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Meet Amber Alexander of 1:12 Nutrition in Surprise

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Alexander.

Amber, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Hi there, I’m Amber. I hail from Indiana. I’m the firstborn child of two teenagers in love in the mid-1980s. My parents struggled throughout my childhood to ensure they provided the best life they could for me and my younger sister. I learned to work hard from them at a young age. I did well in school and became the first person in my family to go to university. Not only did I go – I graduated! I served in the Americorps program for my first year out of college, which connected me to my first career – the YMCA.

While I was working my way up from volunteer to CEO of a small YMCA in Indiana, I met my husband, Jeff. We married and had two beautiful boys, Elijah (Eli) and Oliver (Oli). Unfortunately, on my tenth day in the new CEO role, Elijah (2.5 years old at the time) was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a Grade IV malignant brain tumor. For the next year, our family worked to support Eli through surgery to remove the tumor, treatment with chemotherapy, and recovery. I kept on at the Y with the support of my family, friends, coworkers and Board of Directors.

Oli was just 3 months old when Eli was diagnosed, so I had a lot on my plate. During this year period, I took care of everyone else but myself. Because I focused more on making sure everyone else’s needs were met before mine, I ended up eating like garbage, sleeping terribly and gaining 40 pounds and a truckload of stress. Once we were in the clear with my son’s first stable scan, I vowed that if his cancer returned – God forbid – I would take care of myself so that I could better care for everyone else.

Fast forward to 2017, my family and I have moved 1,600 miles across the country from Indiana to Arizona so that I may join the leadership team at the Valley of the Sun YMCA. We’re living in San Tan Valley and adjusting to a new life, new jobs, new schools, etc. In Eli’s first MRI scan at Phoenix Children’s Hospital – and after 2.5 years of stable scans – he shows a 1cm mass in his original tumor bed. His cancer has come back. This time, everything had to be different for me. I had so much mom guilt about not being there every single day the first time.

I had just started going into a protein smoothie shop down in San Tan Valley for lunch every day. I had gotten on a meal plan and started working with a personal trainer. In my initial interview with my coach, I told her about the vow I made myself the first time around – I was going to take care of me too. In February 2018, when I came to tell her that I couldn’t continue with my nutrition and fitness program because my son’s cancer returned, she reminded me of my vow and promised to support me. And she did! I saw success, felt energized and began to work on myself while I was supporting my family through Eli’s surgery, treatment and recovery again. I stayed home with my kids, and I loved it. My perspective on life had changed at that point.

When we got the “stable” status on Eli’s first scans after treatment, I knew I wanted to dedicate the rest of my life to helping others (especially women) with what I’ve struggled with – finding balance and the courage to care for yourself as well as everyone else. And I’ve dedicated my life to it since. My family and I moved to Surprise to be closer to my cousin and her girls, who have lived here for a decade now. I took my retirement money out of the Y account and used it to open my own protein smoothie shop here, with the idea that I could do just what my coach did for me – build a place that is welcoming, supportive and helps you achieve your goals. So, here we are! One year with our doors open and having a blast helping other women (and men, too!) to achieve their wellness goals – not just physical, but mental, emotional, spiritual, financial – all of it!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
1:12 Nutrition’s biggest struggle is common to many brick-and-mortar small businesses. We don’t have the advertising budget needed to reach as many households with our message and mission as we’d like. Surprise, AZ is a big community with over 100,000 residents. That’s a lot of people to reach. We have done some marketing in coupon books and welcome magazines for new residents, but the majority of our marketing is done through social media and grassroots efforts – physically handing someone a coupon and inviting them into our shop. At first, that was uncomfortable, but the more we do it, the easier it gets. And honestly – we’re proud of what we’ve built and we’d love for everyone to come in, try a smoothie and chat about life, goals or even the weather. We also like to give back to our community. We donated our tips to charities in 2019, supported the Surprise Pickleball Association tournament this Fall, and Valley Vista High School basketball teams this winter.

Please tell us about your business.
In the shop, we make delicious-tasting protein smoothies that give you at least 24 grams of protein and 21 vitamins and nutrients each. They taste so good and rich that you can’t even believe it’s not bad for you. Our smoothies range in calories from 200-265, and we make it a point to provide as many sugar-free and gluten-free options as possible. We have whey, soy, and vegetarian (a blend of rice, pea and quinoa) protein options. We also mix up our clean energy drinks in the house. We use herbal tea, B6 & B12 vitamins, sugar-free drink mixes and aloe for your digestive health. These are metabolism-stimulating drinks with only 85mg caffeine. We also provide accountability coaching, personal and small group daily support, as well as support in nutrition, grocery, meal and workout plans. I think we are most proud of the tight-knit community we are building. We truly have found friends that have become family in our first year of business and can’t wait to bring more people into the family.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
When I was a little girl, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. They are both gone now, but my favorite memory isn’t just one. It’s many with my grandparents. My grandpa used to take us on drives. He would take us on picnics in the park, drive around town and tell us facts about things or what each business used to be before they changed hands. Every time I would come over to my grandparents house, I could walk right to the refrigerator and grab whatever looked good to eat or drink. My grandpa would have clipped out some newspaper articles that he thought were relevant to each member of the family. When you arrived, he would hand you your paper clipped stack of articles. He loved talking politics and giving history lessons. My grandma loved cooking and made lots of food, so there was always something to eat. She grew up in a big family and had four girls of her own, but she never really figured out how to cook smaller meals. My grandma would take us to church every Sunday. She would pick us up from our house or we’d stay the night at hers. Without fail, she ensured we could participate in the Christmas pageant, the choir, Sunday school and all else. She was a very faithful woman to the day she passed away. I always felt safe, cared for and happy at my grandparent’s house.

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