by Kim Devlin | Sep 10, 2019 | Lifestyle, Wellness
Tell me about STA Nutrition
STA Nutrition is a healthy bar setting where people can come hang out, sip and stay or grab and go. We offer products geared towards a healthy, active lifestyle, offering products from complete balanced meal replacement shakes to energizing teas, belly fat burners, and pre and post workouts. It’s a similar concept to a coffee shop or cafe but geared towards a healthy, active lifestyle.
What is the product brand you sell here?
Strictly supplements by Herbalife, which is the number one nutrition company in the world. The products are not only easy to make but easy to include in a busy lifestyle. We call it fast food for smart people. The shakes are a completely balanced meal replacement, and we have several flavors; many taste like ice cream.
We also offer consultations on weight management and achieving healthier eating habits. We offer free coaching on adding meal plans into the lifestyle, including snack options. We also provide an accountability system at the cafe, where you can weigh in and track your goals.
What inspired you to open this type of cafe?
Four years ago, I started my journey with Herbalife. I was eighteen years old and going into college. Most people are familiar with the college eating plan, and it doesn’t typically go well. I was a volleyball player in high school, and I never had issues with my weight. In college, I was feeling lethargic and taking 2 to 3-hour naps a day. I didn’t know what to do, so I joined a gym where I met a woman who introduced me to Herbalife. I tried the product for three days, and the first thing I noticed was my energy level changed dramatically.
That alone sold me on the product, so I started bringing my friends to a cafe, like STA Nutrition, that used to be in the Hobby Lobby Plaza. I loved the community and how supportive everyone was; they made you feel like you belonged and wanted you there. That’s when I became interested in the coaching side of the product. I realized I could not only help people lose weight but live a healthier lifestyle.
How much weight did you lose on Herbalife?
I was able to lose 7 inches off my waist, 11 percent body fat, and I gained 14 lbs of muscle, but the best part is my energy.
Where are you from, and what brought you to St. Augustine?
I’m from Minnesota, spent my childhood in Wyoming until moving to Singapore. It was a great time in my life; I was nine years old at the time, so I was very much aware of what was going on around me, and I value that experience because it molded me into the person that I am today. I moved to St. Augustine when I was twelve. My mom used to live here, and when we were moving back to the states, it was going to be either St. Augustine or California, and they chose St. Augustine.
How do you feel about all the changes in the area?
I love it! If you are from here the changes are an adjustment, but everything evolves, and I think it’s best to move with it. I knew I was going to stay in St. Augustine, and these changes allowed me the opportunity to provide something for the community with STA Nutrition.
What are your plans for the business?
My vision is for this space to be a fun and upbeat environment and to become a place where the community feels welcome and they can enjoy themselves.
by Kim Devlin | Aug 27, 2019 | Wellness
I met up with Kelly Simmons of Koastal Paddle Board Yoga to discuss what inspired her to start her business, why she loves yoga on a paddleboard, and her plans to do it full-time.
What inspired you to start Koastal SUP Yoga?
I moved here in March 2017 and I got on my first paddleboard for a yoga class that April. I remember doing boat pose while the water gently rocked the board, that’s when I fell in love with it. I knew the basic ins and outs of yoga as a practice and the paddleboard was just a way to get outside and enjoy nature. I kept taking classes, and the woman that was teaching the classes wanted to sell that part of the business and just focus on teacher training, so I thought I can be that person and went for it.
Were you a yoga teacher at that point?
No, I wasn’t but I had been practicing yoga (mainly Kripalu) since 1986 so it was always something I wanted to do. For me to teach Yoga SUP I had to get my 200-hour yoga certification. Once I did that I took the SUP certification as one of my required continuing ed credits.
Where are you from and what brought you to St. Augustine?
I grew up in Massachusetts and lived in New York. I ended up in St. Augustine for my job. There was a position they wanted me to check out and they gave me two weeks to see if I liked the area, the people I worked with and if I would want to live here. When I arrived, I was living in a hotel near the outlets and that area didn’t appeal to me, so when a woman from work brought me up to where she lived in Palencia, I fell in love and that’s when I decided to stay in St. Augustine, rent there for a year and explore the area more.
How do you like living in St. Augustine?
It’s amazing…all these years I was living up north and now I get to live and work where people vacation.
What do you love most about SUP Yoga?
Being able to combine yoga with being on the water in nature. There are times we have dolphins and turtles swimming around, beautiful birds flying over us, and rainbows greeting us in the morning…it doesn’t get better than that.
How do you teach someone who has never been on a paddleboard?
At the beginning of each class, I go over the parts of the board, the paddle, and teach the basic forward stroke for paddleboarding. Since we have to paddle to sites we need to know how to use the board. When we get to the site for our yoga flow, we are almost parking the board so I teach my student’s different types of strokes so they know how to maneuver the board properly.
Where do your classes take place?
We launch at the Lighthouse pier and paddle to the south end of the Salt Run where we anchor up in a cove. It works out well since there isn’t a lot of boat traffic and the water is calm.
What type of yoga is your class based on?
Mainly Hatha yoga, my training is in Kripalu which is more breath-focused and body awareness. I have all levels coming to me so I mainly focus on getting the postures to work for the individuals’ bodies.
How does yoga differ in the studio vs the paddleboard?
The difference between the board and the studio is balance. When you come up to a standing posture on the board your feet will be wider apart than in the studio. It doesn’t feel natural at first, but it’s better for balance. Also, you can’t look down on the board since everything is moving. It’s best to find a spot on the horizon, like a house or a spot on the marsh.
Does anyone ever fall off?
Yes, and usually it’s me. However, once people fall and realize it’s just water, the fear is gone and they tend to push it a little more.
What days do you normally teach classes?
Currently Saturday and Sunday. I did teach on Tuesdays for a bit and that worked out well, especially for other yoga instructors who teach weekend classes, so I plan to add Tuesdays again soon.
Do you teach yoga in the studio as well?
Yes, I teach a class at Anastasia Fitness on Wednesdays. I’m also a Personal Trainer and about to work with my first client there.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not paddleboarding?
Teaching yoga, my favorite thing to do is anything that makes you feel good and healthy.
A lot of people come to yoga because they are older and may have an injury or a chronic issue. That hour of yoga becomes a bit of respite for them where they just think about their breath, and forget about any pain they might have and I love being able to provide that for them.
What are your goals for the business?
My goal is to do this full-time. I’ve spent a lot of time this year doing demos at health fairs and Anastasia Fitness. I’m also forming partnerships with other local businesses to plan affiliate marketing where we give discounts and support each other. You can find those partners on my website at https://www.koastalsupyoga.com/partners
Follow Koastal SUP Yoga on Facebook | Instagram | Website
#paddleboardyoga #staugustine #yoga #kripalu #hathayoga #paddleboard #koastalsupyoga
by Kim Devlin | Aug 25, 2019 | Lifestyle
If you have walked the streets of St. Augustine, you’ve heard live music coming out of one door or another, but not all of them stop you in your tracks. I remember the first time I heard Jolie sing at Pizza Dina, I must have stood there for an hour listening. Her voice draws you in, gets to your heart, and mesmerizes you.
What age did you know that you wanted to sing?
I always secretly liked music, but I was timid growing up so I would sing in my room and wouldn’t tell anyone. I became more serious about it when I was twelve or thirteen years old when I started doing competitions. They were mainly country music competitions, which is not my genre, so I didn’t fit in, but it was for fun for me at the time. The competitions helped to make me more comfortable singing in public but they didn’t help me to discover who I am with music.
Where are you from?
I’m from Jacksonville but went to high school in St. Augustine. I was recommended to the chamber chorus at St. Augustine High School, which has an excellent music program. Singing was a fun thing for me, and I liked blending in with the choir, I didn’t see it as a career choice at the time
When did you tell your parents that this is what you wanted to do?
I told them when I was fourteen. I was in the St. Augustine talent show, and it was the first time I felt I truly loved singing. I ended up working with a producer downtown after that, and that’s about the time I started to become more serious about writing music.
Did you play instruments growing up?
Yes, my mom taught me piano when I was ten years old for about two years. I tried guitar, but I couldn’t get over my fingers hurting so I stuck with piano. I play ukulele too now; it’s much easier.
How was it the first time you sat on the street in front of Pizza Dina?
That was insane; I didn’t notice the people that stopped to listen because they were behind me. All I could see was the reaction on my parent’s faces, and they were freaking out.
How did you get the gig to sing at Pizza Dina?
It was by chance, I saw a Facebook ad in 2017, they were looking for someone, so I messaged them but never heard back. I figured well I tried. A few weeks later they responded and asked me to come in and sing on that Friday. I did, and they loved me, so they had me come on Saturday too. It’s was a tiny place, so I never expected it to become a thing. When they closed last October, I was worried about finding other gigs, but I was fortunate because other local businesses knew Pizza Dina closed and they reached out to me. One of them was the owner of Casa De Vino, so now I sing there as well as some other places.
Where is your favorite venue to sing?
Colonial Oak is my favorite. They don’t book solo artists, but there is one solo artist that plays there so when he can’t be there, he asks me to fill in for him, and it’s during the day so it’s great because I can still do my night thing.
Tell me about the music you love, and that inspires you?
I would describe my music as pop, but it’s inspired by what I go through in life whether I’m sad or something made me mad. I’ve yet to write a super happy song. I enjoy listening to sad songs and it’s much easier to write a sad song, so it makes sense for me to write those and I feel people relate to them more.
Can you read music?
Sort of but I learn more by ear. Most of the time I figure out what key I want my song to be in and I make it up as I go. When I stopped learning piano from my mom, I figured out a more natural way for me to learn the piano. My husband can read music and is super technical about it, so it’s funny when he sees all these sharps and flats in my music and says this is so complicated, but for me it just makes sense.
He plays by ear as well, but was taught to read music and plays the piano well.
Do you sit at the piano together and sing when you’re at home?
We don’t, but we do want to learn some duets together. He has been extremely supportive. I sing while he handles the business side of things and does all the digital promotion.
I saw that you performed at a wedding recently, how was that?
That was a lot of fun. I’ve done a couple of weddings and genuinely love being a part of these special days. I’ll sing during the ceremony and the cocktail hour and then get to hang out for the party. Most of the people who have hired me to sing at their wedding have heard me at Pizza Dina or Casa De Vino.
What kind of music inspires you?
I like songs that tell stories. A few of my favorite artists are Mumford & Sons, the Lumineers, and Brandi Carlisle. When she performed at the Grammy’s, I was like WOW!
What are your goals?
I want to release and perform my own music. I’d like to have a fan base big enough to book gigs and have an audience there. I will be releasing an album of my music soon. It will have five or six of my original songs and will be on Spotify and iTunes.
To learn more and follow Jolie go to:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
by Kim Devlin | Mar 10, 2019 | Wellness
What inspired you to become a personal trainer and fitness instructor?
Since the age of three, I was always in dance and did competitive dance up until I graduated high school. I went onto college and majored in dance where my main focus was ballet, contemporary, and jazz. After college, I became a dance instructor at a studio in Charlotte and also did some performing and commercials. When I had my daughter, I couldn’t do all the travel that performing required, so I became a dance instructor full-time.
Before Barre became huge, the owner of the studio and I developed our own Barre fitness program which eventually landed me in an aerial fitness studio and I fell in love with that too. Eventually, I became a Ballet Director at another studio training competitive dancers but my interest in fitness grew so I continued doing aerial fitness and became TRX, Barre, and Aerial certified. Since then, my aerial workouts evolved into something similar to TRX, it is very much along the lines of barre and yoga but with more cardio.
What brought you to St. Augustine?
Living in Charlotte my whole life, I always wanted to live in Florida. I love the warmer weather and wanted to be near the beach. I had traveled up and down the coast for years and had vacationed in St. Augustine many times so I decided to make it my home. I thought this area was the perfect place to open up a business and my goal was to open up an Aerial Fitness Studio with my friend and business partner. After finding a space in Ponte Vedra that could accommodate the aerial silks, planning the build out, and hiring contractors we realized it would be much more expensive than anticipated. My partner had two studios in Charlotte and having just opened the second studio it would have been too much of a strain. We are still great friends and I think it worked out for the best because as much as I love Aerial Fitness, I now realize that I enjoy a variety of workouts and would rather have a space that I could do it all in.
Where do you teach in St. Augustine?
I’m currently teaching at Anytime Fitness by the Shores. I’ve been there a little over a year now and it’s been great. I do personal training, small group training, and fitness classes…so a little bit of everything.
Do you offer personal training outside of Anytime Fitness?
I do, but the great thing is, I don’t have to. You don’t have to be a member at Anytime Fitness to come to my personal training sessions. I can bring anyone in, I can hang my silks and do aerial fitness, or 1 on 1 TRX training. Anytime Fitness and the location allows me great flexibility depending on what my client wants to do.
What’s your favorite work out to do?
Right now I’m huge into functional or interval training. Working with kettle balls, medicine balls, the kind of explosive training that will get your heart rate up. I’m obsessed with “My Zone” a heart rate monitor that you wear to ensure you are training in your target heart rate zone so you can burn fat. It ties to an app on your phone or at Anytime Fitness it’ll pop up on a screen on the wall. It becomes a game where you score points every time you are in your target zone. You can set a goal for the month, you can connect with other people, it gives you accountability, and the best part is, it’s a huge motivator.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working out?
I have an eleven-year-old daughter so I spend a lot of time with her. Since I was a dance instructor and she’s a dancer, we dance a lot. We also go to Disney twice a month, we have an annual pass and love it. Other than that I am a beach bum, I love walking my dog, a Great Pyrenese, walking the beach, and just being by the ocean.
What are your plans for your business?
I would like to start doing fitness events in the community. We did events like this in Charlotte and they had a huge following. These events are fun and it brings people together and I really think it would take off here because it is a growing city.
Do you think you’ll open up your own studio some day?
I always thought I would like to have my own space but I’m up in the air, I may start working on an online training program that I can offer to a larger audience instead, so stay tuned!
Follow Alicia Moen:
Instagram
Facebook
Email
by Kim Devlin | Nov 27, 2018 | Hot Spots
Have you seen the cool logo with pelicans on the storefront window on San Marco? Well, that’s the new Ice Cream Shop in Uptown St. Augustine and I had the pleasure of meeting Brent Beckett, the man behind that cool logo to talk about his plans for The Scoop to be more than just an ice cream shop but a place for the local community.
Brent Beckett, Owner of The Scoop
What inspired you to open The Scoop?
My past experience was in marketing and I had a branding company for twenty years in Portsmouth NH. I would visit St. Augustine for vacation over the years and felt that Portsmouth was about fifteen years ahead of St. Augustine so I could see the potential here. When I finally made the decision to stop marketing for other businesses, I decided to devote my energies to my own thing. I knew St. Augustine would be the place I’d move to; my family is from out west, so I love the laid-back vibe here. When it came to starting my own business, ice cream was not the first thing that popped in my mind. I chose it because I loved the Uptown area for it’s cool and funky feel and felt an ice cream shop would round out the area well. Once I decided on ice cream, I started to work on the brand…the Pelican.
Why the pelican for your logo and brand?
Our logo is a Pelican because a group of Pelicans is called a Scoop. The logo has the pelican, the apparel has it, and what better brand in St. Augustine then a coastal bird like the Pelican.
What makes The Scoop different from other ice cream shops?
We carry delicious Hershey’s ice cream, we have signature milkshakes, sorbet for the lactose intolerant, and cool apparel, but the plan is for this to be an interactive place for the locals to hang and feel at home. Being in marketing, I worked on all the branding first, decorating the space with graphics in a vintage, beach vibe in the hope of creating an experience when customers come into the shop. I want people moving around the space, taking pictures, having fun, meeting other people, posting to social media, and promoting different hashtags like #lickitlikealocal.
Tell me about the brand and the apparel you carry.
Apparel has always been a sideline business for me, so we created an area for all the hats, t-shirts, and tanks. We’ll constantly be building up the apparel with other ideas too. They make for great souvenirs because people want to remember not only the city they visited but a particular place. All of the apparel will have St. Augustine on them.
What are your goals with the shop?
We want this to be a place for locals. Obviously, we want the tourists but we want the locals to have a place to come and feel at home.
