Today we’d like to introduce you to Salim Heyaime.
Salim, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey started with a personal mission to improve my own health and well-being, mentally, emotionally and physically. I’ve never been a physically active person or an athletic type. I did like to ride bikes, I was more of an adventurous kid/teen. It wasn’t until my mid 30s that going through some personal situations I realized how movement, nutrition, and mindset are all connected in building a better self for yourself and in my case, through its own course of sacrifices, ups and downs, it has led me to a more fulfilling life.
Going from a professional Civil Engineer in the Dominican Republic, working in governmental institute in the creation and execution of various sorts of social-economic projects, Road infrastructure study and inventory to being involved in MESO AMERICA Development Project as a representative of the CARIBBEAN HUB and Logistics in the infrastructure specialist team, Co-creator and Director Assistant of the Situation Room and part creator of the Response team in case of Catastrophe in the Country, among other project creation and development. An entrepreneur and head of a real estate firm in the Dominican Republic, Owner and Head of Digital Marketing firm to owner and head of a small restaurant in the capital city of the Dominican Republic. To now a Personal Trainer, Wellness coach and now author. Dedicating my life to helping people be and feel healthier here in Utah and Internationally through my Online training services and app. It’s been quite the journey.
Over the past nine years, I’ve worked on myself as well as with clients, and I still do. With clients, I help guide them on their fitness journey, from those just starting, to those seeking to optimize performance, that’s on the personal training side, on the wellness coaching side of things, there’s nutrition coaching, yoga, wellness retreats.
Through the journey, the acquisition of knowledge is very important, So I’ve been certified as a personal trainer, yoga instructor, nutrition coach and Biomechanics specialist, also specializing in functional strength training, mobility, weight loss and habit-building and accountability coaching, currently working on my Triathlete Coach certification. Knowledge is power.
Today, like I mentioned above, I run my own online coaching business salimheyaime.com where I help people build a consistency through accountability coaching into a healthier life through customized workouts, based on their schedule and equipment availability, nutritional guidance based on clients own unique eating habits and/or tolerances, and accountability systems where we keep in touch through the Salim Coach app internal texting platform.
I’m also the author of the book A Challenge to Move: Your 22-Day Roadmap to Move Better and Feel Better. Like the title says, it’s a roadmap designed to help people take small, consistent steps toward a stronger, more mindful life with just 7 minutes a day. Go check it out, it’s a pretty cool habit building system I created, using a 7 minute daily workout routine, yes, 7 minute workout that will have you feeling like you did a full body workout. I won’t say more, go check it out! (it’s available in amazon.com / title: A Challenge to Move: Your 22-Day Roadmap to Move Better and Feel Better).
Beyond that, I’ve recently launched Santosh Retreats at santoshretreats.com, it’s a wellness travel company that curates immersive retreat experiences designed to help people reconnect with themselves through movement, mindfulness, and nature. Go check out the website for retreat information.
To explain how I got here, that’s a hard question. The journey leads you really, when you’re on your path, the path leads you. There’s a saying in Spanish that goes: “Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar”. / translated: “Traveler, there is no path; the path is made by walking”. By Antonia Machado, Spanish poet.
How did I get here? Here’s the real answer… Perseverance, believing in myself and my capability to do things. Doing hard work. There are no short cuts. Pay your dues. Doing a hard workout at the break of morning demonstrating to myself that I CAN, that I am limitless, we are limitless. Knowing that “This too shall pass”. Adaptability, being able to adapt to the circumstances, sometimes we have to improvise and switch the plan a bit but maintaining the goal very clear, knowing that things will happen. Being resilient (I am resilient af). It’s rewiring your own brain and creating your own beliefs, it’s like creating your own creed. It’s putting the faith in yourself above anything, then taking any advice that’s given to you as building blocks to your goal, if they serve you. There’s so much but really it starts with “Yourself”, your only lifelong asset. Make it worth it to you.
And I deeply believe that this knowledge and lessons can be started with physical movement, everything else rides from that, if you really want it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Never a smooth road but if it’s worth it and you truly want it, the struggle is real. Honestly, it doesn’t matter where you are in life or the tools you have, struggle is struggle.
For some that are prepared, and opportunity meets, it does go a little easier maybe, but then again you never know what was that person’s cost to be “prepared”, to each their own, you know?. It’s also about where you are in life in many aspects and where you want to be. Anything worth going for will have its own course and obstacles, I, personally, have gone through my own sets of obstacles, more will come too.
It gets to a point when you realize that “the obstacles is the way” (book by Ryan Holiday), seriously, the obstacles make you. “Calm water never makes the sailor”. Then it hits you… The obstacles become a challenge not an obstacle anymore, to then becoming a lesson learned, a checkpoint, you can’t unlearn that, it’s a gift you gave yourself through it.
For me, the challenges have been constant, but after a while, they stop feeling like “struggles.” They become part of the journey. The problems don’t really change, we do. It doesn’t get easier; we get stronger. You build that mental callous, that resiliency. Every few steps there’s another obstacle, but growth comes when you start reacting differently to all that life throws at you, because that’s life, man.
I also own, manage and sometimes operate a commercial cleaning business. It was a product of one of those quick adjustments when life wants to throw a curve and shut down the world for a year, it’s been 5 years and still counting. This has been a parallel journey on its own being a business owner and employer. But this would be a whole different sitdown.
To sum it up, it hasn’t been a smooth road, you have to persist beyond the struggles because in the struggles is where you get the nugget of knowledge you need to pass on to the next phase. Can’t stop, won’t stop.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My business operates under two branches: Coach Salim Heyaime LLC and Santosh Retreats.
Through my coaching brand, I specialize in functional strength training, mobility, weight loss, habit building, and sustainable wellness practices. My approach blends fitness, nutrition, yoga, biomechanics, mindfulness, and accountability to help people create real, lasting change. This includes physical improvement and a deeper shift in how people see themselves and their capabilities.
Through my online coaching programs on the Salim Coach app and my in-person wellness retreats at SantoshRetreats.com, I help clients build healthier habits, improve performance, and reconnect with balance both physically and mentally. Whether it is one-on-one coaching, structured programs, or immersive retreat experiences, the goal is the same: to help people move better, feel better, and live better.
Alongside the coaching, Santosh Retreats offers in-person wellness retreats designed to help people reset and reconnect through movement, meditation, breathwork, nature, good food, community and getting to know new places and experiences. Our immersive retreats are crafted to help you reset your body, calm your mind, and reconnect with yourself.
What sets my work apart is the level of personalization and genuine connection I bring to each client. Nothing I do is cookie-cutter. Every plan is tailored to the individual, their lifestyle, goals, limitations, and strengths. I meet people exactly where they are and guide them step by step toward sustainable growth.
I am most proud of the transformations my clients experience, not just in their body composition, but in their mindset, discipline, and confidence. Watching someone become the strongest and most grounded version of themselves is what fuels my work and passion.
Ultimately, my brand is about movement with meaning. It is about helping people build stronger bodies, calmer minds, and a more intentional way of living.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson? That is a tough question, all lessons serve their purpose at their due time. They are like stepping stones in the journey, if you know how to use them in your favor. A phrase that I could probably attribute to a lesson learned would be a phrase my mom has always said along my journey, and that is “This too shall Pass”, 4 words with a very deep meaning. It’s a phrase to remind you to stay humble, in the good and in the bad, stay grounded, don’t lose yourself in the moment, whatever happens in life, it’s temporary, keep pushing, stay focused cause “This too shall pass”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://salimheyaime.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachsalimheyaime/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Salimheyaime
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salimheyaime/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@salimheyaime
- Other: https://santoshretreats.com/
