ABOUT the Founders
OUR TEAM
Unique but United
Four fitness instructors, seeing each other’s unique strengths and talents, came together in a collaboration to bring their classes beyond the gym and outside their homes. Instructors can certify in 3 unique formats and utilize unique, structured, and to-the-beat choreography. Participants can workout in their own homes with truly, a one-stop shop for fitness.
Maren Watkins
Maren has been Hooked on Aerobics since age three and has the home videos to prove it! By a crazy twist of fate, the original Hooked on Aerobics star (Michael himself) now cheers Maren on as one of her most loyal participants.
Maren spent her childhood keeping up with her five older siblings in everything sports and competition. She didn’t always win against their six-foot-four frames, but she did make everyone laugh, and she brings that same energy to every class. She truly makes UpBeat upbeat.
When she’s not leading and laughing with a class, she’s leading and laughing with her three littles and professor husband, Rob. In a previous life she taught high school and college English classes.
Kimberly Pettitt
Kim loves creating—be it artistic projects, barre routines, or culinary creations. Feeling as much at home teaching in the gym as in her preschool classroom, she was born to instruct and she can’t wait to share her creations with the world.
Kim loves cooking heathy food for her four kids. Kim’s four kids hate that Kim cooks them heathy food and would rather eat Pringles—the crumbs of which litter her well-occupied car. (Where else is a gal going to Marco Polo her UpBeat besties?)
Kim loves her husband, her god, and her chocolate cinnamon bears. A depression/anxiety warrior, Kim is open and honest about real life and the struggles that come with it. She has a heart of gold which propels her forward to help others in turn; fitness being her favorite cure of choice.
Kara Simmons
Kara grew up idolizing her group-fitness instructing mother’s every move; lucky for us, she never outgrew it. Her childhood brimmed over with dance classes, cheer, and laughter. There isn’t a get-together where Kara won’t be the last to leave.
Kara is our easy going fun lover. She is full of ambition, but definitely knows how to kick back. She’ll BeatUp any beach on earth so long as she has a soda and friends as accessories.
Kara loves health so much she got a degree in promoting it. (Which I just learned is a real thing while writing this; and now you know too.) When she’s not promoting health, she’s loving every minute of her non-stop daughters’ dancing, dresses, and discussions.
She began teaching group fitness classes over 5 years ago. Her goal in teaching a group fitness class is not only give people a killer workout each time, but to show them how much fun they can have while sweating up a storm.
Jane Johnson
Jane grew up hyperactive which lead to sugar restrictions. She eats her fair share of sugar now (swedish fish anyone?), but we still lovingly refer to her as our health nut. She lives to make people smile and loves offering her mentoring services as pay back for the gratitude she feels for the many mentors she has been blessed with.
Jane won’t tell you this, but she’s brilliant—her fingerprints touch every bit of business and coding behind UpBeat. Before UpBeat she BeatUp LA and DC’s finance and administration world and brings that skillset into UpBeat Barre.
When she’s not killing it in the role of boss babe, you can find her taking care of her four crazy kiddos with her rockstar attorney husband Seth, or playing volleyball, which she is average at.