As a college student, I look up to women who started on the same path as me and created something great from it. It makes goals seem achievable and makes hard-work seem less like a never ending path. Arianna Dantone has a strong social media presence, noticeably in the fitness world, with over 77,000 followers on her Instagram. I got to talk to Arianna about her current success, future goals and how she wants to use her influence.
Arianna is a 21-year-old who already has her own company shared with Brittany Loeser, BAAD ASS Training. That itself is inspiration enough for me — she's her own boss, doing what she wants to do. However, she isn't just doing BAAD ASS Training because she likes fitness, she wants to help young beginners to, "Take the right path towards fitness. To teach what health actually is and what the correct way to start fitness is. To love yourself and not starve yourself, and you don't have to go to crazy ends to be fit."
Arianna started out as a young impressionable girl when she began her love for fitness. Beginning in high school after a bad breakup and in preparation for prom — completely relatable. When Arianna began her fitness journey her inspiration's were Katy Hearn and Nikki Blackketter, both due to the fact that they are so real and down to earth. While Katy started out as her "obsession," she is now good friends with both ladies. She's also learned and currently promotes that you should love your own body; rather than wanting to be the fitness girls you see on your Instagram feed.
In today's society, especially in today's generation, young adults are hit with a strong influence by what they see on social media. Arianna has done a good job of showing through her social media that all you need to do to succeed is be yourself. She doesn't say, do, and post what people expect fitness women to post.
While she doesn't know where she plans to be in the next 10 years, because she's human and who really has their entire life planned out? However, she did say that she hopes to produce her own clothing line as well as expand and grow upon her trainings and challenges.
When I asked her what she wants the girls who look at her for inspiration to know, she stated, "There's so much fakeness everywhere you go, there [are] people who are trying to rise to the top by not being themselves. However, from what I've seen, the people who are genuine and real are the ones who come out as the winners no matter what." And she's so right.