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We met at the gym where we’ve been instructors for the last 10+ years. One day, we were chatting about how much social media has driven fitness professionals to believe they need to be perfect and to project the “perfect image”. At the time, we were both approaching our 50th birthdays and were in various stages of menopause. In the course of various conversations, we discovered there was a lack of real-life women, particularly in the fitness industry, talking about the issues we were facing. We also discovered that there were so many of our fellow instructors, participants and friends who needed a forum to express what they were going through as well. So, we decided to create Anissa & Ellen RAW (Real Authentic Women).

We encourage real, authentic, honest communication in an open and safe, judgment-free zone about topics ranging from menopause to domestic violence to counting macros to sex at 50. We started with a Facebook group and now co-host the Anissa & Ellen RAW podcast called RAWtalk on the Atlanta Podcast Network. We currently have 21 episodes on many of the popular media platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcast, iHeart Radio, Pandora and many more. We interview and have discussions with women from all walks of life… survivors, health & fitness experts, and regular women doing extraordinary things. Our tribe is called RAWiors. From the very beginning, we made a brand promise that we will never filter anything… whether it’s communication or photographs or our podcast.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No journey worth taking is ever smooth. As most folks who have dreams to own businesses or start a passion project will tell you… initially we had big goals but then life comes along and hampers pace and progress. We started strong with the FB group but then Ellen’s full-time job became a little more hectic and she had to step back a bit. The group and the project actually went on hiatus for six months. But we both believe in things happening when they should and at the right time, And the podcast actually relaunched the project. And we’ve been going strong and committed to the RAW movement ever since. However, we are not everyone’s cup of tea, Admittedly, RAW communication comes with its fair share of haters – those who have questioned our authenticity. Our hopes are the more we show up in an authentic way and hold space for other women to do the same, channels will open for honest dialogue, self-love and acceptance of others.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We created RAW as a sanctuary of authenticity: supporting goals, witnessing successes & honoring struggles. The RAW community always gives us an immediate feeling of safety & security. We encourage women to show up in real ways, regardless of circumstances… sharing laughter, joy, passion, and purpose. Collectively, we make a difference in the world. Connecting all walks of life, we come together & belong to each other.

In RAW, we reach beyond ourselves in caring support of one another. As RAWIORS, we use our God-given talents and strengths to elevate, not compete with each other. RAWIORS inspires through a willingness to be real – in every phase and stage of sisterhood. We are all connected!…and this connectedness is meant to enrich our lives – draw us closer, and create community.

What makes a RAWIOR: (Real Authentic Woman – Warrior)

WE OWN who we are – perfectly imperfect
WE ALLOW others to be who they are without judgment
WE EMBRACE life fully even if that shit sucks sometimes
WE LEARN from each other and share our wisdom openly
WE FORGIVE ourselves, others and move on – no drama
WE ACCEPT help, love, kindness, compassion and give in return
WE RISE together in commonality – no matter our differences
WE CELEBRATE each other’s successes, growth and expansion
WE HONOR our journey through struggle and triumph

What were you like growing up?
With more than 27 years in the health & fitness industry, Ellen is a passionate promoter of all things mentally, physically and spiritually warm & fuzzy. Helping others achieve their best selves feeds her soul. Not one to ever worry about aging, she has embraced growing older & is a proud card carrying member of the 50 & Over Badass Women’s Club. But when early onset menopause kicked in a few years ago, she began to find her self acceptance, self-love and all-around sanity challenged. The oldest of 5 children, she grew up in a very loving, open-minded, stable close-knit family. She is the yang to Anissa’s yin… bossy, over-emotional, lover of heavy metal & hip hop, and artsy fartsy with a wicked sense of humor & a lot of sass & edge. Put her on a beach with a trashy romance novel featuring a sexy hot swashbuckling pirate named Tristan & she’s your friend for life.

Anissa decided three years ago, at 48, to leave the security of her 20+ years teaching career to redesign her life around wellness and high-vibing. She’s an unapologetically spiritual badass building a legacy to impact women towards living a healthier life, aligned with their innermost being in mind, body & spirit. Horribly awkward engaging in small talk, Anissa delights in soulful conversations about the connectedness of all things. She is a Reiki master and Pilates instructor. Anissa’s proudest achievement, however, is raising five amazeballs humans. The yin to Ellen’s yang – she’s California laid-back and dreamy, meditative & scarily intuitive, a lover of all things Renaissance, and a push-up-aholic! She’ll sit next to Ellen on that beach with a romantic period novel and an unending bowl of watermelon… BLISS.

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Image Credit:
Moira Burke

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