Today we’d like to introduce you to Shakera Blackmon Parham (KIKI BLACK).
Shakera, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Movement and bodies have always been a huge part of my life! I attended a performance arts school from K-12. I graduated from Dekalb school of the Art in 2010 as a dance and theatre major.
Went to further my education at The College of Wooster in Ohio after receiving a full-tuition scholarship.
I double major in Communication Studies and Dance/Theatre.
While at the college, I had the opportunity to travel to Chennai and Kerala India with the dance/theatre department. I was there for about a month studying dance and yoga. This is where my passion for movement and dance was matched and connected with yoga. I loved how my mind body and spirit was able to connect as one. I loved the meditation and how everything was so free, open and flowing without having to rehearse set names for poses, etc. as often seen in the US. This focus was more about “you” the individual as a whole mind body and spirit.
After this, I continued to hold on to this idea when choreographing, dancing or moving. When I came back from India, I choreographed a dance piece (Devika) for our Spring dance concert that was based on the journal I kept while in India. After auditioning and choosing my dancers, a huge part of their rehearsal was meditation and reflection. We spent hours simply talking, working through different breathing exercises and moving freely to sounds with different themes relating to my journal in mind.
This was a life change for me. The dance people became less about the performance itself and more about the people in it which made the performance itself even that more powerful.
After college, I came back home to Atlanta and it was time to experience the “real world” I immediately started working as a Human Resource Coordinator for a medical billing and contracting company. Initially, I was just excited to have a “real job” I got to work with people in a leadership position and I learned quickly so I was okay,
By the three months, I was MISERABLE! I had gained about 20 pounds (started back working out and training with my now husband) and just annoyed but I stayed for about two years before resigning,
My days went as follows:
Work
Drink
School
Bed
OR
Work
Gym
Home
The gym became a huge coping mechanism for my stress. Coming back to ATL and having NO friends, working on a masters degree and stressful job was A LOT.
My NOW husband encouraged me to start back working with dance and movement, I thought there was no coming back because I hadn’t done anything in so long and I Because of back and knee issues after a car accident, I remember joking with him saying “maybe I’ll come train with you and do some classes here.”
To my surprise, he replied, “okay, Ima start training you like a trainer then.”
He used to always flirt with me but I wasn’t interested AT ALL.
Also, I was so “green,” I didn’t even pick up on some of his flirting.
He was training me six days a week sometimes two days for $100. Not to mention he bought my workout shoes so basically, he was losing money training me.
After leaving my HR job, I got into insurance working a 100 percent commission job hoping to make a little money but to have more time to focus on working in the movement, yoga, dance, and fitness.
While I made a lot of money, I was working at least 60 hours a week and I was so unhappy.
While I felt good about helping and educating people, it just wasn’t what I wanted to do. I GAINED EVEN MORE WEIGHT! I was drinking every day. I started having blood pressure issues, numbness in my body parts and other health issues.
By this time, me and my now-husband, then-boyfriend (Jay) was living together.
I remember it became a norm for me to come home and cry. I was so angry and so tired. I remember Jay telling me to just leave the company and do what I wanted and he would figure it out for us. I heard him but that just didn’t seem realistic or smart at the time with him already being a personal trainer working out of our apartment’s gym.
A few months, someone broke into my car and stole my entire work bad including my work computer. While the job immediately supplied me with another computer and work materials. I was over it.
I asked Jay what he thought about me working part-time and becoming a personal producer so I can start following my dreams.
He said “I told you to go for it. We’ll make it work.”
The next day, I let them know I was going to part-time. At the end of my two weeks, I packed up and haven’t touched anything related to insurance since then.
Now, it was time.
GRIND TIME!
I was about 35 pounds heavier.
I was strong.
I could throw around weight like somebody boyfriend and did crazy things in the gym like burpee toe touches
But I didn’t look part and training out of an apartment gym wasn’t a good look especially since they had just told us that we could no longer train any resistants.
Two years later, here I am certified.
With multiple clients, two dope class Yoga Seduction and Twerkout Booty Camp, working at one of the top gyms. I’m Atlanta HX fitness.
With my now husband Jeremie Parham (Jay the Trainer).
I am beyond blessed!
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?
No, not at all.
When I 1st quit my job to go into the fitness world full time, I was by definition “obese” my 1st project was ME! People don’t realize that their losing weight is about 80 percent mental.
Money was low. We could barely pay rent. Month to month was a struggle. My husband and I used to save coins to try to go get food off the dollar menu on Wednesdays. I used to make a huge pot of spaghetti to last through the week. We would eat it breakfast lunch and dinner.
Two months after I quit my job, I got my 1st client and continued working hard to lose weight and to worked on my personal training certification. By the 5th month, our apartment complex told us that we were no longer allowed to train non-residents at the apartment’s gym.
We had no idea what we were going to do. We starting training people outside, in parking lots in the pool, anyway, we could.
September of 2019, we visited HX Fitness and spoke to the owner Darell Patterson about being a personal trainer at the gym.
I started my 1st class Yoga Seduction in October. The class was doing great! I was finally starting to take steps forward. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, I tore my meniscus and was on crutches for four months. Even after I got off crutches, I had gained a lot of weight and couldn’t do the normal things I was used to doing physically. I couldn’t run, jump, squat, full bend or straighten my left leg.
Not once did I cancel my class. I felt as if I was letting the women down if I did. I would meet with one of my clients before class and attempt to explain to the yoga poses and/or combinations I was going to do and she would have to Demonstrate for me during class
KIKI BLACK Fitness & Flexibility – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I specialize in fat loss while maintaining natural curves.
Strength & flexibility training.
Yoga Seduction
Athletic yoga
I am the proudest of my classes!
Yoga Seduction which is held on Thursdays at 8 pm at HX Fitness.
And the Twerkout Booty Camp which is held on Saturdays at 10 am.
I’m my classes, I have mastered a way to exercise one’s mind body and spirit at the same time. You will always leave the classes feeling better than you came.
I believe that this is one thing that separates me from others. My goal is always to empower and add positive to each person I encounter. There are plenty of people who do the same thing that I do but I know that no one can do what I do how I do because my intention behind what I do is different.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’m currently experiencing the proudest moment of my career.
I am coming to the one year anniversary of my Yoga Seduction class. I had a thousand reasons to have stopped including a knee injury and being forced to have class outside but I kept pushing
Pricing:
- Yoga Seduction Thursday’s 8pm and HX Fitness in MET Atlanta .$10 classes
- TWERKOUT BOOTY CAMP Saturdays 10am $10 classes
- Seduction Brunch, YOGA SEDUCTION 1 year anniversary celebration October 19th $20-$50
Contact Info:
- Address: HX Fitness680 Murphy Avenue SW Atlanta, Ga 30310
- Email: kikiblack.hxfitness@gmail.com
- Instagram: @kikiiblack
- Facebook: Shakera Janee Parham
- Twitter: Kikiiblack
- Other: https://linktr.ee/kikiiblack
Image Credit:
The Capture Queen, Deyiyes Jerome – Flyers, Creative Aesthetix
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