During the last 30+ years, we’ve certified over 130,000 health, nutrition, and fitness professionals. Each month, we recognize one of our distinguished graduates who are using what they have learned to inspire others and make a difference.
Meet our featured graduate for the month of December, Kiana Williams, a AFPA Certified Prenatal and Postpartum Fitness Specialist.
How did you initially become interested in health and fitness?
Health and fitness are something I’ve been interested in for as long as I can remember. If I had to pinpoint when I initially became interested, I’d say it began as early as middle school. Growing up, I always enjoyed physical education class, learning both the physical and technical benefits of taking care of your body. I found myself always wanting to remain active at a young age, which has followed me up until this point in my life.
What certification did you choose, and why did you choose AFPA?
I chose to complete the Prenatal and Postpartum Fitness Specialist. I chose AFPA because they truly recognize graduates, which was important to me. Many of the graduates are making great impacts in others’ lives, which is certainly worth sharing!
What was your career like prior to becoming certified?
Prior to becoming certified, I worked in the healthcare field as well as a part-time job working with children. I studied Public Health at the University of South Florida and right after graduation began my summer job at the Boys and Girls Club, followed by an Administrative Assistant role at my community health center.
What is your career like now?
Things are so much more different now! I am also a registered yoga instructor, so I teach yoga classes 4-5x a week. When I am not teaching, I am growing my online business, which consists of creating online personalized workout programs for soon-to-be/new mamas.
What are your favorite parts of your career?
My favorite parts of my career are that I get to connect with other mothers, share my knowledge with others, and that I get to create my own schedule.
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How has becoming certified with AFPA impacted your life?
Becoming certified with AFPA has impacted my life in so many ways. The first being that I am able to make my certification my full-time career. Many of my clients admire how knowledgeable I am in my field, which I give credit to AFPA. The course was the best combination of educational and enjoyable content.
Do you have any client success stories you would like to share?
Absolutely! So, I have a client who I’d been working with for quite some time, and her goal was to lose weight. She had a health condition, which made losing weight much more of a challenge. Regardless, she never missed one workout, always trusted me in guiding her, and overall is just such a genuine person. Unfortunately, despite all of this, she had been unable to see her weight drop. We both knew that the number on the scale is not the determining factor as to progress being made, however, it was still something we had wanted to work toward. Finally, during one of our check-ins, we sat down together and re-evaluated how we could make changes in her life that could help her see the results she wanted. Since that check-in, she had continually seen the number on the scale drop, but also our bond had just grown on another level because of the trust we had in one another. It was very much a journey, although I admire her hard work and open mind in our client and trainer relationship.
What advice do you give others thinking about becoming certified?
My advice is to go for it! Since becoming certified, I feel as though I live a much more genuine and authentic life, especially because I have turned it into my full-time career. I recommend being intentional with each decision you make, from simply finding the right company you’d like to become certified with and to having a vision all the way through.
Discover the knowledge and techniques needed to become an AFPA Certified Prenatal and Postpartum Fitness Specialist. and inspire others to live a healthy lifestyle with AFPA’s program.
To connect with Kiana, follow her on Instagram for more information.
