Mira Alifantis '22 co-founded Start Strong with her twin sister, Monica Alifantis. Start Strong is a women’s fitness company dedicated to helping women build strength, confidence, and sustainable healthy habits, with an emphasis on feeling strong rather than chasing unrealistic aesthetic standards.

This summer, Start Strong partnered with the Chicago Diabetes Project to host a community Pilates fundraiser at North Avenue Beach in Chicago. Mira led the class, helping raise funds and awareness for type 1 diabetes research.

Mira’s passion for the mission is deeply personal. She and her two siblings, Monica Alifantis and Benjamin Alifantis '19, all live with type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Their family’s firsthand experience with the condition has inspired their commitment to promoting health, empowering others, and supporting diabetes research.

Since its launch, Start Strong has continued to grow, recently expanding with the release of the Start Strong fitness app, now available on the Apple App Store. The app provides personalized workout programs, fitness planning tools, and coaching resources designed to help women build lifelong healthy habits.