Sadie Lincoln Is Rewriting The Fitness Story — Thoughts On Movement, Community, Risk & Vulnerability

From the moment the alarm jars you awake, life is a harried rush. Commuting, coffee, e-mails, meetings and take out.

Getting Jenny to soccer practice and Billy back from theatre. When you finally land home, you’re too beat to move. So you crash on the couch and doze off with a pint. Rinse and repeat.

We all do the best we can. But the pressures of daily life can leave us stressed and exhausted. Sedentary and stiff, our shoulders slump. Our spine rounds and our stance is lopsided. Without corrective action, we can’t function properly. And everything we do — including exercise — only exacerbates the problem.

Let’s just say Sadie Lincoln can relate. When her career with a global fitness brand almost broke her, she knew something had to change.

Sadie and her husband Chris quit their jobs and downsized their lives to pursue an idea most said was bat shit crazy.

Hence was born barre3, a fitness company focused not on weight loss but rather on body positivity and personal empowerment.

What started as a personal workout blossomed into a daily practice embraced by millions. Since its 2008 inception, barre3 has grown to more than 140 franchise studios powered by female entrepreneurs, plus an online-workout streaming-subscriber base in 98+ countries.

Sadie is on Inc. magazine’s Female Founders 100 list, has been featured on NPR’s How I Built This, and speaks regularly on the topics of mindful leadership, the power of body wisdom and the movement to redefine what success in fitness means.

Today she shares her story.

If you enjoyed my conversation with WeWork co founder Miguel McKelvey from July 2019 (RRP #452), then you may recall Miguel’s untraditional upbringing — collectively raised by his mom and her small group of friends he called ‘aunties’.

Sadie grew up in that very same community. Although not genetically related, Sadie and Miguel nonetheless consider themselves brother and sister. So, we talk about that.

We discuss how Sadie’s love of motion, creativity and teaching informs her particular strain of entrepreneurship and activism.

We talk about what it means to not just create a business — but a movement. The importance of serendipity in the world of fitness. And why physical balance also requires spiritual balance.

Finally, we explore Sadie’s commitment to empowering women. To cultivating their voices. And sharing their stories.

But more than anything, this is a conversation about the importance of defining your values. Staying true no matter what. And creating the change you want to see in yourself and the world — even if it requires risking everything.

The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you enjoyed my conversation with Kelly McGonigal, you’re going to love Sadie.

May you find this conversation as enlightening and transformative as I did.

Peace + Plants,