Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelli Braggs.
Hi Kelli, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I became a “non-credentialed” personal trainer at the age of 10. I wouldn’t realize it until adulthood, as I began to reflect on the trajectory of my love for health and wellness. It all started when my 102-year-old great-grandmother would pay me to toss a ball back and forth with her for exercise. Who knew that would be the seed of something so much bigger?
Fast forward nine years. I was a freshman in college, away from home for the first time, with no real direction. I’d chosen a pre-law major that didn’t align with my interests, gifts, or talents — the ones I was somehow expected to have figured out by 18. Like so many others, I flunked out, moved back home, and started working full-time. But even through the uncertainty, one thing remained constant: I kept working out.
At the gym, people began to ask me if I was a trainer or if I’d been an athlete — I hadn’t, but they saw something I hadn’t quite recognized in myself. I simply loved moving my body and helping others feel good in theirs. Eventually, gym members began asking me to train them. I’d decline, knowing I wasn’t certified, but I would offer what I could — advice that actually worked. More people started asking. That’s when I realized I needed to take this seriously. If I was going to do this, I’d do it right — and get paid for what I loved.
During that season, I was still working odd corporate jobs, restless and boxed into cubicles. Then I met my now-husband of nearly 22 years, who asked me a simple but life-altering question: If you could do anything, where would you be in five years?
Without hesitation, I said: I’d be a certified fitness trainer with my own gym.
He looked at me and said, Then that’s exactly what you should do. You’re not cut out for corporate — you’re going to stay miserable there. Let’s put a plan together to make this happen.
That was it. With his belief in me, and the strategy to back it up, we launched V Fit Personal Training Gym just two years later, after getting married. V Fit was our baby. We learned everything the hard way — business basics, marketing, leadership — while pouring our heart into our clients. We operated for nearly 12 years.
What drove me into wellness wasn’t just passion — it was survival. I come from a family history marked by type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease. I knew that unless I took control of my health, it wouldn’t be a matter of if, but when. I also saw first-hand the lack of access to health education, resources, and wellness in Black and Brown communities. Wellness has always been a justice issue for me.
Still, as V Fit grew, I realized exercise alone was just one piece of the puzzle. I started to see wellness holistically — as mind, body, and spirit. That clarity led me back to school. While running the gym full-time, I earned my Bachelor of Science in Psychology and later began a dual master’s program in Divinity and Social Work.
Eventually, I had to make a choice: running the gym or continuing my education. I chose growth. I knew I had taken V Fit as far as I could with what I knew at the time, and that there was so much more ahead.
Over the next seven years, I served in ministry and nonprofit leadership — roles I never could’ve imagined, but each one prepared me to return full-circle with deeper vision, strategy, and purpose.
In January 2025, I launched Sanctuary — a first-of-its-kind integrated health and lifestyle company. Built for women 35+, Sanctuary is the culmination of everything I’ve lived, learned, and led — combining wellness, personal style, and interior well-being in a way that centers equity, joy, and long-term transformation.
This isn’t just a business. It’s a calling. And it all started with a ball, a grandmother, and a little girl who believed health was worth the toss.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting a business at 25 is a lot different than starting one at 45.
At 25, I had all the zeal in the world — but not much business knowledge. I moved fast, I worked hard, and I learned everything the long way. Now, with time, experience, and some hard-earned wisdom, I’ve learned how to work smarter, be more efficient, and build with sustainability in mind. But even with all of that, starting a business still comes with the same universal truth: there are no guarantees.
When you launch something new, you’re attempting to solve a problem you believe in — one that you hope the market will also value. But the only way to find out is to take a chance. And taking a chance means having all your skin in the game — mentally, emotionally, and financially. You need enough capital and capacity to hold the business through the testing phase, to see if people will receive it in a way that’s both impactful and profitable.
One of the first challenges I faced this time around was getting consistent footing in today’s digital marketing world — which is vastly different than when I was last in business seven years ago. With Sanctuary, the goal has been to consistently reach our target audience to build awareness, interest, engagement, and, ultimately, conversions. But this time, we don’t have a brick-and-mortar gym with foot traffic or drive-by visibility. We’re operating out of a private office suite — which means if people don’t already know about us, they simply won’t know unless we strategically make ourselves known.
So, we’ve had to pivot — and fast.
Unlike V Fit, Sanctuary is not a public fitness space. It’s a private, appointment-based coaching and consulting practice. That alone changes the game. Within our first three months, we realized that while we love working directly with women, shifting our focus from B2C to B2B is a smarter and more scalable approach. It allows us to have broader impact, pursue stronger partnerships, and better meet our revenue goals — while still centering our mission.
Another ongoing challenge is one I mentioned earlier in my story: providing “luxury” wellness services to both those who can afford them and those who traditionally can’t. This tension — between exclusivity and accessibility — is core to our mission. We believe every woman deserves access to the best in self-care, regardless of income. And while that’s not an easy model to build, it’s one we’re committed to figuring out.
Thankfully, I get to eat, sleep, and live inside Sanctuary full-time. That means I can see challenges more clearly — not as roadblocks, but as opportunities in disguise. Being nimble, adaptable, and able to pivot quickly when something isn’t working has been key. More than anything, I’m learning to reframe frustration as fuel. Every obstacle teaches me something — and it’s shaping not only how we build, but why we build the way we do.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Sanctuary is an integrated health and lifestyle company designed specifically for women ages 35 and up. We bring together wellness, personal styling, and interior well-being to support women in living fully, confidently, and in alignment with who they are — mind, body, and spirit. We believe that wellness should not be compartmentalized, and that true self-care touches every area of a woman’s life — how she feels in her body, how she shows up in the world, and the spaces she lives and works in.
At Sanctuary, we offer personalized coaching, consulting, and curated services that reflect a holistic and deeply personalized approach to well-being. Whether it’s helping a client build a sustainable wellness plan, rediscover her personal style, or create a calming, health-focused home environment — our work is rooted in equity, access, and the belief that every woman deserves luxury-level care, regardless of background or income. We’re not just here to help women look well — we exist to help them live well, in every sense of the word.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Mentorship has always been a core value in my life. Throughout the years, I’ve worked with mentors who have supported my spiritual, physical, and professional well-being — each one helping me stretch, grow, and navigate life’s transitions with more clarity and courage. I believe mentorship isn’t optional — it’s necessary for sustained growth, and it’s something I’ll always prioritize in every season of my personal and professional journey.
Today, through Sanctuary, I have the privilege of mentoring other women. Whether it’s helping them reclaim their health, rediscover their sense of purpose, or align their lifestyle with the woman they’re becoming, I bring the same level of care, intentionality, and wisdom that my mentors poured into me. It’s full-circle work — and I consider it both a responsibility and a sacred honor to walk alongside other women as they pursue wholeness, confidence, and well-being.
Pricing:
- – We have our regular listed individual pricing
- – We have a sliding-scale fee for those who need it. Must contact for pricing
- – Monthly subscription packages available
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sanctuaryiam.com
- Instagram: sanctuary_i_am
- Facebook: sanctuaryiam
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sanctuaryiam/
