Black History Month

13 Black-owned studios and trainers you should know in Dallas-Fort Worth

Grit by Brit is one of the most popular training programs in Dallas.

Grit by Brit/Facebook

In honor of Black History Month, we're shining a light on Black-owned gyms and fitness studios. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it will hopefully introduce you to some new Dallas-Fort Worth-area trainers and classes.

Athletic Zone 214
West Dallas
Fort Worth native and former football players Coach D (first name: Dennis) saw a need in West Dallas for more health and fitness-focused opportunities, so he opened his own gym in 2018. Athletes of all ages can focus on performance first, aesthetics second, and expect to "stay in the zone"

The Aura House
Cedar Hill
This boutique wellness studio owned by Helsa Thompson focuses first on yoga and meditation, but overall on accessible, empowering, and community-based physical and emotional wellbeing. Some of its outreach includes reaching underserved populations through mindfulness, yoga, and trauma-informed practices, with programs dedicated to uplifting Black boys, BIPOC women, and individuals overcoming trauma.

Burn Dallas
Preston Hollow
At this Preston Hollow HIIT studio, you'll quickly learn you can do almost anything for 35 seconds. The trainers safely push, encourage, and motivate you to new heights while providing a safe, comprehensive environment. Owners Juanita and David Thompson have more than 20 years of fitness experience between them, with David being a former NFL and collegiate running back.

Dream Performance
Fort Worth
From group fitness to youth fitness to even boxing (taught by former four-time heavyweight champion), this community-centered gym encourages you to "think it, dream it, perform it." All ages and fitness levels are welcome, with a family atmosphere that encourages health and wellness for everyone.

Eunoiafit
Oak Cliff
Alyssa Nichols leads a powerful team of female trainers at this women-only gym in Oak Cliff, where form, function, and progress are prioritized. Its eight-week Move Mountains challenge is a yearly chance to achieve health and fitness goals in a supportive environment.

Grit Fitness
Design District, SMU area
Brit Rettig Wold's game-changing brand, which she founded in 2015, has devotees showing up and showing out at the Design District and SMU-area locations for the music-driven group fitness classes that provide an intense workout and a fun experience. She also hand-selects instructors who demonstrate the core values of passion, fun, positive energy, and perseverance.

JamBox Fitness Lounge
Frisco, Galleria, Design District
With three locations — Galleria, Frisco, and Design District — plus livestreamed classes, there's always a way to join the Jam Fam Nation. Choose from fun classes like Fit-lettos, Trap Sculpt, AfroFit, Get Ta Steppin', and Booty Fit Dance Cardio.

JourneyFit
Dallas, Richardson
Looking for a lifestyle change instead of a quick fix? Coach Victoria Thomas is ready to help. The former volleyball phenom (who still offers training camps) was the first Black woman to own a gym in Richardson, and today takes on pro and amateur athletes as well as those just looking to improve their fitness.

The Lab
Fort Worth
Got 28 minutes? Then you've got time for these small-group HIIT classes at this Fort Worth gym, which is also open 24/7 for members. Enjoy a free week trial then decide if you want to pursue the eight-person group classes, one-on-one personal training, or both.

Sanders Fit Performance Center
The Cedars
Everyone from professional, college, and high school athletes to weekend warriors and everyday people work out here, where personal training, rehab and recovery, and nutrition go hand in hand. Owner Melvin Sanders, a biomechanics specialist who played pro basketball for 13 years, runs this program in the basement of the SouthSide on Lamar Building.

Raw Fitness
Former Army vet Destiny Nicole Monroe, who's also a certified strength and conditioning specialist, approaches fitness from all angles. Her popular app includes meal plans and personalized workout programs, all for just $36 a month. Did we mention she's also a software engineer, and a former high school track and field star?

Vive Personal Training
Oak Lawn
Private, semi-private, and youth training sessions are combined with DNA testing, fascial stretch therapy, and 3-D body scanning for focused results. Co-founders Jon McDowell and Brock Travis opened the Oak Lawn business in 2016 and have since built up a roster of certified and highly educated trainers who are determined to help their clients meet their fitness goals.

V12 Yoga
Dallas Farmers Market
Husband-and-wife team Veronica Torres Hazley and Adé Hazley are behind this inclusive studio, which operates on the second floor of the historic Liberty Bank building in the Dallas Farmers Market. Besides vinyasa flow, they also offer restorative and deep stretch yoga, meditation, and high-intensity FIT classes. Ade' also founded Rock Star Fitness Camps in 2005, which was one of the first fitness boot camps in Dallas.

fitness health working out promoted

Hottest headlines of 2025

The 10 hottest CultureMap stories that had Dallas talking in 2025

Flower Mound is known for its outdoorsy offerings in places like Stone Creek
Park.

Facebook/Flower Mound Parks and Recreation

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Editor's note: What was Dallas reading this year? Let's take a look. We've already covered the hottest headlines in dining, arts & entertainment, real estate, society, and city life, as well as the year's best and worst movies. Now we turn our attention to the most-read stories of all.

This year, news about suburbs dominated our list; readers clamored to know which local cities were both the wealthiest and most affordable, the most "livable," and the best for working from home. They were also eager to keep up with local billionaires. And, of course, everyone wanted to know which restaurants had the most coveted reservations in town.

Here, we present the most-read stories of 2025 in Dallas:

1. Dallas-Fort Worth suburb blooms as No. 1 best place to live in U.S. One Dallas-area city took the top slot on a list of "the 100 Best Places to Live in 2025." The list — from relocation marketing platform Livability.com — put Flower Mound at No. 1 for its appealing size and affordability.

2. Blooming Dallas suburb ranks as America's 7th most livable small city. Similarly, Flower Mound also claimed the No. 7 spot in a ranking of America's most livable small cities for 2025.

3. North Dallas neighbor ranks as No. 1 most affordable city in U.S. A Dallas suburb landed on top of a list of the most affordable places to live: McKinney ranked No. 1 based on its relative cost of living and high median household income.

4. The 2 Dallas restaurants where reservations are now impossible to get. Cafe Dior by Dominque Crenn is the restaurant inside the new Dior boutique in Highland Park Village, which opened at the start of the year. Zodiac Room is the about-to-close restaurant inside the storied downtown location of Neiman Marcus, which has had several imminent closure scares but now states it will remain open past the 2025 holidays.

Dior Cafe interior Cafe Dior was a hard-to-get reservation when it opened in Dallas. SevenRooms

5. 27 Dallas billionaires land on new Forbes list of world's richest people. More billionaires have made it onto the 2025 World's Billionaires List than ever before, according to Forbes. This year, 27 Dallas billionaires are among the richest people in the world, including Elaine Marshall, Lyndal Stephens Greth, and Jerry Jones.

6. 5 Dallas high schools rank among America's best in 2025, per U.S. News. Five prestigious Dallas-area high schools are living up to their reputations for top-tier education after being ranked among the best high schools in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report's annual rankings.

Dallas ISD The School for the Talented and Gifted The School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas ISD is the 9th best high school in the country, and the top high school in Texas. tagmagnet.dallasisd.org/

7. Techy Dallas suburb is No. 1 hot spot for remote workers in U.S. A SmartAsset survey of cities with the biggest remote workforces has revealed Frisco is the No. 1 city with the highest share of remote workers in the nation. The study found over 40,000 Frisco residents work from home, which is more than a third of all of the city's workers aged 16 and older (117,193 total workers).

8. 3 affluent Dallas neighbors dominate new list of wealthiest U.S. suburbs. Three well-to-do Dallas-area communities — University Park, Southlake, and Colleyville — are among the wealthiest suburbs in America in 2025, a report confirmed. The three affluent Dallas neighbors were lauded in GoBankingRates ranking of the 50 wealthiest U.S. suburbs, based on 2022 and 2023 average household income data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau.

9. Dallas Caramel Company founder Rain McDermott dies at 52. Dallas entrepreneur Rain McDermott, who founded artisan caramel maker Dallas Caramel Company when she was only 34 years old, died in June after a battle with breast cancer; she was 52.

Dallas Caramel Company founder Rain McDermott Courtesy

10. Award-winning Dallas burger joint opens location in Forney. Blues Burgers is from Howard and Catherine Baldwin, who opened the original Blues Burgers near Love Field in Dallas in 2014 (it closed in February 2025 so they could focus on this venture). They use Angus beef for their burgers, and make their own sauces and spreads in-house. They fry in beef tallow, and their sodas are made with cane sugar, not high-fructose corn syrup. They also do fried pies, made in house.

hot headlines most popular stories year in review flower mound frisco billionaires