We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alyssa Switzer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alyssa below.

Alyssa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

When I left an elite training company to pursue my own path, I was both terrified and determined. I knew if I didn’t jump off the cliff now I may never. I started by reaching out to everyone I knew, offering my training services. One client, in particular, took to our sessions with incredible consistency and enthusiasm, quickly becoming an advocate for my work. Through her word of mouth and dedication, I went from training 1 private client to serving 15 within a month. I prioritized delivering exceptional service, showing up fully prepared, and guaranteeing results. This dedication not only fueled my client’s success but also spurred rapid growth through referrals alone.
Today, I continue to prioritize client-centric excellence, leveraging my experience to co-found Better Days Health and Wellness. Through this venture, I plan to expand my reach globally, offering a comprehensive online platform featuring diverse classes in fitness, Pilates, yoga, meditation, and more. This journey has enabled me to scale my business effectively while staying true to my commitment to individualized client care and holistic wellness.

Alyssa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have been a dancer my whole life, and always found purpose and meaning in movement. While earning my BFA in dance at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, I fractured my back. During this challenging time, I started working with a yoga instructor daily to strengthen the right side of my spine. Yoga not only healed me, allowing me to graduate with my dance degree, but it also ignited a deep love for the practice, both physically and mentally. This process further instilled my passion for movement and the body, which led me to pursue my Pilates and yoga certifications.

After graduation, I moved from Wisconsin to Los Angeles and began teaching yoga. This is when I discovered that helping others meant more to me than performing on stage. Just as my yoga instructor in college changed my life for the better, I wanted to do the same for others. I fell in love with teaching and continuing to learn. This path led me to become a trainer and work for an intense, high-profile training company. I grew within the company quickly, and was being requested to privately train top tier clientele. While there, one of these clients recruited me to leave that job and travel with their family as their personal trainer and company’s brand manager. I spent the summer with them in the Mediterranean and coninued this role when we got back to LA. Although a seemingly good job on paper, something was missing. I had ideas and dreams of my own. I felt a longing to grow and expand my reach. I needed to continue my journey towards reaching my true potential.

Taking a huge leap of faith, I left the family to start my own venture. I began taking on private clients, and as demand grew, I needed to scale. Realizing that people preferred working out in the comfort of their home or while traveling, I decided to launch an online studio – a one-stop-shop for all their fitness needs. This decision marked the beginning of Better Days Health and Wellness, where individuals can access a variety of classes including fitness, Pilates, yoga, meditation, and more, all from the convenience of their own space, wherever they may be.

I now privately train a select few and am working on my online studio. My goal with Better Days is to inspire everyone to incorporate daily movement into their life, finding what works best for them and makes them feel their best. Helping others is my passion, and I strive to reflect that in my work. Pursuing my own path and building a reputation has been the most challenging yet rewarding endeavor of my life. It’s been a roller coaster, but over the last five years, I’ve learned the importance of self-worth and believing in the difference my expertise can make in someone’s life. The future is wide open, and I’m excited to see where Better Days Health and Wellness will go in the next five years.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One important lesson I had to unlearn in my career is that excessive exercise doesn’t necessarily equate to being healthy. When I worked for a high-profile training company, I spent about 4-6 hours a day working out in a room heated to 105 degrees with 85% humidity. Just standing in that room made you sweat profusely. Burning 6,000 calories daily became my norm, along with maintaining a calorie deficit because large meals made me feel sick when I taught in the studios. On top of that, I was consuming Celsius, a caffeinated beverage, to keep myself going.

After two years, I realized this lifestyle wasn’t sustainable. My body was deteriorating. Despite being the thinnest I had ever been and liking my appearance, it was a toxic cycle, and my workouts had become my drug. Although I loved how I looked, I felt terrible. During this time, I was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis. I had never experienced pain from endometriosis before this job, but now the pain was debilitating. Additionally, I developed a large ulcer, which my doctors attributed to the immense stress I was putting on my body.

When I left this job, I struggled with body dysmorphia. My body changed quickly because there was no way I could continue working out that much daily, especially in such extreme conditions. I remember being incredibly hard on myself. Even now, I occasionally look back at photos from that time and reminisce about being that small. However, I have learned that health is not just about external appearance but also about how you feel and how well your body functions internally.

Two years later, I can confidently say I am the healthiest I have ever been. I take care of my body with a holistic approach. I no longer overtrain and have channeled my previous workout addiction into healthier habits. I started lifting weights and building muscle. I incorporated meat into my diet and ensured I consumed enough protein. I also began seeing a therapist to address the mental health issues stemming from that job. As a result, I haven’t experienced any endometriosis pain in about six months.

This journey taught me that true health encompasses both physical and mental well-being. Taking care of my body inside and out has led to a healthier, happier life. This is why I am passionate about helping others. Excessive workouts aren’t the answer; it’s about working smarter, not harder. I want to help women feel their best both inside and out, helping them feel confident and clear-minded, not stressed and burnt out. This is why I love what I do, and I am so passionate about my work and clients.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Something I believe has helped me build my reputation within my market is being confident and authentic about what I know. I am my most confident self when I am doing something I know I am good at, and that’s teaching. Starting a business is a difficult task. There’s a reason why not everyone does it and why so many small businesses fail. However, I know the risk is worth it if you love what you do. Whether I am teaching a single client or a room of 100 students, I am always myself. I don’t feel the need to let my ego run the room because I believe in my work and my classes. I know I can teach a good class, and I know I am a good teacher. But most importantly, I know I am forever a student.

Fostering relationships and being genuine in your work is key. I care deeply for all my clients and students. I do my very best to read a room and give students what I feel they are wanting and needing. Every student is extremely special to me.

When I take classes, I soak everything up: what works and what didn’t feel so great, vocabulary choices the teachers are using, and creative transitions. I even voice memo sequences I performed in yoga classes because I can memorize the flow from beginning to end. And I know I am in a great class if I can’t do that!

At the beginning of my career, when I was only teaching yoga, I didn’t allow myself to work at a studio. Instead, I decided to teach at a local YMCA. Why, you might ask? It gave me a space to fail. It wasn’t so serious because the students didn’t take it too seriously. I was able to try new classes and see what worked and what didn’t. At the time, I didn’t know it, but it’s one of the best decisions I ever made for my teaching career. I taught class every day at 6 a.m. for three years. By the time I left to work at a studio, I remember the owner being so excited to hire me and asking me where I’d been! My third class at the first studio I taught at was sold out. Students were practicing in the hallway because we had no room left! And yes, I cried. If you know you’re good at something but you’re not pursuing it, the only thing holding you back is you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.betterdayshealthandwellness.com
• Instagram: @alyssaswitzer @betterdays_health
• Linkedin: @Alyssaswitzer

Image Credits

Mark Chaput