DDT: Could you give us a little background info on who Yami Mufdi is?
Yami: Of course! I am a certified personal trainer, online coach, youtuber, & model! I’m Dominican/Arabic and recently just moved to New Hampshire from NYC! I am a lover of food, laughing til I cry, and cuddling with my 3.5lb yorkie, Bleecker.
I am also a huge advocate in helping girls find balance when it comes to having a healthy relationship with foods & the gym. Having gone through a tough time myself, I want to be that person that girls can look up to when they feel like no one understands them because I do.
DDT: What got you inspired and into the fitness-health industry?
Yami: I was always super active growing up. I was a dancer spending countless hours training and performing. But if we’re being honest here, the fashion industry is what inspired me to get into the fitness & health industry. You see, I moved to NYC about 6 years ago to pursue a career in modeling. To make a super long story short, every agency I visited with hopes of being signed to told me that I was either too fat, my butt was too big, or my favorite, “I will never make my dreams come true because of the way my body is built.” It seemed like everywhere I went, my body was THE PROBLEM. fake rolex yacht master
So what did I do? I tried to fix it and tried EVERY diet in the book. The ‘no carb’, ‘atkins’, ‘all protein’, ‘no protein’,’raw diet’, you name it, I tried it. It really sucks to even say this but I even got to the point where I was barely eating during the week in hopes of getting my body to reach a certain point and then on the weekends, I would binge like it was my last day of eating anything. THAT got ugly really fast. I would also workout 24/7. I refer to my old self as a cardio bunny. I would wake up at 4:30am, get to the gym by 5am, jump on the elliptical for 2 hours then do abs. Repeat that again at 8pm (probably with a hot yoga class thrown in here and there) and continue the vicious cycle the next day.
Getting skinny became my obsession. It was all I ever thought and spoke about. As hard as I tried, my body never got to the sizes those agencies wanted. Fast forward to about 3 years in NYC, I started experimenting with weights (GASP!) in the gyms. At first, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing but I had a good friend showing me the ropes. Ever since then, weight training has been one of my saving graces. (Along with Flexible Dieting) Today, I am happy with my body and proud of all of my accomplishments and hard work it took to get me where I am now.
The satisfaction I get from helping people is one that I cannot put into words. I don’t know where this journey will take me but I hope that in the process of finding out, I am able to inspire and help as many as I can. I am still pursuing modeling but I refuse to starve myself to get signed and make it into a magazine. That is not the message I want to be putting out in this world. Yes, I want to model. But first and foremost, I want to be a role model.
DDT: You offer coaching, can you tell us what your best attributes are and why?
Yami: My best attributes, I think, is that I have the life experience. Most of my clients have gone through tough times and I think when you hire a coach, you’re also gaining a friend. Someone that will listen and not shoulder you off when you need to talk. I am available 24/7 to my clients and will always give them the attention they deserve.
DDT: You are very active with your YouTube channel, can you tell us what your vision is
with this going forward?
Yami: Sure! I started this channel because I couldn’t find someone (or an agency) to believe in me in NYC. I didn’t have any doors opening for me so I decided to do it myself! My vision going forward is the same as it was when I started 8 months ago- I want to continue to help & inspire others. I want someone to look at me and say, “Damn. She did it. They said she wouldn’t but she proved them all wrong.” I want them to take that and be fueled by it so that they, too, can make their dreams a reality.
DDT: What are some good strategies to grow a YouTube channel?
Yami: I wish I had a better answer for this because I’m still trying to figure it out myself and I’m still considered a newb in the YouTube world! Haha! Honestly, what’s worked for me, I believe, is cultivating relationships with your viewers. Respond to their comments. Answer their questions- even if they’re repetitive! They are the ones watching your channel so create a friendship with them. You wouldn’t be where you are without your viewers so it’s the least you can do!
DDT: Can you tell us what your daily rituals and habits look like?
Yami: Well, sure! I wake up and you may laugh at me but the very first thing I do is I pray and thank God for another day that I am alive and well. From there, I usually lay in bed while I fully wake up while Taz, my boyfriend, makes us coffee. (I know, I’m lucky!) I finally wake up and we enjoy our morning making breakfast together! From there, it’s work time!! We work on upcoming projects & client check INS until gym time- go workout and its back to the office for more work! We’ll continue to work until it’s time to eat and then repeat the same thing the next day! 🙂
DDT: At times life throws challenges at you to test your mental toughness and heart as a person. What has been your biggest challenge in life and how did you overcome it?
Yami: My biggest challenge in my life has got to be when I was in NYC trying to make it as a model. You see, I was always self-conscious growing up. In middle school, I was the chubby one. In high school, I was the girl that wouldn’t wear a bathing suit for fear of being made fun of. And in college, I was the girl that didn’t make it into the dance team because “my butt was too big.” I’ve always had people ridicule my body and that went on full force as I tried to find a modeling agency in the big apple. I developed a very unhealthy relationship with food & the gym.
Eating less and less by the day (while binging on the weekends) but working out more and more in hopes to lose weight and fit in the agency’s standards. I never did fit those standards and now I could really care less. I’m not so sure what made the switch in my head but I believe it was due to consciously deciding to love my body the way it is. And while I do watch what I eat and maintain an active lifestyle, it’s no longer because I hate my body but rather because I love it and want to give it the care that it deserves.
DDT: What are your future plans and other areas of interest?
Yami: My plans are to continue building my brand while continuing learning. Specifically my YouTube channel. If I had to pick, I’d say that YouTube has quickly become my favorite social media outlet. It’s where I can connect on a more personal level with the subbies and give them what they want. Because ultimately, it’s about the viewers. Not me. I’m not sure if I mentioned this but I am Everlast’s official vlogger! (Yes, the boxing company!) They are such a great company to work with and hopefully, I am going to continue to grow with them in the coming months!
Also, I just started prep for my very FIRST Bikini Competition. I am so very excited to finally push my fears aside and do something that I’ve been wanting to do for a long, long time! I’m documenting my journey every step of the way so make sure you’re subscribed to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss a beat!
DDT: If your brand was gone, YouTube channel was erased, your followers left, and all your content was deleted… you have a piece of paper in front of you and it was the final moment and you had to write 3 truth’s you knew were to be true and this was your final message to the world, what would those 3 truths be??
Yami:
- Don’t worry about your weight. It doesn’t matter.
- Find a group of true friends & cherish them. You’ll need them more than you know.
- Above all, keep your faith.
Fun Time!
DDT: What is your favorite lift and why?
Yami: Deadlift. 100%. Not because it’s my strongest, but because it makes me feel like a complete badass.
DDT: Where is your one travel destination that you would want to go to?
Yami: I love Greece but I’ve already been there. I would love to go again though! But if I’m picking a new destination, I’d have to say The Maldives or Australia.
DDT: Your favorite book?
Yami: I absolutely LOVE Marianne Williamson’s ‘Return To Love’- I find myself rereading it all the time! I should probably get a new copy because it’s falling apart!
DDT: What does Yami like to do for fun? Please don’t hold back on us 😉
Yami: Honestly, I LOVE baking! It puts me at ease and if I can actually eat it, all the better! Haha! I also enjoy dancing. I grew up dancing so that is my true passion. If I am able to, I love to go into an empty dance studio, dim down the lights, and just dance.
DDT: We wanted to take a moment and acknowledge you for all the awesome work you do in this industry and you are a true inspiration. Where can our readers and supporters follow you and your work?
Yami: Thank you! I really appreciate that! You can follow me here:
Website: www.YamiMufdi.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/YamiMufdi
Instagram: @YamiMufdi
Twitter: @YamiMufdi
Facebook: www.facebook.com/YamiMufdi13
SnapChat: YamiMufdi
Periscope: YamiMufdi
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