EP #51 Finding Your Strength: The Magic of Pure Barre of Stafford

Strength isn't just physical—it's a powerful connection between body, mind, and soul. Chelsea Cameron from Pure Barre Stafford joins the FXBG Neighbors Podcast to reveal how this unique fitness studio is transforming lives through accessible, full-body workouts.

Chelsea shares her personal journey of how fitness "saved her life" during a difficult period living overseas with her four young children. What began as tearful spin classes evolved into a passion for helping others discover their own strength. When she moved to the area during COVID, Chelsea found Pure Barre and quickly went from curious potential client to certified instructor in all four workout formats.

But what exactly is Pure Barre? Chelsea dispels common misconceptions (no, it's not ballet or dancing!) while explaining how the studio offers 50-minute full-body workouts using a ballet-style barre as just one of many tools. The magic lies in how each session is tailored to individual needs, making it accessible to everyone regardless of fitness level, limitations, or injuries. As Chelsea emphasizes, "You don't need to do anything or be anything other than exactly what you are and where you are right now."

What makes Pure Barre truly special is the expert instruction that feels like "personal training in a group fitness setting." The well-trained teachers are master multitaskers who create an environment where everyone can thrive while building a supportive community. Whether you're a fitness novice or experienced athlete, Pure Barre offers a "dialable" approach that meets you exactly where you are.

Ready to experience the magic yourself? Pure Barre Stafford offers a free 30-minute introductory class. Find them online, follow @purebarrestafford on social media, or call 540-699-0793 to begin your own transformation journey.

Chelsea Cameron

Pure Barre of Stafford

purebarre.com

[e-mail]

[phone]

1630 Publix Way, Suite 120, Stafford, VA

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
, the place where localbusinesses and neighbors come
together.
Here's your host, Dori Stewart.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Welcome back to another episode of the FXBG
Neighbors Podcast, where weshare the stories of our
favorite local brands.
I'm excited to introduce you tomy guest.
Today we have Chelsea Cameronjoining us.
She is with Pure Barre ofStafford.
Chelsea, welcome to the podcast.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Hi Dori, Thanks so much for having me.
I'm really excited to be herewith you today.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Thank you.
Well, I'm looking forward tolearning more about Pure Barre.
So let's start there.
Tell us a little bit about thebusiness.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
The business is magical, honestly.
I mean I love that you startedoff by saying we're talking
about our favorite local things,because it's my favorite local
thing.
I've been with Pure Barre foralmost five years now and it
completely changed my life inall the best ways.
It's a fitness avenue, so weoffer full body workouts for
people coming in and fourdifferent formats available.

(01:04):
You're doing full body everytime you come in 50 minutes
start to finish, and it's sotransformative and it's a really
unique way of strengtheningyour body, your mind, your soul
and building community all atthe same time.
So it's just a wonderful avenuefor finding out how strong you
really can be.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Okay, so that does sound magical, you are right.
So tell me about barre.
So walk me through as someonewho has never been in a studio.
What would I expect coming in?

Speaker 3 (01:36):
I love that question and I get asked that often.
Sometimes people coming off thestreet wonder if we're just a
retail space, because there isretail offered in the front of
the space, so that's what yousee when you come in.
But in the back of the room iswhere all that magic happens.
And so if you're coming insaying, what is this, what are
we doing here, what do I expect?
Truly, it's a way where I wantall your expectations to go away

(01:59):
.
You need to come in and justlet go of anything you think you
might know about bar, you thinkyou might know about working
out, and come in hoping to learnabout you.
Like, the goal is for everyteacher in the studio to guide
someone through a workout in away that you're learning about
your mind body connection,you're learning about your
muscles in a new way, and thoseare really the things that we

(02:21):
focus on in the room is teaching, not just instructing.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
I love that Very interesting, so tell me about
you.
I want to know what yourjourney is and how you got into
this.

Speaker 3 (02:37):
Oh gosh, fitness saved my life, honestly, and
this was before Pure Barrestarted for me.
Pure Barre has been in my lifefor about five years, like I
mentioned, but before that I wasa spin instructor and I was
living overseas and I reallystruggled when we moved overseas
.
It was a tough move for me.
I have four kids and I'm a momof four, and so they were on the

(02:58):
younger side back then.
They're older now and it justwas a tough spot for me to be in
emotionally and I wasn't reallysure what I wanted to do or be
or how to navigate that big, bigmove that we had made as a
family.
And I started taking thesefitness classes, these spin

(03:19):
classes, and the instructor atthe front of the room was
breathing life into me day afterday after day, without even
really trying.
It was something that she justwas naturally doing because it
was her joy to guide peoplethrough these fin classes.
So as I sat there with tearsstreaming down my face through
all these classes, I started tofinally reawaken and rediscover

(03:40):
joy and figure out like I reallylike this and there was so much
value in what I was doing, andthat was when I decided I wanted
to pursue that and be thatforce and that light in another
person's life.
So I became certified as afitness instructor, fell in love
with it completely, becamestrong for the first time in my
life, in truth and moved here inthe middle of COVID and nobody

(04:04):
was there and I was going oh no,I just found this thing.
That is awesome and I really Idon't want to lose momentum and
enter Pure Barre, the Staffordstudio was being advertised
online.
It wasn't open yet and it wasjust a coming soon ad that I saw
and I clicked it and the nextday the general manager reached

(04:25):
out and I barely even rememberedthat I had asked for
information, to be honest, likewho are you?
Why are you calling me?
And then I'm like oh yeah, Idid ask you about that and
through our conversation, youknow, I just was asking you
about taking classes and what isPure Barre?
I had the same question as you.
I didn't know what it was, I'dnever heard of it.
And then in our conversation Iwent if you're coming soon, you

(04:48):
might still need teachers.
Do you need staff members?
What's that process look like?
And then it was a very quicksnowball from that point on,
from just that initialconversation, to being hired as
a teacher, to going to trainingand now being certified in all
four formats and teaching asmany classes as possible because
I absolutely love it.
So that's sort of how I gotinto it and I really am so

(05:10):
passionate about what I do withthem.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
Amazing, amazing.
It's a story of a truetransformation and life-changing
.
Yes, that's amazing.
I love that.
I love that and I imagine thatit rubs off on all of the
students that you teach.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
I hope so.
You know you always have peoplecome in the room and leave
feeling empowered better thanwhen they came in the door.
Yeah, yeah, door on the way out.

Speaker 2 (05:40):
So tell me, are there any misconceptions that you
find that people have about PureBarre?

Speaker 3 (05:46):
so tell me, are there any misconceptions that you
find that people have about purebarre gosh?
Yes, oh, do you tell me?
Oh yeah, so one of the firstthings people go is are we
dancing?
Is this ballet?
that's the thing that we getbecause it's barre with two r's.
Right, we do have a bar aroundthe edges of the studio and it's
a tool, much like a weightwould be or any piece of workout
equipment.
That's what that bar is therefor.
But a lot of times people willpeek in and go so are we doing

(06:08):
ballet?
We are not doing ballet.
At no point will you find me.
No plies, no plies.
For me, the technique is sortof based off of a lot of the
setups and the technique thatyou might find from a dance
background.
So there is that but.
But no, we are not dancing andno dance involved in what we do

(06:31):
through the workouts.
But that's probably the mostcommon misconception that and,
as I mentioned, folks wonderingif we're just selling retail.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
Well, thank you for clearing that up for us because
I thought that too when I sawthe bar is there something there
dance, related to this?

Speaker 3 (06:51):
We like to have parties before and after class
every now and then when we'refeeling really fun, but not fun.

Speaker 2 (06:54):
Okay.
So, speaking of fun, when youare not working, what are you
doing for fun?

Speaker 3 (07:00):
Oh gosh, anytime someone says, when you're not
working and I go, what's thatmean?
The beauty of what I do is thatI go to work and do the thing
that I love.
I have the joy of it being myfun thing.
So I go to work for fun.
But I do also love beingoutside.

(07:22):
If you're can ever get me onthe water, if I have a chance to
be on the water, that's whereI'm going to want to go, on a
sub board laying by the pool.
I really love to just be.
I'm solar powered, I tellpeople, so if you can put me
outside, I will choose that allday, every day, um, and I do
sing professionally and so again, I get to work in the space.

(07:43):
That is fun for me.
So singing a huge piece of myheart in my life that I find a
lot of joy in.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
Very cool.

Speaker 3 (07:54):
Well, you're making a lot of people jealous that you
have so much fun while you work.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
Come talk to me.
We are hiring.
I love it, so tell me what issomething that you wish the
listeners knew about?
Pure Barre how?

Speaker 3 (08:06):
accessible it is.
That is something that I reallywant it to be so crystal clear,
and it's hard to get thatmessaging across when you just
don't know what to expect it canfeel.
Boutique fitness, I think, canbe a little bit scary and,
looking from the outside, ingoing, I have to be stronger

(08:28):
before I can try that, or I haveto do something before I can
come and try this, and it's sucha lie.
You don't need to do anythingor be anything other than
exactly what you are and whereyou are right now, because it is
so accessible and dialable.
Our lead teacher, Hannah, saysthat often and I love the way
she phrases it that it isdialable for your needs, no

(08:51):
matter where you are.
You can have an injury or alimitation or need modifications
and know that that's an optionthroughout every single class,
and the teachers are sowell-trained to come and
actually meet you where you areand offer something for you, and
so that's really the thing Iwant people to walk away from
knowing that Pure Barre isaccessible for everyone.

Speaker 2 (09:13):
Amazing, amazing.
So you clearly have veryskilled instructors that you can
have multiple levels and beable to navigate a beginner and
someone advanced in the same.

Speaker 3 (09:27):
These teachers have so much on their minds at all
times and are navigating so manydifferent things.
They are expert multitaskersand it's like coming in and
getting personal training in agroup fitness setting and it's a
very cool.
It's a very cool thing toexperience.
Like I said, unique and I'venever really come across
anything quite like itInteresting.

Speaker 2 (09:48):
Well, if the listeners are interested in
learning more or connecting withyou, where can they find you?

Speaker 3 (09:54):
You can find us online.
We do have a website.
You can search out Pure BarreStafford.
Our full schedule is online, aswell as the option to book a
free class.
We do offer a free class foreveryone wanting to come try it,
and so, if you're listening andthinking, is it really
accessible?
Yeah, come try.
Come give it a shot.
It's free for you.
It's 30 minutes to just try outwhat we do and come experience

(10:16):
what it's like inside of PureBarre Studio.
So online is there.
We're on social media Instagram, facebook at Pure Barre
Stafford or you can call thestudio 540-699-0793.
Talk to any one of ourassociates there and they would
love to give information.

Speaker 2 (10:31):
Amazing Chelsea.
Thank you so much for joiningme on the podcast today and
sharing Pure Barre with us.
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (10:40):
Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg
Neighbors Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tofxbgneighborspodcast.
com.