Diversity. We’re used to hearing about it in all sorts of contexts, but today I want to talk about the role it plays in our health. What, you might be wondering, does diversity have to do with health? Everything.
I grew up in a fitness industry where the vast majority of products and services were attached to a very specific ideal. This ideal changes over time, but one thing remains the same: It’s almost always narrowly defined, and it’s attached to specific images of what graceful, sexy, or strong are supposed to look like. These messages we’re fed slowly chip away at our own sense of self, our own sexy, our own strong, and our own grace.
As individuals, we start to attach different brands of exercise to a specific image. This is in large part due to marketing, but also from experience—and here’s where I want to get real with you. Have you ever walked into a barre3 studio and felt like everyone looks the same except for you? I bet you have. I rarely meet clients who do not experience this feeling of not fitting in. Even people who seemingly “look the part” feel this way. Or maybe you’ve never come to a studio class but you have an image connected to it. I bet this image has something to do with ballet dancers with long sinewy legs, graceful postures, and, let’s be honest, expensive yoga wear. Sure this is some of our wonderful population. But this image is not our full, vibrant story. This preconceived ideal does not define barre3. You know what defines barre3? Being committed to real.
I’ve made a conscious choice to fight the barre stereotype. To break the mold of sameness. Sameness bugs me to my core, and I am working to change it.
First why it bugs me. I am not interested in being in a community of sameness. Sameness is boring and attached to ideas of perfection. A dead end with nowhere to grow. Sameness takes away the room to learn, grow, create, and be empowered as fiercely unique individuals. Sameness robs us of our power. It takes away the incredible chemistry of bringing different people together to learn and grow from one another. Sameness squashes collective wisdom—and collective wisdom is exactly how I continue to build barre3.
Have you ever heard us say “You are your own best teacher”? This is a reflection of our core value that YOU being YOU is way more interesting than copying. Copying skips understanding. Think about that. When you just follow along with everyone else, you miss out on opportunities to live fully in your body, in your mood, in your aspirations, in your wonderful brilliance. I could go on and on, but I think you hear what I’m saying. Sameness is a dead-end and boring. Diversity equals growth and potential.
Now back to my studios and what we’re doing to make sure YOU ALL HEAR LOUD AND CLEAR that we want you to bring your authentic self into our community. Diversity in age, gender, race, shapes, sizes, who you worship, who you love, and everything in between, in our studios and in our broader online community, is something I am incredibly passionate about. You can see this reflected throughout our entire company and our larger community. We are making great strides. Go to any of our studio classes and you’ll find a community of unique and fiercely independent people. No followers here, but we do have alignment around our collective drive to find balance both in body and life. Each of us defines balance differently—and it’s that uniqueness that makes our classes so alive. We thrive when we are amongst people different from us, and that’s why the energy in every B3 class is so palpable—and so contagious.
And while everyone in class is fueled by the energy of the group, the real focus is on each person as an individual. At B3, we empower each and every client to move in a way that their body is designed to move—versus trying to stretch, bend, and struggle through moves just to look like the instructor or others in the class. We turn the attention from the external mirror to what I call the interior mirror—the mirror that focuses our attention inward to check in with how we feel, how our body is aligned, how our heart is thumping, how the left and right brain are connecting, how our breathing expands, contracts, and fuels us. We look inside to study our energy levels, and we honor when we need to blow off steam or unwind, to push hard, or to restore. And when we do this, guess what happens? Results. Sustainable results. This approach fuels each of us to get a satisfying challenging workout that also feels good.
One of the best moments of my day is when I log onto the comment board on B3 Online. As I watch the comments streaming in, I see our diverse backgrounds and worldviews shine through. We are aligned philosophically around the desire to connect in a meaningful way—to each other but also to ourselves and our relationship with food and exercise. We cheer on the single mom struggling to get her workout on, the athlete training for a marathon, the nurse surviving the night shift, and the college kid dealing with the stress of finals—not to mention student loans piling up.
Lastly, beyond valuing a supportive community and our commitment to real, there is another common trait I know about you. One thing I observe over and over again about each of you is your insatiable drive and appetite for bettering yourself. You are a bunch of busy people with full lives. You love to achieve and be successful. You are not interested in the easy way out. You want a workout that challenges you but also respects you. I want this too, and I promise to keep growing right next to you, and delivering a diverse experience that you deserve and crave.
To read more about how B3 is committed to real, check out these articles:
Let’s Change the Conversation About Aging
Replacing Perfection with Progress
Why Being Healthy Isn’t All On You
A Skewed Definition of Health and Beauty
Why I’m All For Aging
