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

Morgan , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

I got into fitness during a lonely & difficult time of my life. I was told by a doctor that I was obese, prediabetic and if I didn’t start taking care of myself, I would have to be on medication for the rest of my life. I started taking dance fitness classes & started to reconnect my mind & body while losing weight. I have always loved music, specifically alternative, rock & soul and connecting to my body through music brought me back into myself As much as I loved the different classes I was taking – I found that so many of formats used the same pop, hip-hop or Richard Simmons style aerobic music. I started dancing, stretching and doing yoga to my own jams like Rage Against the Machine & realized that there were probably other people who would love to move their bodies to alternative music. I created “The Alt Fit Experience” – an hour of dance, bodyweight work & deep stretch where we rage, rock & release. I have been lucky enough to teach to people all over the country at studios, events & retreats. Naming my format & brand “The Alt Fit Experience” pays direct homage to Jimi Hendrix, whose boldness, authenticity & energy I’d admired since I was kid with his poster on my wall. It also honors the free spirit in me and everyone who takes the class.

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 a fitness trainer, event planner & owner of the fitness format/brand “The Alt Fit Experience” – fitness for free spirits. I have first hand experience being someone who felt a disconnect between my mind & body coupled with a desperate need to get mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally healthy. After losing 60 pounds & experiencing personal trauma, I became a trainer and instructor to help people became the healthiest version of themselves, bring more visibility to people of color in the fitness space & bring high energy, low impact workouts to the community.

For a long time – fitness, health and wellness looked and was done a very specific way. I had tried every diet, workout and supplement in the world – but I saw no results until I learned how to eat & train intuitively & honor myself by listening to my body, resting and doing workouts I enjoyed. I bring this style of training to my personal training clients, classes and fitness events around the country.

I am incredibly proud to be a black woman in the fitness space cultivating a place where free spirits can move their bodies & also fly their freak flags. It is an honor to show others that you do not have to look or be a certain way to do fitness. I come from a family of amazing teachers, educators and professionals doing the work in THEIR way – so it is a blessing for me to blossom in this industry doing it my way. Creating the Alt Fit Experience forced me to be vulnerable, show up authentically and use my creativity to help other’s change their minds, bodies & lives with alternative music & fitness.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

When I first became a fitness trainer – it was a side hustle that quite frankly I made no money doing. During the beginning stages of my business – I worked for a non-profit for adults with developmental disabilities during the day and bartended at night – carving out slots of time for me to teach fitness and writing my business plans on cocktail napkins during slow times at the bar. Before I started my fitness career – I had not committed to and finished anything. But being a fitness trainer & impacting others was something that I knew was my passion, so I was willing to work for little to no money to gain experience, clients & make connections.

My first successful business moment was pairing with the owner of kid’s dance studio to teach the moms who sat in the lobby while their kids were taking dance lessons. I paid the studio rent, set my own prices and classes were FULL. Identifying a need, while also not taking the standard low hourly rate & seeing that I determine what I make was a boss move that lit a fire up under me as an entrepreneur.

After several years of husting in Atlanta – I decided that my spirit needs to travel & see what else was out there for me. I took all my bar tips after bills were paid to take my class “The Alt Fit Experience” on the road. I created my own merch, booked rental cars/hotel and took myself on tour from Nashville to California and all the smaller cities in between. Social media allowed me to showcase my format & connect with studio owners & retreat organizers looking for something new. This was a phase of my life where I worked extremely hard, was lonely & sometimes seriously questioned if this was worth the risk. Spoiler! That year gave my business great visibility & experiences in what to do (and not do) as far as teaching, budgeting and organizing events. I also got to do personal healing, made amazing friendships/business connections & met my soon to be husband along the way.

I now work in my industry full time – but encourage those with a passion or business idea to pursue it as a side hustle first. Creating my business while on a grind & investing my hard earned dollars has made me confident that I will succeed in my mission to help reconnect free spirits to their bodies. I have also found that so many of the experiences I had doing non-profit and hospitality have actually come in handy as I continue in my career. I also encourage working with a coach or mentor – I specifically budgeted for monthly life and career coaching with Whitney Pyles – who helped me organize my mind, time & space during that hectic building phase. Embrace it all!

How did you build your audience on social media?

I absolutely believe that social media can be used for good. When I decided I wanted to take The Alt Fit Experience on tour – I realized I had to show my followers and people who would support my events who I was, what I was doing & why. It can be so easy to want to copy/paste what you see successful entrepreneurs on social media doing – but until you show up authentically you are not going to attract the audience who truly needs what you are offering. One of the biggest compliments I have gotten is that “You’re just like you are on social media” – outspoken, high energy & honestly, pretty silly. Don’t be afraid to be yourself & if you like what someone is doing – tell them in their comments or DMS. Small social media complements have turned into great business relationships.

Contact Info:

• Website: thealtfitexperience.com
• Instagram: thealtfitexperience
• Youtube: The Alt Fit Experience

Image Credits
Amy Gillespie