EP 280: Kim Alexis - From Supermodel to Wellness Warrior: Aging Gracefully at 65

Welcome back to Finding Your Summit! Host Mark Pattison sits down with Kim Alexis, the iconic supermodel who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated six times and defined beauty in the 1980s. In this refreshingly candid conversation, Kim shares her remarkable journey from Buffalo swimming pools to New York City runways, and how she's transformed herself from a household name in fashion to a passionate advocate for healthy aging, wellness, and empowering women to find beauty from within. This episode delivers a masterclass in reinvention, demonstrating how someone can leverage past success into meaningful purpose while aging gracefully and authentically. Kim opens up about the challenges of transitioning from a career built on youth and beauty to becoming a certified fitness instructor, integrative health practitioner, and wellness ambassador—proving that true beauty and relevance come from continuous growth, adaptation, and service to others. Key Topics Discussed: From Swimmer to Supermodel: The Unexpected Journey Kim reveals how she went from being a competitive swimmer in Buffalo with zero fashion knowledge to navigating the cutthroat modeling industry at just 18 years old. Learn how she kept her mouth shut, listened to experts, and approached modeling like an athlete—showing up prepared, maintaining discipline, and setting firm boundaries in New York City without parental guidance. Discover the moment she took over Lauren Hutton's Revlon contract and became the face of ageless beauty. Live TV at 24 Hours Notice: Embracing the Unknown In one of the episode's most inspiring moments, Kim shares how she landed a fashion correspondent role on Good Morning America with Charlie Gibson—despite having zero broadcast experience and being told she'd go live the very next morning. Drawing on her parents' philosophy of "just try new things," Kim reveals how she said yes to opportunity and launched a three-year broadcasting career by simply being willing to fail. Learn about her experiences on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live, and what made Oprah's warmth and curiosity so special. The Art of Reinvention: From Beauty Icon to Wellness Warrior Kim candidly discusses retiring from modeling at 26 when her Revlon contract ended, and how having a "brand" before anyone understood what that meant opened unexpected doors. Discover how she transitioned through multiple careers—broadcasting, writing 10 books (including e-books on Amazon that required learning an entirely new writing style without citations), and eventually finding her true calling in health and wellness. Kim explains why being a great student didn't help in modeling but became her superpower in every career that followed. Aging Gracefully at 65: No Surgeries, Just Science and Discipline Kim shares her philosophy on healthy aging, revealing she's 65 years old and hasn't had any cosmetic surgeries—she's living proof that nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle choices create lasting beauty. As the Wellness Ambassador for Trilogy active adult communities, she creates meal plans, inspires residents, and recently completed her integrative health practitioner certification to dive deep into functional medicine, at-home testing, and how different systems in the body affect each other. Reducing Inflammation: Practical Tips for Feeling Your Best Get actionable wellness advice as Kim breaks down the inflammation epidemic affecting so many people. Learn which foods are inflammatory (wheat, nightshades like tomatoes, certain vegetables high in oxalates) and why most people are severely imbalanced between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Kim explains why supplementing with omega-3s can be life-changing unless you're eating four to five servings of salmon, sardines, anchovies, or mackerel weekly—and the important caveat about blood thinners. Mental Health Thr