We recently connected with Alexandria Marelli and have shared our conversation below.

Alexandria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

Breaking away from the traditional career path that most take post grad can be intimidating. There are moments where I feel like my hard work will never pay off, and that pursuing a career I’m truly passionate about is simply not in the cards for me. I have had countless friends and family members tell me to “play it safe and stay in a traditional role”. While I do see value in gaining experience in the workforce, spending my entire life behind a desk is something I refuse to concede to. I need something more- something that makes ecstatic to jump out of bed in the morning. Isn’t that what life is all about? Since starting my fitness journey there have been many moments that have made me feel proud- from getting partnerships with brands that I have looked up to since I started lifting, to hitting personal records in my lifts. I have pushed myself mentally and physically beyond what my mind could have ever imagined and for that I am forever changed. However, a recent event really shifted my perspective of what it is I am truly doing when I share my fitness journey with the world.

It was not a typical Monday morning. I was on my way to the gym for a lift like any other day, but on this day I was feeling an overwhelming sense of “what’s the point of all this?” I pulled out my phone to begin recording my first lift when I saw a message pop up on my fitness account. Usually I put my phone on do not disturb while I lift to avoid distractions, but I had this overwhelming feeling to check the message. The message was from a girl I had never met. She lived across the country, and if it weren’t for my fitness account connecting us we probably would have never crossed paths. Her message stopped me dead in my tracks.
She wrote about how I inspired her to step into a gym. She wrote that she had been dealing with some unhealthy eating habits and I had helped her to see food as fuel rather than an enemy. She thanked me for sparking a change in her and changing the course of her year. She then ended the message with a before and after photo of her gym progress.

What she didn’t know at the time, was that she had the courage to do something I hadn’t yet, which was share the vulnerability of my past which led me to begin my fitness journey. At the age of 12, I developed an eating disorder. At the time I thought making myself as small as possible was the only way to feel good about myself. For the next 4 years, there was not a day that I looked in the mirror and didn’t wish to change something I saw in the reflection. I stopped at nothing to make sure I wasn’t eating, and was exercising as much as possible. This included lying to and hurting the people that loved me most.
Flash forward to now- I am healthy not only physically but mentally and I have the gym to thank for that. Working out in a healthy way allowed me to channel my energy into something good. I worked out to become stronger, not smaller and I have never been happier. Reading that message on a day where I was feeling like nothing I was doing was impactful was the exact reminder from the universe I needed that this is where I am supposed to be. On the days I feel my work is going unnoticed, there is someone somewhere feeling inspired by what I am doing. That is the only fuel I need to keep going. Knowing that I inspired even one person to begin their journey of self growth fills my heart beyond belief, and I can confidently say it makes the uncertainty of a nontraditional career path worth it. Although it just happened, this moment is one that I know will change the trajectory of my fitness career and what is held in the future.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am 24 years old living in Tampa, FL. I grew up in Ohio, attended Ohio University and earned a degree in marketing and sales. After graduation I began working a job in sales consulting, learning the ins and outs of operating a business. It was during my first year post grad that I really began lifting seriously and wanting to create a business out of it. I remember talking with my mom over a cup of coffee, joking about how I should open up an all girls gym centered around holistic health through mind body connection. We then really began brainstorming what it would look like. That conversation planted a seed that I have been watering ever since. I began tracking my workouts. I would build my friends workout plans and meal plans. I fell in love with reading holistic health and mind meditation books. I wrote about what I learned in them. Throughout the next couple months I changed from the inside out. During this time I found out who my real friends were, and severed ties with a lot of people I thought would be in my life forever. Going through this transformation was lonely, but necessary.
I began my fitness account in March of 2023. I began by posting my workout routines, workout split, meal inspiration, workout tips, and mindset motivation tips. All of this combined is what became my lifestyle and I haven’t looked back since.
The approach I like to take on life is a progressive overload not just with your body but with your mind. This means starting out by changing one thing in your daily routine. For example, maybe you start going to the gym and walking on the treadmill. Then the next week you add in a quad workout. After a couple weeks, you have a full lifting split going and you’re still walking on the treadmill.
The same works with your mind. The first week you decide to read 20 minutes before bed. Week two you still read 20 minutes before bed, but you also meditate for 15 minutes, or you journal about how you’re feeling that day. It all ties together for a more holistic, healthy lifestyle.
I aim to help others begin their holistic health journey who don’t know where to begin, or who feel they are stuck in a plateau. I am passionate about helping those who suffer from body dysmorphia, a poor relationship with food or who have felt they have to change their body in order to feel confident. I have been through all of those feelings, and would be lying if I said they never crept back into my mind. It is a constant commitment to becoming a better version of yourself than you were yesterday. My goal is to be an ally in that journey and remain completely transparent about that on my own fitness journey.

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

A lesson that I have had to unlearn throughout starting my journey as a fitness creator is that when people talk about you it is a bad thing. Growing up, I always felt uncomfortable when people were talking about the things I was doing. I remember the first time I ever found out a friend of mine was talking about me behind my back. I couldn’t believe it, I dwelled on the fact that someone would have something negative to say about me. I thought about it nonstop for weeks. This was the beginning of a long history of caring what others thought of me. You often hear people say, “stop caring what other people think!” Easier said than done, right? I do believe it is nearly impossible to fully break free from caring about others opinions of you. I think there is a healthier approach to the subject, and that is- coming to terms with the fact that you are not going to be everyones cup of tea, and that is okay. When I first started taking lifting seriously I wanted to create an account to share my lifestyle with others. It wasn’t until over 6 months after my fitness journey began that I started the account because I was scared of what other people would say. I knew that my posts would be sent in group chats making fun of me. I knew people would roll their eyes at my content and have their own negative opinions about it. People love to hate. I realized something as I grew older, met new groups of people and started becoming the person I want to be, and that is let the people talk. If people aren’t talking about you, you’re not doing enough. That sounds harsh, but it’s true. Nobody is going to talk about the person who takes no risks. The person who plays it safe, never raises their voice or leans into their passion isn’t going to be table conversation. Often times, the people sitting around the table are going to have negative things to say. It’s easy to criticize. It’s easy to find excuses as to why something wont work. It’s hard to make it happen. So I began posting my content. I posted what made me happy and what I felt I could share with the world. Let the people talk. My mindset has shifted, and now I value my happiness over others opinions of me.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Other than training and knowledge, I believe the most helpful tool you can have to succeed in a creative field or in the fitness industry is your mindset. It sounds cliche, but I feel like most people don’t truly understand the power of their mind and their thoughts. You have full control over your thoughts, and choosing the right mindset can change your life. For example, when people ask me “how do you stay motivated in the gym” it makes me laugh a little. Motivation is a fickle friend. If you only rely on motivation to do things, you’re going to spend a lot of time waiting around. When motivation is nowhere to be found, discipline shows up. Discipline is what gets me out of bed in the early mornings day after day when I would really rather sleep an extra few hours. While I do genuinely enjoy the lifestyle I am living, there are always going to be days when it’s hard to stay focused. Keeping your mind sharp and prepared for those moments is what makes the difference. I like to read. I read all kinds of books- mind meditation books, finance books, self help books, and even fiction books. An eagerness to learn from others around me is something I plan to carry with me everywhere I go.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: lexx.fit__
• Other: TIKTOK: @LEXX.FIT__ EMAIL: [email protected]

Image Credits
The graduation photo was taken by Lanae Lang