OWNER | ORANGE THEORY FITNESS BEARDEN
Health and fitness are a passion for Leah Braden. As the owner of Orangetheory Fitness Bearden, she shares her passion with everyone who walks through the door. Her vision is to impact the community where her family lives.
“Orangetheory has been an amazing avenue to allow me to find the right path to make an impact,” she said. “I am inspired daily by our members. They encourage and support each other and challenge themselves to continually improve and be the best versions of themselves. It’s a small community within a larger community, and my hope is to make a difference in Knoxville.”
Having been active in sports her entire life, Braden has always loved physical activity. She grew up in Oak Ridge and played on the state championship basketball team. She then headed to the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill on a basketball scholarship where she was team captain for two years, part of the ACC championship team and on an Elite 8 team. After receiving her BS in Business Administration there, she attended Belmont University for her Masters in Athletic Administration and then obtained a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Alabama. Since then, she has been combining her love of sports, fitness and health in different combinations of physical therapy, personal training and coaching.
“I hope to always be active in my life,” she explained. “We have so many great people doing great things in our community; people have everything they need right here to be their healthiest selves. My next step is to take these things (fitness, nutrition and healthy meals) to the underserved communities in Knoxville and help educate and empower them to live healthy lives.”
Being back in Knoxville has allowed Braden to return to all the things she loved growing up. “I love East Tennessee for the seasons and Knoxville for the growing outdoor community,” she explained. “We love being outside and especially love spending time at the lakes, on the greenways and on the trails. In addition, we like spending time downtown and enjoying the emerging food scene.”
Braden also appreciates Knoxville’s strong sense of community. “It’s great to see local businesses supporting each other,” she said. “Knoxville has a selflessness about it which is an important aspect in life. I try to set an example in my life of loving well and serving others. If everyone could embrace that philosophy, the world would indeed be a better place.”