Well with Arielle Lorre - 138: Reaching Your Fitness Goals with Sami Clarke

Episode Date: November 3, 2021

In this episode I’m talking to wellness/fitness influencer and entrepreneur Sami Clarke about how to find what is right for our bodies and establish a consistent workout routine we love; her journey with body image and balance; how to discern between laziness and needing rest; how to stay motivated; her balanced eating approach; how she healed her hormones and acne; a day in her life; her best time management tips; starting a business and so much more.    www.Livonlabs.com/blonde for a free sample of all six products plus a free shot glass, free shipping on all orders in the continental US with the purchase of any Lypo-spheric supplement. www.Dipseastories.com/blonde for your extended 30 day free trial. www.Sakara.com/BLONDEFILES for 20% off your first order. www.Helloned.com/BLONDE for 15% of plus a free De-Stress Blend sample on any order over $40.   Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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would auto-hue without your Reisadviseur or SunnyCars. The following podcast is a dear media production. Hey, welcome to the Blonde Files podcast. I'm your host, Ariel Lorry, and I'm here to talk all things wellness. From how to achieve optimal health and well-being to the best beauty tips and everything in between, no topic is off limits.

I know there is so much information out there, so I'm here to help you navigate it all and live your best life. Thanks for listening. Let's get into it. Hi, everybody. Welcome to the show. I hope everybody is doing well. I have been crazy overwhelmed with work and life and health and just kind of struggling, to be honest. I think some of it is like the end of the year crunch. But whatever it is, I'm ready for the holidays. I'm ready for a break. Even if it's just a few days, I think it'll make all the difference. But anyways, I digress. I'm just updating you guys since it's been a while since I've done a solo episode about what is going on. But something very exciting that I have to announce here is

that I have a drink out now with Athertonic bars at all of their locations, and it is the best drink ever, I promise you. It is my take on one of my favorite fall drinks. It's like a golden latte, but with goji, some chai, some collagen, it is truly unreal. We spent a few months just kind of going back and forth and tweaking everything to get it perfect, and I crave it all the time. I can't wait until I can have it daily and I'm so excited for all of you to try it. It'll be out now through the end of the year. And if you know me, which you do, you know, I've been an Air One depotie for years and I was like in shock when they reached out to me a few months ago. So I'm super happy and excited. I would love for anyone and everyone in L.A. to try it. And yeah, I just had to make that

announcement here. So now that that's out of the way, today's episode was really inspiring to me, and I think it will be for you too. I am talking to Sammy Clark. She is a fitness guru, influencer, and entrepreneur. She has her own platform out now called Form. And we just get into all the topics today, including her journey to finding her purpose, what her life and her lifestyle was like before she got into the wellness and fitness space, how she found out what was right for her body and how we can find what's best for our bodies when it comes to working out and nutrition. We talk about how to discern from when you're just feeling lazy versus when you just need rest, which was a question that a lot of people had, how to be balanced with eating and wellness,

how she healed her hormones and acne, a day in her life, time management tips, starting a business, just so, so much. I had so many questions for her and I made sure to include your questions too because I had you guys send them in on Instagram and I just found her to be super down to earth and intuitive and inspiring and I think he will too. So enjoy the episode. Welcome Sammy. I'm so excited to talk to you. I am so excited too. I'm happy to be here. My audience is very excited for this one and we have tons of listener questions. So we're going to get into all the topics today. But to start out, everybody knows you as this wellness guru, wellness influencer, but can you give us a little bit

of background on yourself and what you were doing before you were doing this? Yeah, I love even hearing that because I'm just like, what am I known as? You know, when you play so many different roles. But yeah, I think before this, it's a really cool situation because I was a girl who had zero clue what she wanted to do with her life. Like truly from like the age of seven, I said I wanted to work at Subway and I like I didn't have crazy dreams. I just knew that I loved people. That's like the only thing I kept coming back to was I loved people. I loved helping people. Like I volunteered a lot when I was younger. So I think I was always, I was really involved in my church. I was always trying to figure out my thing. And even graduating from high school, I had super supportive parents. And they were like,

you don't have to go to college if you have no idea what you want to do because I find that might be a a little bit of a waste of a time. And I was like, okay, this is great. So what do I do? So then I got scouted actually for modeling, which, you know, I was 5'10. So it kind of worked out. And I moved to Los Angeles at 17. And I really dipped my toes into the modeling, acting, commercial world, which was super fun, super interesting. What kind of commercials did you do? Anything we would know? Oh my gosh. I did this one. I think it was like my first actual like big one where I had lines and I was a pageant girl and it was for like car insurance. And I seriously was like a dumb like truly I had act dumb and I was like a pageant girl and I was in a tractor and I actually had to control the tractor like no one knew like I was running the tractor while also like selling this car insurance. I'm trying to remember what car insurance it was. But it was like a huge commercial and I remember that. Yeah, it was super fun. And then I did ones like Target that. kind of vibe too. So that was really fun. I dabbled in that, but I still knew, like, in my gut,

that was not it. Like, I was like, this is just what I'm doing. I remember looking in my acting class and sitting next to people that were so hungry. Like, they were like, you know, just sleeping, eating, drinking this role. And I was like, yeah, I totally did a couple hours. And here we go. So I think I just always knew this wasn't my thing, but I enjoyed it. And I was booking things. And I was booking things. and I did it in the time to like, you know, make money, etc. But that was me before. And then obviously here I am now. So I kind of was dabbling in different things and then still in Los Angeles doing what I do now.

What was your lifestyle like that? And were you still, were you working out? Were you like into nutrition, all of that? Yeah. I, if there's like a photo I have when I was modeling and acting and all that at, I was always working out because that was something I grew up in. So I had a trainer when I was younger. I was in dance.

I was in cheerleading. So I loved being active not only for my body, but also for my mind. So I always kind of had that mindset. So right when I came to L.A., I started doing classes, also just to meet people, but also I got a trainer and I really dived deep into there. Now, the food, I definitely was on a different route. I was, you know, just eating fast food. I was doing microwave meals. I wasn't really investing in the food side of it.

I would say I ate like 50-50 is right where I was at. And now I'm at like an 80-20 balance. So, and then I also was, you know, Newtale. So I was drinking, having a great time. So also all the beverages. Like, so I think my food was where I really saw the difference when I decided to jump in here. And also my mental state, because I wasn't eating right, I didn't have a routine. So me before, even with modeling, I wasn't taking care of.

myself like I do now. I feel like so many people go through that phase though. I've heard you talk on other interviews about how growing up you were in this kind of health conscious household between like your dad was doing fitness, right? And they were kind of like they were making healthy meals and stuff like that. And I could relate to that a lot because that's how I grew up. And then of course I went off the rails in my 20s like as we all do like drinking late nights, like pizza at two in the morning, that kind of thing. But I feel like having that foundation. like those fundamentals kind of instilled in you at a young age really give you an advantage later in life. I don't know if you experience that at all. I do. I honestly feel insanely grateful because

I did have a dad who was in the fitness space, but also was an entrepreneur where he woke up every single day and got to the gym at 5 in the morning, did not miss a day. I mean, still, he's 63 now and the guy has never missed a beat. And I think I just always saw that that made him feel better because he was more confident. He felt mentally stronger. So I did have that growing up seeing how beneficial that was. And then even for my mom, she always did make us home-cooked meals, which I'm so grateful for now. Obviously, I didn't take that with me right away to LA because I was like, whoa, I got a cook. So I'm so grateful. So it did show me like how to have that foundation. And I came back to it after those young 20s. It was really nice to come back to.

and be like, oh, yeah, this is, this is why I felt good in high school. You know, it's because I had those foundation moments. I don't know about anyone else, but as we approach holiday season and the end of the year, the stress and pressure of deadlines are just piling up. And as I mentioned in the beginning of this episode, I have been kind of struggling. So I'm using all the tools in my toolkit, including my favorite Ned CBD. So Ned has the absolute highest quality CBD on the market, all of their full-spectrum hemp oil is extracted from USDA-certified organic hemp plants grown by an independent farmer named Jonathan in Peonia, Colorado. Ned's full-spectrum hemp oil nourishes the body's endocanabinoid system to offer functional support for stress, sleep,

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talked about often is sexuality. Sexuality is a way overlooked part of wellness, but it is so important, it is part of life, and really it's like a form of play, which we all need. Feeling turned on is more than a wind-up to sex. It's a way to feel more alive, understand yourself, unlock confidence, and enhance intimacy. Sexuality is as mental as it is physical, and 90% of women report using their imaginations to get turned on. While Dipsy helps to unlock that imagination and tap into those feelings whenever you want. It has been called the Headspace for sexuality, the audio app that's transforming erotica, and technology that's revolutionary. your sex life. So basically, Dipsy is an app full of short, sexy stories designed to turn you on. The stories are relatable, inclusive, feminist, and celebratory. It is female founded after all.

And they ground fantasy and reality and show all kinds of preferences and interests because they believe the most exciting, immersive stories are the ones that you can relate to. They release new content every week, so there's always more to explore no matter who you are into or what turns you on. Also, if you just want to wind down, Dipsy has wellness sessions, sensual bedtime stories, and soundscapes to help you relax before you drift off. For listeners of the show, Dipsy is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to dipsystories.com slash blonde. Again, that's 30 days of full access for free when you go to D-I-P-S-E-A-S-E-A-S-E-L-O-N-D-E. Again, dipsystories.com slash blonde for an extended 30-day free trial. How did you transition out of that like modeling, acting, maybe not focusing so much on your health

towards where you are now? Yeah, I love this question too because it's almost me reflecting back. And there wasn't a single moment where it all just came clear to me. It's definitely been such an ongoing journey, obviously. but I think it was me just kind of waking up and being tired of feeling crappy. Like drinking and going out all the time and eating pizza at 2 in the morning was also lovely. But I definitely could see it just was affecting me mentally and also not knowing my purpose in the world. So it was just a lot of different emotions coming up.

And so I think the thing I wanted to grab onto was the only thing that I did know, right? It was my foundation, which was taking care of myself. So even though I didn't know my purpose in life, I knew how to take care of myself. So I think I just started to go back to the basics. And so I went back to trying to cook more meals, went back to really getting in my workout routines, went back to journaling or talking to a therapist. And honestly, that's when I met my partner now, my boyfriend, and he was a huge influence as well because he's super deep in the fitness and wellness space.

So he was a huge influence of like, yeah, this is what I want. So it's been a really cool journey and I slowly gradually tapped back into it. How did you find what works best for your body? And did you ever experience like maybe when you were transitioning back into this healthy lifestyle? Did you ever feel like rigidity and have any like fear and guilt around what you were doing? And how did you find what worked best for your body? Yeah. Oh my gosh. There's there's so many feelings towards this whole thing.

And I think that's what I would tell anyone is, I think that's where the good stuff comes, though, is when there is resistance, when there is discomfort. There was, it was never me jumping in and being like, this is incredible. You know, it was like there was so many different emotions because I was just trying to figure it out, as we all are. So I think I tried a lot of different things is the best thing I could recommend to anyone in really all aspects of their life. but for me in workouts, it was I had that trainer. And I remember I just wasn't feeling amazing when I was leaving anymore. I slightly was feeling more drained. My energy was a little bit low.

And so I think that was something I realized. So I started like stripping away maybe not as many training sessions and trying different workouts of my own and really playing into what made me feel good, not only on the outside, because I will say in the beginning, it was a physical thing for me. Like I was working out to look good on the outside. And then as I started to do these workouts that actually mentally made me feel better, so if I was stressed, if I was feeling fearful, if I was feeling anything. And then when I got into that workout and I came out feeling better,

that's what I also was paying attention to. And my breath, like even starting with yoga, that was a huge thing I got into as well, and understanding how powerful your breath is with your movement. So even with my workouts now, even they're more like hit and strength and Pilates, vibes, there's all different mix. The breath is so important for me. So I think trying many different workouts and seeing what makes you feel your best. How did you not fall into that trap, though, of being like, I have to do this every day, I have to eat this many calories. And especially when you're in the world, like, I assume when you were in that modeling world, there was a lot of like competition and that

kind of comparison. And even in like the wellness world, there's a lot of it because you're seeing your peers and especially I'm sure in the fitness space. Like, I don't know if you ever experienced. that where you're like, I need to stay on this track. Otherwise, I'll lose everything. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Like, come to my mind. Yeah, I think definitely have gone through moments. When I was in the beginning, especially even on social media, I think you're trying to figure yourself out as well as teaching. So it's an interesting space. I always look at myself not as much as a teacher as an influencer. I look at myself more as a student. And then I'm just sharing. during my experiences and it helps me relieve the pressure of having it to be correct so much and more

just my experience. So I think from the get-co, that is something I was trying to do to relieve the fear. But as far as comparison, I remember in the beginning, I was more portion control was a huge thing for me. And I will say, like, that did help me tone and lean up and lose weight that I wanted to lose because I was eating kind of crappy for so long. But when I started to see maybe it was more of an unhealthy process for me, that's when I think there's just a self-awareness of, is this actually how I want to live my life? You know, I'm in this wellness space not to be so focused on my meal portions and so focused on me doing everything correctly and me so focused on looking outside my best. This is so much more of an internal, you know, experience for me.

So I think adjusting that awareness, which isn't always easy and it still happens, was a huge transition for me, though, to just be like, let me just actually ask my body if it wants to eat this meal right now. Let me just actually ask myself if I'm hungry right now. And that was a huge shift for me. I feel like everybody kind of has to reach their own breaking point when it comes to this stuff. It sounds bad, but even with myself, like, I started my Instagram account doing like BBG and I was doing BBG all the time and I was counting macros and I was like going lower and lower because I realized that I could go lower and still not feel hungry. And I was getting thinner and leaner, but it was never enough. And it was this like constant hamster wheel. And I got to a

point where I was like, is this my life now like bringing boiled chicken and Tupperware to dinner? and like weighing my food and packing my food scale when I go visit my parents and like this day in, day out obsession. And that was my breaking point. And that helped me like slow down and lean more into that like intuitive kind of exercise and nutrition like back to what you were saying about finding what works for you. And it's something that you try to impart on other people. But I think until you experience that, you can't really embrace it if that makes sense. Absolutely. And I think getting really aligned with what your goals are is super important with that process. Because like you're saying, I think about my brother who's in the bodybuilding space,

which is that journey, right? But for them, it's such a craft. It's such an art. It's such a, it is like they're obsessed with it. And I maybe in a healthier way. I don't know. I can't say everyone, but I know my brother is a different story. But I agree for me, it was unhealthy. So I think it's understanding your goals, is your goals to be a bodybuilder and have that journey and have that life and that is your lifestyle? Or is your goals to actually just have a lifestyle where you feel better, where you look better, where you're mentally, physically, soulfully, you know, on this journey? And I think understanding your goals will help you understand if you should be bringing that skill or if you should just ask yourself, do I want that piece of chicken?

Yeah. I'm thinking of this psychiatrist that I had on my podcast. podcast recently and she was talking about like, we were talking more about stress, but I feel like this applies to working out too and like back to what you were saying about finding what works for your body is like writing down how you feel before something and then writing down how you feel after. Not to like track everything and be super rigid, but sometimes in my head I'm like, oh yeah, I went for a long walk and I felt better after. But until I see in front of me like really how I felt before and how I felt after. I feel like I just, I have such a short, like, attention span and short memory that I can't really, like, bring that feeling to mind. And that applies to working

out, too. Like, I feel so good after I do certain types of workouts. But then the next day, when I'm, like, totally lacking motivation, unless I see that in front of me, it's going to be really hard to, like, draw on that motivation and actually do the thing. So how do you stay consistent? And do you have any advice for people who just, like, cannot stay consistent, cannot find the motivation. We got so many audience questions about that. So I think it's a really common universal feeling. Yeah. Oh my gosh. 100%. I think for me, a couple things come to mind. One of them is I find a lot of motivation from others. So like you're saying with those workouts with, you know, I, if I'm even going to go take a class, I want to know who the teacher is because I need to

have this connection to the teacher. I need to know that I'm going in this is class. And this is class and this teacher is going to give me what matches for me, right? Everyone is so different. So I think finding motivation from others, even I will save videos, even if it's on TikTok or a moment from a podcast, I'll write it down. And I will like in the morning read all those things that bring me, bring me that dry, bring me that push that I felt in that moment. I'll turn on a music playlist that is exactly what I need to allow me to get into that headspace. So I think finding those tools that work for you and not thinking that you have to be your own motivation every day. I think that is for me unrealistic.

I don't wake up every day so excited to do this thing. So I think remembering your why and going back to the people that kind of, it's like, what life do you want? And usually the people that you're saving on Instagram, which is this is something really good to pay attention to, is what content are you watching? What are you saving? That's usually a desire you have and something you want. if you believe in manifestation, I think will come to life.

So if all you're saving is maybe hot girls with really good bodies, I don't know if that's a great manifestation for your mindset. So maybe if you're saving people that are giving motivation, inspiration, are making you feel a type of way, I think those are always really good to go back to to bring you that motivation. I also think finding, and I know this might be annoying, but finding a friend or a system or mom or whoever it is, to show up with you, even if it's on FaceTime, or even if you do at-home workouts,

you schedule them in 9 a.m. every single day and you don't miss a beat. So I think what can happen with that motivation is if you make working out not a priority because you're like, you know, whatever it is, I think if you make working out just as important as I have to walk my dog, you know, you will schedule it in that time and you won't miss that time. So I think that's something that's super, super helpful. How can somebody kind of discern like when they're feeling unmotivated and when their body just really needs to rest? Because this was another really common question that I got. Like how many rest days are okay?

How do I know when I need to rest versus like what I'm just feeling kind of lazy? How do you kind of discern between the two? Yeah. I always come back to the listening to your body. And I do want to be clear on this because this is something I actually only think I've really started to understand in these last, like the last year on a deeper level, maybe being in quarantine and having to just be with myself so much. I even remember this is going on a tangent, but I just hope this can help someone. I thought I always never had an intuition. I was like, I can't hear it. It's not there.

So I'm just going to keep going doing my thing and pray to God. And the more that I kept speaking out loud that I am listening, I just kept saying, I am listening, I hear you body, like keep speaking. I'm listening. My eyes and my ears are open. The more I started to hear that voice that everyone would talk about, which is your intuition and people hear it in different ways. And why I bring that up is because that is going to be your key to understanding when you need a rest day and when you need to actually or when you're actually being lazy. So for me, I will ask myself like, hey, you're really exhausted with traveling work. How about like what do you need today? And I can pretty much tell right away if it's just a walk, it's just a stretch. And then I can also tell when my mind is

speaking more and is like, you don't need that workout. You're fine. Just do it tomorrow. And it's such a different conversation. It's coming from my mind, not from my gut. That's telling me to just go sit on that couch instead. So I think taking a pause and asking yourself, is this my mind telling me to be lazy or is this actually my gut and my body trying to tell me it needs a moment? Well, this episode is a perfect time to talk about getting those healthy eating habits locked in. And for me, a great way to really practice balance is by being prepared. I am just not somebody who's going to spend all day long doing meal prep. So I love the effortlessness of a delivery service.

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celebrities, everything happening and pop culture every Tuesday. Okay. I also talk to some of our favorite celebs and reality TV stars. We talk about what's going on. Tune in every Tuesday and just feel like you're talking about your best friends in your living room. How much does body image? play into this or like what has your experience with body image been along the way because like what you were talking about the acting and modeling that's very body centric and looks centric and the wellness

and the fitness space can be too so like how much has that influenced you in the beginning or now or at all and how has that changed for you um yeah i think the modeling world is so interesting and i think being in it so young, you know, being 17 and coming out, I was coming out to do modeling. I was comparing myself dramatically, which I don't think I ever did that in high school. I will say I didn't grow up social media. Instagram came out when I was a senior. So it probably was a good thing. But I think when I came out to L.A. and obviously, you know, you show up to a casting and there's a hundred girls that look exactly like you. So you're not in your small town where you're like, yeah, I'm the only 5-10, Burnett with green eyes, whatever. It's like, no, you have a hundred next to you. So I do think I went

through a really tough phase of just comparing my body, of comparing. And honestly, though, not as much of my body, more of my personality. I thought I needed to be somebody else to get that role. Like, truly, I remember, I was like, I need to be bitchier. Like, the girl was really bitchy and she got that role. So I'm going to be a bitch. And I just think back now, I'm like, wow. So I honestly think body was never a huge thing for me. I think now being in the fitness space and obviously it being such a huge part of it. I think that's why I try and talk so much about it is what's on the inside. Obviously, I think we can all be real too. You feel good when you look good though. So I think it's understanding what goals you want and my goals are to feel strong. Like I love that I can do

pushups. Like that excites me. So I think understanding the body image for you of like what feels beautiful, what feels strong, what feels like what are those key words that makes you feel really good and actually believe them. I think we can say affirmations, but until you actually believe it, it's not going to feel good. So I think, yeah, the body image thing for me is just what I feel most great on the inside and then also on the outside too. Okay, kind of jumping around here, but you haven't had a completely linear straight up trajectory. I know that you struggled with like hormones and skin problems. And that was another thing that a lot of people were asking about just because it's so relatable. So can you talk about that a little bit?

Yeah. So again, being a like I said, I think I'm a student and then I get to share things. I think this was a very intentional thing that happened to me. I got like one pimple in my life. That's such a lie. I got like one pimple here and there in high school. But when I came out to L.A. I was like glowing, great. Even eating the not best foods, I still felt like I had good skin. And then all of a sudden I had severe cystic acne, like severe, severe. I went on acutane. It all went away.

And then it came back. And this was when I still was not really in the journey of taking care of myself too much. So acutane was like the next best thing. And then as it came back, I, you know, I went to miss. different doctors. That's the craziest thing is how many different doctors I went to and not one asked to take my blood work. And at that time, I don't think I was doing enough research and understanding. I was just clicking on to the next thing that sounded relatable or right. Again, I wasn't checking in with my intuition and asking if that actually was the case. So finally, when I got some blood work done,

we did realize that I had a hormonal imbalance. So my hormones were just showcasing that I had really high testosterone, which was probably the reason I was producing the cystic acne. So now I've been in a journey with healing it and it's been amazing. I'm still even discovering so much beyond like my hormones are balanced and I'm still having some breakouts here and there. So now we're taking an entire gut test and I'm going through the gut and understanding I'm not producing enough acid in my stomach to digest my foods. Like there is just so much out there that I did not know, especially as a woman that I think I'm so curious about now. It's kind of cool too, right? Because I'm in the fitness and wellness space and I always, fitness is more on the outside. But again, I'm just returning to the

inside, like, what about trying to tell me? And it's obviously speaking out through my skin. I love what you said about being a student, though, because that applies to everybody. Like, I think that we have this false concept that we have to like have to have this. answers all the time and have everything figured out and then life will be good. And it's like we're constantly dealing with new things. And I don't know. I think that the most gratifying life experience has come through like going through that adversity and learning from it and learning new things. And just even though it's difficult at the time, like I don't know. I think I'm such a proponent of that. Yeah. I so agree. I think it's kind of it's kind of what life is about is what I'm

learning so much of, you know? And so I think continuing to be that student and also continuing to be curious. Like I don't want to have the same answer today and tomorrow. Like I want to actually have my mind changed and be more open and curious because there's just so much to the world. And I think there is so much wisdom out there from people who have studied and understand way longer than I have. So I am just so fascinated by our bodies specifically, but also, yeah, just learning more and more. Okay. So you're also an entrepreneur. You have your platform form. How did that transition happen? And what has that been like for you? Yeah. I, being an entrepreneur in general, I mean, obviously you can understand. I love talking about it because

I think I read something where someone was like, no, I don't want a nine to five. I want to work 24-7 now. Like, it's just the funniest thing, but I absolutely love it so much. And it was a huge transition from even just being in the influencing space or even just being a personal trainer. What I'm doing now is so different, but it's exactly what I did want. I was on other apps, you know, showcasing my programs and I think I just always was ready to deliver what my audience and my community, what we've been talking about forever, which is having a one-stop shop, a place where you can get my workouts. It's my feel. It's my vibe. Plus, I can bring some mindfulness into it. I have nutrition coming, like all these different things. So once I found an incredible team,

because that was something I knew I also wanted to do was have amazing women by my side to do. I I didn't want this to be a solo road. Once I found that, I think it just, there's been so many beautiful obstacles to it. But quarantine was really the push I needed to be like, the time is now. And people want it now. So let's just do it. Yeah. Can you talk about that a little bit? Because you grew a lot over quarantine. And for a lot of people, not a lot of people, but people, particularly like in the wellness, like fitness space, because people couldn't go to gyms anymore. Some people, like their careers just kind of blew up. So what was that like for you?

Yeah, I think that was such an interesting time because I remember it was such a traumatic time, especially for so many. And I remember I moved back home because L.A. was just a ghost town. And I was like, okay, I'm going to go home. Me and my boyfriend left to my parents literally brought our infrared sauna. Like we just fully moved everything over there. And I remember. my team being like, it's go time. Like if there's ever been a time, it is now people need you.

And I was like, you are freaking right. Like, here we go. So I think I just put my like glasses on of like, let's do this. People need a place to actually feel better. People need people that actually are going to give them hope who are going to have them focus on their health because that is the topic. right now. You know, we're holy crap, like, let's actually focus on taking care of ourselves. So I think, I mean, I was doing lives five times a week on Instagram. And then I, after that, I was also doing two times a week a talk show moment of like a Q&A with specialists in every different space with my friend Sana. And we were just trying to provide value in such a traumatic time. So to be honest, quarantine was so interesting to me because I've never worked more in my life. Like I was truly working

more than ever, which I think then hit me later, like, whoa, we just went through, you know, this whole thing, but I was just so in it. But I think it helped me so much to see how important my work is. And it pushed me even more to want to get it out there. So what are some of the steps that you took to like launch your own business, maybe not necessarily like build an app, but just so that other people who are trying to maybe launch something new or I know a lot of people are kind of reevaluating, like, what they want to do, especially after COVID, because people got like different perspectives. So if they're wanting to build their own business, what were some of the things that really helped you? And maybe what are some of like the mistakes that you learned from?

Yeah. So many mistakes. I think first thing is asking yourself if you are not happy in your job today, I think it's time to go. And I think I confidently say that because, our job is like 90% of our life, I feel like. You know, we're there every single day. Some people have, you know, the craziest schedules of their job. And so I think if your job is draining you or not making you a better person or feeling better or motivated, excited, I definitely think it's time to reevaluate it and not saying to just ditch it in that time because I think I understand I had to work another job to also continue my influence. and then when that could actually sustain form, you know, there was, it was tears. But I would say for

anyone that would be my first step is to ask yourself if you are happy in that, because I do think you can be happy in your job. I've seen, you know, it'd be done. And then obviously I am. But I think steps are to ask a lot of questions. I have mentors or people that I look up to, even if I actually didn't get to talk to them one on one. Obviously, we live in a time where you can listen to so many podcasts and so many different spaces that I just was listening to everyone and everything. And that was super helpful for me to even understand how to get going. And then also asking people that I could actually meet in person that have done these things before, have started a company, have actually sold a company, actually understand the steps rather than, hey, let's just get this

going. Because there is a lot of steps to it. I think that was super helpful. I think checking in with your gut, I think anytime I did not feel like something was right, and this is what got me in trouble, is I did say yes to things that weren't right for form and weren't actually the vision. And so I wish I would have trusted that feeling in the beginning, but instead you're just kind of,

I can get really excited when someone's selling me on something. I'm like, yes, it's a dream, you know? Yeah, and they're like, well, we can do this. And I'm like, I'm here for it. but I think something I've been doing is just telling someone, hey, let me meditate on this whole situation we just talked about, and I will get back to you. And I think understanding, like,

you don't have to give an answer right away. And if that thing is right for you, then that person can wait. And before I was like, they can't wait. They're so busy. I need to tell them now. So it's something I've definitely really resonated with of taking a moment. And I would tell anyone that.

And just, yeah, staying true to yourself. I think even in my world, you know, people might be like, wow, it's so saturated. There's so many different apps. Why would you start one? And I even remember people telling me, don't do it, all these different things. And so I think believing in yourself and staying in your lane and not comparing to Jessica who started an app or blah, blah, who started an app and just continue to stay on your journey and your purpose of what you're trying to give your community.

The end of the day, like there is someone for everyone. So there is enough room for all of us. That's so funny. I'm the exact same way. I'm like, this person needs an answer now. The answer is yes. And then like a week later, I'm like, oh my God, why did I do this? Somebody who's kind of a mentor for me told me like, if it feels really urgent, it's not. And that's been hard for me because I everything is urgent for me. Like I get really like anxious about anything really. I get very overwhelmed, I guess. And I feel like, you know, everybody needs an answer and the answer is always yes. And then I'm like, even more overwhelmed. How do you manage time because you have so many things going on and just, I know, like, being in social media alone and being across so many platforms is like so much work. I think people who aren't in it don't really understand. But then I would imagine like with the addition of the app and, you know, having your own company, like, how do you manage time and make sure that between your businesses and your personal workouts and all of that and like relationships,

how do you have time for you? I think this is something I continuously see is so important because if I'm not good, my work's not good. So it's not worth it to me to not create space for me. It's not worth it for my team. I'm not going to show up in my best self. I'm not going to show up for my partner and in my best self. So this is hard for me because when having a team, you know, beside me, I want to show up for them so much. And if I need to change a meeting because I need extra sleep, I know it's what's best for for everyone. So I think having that mindset really helps me. I also think it's who's by your side. You know, if I had someone who was like, no, you have to be at that meeting, I'd be like, you're not right for this team because I need everyone to understand

our overall well-being is number one. Like, we are a wellness company. Let's keep it there. So I think that's something I really try and focus on. I also plan my days. I learn this from Lauren Bostic on Skinning Convincial is the planning of how my energy is each day. And what I mean by that is, I just talked about this on my stories is Mondays, all my calls. Tuesdays are my filming days. Wednesdays are filming days. Thursdays. are, I don't remember, Friday are appointments. So I definitely try and organize it that I am giving the right energy on each day instead of being like Monday's calls, plus going into a shoot, plus trying to organize everything. Like that is just way too much for me. And I also know me and I know

that I need self-time. Like I know that I need at 5 p.m. to go on a walk. Like I think it's really understanding how you show up your best. Some people, they can work 12 hours straight and then be fine. So I think it's not comparing to anyone, even my partner, JT. He can go way harder than me and I need more breaks. So I think it's just understanding how you show up your best. And then I'm a huge scheduler. Like even with JT, even with my friends, we schedule in our calendars. Like I send an invite to go on a walk. I send an invite for dinner. And then I also make sure I'm including. people in my life that understand if I bail on that dinner, it is nothing to do with them. It is only to do with me that I need a moment. And having those people by me that understand that

and never take the intentions that I'm just trying to bail on them is so relieving. Do you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert or both? Because I'm listening to you and I'm like, this is me. Like I can do a lot of things, but I need a lot of breaks to myself because that's how I get my energy. So what would you consider yourself? I'm just curious. Yeah, I would say before I would consider myself an introvert. And then when I've taken all these tests and dissect it, I think I'm more both because I will say I love people. Like I am, I do get so much energy by like with you right now, having a conversation with you like brings me like fills my cup. So I do think I'm an extrovert in that way like when I am having really good conversations or with the people I love. But I'm definitely an introvert in the sense that I get my energy back. by being by myself. I get a lot of clarity by being by myself. So I do think I'm a mix of up. I think everybody needs that time alone to be with themselves and to have that stillness, like not to go too far off into the weeds like about meditation because people check out.

But like I think when it comes to just again, like we're talking about tapping into that intuition and also like finding purpose, which is another thing that so many people asked about, you can't know what your body is saying. You can't know what your intuition is telling you. You can't know what your desires and needs are and what your purpose is if you're not taking any time. And nowadays, it's so easy to not have any of that time because you can easily wake up and get right on your phone and get on social media and get on emails and fill your space with that or with podcasts even. Like, I mean, finish this podcast and then maybe go, you know, have some time alone. But I think that's so important and it's something that is so overlooked because we kind of were in this culture where we like worship like the grind and like the go go and the multitasking and all of that.

So I'm curious like walk us through a day. So what does a typical day look like for you? And how do you have those moments to yourself? Briefly before I jump on that too. I remember, I want to say this note, I remember that I wanted so much for myself of self. growth and this journey and all of it, but I gave myself zero time. Like, I do remember that. So I love that you said that because you do need to put that time aside. And I don't even think sometimes it is scheduling it. Sometimes it is in that moment. It is in that moment of like, okay, I can really tell I need to

go on a walk right now. And I'm going to respect myself. It's telling me that. So if I can take this pause and move this thing or take my call on a walk, whatever it is, I think those are the the times where you're serving yourself and it always comes back and return. So I definitely have gotten so much better at that and seeing the growth. But a normal day, obviously in our world, I think every day is very different. Truly, I think that's why I do love our space because it is so different, you know, but say like I can give an example for today. I woke up super early, I guess 6 a.m. is not super early. And the first thing I do, so I have been actually, actually asking out loud that I feel like I want to go a little bit deeper into my practice.

I feel like I've been pretty routine that I haven't allowed myself to maybe dive a little deeper. So I have been saying out loud, I am ready, I'm listening. If there's something else I need to know right now, like I'm here. And it is yelling at me. Like it is like, hey, here we go. I'm like emotions are coming and I'm releasing things, which is so beautiful, but it's a lot. And so this morning I knew that I have a very busy day. So I knew I needed to get in a really good mindset. So I pretty much this morning right when I woke up, I did the Mel Robbins rule of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. So that means I literally count backwards and then I get up. So I don't give myself enough time to snooze the alarm, lay down, and that's really helpful. Sorry to interrupt you. When you're in bed, you just count down from 5 to 1. Okay. Yeah. So you just go 5, 4. three, two, one. And that's like your takeoff. So that gives you only five seconds instead of like snooze the alarm. Okay, I'll get up in a second. Let me just have more thoughts here. You know,

it just kind of gets you up. So I'm not really helpful. And then I go straight to brushing my teeth. I just find that it like wakes me up as well. So I'll just brush my teeth. I'll drink some water. Then I did this new one as well from Ed Milette. It's like a gratitude visualization where he's He visualizes all the things he's grateful for from his family, whatever. So for me, I did my family. I did the weather. I did the birds. And you kind of just have these pictures.

I'm a really big visual person. And I would tell anyone to try to start picturing things. I think it's so beneficial. So I'll just visualize all the things I'm grateful for. And then I'll let it go really, really fast and move out of intense speed. And then I'll just, you know, say thank you. Then I will also pray and just like have a little moment of pause of like, please give me the strength today and surrender to, you know, what the day has in store.

Then I will meditate. I'm on like a 10-minute meditation right now. I use Insight Timer, which I absolutely love. It really gives you so many diverse options. So I did the meditation. If you need to sit up because laying down might make you fall back asleep. That's how I do it. And then this morning I actually did not work out because I'm going to be filming workouts today. So usually I would have my workout clothes already on and ready to go. But since I knew that was the case, instead I put sweatpants on and made some hot tea and went on a walk with my partner. I love going on a walk this early. I mean, it's still dark out.

But what I love is it wakes me up. Like you're getting, I mean, right now it's freezing outside for me. So it's like a breath of fresh air. You know, you're like, okay, you're kind of like your eyes are open. You ain't going back down kind of vibe. And then you also just looking at the trees and like being grateful that. they're giving you oxygen. You're looking at the moon still or the sun coming up and you're just like really just having a lot of emotions. I'll even put on a podcast. Again, it's what do you need in

that morning? Do you need that extra motivation? Do you need an Ed Milet? Like what is the vibe? Or I'll just listen to nature, take a little 10 minute walk and then come back inside. I made a little bit of food, came back and did a little bit of journaling. And then I'll go into just like my scheduling. So I'll look at my calendar again. I got ready. Obviously, we're in this podcast. After this, I need to shoot for YouTube. So I have like a YouTube channel as well, which is a whole thing in itself. But I love it so much, but it takes time for sure. So I have, I'll film YouTube after. And then from 1.30 to 430, I'll go meet with the form team. And we will film workouts. We will film intros, trailers, all these different things for the app. And then after that, I come back. I'll eat some

dinner, I probably will need to catch up on more work. And then I have a planned walk with my girlfriend, how I haven't seen in a while. I'll probably come back and work a little bit more just because I have things and then I'll make dinner. I'm exhausted. Sounds like a lot of working out. How do you, I'm just curious. Like when you, I've always wondered this, when you have to film a bunch of workouts, because I'll do like workout platforms. I haven't done yours yet because I hurt my foot, but now I'm getting back into it, so I'm ready. But I did your workouts like during quarantine and they killed me. But I always wonder, like, especially if I'm doing an app and I see that they're in those same workout outfit and like a bunch of different exercises that I do on different days, I'm like,

wait a second. They did all of this back to back. So how does that go? I just want to know. No, it's such a great question. It really is. Honestly, in the beginning, when you're trying to just get enough content onto the app, it is more of like you are like, holy crap, this is a lot. So for me, I maxed out at doing, my workouts are only like 30 minutes long, but like you said, they kick your butt. Yeah. So I do like a 30 minute one. I'll take a break.

And then I'll do another 30 minute one, take a break and do a five minute abs. That's what I was doing really in the beginning. Now we are changing because I have almost 70 videos on there. So now it's more of like how I'm feeling that day. I really will be super in tuned with my body of like, all right, you guys, I can do a really low impact one today. And then let's do a harder hit one. And that's it. And then I will give myself a rest maybe the next day. So I think it's just really based on how I'm doing. But I give myself like a good amount of rest in between to like calm down and like let my body habits relax. And then I eat. I have to make sure I'm fueling my body and plus a lot of hydration.

everybody wanted to know what you eat, but you have so many what I eat in a day videos that they can literally go on like any platform and see that. So in the line of work that you and I do like with social media and different platforms, how do you turn off and have boundaries with that? Because that's something that I really struggle with. Like I'm always either like shooting content, editing content. And then in the in between like you're supposed to be on stories all the time. and like taking people through your life. And sometimes you just get to the point where you're like, I have like, I right now, full disclosure.

I'm like, I have nothing to say. I'm so busy like shooting campaigns, shooting content and recording podcasts that like I don't have time or the energy for like the day to day, like catching up on my life kind of thing. So how do you do that? And how do you turn off like at the end of the day and make sure that you're not just like mindlessly on it?

Yeah. I think that. something that maybe people don't realize to is social media. Like when it is your job, you're thinking about it 24-7 because it can be on 24-7. There's not an off button unless you put it on. So I have, I actually struggle with this a lot because I do love sharing my thoughts. So when I am having thoughts, I do love to put them out to the world because I love to connect with the community and relate and connect and just share anything. But I agree. I think if I have nothing, to say I won't say it because they do find just being on stories to be on stories,

everyone's going to feel it. Like for me, I'm like, I can feel when other people are doing it, it's super force. It just doesn't feel. And I don't think it provided actually that much value. So I think always before I post a story, I am asking myself, does this feel right? Again, connecting to my body, does this actually feel like something I want to put out? and also understanding if I took 72 hours a week off of social media, it would not die. Like everything would be okay.

We would be okay. So I think even for me in my first week of launching form, I got COVID and I took the week off of my first week of launching my app. Like my dream happened and I got COVID and I took the week off. Like it had to be a purpose for that. Like that was the universe or God or whatever doing something for you. I so agree. My older sister was like, you rest, girl, because that is like maybe I was working so hard to do it and put it together that I mean that week. But again, it was very difficult for me to make that decision. But I knew putting myself just through those stories to just be on was not going to be beneficial for my body, for myself, for my mental state and for anyone else. So I think I always ask myself that. And but I am working out of my girlfriend literally just told me this morning like, because I told her, oh, I'm just going through. I asked for it, but I'm going through a lot right now. But I do feel like I'm working all the time. And she was like, Sam, like, you don't turn off.

Like, you need to turn off. So I told myself, like, okay, this weekend, maybe I'll do no phone. And so that's something I have to really check in with myself and say no phone. I think at night, I am really good with it. I love my wind down routine. So I will probably around, I mean, I get in bed early. So around 8.30, 9, I'll just turn off my phone or not turn off airplane mode it. And then hang out with my partner and, you know, lights out by 10. So I do have a really good night. I also am really good in the morning. I don't check it in the morning. And I give myself like an hour on airplane mode as well. So I'm really good in the mornings. It just turns on so quick when I, when I start to turn it on. So I'm working on that tremendously. Well, I think those are good boundaries,

though already, like the morning and the night, because you're kind of bookending your day. So like even if you're kind of crazy and in it during the day, at least you have that time to like decompress at night. I'm the same way. Like I am in bed at 8.30 asleep by hopefully 10, 10 30 and like phone is in the other room and I'm off it. But that doesn't mean that like the pole isn't necessarily there. So I think it's a constant struggle. Yeah, I think just like coming back to the mindset thing of like, what is the worst thing that's going to happen? If you, you do not pose right now. Like, like nothing. Like you, your community loves you so much that you not being on for 10 hours. Like, they will be okay because you're not actually going to show up in the way

that they would want. They would even be receptive towards it or whatever. So I think this is all a mental game of like, you know, you're good. It's like self-imposed pressure. Like you feel like you have to be on all the time because other people are on all the time. And yeah, like social media isn't going anywhere. So you can't have that like, you can't maintain that certain pace like being on 24-7 forever. Like, what's the end game? It reminds me of this a little bit yesterday. I was getting acupuncture and my acupuncturist. One of them I haven't seen since last year. And so I was like, he's this like older Chinese guy. He's like 65 maybe. And very wise. Like, I. I just love talking to him because he's so wise.

And I said, oh, have you been really busy? Like, to me, like, busy was a good thing. And he said, I don't want to be busy. I want to be effective. And I was like, oh. I got chills. Mind blown. And I was like, wow.

I mean, I'm sure that comes with age, wisdom, experience, all of that. But I was like, that is just like the perspective shift that I needed because I'm like, oh, busy, good. Yeah. Like, great. and he was like, no, that's not the goal. I got chills from that. Like, what a good reminder.

It's so, it's so true. Like, even when I think about people and I talk to them and I'm like, why are you not on social media? You could grow your business triple, you know? And they're like, because I am so happy with my clients or how I'm doing these things. And I'm like, go you. Like that, I think that's, again, that check in of, yeah, what's actually effective, not just being busy and being, you know, thinking productive equal success.

It's like, I feel like nowadays, which I love is like happiness and providing value, being grateful equal success. You know, there's so many different things. Yeah, totally. So, okay, my last question is what is one micro habit that people could incorporate into their lives for a big change? It could be anything like workout, nutrition, mindset, anything? I think like I mentioned, which is going to feel a little weird, but is talking to yourself more.

I think that was the biggest change for me, again, for someone who thought she had no intuition, true life. Like really thought I did not. And just asking for it out loud. So understanding to like what you say or what you put out into the world will come to life. I do really believe that. So I think talking to yourself is a micro tool. that has changed my life, even from self-talk during my workouts. I remember watching my self-talk. I always tell people this. The reason I'm yelling during the workouts and saying, like,

you've got this and saying all those crazy things is because that's exactly what I'm telling myself. It's not like I'm trying to be this like really crazy coach and like put it on. Like, no, that is organically what happens in my mind. And I'm just saying it to you out loud. So I think micro is paying attention to those self-talk thoughts and then also saying out loud what you want. So if you do want to dive deeper into your journey, into your wellness journey, into getting to know yourself, just say that out loud. Like asking, okay, I really do want this. And then just letting go and releasing and let the universe do its work and you putting that time aside, that's like a micro thing I would do. I love that. And I think that will help so many people because I always get questions, whether it's on

Instagram or like people asking to talk about on the podcast, how to tune into that intuition, whether it comes to like intuitive eating or exercise or just with life. I think so many people struggle with tapping into that. So I think that'll really help people. So where can everybody find you? They can find me at Sammy Clark across YouTube. TikTok, Instagram. And then as far as form, you can find the app in your app store, in the app store,

also on your TV. I mean, really, this thing is in everything. It's just Form by Sammy Clark, F-R-I-M. And then Instagram is at JoinForm. Or you can also go to the website, joinform.com. Amazing. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. I had the blast. Best time.

You too. I hope you enjoyed that episode. if you liked it, and if you like the show in general, please take a second to rate, review, and subscribe. It goes a long way, and it's actually the best way to support the show. Also, if you want to see more about each episode, you can head over to The Blonde Files podcast on Instagram. I'm always posting about each episode there

or over on my personal page at Ariel Lorry.