Today we’d like to introduce you to Di Butler.
Hi Di, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I didn’t move to Gwinnett County with a plan to open a gym.
I moved here in the middle of a pandemic, pregnant, scared, and not knowing a single soul.
In 2020, I left Savannah and came to this area with my husband and our kids, stepping into the unknown during one of the most unstable times in modern history. No family. No community. No built-in support system. Just faith, determination, and the belief that I was meant to build something bigger than myself.
What most people don’t know is that Femnomenal Fitness didn’t start in a gym. It started in a classroom.
Back in December 2018, while I was a student at Savannah State University majoring in Sociology, I wrote a paper about women, health inequity, community, and access to wellness. In that paper, I outlined a concept for a women-centered wellness space, one that didn’t just focus on bodies, but on identity, belonging, and power. I didn’t know then that I was writing the blueprint for my future.
In January 2019, I was asked to work at a women-only gym that was opening called BOAW Fitness. That experience confirmed everything I had been studying and dreaming about. I saw firsthand what happens when women are given a space that is truly theirs. It validated the vision that had been sitting on paper in my sociology class.
In 2020, I spent countless hours training and working at Beastmode Fitness with my big brother, BeastMode. I experienced the difference between a private training studio and a traditional gym. I saw how personal connection, customized coaching, and community could completely change results. All of that shaped the Femnomenal concept even more.
Then the world shut down.
During lockdown, pregnant and isolated in a brand-new city, I turned my garage into a gym. That’s where Femnomenal Fitness came to life. No fancy equipment. No marketing budget. Just real women showing up in the middle of uncertainty. We lifted. We cried. We healed. We built confidence together.
That same year, 2020, the name Femnomenal Fitness was born.
My parents were my first investors. They didn’t invest in a gym. They invested in me. We bootstrapped everything. I had never owned a business before, and I was learning leases, systems, marketing, finances, and leadership in real time while raising five kids and nursing a newborn.
There were so many ups and downs. So many moments where quitting would have been easier. But my husband stood beside me, and my three older children helped however they could, from cleaning to setup to emotional support. This business was built by family, faith, and pure grit.
In 2022, after fighting for approvals, navigating funding, and pushing through every obstacle, we opened our first brick-and-mortar Femnomenal Fitness location.
What started as a sociology paper became a garage gym, and then became a movement.
Femnomenal Fitness isn’t just a place to work out.
It’s a space where women reclaim their strength, their confidence, and their power.
And we’re just getting started.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been easy at all. I built Femnomenal Fitness while navigating pregnancy, childbirth, and the heartbreaking loss of my mother, all while trying to stay emotionally present for my children and still lead a growing business. I had to learn very quickly how to create systems instead of chaos, because without structure, everything falls apart when life hits hard. I’ve had to deal with intentionally difficult people, broken trust, and the painful reality that not everyone who shows up is actually invested in the mission some people are more focused on personal gain than the growth of the company. I had to learn that passion doesn’t always equal professionalism, and that leadership means making hard decisions even when they hurt. On top of that, cash flow has been one of the biggest teachers learning how to stretch, prioritize, forecast, and survive lean months while still paying people and keeping the doors open. Every challenge has forced me to grow into a stronger, more disciplined, and more emotionally resilient version of myself, and even though the road has been heavy, it has shaped both me and Femnomenal into something far more powerful than I ever imagined.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about femnomenal fitness?
Femnomenal Fitness is more than a gym it’s a women-centered ecosystem and a true third space for many women, a place that isn’t home and isn’t work, but where they can fully be themselves. We specialize in personalized strength training, group training, postpartum and beginner-friendly fitness, and community-driven programming inside a safe, inclusive, women-only space that operates 24 hours a day. What sets us apart is that we don’t just sell workouts we build structure, accountability, and identity. Most of our clients are women who have never felt like they belonged in traditional gyms mothers, professionals, beginners, women healing from trauma, women rebuilding their confidence and we meet them exactly where they are. We combine evidence-based training, pelvic floor and postpartum-safe programming, lifestyle coaching, and a strong sisterhood culture so women don’t just get fit they become consistent. Brand-wise, I’m most proud that Femnomenal has become a trusted space where women feel seen, protected, and empowered, especially Black women and first-generation fitness clients who have been overlooked by the industry. We also operate Femnomenal Studio, which allows us to host fitness classes, baby showers, vision board parties, self-defense workshops, community events, and women-focused celebrations all under one roof. I want readers to know that Femnomenal isn’t about perfection or aesthetics it’s about ownership, longevity, and women learning how to choose themselves in a world that constantly asks them to pour from an empty cup. Everything we offer memberships, training, classes, events, and digital coaching is designed to make strength, confidence, and community accessible, sustainable, and deeply personal.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I love most about this city is the culture and the opportunity. It has its own rhythm, its own identity, and as a Black woman, I truly feel like I can do anything here. There’s room to build, to grow, to create, and to take up space in a way that isn’t always possible in other places. There’s an energy here that supports ambition and community at the same time. What I like least is the traffic, without question. It’s honestly the worst part a five-minute drive at 4 a.m. can turn into a full hour by 5 p.m., and that can wear on you. But even with that frustration, the opportunity, diversity, and cultural richness of this city make it worth navigating.
Pricing:
- $130 for group training plus a membership for 2 sessions a week
- $170 for group training plus a membership for 3 sessions a week
- $50 for our membership
- $290 for flexible training for 2 days a week
- $400 for flexible training for 3 days a week
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.femnomenalfitnessllc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femnomenal_fitness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1ZgabMS6Ri/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femnomenal-fitness/
- Twitter: https://x.com/thefemnomenal?s=21&t=DyGtiGRocDJbl6cF9gkBaQ
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@femnomenalfitness3493?si=XXgo7LLaFZIzJCMF
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/femnomenal-fitness-dacula
Image Credits
inardy
peymac
