We’re looking forward to introducing you to DaShawn Harris & Dara Harris. Check out our conversation below.
DaShawn & Dara, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about your customers?
Transparency and empathy are truly highly valued.
Being open and honest about our own struggles with physical fitness builds trust — it’s the glue that holds healthy trainer–client relationships together.
Empathy, when balanced with accountability, helps us maintain healthy boundaries, achieve real results, and keep relationships both professional and personal..
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
We’ve been serving the North Fort Worth community for 15 years as fitness professionals helping clients develop habits that lead to stronger, healthier lives.
Our approach centers on overall wellness — focusing on mobility, functionality, and durability. When meeting with clients, we personalize each plan while keeping these principles in mind.
After about three months of consistent training, clients often tell us they feel better mentally and emotionally, move with more ease, and have more energy throughout their day.
And the bonus? The aesthetic results — more lean mass, less fat mass, and a newfound confidence that comes from moving with strength and purpose.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Dishonesty and apathy are key components in broken relationships.
There are so many experiences which has taught us to be honest and empathetic, but injuries, surgeries, aging, and sports parenting probably has humbled us the most.
As fitness professionals, we have had many opportunities to train student-athletes. Being sports parents to a college athlete and club directors in a basketball organization, we have had our fair share of experience connecting us to coaches and other sports parents. We understand the demand of all parties involved. Showing empathy and insisting to relate is vital, when doubt of care for a client/team member is inserted.
As we have aged as athletes, we have encountered injuries and overcame using our fitness knowledge and the help of medical professionals. The connection of exercise science and medical science are closely intertwined. Leveraging our own personal health struggles and fitness knowledge to further bond with our clients allows them to understand that we truly can relate and help them overcome.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Collectively, we both agree, it would be “feeling” rejection in our youth.
Possibly, every teenager and young adult has experienced the feeling of rejection. Whether it be from peers, teammates, coaches, teachers, etc., the healthiest way to develop as a fully functioning, productive human being is overall healing.
Our personal healing stories are similar. However, we forgave those who we perceived wronged us, those who DID wrong us, forgave ourselves, and accepted forgiveness.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, we are “open books”.
Simply put, our strength is rooted in “being real”.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That we loved people through acts of service and sacrifice.
The goal is for our grandchildren to hear, “Hey, your grandparents are DaShawn and Dara Harris, right? You come from some really good people.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.harrisphysicalfitness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harrisphysicalfitness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harrispf/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/harris-physical-fitness-fort-worth-2
