We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Almetria Turner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Almetria thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When you’ve been a professional in an industry for long enough, you’ll experience moments when the entire field takes a U-Turn, an instance where the consensus completely flips upside down or where the “best practices” completely change. If you’ve experienced such a U-Turn over the course of your professional career, we’d love to hear about it.

In 2020, I was pretty active in my career and business, Fit and Finally Free where I was constantly on the go.

I was teaching barre, indoor cycling, community nutrition and subbing for pilates and senior fitness classes at the Y; and teaching several senior fitness classes for Humana. I took two back to back initial fitness trainings to gain my certification in Les Mills Body Pump and Sprint.

I had several speaking engagements and contracts lined up, scheduled live TV cooking demonstrations and celebrity chef tradeshow appearances all while being actively involved in my women’s volunteer organization, the Junior League of Memphis.

Then, March 13, 2020 happened. It was the last day I would step foot in a gym and over the weekend the entire world shut down including my own. It was declared that we were in a global pandemic and it felt like my world had stopped spinning on its axis.

Gyms were closed indefinitely. Contracts, speaking engagements and other public appearences were immediately cancelled. My entire career and business came to a screeching halt because the world made me slam my brakes on my dreams and I no longer felt as if I were in control.

The health and wellness industry was taking a deep detour and I knew it would never be the same because people could no longer go to the gym. They started investing in building their home gyms, took up running, yoga and cycling. Fitness Instructors and gyms had gotten creative and started teaching classes online.

I knew I had to pivot where I could still remain relevant in the health and wellness industry as well as protect my mental health because of the uncertainty and isolation. It hasn’t been easy.
I wondered through prayer, meditation and self reflection what was next for me. Where do I figuratively go from here because we literally couldn’t go anywhere.

Cooking at home became challenging for most families because they would often eat on the go or order carryout. So, I created an online healthy recipe series called, “Pandemic Pantry Meals,” to help people learn how to cook and create healthy meals using only the foods found on their pantry and fridge. I loved zoning out in my kitchen, but that wasn’t enough for me.

While I practiced yoga for cross training and as a method to help alleviate stress a few days a week at the Y, I found myself doing it daily during the pandemic since I was in constant isolation and I needed to feel rooted and grounded. This led me to pursue my yoga teacher training certification, hence the first pivot and domino of blessings.

After I received my first 200 hour yoga teacher training, it led me wanting to serve prenatal and postnatal women/birthing people. I found a prenatal yoga school in Utah that offered me a full scholarship in which my teacher then told me about another organization that were offering scholarships to become a full spectrum doula.

I had never heard of a doula until she told me about the services they offered and how it would compliment my yoga certifications.
That’s when I noticed how the pandemic exposed several socio-economic, health and racial disparities, food insecurities and educational gaps within the city.

Stress, despair, hunger, depression, anxiety, death and other physical and mental health issues affected the well being of adults and children throughout the pandemic.

While stuck at home, I saw the benefits of practicing yoga during my quiet time, how children could benefit from practicing yoga and mindfulness for their social and emotional learning, how people were unprepared handling life after death and dying alone; how African American women and children were dying at alarming rates during and after childbirth due to systemic racism, obstetric violence, various social determinants, not being taken seriously, and postpartum mood disorders in comparison to their white counterparts. There was a need for representation in this particular and traditionally white wellness space here in Memphis. I decided to make my presence fully known by joining in the fight for reproductive, social and racial justice.

So, I decided to take the plunge and was awarded that doula scholarship, along with several more scholarships in yoga, other doula trainings, becoming a USATF Level Two Endurance Coach, Childbirth and Lactation Educator, Child Passenger Safety Technician, Safe Sleep Ambassador, NAMI Peer to Peer Ambassador, and a TN Peer Recovery Specialist.

That’s when I became resourceful and started seeking scholarships and grants to pursue the education I needed to pivot and expand my business offerings and fill in several disparity gaps in the yoga, hospice, palliative care and black maternal health space.

During the past two and a half years, I’ve been awarded close to $24,000 in scholarships and grants covering professional development, props and equipment that allowed me to give birth to Roots + River Wellness and Morning by Mourning.

I’ve completed my 200 hour yoga, 200 hour yoga sculpt, baby, restorative, prenatal, postnatal, chair/adaptative, trauma informed and ayurveda specialist teacher trainings.

I’m a BADT Trained Full Spectrum Birth and Postpartum Doula, a DONA Trained Birth Doula, a BADT Trained Childbirth Educator, an INELDA Trained End of Life Doula, a PAIL  Pregnancy and Infant Loss Doula, a Nurturely Milk Magic Lactation Educator, a Safe Sleep Ambassador, and a National Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.

Currently, I’m pursuing my Prenatal and Postnatal Coaching Specialist certification with Girls Gone Strong and my Perinatal Mental Health Specialist certification with Postpartum Support International so that I can be an additional fitness, nutrition and mental health resource for my clients. These educational resources were fully paid for too. Holistic Health is my passion!

Life has a way of bringing you back on track. When I was in high school, I either wanted to become a pediatrician or work in advertising. I was accepted into Washington University located in St. Louis, Mo, but I opted to attend the University of Memphis on a full academic scholarship where I majored in advertising. Here I am almost thirty years later working with women and children but in a different capacity.

I had to embrace the new chapter in my life by turning the page on my old life. Increasing Black maternal and infant mortality statistics due to systemic and institutional racism, reproductive and social injustices, obstetric violence, and various social determinants as well as the lack of women of color coaches in the endurance industry spoke volumes to me as to why my presence was needed for representation matters within these two spaces.

Since then I have lobbied to state senators to get Tennessee doulas covered under Medicaid, worked on several doula task forces with the Tennessee Department of Maternal Mortality Review Board, Healthy and Free Tennessee and the March of Dimes Tennessee Community Accountability Panel.

As you can see, I made a complete shift in my career and business, but I’m still active in the health and wellness industry serving women and children.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

As a native Memphian, I graduated with honors from White Station High School and earned a Bachelors and Masters degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Memphis and a Certification in Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University.

I’m a 26 year communications and public relations professional with over 8 years of experience in the holistic health and wellness industry. Currently, I’m the CEO and Owner of Fit and Finally Free, a lifestyle, weight management and fitness company, Roots + River Wellness, a Full Spectrum doula and perinatal service, and Morning by Mourning an end of life doula service that provides physical, emotional, informational and sometimes spiritual support to compassionately help guide terminally ill people and their loved ones through the dying and grief process.

I hold several memberships and positions in various organizations such as the Junior League of Memphis where I was awarded the 2021-2022 Training Council Volunteer of the Year Award and as the 2022-2023 Association of Junior Leagues International Women of Color Affinity Group Executive Board Program Chair where I’m responsible for all of the strategic coordination, scheduling, planning, and facilitation of programming and trainings offered to members and prospective members of the WOC affinity group to enhance their membership experience, strengthen shared experiences and nurture their leadership potential within their respective leagues in accordance with the strategic direction of the WOC International Executive Board. Members consist of a diverse spectrum of intersectionalities representing over 125+ out of 295 leagues across the world including the newly formed league located in Nairobi, Kenya.

Also, I’m a member of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition, Yoga Alliance, Black Yoga Teacher Alliance, USA Track and Field Association-Tennessee Chapter, Tennessee  Maternal Mortality Review Task Force, March of Dimes Tennessee Community Accountability Panel, Healthy and Free Tennessee Doula Coalition, NAMI, and Team Game Changers as a Woman of Color RRCA Certified Running Coach Mentor.

My mission is to inspire and encourage people to live a holistic and well balanced life through food, faith, fitness, fellowship and fun.

In 2015, I founded “Fit and Finally Free, a lifestyle, fitness and weight management company that was birthed out of my need for personal accountability to remain fit, maintain my weight loss, and to help others who are still in the fight in the war of obesity.

I was featured on NBC’s, “The Today Show,” the national running publication, “Women’s Running Magazine, Redbook Magazine, Dr. Oz Show, Dr. Oz online,TBN, CNN iReport, Yahoo Health, The Huffington Post, The Daily Mail UK, CNN, JoyBauer.com, Black Women Losing Weight, BlackDoctor.org, Memphis Health and Fitness Magazine, Corepower Yoga online, Road iD online, Memphis Voyager Magazine, Nashville Fit Magazine, Everyday Birth Magazine, local news outlets and many other national and international news outlets for my healthy recipes, overcoming diabetes, hypertension, morbid obesity and how running saved my life.

Fit and Finally Free provides lifestyle and wellness coaching, healthy meal planning and cooking classes, corporate wellness programs, pantry and refrigerator makeovers, healthy grocery store tours, public speaking, lunch and learns, personal training, group exercise classes, various yoga classes, running training programs, race event management and direction. I share my healthy recipes, daily meals and workouts with my followers through social media and making guest appearances.

I am the author of an E-book entitled, “How to Shop and Eat Healthy on a Budget,” an E-Cookbook, “The Healthy Budgetnista 25 Recipes for Busy People on the Go: Affordable, Healthy and Delicious Recipes from my Pantry and Fridge to your Dinner Table, a Lifestyle and Wellness Day Planner, “Embrace Life: Lifestyle and Wellness Planner. 365 Days of Inspiration, Forecasting and Fitness,” and is the co-author of Storealities: A Collection of Stories By Empowering Women to Empower Women and Beyond the Loss: Breaking the Stigma of Depression and Suicide.

For the past 8 years, I’ve been a Simple Truth Brand Ambassador for Kroger and currently, I am the Global Athletic Brand Ambassador for several running, fitness, nutrition and yoga brands such as Balega Socks, Nuun Hydration, Jade Yoga, Orgain, Oofos Active Recovery Footwear, Ragnar Races, Honeystinger, Go Guarded, Nathan Sports, Noxgear High Visibility Safety Gear, Birdie Personal Alarms, Free Train Hands Free Running Vests, Hugger Mugger Yoga, Pro Compression Socks as well as having my own personal Amazon Storefront.

I’ve received several certifications in personal training, group exercise, indoor cycling, barre, mat pilates, core and functional fitness, Les Mills body pump, bootcamp, Silver Sneakers, Silver and Fit, myofascial release foam rolling, Usui Ryoho Reiki Master, congregational health promotion, adult and youth mental health first aid, community nutrition education, SAIL (Stay Active and Independent for Life) from the Tennessee Commission of Aging and Disability, and as a Healthy for Life 2.0 Facilitator from the American Heart Association.

I’m a certified RRCA Level One Adult Distance Running Coach, USA Track and Field Level One and Level Two Endurance Coach, a NFHS Cross Country Coach and I’m the only African American and African American woman who is a certified RRCA Race Director in the state of Tennessee.

I started running in 2014 and have completed every running distance besides an ultra marathon including 15 half marathons, 2 marathons, 2 Ragnar 200 mile relays, and a Big Buffalo 50k relay with 5 other teammates. My goal is to complete 50 half marathons in all 50 states before I turn 55. Unfortunately, the pandemic sidelined my efforts and I had to move the finish line from 50 to 55.

Previously, I was the official certified corporate running coach for the City of Memphis where I successfully trained city employees to complete a 5k with the American Heart Association’s Mid-South Heart Walk and Red Dress Dash and the St. Jude Walk/Run for Childhood Cancer Awareness events.

In 2018, I made it to the final round in Nashville during the nationwide search for Season Nine of Masterchef. I’ve been featured as a celebrity guest chef twice for the Southern Women’s Show and was named as one of the New Century Memphians whom are making a difference in the community by changing the world around us for Memphis in May and it’s Bicentennial celebration.

In the Summer of 2019, REI-Co-op Headquarters, Tastemade, a global and digital food and travel network for millenials and Shelby Farms Park filmed a mini documentary about my weight loss and running journey called, “Pedals through Pavement,” examining the power of the outdoors in urban environments through the eyes of the people who utilize and maintain them.

In 2019 and 2020, Fit and Finally Free was recognized by the Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness as a Healthier Tennessee Workplace by implementing wellness programs that will benefit employees’ health and well being in the state of Tennessee.

Roots + River Wellness is a black and woman owned doula and perinatal service that offers birth, postpartum and pregnancy loss doula services, pre and postnatal yoga, baby and children’s yoga, childbirth, lactation, child passenger safety, and newborn classes, alternative reiki therapy, pre and postnatal fitness and running, nutritional counseling, healthy meal preparation and cooking classes, birth and postpartum planning, and advance directive planning, comfort and breathing techniques sessions, as well as virtual doula and perinatal services.

Morning by Mourning assists families and their terminally ill loved ones in hospice or palliative care with end of life and advance directive planning, grief and recovery and conducting vigils, guided meditation, life review and legacy work.

I love helping individuals, families and organizations incorporate healthy lifestyle changes and coping mechanisms through behavioral modification, exercise, nutrition, education, tools and resources that will carry them through life and death. Allow me to be your sword and shield in health and wellness.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rootsandriverwellness.com and www.fitandfinallyfree.com
• Instagram: @fitandfinallyfree @rootsandriverwellness
• Facebook: Https;//www.facebook.com/fitandfinallyfree
• Linkedin: Https://www.linkedin.com
• Yelp: Roots + River Wellness https://yelp.to/WxZxSyXN3tb