Second Location for Women's gym

The mission

To create safe gym spaces, void of harassment and judgement, for women of all shades, shapes, and sizes to grow into the best, strongest version of themselves.

What Problem are We Solving?

Now, more than ever, it is critical to make our mental and physical health a priority. Statistics show that on average, stress levels among women aged 35-55 are significantly higher than their male counterparts. Common causes are being underpaid and overworked in their careers, carrying the brunt of responsibilities in their households and personal health issues that arise from the lack of balance in their lives. Proper nutrition and exercise greatly impact our ability to regulate not only our weight but also our mood. Regular physical activity aids in decreasing occurrences of anxiety and depression, but there are unequal barriers for women to access welcoming fitness spaces and health professionals. 

As a former Division I athlete, athletic trainer, strength coach, and powerlifter, I’ve had the opportunity to experience a wide array of health and fitness facilities and programs. Despite being confident in my body and having extensive knowledge of exercise, there are very few spaces where I am comfortable simply walking in to work out. From YMCA to Planet Fitness and other locally-owned facilities, I still have anxiety entering these spaces and often hear the same story from friends and colleagues alike. Despite what we wear, the size of our headphones, or the focus on our faces, someone will stop our workout to comment on what we’re doing, offer unsolicited and often wrong advice, or tell us how great we look doing what we’re doing. 9 times out of 10, that someone will be a male who will then linger around or watch from across the room. I’ve personally found that men will ask me my name and then look me up on social media while I’m still in the gym. They will post me on their stories without permission. Later, they will message me, adding to the anxiety of entering that space again. Will I run into them? Will they be angry that I ignored them? This is my story, but it is also the story of too many other women.

We deserve to feel safe in all spaces. We deserve to be able to walk into a gym without having to spend an extra 15 minutes beforehand wondering if we need to change into longer shorts or trying to convince a friend to go with us. We deserve more than a single room in a commercial gym with 5lb dumbbells, yoga balls, and mirrors. We deserve squat racks & deadlift platforms and a space where we won’t be harassed with the “how many sets do you have left” question mid-workout when the man to our left is just sitting on his phone. We deserve women who look like us and understand our bodies and struggles, coaching us and leading classes. We deserve more gyms like Better Bodies 757.

There are 851,959 women in the greater Hampton Roads region of VA. Over 115,000 in Norfolk where we are opening our second, bigger location. The impact that we can have in this area is limitless. Better Bodies is more than a gym. We are a community of women empowering women through health education, fitness coaching, community accountability and support. Women come here to lose weight, but transform in so many other areas. Health is not one dimensional. We teach about life balance, finances, and general confidence to go after the life that you want. We’re out in the community working with our youth and other women owned organizations.

The money raised through this platform will be used for: 

1. Building renovations and improving ADA (Americans with Disabilities Acts) compliance, specifically in the pool area

2. Equipment: strength machines and functional fitness equipment 

3. Marketing: social media marketing and working with our publicist 

4. Staffing, payroll, and rent

5. The prototype of our app! 

Our Founder

Susan Ottey was born and raised in Norfolk, VA. She was a prominent athlete growing up, participating in field hockey and track & field at Granby High School. She went on to pursue her bachelors of science in athletic training at Boston University where she also was a member of the Division I Track & Field team. Susan went on to earn her master's degree at Virginia Tech University while working as a graduate assistant athletic trainer for their men and women’s track and field and cross country teams. During this time, she worked closely with the strength and conditioning staff who encouraged her to get started in the sport of powerlifting. After graduating, Susan brought her talent and expertise back to Hampton Roads. She worked as an athletic trainer for a children’s hospital for a short period of time before realizing that she had so much more to offer and could not do so in this setting. After about a year, she started personal training on the side and within 6 months, secured her first training space. From that moment the momentum hasn’t slowed. After a year, she upgraded into a bigger facility and quickly filled that space as well. She’s helped hundreds of women transform their lives through the programs offered at Better Bodies 757 and only aims to touch more lives.

Thank Youuu!!!

We thank you so much for your support on any level. This journey has been one wild ride but we're so proud of what we’ve done for our community.  None of this would be possible without our clients and advocates near and far. Amazing things happen when women support women.

Please follow our journey on social media