Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aeshia DeVore Branch. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Aeshia DeVore, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

When people see PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT today, they see the festival, influencer events, the walk club, the partnerships, the content, the community. What they do not see are the years when it was just me, a vision, and a belief that fitness could feel culturally affirming and genuinely fun for women and girls.

I founded PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT in 2011 because I experienced firsthand how movement builds confidence. But underneath the workouts and the events was something much deeper. Our mission has always been to combat childhood obesity by empowering women to become health leaders in their households.

Women set the tone. We influence what gets cooked, how weekends are spent, how children view their bodies, and how movement is framed inside the home. If we can prove that fitness is fun, communal, and empowering instead of punishing or intimidating, women will share that joy. And when women experience wellness as lifestyle rather than obligation, they raise healthier and happier households. That belief has guided every scaling decision we have made.

In the early years, growth was grassroots. I was building relationships on college campuses, recruiting student leaders, hosting workouts, and testing what resonated. As interest grew, I realized that if this was going to expand beyond my personal capacity, we needed structure. That realization led to one of the most important strategic decisions in our scaling journey: separating our impact and revenue models.

PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT operates as our for-profit wellness platform. This is where we host large-scale culturally relevant fitness experiences, build our membership community, partner with brands for content and activations, and create products and merchandise that reflect our lifestyle. This side of the business drives culture, visibility, and sustainable revenue.

SWEAT MAKES CENTS is our nonprofit arm and the engine behind our college chapter model. Through SWEAT MAKES CENTS, we developed the Health Leadership Program, complete with structured toolkits, onboarding systems, programming guides, and accountability frameworks that empower student leaders to run chapters effectively on their campuses. What started as me organizing workouts evolved into a repeatable leadership infrastructure that equips young women with wellness knowledge and real-world leadership skills.

That distinction changed everything. Instead of being an events-based brand, we became an ecosystem. The nonprofit builds leaders and drives mission impact tied directly to combating childhood obesity. The for-profit builds culture, community, partnerships, and experiences that make wellness aspirational and accessible.

Scaling was not smooth. We experienced chapters that lost momentum and needed restructuring. We made merchandise investments that did not move as projected. We navigated partnerships that did not convert into long-term value. There were seasons where growth plateaued and I had to refine messaging, pricing, and positioning.

One of the biggest lessons I learned is that visibility attracts attention, but systems sustain growth. Every time we scaled, it was because we built something that could operate without me being the bottleneck.

Another meaningful shift was moving from isolated events to recurring anchors. Instead of one-off activations, we built annual experiences like PGSFEST and consistent community touchpoints like our weekly Stroll + Speak walk club in Atlanta. Recurring experiences create recurring community. Recurring community creates sustainability. And sustainability allows us to keep advancing our mission.

Today, scaling looks even more holistic. On the PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT side, we are refining our membership pathways, expanding brand partnerships, and continuing to produce culturally relevant wellness experiences that women genuinely want to return to. We are also expanding into the beauty and hygiene space with products designed for women who are constantly on the go, moving, sweating, and leading. These functional essentials and wellness accessories support the full lifestyle of our community, helping them look and feel confident in active environments.

On the SWEAT MAKES CENTS side, scaling looks like strengthening our campus leadership pipeline, improving chapter retention systems, and expanding the reach of our Health Leadership Program so that more students are equipped to influence their peers and, eventually, their families.

There was nothing overnight about this growth. It has been years of building infrastructure behind the scenes, making hard decisions, adjusting strategy, and choosing sustainability over speed.

We did not just grow. We built foundations rooted in mission.

And we are still building.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am Aeshia DeVore Branch, founder and CEO of PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT, and founder and executive director of SWEAT MAKES CENTS. I am a wellness entrepreneur, a women’s health advocate, a storyteller, and a community builder.

Before entering the wellness space, I worked as a television producer, where I had the privilege of telling the stories of cultural icons such as Dr. Maya Angelou, Venus Williams, Alicia Keys, LeBron James, and Deepak Chopra. That experience shaped how I see the world. Storytelling shapes culture. The narratives we elevate influence identity, behavior, and belief systems.

When I transitioned into entrepreneurship, I did not leave storytelling behind. I redirected it. Through PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT and SWEAT MAKES CENTS, we tell a new story. One where women see themselves as strong, disciplined, joyful, and capable of leading healthier households.

My work sits at the intersection of wellness, leadership, and culture. Through PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT, we create culturally relevant wellness experiences, strategic partnerships, and lifestyle products that make movement feel aspirational and communal. Through SWEAT MAKES CENTS, we equip young women with structured leadership development and wellness programming so they can sustain impact within their own communities.

The problem we solve is both cultural and practical.

Many women have been conditioned to see fitness as punishment, aesthetics, or obligation. We work to reframe it as empowerment, connection, and joy.

At the same time, many women want to live healthier lives but lack community, accountability, or accessible entry points. We create environments where they can start without intimidation and stay without burnout.

What sets us apart is that we do not just build events or content. We build ecosystems. My background in media allows me to understand narrative and positioning at a high level, while my experience as a founder requires us to build systems that sustain growth. Together, our team understands programming, leadership development, brand strategy, and community infrastructure. That combination allows us to move beyond inspiration and into measurable impact.

I am most proud of our longevity and consistency. PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT was founded in 2011, and we are still expanding. We have navigated industry shifts, digital changes, and economic uncertainty while remaining rooted in mission. That kind of staying power only happens when your foundation is strong and your community believes in what you are building.

What I want potential members, partners, and supporters to know is this. This work is intentional. We are not chasing trends or aesthetics. We are building healthier households by influencing the women who influence everyone else. When women transform their relationship with wellness, families transform with them.

That ripple effect is what drives everything we do.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

What helped me build my reputation within my market is restraint and long term thinking.

In an industry that rewards visibility and speed, I chose sustainability. Instead of chasing every trend or pivoting constantly, I focused on building something that could outlast algorithms.

Reputation is built when people know what to expect from you. We deliver consistency in experience, messaging, and values. Whether someone interacts with us in person or online, the standard is the same. That reliability compounds over time.

I also made a deliberate decision early on to prioritize community over clout. Growth for us has never been about virality. It has been about depth of engagement. That approach has allowed us to organically build a digital audience of over 200,000 women who trust our voice and our mission.

Another factor is that I understand narrative. My background in media trained me to think beyond the moment and focus on positioning. Every event, partnership, and initiative is part of a larger story we are telling about women, leadership, and wellness. When your story is clear, your reputation becomes clear.

Ultimately, your market decides your reputation. Ours has been built through consistency, intentionality, and the willingness to play the long game.

That is what sustains credibility.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

Yes, our business operates with multiple complementary revenue streams by design.

From the beginning, I understood that relying on a single source of income in the wellness industry is risky and limiting. Sustainability requires diversification.

On the for profit side through PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT, revenue is generated through brand partnerships, live wellness experiences, membership programming, and merchandise. Each stream supports a different layer of our ecosystem. Partnerships drive visibility and credibility. Experiences deepen community engagement. Membership builds recurring revenue. Merchandise reinforces brand identity and lifestyle.

On the nonprofit side through SWEAT MAKES CENTS, we operate through a combination of donations, sponsorships, grants, and program based funding tied to our collegiate Health Leadership initiatives. While the nonprofit is mission focused, it also strengthens our broader ecosystem by developing future wellness leaders and expanding our impact footprint.

The key is that these revenue streams are aligned, not random. They all support the same mission and community. Diversification allows us to remain resilient during market shifts, while alignment ensures we never dilute our brand.

Multiple revenue streams are not just about income. They are about stability, scalability, and long term impact.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://prettygirlssweat.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prettygirlssweat/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrettyGirlsSweat/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aeshiadevorebranch/
• Twitter: https://x.com/prettygirlsweat
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/prettygirlssweat
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@prettygirlssweat

Image Credits

Breonca “Bee” Alyssa Trofort Photography