Bryony Basse (Deery), Dior Global Wellness Expert & Founder of Pilates By Bryony, On Going From Broke and Heartbroken To Building A Million-Dollar Pilates Empire

What does it take to rebuild your life, your body, and your business from scratch? In this episode of Hot Smart Rich, Maggie sits down with Bryony Basse (née Deery), founder of Pilates by Bryony and Dior Global Wellness Expert, to talk about the moment everything changed. After a life-altering car accident in her early 20s left her in chronic pain, Bryony turned to Pilates as a form of healing. What started as recovery became her purpose and ultimately a multi-million dollar global brand.

She built a multi-million dollar digital fitness business from her living room floor with a tripod and an iPhone, found strength through solitude, and learned that the real flex is owning your identity, your IP, and your income.

But the story doesn’t stop at success. Bryony opens up about walking away from a relationship marked by the emotional toll of financial imbalance and power dynamics, and how meeting the love of her life helped her rewrite her story. Financial independence, she shares, gave her the ability to love fully without resentment, performance, or transaction.

This is a conversation about power—reclaiming it, building it, and learning how to hold it. If you’ve ever questioned your worth, your voice, or your path, Bryony’s story is proof that everything can change when you stop waiting for permission and start choosing yourself.

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Key Takeaways

• Your power starts with ownership. Bryony owns her name, her content, and her business. She breaks down why holding the rights to your brand and IP isn’t just smart—it’s essential for building something no one can take away.

• Learning is a superpower. Through her role as Dior’s Global Wellness Expert, Bryony had a front-row seat to how world-class brands operate. She shares how adopting a learner’s mindset helped her bring luxury strategy to her business—without losing authenticity.

• She built a multimillion-dollar brand from her living room. After a car accident left her in chronic pain, Pilates became her way back. With nothing but a tripod and an iPhone, she turned that recovery journey into Pilates by Bryony—and never looked back.

• Financial freedom changed how she loves. Bryony reflects on how financial imbalance shaped a past relationship—and how building her own income allowed her to step into partnership from a place of clarity, not dependence.

• You can rewrite your story at any time. From heartbreak and injuries to global success, Bryony proves that reinvention is possible when you choose yourself—and stay rooted in your purpose.

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Chapters

00:00 – 09:10: From hospital bed to Pilates—how it all began

09:11 – 18:43: Building Pilates by Bryony with no budget, no help

18:44 – 27:25: Learning from Dior, and the power of a learner's mindset

27:26 – 36:12: Navigating power dynamics and love after success

36:13 – 48:30: The business of wellness, brand-building, and going global

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Links

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Own your worth — and build the life you want. Subscribe to the Hot Smart Rich newsletter, the no-BS guide to startup life, consumer brands, and becoming your hottest, smartest, richest self, written by Maggie Sellers. Join 250,000+ women building wealth, confidence, and community on th