On any given night inside an energetic dining room, the noise is part of the rhythm — the clatter of plates, bursts of laughter, and the hum of conversations layered over one another. For Alie McLean, this organized chaos has always felt like home.
She has spent most of her adult life working in restaurants, drawn to the unique sense of connection that forms when people gather to celebrate, unwind, and share pieces of their lives across a table. Beneath the pace and unpredictability of a busy shift, she says, something deeper is always unfolding.
“When you work long shifts together night after night, the people beside you become more than co-workers; they become family,” Alie reflected.
Today, Alie moves between two worlds that at first glance might seem to be opposites. By day, she teaches Pilates at Dose in Downtown Memphis, guiding clients through intentional movement and breath. By night, she works the floor at Moondance Grill in Germantown, helping create the very dining experiences she has long found meaningful.
But for her, hospitality and wellness are far more intertwined than many people realize.
“Both are rooted in service,” Alie explained. “In restaurants, you’re creating spaces where people gather and connect. In wellness, you’re helping people reconnect with themselves.”
Before she ever stepped onto a restaurant floor or into a Pilates studio, movement was already shaping her life. Growing up, she was an athlete, immersed in the camaraderie and discipline of team sports. She fell in love with both the physical challenge and the sense of belonging that comes from showing up for something bigger than yourself.
Yet alongside those formative experiences were struggles that would follow her into adulthood. In high school, she battled anorexia and body image issues, beginning a long period of feeling disconnected from her body and from herself.
Eventually, movement became one of the first pathways back.
Pilates marked a turning point she didn’t initially recognize. What began as a workout slowly became something much more profound — a practice that taught her how to breathe again, how to slow down, and how to experience strength without judgment.
“It helped me sit with discomfort,” said Alie. “It helped me feel strength in my body instead of constantly fighting against it.”
At Dose, she now witnesses that same transformation in others. The studio has become not only a workplace, but also a community — one where people show up consistently for themselves and for one another. For Alie, being part of that environment has been deeply healing.
Her wellness journey, however, was shaped by some of the most difficult seasons of her life. She began drinking heavily as a teenager, long before she understood the pain she was trying to numb. What started as a social activity eventually became a coping mechanism for anxiety, mental health struggles, and what she describes as “the constant noise” in her mind. She found herself completely lost.
“I hit rock bottom more than once,” Alie shared. “I went to treatment multiple times before sobriety finally started to stick.”
For years, she carried intense shame around those setbacks. Now, she sees them differently. She has learned that healing, like many other aspects in life, is rarely linear. It often looks like falling down, getting back up, and trying again — sometimes repeatedly.
Sobriety forced her to confront emotions she had been avoiding. There was a time when her mental health reached a point so low that she struggled to see a future at all. In those darkest moments, survival became less about long-term goals and more about one simple act: showing up for another day.
Over time, those small acts began to create momentum. Movement became a lifeline — a place to channel anxiety, grief, and uncertainty. But more than a physical outlet, it offered perspective.
“When you’ve been in really dark places, something as simple as breathing and moving becomes profound,” Alie said. “It reminds you what a privilege it is to be alive.”
Alie’s relationship with pain has shifted, too. Where she once sought to avoid discomfort at all costs, she now views it as an essential part of growth. That, she said, became a signal that something inside was asking to be acknowledged or transformed.
Some of her most meaningful personal breakthroughs came from moments that felt unbearable at the time — moments when everything cracked open, and she had no choice but to rebuild more honestly.
Today, that resilience carries into every part of her life, including her work in the restaurant industry. While hospitality culture is often associated with late nights and drinking, Alie has found deep support among her co-workers as she continues her sobriety journey.
“Restaurant people have a way of showing up for each other that’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived it,” shared Alie. “Over time, those relationships become something really special.”
Memphis itself has also played a significant role in her healing. She describes both the restaurant and wellness communities as filled with passionate, resilient individuals who care deeply about connection.
“In many ways, they’re more intertwined than people realize,” Alie said. “Both spaces are about taking care of others and helping people feel a little more human.”
Alie’s definition of wellness has evolved dramatically. Where she once equated it with perfection — strict control over food, appearance, and routine — she now sees it as something far more grounded.
“Wellness means honesty. It means compassion. It means learning how to care for your mind, your body, and your relationships in ways that feel sustainable and real.”
That mindset is guiding her next chapter. In addition to teaching Pilates, Alie is currently working toward certification as a personal trainer and wellness coach, a goal she approaches with both excitement and humility.
She is also quick to acknowledge the people who have supported her along the way: friends, family, co-workers, and especially her partner, whose patience and encouragement have helped her continue rebuilding her life.
Despite the progress she has made, Alie is candid about the fact that growth is ongoing. She still struggles at times. But she has come to believe that healing happens when people allow themselves to show up imperfectly, with honesty and willingness.
At the heart of her story is a simple message — one shaped by years of navigating darkness, rediscovering strength, and finding connection in unexpected places.
“None of us really have it figured out,” said Alie. “We’re all just human beings doing our best — trying to grow, trying to heal, and trying to walk each other home.”
By Beth Wilson
Photo by Tindall Stephens
