One of my favorite parts of doing this blog are meeting fit ‘n fierce females. Samya Cochran is that gal on so many levels. The founder and CEO of Firedaughter Clothing, Samya started the company as a labor of love after her first child was born. Samya’s hubby is a firefighter, and she wanted her daughter decked out in duds that showed off daddy’s profession. When she couldn’t find any on store shelves, she made her own – and made a name for herself on Etsy.
But there’s more to the story. Samya also suffered post-pardum: “I was finally a mom, but felt like a sucked at it.” Her outlet became running (in 2 years she ran 8 marathons)… and running her business. Her fitness inspired her clothing and vice versa, and Firedaughter evolved into fit fashions emblazoned with motivational sayings (think Katy Perry-esque lyrics on tees, like “EVERY LITTLE THING IS GONNA BE ALRIGHT,” “AMAZE YOURSELF” and “NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP”).
In fact, Samya has a lot of that Katy Perry fire. Totally self-taught in screen-printing, Samya made each tee by hand on her kitchen table before moving to a workspace two years ago. She no longer does the actual printing, but she does all the design (she can even tell you the motivation behind each mantra) and all the online modeling – and just opened her first store in Old Town Scottsdale.
Which brings me to her body. Holy body! Running helped her re-find her joy, but boxing totally transformed her physique. Now a mother of 2, she works out three days a week for 30 minutes with her trainer Marty at Fight Ready MMA Gym (“he kills my abs every single time”), runs two days a week and does front lawn training sessions with her kiddos on the weekend. Here, the 37-year-old (shocking, I know!?!) shares all her hot body secrets…
How to find a workout you love… I listened to my friends when they told me I should try certain workouts. I was an OG at Studio 360 spinning, there even before the Grand Opening in ’99 because a girlfriend recommended it. That was my passion for years until I had children, then I became a runner out of necessity (I could run with my baby), and then I listened to a girlfriend when she recommended I try boxing. I was against trying boxing for a long time – I had a runner’s mentality of ONLY RUNNING – but 5 minutes into my first boxing session I’d found my new fitness passion!
How to eat healthy… For me, balance is key. I love food and consider eating delicious food a valuable, wonderful part of living a happy life. If I want a burger and fries, I eat a burger and fries. But thankfully I also love wraps with chicken and hummus and fresh tomatoes… and generally hate the way I feel after I do eat the burger and fries, and love the way I feel after I eat the chicken and tomatoes. I like to feel good. One of the most wonderful things about getting older is losing the guilty feelings over food. When I say I feel bad after I eat fatty food, I don’t mean the way I did in my 20s when I actually felt guilty and beat myself up mentally, I mean I just feel uggghhh…. heavy and weighted down and lethargic. Healthy food makes me feel light and happy!
How to avoid overeating… I think most overeating is done when people are bored. I don’t know any working moms who are ever bored. I just eat until I’m not hungry anymore. Except on Thanksgiving, but that’s like a law you have to overeat that day, and I’m not about to break the law.
How to tame trouble spots… Work your whole entire body! When I was a runner only, I could run and run forever, but I couldn’t do a push-up or a pull-up. Now my fitness is much more balanced – my whole entire body gets worked every time I train. Boxing is so incredible, what it does for your whole body without you even having to think about it. Instead of focusing on trouble spots, my trainer and I actually focus on the parts I love the most (my tummy and shoulders), and make sure we work those like crazy. Making my good even better is what I focus on.
How to stay motivated… I consider having the ability to be in the kind of shape I am a privilege. I’m very blessed to have a husband who encourages my fitness in every way. I’m also blessed to have an amazing trainer who can tell when I walk into the gym exactly what kind of workout I need that day. When you have a fitness support system to help you stay motivated, it’s invaluable. My career also keeps me motivated. Being the model for my clothing, knowing I have thousands of women seeing my photos, and rooting for me to be in fantastic shape – that’s huge for me! I don’t want to let them down. I also love, love, love that when I look in the mirror, I love what I see, and it’s very motivating to want to keep that! Working out around others is also very motivating for me, especially as I get older. I love it when the 20-year-old girls working out around me say they want their bodies to be fit like mine. As a 37-year-old full-time working mother of 2, I’m not gonna lie – that motivates the heck out of me!
I love Samya! She is knocks out all the excuses given by women who say they are too busy to work out, too old to work out, or their babies made (and kept?) them fat. Not everyone can have her body, but everyone can be as committed as her!
I couldn’t agree more. I was super inspired after meeting Samya – and yes, her body, her business, her outlook are all a testament to the power of dedication and discipline