Meet Sara Gaddy | Co-founder of desert mvmt

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

Hi Sara, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In starting desert mvmt, my co founder, Alex Loda, and I wanted to create a space where all people feel welcomed, empowered and inspired. We honed in our focus on what we loved about fitness, specifically low-impact high-intensity workouts, and what we wanted our voice to be within the Phoenix community. From identifying those key factors, we leaned into mentors for guidance on taking the most impactful steps to creating desert mvmt – that meant dreaming big and reaching for the stars! The research and development phase of building desert mvmt was such a crucial phase – we gained so much helpful knowledge from other business owners and students. The single most important factor in creating desert mvmt was that we wanted it to feel genuine to us and be able to share our dreams and passion with the Phoenix community!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Desert mvmt is a women owned and operated boutique fitness space that focuses on an intentional blend of movement and mindfulness. We specialize in low-impact, high-intensity workouts that are the best of mat pilates, yoga, and functional strength training. As small business owners, we’re most proud of the community that we have built over the last year – we take pride in the monthly markets that we hold in the studio and we love being able to collaborate with other small business owners across the valley! It is so rewarding to build relationships and find camaraderie on and off the mat.

It has been a wild ride over the last year and we’re so excited for what is to come for the next year! We have put in a tremendous amount of blood, sweat and tears into desert mvmt and have overcome challenges by leaning on each other, our families and our mentors. The biggest takeaway has been overcoming pride and realizing that it is ok to ask for help (in fact, it’s highly encouraged) – we get to the finish line as a team and leaning into our strengths to help move forward is how we make it happen!

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.
Oh, this is unfair! We’re so blessed to have SO many amazing restaurants, activities and places to go in the desert! We would definitely get in a hike or two on Camelback/Piestewa Peak and of course move with the gals at desert mvmt. After, we’d grab coffee/brunch at La Grande Orange in Arcadia and definitely do a weekend brunch at Valentine in the Melrose District followed by vintage shopping up 7th Ave. One of my favorite restaurants in the valley is Vecina so we would 100% have dinner with the gals! We’d round up the week with Saturday morning at the downtown Phoenix farmers market and then a show at Crescent Ballroom in the evening!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Ah yes of course! My father and grandfather were instrumental in developing desert mvmt. Both my father and grandfather have decades of business ownership, executive leadership roles under their belt and are truly our biggest support system (and fans!) We would also love to shoutout to both of our families for the unwavering support, love and empowerment! They’ve seen us work through tough times and encouraged us to keep pushing, stay focused and maintain humble. We love you!

Website: desertmvmt.com

Instagram: @desert_mvmt

Other: tiktok @desert_mvmt

Image Credits
Eunice Beck