In a quiet corner of Germantown, the smell of fresh sourdough bread now drifts out of a bustling bakery that didn’t exist just a few years ago. Behind the counter is Kat Alaina, a former gymnast, mother of four, fitness coach, and survivor, whose journey to opening Kat’s Sourdough & Juice Bar is inspiring for anyone looking to craft a new future.
Kat grew up in the Memphis area and competed as a gymnast, which gave her an early love for strength and fitness. As a young adult, Kat became a mother, welcoming four children within five years, and found she had no time to focus on herself. “I completely let go of fitness,” she recalls. “Life was about survival and raising my kids.”
After the birth of her youngest child, Kat moved back to Germantown and decided to try Silver Bull, a functional fitness gym, for a trial class, and immediately felt something familiar. The structure, discipline, and physical challenge reminded her of gymnastics. The workout combined functional training, weightlifting, and high-intensity intervals, all guided by coaches who pushed members to improve, a structure and discipline reminiscent of the one she had loved growing up in gymnastics. “My life changed in every way starting from that day forward,” Kat says.
At the time, Kat was rebuilding from immense personal challenges. A survivor of domestic abuse, she had left her former husband and suddenly found herself raising four children alone. Without a college degree and needing stability, she took a job as a pharmacy technician, an opportunity she appreciated; however, she quickly felt bored and uninspired by the work, though she recognized she needed a real career to support her kids. While many may have stuck with the stable job despite finding it unfulfilling, Kat was determined to find a career that motivated her and kept her engaged. Silver Bull remained a place of reprieve during this transitional time, and Kat quickly began to consider a future as a fitness coach.
Kat had joined Silver Bull as a client in June 2019, and by November of that year, she asked the owner and physical therapist, Ahmed Alaina, if she could be trained to become a coach. When the pandemic hit, the timing unexpectedly worked in her favor. She began training under Ahmed and immersed herself in learning movement, programming, and coaching.
For the next five years, she coached classes and helped grow the gym’s community. The partnership worked so well that the gym thrived, and the relationship between coach and mentor eventually became something more. In a sweet, cosmic turn, Kat and Ahmed became a couple and married two years ago.
Fitness also deepened Kat’s interest in nutrition. Fifteen years earlier, Kat had been diagnosed with gluten sensitivity, later confirmed as Celiac disease. For years, she dealt with digestive discomfort, but learning more about nutrition through coaching helped her rethink how food could support health and performance. Her deeper curiosity about nutrition and her gluten sensitivity led her to experiment with baking sourdough. “I started baking loaves just for fun,” she says. “Then I’d bring them to the gym and give them away.” Friends loved her sourdough, and demand quickly grew beyond the gym community. Around Christmas in 2023, Kat posted on the Germantown community bulletin board offering sourdough for sale. What began as a few loaves quickly turned into something much bigger, and by Christmas 2024, the demand was overwhelming. “I had 25 people lined up outside my house for pickups,” she says. “That’s when I realized this might be something real.” She invested in a commercial mixer and oven and began organizing weekly pickups, which led to an immediate, enthusiastic response from her community.
In 2025, Kat took the leap and opened a brick-and-mortar location for Kat’s Sourdough, with the initial plan to split the concept with the existing Clean Juice in Germantown. Just weeks later, she received an offer to buy out Clean Juice’s share of the store. Determined to keep the space alive and aligned with her health-focused vision, she purchased the business and merged the concepts.
Today, the bakery produces sourdough loaves, bagels, and other naturally fermented breads alongside fresh juices, creating a hub for health-minded locals. Kat is now training a team of bakers and watching the business continue to grow through word of mouth. “There are honestly no words for the growth,” she says. Kat expresses her overwhelming gratitude to her Silver Bull and Germantown communities, who supported her every step of the way as she chased her dreams. Now expanding the shop’s offerings, Kat is focused on continuing to grow the business while keeping the same community feel that started it.
Learn more about Kat’s Sourdough & Juice Bar at their website Katsourdoughandjuice.com, or visit them in store at 9379 Poplar Avenue!
By Zoe Harrison
Photo by Tindall Stephens
