The street-art dipped streets of the City of Angels beckon to many people aspiring to live the life of a content creator; abundant with promising health cafes and green juices, brand deals and high-end window shopping, it's slowly been New York's competitor for the title "the city of hopefuls."
At seventeen, now established social media fitness guru Sami Clarke was another one of those hopefuls, leaving her home and coming to the city to pursue a career in modeling. After growing up in a household that centralized on eating healthily and taking care of herself, Clarke made a conscious decision to continue those habits in Los Angeles, which propelled her career in the fitness space and established her place as a content creator.
Sami moved out to Los Angeles with her brother, but the space still felt overwhelming because she didn't know many other people. Fitness classes became a way to socialize, and that's why the fitness space became a big part of her life. As of today, Sami's combined following has grown to over 800k on Instagram and YouTube, channels which primarily consist of "what I eat in a day" and workout videos.
"I did go straight into my workouts, it was something that was super organic for me," she said of starting a workout regimen in Los Angeles. Clarke credits trying out a multitude of different workout classes in the Los Angeles area-- like power Pilates, Corepower yoga, and Rumble boxing-- for creating a foundation and motivating her to continue her well-being habits in Los Angeles. "I think the interesting thing was the food. It took me a minute to figure out what it looked like for me to cook instead of my mom."
Her work naturally followed what her interests were, and because of her love of fitness early on and a history of healthy habits, her content followed suit.
"When I started doing my workouts and seeing that people liked that content, I started leaning into the fitness space and giving them an idea of what my 'balanced' lifestyle looks like." Sami's career as an established "fitness influencer" refutes the modern stereotype of "health" being limiting or restrictive, and instead promotes a sense of self-empowerment that's important in her industry.
For people going into content creation and fitness, she encourages newcomers to be conscious of realistic goals and to write out their goals and content before trying to change their whole lifestyle or start a new business venture.
To Sami, "health" is taking care of herself in both a physical and a mental way. Meditation, getting sunshine, and eating nutritious foods that fuel her body are all important aspects of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She wants to promote forming the best version of yourself for her audience, but still aims to maintain a sense of authenticity and remind her followers that they are still human.
"Mentally, we're going to go through things. But, if you understand that you're not alone, and if you listen to your own intuition, it'll help you lead a more purposeful life."
A day in her life mimics these morals; with an extensive morning routine that includes getting a workout in, eating a healthy breakfast, and spending time with her new pup offsets the stress of life as an influencer. She loves a good 30-minute full-body HIIT workout to get high intensity work in a short amount of time, creating a routine that allows for sculpting and toning without extensive rest periods to help her get more done quicker.
Sami credits the way that working out and staying healthy makes her feel as her main motivating factor for continuing her workout journey.
"When you feel this good while you're on this journey, it's hard to go back," she says.
Quick Questions with Sami Clarke
1. Favorite Restaurant/Cafe?
Little Lunch in Venice Beach.
2. The best place you've ever traveled to?
Hawaii!
3. Somewhere you really want to travel to?
Greece! Literally just somewhere in Greece.
4. If you could see anyone, dead or alive, in concert for free, who would it be?
Celine Dion.
5. Favorite workout clothing brand?
Set Active, L*Space, and Balance Athletica.
6. What would you be doing if you didn't do social media/fitness?
I'd be living on a farm in Hawaii!
7. Staple closet piece?
Either a basic Brandy Melville tank top or a blazer.
8. What's your happiest childhood memory?
Anything with my family. I'm one of five, so everything I did with them growing up.
9. What's one brand you would love to collaborate with?
Nike or Sports Illustrated.
10. Favorite color?
Green, because nature brings me the most peace right now. But it changes!
Keep up With Sami
You can find Sami on Instagram @samiclarke, on TikTok @sami_clarke. To join her wellness community, visit joinform.co! Find all of her workouts on her Youtube channel as well.
