Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Lander. She and her team share their story with us below:
Samantha Lander found her way into the health industry through years of working on her own health. She first set personal goals for herself as a young athlete who participated in team sports such as synchronized swimming, water polo, and field hockey. In high school, she focused her athletic interests on rowing. As a member of the St. Louis Rowing Club and one of a team of eight young women who were ranked nationally.
While a freshman at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor she was a coxswain for the Men’s Division I crew team. Her sophomore year she became certified as a Johnny G Spinning Instructor and a Group Fitness Instructor. She worked at a private athletic club in Ann Arbor while attending the University full time. Her experience working in the fitness field was so positive that she decided to major in sports management. In 2003 Samantha graduated with a degree in kinesiology from the University of Michigan with a major in sports management.
Following graduation, she moved to Los Angeles where she found success working in the music industry as a club DJ and producer. After several years she became disenchanted with her work and began to realize that she missed having athletics in her life. Always one to tackle a dilemma head-on, she decided to take a spinning class and immediately wanted to get back into the fitness industry. She began recording fitness CDs and marketing them to a record label.
In 2006 Samantha moved back to St. Louis to pursue her personal training certification. Her certifications include NASM, Functional Diagnostics Nutrition, NESTA, and CHEK Level 2 Holistic Lifestyle Coach. Samantha’s desire to do functional Diagnostics came from her own health problems she discovered when she learned she suffered from Adrenal Fatigue, Food sensitivities, Pathogens, Leaky gut and lots of hidden stressors. She spent a good portion of her life struggling with weight despite working out and eating a perfect diet and knew it had to be something more. With the right coaching, she slowly began to rebuild her health and realize that she didn’t have to settle for feeling horrible the rest of her life. The long hard road to get better has given her the drive to help others who are suffering with the same.
Through her passionate love of health and wellness and natural ability to partner with her clients to tailor their individual workout plans and Holistic protocols, Samantha has found her professional calling as Functional Diagnostics practitioner. In this role, she has a genuine desire to help her clients achieve their goals they believed were never attainable. Currently, she works with a diverse range of clients in terms of age, gender, and ability.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As far as my personal training business I was extremely successful when I started. However, as the industry changed and I worked at different gyms the boutique gym business got hit hard. The bootcamp type gyms took over the industry and people felt that was comparable to personal training and strength training which is not true. My biggest hurdle would be when I had a kid and then a divorce in the mix of trying to keep my personal training business alive. Through all of this, I have always done my Functional Diagnostic Nutrition work but it was not my top priority. After covid, I decided to focus more on building that part of my work and create a structure where I can take on a lot more clients and automate my business which has been amazing. I am currently doing both but running a business is always a hustle and is hard either way you look at it. The entire route of marketing has also changed dramatically. So sometimes it is smooth sailing other times it is hard as having another child.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am a personal trainer that specializes in corrective exercise, functional training, and weight loss. I work really well with young girls and women who kill themselves at the gym and eat right but can never get the scale to budge or see results. They actually feel worse when they do their current workouts and are very frustrated. I am known for helping people reach their fitness goals without hours at the gym. My clients are extremely strong but do not get bulky, unless they want to get bigger, we will work on that.
As far as my Functional Diagnostic Nutrition work, I specialize in the gut and balancing adrenals and hormones. I work with some of the toughest GI cases ranging from parasites, SIBO, Candida, Fungus, and mold. A large number of my clients are extreme constipated and have extreme digestive issues. I also have a niche of women age 35-45 who again are eating clean and working out but still feel like they are in someone else’s skin. They are sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I am so grateful for all of my clients there is nothing more rewarding than getting an email or a text from a client who is beyond elated that they are reaching the goals they never thought they would reach.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I am not sure I believe in luck. I feel everything happens for a reason if it is good or bad or you create your own “luck” in life.
Pricing:
- small group $38
- private training is $85
- I have programs for my FDN work it depends on the clients’ needs.
- Meal prep and cooking varies.
Contact Info:
- Email: seefitpt@gmail.com
- Website: www.seefitpt.com
- Instagram: seefitliving
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samantha.lander
- Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/seefitpt
Image Credits
Mathew Goodman
Lance Thurman
