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My barre3 Journey: Our VP of Franchise Operations Shares Her Story
Any other magazine would have turned this into a before and after story—the old Harper and (tada!) the new and improved me. But, despite what the fitness world wants you to believe, that’s not how it works. There is no “before” and no “after,” there is only a journey—and I’m so excited to share mine with you.
What the pictures don’t show
Like most journeys, there’s no official “beginning” to mine, but let’s start with where I was eight years ago, in that photo you see above, on the left. The main thing you’ll notice is that I was 30 pounds heavier, but that only tells a tiny fraction of the story. What you can’t see in the photo is how I felt at that time—and that’s so much more crucial than how much I weighed.
I had recently had my second daughter, and I had put my career as a land-use planner on hold to be a stay-at-home mom to my two girls. Although I had been a dancer as a child and had always been fairly active, my new life had thrown me off course. I wasn’t getting enough sleep, my energy was extremely low, and I was eating foods that weren’t fueling my body. And to top things off, I slipped a disc in my back and was in intense chronic pain. I didn’t feel strong in my body or my mind, and everything—even this simplest tasks—felt like a struggle. I knew I was not in a good state, but I didn’t know the way out.
The turning point
A few friends who knew I used to dance told me I should try barre3, but when I walked past the studio in the Pearl and glanced in the windows, my first thought was, “I don’t look like those people.” I didn’t have the gear, my hair wasn’t right, I wasn’t wearing any make-up. I was sure I didn’t belong there, so I didn’t go inside.
But then I got a coupon in the mail for free childcare at the studio, and even though I had written it off just a few weeks before, I reconsidered. I had hit a point where I realized I couldn’t afford not to go, and this coupon gave me the extra nudge I needed.
Bonney was my instructor for that first class, and during the workout she said something I’ll never forget. I was wearing my crummy pants and an old t-shirt, looking anything but glamorous, but she looked at me at one point and said, “Oh my gosh, were you a dancer?”
That moment was everything. Bonney saw something in me that I knew was there but thought I had lost long ago. I felt something lift. This is not to say the class was easy—I remember thinking I was going to throw up and then pass out during the workout—but I made it through.
Finding my B3 groove
I started going to classes regularly, and I felt the results almost immediately. I felt taller, and my confidence started climbing. And my butt! I remember noticing this feeling of strength in my glutes and thinking, “I didn’t even know a muscle could feel like that!” Best of all, my back started feeling amazing. After trying everything from chiropractors to physical therapy, I was finally pain-free.
After all that progress, I decided there was no way I was going to put junk into my body, so I joined a CSA and started cooking whole foods. I avoided white foods and alcohol, but I never subscribed to total deprivation. And I was never that person who served my family one meal while I nibbled on my own personal little salad. I prepare the same things for all of us, i just eat them in different proportion—heavier on the greens lighter on the carbs.
My newfound strength and energy weren’t just in my body—my mind felt awakened, too. I was suddenly eager to tackle all kinds of projects I had been putting off for years. People who had met me a few years back didn’t recognize me—and it wasn’t just because I had lost weight. I was a more pleasant person to be around, and I was definitely a better mother—more patient and more understanding.
Turning my lifestyle into my livelihood
About two years into my B3 journey, my husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told him I wanted time to do B3 two times that day. He said, “if you’re at the studio that often, you should work there!” He was joking (sort of), but I loved the idea. I talked to my local studio about teaching, went through training and became an instructor, and a year later I became a Lead Instructor.
Every time a new client comes into the studio, I reach back to my own first day, and I let that drive me. I remind myself that we’re all vulnerable, and that I have no idea what has happened in that client’s life. Everybody comes into the studio with something, and my job is to create a safe environment for them to thrive in. It’s funny—before barre3 I didn’t even know this job existed, but now I can’t imagine doing anything else. This is what I was meant to do.
The not-the-end of the story
If this were a before and after story, this is where it would end, all tied up in a nice bow the moment I became a Lead Instructor. But like I said, it’s a journey, and the journey continues. I adore being a Lead Instructor and I love barre3 as much as ever, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still ups and downs, setbacks and adjustments.
For me, the biggest challenge has been figuring out how to maintain a healthy lifestyle as circumstances change. When I first embarked on this lifestyle, I was a stay-at-home mom and had plenty of time to shop for healthy ingredients and prepare nutritious meals for my family. Now that I’m working full time and traveling for my job regularly, things are a lot more hectic. Do I reach for a bag of chips when I’m on the road sometimes? Sure. Do I whip up some quick mac and cheese for my kids every now and then—and snag a few bites myself? Of course. But that’s ok. It’s not falling off the wagon, it’s simply veering off the track for a moment. Life isn’t linear. We don’t move forward—we sway. Being ok with that is crucial to healthy living.
It’s also challenging to find new ways to grow when day-to-day life keeps me beyond busy. But I thrive on growth, so I dug into the challenge and took up rowing this past year—something I would never have had the courage to do before b3. I’m out on the water from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., and back home in time to get my kids to school. That time on the water is my time—I can’t even have a phone out there. I’m with a team, I’m pushed in ways I never imagined I could handle, and I love it.
My B3 journey has truly been a transformative experience—and it has so little to do with the weight I lost. The weight loss doesn’t define me; it’s simply a byproduct of the larger transformation. The change that truly matters is the fundamental shift on the inside. I transformed my life, not just my body, and that is so much more important!
Any other magazine would have turned this into a before and after story—the old Harper and (tada!) the new and improved me. But, despite what the fitness world wants you to believe, that’s not how it works. There is no “before” and no “after,” there is only a journey—and I’m so excited to share mine with you.
What the pictures don’t show
Like most journeys, there’s no official “beginning” to mine, but let’s start with where I was eight years ago, in that photo you see above, on the left. The main thing you’ll notice is that I was 30 pounds heavier, but that only tells a tiny fraction of the story. What you can’t see in the photo is how I felt at that time—and that’s so much more crucial than how much I weighed.
I had recently had my second daughter, and I had put my career as a land-use planner on hold to be a stay-at-home mom to my two girls. Although I had been a dancer as a child and had always been fairly active, my new life had thrown me off course. I wasn’t getting enough sleep, my energy was extremely low, and I was eating foods that weren’t fueling my body. And to top things off, I slipped a disc in my back and was in intense chronic pain. I didn’t feel strong in my body or my mind, and everything—even this simplest tasks—felt like a struggle. I knew I was not in a good state, but I didn’t know the way out.
The turning point
A few friends who knew I used to dance told me I should try barre3, but when I walked past the studio in the Pearl and glanced in the windows, my first thought was, “I don’t look like those people.” I didn’t have the gear, my hair wasn’t right, I wasn’t wearing any make-up. I was sure I didn’t belong there, so I didn’t go inside.
But then I got a coupon in the mail for free childcare at the studio, and even though I had written it off just a few weeks before, I reconsidered. I had hit a point where I realized I couldn’t afford not to go, and this coupon gave me the extra nudge I needed.
Bonney was my instructor for that first class, and during the workout she said something I’ll never forget. I was wearing my crummy pants and an old t-shirt, looking anything but glamorous, but she looked at me at one point and said, “Oh my gosh, were you a dancer?”
That moment was everything. Bonney saw something in me that I knew was there but thought I had lost long ago. I felt something lift. This is not to say the class was easy—I remember thinking I was going to throw up and then pass out during the workout—but I made it through.
Finding my B3 groove
I started going to classes regularly, and I felt the results almost immediately. I felt taller, and my confidence started climbing. And my butt! I remember noticing this feeling of strength in my glutes and thinking, “I didn’t even know a muscle could feel like that!” Best of all, my back started feeling amazing. After trying everything from chiropractors to physical therapy, I was finally pain-free.
After all that progress, I decided there was no way I was going to put junk into my body, so I joined a CSA and started cooking whole foods. I avoided white foods and alcohol, but I never subscribed to total deprivation. And I was never that person who served my family one meal while I nibbled on my own personal little salad. I prepare the same things for all of us, i just eat them in different proportion—heavier on the greens lighter on the carbs.
My newfound strength and energy weren’t just in my body—my mind felt awakened, too. I was suddenly eager to tackle all kinds of projects I had been putting off for years. People who had met me a few years back didn’t recognize me—and it wasn’t just because I had lost weight. I was a more pleasant person to be around, and I was definitely a better mother—more patient and more understanding.
Turning my lifestyle into my livelihood
About two years into my B3 journey, my husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told him I wanted time to do B3 two times that day. He said, “if you’re at the studio that often, you should work there!” He was joking (sort of), but I loved the idea. I talked to my local studio about teaching, went through training and became an instructor, and a year later I became a Lead Instructor.
Every time a new client comes into the studio, I reach back to my own first day, and I let that drive me. I remind myself that we’re all vulnerable, and that I have no idea what has happened in that client’s life. Everybody comes into the studio with something, and my job is to create a safe environment for them to thrive in. It’s funny—before barre3 I didn’t even know this job existed, but now I can’t imagine doing anything else. This is what I was meant to do.
The not-the-end of the story
If this were a before and after story, this is where it would end, all tied up in a nice bow the moment I became a Lead Instructor. But like I said, it’s a journey, and the journey continues. I adore being a Lead Instructor and I love barre3 as much as ever, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still ups and downs, setbacks and adjustments.
For me, the biggest challenge has been figuring out how to maintain a healthy lifestyle as circumstances change. When I first embarked on this lifestyle, I was a stay-at-home mom and had plenty of time to shop for healthy ingredients and prepare nutritious meals for my family. Now that I’m working full time and traveling for my job regularly, things are a lot more hectic. Do I reach for a bag of chips when I’m on the road sometimes? Sure. Do I whip up some quick mac and cheese for my kids every now and then—and snag a few bites myself? Of course. But that’s ok. It’s not falling off the wagon, it’s simply veering off the track for a moment. Life isn’t linear. We don’t move forward—we sway. Being ok with that is crucial to healthy living.
It’s also challenging to find new ways to grow when day-to-day life keeps me beyond busy. But I thrive on growth, so I dug into the challenge and took up rowing this past year—something I would never have had the courage to do before b3. I’m out on the water from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., and back home in time to get my kids to school. That time on the water is my time—I can’t even have a phone out there. I’m with a team, I’m pushed in ways I never imagined I could handle, and I love it.
My B3 journey has truly been a transformative experience—and it has so little to do with the weight I lost. The weight loss doesn’t define me; it’s simply a byproduct of the larger transformation. The change that truly matters is the fundamental shift on the inside. I transformed my life, not just my body, and that is so much more important!
