Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Allison Stone. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Allison, appreciate you joining us today. How did you get your first job in the field that you practice in today?

Growing up I was a pretty active kid. I took gymnastics classes and thoroughly enjoyed them. It was so fun to do cartwheels and flips, but what I looked forward to most was the conditioning part. I loved the feeling of my muscles working. I liked to push myself and feel strong. I continued to do gymnastics and then cheerleading in high school. In my junior year I discovered the gym. It has been my passion ever since, and now I’m finally in a position to help others find their own strength and power to reach their health/fitness goals too. I’m a personal trainer at Iconix Fitness. It’s a beautiful gym with an ocean view in the city I grew up in, Long Beach California. My main goal is to help people gain confidence within themselves, in and out of the gym. I also love to collab/model for brands within the fitness industry to connect with people on more platforms and help promote the brands I align with.

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 wasn’t always confident in the gym. I started off feeling very intimidated and like I didn’t belong on the weight floor. I would go upstairs to the cardio section of the first gym I was a member of and walk all the way down to the little corner where I felt safe to do the 5 dumbbell exercises I knew. I know that was better than no workout at all. It just really shows that we were all beginners at one point. Society made me believe that upper body workouts were just for the guys. After some time, I finally learned that that was not true whatsoever. I watched YouTube videos, talked to people, and eventually gained confidence. Confidence only grows as you keep showing up. I kept showing up, even when I didn’t “feel” like it.
I switched gyms in 2020 to a really nice gym, Iconix Fitness. I joined the housekeeping/front desk team.
When I first got hired I told my manager that I was working on my NASM certification and that I’m hoping to be a personal trainer there soon. So that’s what happened. It’s very fulfilling work. If anyone would like 1:1 training with me or has any health/fitness questions, feel free to reach out! I hope to do a good enough job at training that people feel like they don’t need me anymore after some time. I want them to have the knowledge and courage to go out onto the weight floor on their own. The main niche I try to work with is women who have left their sports and are still trying to stay active, but I love to work with anyone and everyone too. My specialties are muscle building, weight loss, and general improvement of body composition/health. The gym is for everybody. It is a place that changes lives for the better. It’s my favorite place, and it’s my mission to help inspire and motivate people to take action with their health and fitness :)
GET ACTIVE 👊🏼

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to realize that it doesn’t matter what people say, unless you decide it matters. As a female bodybuilder I have gotten many comments from many people. Positive and negative. “You’re so skinny” “put some meat on those bones” “don’t get too bulky now” “you’re jacked” “don’t lose your femininity” “strong is hot” “are you trying to get “man muscles”?” If I listened to all those comments I wouldn’t even know what to do. You can never please everybody. But pleasing other people shouldn’t even be part of your personal fitness goals.
I listened to my own mind and body and am probably happier than those people who said those unnecessary/sexist things.
(Those aren’t true gym people)
When I first got into the gym I was afraid to get “too bulky”. Many girls have that same fear. It’s something society made us believe. It’s not even a real thing. Women can’t get “bulky”. We don’t have enough testosterone. Lots of people want the “toned” look. Which just means having more muscle and lower body fat percentage. Everyone has different goals and stages of their fitness journeys though so everyone is going to look different whether they did the same exact workouts & ate the same things or not.
I know now that we all just have to focus on ourselves, ignore the rest, keep showing up and working towards our individual goals. And supporting other people’s progress at the same time makes the whole thing more enjoyable. It’s also important to remember that the only competition in fitness is against yourself. We gotta make it a positive environment for everyone!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There are two books that have inspired me most and one podcast. The books are The Four Agreements, and Outwitting the Devil. The podcast is The Huberman podcast. They have all taught me lots of things. Each one was very impactful and has helped me grow my mind and my business.
I think everyone should check them out.
I’m taking the tools to level up in life now. I am learning how to think for myself, have focus and not get distracted by unnecessary things, and that the only way I can help other people is if I am strong within myself first.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: allies.active
• Other: TikTok – Allies.active

Image Credits
Sydney Douglass photography Austyn Caraway photography