Meet Morgan Brown, Owner of barre3 in Mount Pleasant

Meet a Mom Monday! Meet Morgan Brown, local mom of 2 and owner of barre3 here in Mount Pleasant, SC. Barre3 has been a constant passion of hers for the past 13 years, after becoming certified in 2015 and teaching at multiple locations across the US, so when they decided to make the move to Charleston, she knew she needed to bring the brand with her! Barre3 is a workout studio with classes that combine strength, cardio and mindfulness all tied up in a pretty (read: sweaty) 45 minute bow. Read more about Morgan below, why she wanted to open up her own studio (and still be the mom she really wanted to be), and her life raising her two children with her husband and golden retriever in the Lowcountry. PLUS, a special discount code for readers to start off the new year at barre3!

Where are you originally from and how long have you been in Charleston, SC?

I am originally from Doylestown, PA which is about an hour outside of Philadelphia. I have been in Charleston since January 2022!

Tell us about your family

My family consists on my husband, Greg, my daughter Nora who is 5 years old and my son George who is 2 years old. We also have our favorite family member, Molly who is a 6 year old Golden Retriever.

One thing people would be surprised to know about you?

I would identify as an introvert and I think that would surprise people because in the studio/when I am client facing I am definitely the opposite!

What’s your favorite thing about raising a family in Charleston?

More beach days! The biggest reason for relocating to Charleston was to give our kids a better quality of life. I just love that we can pick up and drive 10 minutes to the beach on any given day of the year. It really brings me a lot of peace (once we lug our 30lbs of stuff down there of course!)

Tell us about your business, barre3, and when & why you decided to start this business!

I have been with barre3 in some capacity for going on 13 years (that feels crazy to write!) I started as a client and became an instructor when living in DC in 2015. My husband and I had been visiting Charleston for years and at the end of 2020 I got laid off around the same time we were toying with the idea of moving here full time with our then 1 year old. I had a few months of questioning “what am I going to do with my life?” knowing how much I loved and adored our daughter but also knowing that I was not a stay at home mom and I needed some sort of outlet for myself.

When we started really considering the move I also quickly realized that there was not a barre3 in mount pleasant (I was then teaching at a studio on the main line, outside of Philadelphia) and it gave me so much joy and purpose as a new mom that I wasn’t sure moving to a new town where there wasn’t this safe community for me was doable, so I knew I needed to create this myself. I owned the Mount Pleasant territory for 3 years before opening in December 2023 and seeing how much we’ve grown and how many people we’ve been able to support in our little corner off Old Georgetown Rd makes me so happy.

What is your favorite part about supporting your clients with fitness and wellness?

I preach to my team often that our job is to give 110% of ourselves because we have no idea what people are going through. As a mom, woman and business owner I know how hard it is to put yourself first and to just show up when you have one thousand other things going on but that our space is their happy place and showing up for them matters.

Tell us about the different workout classes you offer, both in studio and online.

We offer our signature class that started it all in both 45m and 60m options as well as two extension classes, strength and cardio. We also offer an amazing online platform of over 2300 online classes led by all barre3 instructors based out of Portland, OR!

How is barre3 different from other barre workouts?

I usually say that barre3 is more athletic than traditional barre. Most people would be surprised that we actually don’t use our barre too much in class. We also have a big focus on large range of movement and everything we do is constantly evolving. One of my favorite things about our brand is that we are backed by so much research and science so we are changing, always, to support our clients!

How can a new client sign up for your classes?

We have an app in the App Store – “barre3 studios” navigate to SC>Mount Pleasant! I created a special discount for your readers for our two week unlimited! Use code CHSMOMS at check out from now until January 17th!

Tell us more about why you are so passionate about the work/life balance within motherhood.

I started this journey because I wanted to be around for my kids more and be able to show up for all the things, always. I will cancel a class if I need to in order to make a performance at my kids school and take a loss on the business. That said, there are many weekends where I am running to and from the studio multiple times a day. The work never ends for both roles, there is always something to do an appointment to be made a lunch to pack, an email to be responded to. The funny thing is, is that I *used* to be very type A. I have really had to let go of the perfection which has been hard for me to surrender to but I’m a work in progress.

Who has most influenced you to be the mom that you are today?

My own mom! My mom was always there for us when we got off the school bus every single day and while I know that that is not the norm these days it’s something I really wanted for my kids too. My mom always put us first (still does!) while also having goals, dreams, hobbies & her own life and I love that so much.

One thing you wish someone would have told you about motherhood?

Motherhood will change you and it’s pretty impossible to imagine when you’re pregnant, but I am 100% changed for the better as a person now that I have my kids. You want to be better for them in all the ways. They truly give you such a different perspective on everything. It’s a beautiful journey of growth with a little bit of chaos mixed in 🙂

What advice would you share with a new mom or other moms?

I felt so lost in my postpartum with my daughter. I was first of my friends to have a kid and I didn’t have someone to really lean on. No-one was talking to me about how wild your emotions are and how hard and alone you feel in those first few weeks. My advice is to ask for help whether that be from friends or from outside resources. I love seeing all the amazing postpartum resources across Charleston now, it’s truly amazing how needed these businesses are to new moms & I always love seeing women support women!