What do you get when trampolines and techie gear get together in Tribeca and have a love child? bari Studio, of course. This buzzed-about, NYC-based cardio-sculpting sensation has developed quite the following since it opened its downtown doors back in 2011: while boutique fitness studios are cropping up on adjacent blocks faster than you can say tap-back, bari keeps its members coming back with a fine cocktail of cultivated community and mastery of the scientific sweat. Not only do bari classes involve multiple forms of anaerobic and aerobic movement, from dance and yoga to sports training and martial arts, they utilize a slew of the latest fitness technology and trackers to keep you accountable and train smarter. The result? Change you can not only see, but truly feel from the inside out.

Alexandra Bonetti is the mastermind behind bari, which just went bicoastal with its Newport Beach location earlier this year (can we get an a-men, SoCal?!). We like (ok – really, really like) Alexandra for her insanely awesome workout concept, sure…but we love her for her courage: although leading a successful career in financial and management consulting, she realized her heart was in the fitness industry, not the fine print. Her vision for a lifestyle brand that was all-inclusive, in all ways possible (bari lacks that elitist cult vibe that permeates many trendy studios; it also offers personal training and conjures up recipes on the regular), was clear enough and strong enough to leave behind what was safe and turn to what she knew was right. We’re so glad she did.