Sarah Rosner

Sarah Alysse’s journey towards fitness and nutrition has not always been easy. In fact, she did not really start to care about her health until college. Dance was always a fundamental component of her Musical theater studies at Columbia College Chicago, but she struggled with balance and core stability. Within a few Pilates sessions she was already able to reap the benefits.

After obtaining her BFA in Musical Theater, she traveled throughout Europe and rediscovered a passion for fitness. Upon her return to the United States, she took STOTT PILATES® courses and became certified. Pilates has always been a way for her to explore the mind and body connection.

For years she had chronic migraines and believed that stress was the cause of them. In her late 20s, she took a yearlong intensive at the Integrative Institute of Nutrition where she discovered that stress, nutrition, and sleep were contributing factors to her headaches. When she obtained her coaching certification from them, she made it her mission to help people get to the root of their health concerns.

Where did the idea for Live Well Enhance You come from?

‘Live Well Enhance You’ developed from corporate clients and my father. At the beginning of my career, I noticed that many of my clients had this desire to be perfect at everything all the time. I wanted to create a safe space for clients to work on their stressors, fears, and obstacles. My individual coaching programs, Enhance Your Life and Elevate Your life goes beyond fitness, helping clients recalibrate their wellness strategy by asking themselves what brings them joy? On a personal note, my father was the inspiration for my business as he passed away from kidney cancer. He worked for a Fortune 500 company, carrying the weight on his shoulders without ever complaining but never made time for himself.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My typical workday starts at 7am with clients, mid- morning alternating days between my networking zoom calls and podcast passion project. By the mid-afternoon/early evening I train and coach additional clients. Sprinkled into my day, I give myself breaks to eat and rejuvenate my soul (working out, taking a walk, knitting, or journaling).

How do you bring ideas to life?

Mind mapping! If there’s a problem I can’t configure, I draw out my solutions. Example: My sleep is out of whack. What do I need to do to improve it? I’ll draw a clock with the time that I should be going to bed. If that doesn’t work, I get away from work, sit down at my piano and sing.

What’s one trend that excites you?

The world is finally understanding that mental health is important, and we should all develop strategies to handle hardship through therapy, meditation, movement, and quality food.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

This one isn’t the easiest to do but taking breaks throughout the day.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Never put yourself in a box. There is so much knowledge you can attain if you believe in yourself.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Stimulating our brain-gut connection could reduce chronic pain and brain fog. We don’t always need antibiotics and should try to find holistic alternatives to improve our health.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Continue to expand your horizons. Pick up a skill, study something that excites you, and make time for yourself.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Creating a referral system so that my clients would bring in new business but also reap from the benefits with bonus offerings and fitness videos.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

I’ve always been a hard worker but not a strategic worker. When I 1st started in the fitness industry, I worked early mornings and night every day and sometimes at 3 locations a day. My advice is to re-evaluate your goals every 6 months especially if something isn’t working for you. In my case, I needed to move downtown and start renting studio space at a gym and bring in my own clients.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Last year I found out that December is National Write A Business Plan Month. The tail end of 2019, I started creating goals for 2020 with actionable steps to get my business to the next level. Ironically, the pandemic allowed me the time to expand my services; however, I still needed to develop my business skills. With that in mind, I hired a coach who would be honest and challenge me to take my business to the next level. Over a decade, I have been hustling on my own and it’s nice to have a soundboard to bounce my ideas off of and I’ve already seen significant growth.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

The best $100 I recently spent was upgrading my LinkedIn to Pro so I could message and connect with media, journalists, and corporate executives.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Zoom has been a gamechanger for fitness and coaching clients. I use it to record my podcasts ‘Stress Free SOULutions with Sarah’, repurpose video content, and use for individual sessions.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

I’m a big fan of developing my wealth consciousness so right now my go to is Jen Sincero’s You are a Badass at Making Money.

What is your favorite quote?

Motivate Your Mind, the Body Will Follow. I have never been able to find who said it, but I have a plaque with the saying in my home.

Key Learnings:

• Create actionable steps to get you toward your ultimate career goal
• Get creative by mind mapping your obstacles in life
• Hire a coach in the area you need to strengthen
• Make sure you take time out of your day to relax. Burnout is very real so honor your time taking necessary breaks for your brain and body.