Meet Allie Banks: Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allie Banks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allie, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
“Be the change you wish to see in the world” (Ghandi) is a quote that has been a motivation behind a lot of decisions in my life. For me it means, be a solution finder, a problem solver. See a need, fill a need. If there’s something you don’t like–something you want to change–then do it. If you’re not going to be that change you wish to see, then stop complaining. So for me, that quote roughly translates to “be the change or stop complaining.” I think that too often we think that we aren’t powerful, we can’t do anything about the problems we’d like to see fixed. So instead of doing something about it we just sort of sit back and watch it happen. This quote gives me the motivation to be the changes I wish to see. 

What should our readers know about your business?
When I was 17 I received a college scholarship through the Marine Corps. They would pay for my education in exchange for military service. I was in ROTC at Tulane University until my junior year–right before I was supposed to go to Officer Candidate School (OCS), which is a 6 week school that you have to pass in order to become an officer in the USMC. I was on track to commission and start flight school upon graduation, when I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. This diagnosis medically disqualified me from any military service. My scholarship was revoked and I was left with absolutely zero plans for my future. It took me quite a long time to pick myself up after this. I felt defeated, hopeless, and devastated. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. The gym was the only place I felt any sort of relief from the disaster that my life had seemingly become. I helped a lot of underclassmen in ROTC get in shape, and it occurred to me that maybe I could do that for a living, at least until I figured out a new career path. I got my PT certification a few months later and the rest is history. I fell in love with it, with helping people, connecting with people, motivating people, every aspect of the job. I started Be The Change 360–an online personal training/nutrition coaching business–in March 2020, right when the pandemic hit. I was previously working at a gym as a trainer, and when they had to shut down I had no source of income. I figured I would try my luck online and see if anyone wanted some help coming up with at-home workouts and creative meal plans. It ended up being a hit, and so I decided to make it a full-time, legitimate business! I planned to open my own practice eventually, but I always thought I would do that “when I grew up.” The pandemic gave me the push to be the changes I wanted to see in my life. What sets me apart from other training/nutrition platforms is that I don’t have any interest in maintaining that knowledge barrier between me and my clients. I try to give every client all the information they could possibly need to be able to develop healthy habits for the rest of their lives. My one and only goal is to equip anyone who is ready to be their change with all the knowledge and assistance they need to do it. I think the most important part of my business is that people don’t come to me to be coddled. They come to me because they know that I’m going to squash their excuses and push them to become the change they said they wanted to be. I’m excited to see BTC360 grow into more than just training and nutrition. I hope to open an addiction rehabilitation center, a physical therapy clinic, a community outreach program, and so much more–all of it centered around being the changes we wish to see in the world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
You would need more than a week in New Orleans, there’s WAY too much to do! I would take my best friend down to the French Quarter; we would walk down Royal St and look at all the beautiful art galleries, then head down Canal St and listen to the street performers rock out on their saxophones and trumpets–maybe even find ourselves two-stepping in a second line parade! Later we would head down Bourbon St to hit all the crazy clubs and watch the live band at Famous Door. Then, while very hungover and sleep deprived, we would head Uptown to the Garden District and take a streetcar ride down Saint Charles Ave to look at all the beautiful mansions and big oak trees. We would stop at Tartine for breakfast, a little french café near the Tulane University, and later sit down at Jasmine Café, the BEST Vietnamese food you’ve ever tasted! I would take her skateboarding through Audubon Park and up to The Fly, which is a giant grass area that sits right alongside the Mississippi River. We’d eat our takeout from Panchita’s,–the little Mexican food place on Carrolton Ave–drink daiquiris from the drive-through daiquiri store (yeah, you heard that right), listen to music, and watch the sun set over the river.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom is the single most influential character in my story. She doesn’t take “no” for an answer, she believes that she can accomplish ANYTHING, and has always made sure that I believed I could as well. She is my cheerleader and my inspiration to be the best Allie I can be. When I was younger it always annoyed me when she would say “be a solution finder, not a problem finder,” but now that mentality has made me a more successful and hardworking individual. I couldn’t have picked myself up after my diagnosis, and everything that followed, without her help. She is a writer and it currently working every single day to make her dream of becoming a published author a reality, all while being an amazing mother to me and my brothers, and an incredible wife to my dad.

Website: www.btc360fit.com
Instagram: @btc_fit
Linkedin: Ali Banks
Twitter: @btc_fit
Facebook: Ali Banks
Youtube: BTC fit (Ali Banks)
Other: TikTok: @btcfit

Image Credits
Kelsey Sovine @ Sovine Portraits