We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexander Jeffers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alexander, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
With the mindful practices of yoga, kettlebell strength training, breathwork and meditation.. I have been given the ability to mentally liberate myself which to me translates into finding a way to manage and take control of my mental health. My hope with this project Word Life Athletics is that we can discuss everything lifestyle. Mental & physical health, hobbies, music, audiobooks, Activism, what’s new in the world, & of course what extends beyond these realms…
I want to show the good and bad moments that have (consciously or not) led me to learn, succeed, and grow. How I have been able to navigate whether it be via the support of my family, friends, audiobooks/podcasts, therapists, and folks alike. Where I have seen changes and have had breakthroughs, wins and “losses”, but really seeing them as lessons learned.
Opening the conversation of looking at what we perceive to be “failure”.. How did you look at failure in the past versus how you look at failure right now in this very moment? Has your perspective shifted? Is it different now than in the past? What is it like right now?
Having folks understand that self love is attainable is the ultimate goal. With gratitude.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Alexander Jeffers a 32-year-old fitness instructor in the Philadelphia, PA area. I was introduced to the mindfulness and fitness worlds after attending a weekly student based mindfulness group at university of California Los Angeles in 2014. In this group, I was introduced to a new mindfulness practice each week and in January 2014 we had yoga offered to us, followed by meditation the week after and I was hooked!
Finally a method or practice that resonated with me, which gave me the perfect balance of stillness and movement. Having been an athlete since youth – I ended my athletic career at the age of 18 until the age of about 22 by choice. Not that I was ever a fan of playing organized sports but more in a recreational manner.. During this time, I was suffering without even knowing it. Suffering from not moving my body and quite frankly not engaging my mind the way that I believe I needed to – I was anxious, depressed, lost, overzealous, naive, & angry.
After three years of a steady yoga practice, I decided to go ahead and get my yoga teacher training certification for 200 hours. From there, I got into kettlebell training and immediately saw how these two practices meshed so well with one another. The strength and conditioning aspect of both kettlebell training and the practice of yoga along with the mindfulness of each movement was the perfect combination for my brain and my body.
Whether I am with a class of students or one on one with a client, I bring my real authentic self. I do not try to beat around the bush or sugarcoat anything but rather tell it like it is.. I give my clients and people who come to class space to be themselves so they can tell me who they are and what they need. As a musician, I tried to bring the flow and feel from a live performance to my classes or sessions. It’s all based on a feel and a vibe. Mental and physical. we are all human beings and I believe we are all one. Connections!
At Word Life Athletics I put the word of mindfulness, movement, and stillness on my life. These practices have saved me from myself. As a naturally anxious individual who can sometimes slip into states of depression – the practices remind me of the PMA state of mind… Positive Mental Attitude… Always grounding down with Gratitude.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I look at losses as two things: in its actual definition: “the fact or process of losing something or someone” and as lesson(s) learned… I tried to open a yoga studio March 9, 2020. I had a lease signed January 2020 that began starting February 1, 2020… because of COVID-19 and a lot of processing – I decided to end the lease and shut down the studio.
Was it a loss? Yes, I stopped counting my personal financial losses after $18,000 and hours spent getting ready to open… I broke the lease and gave up the studio.
Was it a lesson? Yes, I was able to look back on the six months of renting the studio + the two months before signing the lease while searching for a space, look where I succeeded in my planning, time management, hiring of instructors, creating business to business relationships, ensuring that I was properly financially equipped to handle the first year of opening a studio without a loan from a bank, but from my own personal savings account, ensuring that I had proper software in place for scheduling and to receive payment, updating my website, and the other non glamorous parts of running your own business…
I only got to open that yoga studio for about 5 days and as I kept my head up and had amazing support from everyone around me, I was able to continue to march and lead my life with dignity. I called it my Covid pivot. I began to take things online and use satellite locations to host classes, events, and retreats! My family and people are my backbone. Gratitude.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
Anyone who has attempted to run a business might understand or know these ideas: your business either has no overhead, low overhead, or high overhead… meaning how much it costs you (ongoing business costs) to run your business…
I have always wanted a low overhead business. you do, however need to spend money to make money which is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in business… it all depends on what you want to scale and what you want to risk.
Quick rundown of how I have been running my show here:
After moving back from Los Angeles, California in the spring of 2014, I started two dog walking businesses: ‘Sea Isle City Beach Bums’ and ‘Pennsylvania Pawz’ – both of which were dog walking and petting businesses. after a lot of navigating odd jobs I began to ask myself what do I really find interest in and what do I think I’m good at (where I can make money and do my own thing)?
After starting these two Dog walking businesses and running them for five years, I sold the one business aka the contacts/client list. All the while, during my dog walking career I went and got my teacher training certification for yoga and began, instructing around the suburbs and the city, in-homes and at gyms.
My dog walking business was the ultimate funder for me getting my teacher training certification and building a client base to start talking about my new yoga and fitness venture…
So I never went to a bank and have never applied for any kind of business loan. It has been grassroots all day with my feet on the ground and leaving the house or apartment to go out and talk to people and show them what I have. Something that I think about is this – unless you are a parent your most valuable asset is your time. When you sincerely show that you are interested in other peoples time and are willing to give your time to them… the return will be sweet. Whether it is in the form of a financial return, just a human to human connection, or a vibe that you don’t want to be around… you will LEARN and you will grow as long as your mind is in the place to WANT to intentionally learn and grow.
Be you, hustle hard, be willing to get a little dirty, be ready to get denied, get up and get out, be grateful, be nice, and keep moving… The money will come – relationships, sincerity, and gratitude first. Always.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wordlifeathletics.com/
- Instagram: @wordlifeyoga @wordlifeathletics (@wordlifeyoga is my main page)
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wordlifeathleticsyoga
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-jeffers-612886a9/
- Twitter: @wordlifeyoga
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@wordlifeathletics?si=xH0qzXgQOCrgBmQy
- Other: https://linktr.ee/WordLifeAthletics
Image Credits
Jose F. Moreno