This article was originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of ICON/REFINED. 

Jodi Barrett

Age: 48

Hometown: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Gig: CEO of KBStronger Training

Follow her: @kbstronger_

Photography by: Dustin Werbeski 

Entrepreneurship often involves taking big leaps and risks, and this past year, Jodi got a crash course in exactly that. Just as she was launching her memoir, I Don’t Do Vanilla, and about to set off to lead a wellness retreat in Costa Rica, she was faced with the likelihood of having to close her brick-and-mortar studio–the place that had been her business’s home for almost seven years. But rather than dwelling, Jodi took the upheaval as an opportunity to reflect and grow. “When I flew home from the retreat, I decided to take the biggest jump yet in my life–in my career,” she says. She then spent two months on a reflective retreat of her own in Arizona, conceptualizing and creating a completely new brand. “I went to Arizona to breathe, to grieve, and to shed my old self because if you are going to create something new you need to let go of the old.”

Now, with her newly launched iteration, KBStronger, Jodi supports clients through a variety of updated online offerings such as beginner to advanced level bodyweight and kettlebell programming, certifications, and in-person retreats. As Jodi looks back, she remembers the process of launching her first business–she recalls a deep knowing that she was exactly where she needed to be, and that eventually, her journey would evolve to be about more than kettlebells. And while it has been a big change, embracing evolution has been her mission all along. “My goal within the fitness and business industry is to help others to not fear life, but to live life to its fullest.”

“Life ebbs and flows and if we don’t change, we get stuck. I’m not about to get stuck in this life. I’ve likely got some scrapes and bruises, but I won’t settle, and I won’t quit trying.”