Meet Althea Lawton-Thompson of Aerobics, Yoga, & More in Gwinnett County

1. Meet Althea Lawton-Thompson of Aerobics, Yoga, & More in Gwinnett County Today we’d like to introduce you to Althea Lawton- Thompson. Aerobics, Yoga & More started in Baltimore, Maryland and was originally named Lifelines Fitness Consulting. Althea Lawton-Thompson, a faculty member for the American Council on Exercise (ACE), a continuing education provider for the American Fitness and Aerobics Association (AFAA) and a 200-hr. registered Yoga Teacher (RYT), founded the company in 1998 to take exercise classes and health workshops to companies and medical centers throughout Maryland and Washington DC. In 2001, Althea produced and released the first of six exercise videos in the Altheatized™ series and began presenting internationally on the fitness convention circuit. She was highlighted in magazines including best body, essence, parenting, upscale and oxygen. With a strong background in prenatal and youth wellness, Althea created programs for Sinai Hospital’s obstetric department and Johns Hopkins pediatric clinic in Baltimore. In 2003, the Altheatized television show appeared as a daily morning program and Althea became the weekend fitness expert on WBAL’s Channel 11 News in Baltimore, in addition to hosting a weekly NPR radio spot.

2. In search of a more family-friendly environment, Althea decided to relocate her growing family and business to Atlanta in 2005 and officially changed the name of the company to Aerobics, Yoga & More. In 2008, AYM business associate, Yvonne Carroll also relocated from Maryland to Atlanta and together, Althea & Yvonne opened a 3-studio fitness facility in Stone Mountain, Georgia. One visit and you understood the AYM tag line, bringing a touch of the city to the suburbs. Natural bamboo floors, dimmable low-voltage track lighting, high loft ceilings, hand-crafted silk curtains and hangings and colors of the sunset and earth on the walls made up the organic feel of the AYM Studio. The studio and Althea were highlighted in several Atlanta and national magazines, including the May 2009 cover of Gwinnett’s Our Town Magazine. Atlanta’s Best Self Magazine listed her as “One of the best yoga instructors in Atlanta” in 2012. Sadly, that same year, Althea’s business partner, Yvonne, lost a 2- year battle with leukemia and that December, Althea decided to close the AYM doors. Today, the energy, fun and fitness partnerships Althea and Yvonne created live on through the AYM Corporate Wellness program, annual AYM fitness retreats, instructor trainings and workshops. AYM boasts a list of more than 20 certified, insured and trained Yoga, Pilates and fitness instructors. Additionally, the company has degreed and licensed nutritionists, doctors and nurses available for health

3. education workshops and cooking demonstrations. The company’s corporate client list includes Heidelberg USA, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, Gwinnett County Public Schools and the DeKalb County Board of Health. Annual sold-out yoga and adventure retreats are held in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, South Africa, the Georgia mountains, the Grand Canyon and throughout the Caribbean. Has it been a smooth road? Ha! There have been many challenges along the way. I am thankful for each and every one that enhanced my character, built my strength, taught me life lessons and makes me value “Living Life Limitlessly™” every single day. I lost all of my savings on a botched first attempt at making my fitness video in 1998 and had to save for a year to try again. The 2nd attempt was filmed 3 days after the 9-11 terrorist attacks in DC, NY and Pennsylvania where we lived and worked. It was a stressful time for many reasons. Two years after opening our studio (during one of the worst recessions of our time), my friend and studio manager was diagnosed with leukemia and spent 3 months in the hospital. I took over her shift at the studio, taught both of our classes, managed both of our households, taxied my children to their various events (husband worked out of town) and spent as many evenings at the hospital with Yvonne as I could. I lost a

4. lot of weight, but I kept smiling. The smiles faded when Yvonne passed away March 2012 and the joy of running our studio faded, too. Yvonne was my sister and the studio was one of my children. I lost them both in less than a year. I published my 2nd book, Twenty – The Twenty Most Important Lessons Learned in Twenty Years of Entrepreneurship, after going through some of the toughest times in my life and coming out smiling on the other end. So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Aerobics, Yoga & More (a.k.a. AYM Fitness) story. Tell us more about the business. Through AYM’s corporate wellness program, our certified, insured and trained Yoga, Pilates and Fitness Instructors provide exercise classes and fitness testing onsite for corporations, schools, medical facilities and religious institutions. The company’s degreed and licensed nutritionists, doctors and nurses provide health education workshops, medical screenings and cooking demonstrations. Each year since 2010, Althea hosts multiple Yoga, wellness and adventure retreats to unique and exotic locations. Retreats have been held in Cape Town, South Africa; the Bahamas; the Puertorican rainforest; Las Vegas’s Canyon Ranch and the Grand Canyon; and the north Georgia Mountains. For 2018, AYM and Althea are hosting two retreats to Costa Rica (1 Yoga Healing and 1 Yoga adventure)

5. and the 8th annual Georgia Mountain Yoga Retreat. Cabins are already selling for the 2019 Living Life Limitlessly cruise to Turks & Caicos and the Dominican Republic. AYM is more than a Gwinnett County fitness company. AYM services more than the Atlanta Metro area. AYM is an international wellness company that is recognized for going beyond exercise and nutrition. Althea has legally trademarked the term “Living Life Limitlessly™” and made it a lifestyle that includes mental, emotional, spiritual and physical wellness for people of all ages from various ethnicities, religions, backgrounds and cultures. How do you think the industry will change over the next decade? Technology is definitely our friend. For twenty years, AYM instructors and educators have traveled to be onsite to teach and train. This year, AYM is launching Living Life Limitlessly™ University as a part of the online training program for AYM Fitness. There will be webinars and video learning in four “majors” or categories: *Philosophy & Spirituality *Mind-Body Health & Wellness *Travel & Lifestyle *Business & Entrepreneurship

6. By adopting more of an online presence, Althea –AYM’s visionary – will be able to spend more time as a digital nomad exploring different countries to host more retreats.