Today we’d like to introduce you to Michele Fennema.
Hi Michele, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I moved to Dallas in 2015 after graduating college with a degree in Exercise Science and Fitness Management. I had been a competitive dancer, cheerleader, and gymnast since I could walk, so a career centered around movement, fitness, and performance felt like a natural fit. What wasn’t so clear was exactly what that career would look like.
My move to Dallas was random. I knew one person, had no job, and no furniture in my tiny studio apartment. I started taking babysitting jobs, something I had done throughout high school and college and eventually spent a year working for a family in Lakewood. During that time, I immersed myself in the Dallas fitness community, taking as many different classes as I could while trying to figure out what I wanted to pursue professionally.
I assumed the traditional path was working at a large gym, becoming a manager, or building a career on the business side of fitness. That perspective began to change when I took a part-time position at Lululemon on Knox Street. I was constantly surrounded by the fitness community, and it opened my eyes to the possibilities within the industry.
Not long after, I discovered my first boutique fitness studio, Beyond Pedaling (later known as Lync Cycling). I auditioned and was hired to teach at both the Snider Plaza and Shops at Legacy locations in Plano. Shortly afterward, The Joule hotel announced the opening of its own fitness studio downtown and recruited me to join its instructor team as well.
From there, things moved quickly. I continued to teach and was recruited by several different studios and concepts throughout Dallas. By 2017, I was working for The Joule, CycleBar, Barry’s, and Session Pilates…at one point teaching approximately 26 classes a week. Looking back, that was definitely more than any person needed to be teaching!
That same year, my fiancé at the time received a job opportunity in Los Angeles, so I packed up and moved with him. I made the decision to focus exclusively on Barry’s and taught at the West Hollywood and Venice Beach locations while also helping launch the South Bay studio. After a little over a year in Los Angeles, his career brought us back to Dallas, and I returned to what had become my home studio at Barry’s Dallas. I have been there ever since.
Around the time of COVID, I decided to add another dimension to my career and began exploring real estate as a side business. I took my real estate exam and became a Realtor, eventually working with several brokerages throughout the DFW area. What started as a side gig has grown into a meaningful second career that complements my work in fitness and allows me to build relationships with clients in an entirely different way.
My husband and I have since welcomed our two children, Jack in 2021 and Poppy in 2025, and we moved from East Dallas to Las Colinas to begin our next chapter as a family.
Today, life is full but in the best possible way. I teach full time Monday through Saturday, run my real estate business around my teaching schedule, and raising two young children with my husband. And because apparently that wasn’t enough, my next big adventure is already underway: Barry’s is opening its second Dallas-area location in Southlake, where I will serve as a full time instructor and Talent Development Lead, helping recruit, train, and develop the new instructor team. I have always been a go-go-go person, so I thrive on the pace. My time management skills, passion for what I do, and perhaps an unusual amount of energy keep me moving. My career certainly hasn’t followed a traditional path, but every opportunity has led naturally to the next and I feel incredibly fortunate to have built a life and career around the things I genuinely love.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The fitness industry can make it easy to feel like you always have to be “on”, motivated, disciplined, and put together. But behind the workouts and the image is a lot that people don’t always see. I struggled for many years with trying to start our family and get pregnant. Having to show up at 5am with a smile on my face while I just wanted to stay hidden for days can be emotionally exhausting. I was blessed to finally have 2 children but when your job is being active and energetic while growing a human inside is anything but easy. Trying to balance a full time career, working out, and raising two kids full time. Some days I’ve felt like I was doing everything for everyone except myself. Finding my way back to who I am outside of being a mom, an employee, and someone in the fitness industry has been one of the hardest parts.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I wear many hats, but each one reflects a different part of who I am.
First, I am a Founding Principal Instructor at Barry’s Dallas, where I have been part of the company since 2017. Throughout my career with Barry’s, I have taught in Dallas, West Hollywood, Venice Beach, and Manhattan Beach in Los Angeles. I currently also serve as the Talent Development Lead for Barry’s new Southlake studio, opening this October. Through my classes, I deliver high energy, performance-driven treadmill and strength-based group fitness experiences for up to 51 clients per session. I hold certifications in personal training, pre/postnatal fitness, women’s health, yoga, and cycling.
One of my proudest accomplishments is being the longest-tenured, original instructor at the Dallas location. What I believe sets me apart is that fitness has never been a second career or a transition for me, it has always been my career and my passion. I knew from the beginning that fitness was what I wanted to pursue, and I built my professional life around it. In an industry where many people come to fitness after working in other fields, I feel fortunate to have known early on exactly where I belonged.
My second career is in DFW real estate, where I have been a licensed Realtor since 2019 and have worked with several brokerages throughout the area. The connection between fitness and real estate has been incredibly natural. Approximately 90% of my real estate clients have come through relationships I have built while teaching at Barry’s. I love getting to know people beyond the studio, becoming immersed in their lives, and helping them navigate and celebrate one of the biggest financial and personal milestones they will experience. Some of my closest friendships have come from this unique intersection of my two careers.
But my most important and by far my favorite role is Mom. I became a mother to my son, Jack (3), and my daughter, Poppy (1). I am incredibly proud that, despite having two demanding careers, I am able to be present for the moments that matter most. I can teach a class, come home and be there when my kids wake up, get them ready for school, handle drop-off and pickup, and build my workday around my family. It is not always easy, but I am grateful to have built a career that gives me the flexibility to be both ambitious professionally and present as a mother. Balancing fitness, real estate, and motherhood can be demanding, but I wouldn’t trade any of these roles. Each one has shaped me, challenged me, and given me a different way to connect with and serve the people around me.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Some of my favorite childhood memories come from growing up as a competitive dancer, cheerleader, and gymnast. I was the youngest of five, with two older brothers and two older sisters, so I was always trying to keep up with them.
When I was three, my older sisters were getting ready to start their own dance and singing group with their two best friends. They planned to call themselves the “Spice Babes.” Well, there was absolutely no chance I was going to let them do this without me. Somehow, I managed to work my way into their very first glamour photo shoot and officially became part of the group, whether they liked it or not! We practiced two to three times a week at our friend’s grandmother’s house and eventually started performing live at local events and festivals around town. We had costumes, choreographed routines, and lip-synced our way through every Spice Girls song imaginable. We took it very seriously.
Looking back, those years gave me some of my happiest childhood memories. I still have the photos and videos from those performances, and they are some of the things I treasure most. They are equal parts hilarious and nostalgic, and I will forever laugh at them, but I also love that they capture where my love of performing, movement, and entertaining people really began.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.barrys.com/studio/dallas
- Instagram: michelefennema
