Meet Meegan Gregg | Creator of Backbody Project & Mama of 2

We had the good fortune of connecting with Meegan Gregg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Meegan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I was living in New York City, teaching workout classes and running operations for a fitness company that gave me an unlimited R&D budget to take other classes. I’d take different workout classes all over the city and I’d think, “this would be cool with more of this or less of that,” but I never found something that totally resonated with me. Eventually, I moved back to Portland and created exactly what I was looking for.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I run a totally independent (non-corporate!) fitness method called Backbody Project that focuses on building backbody strength (butt strength!) as the foundation for whole-body health. We’re unlike any other workout around because the workout itself focuses on longevity through a blend of strength, mobility, agility, and challenging pattern work set to rad music. And it works! Backbody Project’s primary goal is what we *gain* from fitness—never what we’re trying to lose.

But that’s the technical part. Until 2015, I worked for a corporate fitness brand in both Portland and NYC. As I got more into biomechanics and the “why” behind movement, I decided to step out on my own to create my dream workout–exactly what I’d want to take if I were a client. I had a full-time job at the time in the nonprofit world, and started out with zero plan. I’ve often read the quote, “start before you’re ready,” and that’s exactly what I did. I rented space in a dance studio and told people to show up. And they did! No website, no phone number, just word of mouth and you had to know someone in order to attend.

Eventually, I built a super basic site and opened up the offering to the general public. We grew exponentially when Alison Wu put us on her essential Portland travel list. In 2018, I started working on Backbody Project (BBP for short) full-time, and I figured out a new way to run a fitness business with very little overhead.

When the pandemic hit, I saw everyone around me shifting to Zoom workouts, but I didn’t like the quality so I hired a film maker as my producer and we created something that was a major step above in terms of production quality. We built a robust online platform that reaches people in over 30 countries and we still pop-up in a dance studio for in-person classes here in Portland, Oregon. Lately I’ve shifted into creating more content that gives our target audience–mainly women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s—more information about their overall health through a longevity lens. This has heretofore been a more male-dominated sector, but I’m bringing something unique in that I’m definitely NOT a crazy fitness person–in fact, I don’t even like working out that much. I have wayyy too many outside interests, I’m not a gym person, and I don’t want to run a marathon. But, I love being fit, I want to move my body, and like staying informed about my health so I can live well way into my graceful, badass old age.

The nuance of what I’m trying to teach people is that if you’re a busy non-athlete, you can still find out what your body is capable of and keep testing its limits while learning to take care of your joints, your metabolic health, and even your brain through exercise.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had a week with my best friend in Portland, I’d take her near and far in both Portland and all over Oregon, because Oregon is such an incredible state. But in PDX specifically, I’d do dinners at Luce (simple Italian), Urdaneta (northern Spanish), Lovely’s Fifty Fifty (best pizza in Portland plus it’s the best ice cream on Planet Earth), and Yoko’s for sushi (super low key/off the beaten path—hands down my favorite spot in Portland). Brunch/lunch at Cafe Ollie and Maurice. Natural wine and cheese/oysters at Négociant, Dame, and Les Caves. And my favorite place for cocktails, Expatriate, which never goes out of style.

I’d take her for a day in wine country for a stop at Wolves & People, Belle Pente for a winery visit, and Pizza Capo in McMinnville.

Hikes in the gorge and stop for ice cream at Sugar Pine Drive-in.

And if we had time, I’d insist on a stay in Camp Sherman at Lake Creek Lodge (old school camp vibes in central Oregon) with a final destination of the Jennings Hotel in Joseph, OR, one o the most beautiful places I’ve ever been (they call it the Little Alps for a reason).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to all of my amazing clients who believed in me wayyy before I ever owned my own business and created my own fitness method. Many of them have stood by me for nearly a decade. These are dedicated men and women who showed up to classes, brought their friends, and gave me words of encouragement throughout the years. I do what I do specifically for my people.

Website: https://www.backbodyproject.com

Instagram: @backbodyproject

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meegan-gregg-a2271bb8/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backbodyproject

Youtube: We haven’t started it yet, but that’s going to change soon!

Image Credits
Jennifer Alyse, Lauren Massie