Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Lee.
Hi Samantha, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
My weight loss journey started in high school. Growing up, I’ve always struggled with my body image and my confidence for as long as I can remember. You could say the scale was my best friend and my deepest insecurities. Since I didn’t play any sports in high school, the way I stayed active was by bugging my mom to buy me Beach Body Insanity when I saw it on TV because I had a New Year resolution goal to lose a ton of weight that year after all the body comments I’ve gotten throughout my life. It was also the year that I tried a ton of diets and restricted myself from eating my cultural foods because everything on social media mentioned that the only way to eat healthy was the Western diet. The diets I’ve done are keto, intermittent fasting, whole 30, military diet, juice cleanses, fat burner pills, tracking calories, and macros; you name it!
After taking all the shortcuts to reach my dream body of having 4-pack abs, losing a ton of weight (to the point where it wasn’t healthy), and fitting into double 00 jeans, I realized I didn’t feel good. I felt worse about myself and found myself trapped in the cycle of fixing my body to feel more confident, but it was never good enough. I knew I needed to do things differently when I realized how much my relationship with food was suffering. I was scared of eating carbs, and I stayed away from my cultural Hmong food for a long time because I thought it was “bad,” even though it was part of my identity.
When I finally got the courage to go on a 3-year journey to heal my relationship with food, exercise, and body image through strength training, I experienced food as fuel for the first time instead of seeing it as calories in/out. It was the first time I didn’t focus on how my body looked but how strong it was! I quickly learned that diets are racist because it doesn’t work for women of color from different backgrounds/cultures. After all, it was certainly OK to have rice and egg rolls even though it wasn’t on the standard food pyramid I was taught growing up. Food inclusivity matters a lot, and realizing that my cultural food was never the problem to begin with, gave me the passion for starting a mission that allows women of color to eat their cultural foods in their weight loss journey so they can create a sustainable lifestyle.
Today, I’ve accrued over 1000+ coaching hours, guiding numerous clients to transform their relationship with food rooted in their culture, boost confidence, reduce stress, and enhance their overall well-being by improving blood work during their annual physical exams. I am also certified as a NASM Personal Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist, and Precision Nutrition Coach.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey hasn’t been a smooth road, but it’s been a transformative one. It’s taught me the true meaning of self-love, a concept that goes beyond physical appearance. Self-love is about embracing every version of yourself, even the one you’re eager to change. My weight loss journey has been a testament to this self-love, a journey I continue to cherish and appreciate.
I appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Superlysam Coaching?
SUPERLYSAM COACHING is the brainchild of Samantha Lee, a Hmong-American, and the eldest daughter of refugee/immigrant parents. She’s a seasoned speaker and the host of the popular Your Winning Journey Podcast, which has garnered over 10,000+ downloads from Saint Paul, MN. Samantha’s extensive community presence is evident from her 40,000+ strong social media following on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Before dedicating herself to full-time weight loss coaching in 2021, Samantha honed her skills in the information technology industry, holding a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Management of Information Systems and a minor in Marketing. Her passion for empowering women of color led her to transition from breaking down technical complex processes to simplifying exercise and nutrition for them.
As a weight loss coach, Samantha’s focus is on helping women of color (WOC) shed pounds while liberating themselves from the confines of racist diet culture norms. Her approach is deeply rooted in her own 10-year health journey, during which she felt the pressure to conform to Westernized standards of healthy eating, often at the expense of her cultural identity. This personal struggle inspired her to advocate for the recognition of cultural differences in the health industry, empowering WOC to reclaim control over their bodies and encouraging them to embrace foods from their cultural backgrounds without shame.
Samantha has been featured in local and virtual events, including the Immigrants Entrepreneur Summit annual conference, Wealth Para Todos Academy, Minnesota Hmong Chamber of Commerce, and The BIPOC Business Expo. Her impactful presence has helped hundreds of women lose weight and keep it off while improving their health through stress and food management. She’s also been a guest on impactful podcasts that support women of color, such ‘As the First Gen Coach Podcast,’ ‘Money Noticias Podcast,’ ‘Manifest Your Career Podcast,’ and ‘Unicorn Millionaire Podcast.’
To work with Samantha Lee, you can join 6 months of 1:1 coaching to help you lose 20+ pounds and keep it off or attend a group strength fitness class in the Minneapolis, MN area. You can find more information by visiting this link here: https://superlysam.com/links
Contact Info:
- Website: www.superlysam.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/superlysam
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/superlysam
- Other: https://superlysam.com/links
Image Credits
All Other Photos: https://www.mariacamilaphoto.me/ Group Fitness Photos: https://jozthaophotography.mypixieset.com/
