Connect
STUDIO OWNER STORIES: JEN BOBODZHANOV, BARRE3 BOISE & BARRE3 EAGLE
When Jen Bobodzhanov walked into her first barre3 class in 2014, she didn’t expect it to change her life. At the time, she was searching for a new way of being — and what she ultimately found was more than just a workout. Barre3 was a safe space to quiet her inner critic, reconnect with her body, and ultimately, discover her purpose.
In the years since, Jen has gone from client to instructor and proud owner of two barre3 studios in Idaho. Through it all, she’s remained grounded in the values that first drew her in: mindful movement, community connection, and the belief that fitness can be a pathway to healing.
In this conversation, Jen shares her deeply personal journey — how barre3 supported her through disordered eating recovery, what it means to lead with purpose, and why this community continues to shape her life in and outside the studio.
B3 BLOG: Thank you for sitting down with us today, Jen! To start, can you tell us about your journey to barre3?
Jen: I found barre3 in 2014 while living in Kirkland, Washington. My first class was a pivotal moment during a time when I was actively trying to shed perfectionism, societal pressures, and the constant focus on outer body metrics, in favor of cultivating a deeper sense of presence. My mental chatter was so intense at the time, I’m surprised I even made it through the studio doors! Then, as soon as we moved into the first plank of class, something shifted in me. I experienced present-moment awareness for the first time in my life. My inner critic completely stopped, and I thought, I want everyone to feel this! That profound realization set me on the path towards studio ownership. Three years later, after signing a barre3 franchise agreement for barre3 Eagle, I became an instructor so I could share that transformative experience with others. Years later, in 2024, I opened my second studio – barre3 Boise.
B3: Can you share more about your inner critic, and how barre3 helped silence that voice?
Jen: As early as age 8, I developed disordered eating habits. I would lie in bed and criticize myself, feeling a fierce desire to have a body that looked the way I thought it should look based on external measures. Later in life, I started therapy to improve my mental health. I was making headway with my therapist, but I was still struggling to find a fitness community that didn’t trigger my old thought patterns and disordered eating habits. That changed when I found barre3. From that first class, the instructor never referenced the outer body. Instead, they guided me to feel my hands on the floor, feel my muscles engage, and feel heat build in my shoulders. Right away, it was mentally safe for me. My attention was directed inward instead of outward.
B3: Thank you for sharing that personal story. I’m so glad barre3 was a part of your healing!
Jen: I’m very grateful I found barre3 at a time in my life when I really needed it.
B3: Tell us about the experience of building your first barre3 studio.
Jen: I loved that the barre3 franchise team provided a step-by-step guide for building my studio. They fostered a supportive and empowering experience for me as a new studio owner. I started growing my studio community in Eagle a full year before we even opened our doors. I hosted community classes in my yard or inside my house, and eventually moved those classes to ballet studios as my instructor team grew. We opened barre3 Eagle with 200 members!
B3: That’s incredible! It’s clear your hustle paid off. Shifting to post-opening, how does being a barre3 franchisee support the success of your studios?
Jen: I love that I don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to operating my business. As a franchisor, barre3 provides studio owners with structure and strategic playbooks. I always stick to the barre3 brand standards; the more local studio owners adhere to the brand, the more power we have collectively. I’ll also share that I was a member of the Franchise Advisory Council* for three years during the COVID pandemic. I was one of a small number of studio owners that worked behind the scenes with barre3 corporate, while all studio owners were making very big, very impactful decisions about their business. During those years, I watched [the team] continually return to the company’s core values. From the beginning of my time as a barre3 studio owner, I trusted that (co-founder and CEO) Sadie (Lincoln) would ensure that the company’s values would always win. I watched that in action during the pandemic. It was inspiring.
B3: What’s the best part of being barre3 studio owner?
Jen: The studio owner network! In the past, with my other business ventures, I was very lonely as a business owner. Now, I have a core friend group of fellow barre3 studio owners, and all of us studio owners are inherently besties. We all share the same mission and vision for our studios and communities. I love the fact that studio ownership is not competitive. There’s no gatekeeping within the [company] or within the studio owner network.
B3: What differentiates barre3 from other fitness practices and brands?
Jen: When you take a barre3 class, not only are you practicing physical fitness, but mental fitness as well. I’m so passionate about the way we bring mindfulness to fitness. We help our clients train their brains to hold one thought at a time – to notice one thing at a time – in a world that is more noisy every single day. We need barre3 now more than ever.
B3: Speaking of the wider community, you have a couple of exciting events on the horizon. Can you tell us about them?
Jen: Yes! First, I’m proud to announce that barre3 Boise and barre3 Eagle will be hosting a special community event at Boise State University on September 13, 2025, in support of Boise State Women’s Athletics. I’ll be leading a barre3 Signature class on the iconic blue turf of Albertsons Stadium with my incredible instructor team and DJ Eric Rhodes. This is a big moment for us, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to support women’s athletics and give back to the community. For anyone interested in participating in the event, follow us on Instagram @barre3eagle or @barre3boise for information on event registration. Finally, I will be the Keynote Speaker at the 2025 Annual Inspire Conference in Boise this fall. My dream to help others overcome their inner critic started in a plank and is now the foundation for my keynote address. I am so grateful for the gift of barre3 studio ownership and where it’s taken me… you never know where barre3 will take you!
B3: Thank you, Jen!
*The barre3 Franchise Advisory Council (FAC) consists of a small group of studio owners, representing each region of the country, who serve as the voice of the studio owner network. The FAC regularly meets with the barre3 corporate team to share feedback and work together to make the company stronger, working toward the common goal of redefining success in fitness.
Interested in exploring barre3 studio ownership? Our team is here to guide you every step of the way. Let’s connect and explore what’s possible — together. Learn more about becoming a barre3 studio owner today.
When Jen Bobodzhanov walked into her first barre3 class in 2014, she didn’t expect it to change her life. At the time, she was searching for a new way of being — and what she ultimately found was more than just a workout. Barre3 was a safe space to quiet her inner critic, reconnect with her body, and ultimately, discover her purpose.
In the years since, Jen has gone from client to instructor and proud owner of two barre3 studios in Idaho. Through it all, she’s remained grounded in the values that first drew her in: mindful movement, community connection, and the belief that fitness can be a pathway to healing.
In this conversation, Jen shares her deeply personal journey — how barre3 supported her through disordered eating recovery, what it means to lead with purpose, and why this community continues to shape her life in and outside the studio.
B3 BLOG: Thank you for sitting down with us today, Jen! To start, can you tell us about your journey to barre3?
Jen: I found barre3 in 2014 while living in Kirkland, Washington. My first class was a pivotal moment during a time when I was actively trying to shed perfectionism, societal pressures, and the constant focus on outer body metrics, in favor of cultivating a deeper sense of presence. My mental chatter was so intense at the time, I’m surprised I even made it through the studio doors! Then, as soon as we moved into the first plank of class, something shifted in me. I experienced present-moment awareness for the first time in my life. My inner critic completely stopped, and I thought, I want everyone to feel this! That profound realization set me on the path towards studio ownership. Three years later, after signing a barre3 franchise agreement for barre3 Eagle, I became an instructor so I could share that transformative experience with others. Years later, in 2024, I opened my second studio – barre3 Boise.
B3: Can you share more about your inner critic, and how barre3 helped silence that voice?
Jen: As early as age 8, I developed disordered eating habits. I would lie in bed and criticize myself, feeling a fierce desire to have a body that looked the way I thought it should look based on external measures. Later in life, I started therapy to improve my mental health. I was making headway with my therapist, but I was still struggling to find a fitness community that didn’t trigger my old thought patterns and disordered eating habits. That changed when I found barre3. From that first class, the instructor never referenced the outer body. Instead, they guided me to feel my hands on the floor, feel my muscles engage, and feel heat build in my shoulders. Right away, it was mentally safe for me. My attention was directed inward instead of outward.
B3: Thank you for sharing that personal story. I’m so glad barre3 was a part of your healing!
Jen: I’m very grateful I found barre3 at a time in my life when I really needed it.
B3: Tell us about the experience of building your first barre3 studio.
Jen: I loved that the barre3 franchise team provided a step-by-step guide for building my studio. They fostered a supportive and empowering experience for me as a new studio owner. I started growing my studio community in Eagle a full year before we even opened our doors. I hosted community classes in my yard or inside my house, and eventually moved those classes to ballet studios as my instructor team grew. We opened barre3 Eagle with 200 members!
B3: That’s incredible! It’s clear your hustle paid off. Shifting to post-opening, how does being a barre3 franchisee support the success of your studios?
Jen: I love that I don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to operating my business. As a franchisor, barre3 provides studio owners with structure and strategic playbooks. I always stick to the barre3 brand standards; the more local studio owners adhere to the brand, the more power we have collectively. I’ll also share that I was a member of the Franchise Advisory Council* for three years during the COVID pandemic. I was one of a small number of studio owners that worked behind the scenes with barre3 corporate, while all studio owners were making very big, very impactful decisions about their business. During those years, I watched [the team] continually return to the company’s core values. From the beginning of my time as a barre3 studio owner, I trusted that (co-founder and CEO) Sadie (Lincoln) would ensure that the company’s values would always win. I watched that in action during the pandemic. It was inspiring.
B3: What’s the best part of being barre3 studio owner?
Jen: The studio owner network! In the past, with my other business ventures, I was very lonely as a business owner. Now, I have a core friend group of fellow barre3 studio owners, and all of us studio owners are inherently besties. We all share the same mission and vision for our studios and communities. I love the fact that studio ownership is not competitive. There’s no gatekeeping within the [company] or within the studio owner network.
B3: What differentiates barre3 from other fitness practices and brands?
Jen: When you take a barre3 class, not only are you practicing physical fitness, but mental fitness as well. I’m so passionate about the way we bring mindfulness to fitness. We help our clients train their brains to hold one thought at a time – to notice one thing at a time – in a world that is more noisy every single day. We need barre3 now more than ever.
B3: Speaking of the wider community, you have a couple of exciting events on the horizon. Can you tell us about them?
Jen: Yes! First, I’m proud to announce that barre3 Boise and barre3 Eagle will be hosting a special community event at Boise State University on September 13, 2025, in support of Boise State Women’s Athletics. I’ll be leading a barre3 Signature class on the iconic blue turf of Albertsons Stadium with my incredible instructor team and DJ Eric Rhodes. This is a big moment for us, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to support women’s athletics and give back to the community. For anyone interested in participating in the event, follow us on Instagram @barre3eagle or @barre3boise for information on event registration. Finally, I will be the Keynote Speaker at the 2025 Annual Inspire Conference in Boise this fall. My dream to help others overcome their inner critic started in a plank and is now the foundation for my keynote address. I am so grateful for the gift of barre3 studio ownership and where it’s taken me… you never know where barre3 will take you!
B3: Thank you, Jen!
*The barre3 Franchise Advisory Council (FAC) consists of a small group of studio owners, representing each region of the country, who serve as the voice of the studio owner network. The FAC regularly meets with the barre3 corporate team to share feedback and work together to make the company stronger, working toward the common goal of redefining success in fitness.
Interested in exploring barre3 studio ownership? Our team is here to guide you every step of the way. Let’s connect and explore what’s possible — together. Learn more about becoming a barre3 studio owner today.
