Meet Barbi Burris | Faith and Fitness Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Barbi Burris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Barbi, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The idea to become an entrepreneur and start my own business at fifty-five came as a calling I couldn’t ignore. My persistent desire is to share my experience and expertise about health and fitness in a way that honors God and the gifts He gave me.

The wellness aspect of my company is a natural outgrowth of my college degree in exercise science and the experience of competing as a collegiate gymnast at UNC. My true creative work begins by integrating the love of Christ into the foundational elements of fitness. My signature courses, personal training, and FASTer Way to Fat Loss® coaching offer a novel approach to holistic health. It took many trial and error efforts to determine where to focus my attention and how to serve my clients with excellence. I continue to change and adapt my process to meet clients where they are and deliver sustainable results.
I focus on serving midlife women as an answer to the lack of up-to-date resources and conflicting information about menopause. I also aim to provide practical lifestyle protocols for flight attendants and retired travelers to stay healthy at home and on the go. Combining the hope of scriptural truths with science-backed wellness strategies isn’t widely available in the marketplace. My mission is to help women overcome the physical, emotional, and spiritual struggles during their second half of life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My story is similar to many others who started in one career and pivoted. I am in my 37th year with Delta as a flight attendant while building my Full Well Fitness business, which leaves very little free time. Being a part of the sandwich generation fills my days with caring for aging parents and parenting adult children with family weddings and growing grandchildren! Fitting in self-care as an entrepreneur is a challenge I’m still learning to navigate.

I am acutely aware of the necessity of good sleep and stress management, but I struggle with the best way to use my creative skills in a busy 24-hour day. With practice and patience, I am learning to slow down, be present, and close the tabs in my brain with walking, prayer, relaxing layovers, mobility work, and family time around the fire pit.

This is the perspective I can offer my clients because I am experiencing the same roadblocks. Many women are in similar situations and long for reassurance, guidance, and support to choose healthy lifestyle habits instead of short-term solutions. My personal training, nutritional coaching, and spiritual guidance consider their unique season of life and how to address exercise and food choices.

Christ calls me to my creative work. When fear and doubt creep in, whispering that my hustle isn’t worth the effort, I return to quiet, abiding time with God and am reminded that He produces the results through me. I stay on course until He calls me out or in a different direction.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had a week to show a friend around the area, we’d cover a lot of ground from the North Georgia mountains to South Carolina’s waters!

We’d spend most of our time outdoors on hiking trails (Yellow Branch Falls in Walhalla, SC), in kayaks (Palmetto Bluff, SC), on ski boats (Lake Keowee, SC), and under the stars (my backyard in Ball Ground, GA). We’d visit a few wineries (Montaluce and Frogtown Cellars in Dahlonega, GA) and explore small-town treasures (Canton and Alpharetta) before heading home to play board/card games and enjoy a healthy meal prepared by a hired chef (or my talented husband).

We’d stay up too late – laughing and talking about real life and how blessed we are to have each other. Before departing from the Atlanta airport, I’d treat my friends to a shopping day at Avalon and a meal at Rumi’s bar with my favorite bartenders.

I treasure friendships and celebrating life with those I love.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My decision to jump out of the boat and into the scary sea of starting a company came from the Holy Spirit’s prompting, wise friends’ counsel, and my family’s encouragement. My husband, Dan Burris, gives me the freedom and support to try new things. My sons, Colin and Gavin, cheer me on with pride, and my daughter, Catherine, gives valuable tech assistance.

My parents, Bonnie and George Callahan, set the ultimate example of serving God through their work as teachers and pastors. My sisters, Patti Callahan Henry, and Jeannie Cunnion, inspire me to flex my creative muscles and be courageous in the uncomfortable.

I am also blessed with loyal friends who balance tough love with consistent accountability to live with purpose and intention, even when my perfectionism pushes back.

I’m a ‘lover of learning,’ so I’ve been impacted by numerous Bible studies, books, podcasts, and colleagues to deliver the message of healthy stewardship. Spending time with the Lord in the Word and prayer reaffirms my commitment to press on with an eternal perspective.

Website: https://www.fullwellfitness.com/resources

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbiburris/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbi.burris

Image Credits
Portraits by MA Pegg (credit for 3 pictures: plank, casual sitting in jeans/white shirt, back pony tail pic in pink).