Trading the Cubicle for Burn Ownership What It Takes to Leave the Corporate World Behind
By Burn Boot CampJuly 17, 2026
Three people, two decades each in corporate careers, and none with a fitness background. Yet all of them made the same decision to pursue Burn Boot Camp franchise ownership.
Erin Duarte came home one day after twenty years in HR management and told her husband she was going to quit her job and open a gym.
“He thought I was crazy… but here we are,” she says with a smile.
A few states away, and years earlier, Shannon Lamendola had a similar experience. When she was first told she could run a location of her own, her response was immediate. “I’m a banker. My degree’s in finance. I can’t be a trainer.”
Their stories are different, but they raise the same question; what actually makes someone walk away from a stable, successful path and choose something possibly uncertain instead?
What Makes a Past Career Feel Like The Wrong Future ?
After twenty years in a finance career that required constant travel, the impact of that schedule came into focus when Shannon’s daughter started kindergarten. It wasn’t a single missed event so much as the realization of how many moments had already passed.
“I missed everything,” she says. That awareness led her to step away from her role, but the pause didn’t last long. Within days, it became clear she wasn’t looking to stop working altogether, but rather build something of her own that provided both purpose and control over how she spent her time.
Shannon went to a camp at a Burn gym, but found so much more upon her arrival. “I thought I was looking for a workout, but what I actually needed was a community,” she says.
That realization changed the direction of everything that followed. The product was not the workout. It was the environment around it, the relationships, consistency, and the sense of belonging. The business opportunity came later. The connection had to come first.
What Actually Changes When you Make the Leap ?
Shannon’s path into ownership did not follow conventional advice.
When it came time to decide where to open, the logical move would have been a large, established fitness market. Instead, she chose her hometown. The decision was not based on market size, but something more fundamental; community.
If community was the foundation of the idea, it made sense to build it where it already existed. However, for her, finding the location wasn’t the biggest challenge. It was the role itself.
“Leadership is something I’ve had to work the hardest at,” Shannon says.
In her corporate career, she had been an individual performer. Gym ownership required something different like leading a team and building a culture.
That shift required growth and support. Mentors inside the system such as other Franchise Partners who had already faced the same challenges and were willing to share what they had learned.
Over time, that support became part of her operating model. Today, Shannon runs multiple locations with a stable team and strong membership, even while managing from a distance. The hardest part was not what she expected. The personal growth came after the decision, not before it.
Can Two People Leave Corporate Life at The Same Time ?
For Erin and Jeremy Duarte, the decision happened on two different tracks at once. Erin was not running from her career. She was looking ahead.
After nearly twenty years in HR, she could see exactly where the path led in the next decade and the one after that. It was clear, and it was not what she wanted.
A Burn Boot Camp location opened across the street from their home in Gainesville. She tried it. The experience was immediate.
Jeremy took longer. Nearly twenty years in the defense community, combined with managing type 1 diabetes for decades, made him cautious. But after attending a camp, his perspective shifted.
They signed their first franchise agreement just before COVID. Then they waited. For two years, the decision sat in front of them. Move forward or not. Take the risk or stay where they were. In the end, they moved forward.
What made the decision feel reasonable was not guesswork. It was structure.
“It’s a fantastic business model and it’s been awesome to grab onto something so amazing and just say, okay, now I’m going to execute,”
-ERIN
For them, clarity mattered. The model was already built, the expectations were defined and the focus shifted from invention to execution.
They opened their first location in Leesburg. As Erin ran it, Jeremy made his own exit from corporate. When a second opportunity became available, they expanded.
One location became two. What stood out most was not just the system itself, but the people within it. Guidance from headquarters and direct connections to other Franchise Partners who had already solved the same problems. A network where success was shared, not competed over.
Individual Circumstances,Similar Patterns.
None of these owners had a fitness background. Frankly, it wasn’t needed.
However, what was important was the connection they felt to community before evaluating the business opportunity. What began as a personal experience became the foundation of something much larger.
Shannon, Erin and Jeremy all point to the same factor that made the decision feel less like a risk and more like a step forward: the system behind it, a defined operating model, comprehensive training, ongoing support and a network of Franchise Partners willing to share their experience.
These elements do not remove uncertainty, but they radically change how it’s managed. A decision that could easily evoke fear now feels structured, considered and defensible.
But there’s another principle at work for these Franchise Partners that cannot be overlooked; the willingness to act before having complete clarity. For them, the decision came first, then understanding followed.
From the corporate Path to Burn Ownership
Leaving a corporate career is often framed as a leap, but for these owners, it was something different. It was a shift in direction, supported by a system, grounded in community, and reinforced by people who had already made the same transition.
If you’d like to learn more about what being a Burn Boot Camp Franchise Partner could mean to you and your future, contact us today to explore the opportunity.
Request the franchise information packet.
Take the next steps to evaluate whether the Burn franchise opportunity fits your life.
Share your delicious creation with us on Instagram @Burnbootcamp and @itsallgoodvegan.com.
Back to Podcasts
Three people, two decades each in corporate careers, and none with a fitness background. Yet all of them made the same decision to pursue Burn Boot Camp franchise ownership.
Erin Duarte came home one day after twenty years in HR management and told her husband she was going to quit her job and open a gym.
“He thought I was crazy… but here we are,” she says with a smile.
A few states away, and years earlier, Shannon Lamendola had a similar experience. When she was first told she could run a location of her own, her response was immediate. “I’m a banker. My degree’s in finance. I can’t be a trainer.”
Their stories are different, but they raise the same question; what actually makes someone walk away from a stable, successful path and choose something possibly uncertain instead?
What Makes a Past Career Feel Like The Wrong Future ?
After twenty years in a finance career that required constant travel, the impact of that schedule came into focus when Shannon’s daughter started kindergarten. It wasn’t a single missed event so much as the realization of how many moments had already passed.
“I missed everything,” she says. That awareness led her to step away from her role, but the pause didn’t last long. Within days, it became clear she wasn’t looking to stop working altogether, but rather build something of her own that provided both purpose and control over how she spent her time.
Shannon went to a camp at a Burn gym, but found so much more upon her arrival. “I thought I was looking for a workout, but what I actually needed was a community,” she says.
That realization changed the direction of everything that followed. The product was not the workout. It was the environment around it, the relationships, consistency, and the sense of belonging. The business opportunity came later. The connection had to come first.
What Actually Changes When you Make the Leap ?
Shannon’s path into ownership did not follow conventional advice.
When it came time to decide where to open, the logical move would have been a large, established fitness market. Instead, she chose her hometown. The decision was not based on market size, but something more fundamental; community.
If community was the foundation of the idea, it made sense to build it where it already existed. However, for her, finding the location wasn’t the biggest challenge. It was the role itself.
“Leadership is something I’ve had to work the hardest at,” Shannon says.
In her corporate career, she had been an individual performer. Gym ownership required something different like leading a team and building a culture.
That shift required growth and support. Mentors inside the system such as other Franchise Partners who had already faced the same challenges and were willing to share what they had learned.
Over time, that support became part of her operating model. Today, Shannon runs multiple locations with a stable team and strong membership, even while managing from a distance. The hardest part was not what she expected. The personal growth came after the decision, not before it.
Can Two People Leave Corporate Life at The Same Time ?
For Erin and Jeremy Duarte, the decision happened on two different tracks at once. Erin was not running from her career. She was looking ahead.
After nearly twenty years in HR, she could see exactly where the path led in the next decade and the one after that. It was clear, and it was not what she wanted.
A Burn Boot Camp location opened across the street from their home in Gainesville. She tried it. The experience was immediate.
Jeremy took longer. Nearly twenty years in the defense community, combined with managing type 1 diabetes for decades, made him cautious. But after attending a camp, his perspective shifted.
They signed their first franchise agreement just before COVID. Then they waited. For two years, the decision sat in front of them. Move forward or not. Take the risk or stay where they were. In the end, they moved forward.
What made the decision feel reasonable was not guesswork. It was structure.
“It’s a fantastic business model and it’s been awesome to grab onto something so amazing and just say, okay, now I’m going to execute,”
-ERIN
For them, clarity mattered. The model was already built, the expectations were defined and the focus shifted from invention to execution.
They opened their first location in Leesburg. As Erin ran it, Jeremy made his own exit from corporate. When a second opportunity became available, they expanded.
One location became two. What stood out most was not just the system itself, but the people within it. Guidance from headquarters and direct connections to other Franchise Partners who had already solved the same problems. A network where success was shared, not competed over.
Individual Circumstances,Similar Patterns.
None of these owners had a fitness background. Frankly, it wasn’t needed.
However, what was important was the connection they felt to community before evaluating the business opportunity. What began as a personal experience became the foundation of something much larger.
Shannon, Erin and Jeremy all point to the same factor that made the decision feel less like a risk and more like a step forward: the system behind it, a defined operating model, comprehensive training, ongoing support and a network of Franchise Partners willing to share their experience.
These elements do not remove uncertainty, but they radically change how it’s managed. A decision that could easily evoke fear now feels structured, considered and defensible.
But there’s another principle at work for these Franchise Partners that cannot be overlooked; the willingness to act before having complete clarity. For them, the decision came first, then understanding followed.
From the corporate Path to Burn Ownership
Leaving a corporate career is often framed as a leap, but for these owners, it was something different. It was a shift in direction, supported by a system, grounded in community, and reinforced by people who had already made the same transition.
If you’d like to learn more about what being a Burn Boot Camp Franchise Partner could mean to you and your future, contact us today to explore the opportunity.
Request the franchise information packet.
Take the next steps to evaluate whether the Burn franchise opportunity fits your life.
Share your delicious creation with us on Instagram @Burnbootcamp and @itsallgoodvegan.com.
Back to Podcasts