Laura Sitterly Laura Sitterly | December 8, 2022 | wellness, Interviews,
PHOTO BY RYAN CARPENTER
Brittany Dixon (@heybrittanydixon) encompasses all that a girl boss entails. She has leapt over hurdles to land the career she loves today, helping others get the healthier and stronger body they deserve along the way. Here, she spills her secrets on maintaining motivation, the inside scoop on her new fitness app and a couple of personal favorites!
Tell us a bit about your childhood. What motivated you to move into the health and fitness space?
I was always an active child. On top of just being an energetic kid, my parents put me in many extracurricular activities. I participated in gymnastics, tap dance, soccer and horseback riding and played the flute, but my first love was track and field. In middle school, I was introduced to Florence Joyner, aka Flo-Jo, and knew track was for me. She didn’t look anything like your typical athlete. Her hair, makeup, outfit, blinged-out nails—she was winning! I wanted to look like her, hence my nails. Running became everything to me. It taught me a lot of life lessons about myself and made way for me to go to college. Not wanting to sit at a desk all day motivated me to move into the health and fitness space. I just couldn’t sit there anymore, so one day, I started a YouTube channel to get me back into fitness and have purpose. Then it just snowballed into personal training as a side hustle, then bikini competing, and after that commercial modeling; then I produced and hosted a fitness TV show in the Caribbean, and now my Fitness brand Glampions (@glampions) and soon my Glampions fitness app.
Other than your involvement in the national NPC bikini competition, what encouraged you to step into your own autonomy and trailblaze your career with confidence?
So cliche, but ‘representation.’ I love working out at home on simple fitness accessories, like resistance bands and stability balls... but every time I purchased something fitness related, I hardly saw a woman of color-owned brand in the store. So that alone sparked it. In addition to that, I grew up watching a ton of music videos, in particular the iconic Tina Turner ‘The Best.’ Ugh! The way she owned that stage, rocking out in a miniskirt and thigh-high boots—I’m for it! That energy is the way I feel during and after a workout.
How and when did you really start to break into the industry, and what was that experience like for you?
When I started bikini bodybuilding and winning trophies, that was the push I needed to take it to the next level. But I felt like I ‘made it’ when I booked my first national commercial during the 2018 Olympic year for Silk milk. After I decided to leave my production job in Atlanta and move down to Miami to pursue my fitness career, I got with a sports modeling agency in Miami and landed my first audition from a selfie... [but I] bombed the audition! I had no clue what I was doing, I was so nervous. But my second audition... nailed it! The commercial was everywhere during the Olympic year, that was when I officially broke in as a ‘fit model.’
What were some welcoming aspects, as well as hurdles, that you had to overcome to establish a name for yourself?
Wellness will forever be in demand, but it’s also a very saturated market, and if you’re not true to yourself, it will be hard to stand out. One aspect I had to overcome was not to oversexualize fitness. It’s already an attractive industry. When I first started posting on social media, I felt my likes were low because I wasn’t posting supplementary photos next to my butt or pushing products that gave false claims for money. I didn’t want to be like everyone else doing things for a like. Once I got over that, I realized I’m in my own lane, and I’m perfectly fine. Keeping my integrity was important for me.
With content creation and physical training you have so much on your plate! Can you walk us through what a day in this job field looks like?
TikTok is the hot new club, and Instagram is under new management and renovating theirs. But you must be present on both platforms in order to network and build your brand. Firstly, everything you do is content! That’s your brand. I record my workouts, exercise demos, food, wellness tips, travel, nails and fun stuff. I edit my videos on InShot and create my graphics using Canva. It’s easier this way so I don’t have to create content for both platforms. I just save my content and post to both. Plus, I try not to spend too much time making it perfect. It’s overkill and nobody knows what it was supposed to be.
PHOTO BY RYAN CARPENTER
Have you found that the most effective practices for you have evolved in tandem with your growth? If so, can you talk us through your personal findings about how the body requires different diets and exercise patterns as it ages?
Absolutely! My most effective practice I’ve found to stay motivated was to redefine my ‘why.’ Now that I’m not running track, competing in bodybuilding or fitness modeling anymore, I had to figure out my new ‘why.’ Why am I working out? I’m not winning anything or trying to book a commercial. I had to dig deep and find new motivation. But that’s just it—I’m getting older. I’m looking ahead. If I want to keep moving, I have to keep moving. I’m celebrating my body and what it does for me. I have two working legs to walk my dog, and two arms to give loving hugs. I want to keep that going.
With all of the impressive titles you’ve earned in your career, what title are you most proud of and why?
Homeowner. Recently, I just purchased a home with my fiance and couldn’t be happier. It’s my first home purchase; I own a piece of land... that’s exciting! When the day is done, I can curl up in an old pair of sweatpants and just enjoy the fruits of our labor.
We are all patiently awaiting the launch of your new fitness app in January! Can you share details on this debut?
I’m very thrilled about my fitness app, Glampions! We are currently focusing on 15-minute workouts to help squeeze in a sweaty session for those with busy schedules. Plus, it’s great for beginners looking to start their fitness journey. A 15-minute session sounds less intimidating than 30 or 60 minutes. The good thing about our workouts, you can double up to extend your workout, or exercise 15 minutes before your morning shower and 15 minutes before bed. It all adds up! In the app, you may recognize a few Atlanta fitness trainers. I was able to pull them in to offer a variety of workouts. Not to mention some of my favorite healthy meals and snack recipes too.
When you’re not working, what do you enjoy doing around Atlanta? What would you recommend to others visiting the city?
When I’m not working, I love dining out and finding new restaurants to put on ‘Britt’s Food List.’ My most recent find and fave is Buttermilk Kitchen. The food is so fresh and the sauteed kale is the bomb! You can tell the food is made with a lot of love. If you like coffee, Dancing Goats is my jam. The coffee is divine and the patio scene has a cool chill vibe. St. Cecilia and Knife is hands down a beautifully decorated scene with delicious dinner options for a date or girls’ night out. I also enjoy taking fitness classes from other trainers and studios. It helps me socialize and network in the Atlanta fitness community. My fiance is Caymanian, so I travel quite a bit back and forth to the Cayman Islands and we also have a residence in Miami. However, I enjoy living in Atlanta the most because my creative team is here. Atlanta is a great place for startups and entrepreneurs.
Photography by: