We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chelsey Tharp a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chelsey, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Our goal at Girls Gone Buff is to lead our community to a healthy lifestyle, teaching and proving to be Buff IS Beautiful. GGB has created a safe space for ALL women. We motivate our members to become strong and independent, take control of their own life, and make positive decisions based on what they want.

Since 2016, GGB has been helping women, of all ages, become a better version of themselves not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. We help them embark on a journey of finding what it means to be BUFF. Our goal is to encourage and motivate our ladies every day by telling them they are enough, and that they are worth it. “When women feel confident about their bodies, their worthiness, and their intelligence, they can go into the world and express themselves without intimidation.”

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Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My fitness journey wasn’t always easy. Let me take you back to where it began. I was out of shape, I had bad eating habits, and I would try any kind of fad diet you can think of. I hated my body, and I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was I needed to just show up and do something.

I started at this local city gym, but when I heard of this women’s only boot camp in my area I had to give it a try. AND I LOVED IT. I finally felt comfortable! It really taught me how I was capable of doing a lot more than I believed I could, which helped to build my confidence. Later down the line, I heard a friend talk about “Crossfit,” which intrigued me. So of course, I gave it a try and fell in love. I loved that style of working out and what it did to me mentally and physically. It brought a competitive side I didn’t even know I had. This led me to my next adventure, weightlifting. This love of fitness and my journey changed me so much that I wanted to coach. I decided to drop my Communications Major and started studying Exercise Science and graduated from UNO in 2015.

I coach because I want to help guide others to a healthier lifestyle. I know what it’s like to not believe in yourself. I want to encourage others to believe in themselves. Change their mindset to, “I can do this”, and help them to change their lives too, like mine did. Honestly, I never, in a million years, thought I’d have my own place. I wrote my graduate essay on this idea of a women’s only gym, and I didn’t even have a name for it yet! But one day I looked at my husband Shane and said, “Let’s start a Women’s Bootcamp for a 5-week challenge”, it will be called “Girls Gone Buff!” At the time, I created the ONLY Women’s Gym in this area. I wanted this gym to be inclusive for all fitness levels, a safe haven for women to work out and feel comfortable.

We offer a motivating boot camp experience for all fitness levels. Whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or continuing the path to living a healthier lifestyle, Girls Gone Buff will help you reach your goals. GGB is proving that it is an incredible platform to improve not only your health but reshaping your perspective on what it means to be “fit.”

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Believe it or not, this was only meant to be a side hustle. I just graduated College and I wanted to go back to get my Masters’s Degree in Education to be a P.E. Teacher.

When I started these “5-week challenges” we only had 9 ladies show. I only did it 3 days a week; 1 class in the morning and the evening. We did it at a local park, so no overhang. I bought a few pieces of equipment, like slam balls, jump ropes, and mats. By the 3rd 5-week challenge I had about 20ish ladies. It wasn’t till I showed up at the park one morning and we had about 50 ladies ready to workout that I realized I needed my own indoor, gym space. Not even a year goes by and I bought a gym and have 80 members. Today I currently have 150 members and started a barbell club, Parish Barbell Club and a nonprofit Parish Barbell Athletics.

I am at the gym every day and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Have something new. What I mean is a space for just women to workout. Word spread pretty fast. I used and still use facebook and Instagram.   

Contact Info:

• Website: girlsgonebuff.com
• Instagram: Girlsgonebuff
• Facebook: girlsgonebuff
• Youtube: girlsgonebuff