Who is Alison?
AW: Alison is a REAL girl, doing REAL things!
I was born and raised in Rockford, IL by my two wonderful parents. Rockford is about an hour and a half from Chicago and is definitely NOT the easiest city to grow up in. Therefore, Scottsdale, AZ was an insanely different environment to adjust too and after dealing with some extreme culture shock, I was able to settle in and call it home. Although, I am not sure if this is somewhere I will be forever, I am more than grateful to be here. I have my AA in Criminal Justice and surprisingly spent 3 1/2 years working in it. Absolutely loved what I did, but knew there was way more to life for me to explore! I am currently completing my Bachelors in Psychology with a concentration in Media and Technology. I am also in a finance academy which focuses on trading and wealth management for different assets. I received my certificates for Core Strategy and Foreign Currencies here in Scottsdale, AZ as well as London, United Kingdom. I spend most of my free time, training myself and/or others in the gym and cooking dank a** meals. Fitness has really changed my life though and I am definitely actively pursuing and working on different projects! Stay tuned 😉 @alisonwysong
How did you develop an interest in fashion, food, and travel respectively?
AW: I think this was all natural from a young age. I get it from my momma! She would always take me different places and as I got older I would venture out more and more. Chicago was like a second home so taking an hour and a half drive was a walk in the park. Therefore, that led to more travel, more food and now more bikinis. Haha! I love packing a suitcase full of swimsuits and just going anywhere near the water.
How would you describe your philosophy on health and fitness?
AW: It’s literally everything. How could you live without health and fitness? Now don’t get me wrong, health comes in all shapes and sizes! I think that is extremely important to remember. Body positivity and mental health don’t all look the same. For me, it is everything because working on my fitness has increased my health physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. It literally nails all aspects of my life. When I look good, I feel even better. When I am eating clean and taking care of my body, my mental health skyrockets. For me, it’s a lifestyle and a need. Go workout and eat your greens!!
Being part of an industry whose only emphasis is on the outside characteristics of a person, how have you stayed grounded?
AW: I just do my best to stay true to myself. This is actually way harder than it sounds. A lot of people think being pretty is really easy, but in fact it can be really hard too. It would be cake to go in a lot of routes that really aren’t suited for me, at least not right now. I have turned down a good handful of music videos or certain opportunities just because I didn’t want to get caught up or distracted by certain lifestyles or images. I have questioned myself a ton on the type of content I would want to put out or should put out. I have found fake accounts using my images and even trying to charge for sites that have nothing to do with me. I have been judged, stereotyped and misunderstood constantly. This all comes from an outside appearance so I think it is crucial to know who you are, what you stand for, and where your purpose is aligned. Real health is on the inside and if you know who you are and what you stand for, nothing can distract you or take away your power. 🙂
Of all the places you’ve lived and visited, is there anywhere in particular that has the most appeal to you?
AW: Out of all of the places I have been, London definitely has stood out the most, so far. It’s a place that I have spent a lot of time exploring and a place where I have felt most comfortable outside of the United States. I absolutely love the United Kingdom and most things about it. It is definitely somewhere I could see myself living too. The trips I have taken have been, by far, the most memorable!
Your Instagram feed is flawless and aesthetically pleasing. Do you like to curate your feed or keep it as close as possible to your authentic self?
AW: Thank you, thank you! I am a huge fan of aesthetics. Honestly, I really do try and keep it as close as possible to my authentic self. I have definitely brightened photos, adjusted colors or fixed minimal parts. But, I am never tweaking my actual self. If a photo is highly edited, it’s because it has been done professionally. I like to make sure my pictures flow and look good together, but I would never post anything that isn’t genuine. I want people to see that I am a real person, doing real things. Social media can really manipulate people and not always in a good way. You have to be aware of the images that are being highly edited and remember that no one is perfect! I feel like more people are starting to wake up and gravitate towards the more real and authentic influencers. I would hope my page inspires someone positively the way some pages have inspired me!
General words of wisdom you live by….
AW: One thing that has ALWAYS stuck with me is a saying my dad repeats on the daily. He constantly reminds me to “find joy in the misery.” I always laugh when I hear this because it sounds depressing af, yet is actually really insightful! Life is going to throw curve balls regardless. No matter how rich or how poor, how happy or how sad, life will constantly send you challenges that you may or may not be ready for or able to deal with. The best thing you can do is find the lessons and joy within it. It takes more energy to be upset, angry or miserable over something than it does to just be happy and find peace.
What’s your favorite thing to do in your down time?
AW: I LOVE being home. I actually truly enjoy my time alone whenever I am able to get it. I am most happy when I am sitting in a bath with a good book in hand. I enjoy cooking but it is also nice to UberEats some cheat meals and watch a good movie.
What is your stance on influencers being paid to post about brands? Should influencers be transparent regarding payment for posts?
AW: Influencers should absolutely be paid to post brands. They have a lot of power when it comes to marketing and that is just simply how the world has evolved. It makes a ton of sense for a lot of companies to use influencers over the old traditional ways of advertising. I have found some of my favorite brands through Instagram, whether its clothing, supplements, shoes or even fitness gear. These platforms have an insanely large reach and should be used to spread awareness, positivity and business, no doubt! I have even traveled places based off of other influencers experiences. Social media has a huge advantage and influencers help make that happen. Therefore, they should absolutely earn something from it. Now, should they be transparent about payments? Well, I do believe brands have the right to privacy and exclusivity. I think it is nice to see when something is sponsored or used as an #ad mixed in with other content. I know different influencers are paid at different rates based on following, reach, expertise etc. Therefore, I don’t really care to see how much someone makes because it differs regardless, but I do think it is important to know. I personally would never work with a brand I don’t like and respect so it is nice to hear when other influencers are transparent with the interactions they have with brands and are honest with their experiences!
How do you stay full of energy throughout the day?
AW: Coffee, pre-workout and Bang Energy.. Haha I want to say just kidding, but those are definitely a go-to. Lol Honestly though, it may sound cliche, but positive thinking is a must! You have to see the good even when things seem bad. Music is such a powerful tool as well. I would definitely say I have certain playlists for certain moods and love to vibe at any chance I get. I have a playlist I created called, “a bop” on my Apple Music and I swear I could play it anywhere at any time and it would lift up my energy and make me smile.
After Covid 2020, what are you looking forward to in the new year?
AW: Omg, so much! More travel, more adventures, more growth, more opportunities. I think covid definitely helped give a new perspective on life. It’s so easy to take things for granted until they are taken away from you. When everything shut down, it helped me to recenter, realize what I truly enjoy and find important and readjust to some new beliefs. I am so thrilled to continue on my journey of self love, growth and development. I can’t wait to create more, do more and be more!
If your best friend could tell us something embarrassing about you, what would it be?
AW: Hahaha, so many things come to mind. It’s funny because I am super smart, yet insanely gullible. One time, one of my friends convinced me that Texas was pronounced ‘te-has’ back in the day. So, I literally go up to a full blown Texan and ask him, “So.. Texas was really Tehas?” He looks at me like I’m a major idiot and goes, “Sweetie, whoever told you that is absolutely bullshitting you.” Haha. Definitely not my best moment. Then I realized things like that have been happening to me since 8th grade.. like the time when my teacher told me that ‘gullible’ was written on the ceiling… I mean, obviously I checked!
