We’re looking forward to introducing you to Anita Linville. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Anita, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
Honestly, the thing I’m most proud of building is my character — the inner work that no one really sees, but it shapes everything I do.
As I expand into the beauty and fashion space, alongside my work in fitness and nutrition, I’ve been really intentional about not letting the external aspects of these industries make me vain or surface-level. It’s so easy to get caught up in the aesthetics, the accolades, the image… but I never want to lose my grounding or my values in the process.
I’ve made it a daily practice to stay open-minded and teachable. I remind myself often: I don’t know it all — and that’s actually a strength, not a weakness. Whether it’s feedback, differing perspectives, or even criticism, I try to see it all as fuel for growth.
For me, it’s a spiritual commitment — staying connected to who I am beyond what I do. My goal isn’t just to build successful businesses, it’s to become a whole, balanced person — mentally, emotionally, spiritually. That’s the foundation I’m building, even if no one else sees it.
At the end of the day, character sustains what talent and vision create. That’s what I’m building — and protecting — every step of the way.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Of course! My name is Anita Mann Linville, and at the core of everything I do — whether it’s fitness, fashion, or education — I’m really just passionate about helping people feel beautiful, empowered, capable, and balanced in who they are.
I actually come from a background in education — I have a Master’s in Education and spent years teaching middle school English and social studies. It was actually my students who encouraged me to explore social media and content creation, which opened the door for me to step into beauty, fashion, and brand work. So in a way, this path found me — and I’ve just been walking through the doors as they open.
I’m the founder of Poised Fitness, which offers tailored nutritional coaching, plant-based supplements, and group fitness. That’s one side of me. On another side, I’ve worked as a model and UGC creator, collaborating with brands like Cocoburry, Hidden Hills Watch Co., Island Sunglasses Club, and more. I’ve also had the honor of walking in New York Fashion Week and being featured in magazines like LURE, Fashion Republic, Quadro, and UA Models.
Spiritually, I try to bring depth to everything I do. I recently published a book called The Scroll of Remembrance, which encourages people to remember their divinity and inner power. I also host a podcast called The Altered Image, where I talk about how trauma, joy, and life experiences shape us — and how we grow through all of it.
I’ve also been working on a non-profit vision called BEI (Black Educators Initiative) to help students receive an equal and equitable education, in partnership with the Golden Fleece Foundation in Key West.
I wouldn’t say I have a “brand” in the traditional sense. I’m just someone committed to showing up authentically — and encouraging others to do the same, whether that’s through health, beauty, storytelling, or healing. I believe when we live on purpose, everything else aligns.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was a people pleaser, someone shaped by abandonment wounds I didn’t fully understand at the time. I sought validation through the eyes and opinions of others — not because I didn’t have value, but because I didn’t yet know how to see it for myself.
That need for external approval led me into narcissistic relationships, where I lost pieces of myself trying to earn love that should have been given freely. But instead of turning bitter, it made me strong and deeply empathetic, especially toward those who’ve experienced any kind of emotional or spiritual abuse.
I used to be soft-spoken, hesitant to take up space. But now I’ve found my voice — and it speaks with purpose. I’ve become an advocate for justice, authenticity, and emotional healing, and I no longer apologize for standing firm in those values.
Even my abuse became a teacher. It refined me. It revealed a version of me that is honest, compassionate, and whole. I’ve learned to embrace even the hard parts of my story, because they gave birth to my authenticity.
I was once afraid to take risks, bound by the limitations of tradition and the fear of disappointing others. But today, I move with a sovereign spirit — guided by faith, not fear.
Teaching wasn’t my first career choice, but it’s been one of my greatest life classrooms. It helped me understand people, especially the younger version of myself.
Now that I know who I am and why I’m here, my mission is to use my voice and my work to help others reclaim theirs.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me gratitude in a way that success never could.
Don’t get me wrong — you can absolutely be successful and grateful. But when you’re catching the bus at 5:45 in the morning under the hot Florida sun, then walking a mile to and from work with a backpack on your shoulders… gratitude hits different. You start to appreciate the fact that your legs still carry you.
When there’s no Wi-Fi at home, you become thankful for that old iPhone 8 and iPad you held onto — because somehow, they still get you through with a hotspot.
When you don’t have money for food, you learn to be grateful for the power of social media, where even a stranger’s kindness can mean survival.
When there’s no family or close friends to lean on, you discover your own strength and resilience.
When your license is suspended because you can’t afford to pay off traffic tickets, you become grateful
that your pride doesn’t stop you from asking for help.
Even when your current job isn’t your dream career, you learn to find the magic in it, to see why God placed you there, and you become grateful that God trusts you with that assignment — even if it’s not glamorous.
When all you have to eat is rice and beans, you become grateful — not just for the nourishment, but for the discipline it builds, the health it restores, and the hunger it satisfies over time.
Suffering taught me that when you have little, and you can still find joy, still find peace, still find a reason to say “thank you” — that’s a different kind of wealth.
So yes, suffering taught me gratitude — not as a concept, but as a way of being.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
bsolutely — and I get that question a lot. The answer is a profound yes.
What’s interesting — and honestly, a bit disheartening — is how foreign authenticity has become to some people. We live in a world where performance is the norm, so when someone shows up fully as themselves, it can feel disruptive.
I’ve been called arrogant for being confident, a know-it-all for sharing my experiences, and even cold for walking away from environments that no longer support who I truly am. But none of that is performance — it’s clarity.
Who I am online is exactly who I am in private. I’m not curating a persona — I’m just being. And that means some people will misunderstand it, and that’s okay.
I don’t show up to impress — I show up to express, to align, and to hopefully inspire others to do the same. So no, there’s no separation between the public me and the private me.
I’m not performing. I’m present — and that’s my power.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people will say that I encouraged them to think beyond the box — to stay open to new perspectives, but to never minimize or betray their own truth.
I want to be remembered as someone who showed that a life of peace and joy is absolutely possible when you walk in authenticity. That there’s greater power in expressing who you truly are than trying to impress anyone.
I hope my spiritual work leaves a mark — that it opened people’s hearts to new perspectives about God and the Universe, ones they hadn’t considered before but that brought them closer to their own inner knowing.
I want people to remember me as someone who always rooted for the underdog — the misunderstood, the silenced, and the forgotten.
I hope it’s clear that my physical presence, my beauty — it was never about aesthetics. It was a bridge — a tool I used to connect, motivate, and inspire, not to conform or distract.
I hope people will say, “She turned her pain into power.” That I lived and led with truth, intention, and integrity.
And more than anything, I hope people remember that I learned to listen to God, to trust my intuition, and to honor the quiet truth within — and that I helped others learn to do the same.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://poisedfitness.wixsite.com/poised-fitness
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/53_fit_anita/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/poisedfitness/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlteredImagewithmissL
Image Credits
Studio 1
Photography studio
Parkland, FL · (954) 369-2072
