Life and Work with Sarah Lili Herrington

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Lili Herrington.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always been an entrepreneurial person. If you ask my mother about what I was like as a child, she would say I wanted to do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it; or I would always find a way to do something my own way. When I was a teenager, I suffered from severe digestive issues that left me hospitalized multiple times. I traveled to every medical practitioner and digestive specialist in my state, but no one was able to give me a diagnosis. Frustrated with my lack of answers, I started doing my own research and visiting holistic wellness practitioners. It wasn’t until I adopted a healthier diet, began exercising more regularly and managed my stress that my symptoms improved! I couldn’t believe that just changing my lifestyle could relieve my symptoms. I began weight lifting regularly and continued to research nutrition and exercise. Within a couple of years, I felt an immense passion to share my knowledge with others and made it my goal to become a certified personal trainer. My final year of high school (I graduated my junior year), I interned with a local personal trainer. I moved to Arizona and began my formal education at Arizona State, where I received my BA in Interdisciplinary Studies of Global Health and Sustainability. I was certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and began working as a trainer at a local commercial gym. I worked at that gym for two years and learned an immense amount about the health and fitness industry. After a few years working at various gyms, I decided to start my business, Lili Fox Fit. I have grown tremendously thanks to the referrals of my clients and my following as a top ten national NPC bikini athlete.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Absolutely not! I can honestly say I’ve had more failures than victories along this road, and that’s okay! I’ve learned from every one of them. When people realize how young I am, they are always skeptical. But I think young people are the most passionate, the ones more willing to do whatever it takes to get where they want to be. Plus, starting young, you have more time to find out what works, and what does not!

The fitness industry in the valley is extremely competitive. To stand out, you need to be both unique and good at what you do. I mean unique in that you are authentically yourself. My industry is particularly male-dominated, which was rather intimidating to start. Often, I was the only woman trainer in the gym! It’s something that you have to own, to know there are some that may discredit you. You just have to prove those people wrong.

Please tell us about Lili Fox Fit.
I offer holistic fitness and nutrition coaching – both online and in-person. I believe in teaching my clients sustainable, healthy habits from a holistic perspective: ‘holistic’ is the theory that whole entities, as fundamental components of reality, have an existence other than as the mere sum of their parts. A big part of what I do is help educate people about nutrition. My view is that more nutrition smarts = healthier, happier people! A big reason that meal plans & fad diets fail to achieve long-term results is because of a lack of education. As soon as people stray from the plan they feel lost, frustrated and from my experience often fall off the rails, leaving them in a worse position than they started. This is why I value education so much! My aim is to teach my clients nutrition skills they will have for life. I believe that nutrition is the base of everything from health, work performance & looking better in the mirror! All of my workout and nutrition plans are completely customized to the individual, which is extremely rare and creates a unique experience for each client. My clients respect that all of my programs and theories are based on science, combining the mind, body, and spirit to help them reach their goals.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
You know, I started out reading blogs all around the internet about topics related to my field. So, that would be my first piece of advice for anyone – find experts in your field and find their personal work. One of the most influential books I have ever read was ‘Mountains Beyond Mountains’ by Tracy Kidder. It’s about a doctor, Paul Farmer, who does humanitarian work in Haiti. It definitely helped me realize I wanted to devote my life to helping others. I also love ‘Prior To Consciousness’ a book documenting a series of talks/interviews with Sri Nisargadtta Maharaj, one of the greatest sages of modern India. Maharaj teaches that the key to the true power of self comes from stripping away false senses of identity, which has greatly helped me to serve others. Also, I think whenever you can slip music or humor into your work, the better!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lilifoxfit.com
• Email: Sarah.lili.fit@gmail.com
• Instagram: @lilifoxfit
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilifoxfit

Image Credit:
Steven Trudge, Gordon Ly

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