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When nothing is certain…
anything is possible

Our story

When we first opened our flagship studio on LA Brea over 7 years ago I could never have imagined how much we’d go through together… how much we’d GROW together. Laughter, tears, babies, breakups, new jobs, a new name, lockdowns, protests and even a pandemic. We made friends, shared secrets, fell apart, built back up, and sweated a lot! We said goodbye to our brick and mortar home, and hello to a new global family. It’s been a hell of a ride and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

 

This whole adventure started back in 2014. I had just moved back to Los Angeles from England and found myself in one of those ‘in-between moments’, leaving one life behind and not knowing what was coming next. I had already been in fitness for almost 10 years but it had always been a side hustle, something I did just because I loved it. Teaching all those years, I got to experience first hand how much the right kind of workout could heal bodies and minds. I started looking for a studio where I could work my shit out, a place to help me get to the other side of that lost feeling. I needed somewhere that would strengthen both my body and my mind where I could find my way back to me. I looked and looked all over LA and even online, but the kind of studio and space I needed just wasn’t out there. Then, one day while walking my pups, I heard ’that voice’…. the one that sneaks in to tell you the truth and show you the way even if it seems crazy or impossible at the time. It said “If you can’t find it, you are just going to have to build it yourself”. There had to be other people out there looking for the same kind of workout, right??! I had never dreamed of opening a fitness studio, or any other business for that matter, but that voice would not go away… so I listened.

The realization was both exciting AND terrifying. I suddenly knew what I needed to do: create a studio where people could could come to sculpt a strong body and mind, sweat out old habits and stretch to their potential. Only problem was that I had absolutely no idea how to take on something that big, especially with no money and no real business experience. It seemed so overwhelming that I was ready to quit before I could even start. Then I remembered…”The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek”.  I was definitely scared, so I figured this must be the right place. I entered the cave.

I got a credit card, drained my bank account, sold my car, moved into a tiny apartment and got to work. I learned how to lay floors, install ballet barres, use power tools and create a business plan. Fueled by pizza and adrenaline friends showed up to help in any way they could. We stopped sleeping and built the whole place out in just a few weeks. After all the construction was done there was no money left for an actual sign, so we stuck decals on the window and unveiled my dream studio. We named her Barre Belle. I was in love. For the first year, I taught every class, returned every email, cleaned every toilet and almost dropped dead from exhaustion. It was perfect.

Over the years we evolved into something even more beautiful and powerful than I could have ever imagined back when this all started. The studio grew. We changed our name to M/BODY. More amazing women joined the team. We bought a real sign to hang on the building. Classes sold out. We had made it! When the pandemic suddenly shut our beloved studio doors in 2020, we faced a terrifying unknown once again… but this time I wasn’t alone. Instead of letting the closures break us down, everyone worked twice as hard to find a way to stay connected and take care of each other. Overnight our tiny team had to learn a whole new way to work. We taught ourselves how to use new technology, produce videos, stream live classes and find new ways to bring the magic of the studio into everyone’s home. There was very little sleep and a whole lot of tears those first few months of lockdown, but we kept showing up and so did our community. While so many things were tearing us apart, we found a way to stay connected and grow even stronger. Going online meant we were no longer limited walls or location. We started coming together from different countries, time zones and even speaking different languages. From all over the world we found that together we M/BODY strength, courage, grit, fearlessness, dedication, trust, respect, support and love. We became a global community… a M/BODY family.

The strongest body is built
from the inside out