Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Musso.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Alexis. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m happy to share my story in hopes to inspire one of you! By day, I’m a Project Engineer for Chevron Phillips Chemical and, by night, I’m a Yoga Teacher and Sakara Life Affiliate. How did I get here? Let’s start from the beginning!
Engineering:
I was born in Dallas, TX and attended Ursuline Academy of Dallas, an all-girls high school. Looking back, I’m thankful for my all-girls high school because I learned a lot, but most importantly, I learned to be myself. You didn’t have to wear makeup or shave your legs during the week because there weren’t any boys to impress. To this day, I think this experience is one of the reasons I still don’t wear much makeup. I like to just be me and feel pretty in my own skin. Junior year, when I applied to college, I was torn between nutrition school and engineering school, but my dad persuaded me to have a “real job” – his tough love way of wanting the best for me. I always respected my dad’s advice and hard work, and I knew if I could survive an engineering degree, then I personally felt I could do anything! I decided to apply for Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, which is well known for its engineering school and at a great price. I chose chemical because it reminded me of cooking and crafting ingredients together to make a recipe. I liked the aspects of working with a team, creating new products, and solving challenging problems in a variety of fields – problems that can truly make a difference in the world. Although Chemical Engineering was hard, I’m so thankful to have had remarkably smart and supportive friends to study with and help each other. Over my college years, I interned for Lubrizol, Chevron, and Chevron Phillips Chemical, and I accepted a full-time position with Chevron Phillips Chemical upon graduation in December of 2016.
Yoga:
Growing up, I played a variety of sports from soccer to cheerleading. In college, I walked, ran, biked, and did a lot of P90X yoga, anything cheap, because you know, it’s college. When I graduated and moved to Houston in 2017, I started doing a lot of boot camps, not necessarily a lot of stretching, and sitting at a work desk for long hours was compromising my posture. A few months later, I experienced a low back strain during a twisting drill in a workout, which caused me to slow down and start doing more yoga, more pilates, more consistently. I practiced at many studios, joined Equinox, and really had some incredible teachers. Yoga helped me strengthen and stretch my back and bring it back into balance with my core. At the same time, I also experienced all the other amazing benefits of yoga and decided I wanted to share these benefits with others! I researched all the local Houston yoga studios that were offering teacher trainings. None of them quite fit my schedule, and right when I was starting to give up, I found BeYoga. It was meant to be! In the Fall of 2018, I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training on the weekends with the most inspiring, small group of women – love my team! The BeYoga founders had put their heart and soul into constructing a training that prepared us to teach successfully and knowledgeably. I am very grateful and am continually learning more and more about yoga – be a forever student. I officially started teaching January of 2019 at the studio, so I hope to see you there to help you as much as yoga has helped me!
Nutrition:
My first memory of my wellness journey was in middle school. At my Catholic school, we were encouraged to give something up for the 40 days of Lent. I decided to give up soda because I knew it wasn’t good for me, and I thought my mom had high blood pressure because she drank one every day. Me, as a little girl, wanted to show her it was possible to give up! At the end of 40 days, I was completely amazed how much better I felt, how easy it was to give up, and to this day I have never drunk soda again. Then, in high school, I tried out for cheerleading, which inspired me to eat healthy to be skinny like my other teammates. However, I started counting calories too much, and after a while, I realized that wasn’t healthy either. I slowly started focusing on ingredients and quality over quantity – so important! When I got to college, the on-campus food made me feel sluggish and bloated, so I made a New Year’s goal to try vegetarian and eat as colorful as possible for energy. I felt so great I stayed vegetarian for three years. While studying Chemical Engineering, I also learned the importance of eating organic, no pesticides, and eating pure, unprocessed foods, without chemical sweeteners and preservatives. During the next few years, I was intrigued by all the trending diets that claimed to be best for the body, so I tried vegan, pescatarian, paleo, bulletproof, keto, you name it. They were fun but hard to maintain. Through my journey, I found eating organic, whole foods, in a variety of colors, boosted with superfoods makes me feel the best.
I’m still learning about superfoods but what I’ve learned is this: over the years, I had seasonal allergies, which only worsened in college. It would start with a sore throat and end with a lingering cough that was hard for me to shake. Nothing seemed to break it – not a prescription allergy medicine, not cough drops, not hot tea. Then, one day, my college roommate gave me some of her Zicam, which did quiet my cough and made my throat feel better for a few hours. After several cycles of coughs, it dawned on me that maybe I was missing zinc, or other minerals, in my diet, especially since I was eating vegetarian. I started taking pills or powders with minerals to boost my immune system, and something amazing happened, my allergies went away! This is what truly spiked my curiosity into the realm of supplements, superfoods, adaptogens, mushrooms, nootropics, and more! I remember when we were little, my brother and I used to hide our vitamins so we didn’t have to take them, sorry mom and dad! Now, I’m the opposite, I probably take too many haha. Unfortunately, because a lot of foods have lost their nutritional value over the decades due to farming practices, even if you eat whole foods, you may not be getting all your vitamins, minerals, and such. Therefore, today, my pantry is always stocked with magical powders like blue spirulina, chlorella, and ashwagandha, to add to lattes, smoothies, or when I’m on the run, just water. They really help my body operate at optimal; it’s a game-changer!
So, how do I eat organic, whole foods, in a variety of colors, boosted with superfoods? With my busy schedule, I tried multiple meal programs. I ultimately fell in love with Sakara Life – an organic, plant-based, dairy-free, gluten-free, no refined sugar, and non-GMO meal program – that met my high standards of nutrition. After ordering the 3-day meal program for a few weeks to reduce the amount of time I spent meal prepping or eating out, I noticed a big difference in my skin, energy, digestion, and more. On top of all the amazing benefits I was feeling, Sakara goes above and beyond on their branding to include meaningful facts or quotes on each meal, which makes my day! My favorite part is their motto “eat clean, play dirty.” It’s about nourishing your body but also about enjoying it, too – go live! After several orders, I applied to be a Sakara Life Affiliate, and after a few months of suspense, I was accepted! Now, I can share my discount code with others to try this top-notch meal plan in hopes it helps others feel as amazing as I do. Listen to your body – everyone is different. For me, Sakara Life reminds me of my absolute favorite plant-based cafes on the west coast, in places like California and Seattle. I would really like to see more of these organic, whole foods, colorful meals boosted with superfoods in Houston. Therefore, my dream is to combine my experiences in engineering, yoga, and nutrition to bring more health and wellness options and education to Houston, whether that’s initiating a podcast, starting a brand, or opening a café. Stay tuned!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s hard to answer “smooth” – it can be relative. There is hard work, obstacles, but the moments I pause to stand back to see where I am, where I have made it, are the moments I feel truly thankful and blessed. The baby steps count. I want to keep growing, learning, and working towards my dreams – to be forever curious. Everyone will have their own journey and face their own unique struggles. My advice is to stay true to yourself, to what makes you happy. Know that, at times, everyone will question you, many will doubt you, some will judge you. Trust me, I heard every opinion in the book when I went vegan, including opinions from people who have never even tried vegan! Okay, thank you, next. Be yourself anyway.
You are meant to connect with the people that need to see or hear, your message. You can’t “force” everyone to understand your message no matter how strongly you believe in your vision, but what you can do is set a positive example, and people will gravitate to you. When you are your true, authentic self, your happiness is magnetic. So, take the road that makes you happy, not the road others expect you, or tell you, to take. They might not understand and that’s okay. What I learned from Texas A&M is that “From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. And from the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.”
If you have a dream, go for it because it’s better to try than to regret not trying! It’s okay to fail. If you didn’t fail, you didn’t try. Failure is part of the process and it is perhaps the greatest lesson to help you succeed. All those who have made it will tell you, just because you experience failure does not mean you are a failure. Remember that! In your process, find a mantra, or a person, or an activity like yoga that inspires you, motivates you! Find what energizes you, what makes you tick – for me, it’s people, sunshine, and chocolate – no day is complete without these three!
I do want to recognize that a lot of women struggle with self-love, self-image, or self-confidence. I’m a woman, so I’ve been there. What I’ve learned over the years is that it’s not how you look, it’s about how you feel! If you are nourishing your body, doing what makes you happy, and surrounding yourself with supportive family and friends, then you will feel your best and that confidence will shine. The energy and attitude you bring to a room is essential – let it be magnetic! Yes, looks will always be a focus in our society, but in my opinion, the better you feel, the better you will look! Work hard, take breaks to take care of yourself, and everything else you dream will start to flow into place! You got this.
Overall, find women that inspire you and support each other! Many women entrepreneurs wanted to make their own life or their family’s life better, healthier, and when they found something that worked, they wanted to share with others! From Whitney & Danielle at Sakara Life to our own Houston women like August Vega at Malk Organics and Maryam Naderi at Paloma Nails, many started in a traditional field and then transitioned into an entrepreneurial, creative role. To me, that’s inspiring. You don’t have to feel stuck. You can always change. What you like might change. You might try a role and not like it. The options are endless. And, if you don’t like the options, create your own!
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
A little more about what I do! I am a Project Engineer at Chevron Phillips Chemical, currently located at the Cedar Bayou facility in Baytown, Texas. I was drawn to my project management role because I get to work with a team of people to take a problem, evaluate solutions, and turn it into a real-life installation. To see a project from start to finish, through all its challenges, is very inspiring. I’m very organized, detail-oriented, and if you know me, you know I’m an extrovert and love to work with people on these projects!
Outside of work, I teach yoga at BeYoga, a boutique, non-heated studio in the Heights. Currently, I teach Tuesdays at 6:45 PM and every other Sunday at 3 PM but just check the schedule for the latest update. I teach our class called Be Flow, a vinyasa flow yoga that focuses on pranayama and asanas. We start with breath work, a warm-up, flow through a sequence of poses to build to a peak pose or theme, and then finish with a cool down and the best part, savasana! My goal each class is to combine stretch, strength, balance, and twists so that you get whatever you need that day. One of my favorite parts as an instructor is selecting songs to make a playlist. Just like music can instantly put you in a good mood, a great playlist can set the atmosphere for class – it can really let a student feel in tune with their practice. I’m also training to teach Be Strong in the Fall, our class that combines yoga, pilates, and cardio to tone the body – can’t wait! I absolutely love teaching yoga because it allows me to express my creative side after a technical day at the office. Yoga is my time to breathe and make shapes, and when I teach, my intention is that my students leave feeling better than when they walked in.
Lastly, I am a Sakara Life Affiliate. I work with Sakara because I have seen the benefits in my own body. The meals are high quality, nutritious, and delicious, made with ingredients you can trust, conveniently delivered straight to your door. I love to read their S-Life magazine online to learn more about wellness to educate my clients. I personally use the Sakara Life beauty drops – 72 trace minerals – almost every day to hydrate, re-mineralize my body, and keep my seasonal allergies at bay. Sakara Life also offers amazing options for people with food allergies. The Signature meal program is organic, plant-based, dairy-free, gluten-free, no refined sugar, and non-GMO. The Level II meal program goes above and beyond to eliminate all sugar, nuts, soy, nightshades, and more! Check out the meal program options at sakara.com. Invest in your health and radiate! My discount code is XOALEXISM for 20% off your first 10-day reset box or meal program but keep an eye out on my Instagram @asanaandacai for months we promote additional discounts or specials!
I’m most proud of the fact that I continuously challenge myself to learn, that I want to share with others what has helped me in some way, small or large, and that I strive to be a positive role model for health and wellness.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
Apps:
The normal ones – Instagram, Spotify, Podcasts, and Audible
Notes app or a journal for my to-do lists
Variety of yoga and meditation apps like Alo Moves, Headspace, etc.
VSCO, Photoshop, Perfect Video, and Canva to play around with photo editing
Books:
My interests range from self-help to cookbooks – Eat Clean Play Dirty by Sakara Life!
I’m participating in a young professionals book club called Hang Up & Hang Out, started by my friend Lucas Hunt, to hang up our phones in order to hang out and learn from books and from each other! We just finished reading the Subtle Art of Not Giving an F*, great conversation!
Podcasts:
Bulletproof Radio
The goop Podcast
Expanded Podcast
Definitely recommend these, or whatever interests you, if you have a long commute like me!
Blogs:
Goop
Sakara Life S-Life Mag
Shayla Quinn at Namastshay
Jordan Younger at The Balanced Blonde
Nicole Sciacca at Playlist Yoga
Kayla Itsines at BBG and Sweat
Any inspirational quote page, and so many more!
Overall, I like to visit multiple resources to really learn a range of knowledge, so I am always bouncing around and am inspired by countless people, books, podcasts, blogs, and more!
Another great resource – Mentors! These women inspire me and help me do my best in life!
My mom – Despite many of her own struggles, she has always maintained a positive attitude. She would never hurt a fly and inspires me every day to be kind.
Cynthia Dehlavi – One of my dear friends, she just gets me. We are on the same wellness wavelength ~ Sakaralites, yoga teachers, goop girls, foodies, fitness friends, and more. She inspires me to try new things in the health and wellness field, to dream big, to always be curious, and to be a good friend. As a Senior Associate at OJB Landscape Architecture with a degree from Harvard, she’s also badass smart!
Melissa Tello and Kara Newton Ward – The cofounders of BeYoga are absolutely amazing trainers and mentors. They always check in, provide constructive feedback, and support us in other opportunities. These women taught me not just to do something but to do it with a reason – in yoga and in life! When we teach poses in our classes, we focus on why the pose matters in one’s body and in our overall sequence, not just because it’s another yoga pose. I’m so thankful to be a part of the BeYoga community they cultivated and continuously water to grow it!
I’m thankful for each and every individual that supports me. We all need to support each other and learn from each other!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @asanaandacai
- Facebook: Asana & Acai
Image Credit:
Billy Morquecho, Miranda Juarez
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
