Page 29 - BusinessWest March 2, 2026

“Over the years, as
I started healing
my own body
image, I started
making more
connections with
other people
speaking out
and letting me
know they’ve also
experienced that.”
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McGrath
on improving quality of life rather than chas-
ing specific numbers.
“We’ve created a community of people who
have been wanting something like this, to be
able to escape a lot of what they’re exposed to
in other places or by their own families and
friends — whoever is telling them, ‘you have to
look a certain way, or else you’re unhealthy,’”
McGrath explained.
“A lot of folks are coming in and saying,
‘thank God there’s a place where I can just
be me. I can say no to a movement that I
don’t want to do. I can flip off the trainer if I
want to. I can leave halfway through class if
I feel like that’s what I needed.’ And I think
the bodily autonomy of it, being able to make
those choices without shame or guilt, is really
important for us here.”
It’s an idea she’s become passionate about,
and which drove her to create a safe space
that’s welcoming to all body types — and
women and men of all ages and backgrounds
who want to express themselves and find
their own path to wellness.
“I think it’s important to go against the grain a little bit,”
McGrath said. “How many centers are talking about, ‘lose the
weight,’ ‘burn this off,’ ‘eat this.’ There’s constantly another diet,
another thing that’s coming up. But if all these diets were supposed
to work, then why haven’t they worked? It’s because they’re not
supposed to work, and they’re damaging to our bodies, and they’re
damaging to our mental health. And they make us feel like failures
if nothing happens.
“And also, why do we have to lose the weight? Why do feel like
we have to hate our bodies if they don’t fit into a little box that soci-
ety has deemed as appropriate this year? And that changes every
year. I just felt like this needed to change,” she went on. “We have
My Health Matters features a host of different exercise
modalities, plus group classes and personal training.
Staff Photo
many amazing companies in our area, and a lot of personal trainers
that I started getting to know as I was developing this space, who
are practicing these things, but only in bits and pieces.”
Body Talk
McGrath didn’t always intend to work in this field; she has a
background in environmental studies. But in many ways, fitness
was always at the back of her mind.
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Business W est
MONTHLY FEATURE 29
MARCH 2, 2026