Alessia Murer, Brand & Creative Lead | Health, Wellness, Fitness & People.
I was lucky enough to catch Alessia for a few quick questions in between her busy appointment schedule and I found myself absolutely intrigued by the insights into how her career in branding and movement came to be.
Check out this true unicorn below…
Why did you choose the fitness industry? (or did it choose you?)
Growing up, I loved swimming & long-distance running, and dabbled in many sports (including taekwondo and kick-boxing). But, nothing really stuck with me as ‘my thing’.
And after school, I didn’t do anything again until 2011! Knowing myself now, I don’t know how I was able to have no fitness outlet for so long!
Fast-forward to years later, I decided to try pole dancing in 2011 with a girlfriend who encouraged me to try it. And here we are, 12 years later. I was a student for 3 years, and then became an instructor in 2014 and have been teaching ever since. It opened the door to becoming completely obsessed with all styles of dance, movement, fluidity, artistry, and expression. It’s also my number one outlet. When I feel happy, I dance. When I feel sad, I dance. When I feel uncertain, I dance.
Along with that, an opportunity fell into my hands to start working with Fitness Playground in 2018 (recently re-branded as One Playground). Starting as Marketing Manager, then Brand Manager, then Head of Creative, I found a dream role where I was paid to create cool sh*t and could be myself.
Gym renovations, overnight shoots, crafting wacky scripts, being on telly nationwide at 7am in lycra, rebranding the company, forcing trainers to do TikTok’s, the infamous FP christmas parties, the list goes on.
It brought together my two worlds: Fitness & Creative. So, I guess in a way, the fitness industry found me, but I’ve kept it with me ever since.
Have you ever struggled with inclusion and belonging in your career?
Since being in the fitness industry, never. It’s inclusive, progressive, exciting, and filled with passion. It commemorates the wins, and acknowledges the fails. It makes a difference working with people who prioritise their health. By looking after yourself first, you’re in the right mindset to produce some epic sh*t.
’Surround yourself with relentless humans. People who plan in decades, but live in moments. Train like savages, but create like artists. Obsess in work, relax in life. People who know this is finite, and choose to play infinite games. Find people going up mountains. Climb together.’ – Zach Pogrob
What challenges have you had to overcome to pursue your dream career?
Before venturing into fitness, I was still discovering where I wanted to be, and exactly what I wanted to do. I always disliked saying I worked in ‘Marketing’, because that term encompasses many different things (digital marketing, social media management, campaign development, branding, the list goes on). I didn’t want to do everything under that ‘Marketing’ umbrella, and only be 10% good at each thing.
For me, it was a journey of finding out what I loved doing, which led to leading Brand & Creative. This can be defined in many ways, but essentially means: Creating content that is cool and memorable, through any visual touch point that someone experiences (a video, a photo, a website).
It’s about being a storyteller. People can ‘feel’ the energy you put into your work, and since finding my thing, it feels easy and natural.
How do you manage your Work/Life balance?
This took awhile for me to work out. But my biggest thing to date, is ’time-blocking’.
My google calendar is my saving grace. Every week, all my work is time-blocked. As well as my personal time. I normally get up at 6am. Some mornings, I’ll do a beach swim. Some mornings, I’ll train. Some other mornings, I’m excited to work on a project so will fuel up on a coffee and get stuck in.
If I can, I’ll aim to finish at 4 or 5pm, and then do another leisurely activity. Maybe teach classes, or go to a class of something I’ve not tried before. Sometimes I work on a Saturday, but I don’t mind, because I’m doing what I love. Sunday’s however, are strictly offline.
My clients know I work like this, and by instating these time blocks, it enables me to be in the zone, get work done to a high standard, meet my deadlines, helps with communication and most importantly, helps set boundaries.
Who’s been your biggest mentor to date?
I’ve adopted many ‘sensei’s’ through-out the years. Some of these are my family, my closest friends, some are former bosses, some are seniors from the same industry, or a different industry, some are clients, and some are others in the fitness industry who are doing what they love everyday. It’s about the ‘circle’ you surround yourself with.
So, I don’t have one person, instead, there are many people for many things. Examples: A friend who helps me with transformative conversations and re-aligning my values. A former boss who helped me to find what I was great at and pushed me to get there. My colleague and friend who coached me to becoming a stable freelancer. My dad who gets me pumped up. Haha.
I really can’t pick one!
Alessia says there are two things she loves doing, and does well:
1. Create content that is memorable, impactful & cool as sh*t
2. Lead brand strategy to help create and evolve both company & personal brands
If you would like to find out more, or get in touch with Alessia you can reach her via her website here.
