Exploring Life & Business with Brit Guerin of Current Wellness

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brit Guerin.

Hi Brit , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
A big part of my story began as an athlete in college. While I have very positive memories and lessons from that time in my life, I also remember a major struggle with my body image. Tennis practice and sports conditioning were both to improve performance AND lose weight. I know now that these two goals are in direct conflict with one another. How could I fuel my body properly for my sport while also limit my intake to lose weight? At the time, I didn’t have this question to ponder.

In college, I studied kinesiology with the goal to become a fitness professional. Along this journey, a part of me was committed to exercise for health and to feel good and another part of me was committed to disordered eating and exercise. Thankfully, I can remember some great role models at Penn State and James Madison University (where I completed a Master’s degree), who taught me to lead fitness classes from an anti-diet lens (though anti-diet wasn’t in our vocabulary yet). This means using language like “move your body to feel good” and “feel the strength in your body” as opposed to “keep working to earn your pizza this weekend” or any cue that uses slimming and burning calories as motivation. This is where my perspective began to shift.

In 2013, I became the Fitness Coordinator at North Carolina State University and oversaw about 40 group fitness instructors and 10 personal trainers. I was committed to teaching students what I had learned in school. While I ensured that our group fitness instructors were only using empowering, anti-diet cues, we still had weight loss as a major motivator in the personal training program. Here I was again, with one foot in the anti-diet world and another foot in the diet world.

In 2017, I was introduced to the book Health at Every Size by Lindo Bacon. My world completely changed. “Health at Every Size® principles help us advance social justice, create an inclusive and respectful community, and support people of all sizes in finding compassionate ways to take care of themselves.” (From the haescommunity.com website). I now had language and research that backed up what I had been feeling for years. This was while I was studying Clinical Mental Health at NC State, and became very interested in working with disordered eating and disordered exercise. Fast forward to present day, I am a Licensed Mental Health Therapist in private practice and I specialize in eating disorders, anxiety, and trauma. I also own a wellness center, called Current Wellness which integrates physical and mental health. We offer fitness, yoga, and dance classes that focus on celebrating our bodies, rather than trying to change them.

This professional work has shifted how I think about my body, and while I can have “bad body image” days, I no longer obsess about what I look like. Current Wellness is a space where this is possible for folks, because of the empowering and compassionate language we use in classes. I’m very proud to do what I do, and I am so grateful that I get to share my story.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was definitely not a smooth road, ha! I will share a little about what it’s like opening a wellness center, or a small business in general. Our first commercial space fell through because we got outbid for the lease by a bar owner. We were totally crushed. However, we found our current location and it’s actually a way better fit for our needs. To save money, we did the demolition ourselves. About a week after we got married, my partner and I started to tear down ceilings and walls. It was really fun in the beginning, but quickly became physically exhausting (and very itchy during ceiling insulation removal). Honestly, we wouldn’t have done it any other way. Putting in sweat equity and all of your money makes you hustle a lot harder.

The ups and downs during the permitting and construction process were endless. To be honest, I think I blocked out a lot of the memories because it was just so overwhelming and stressful. I do remember laying in bed and wondering if we were going to fail and lose our house. I toggled between thinking this was a realistic fear or a catastrophic belief. Needless to say, opening a small business is no joke, and I definitely respect all of the small business owners out there.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Current Wellness is a wellness center with a mission to activate inclusive wellness in Raleigh, NC. We offer fitness, yoga, and dance classes in our movement studio, cooking classes in our teaching kitchen, and wellness appointments in our office spaces including massage, physical therapy, chiropractic care, mental health counseling, nutrition counseling, wellness coaching, and more.

Our offerings are broad because we believe in integrative wellness, which is the philosophy that we need to care for ourselves in a variety of ways to feel well. Our team of providers are knowledgeable to know when to refer you to another provider to tend to your whole self. We also offer free wellness consultations if you aren’t sure where to start.

Our movement classes are not only a great workout, but are specifically beneficial for the person who is looking to repair their relationship with their body or movement. All of our teachers are trained in inclusive, compassionate, and empowering language to help you find the right about of challenge for your body without overdoing it. When we push too hard, we risk injury and ceasing exercise. The more enjoyable your workouts are, the more likely you are to continue to do them!

I am very proud that diverse bodies show up to our classes. To me, this means our brand is effectively communicating inclusivity, and the experience feels welcoming. This is us living our mission, which is a dream come true for me.

What are your plans for the future?
We just opened in December of 2020, so we are still getting our feet underneath us. Our biggest goal right now is to continue to lay the foundation of our mission. For example, we are currently investing in a staff retreat with a professional diversity, equity, and inclusion facilitator. Our staff is really excited about this.

I will tease some exciting updates to our food education program, so stay tuned for new and improved cooking classes!

Pricing:

• Intro Special: 3 weeks for $30

Contact Info:

• Email: info@currentwellnessraleigh.com
• Website: www.currentwellnessraleigh.com
• Instagram: @current_wellness
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/currentwellnessraleigh
• Twitter: @current_raleigh

Image Credits
Chair 8 Media