We had the good fortune of connecting with Aesha Tahir and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Aesha, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My entrepreneurial journey has been a bit of a roller coaster ride. It started eight years ago on one of my vacations in Hawaii. August of 2014, I walked into a room filled with 30 people on the bike, riding to jamming rock tunes and sweating buckets. I hopped on the saddle of a Spinner bike and started riding with the crowd. Getting lost in the experience and pedaling to the beat was instantly gratifying. That ride was the stimulus I needed to follow my passion as a fitness enthusiast.
After returning from vacation, I became a certified Spinning Instructor and started teaching classes at my local gym. I hoped to recreate the experience I had on my vacation. I wanted to share the joy of movement with other people while inspiring them to lead a healthy life filled with passion. This led me to switch my career in software engineering with one in the fitness industry. After two years of teaching group fitness classes, I started my business, Tone and Strengthen to provide personal training. In 2018, I started working as a corporate fitness specialist while running my business. Following my heart’s desire of lifelong learning and curiosity, I went back to school and earned a Masters in Exercise Science in 2019.
In 2019 a running injury sidelined me due to my postural issues. At that time, many clients were also coming to me with low back pain, plantar fasciitis, and neck pain. I realized that these musculoskeletal conditions are related to bad posture from extensive sitting.
According to the CDC, one in two adults has a musculoskeletal disorder in the U.S. These disorders are becoming a significant burden on the healthcare industry every year. Our sedentary lifestyle is making us unhappy, solitary, and unhealthy.
I wanted to provide a solution to combat the negative effects of sedentary lifestyle. That has been my mission ever since my injury.
My entrepreneurial journey is significant on a personal level too. Being a South Asian woman in the U.S. posed unique pressures on me. I am constantly seen as defying social and cultural norms. My family expected me to have a professional career, preferably at a corporation. There are many times when I feel that I’m falling short of my family’s expectations. Conversely, it was challenging for me to break into the fitness industry and overcome preconceived biases associated with brown women. I have learned that remaining true to yourself and finding your voice are key to rising above these challenges. Through my entrepreneurial journey I want to inspire other women to follow their unconventional dreams.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started Tone and Strengthen to spread the joy of movement. As deskbound professionals our work requires us to sit all day with a hunched posture, maintain a sedentary lifestyle, and eat processed foods. My goal is to help my clients use proper biomechanics during work, rest, and play. With my coaching, they gain awareness and motivation to shift their mindset and build healthy habits to retain proper posture. I feel infinite joy and happiness when I see my clients standing tall with confidence and moving with grace.
I have helped over 500 clients reach their fitness goals and attain proper posture in the last four years. I am expanding my business to provide posture correction coaching to corporate teams and small businesses.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
SoCal has so much to offer to any outdoor enthusiast. I’d start our day with a bike ride around Coronado Island. Then we’ll make a pit stop at Clayton’s coffee shop for brunch. After fueling up with food, I’d take them to the urban animal paradise- the San Diego Zoo followed by a trip to La Jolla Cove. The blue-green water, sea lions, and the village at La Jolla beach are breathtakingly beautiful. My friends and I like hiking, so I’ll take my friend on a hike through Torrey Pines, where we can stop at a cliff and enjoy the sunset. We’ll dine in Little Italy to cap off this fun-filled day.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
As an entrepreneur, one of my biggest struggles was finding my self-worth. As the first-ever female entrepreneur in my family, I didn’t possess a strong sense of self-worth. I found myself overdelivering without a financial commitment from clients. With the help of a strong network of other female entrepreneurs and mentors, I have been able to build up self-worth. My network of supporters is from the Virtual Networkers group, a networking group for female entrepreneurs. This group helped me recognize my strengths and gave me the confidence to follow my dream. I have been flying amongst like-minded, high-achieving, and authentic businesswomen with this group. A robust support network is essential for entrepreneurial success.
Contact Info: toneandstrengthen@gmail.com
Website: www.toneandstrengthen.com
Instagram: tone_and_strengthen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aeshatahir/
Image Credits
Caitlyn Sottile