Inspiring Conversations with Chris DewBerry of Lyfestyle Fitness & Wellness

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris DewBerry.  

Hi Chris, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
One of my earliest recollections happens to be one of my first accounts of “Dewing the Dew.” I was 4 years old, at Chuck-e-Cheese to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and decided to play a little basketball game there. I was shooting hoops and trying to become the game’s high scorer, and a crowd started gathering around me. I was surprised at all of these adults captivated by me doing something so simple. 

Growing up in Northwest Detroit, my parents raised me and my siblings with a strong foundation centered around the fact that we could do all things through Christ, who strengthens us. A quote my mother often said was, “Do the Dew.” My family’s standard of “Dewing” was unique. Typically, our bad days were many others’ best, so our best days were extraordinary and incomparable! 

I began playing basketball competitively shortly after my experience at Chuck-e-Cheese, often playing against kids 2 or 3 years older than me due to my unique ability to handle and shoot the ball. Through the years, honing my craft awarded me my first trip across the country to San Diego, CA for the Adidas Top 150 camp, “Dewing” my thing on the court, and excelling in school at the same time. 

Up until 2008, anything I put my mind to seemed to be within my grasp. Shortly after returning from California, the high from my successes quickly faded, and the harsh realities of life hit me in the face with my grandfather’s passing and my mom’s diagnosis of advanced, aggressive lung cancer. My mom passed in 2009, followed by a close family friend just months later. Through the rest of high school, the trend continued, and death became expected. I ended up losing at least 3 people a year before graduating in 2012. 

In addition to so many losses, I ended up transferring 3 different times in high school because of abuse by those in authority, racial injustices, and family hardship. During that time, the US was in the midst of one of its biggest recession ever, and drug abuse, suicide, and crime was at its peak. Instead of following that trend, which many of my peers did, I focused on “Doing the Dew” and making the best of every opportunity that came before me. 

By the time I graduated high school, I was a 4-year varsity letterman, served as student body Vice President, was on the National Honor Society, and etched my name in the record books as a state champion, MVP, All-American, and recording the highest 3pt percentage in Michigan High School Basketball – a record that I still hold today! 

My younger years definitely propelled me forward through emotional and harsh life challenges. 

Through my accolades on the court, I never forgot that I was called to excellence and purposed to succeed. I was determined to never let sports, politics, or life’s challenges keep me from “Dewing” my very best in all areas of life. I continued my pursuit of the sport on a full-ride scholarship to West Virginia Wesleyan, where I became only the 7th athlete in school history to score 1,000 pts, doing so while earning a BS in Athletic Training with Academic Honors – a rigorous program where only 3 out of my class of 30 completed. 

Losing my mom as a young teen truly prepared me for how to handle some of life’s toughest challenges, and assisting with her care at the end of her life gave me a passion for helping others. With years of feeling that my “Dewing” was not enough and I was powerless to help those I loved, I learned that with observation, knowledge, experience, and discipline I truly can make a difference. I now base my career around my personal experiences and use my degree in Athletic Training to render care that is both preventative and onsets recovery ❤️‍🩹. “Helping myself by helping others” has become my personal motto as I utilize my decades of fitness experience and knowledge at my own studio, Lyfestyle Fitness & Wellness, which opened in November 2020. 

As my dad is the only one of his siblings to carry the DewBerry name, I’m really a first generation creating a brand-new legacy of ideas 💡, opportunities, and experiences for my family and any person I come into contact with. I’ve seemingly filled the voids my many losses have brought with accomplishments, but I believe my best days are yet to come. 

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?
There have been many obstacles and challenges I’ve faced over the years, though none insurmountable. My primary struggles surrounded the deaths of so many family members, stereotypes I’ve been given as a black man in the US, and a college basketball career that was plagued with injuries and family hardships back home in Detroit. 

While in college, I strove for excellence both on and off the court, even when the world was telling me I wasn’t worthy of that type of success. While studying and playing ball, I directed the Intramural Sports Club at Wesleyan and worked as a Manager at Enterprise Rent-a-Car. In both of those instances, I worked to slam the stereotype that all I could be was a tall, dark, and handsome athlete or a druggy with dreads, facing prejudices and showing that I was more than my looks. In contrast to the limited and negative expectations these stereotypes brought, I developed a successful school-wide intramural program and became the top salesman for our branch. 

After graduating, I stepped away from basketball and began pursuing life in the professional world. A journey that proved anything but easy with empty promises of promotion, being a product of budget cuts, my father falling ill, COVID shutting down the world, and my boss deciding to close up shop seemingly overnight. 

Rather than letting those circumstances stop me from progressing forward, I used them as a launching point to develop my own brand, becoming my own boss just 10 days after my last job was done. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Lyfestyle Fitness & Wellness is a fitness studio focused on overall health and wellness through group classes, individual training, and injury prevention & recovery services. Lyfestyle isn’t your average gym; it is designed to help you take back control of your LYFE. We understand that your journey to fitness is more than just a few minutes at the gym each week; it is a mental, physical, and emotional process. 

But wellness goes beyond “hitting the gym” every week. Total body wellness is a balance of physical activity, rest & recovery, nutrition, & mental well-being – allowing you to obtain & maintain an optimal healthy lyfestyle & giving you results that last a lifetime! 

Small group classes are designed as HIIT workouts with a variety of cardio, body weight, kickboxing, and stretching exercises to give your body the all-around workout it needs to obtain the best results possible. 

Individual training sessions that are tailor-fit to you are also available, and with all of our workouts accountability coaching and nutrition support is provided. 

Injury Prevention & Recovery services are designed to help your body rest, recover, & prevent future injury so that you can be your best self! 

We have clients ranging from ages 11-98 and focus on enhancing their quality and quantity of life through workouts and with Stretch & Compression therapy – modalities that have been around for decades, but many people are unfamiliar with. 

With Lyfestyle Fitness, we help you get the results you want, whether WEIGHT LOSS, TIGHTENING, MUSCLE BUILDING, or OVERALL WELLNESS…and have FUN while doing so! 

You may ask why ”Y” in Lyfestyle…we all have a “why” as part of our fitness journey. Maybe you are starting a new chapter in your life. Maybe you need an outlet to relieve some stress. Maybe you simply want to get in shape. No matter your “Y,” at Lyfestyle Fitness, you will have the support you need in the process. Our members’ “Y’s” are the heartbeat of Lyfestyle Fitness & Wellness. 

Who else deserves credit in your story?
There are so many people to give credit to throughout my journey that I couldn’t begin to name them all, though there are a few that will be highlighted in the record book of my life. God and my parents first and foremost because without them, there would be no me. My siblings, Dedric, Christina & Christin have been my cheerleaders and advocates since day one. My coach, Starlin Stevens, has spent countless hours in the gym with me both mentoring me as a ball player and as a young man. Katherine James has counseled me through many phases and challenges of life. My Godfathers, George Cosby & Bobby Bracy, have provided me with kingdom covenant, generational love. And now my wife and new DewBerry family, the first from my parents’ union, have trusted me to take them along for the ride – hardships, failures, brokenness, and all. 

I’m thankful for the journey of life…We find Strength to RISE. 

Contact Info:

• Website: lyfestylefitnessstudio.com
• Other: https://linktr.ee/pursuiitofhappyness

Image Credits
Lyfestyle Fitness & Wellness