Sami Spalter Opens Up About Her Journey to Self-Love

Shiny and sparkly is Sami Berstein Spalter’s default setting when she shows up in the world. Of course, she has her share of bad days, but the Transform podcast co-host is working on embracing joy and loving her true self, all while empowering other women to do the same. 

You may know Sami as a fitness influencer, the co-founder of wellness brand, FORM, or as the other half of “the Samis” (with her best friend, Sami Clarke). Spalter describes herself as a simple woman. She likes to keep her fashion and nutrition straightforward—typically 50% protein, 25% vegetables, and 25% carbohydrates. “If I were a food, I would be a rotisserie chicken,” she says.

In the latest With Whit podcast, Spalter shares her wellness journey and the path to authentic living. She gets real about knowing her body, embracing cravings and having fun with food, and her favorite types of movement.

Port and Spalter have been longtime online fans of each other, so the two podcast hosts connecting IRL was truly an overflow of joy and warmth. Tune into the full episode of With Whit here.

Building a Genuine Life

In 2017, Spalter moved to Los Angeles to start an influencer marketing agency with her brother. Although she was not passionate about the work, she was excellent at it. The opportunity opened doors and allowed Spalter to meet tons of people. 

Instead of focusing on her next career move, Spalter turned inward. “I asked myself, ‘What do I need right now?’ I was overweight my entire life. Living in LA, you get a taste of the spectrum of what wellness can look like.”

Spalter recalls being so disconnected from her body prior to her weight loss. She fully committed to her wellness journey. “I wanted to make wellness my job. Here I am 85 pounds lighter, six years later, and now running a wellness company.”

Her journey began with CrossFit before transitioning to online workouts, where she discovered her now co-founder, Sami Clarke, through YouTube. After being introduced by their boyfriends (who were middle school friends), the two became best friends.

Four years into their FORM business, Spalter advocates for strength training. “I love lifting, but I think a lot of women get caught up not wanting to bulk or get intimidated. So I love hearing stories from our community who have been transformed by it because that’s me.

The online fitness and wellness platform has most recently expanded to include activewear. “We wanted to have a true 360 wellness experience. The biggest standout about Transform is being in a community of women who want to better themselves. We couldn’t find our perfect activewear brand, so we created it,” Spalter says. 

Redefining the Wellness Journey 

In high school, Spalter shares she tried every fad diet out there: Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and Smart for Life. Today, she is open about her journey to losing 85 pounds and redefining her relationship with health.

Spalter explains that extreme restrictions aren’t sustainable. “Those things don’t last. They work temporarily.” For Spalter, that was the keto diet, which helped her lose nearly 50 pounds but ultimately affected her mental health. “I was living in a box. I was a prisoner to a plan that was no grains, no carbs. Fruit was off limits. I could not even go out to a restaurant.”

Over the years, Spalter has learned what works best for her as far as nutrition and movement. She advises anyone on a journey to master their personal wellness to embrace trial and error. “Be able to come back to self and say ‘That’s great for you, but not for me.’ My superpower is checking in with myself. You have to get to know yourself,” Spalter says.

How to Find Your Own Path

Spalter kicked off 2025 with a profound experience at the Hoffman Institute, where she reconnected with what makes her shine after struggling with self-doubt. Following her mother’s death, she booked a spot at the Hoffman Institute a year in advance. 

The seven-day retreat was an opportunity to work through grief and align your body, spirit, intellect, and emotions (aka your inner child). “This process showed me who I am when I am spirit led, which is how I try to show up in the world now,” Spalter says.

Spalter says her time at the Hoffman Institute was rewarding and also the hardest things she’s ever done. After years of not seeing her true self, Spalter shares that she has done and continues to do self-work. She focuses on removing bad patterns that dim her light. “What I lead with now is shining as bright and sparkly as I can so everyone can meet me there.”