Meet Sarah Dressel | Coach, Fitness Instructor & Mother

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Dressel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process started after becoming a mom. I realized how many women, especially moms, lose themselves in that season and feel like taking care of their health has to come last.

I had a good job and a stable career, but I felt a constant pull toward creating something that actually served women where they were, not where the fitness industry expected them to be.

I wanted to build a space that felt welcoming, realistic, and empowering and where women didn’t have to choose between showing up for themselves and showing up for their families.

Starting my own business was about creating that space, trusting the vision, and being willing to take a risk on something I believed could genuinely change lives, starting with my own.

What should our readers know about your business?
Barbells & Babes Fitness was built to serve women, especially moms, who often feel overlooked or out of place in traditional fitness spaces. What sets us apart is that we meet women exactly where they are. Our classes are welcoming, realistic, and rooted in the belief that strength is about far more than aesthetics. It’s about confidence, resilience, mental health, and learning to show up for yourself in every season of life.

I’m most proud of the community we’ve built. This business started small (sometimes painfully small) but it grew into a space where women feel safe, supported, and celebrated. We lift heavy, we modify when needed, we bring our kids, and we show up even on hard days. Watching women regain confidence in their bodies and themselves has been the greatest reward.

Getting to where I am today was not easy. I left a stable, well-paying job to pursue this after becoming a mom and experiencing postpartum depression. There were days I questioned everything, days when no one showed up to class, when growth felt slow, and when fear crept in from time to time. What carried me through was trusting God’s plan, staying consistent even when the results weren’t immediate, and remembering why I started in the first place.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that success isn’t linear and confidence comes from action, not certainty. You don’t need to have everything figured out to begin, you just need to be willing to take the next right step, even when it’s uncomfortable.

What I want the world to know about me and Barbells & Babes Fitness is that this is more than a workout program, it’s a mission. It’s about helping women feel strong in their bodies, confident in who they are, and supported in every season of life. This business exists by the grace of God, and I’m honored to be a vessel through which I can serve and uplift women every day.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh man! If only I had unlimited time. If this were the case, some most hit spots for me would be Red Rocks, Manitou Incline, Falcon Park, hitting up Breckenridge for some skiing, shopping, and great restaurants, going to Comedy Works for a good laugh, going to eat at Zane’s Italian Restaurant, going to the Stock Show, getting ice-cream at Little Man’s, doing a reformer pilates class at Boost, and definitely some shopping at the Catle Rock Outlet mall.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Barbells & Babes Fitness exists by the grace of God. I owe everything to Christ, who gives me strength and direction. He has blessed this business in countless ways, and I’m deeply grateful to be a vessel through which I can serve and support women through Him.

Website: https://www.bandbfitness.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbells.and.babes

Image Credits
Valeria Leyba Photography
Tanja Doty Photogrpahy