Designing healthier, more intentional lives.
Through movement, education, and ideas that shape how we live, move, and feel.
HELLO!
I’m a systems designer, entrepreneur, and founder focused on helping people build healthier everyday lives. Over the past 25 years, I've created companies, educational platforms, and nonprofit organizations rooted in the belief that thoughtful design can make healthy living more approachable and sustainable. My work spans movement, wellbeing, education, and community.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, I spent seven years as a professional dancer and choreographer, performing in and choreographing large-scale productions for the Super Bowl, Olympic Games, national parades, and entertainment productions across the country. During that time, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Business from Michigan State University and a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University.
In 2001, before boutique fitness became a mainstream industry, I opened a 600-square-foot barre studio in Birmingham, Michigan. That concept evolved into Pure Barre, a pioneering brand in boutique fitness. Under my leadership, the company grew to more than 100 locations before I sold the business in 2012. Pure Barre went on to become a nationwide franchise system, introducing barre to millions of people.
Following Pure Barre, I continued developing concepts focused on healthier living, including O44, The Soul Day Foundation, and The Well Day Foundation.
Today, my work centers on two areas: The Well Day Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to making wellness education engaging and accessible through image and story, and my Movement Lab, where I design and develop fitness systems.
Movement has been a constant throughout my life. Every fitness system I've created has been rooted in full-body training. My earliest concepts emphasized strength through light resistance, later evolving to incorporate heavier resistance and cardiovascular conditioning. At 53, strength remains foundational, but I'm equally focused on developing programming that improves mobility, flexibility, balance, and rotational movement—supporting how we move throughout our lives.
I'm also a wife, mom to three middle schoolers, and a four-year-old Labrador. I've been sharing my love of movement, wellness, and healthy living with my kids since they were little.
At heart, I'm a creator, leader, speaker, and lifelong learner. I bring energy, authenticity, optimism, and a genuine joie de vivre to the people, projects, and ideas I care about.
MONTHLY NEWS
Each month I share ideas and observations about wellbeing, hospitality, education, travel, design, and everyday living.
CONTACT
For speaking, collaborations, or general inquiries- hicarrie@carriedorr.com