We recently connected with Bernai Brown-Holman and have shared our conversation below.
Bernai , appreciate you joining us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.
One thing my parents did right was nurture me as a big dreamer, even when my dreams may have seemed unrealistic to other people. Growing up, I dreamed of becoming a model, despite being petite in an industry that often had very rigid standards at the time. But instead of discouraging me, my parents supported me wholeheartedly.
My dad, who is an entrepreneur, would take me to auditions and photographers to help build my portfolio. My mom, who leaned more toward stability and security, still made sure I attended etiquette classes and participated in local fashion shows. I absolutely loved them. They may have been small shows, but to me they felt huge.
Over time, I had opportunities to walk in local runway shows, model for clothing lines, and even audition privately with Tyra Banks and her team for Season 13 of America’s Next Top Model. While modeling in the traditional sense didn’t fully pan out the way I imagined, the journey taught me lessons that shaped my life forever.
It taught me how to handle rejection without losing myself. It taught me confidence, resilience, discipline, and perseverance. Most importantly, it taught me how to keep showing up boldly.
Looking back now, I realize God was preparing me for a different kind of modeling. Today, I ‘model’ wellness, confidence, faith, and healthy living through my work as a health and wellness coach. I’ve even had the opportunity to model my own fitness clothing line — something younger me would have been so proud of.
My parents taught me hard work, faith in God, perseverance, and love. Those values became the foundation that gave me the courage to eventually leave my 16-year teaching career and pursue entrepreneurship full-time. They gave me more than support. They gave me permission to dream boldly and become who I was created to be.
Bernai , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Bernai Holman, a wellness entrepreneur, speaker, educator, and founder of GoStrong Fitness and Go Strong Generations. My work centers around helping individuals and families heal, grow, and flourish through movement, mindfulness, faith, and generational health and wellness.
Before becoming a full-time entrepreneur, I spent 16 years as an educator. During that time, I witnessed firsthand how stress, burnout, emotional exhaustion, and unhealthy lifestyle habits impacted not only adults, but children and entire families. I also experienced many of those struggles personally. While I loved teaching, I realized there was a deeper calling on my life, one that combined my passion for wellness, education, empowerment, and helping people transform from the inside out.
My journey into the wellness industry started through fitness, but it eventually evolved into something much deeper. I began to understand that true wellness is physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and generational. That realization became the foundation of my work.
Through GoStrong Fitness, I provide health and wellness coaching, fitness programs, speaking engagements, workshops, retreats, and corporate and community wellness experiences that help people build healthier and more sustainable lifestyles. I also created Mission: Mindfulness & Movement, a culturally responsive wellness and social-emotional learning program that equips students, educators, and families with tools for resilience, mindfulness, emotional regulation, and healthy living.
I also lead Flourish Wellness, a worship-centered wellness ministry and retreat experience for women that integrates faith, healing, movement, and community. My heart is to create spaces where people feel safe to heal, reconnect with themselves and with God, and break unhealthy cycles that impact future generations.
What sets me apart is that I don’t just teach wellness, I’ve lived the journey myself. I understand burnout, overwhelm, and the challenge of constantly pouring into others while neglecting yourself. Because of that, my approach is rooted in authenticity, compassion, cultural awareness, faith, and real-life sustainability, not perfection.
One of the things I’m most proud of is having the courage to leave my teaching career to fully pursue the vision God placed in my heart. I’m also proud that my work now impacts people across generations, from children in schools to women in wellness spaces to families and communities seeking healing and transformation together.
At the core of everything I do is the belief that wellness is not about perfection or appearance, it’s about becoming whole. I want people to leave any experience with me feeling empowered, inspired, seen, and reminded that flourishing is possible in every area of life.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
My side hustle absolutely turned into my full-time business, although the journey evolved in ways I never expected.
I started in the wellness industry by training clients and eventually leading group fitness classes while still working full-time as a teacher. Fitness became more than just a passion for me, it became a space where I could help people build confidence, relieve stress, and improve their overall well-being. Over time, I realized the impact went far beyond workouts.
One of the studios where I taught classes was connected to a dance studio. The owner eventually decided to focus more on the dance side of the business and gave me the opportunity to run the fitness program. At that point, I had already been building my wellness business for about 10 years while teaching, and deep down I knew I was ready for a change.
Leaving education after 16 years was one of the scariest decisions I’ve ever made, but I also knew that if I didn’t take the leap, I would regret it. I believed there was a bigger vision for my life and my work.
Although that particular studio eventually closed for reasons outside of our control, I kept going. I continued coaching, training, and evolving my business. What started in fitness expanded into wellness programming, speaking, mindfulness and movement workshops, stress management training, and generational health initiatives that now serve schools, educators, administrators, organizations, women, and families.
Today, my work focuses on helping people flourish physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and generationally. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as an entrepreneur is that sometimes your vision grows far beyond where you originally started.
I’m still evolving, still learning, and still growing, but at the heart of it all is the same mission I started with years ago: helping people heal, grow, and live healthier lives. I’m excited to continue expanding my impact and seeing where this journey continues to lead.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Most people would probably assume that social media or advertising has been my most effective way of building clientele, but honestly, for me it has been word of mouth and the experiences people have had working with me.
I’ve found that when people genuinely feel seen, supported, inspired, and transformed, they naturally share that experience with others. A lot of my opportunities have come from relationships, referrals, and people witnessing the impact of the work firsthand, whether that’s through a fitness class, wellness workshop, speaking engagement, school program, or retreat experience.
I think part of that comes from the fact that I lead with authenticity. I truly care about people and want them to leave feeling better than they came. I don’t believe wellness is one-size-fits-all, so I try to create experiences that feel real, practical, encouraging, and sustainable.
Social media has definitely helped create visibility and connection, but I believe trust is what truly builds a lasting brand. People remember how you made them feel, and many of my clients and partnerships have grown simply because someone shared their experience with another person.
That has probably been one of the biggest confirmations for me that purpose-driven work speaks for itself. When you genuinely serve people well, the impact continues to ripple outward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gostrongfitness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernai_gostrong_holman/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoStrongFitness1/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernai-holman-fit/
Image Credits
Kelly Kaptures Photography