In a fitness culture often obsessed with numbers, transformation photos, and punishing workouts, one Nashville trainer is creating a space for people to move their bodies without shame, guilt, or the expectation of weight loss. Barb Puzanovova, also known as as The Non-Diet Trainer, isn’t just teaching people how to train. She’s helping them heal.
Unlike many fitness professionals who grew up as star athletes or competitive sports kids, Barb’s introduction to movement came not from a gym or a team—but from the outdoors.
“My earliest memories of movement were going outside with my family. We called it ‘dirt church.’ We didn’t go to church, but we did go out in nature.”
That meant hiking, canoeing, rollerblading in the park, and simply being active without an agenda.
“It was never about competition or being the best. It was just part of life. Movement was something we did because it made us feel good.”
She participated in Pee-wee soccer and took a few horseback riding lessons (“I was a horse girl,” she adds), but structured fitness wasn’t really part of her story until much later.
Barb’s moment with exercise came through dance. Zumba classes became her gateway into a more structured fitness routine, and she loved every minute.
“I was obsessed. I went religiously multiple times a week. It was fun, and I felt alive.”
Eventually, a gym crush introduced her to strength training. And while she found it empowering, it also introduced her to the dark underbelly of aesthetic-focused fitness culture.
“I loved learning how to lift, but unfortunately it came at a time when everything was about changing your body. That’s what was being sold to me—and to everyone around me.”
While Barb was thriving externally, internally she was beginning to notice other areas in her wellness journey holding her back. During her time at Vanderbilt University, what began as an interest in health turned into control.
“I didn’t even realize it at first. Orthorexia is probably the best way to describe it,” she says.
She says her college years were consumed by stress over food and movement, missing out on many of the typical experiences that define that season of life.
“Looking back, I’m just so grateful I had the insight to say: this doesn’t feel good. This isn’t sustainable. Maybe there’s another way.”
That moment of realization brought Barb to therapy—thanks to the free mental health resources offered to students at Vanderbilt.
“It was fall of 2015, and I’ll never forget it. Therapy was the turning point.”
Around that same time, Barb started helping friends with their workouts. It came so naturally that she decided to get certified.
“I got my certification in 2015. I figured if I was going to help people, I needed to make sure I was doing it safely and certified.”
Her first job was at a local gym called 615 and it ended up becoming a major part of her healing journey.
“It wasn’t founded as an anti-diet gym, but that’s what it became. Movement there was about community and fun—with your friends not something you are dreading.”
Barb coached group classes and one-on-one clients for five years at 615. She didn’t take before-and-after photos. She didn’t weigh or measure clients. Instead, she focused on strength, confidence, and capacity.
“One of my favorite things was coaching box jumps. People were terrified, but then they’d do it and just light up. That’s the kind of progress I care about.”
Over time, Barb began removing weight loss from the equation entirely when working with clients.
“For most of my clients, their first experience with movement was tied to being told they were ‘too fat.’ I hear stories all the time of eight-year-olds being told to go to a class or walk more—not to feel good, but to get smaller.”
That childhood trauma follows people into adulthood, she says, making it hard to imagine fitness being anything but a chore.
“So many people don’t even know what they like about movement. They’ve never been given the space to ask.”
Barb challenges her clients to explore movement outside of the “calories in, calories out” mindset. She asks questions like: What excites you? What makes you feel strong? What helps you feel alive?
“If we take the weight metric off the table, what else can come forward? That’s the magic.”
Today, Barb trains independently out of Music City Muscle Gym in Nashville—a gym known for its inclusive approach and diverse clientele.
She now works with beginners, returning clients, and seasoned athletes under the same roof.
“You’ve got pro-level strongwomen next to people who just want to feel confident walking into a gym for the first time. It’s beautiful.”
Though fitness is a big part of her life, Barb makes it clear that she’s more than just a trainer.
She recently moved to East Nashville, and she’s loving the local energy.
“We can walk to restaurants, hang with friends, and I’m always bouncing between coffee shops.”
She also has a less conventional passion: cleaning.
“I love organizing and cleaning. It brings me so much peace. I even helped a friend deep-clean after their honeymoon,” she laughs. “I know it’s kind of weird, but it’s how I unwind.”
Barb shares a hopeful message for anyone who has struggled with fitness culture or has felt like they don’t belong in the gym.
“Movement can be something you come back to. It should meet you in your life season—whether that’s strength training three times a week or just taking a 10-minute walk during a stressful time.”
Barb’s philosophy is clear: movement should feel good. And that—more than any number on a scale—is what makes it worth doing.
If you are ready to start your journey with fun, relatability, and diet-free culture, visit her website.
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