Shifting Gears: Bye Bye Bad Dog Rebel

When I launched my own body positive fitness business seven years ago, I set out to create something that didn't exist that widely in the fitness world: a truly weight-inclusive space where movement could be joyful, accessible, and completely divorced from diet culture's harmful messaging. A place where we could explore what health means when it's defined by us—not by industries that profit from our insecurities.

Today, I'm sharing that after seven years of building, growing, and learning, I'll be closing Bad Dog Rebel effective May 3rd, 2025.

​Taking the Rebel Path

I want to acknowledge something I'm genuinely proud of: I had the courage to try. Starting and running a business based on principles that challenge mainstream fitness culture isn't just financially risky—it's emotionally vulnerable. It means constantly swimming upstream, explaining your values, and creating something without a blueprint to follow.

While many people dream of building something aligned with their values but never take that leap, I did. I risked failure. I put my ideas into action. I built something from nothing but passion and conviction about what fitness spaces could and should be.

For a while, the validation I received from this community felt incredible—connecting with all of you, witnessing your journeys toward reclaiming joy in movement, seeing lightbulbs go off when someone realized they could approach movement differently. Those moments transcend any balance sheet or business metric.

The Reality of Rebel Work

The hard truth I've had to face is that creating financially sustainable businesses within systems designed to reward diet culture and quick-fix solutions remains profoundly challenging. Despite pouring my heart, expertise, and energy into Bad Dog Rebel, I haven't been able to transform it from a supplementary income source to a self-sustaining business.

While I have certainly learned a great deal about my own limits, this isn't simply about lack of personal business acumen. It's about recognizing that our current economic frameworks often undervalue transformative approaches to health and wellness—especially those that challenge profitable industries built on body dissatisfaction.

I've been piecing together multiple professional commitments for years while pursuing my passion for weight-inclusive fitness and my PhD studies. This approach has increasingly taken a toll, leaving me unable to fully show up as my best self in any one role. After careful reflection and with support from my care team, I've recognized that I need to consolidate my professional focus to honor my wellbeing.

Carrying Forward the Values

While I'm closing Bad Dog Rebel as a business, the values that have guided this work remain central to my life and perspective. The commitment to bodily autonomy, inclusive understanding of health, and resistance to oppressive frameworks will continue to inform how I move through the world.

I remain dedicated to the vision that inspired Bad Dog Rebel—the belief that all bodies deserve respect, that health exists in many forms, and that movement can be a site of liberation rather than control. These values aren't tied to a business structure but live in how we relate to ourselves and others.

There are So Many Options for Weight-Inclusive Fitness Now!

For those seeking weight-inclusive fitness professionals, I specifically recommend these phenomenal body liberation-oriented options:
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• MissFits - Founded by Becky Scott, offering inclusive online dance classes that she's been running for years
• The Underbelly - Jessamyn Stanley's accessible on-demand yoga practice for all bodies
• Joyful Inclusive Movement (JIM) - Created by Wendy Welsher, offering an on-demand video library and pre-written programs
• Body Positive Fitness - Founded by Jenna Doak with amazing trainers including Daniela and Damali, offering comprehensive services: online training, customized written programs, and an on-demand video library
• Power Plant Gym - Led by Jess Brock Pitts and her team of fantastic trainers who offer online personal training
• Big Fit Girl - Louise Green's Size Strong Training Program and Run/Walk Programs feature an incredibly supportive community. I've personally benefited from these 8-12 week programs over the years. (Note that the community aspect runs through Facebook.)
  
  

Each of these spaces carries forward the values that have guided Bad Dog Rebel. The weight-inclusive fitness movement continues to grow stronger, even as my direct participation shifts.

Gratitude Beyond Measure

​To each and every one of you who has moved with me, laughed with me, learned with me, and trusted me with your movement journey: you have my heart. Truly. Your courage, vulnerability, and willingness to explore movement outside of diet culture paradigms has been the greatest gift of this work.

You've shared your stories, your struggles, your victories, and your breakthroughs. You've shown up—sometimes excited, sometimes reluctant, sometimes just because you made a commitment to yourself. And in showing up, you've taught me so much about resilience, joy, and authentic connection to movement.

The connections we've made, the joyful moments of movement we've shared, and the transformative conversations about body liberation will remain with me forever. You've taught me as much as I've shared with you, and these lessons will continue to shape my understanding of embodied resistance and care.

Looking Forward

​I'm taking this time to refocus my energy, support my wellbeing, and create more sustainable structures in my life. Rather than viewing this transition as an ending, I'm choosing to see it as a realignment—honoring what my body and spirit are telling me about what's sustainable.

I'd love to hear from you during this transition. Your stories, reflections, and connections remain deeply important to me, even as the formal structure of our work together shifts.

Just as we have done together for the past seven years, may you continue to:
Show Up
Be Safe
Have Fun
& Do Your Best! 
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With rebel spirit and endless gratitude,
JodiAnn