This week team YCB had the pleasure of catching up with Amelie Khellaf; personal trainer, qualified nutritionist, founder of AMK Training and total girl boss. This is a lady with a colourful, diverse and inspiring background. Amelie grew up in one of our favourite cities of all, Paris, where she studied for a law degree before eventually heading to pursue her dream of living in New York (us, jealous…much?).
Here, Amelie gained a role in PR for a lingerie brand, before deciding to bite the bullet and focus on freelance PR work representing a number of beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands. Fast forward and Amelie had decided to head back to Paris, and then eventually wound up in London working for Exposure. A few years on and Amelie had been head hunted by Twentieth Century Fox to work in the partnerships department.
It’s fair to say, this is an impressive career with many fantastic accomplishments! However being the ambitious soul Amelie is, she decided to re-train as a nutritionist and personal trainer whilst maintaining her role at Twentieth Century Fox. Two years ago, Amelie once again followed her dreams and launched AMK training.
AMK doesn’t do trend or fad training, instead, it focusses on the individual and steps away from the ‘one size fits all’ school of thinking *sighs a breath of relief*. Amelie develops both training and eating programmes for her clients, helping them to achieve and more importantly, maintain, their goals.
“I help my clients achieve long lasting results by teaching them what works best for their lifestyle, nature, body and brain.”
We couldn’t wait to catch up with this super-talented business woman and nutrition guru! First up, a few quick-fire questions…
Tea or Coffee? Coffee!
Describe your job in one sentence… I help people gain control of their nutrition and fitness
Where did you go to University? Pantheon-ASSAS, Paris Law School
Favourite part of your job? Meeting such interesting people and being part of their transformation
And the least? The driving. A killer
….oh yes, we can certainly vouch for the stress of London driving! We love everything you stand for, and your genuine enthusiasm for what you do, so what are the benefits of working with AMK as opposed to other trainers?
“Learning how to make the best of your workout supported by a realistic, attainable nutrition overhaul. I help my clients achieve long lasting results by teaching them what works best for their lifestyle, nature, body and brain.” responds Amelie and it’s clear to see that nutrition is at the heart of AMK which really sets it aside from other more workout-only focussed trainers.
“For example, if a spin class is too much to face, don’t give up altogether, simply readjust your goals and choose an activity that is better suited to your mood that day”
We don’t know about you, but sometimes after a busy day in the city we just want to get home and collapse onto the couch with a boxset. So how can we up our motivation levels?
“Understanding and determining your State of Willingness. This is what you are prepared to give in a session. It will ensure that you workout no matter what. It’s important to be flexible about what you want to get out of your training. For example, if a spin class is too much to face, don’t give up altogether, simply readjust your goals and choose an activity that is better suited to your mood that day”.
Excellent advice and so true, next time we’re looking at that spin bike with pure dread we’ll book in for a yoga session instead! After-all there’s no fun in forcing yourself into a lifestyle you’re never going to maintain.
Now, moving back to the career side of things, we’re keen to find out more! What would you say your biggest career accomplishments are?
“Having a positive impact on my clients’ lives and helping them make the right changes to achieve their objectives” states Amelie, and what about the lessons learned? What have you learnt the most since creating your own business? “Patience, dedication, hard work and creativity are the only way to success” we couldn’t agree MORE!
Okay so we’re dying to hear some wise words, do you have any wisdom or advice for budding entrepreneurs out there?
“Think it through, enrol the help of your friends with the relevant skill sets, stay focussed; cover the basics. It takes months of fine tuning the details”.
So what does 2017 have in store for Amelie Khellaf and AMK training, can you let us in on any upcoming projects?
“A book, fitness retreats and plenty of exciting collaborations” eek we can’t wait to see what Amelie gets up to this year, one thing for sure is we know to expect BIG things!
See, we told you she was awesome didn’t we? Thanks Amelie, it was great talking to you! For any of our lovely YCB readers who want to get in touch with Amelie and AMK Training you can book an initial consultation by visiting the website here: http://ameliekhellaf.com/
