Tammy Stokes : An entrepreneurial goddess of wellness and grace

Like a benevolent drill sergeant she firmly calls out tough love instructions: “Come on girls, keep your energy up.  Get those legs up!”

A group of ladies is pushing through one of Tammy Stokes’ high-powered warm-up routines at West Coast Workout, a fitness and wellness studio she founded in Atlanta, Georgia. 

“Girls rock. We’re strong. Come on, you’ve got to breathe,” Tammy says.  One of her students grunts her thanks to Tammy’s reminder; then she sucks in a big breath and moves through the sequence once more.

Jumping jack. Jumping jack. Squat. Squat. Plié.  Plié.  Repeat.

For the fourth time since her day began a few hours before, Tammy is exercising with perfect form; demonstrating for her clients how to get the most out of each movement and shape their bodies into sexy shrines of wellness.

“I’m on a mission to make sure I touch as many people as possible.  People who are open to the fact that they can live a healthier, happier life through better nutrition, exercise and a real positive mindset,” says Tammy who is opening a second West Coast Workout location in Atlanta in the first quarter of 2011—then three new franchise locations in California, New York and Miami before year’s end.

Though launched in the South, her business name pays homage to the West of the U.S., where Tammy says she was inspired and influenced to live her “healthiest life” and become an entrepreneur so that she could pass the same philosophy, ideals and lifestyle on to others.

In addition to expanding her business with new locations, she is also planning to reach more people nationally with the release of her first book, Live Your Healthiest Life, published in December 2010.  “It’s not about supplements or going out and buying a bunch of stuff or feeling like you have to do such hard work to live the lifestyle. It’s about getting back to basics and getting beyond all the marketing you are swarmed with,” Tammy says.

“It’s more about coming back to a centered place. Healthy food doesn’t have to be boring. It’s about adapting our taste buds back to what food really is.”  She says her book includes two full workouts and more than 65 healthy eating recipes.

“I teach people that the healthier you get, the healthier you want to be,” Tammy says. “You can start with healthy breakfast. You never really realize how bad you felt, until you start feeling good. You make small steps of progression every year.”

Tammy’s approach to wellness is also the way she has grown her business: Mindfully, with passion, simplicity and one day at a time.