Karen Tulipani is the new owner of Joanne’s Fitness Studio, a studio that offers small-group weight training and circuit cardio classes, located at 316 South Main Street.

Tulipani did not start her career as a fitness instructor, however. Tulipani is a licensed medical social worker and worked for Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging. She also worked as a resident service coordinator at Nunnawauk Meadows.

“I loved what I did,” Tulipani shared. “I started coming [to Joanne’s Fitness] in … March of 2023. I only was coming for 6-8 weeks, that was my intention, but I loved it. So I kept coming.”

She explained that Joanne, the original owner, was selling the business.

“I didn’t know that when I started here. One of my class members made a joke that they thought that I should buy it, and they made that joke more than once, and I couldn’t shake it loose,” Tulipani said.

Tulipani explained that she wanted to be an entrepreneur because her husband and her father were both self-employed. She wanted to use her work as a social worker in a different place and different way.

“I just always wanted to give myself that opportunity … so I went to my husband and said, ‘I don’t know why I can’t shake this loose, so I’m going to start to talk to Joanne and see where it goes.’ And we did that,” Tulipani recounted.

In May of 2023, Tulipani started her certification process to become a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. On April 1, 2024, Tulipani officially acquired Joanne’s Fitness Studio.

Tulipani said that she loves her work and enjoys working with her clients. She has offered an “a la carte menu,” as she described it, for her students to pick and choose which class, or classes, are most intriguing for them.

“Anyone can do this. Everyone works at their own level, and it takes patience, persistence, and effort … Everybody does their own thing [in the class], but everybody’s generally doing the same exercises unless they need a modification,” said Tulipani. “I truly enjoy helping people and it brings me great joy to see people get stronger, improve their balance, or to hear their bone density has improved, or that they have muscles that they have never had before. That is what happened [to] me that kept me coming. I began to feel empowered; I learned if you take baby steps you can go much further than you think. It is a great privilege to share that with others.”

She described her studio as a “social environment,” and that the classes have become a community for her.

“I feel more a part of the community now that I own this place than I did before,” Tulipani shared. “It’s a community, and we learn so much in the classes from each other about other things.”

Joanne’s Fitness Studio offers classes Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. There are no open gym hours. Tulipani offers personal training sessions by appointment and now works with Parks & Recreation to offer classes for residents who might be interested.

Tulipani wants readers to know that Joanne’s Fitness Studio is not just for women — she offers a class for men and offers co-ed classes, too.

“I’m open to discussing other options if people are looking for this kind of workout or program. I really think it’s something special. I think [the studio] has the social aspect, it’s a good workout, and I think it’s a very special model,” Tulipani said.

For those interested in learning more about the studio, look up Joanne’s Fitness Studio on Facebook, call or text 203-270-0292, or email joannesfitnessstudio@gmail.com.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.