I was devastated and outraged by the police murdering George Floyd in May of 2020, an innocent Black family man. There were many ways I could stand in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour and one of those ways was to seek out and support Black-owned local businesses. That’s how I found Bria.
Bria began helping me change my life for the better on July 1, 2020. Three times a week at the ‘crack of 7:00 am’ for the past six months Bria has been there for me, coaching me on, training my mind and body to do things I never thought I could with my tired, achy, aging, overweight body. I saw my family physician today and she didn’t recognize me. Yes, I had a mask on but she literally thought she had come into the wrong room and was astounded by the physical transformation that Bria has helped me achieve. Every time I would say, “I can’t do THAT”, Bria would say “YES, you can”. And then I would try it out, and sure enough, I could. Like that time I did the hand-stand thingy on the wall, or the one-minute plank, or even those hellish froggies. And then there was the 5 km run (she let me take breaks each kilometre), and the stairs at Lake Ontario park – 15 times, and the monthly 500-rep challenges, whaaat? Bria doesn’t make me do anything but she motivates me like no one else can.
As I look back on the past six-months, I remain deeply frustrated and saddened about the events of 2020, but I will continue to do all that I can to contribute to dismantling the racist society we live in. At the same time, I am so grateful that I met Bria. She has supported me on my journey towards living a healthier life. It’s no joke when I say I am looking forward to the next six months with Bria, adding some yoga into the mix as her ‘Bodies by ‘B Business grows, and making it to the 1000 rep challenge on June 30th, 2021 – (yep, Bria, let’s do it!) – to celebrate a year’s worth of active living.
Heather C.
Professor, Queen’s University