Every Friday I am going to feature a woman that I adore. They exude all the qualities of an Alpha Female and I want to dig into their lives to get some nuggets of knowledge to help us all live happier, healthier lives balancing life & work.
Definition of an Alpha Female
An Alpha Female is a powerful and assertive woman. Her confidence is due to her being an intelligent and intellectual problem-solver. Being an Alpha Female is a State of Mind based on choosing ambition and being proud of it. She strives for a happy and healthy work/life harmony.
Type A Alpha Females often come across as strong-willed and selfish. When we stay true to our authentic selves and stay true to our mission we shine. A true Alpha Female puts her needs first without sacrificing her principles or dignity. She fills up her cup or gas tank first so that she has enough energy for her friends, family, and coworkers. A true Alpha Female strives for synergy with the world around her. She wants a perfect work/life balance but knows that it requires being true to your priorities and what makes you happy. She is never complacent about striving for better and nurtures relationships with the people in her life.
Meet Amy Schmittauer!
Amy Schmittauer is a content and social media marketing “YouTuber”, coach and public speaker. Since March 2011, Amy writes, hosts and produces Savvy Sexy Social, a web show helping rising stars and personalities produce their brand authority. Airing weekdays on YouTube, the show has impacted the marketing and branding strategies of businesses from almost every country in the World amassing more than 2.7 million views over 500+ episodes.
Amy’s strategies have led to her career as an internationally-acclaimed public speaker, voted #1 Best Speaker at Social Media Day San Diego 2015 and with high marks at events such as Tropical Think Tank, Hubspot’s Inbound and Social Media Examiner‘s Social Media Marketing World.
How are you an Alpha Female?
If I am an alpha female, there’s only one reason for it. I wake up every day knowing that I’m in control of my life. Anything I want to accomplish I can if I focus and follow-through. That’s a big responsibility to me and everyone around me that I do my very best every single day. Striving for that happy life — the harmony — is a reflection of who I am and what I’m willing to do with that power. The power of owning yourself and who you are can be incredible if you let it and work hard on it.
Does work/life balance exist?
I think it does if you’re willing to be content with achieving your goals. Sounds silly because you should be elated that you’ve achieved your goals, but if it meant a sacrifice in another area then contentment is important. Knowing you did your best on all sides is what keeps you from guilting yourself into always feeling bad about what you didn’t do. Work/life balance is a phrase that was invented to make you feel bad about what you’re not focused on. Maybe what you’re not passionate about. But everyone is different. So why tell everyone what they’re supposed to be doing when you only live in your own shoes. Balance is a nice reminder to not go completely to one side or the other, but the balance is truly in what you’re telling yourself.
What are you most passionate about?
I’m passionate about taking ownership in your own success. Everything is earned. Nothing is just given. Your life is an incredible journey of lessons and growth. It doesn’t matter if you want a better business or life, I get excited when someone stops thinking about why something is happening to them and instead moves in a forward direction with the cards they’re dealt.
What are your daily health habits that keep your immune system boosted?
The first thing I do every day is drink 24 ounces of water. I can get excited about coffee to wake up my brain very quickly, so ensuring I have water to wake the rest of my body up first is important. It also helps me drink more water throughout the day starting with it. I also make sure I stop drinking coffee by 3 pm. It might need to be sooner, but sleep is much more important to me and I get a solid 7.5 hours every night no matter what.
What is your weekly fitness routine like?
Cardio 3-5 times per week and I try to sneak in yoga on the weekends. Walking the dog is the most exercise I get otherwise since I work from home and sit in front of a screen all day long.
How do you challenge yourself fitness-wise?
I’m actually pretty bad at challenging myself with fitness, but when I do get bored with my fitness routine, I like to search Instagram for a fun weekly or monthly challenge focusing on an area that I don’t usually. Such a great resource for trying something new.
What are your daily habits for winding down at night and reducing stress?
I write in my journey with no screens on every night. It’s important for tracking goals and getting refocused for the next day. I’m also always excited for my evening skincare routine. Makeup off is a wonderful state of being. 🙂
What are your daily/weekly nutrition habits that keep you well-nourished?
First meal of the day is a Nutribullet green smoothie. That and the water habits usually help me balance whatever happens the rest of the day (going to lunch or dinner tends to be limiting in choices).
What are the pain points of being an Alpha Female that you have to problem-solve for?
Being an Alpha Female is healthy and great. Except when we go into over-analyzation mode as we women do. We put much more thought into small moments and decisions than men. A great female boss in my former corporate life gave me a little advice that really left an impression on me. Before you send that next email, cut out all the explanations for your requests and pull back on exclamation points and emojis. You don’t have to explain why you need what you need and the shorter the email the better in any case. When you start getting better at that, you’ll notice that your way to talking in person is one of more ownership and respect as well. We don’t have to sugarcoat as much as we like to do. We can be an Alpha Female but not be frilly. We shouldn’t be ashamed to do things like a girl, but we can also stop apologizing for being awesome. That’s what all these little coats of sugar do and then that begins the process of us being taken less seriously. Stop that process from happening. Be clear. Be concise. Don’t hide from what you want. Respect will come much faster and by default.
What is your definition of happiness?
Contentment, smiles and celebration.