In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by ShLanda Burton, a Food, Nutrition, Health and Wellness Specialist out of Clemmons, North Carolina. Shlanda holds two University Degrees in Food, Nutrition and Dietetics. She is a Registration Eligible - Dietician, Certified Diabetes Peer Educator and Certified Birth Doula. During the interview, Shlanda will share the lifestyle changes she made which enabled her to lose 140 pounds in 3 short years and how she is able to keep it off.  Shlanda will share that although she has a gym membership, she does not go to a gym.  In her own words, “nature is my gym” and Shlanda will discuss how she utilizes nature to help her lose weight along with her healthy eating style and methods.  After her career working for government agencies she created her business Balanced By Burton, where she leads and teaches others in their journey to use the right tools and support for healthy and successful weight loss. Shlanda believes that true health is about balancing your body, mind and spirit with the food you put into your body.  She assists her clients with their transitional journey, by taking them step by step through her nutrition education techniques.  This interview with Shlanda is full of “food for thought” when it comes to designing your own personal nutrition program for weight loss.

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Katrina Williams, an HR professional who by day works on Wall Street and by night is the owner of Top Mogul Kat Dance Studio (TMK), out of Newark, New Jersey.  Katrina is also a personal training client of Jabir (JayTheBody) Bryan, owner of “Secret Formula Fitness” personal training studio out of Hillside, New Jersey. I interviewed Jay in Episode 107 of my podcast and was very impressed by the fact that in a short amount of time, he has amassed over 21 clients who have lost a total of one thousand pounds under his training and guidance.

During the interview, Katrina shared how Jay’s unique training style and methods helped her to reach her fitness goals.  Katrina also shared what her childhood was like growing up in East Orange, New Jersey as a very active and healthy child, participating in all types of activities, including dance, but it wasn’t until later in her adult life while trying to juggle her passion as the owner of Top Mogul Kat Dance Studio and commuting to Manhattan for her day job, that the daily commute and the stress that goes along with it, really took a toll on Katrina’s body and caused her to gain about 30 pounds and that’s when she reached out to Jay for help.  With the help of Jay’s Secret Formula Fitness training methods, Katrina was able to “get her body back” to where it used to be and is now feeling totally energized and motivated towards taking TMK Dance Studio to a higher level.

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Danielle Crosby, a Certified Personal Trainer, and aspiring bodybuilder.  During the interview, Danielle will take us on her journey growing up in Detroit, Michigan in a single parent household with 2 other siblings.  As a child, Danielle witnessed something that no child should have to see and that is domestic violence against her mom.  This was a traumatic experience for young Danielle along with the fact that she felt like an outcast among her peers.  To deal with the loneliness, Danielle would spend her time eating all types of food, especially sweets for comfort, which added to her excessive weight gain.  Later in life, after a divorce from her 5 year old son’s father, Danielle found herself in continuous cycles of harmful relationships which further led her down an unhealthy path, but one day she found the strength and courage to move on from those relationships realizing that she deserves more from life than to be in relationships that are detrimental to her mind and body and she is also her son’s sole provider.  Danielle turned her attention to eating healthy and exercising 5 days per week.  As a result of her switching to a healthy lifestyle with nothing but positivity around her, Danielle has lost over 70 pounds and has a goal to compete in a major bodybuilding competition while building her personal training business.  Danielle is determined to succeed and she is documenting her progress on her Instagram page @dannycfitness.

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Jabir (JayThe Body) Bryan, a graduate of Rutgers University, Certified Personal Trainer and owner of “Secret Formula Fitness” a “results oriented" personal training company out of Hillside, New Jersey.  During the interview, Jay will discuss his humble upbringing in Irvington, New Jersey as the son to a single parent mom, who he credits for being one of the main reasons for his success.  Jay started his company out of the trunk of his car, traveling throughout various parts of New Jersey providing one- on-one personal training in parks and in his clients’ homes.  It wasn’t long before word spread about the success Jay’s personal training methods were having on his clients, most of whom lost a significant amount of weight in a short amount of time that Jay decided to open his own training facility called Secret Formula Fitness.  Jay now has over 21 clients who have lost over 1000 pounds under his supervision and guidance. 

In March of 2016, Jay launched another company called Secret Formula Nutrition which is his Supplement line.  In the interview, Jay will explain where he gained the knowledge, skills and sales experience which contributes to the success of his company.  Jay is looking to franchise his Secret Formula Fitness brand throughout the country and is seeking investors.  This was truly an inspiring and informative episode of how a young man with grind and hustle is determined to succeed and turn his company into a multi-million dollar brand.  He is well on his way.

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Ashley Watkins, a mother of 2 boys, a certified personal trainer, kinesiology student and business owner. Ashley, who is originally from Buffalo New York, now lives in Los Angeles where she is fulfilling her dreams by helping others. After battling a lifetime of obesity and losing 100 pounds (in 6 months) through her own journey, Ashley started “Body by Ashley”, a company dedicated to helping thousands of men, women, seniors and children achieve their highest health and fitness goals through developing challenging fitness programs, group classes, one on one training and meal planning. Her in-person training has transformed the lives of many, but more importantly, her social media influence and online programs have touched thousands across the globe. 

During the interview, Ashley will share her amazing journey to creating Body by Ashley, including what it was like having to go to physical therapy as a 14-year old child because of her weight gain and how this affected her self-esteem growing up.  Ashley will also discuss the impact being in a toxic relationship had on her mentally and physically, and how she was able to use this situation as motivation to change the direction of her life.  Also in the interview is the actual exercise routines and nutrition format Ashley followed to lose 100 pounds. This is another informative and inspiring story of how one young woman was able to take the lemons that were handed to her and turn it into lemonade. 

In this week's episode of Six Weeks to Fitness, Vince Ferguson, the host of the Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, announces the pre-launch of his online course "How to Create A-List Events on a Shoestring Budget", "A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating High Profile Events, Attracting Athletes, Celebrities, and Sponsors on a Small Budget. For the past 25 years, Vince has created and produced award shows and fitness events that have brought out well over 100,000 people.  During the podcast, Vince goes into detail on the content of the course as well as the launch date which will be August 2, 2017.

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Lanett Tachel, a talented young actress and writer from Prince George's County, Maryland. Lanett knew from her childhood that she was destined to be an actress, so after receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Howard University and performing on stages in the DC Metropolitan area and touring as the lead character in “The Bluest Eye” in the Dominican Republic, Lanett moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams to be an actress. 

During the interview, Lanett will share what life was like growing up in Prince George’s County, to a very supportive and entrepreneurial minded family where failure was not an option.  Lanett grew up in an environment where almost everyone around her was a professional and very successful, so the expectations were that whatever you chose to do, you will succeed.  Lanett took that mindset to Hollywood, where she has lived for the past 7 years and has appeared on TV and in films such as the erotically thrilling true story of 'THE PROVIDERS,' directed by talented "Queen Sugar' writer, Denise Harkavy and the newly released erotic thriller  “ILLICIT”, where Lanett shows off her acting and co-writing talent. ILLICIT was just released on “Video on Demand”.

 Lanett believes that good health and hard work is key to her success, so she tries to exercise 4 times a week engaging in her favorite activity, which is a Spin class.  Lanett is a rising star who shows no signs of slowing down and wants to help as many people as she can in her climb to the top.

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Ms. Bo Talley, a mother of four, former R&B singer, entrepreneur, event host, philanthropist, actress, fitness motivator and wife of professional basketball coach Fred Williams. In addition to these many hats, Ms. Bo serves as a motivation to many people, especially after her age-defying photo went viral and made national and international headlines.  During the interview, Ms. Bo will discuss her childhood growing up in a small town called Scottsboro, Alabama and why she credits the women in her family, especially her grandmother for being such a positive role model and inspiration in her life.  Ms. Bo will also discuss a charity event she created called “Balling for Lupus”,  the 1st ever All FEMALE Celebrity Charity Basketball Game in Atlanta, GA.  The Balling for Lupus foundation’s main purpose is to help bring more awareness and funds to the chronic illness.  Ms. Bo admits that she didn’t know much about Lupus until she found out that her cousin has the disease and that her aunt died from that disease years earlier, at a time when no one really talked about Lupus. Her celebrity coaches and players consist of current and former WNBA Players, Actresses, Reality TV Stars, Models and top community influencers.  The 4th annual Balling for Lupus Charity Tournament will take place on July 8th in Atlanta, Georgia.  The event will also be streamed on Facebook Live and on Instagram.

Also during the interview, Ms. Bo discusses her exercise philosophy, provides exercise tips to develop your arms, legs and abdominals.  Ms. Bo is truly an amazing woman whose positive energy, age defying smile and body, shows no signs of slowing down.

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Gustavo Velasquez, actor and 2017 Daytime Emmy Award Nominee, known for his work in Conversations in L.A. a breakout sleeper hit by Immediate Vision Productions, also starring creator, writer, director, actress Ann Marie Cummings.  During the interview, Gustavo will discuss why, after graduating from college with an Honors Degree in Accounting, he decided to walk away from the accounting field to pursue his passion.  Gustavo will also discuss the importance eating healthy and exercise plays in in his personal and professional life and why he feels everyone should take their health seriously.  Gustavo will also discuss what it feels like being nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for his first acting role and how a chance meeting in Starbucks helped to launch his acting career.

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Ashanti Middleton, creator and host of “Taste and Toast”, a restaurant review TV series available on tasteandtoastwithus.com, Facebook and on YouTube.  Ashanti is a native New Yorker who was born and raised in Queens.  During the interview Ashanti discusses the reasons why she created Taste and Toast, which involves traveling throughout New York City, trying out different foods and drinks that each restaurant specializes in and exposing these restaurants to the public. 

 Each episode will take viewers into the “belly of the feast” with a casual style and high-class swagger combination designed to attract both newcomers as well as refined palates to come together to uncover the latest treats to hit the streets of the nation’s latest casual and fine dining hotspots!

Taste & Toast is designed to speak to a new generation of socially networked, mobilized, tech-savvy, culturally aware individuals seeking the most adventurous, interesting, culturally relevant, and tasty restaurants that the nation has to offer.

Ashanti has visited all types of restaurants with her show, including Peruvian, Thai, Soul Food and more.  Taste and Toast is becoming so popular, restaurant owners in Arizona and Atlanta have approached Ashanti with their interest in having Taste and Toast at their facility.  Taste and Toast is the only show of its kind that is produced by a young, African-American female entrepreneur.  Taste and Toast is totally self-funded by Ashanti.  She is currently seeking sponsors and funding for additional shows. 

Ashanti is a rising star in the entertainment industry and shows no signs of slowing down.  Taste and Toast has the ability to become a “runaway hit” with the proper exposure.