Meet Monica, a local mom of two and owner of four Pure Barre studios across Orange County. Read about her life as a working mom and how Pure Barre helped her transition from “20’s goals” workouts to pregnancy, post-partum and beyond.
Where are you from originally?
San Diego
How long have you lived in Costa Mesa / Newport Beach / Huntington Beach? How many kids do you have and what are their ages? I’ve lived here for 19 years and have two kids, ages 8 and 5.
What are your favorite things to do with your kids in general or in town?
We love to go to the beach or go out on the bay.
Name a few things in town you can’t live without.
My family and Pure Barre.
What is your favorite restaurant in town for a family date?
Bear Flag
What is your local go-to store for clothes?
Pure Barre has a great fitness boutique and that’s the only place I shop!
Do you have a favorite destination for family trips? Why?
Hawaii! We love the ocean.
Name a favorite book or podcast?
Any Kristin Hannah book.
What has been the most difficult age with your children to date? What helped you overcome the challenges at that time?
Ages 1-2 were rough. Just reminding myself ‘this too shall pass’ helped.
If you could describe your family in only a few words, what would they be?
Adventurous.
What is one piece of advice you would pass along to other moms? What was the best advice your mom gave you?
This too shall pass. Enjoy the moment. It goes fast.
What was your career before having children? What’s changed over the years for you?
I own Pure Barre OC and have four locations across Coastal OC, with my oldest studio opening in 2008. Before becoming a studio owner, I worked in Orthopedic Surgery at Scripps Hospital in San Diego after earning my B.S. in Integrated Physiology. That background gave me a deep appreciation for how important safe, effective movement is for long-term health and strength.
That’s amazing. How did you you decide to become a studio owner?
I discovered Pure Barre in my 20s and immediately fell in love with it. It was more intense, delivered better results, and was more affordable than Pilates. At the time, I loved it for the “20s goals” — killer arms, a tiny waist, and feeling amazing for my wedding. But when I got pregnant, Pure Barre took on a whole new meaning.
My OB and physical therapists all recommended Pure Barre because the movements we train are exactly what women need for a safe, strong pregnancy and delivery. Many of the obstretrician’s at Pacific Women’s Healthcare in Newport even recommend Pure Barre to their patients because they are clients themselves.
I wish I had thought of that ahead of my pregnancies.
What people don’t talk about enough is that giving birth is one of the hardest physical events of your life. You are literally training for the Olympics of motherhood. Professional athletes train for major events — moms should too. The strength I built through Pure Barre played a huge role in helping me deliver my first baby without a C-section.
And honestly, postpartum is its own kind of training season. Between nursing, carrying babies all day, lack of sleep, and recovering from pregnancy, our bodies need support. Your core feels nonexistent after pregnancy, your back is overworked, and your pelvic floor needs rebuilding. Pure Barre became my recovery physically, mentally, and emotionally. It was a 50-minute break for myself, but also a safe and effective way to rebuild my body without overtaxing it or compromising my milk supply.
I was able to strengthen my pelvic floor and heal a four-finger diastasis recti through the intentional core work we do, which is designed to rebuild the abs from the inside out. And now, with the addition of our newest strength-training and weight-lifting classes, we’re also helping women focus on bone density and long-term health — because after having kids, we want strong bodies that will carry us through the next 100 years and let us keep up with our grandkids someday.
I love that you have added strength-training and weight-lifting classes. Bone density and long-term health are finally getting their turn in the spotlight.
For sure. As women move into perimenopause and menopause, fitness matters even more. We need workouts that build strength without overstressing our sensitive endocrine systems. Your workout should support your hormones and cortisol levels — not work against them. The beautiful thing about Pure Barre is that as your body changes through every stage of life, your workout doesn’t have to.
Our classes help improve posture, bone density, core strength, flexibility, and overall longevity — all under one roof. With five different class formats, workouts never feel boring or repetitive, but every class is intentionally designed to help you build strength for the life you want to live.
Any other thoughts you want to share with us?
Just that at Pure Barre, we specialize in low-impact fitness designed for women, by women. While we absolutely welcome men and people of all ages, shapes, and fitness levels, women especially see incredible full-body results in the areas we tend to struggle with most.
Pure Barre truly is a workout for every age and every stage of life, especially for women navigating motherhood and beyond. Taking care of ourselves isn’t selfish — it’s necessary. We want to feel strong enough to watch our kids grow, play with them, travel, and someday outrun our grandkids.
Thank you Monica! Join Monica at the following locations: Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Mission Viejo. Visit Pure Barre to sign up or learn more.
