Her Story
About Aliya
Aliya Bowdoin is a Brain Balance coach based in El Reno, Oklahoma, with a strong foundation in fitness, education, and adaptive training. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Oklahoma and an Associate’s degree in Business Administration and Liberal Arts from Williston State College. Her academic background, combined with multiple fitness certifications through ISSA, has supported her career in both brain-based coaching and personal training.
Aliya began her professional journey in the fitness field during high school, initially coaching basketball and soccer before a major ACL injury shifted her path from athlete to mentor. This experience sparked her interest in the connection between physical fitness and brain development, eventually leading her to Brain Balance. There, she worked with children and young adults with ADHD, autism, and other developmental challenges, using structured activities to support cognitive and physical growth while fostering confidence and emotional development.
Today, Aliya serves as a gym manager and personal trainer, working with a wide range of clients including youth, adults, seniors, and individuals with physical or neurological conditions. She is especially focused on adaptive fitness and injury rehabilitation, tailoring programs to meet individual needs and abilities. Driven by a passion for long-term impact, she hopes to pursue further education in physical therapy and eventually open her own gym that integrates fitness training with rehabilitative care and accessible wellness support for all populations.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Aliya
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't let the naysayers stop you. When I was in college and really wanted to get into personal training, I had a personal trainer tell me that unless I had a drastic change, like going from bigger to low body fat or having big muscles, no one was going to come to me for personal training. My advice would be, don't let those people stop you. If you're really passionate about something, you can learn just as much as anybody else, if not more, if you put your mind to it and you love it. No matter what big change you had or didn't have, if you are kind and compassionate and don't go in there mean and yelling at clients, you build such rapport with your clients. I've had clients tell me they wouldn't want to work with anyone else, or they've worked with other people before but never kept it going so long, or areas of their body that weren't changing with someone else are now progressing. It's not just that I'm this amazing personal trainer - you build rapport, people aren't nervous around you anymore, you're kind and compassionate, and they love talking to you. When they come in, they try their hardest, they listen to you, and all of a sudden they're having fun. It doesn't even feel like something they have to do, and as long as they're having fun, you're going to see massive changes because they're disciplined and consistent. If you go in with an attitude or think you know better because you've had this massive change, and you're unable to change what you're doing because everybody's individual, then you're not going to see the changes you want to make.
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