Our Story

Move For the Culture was born in 2020 during a moment of reckoning across the wellness industry. In the wake of #BlackoutTuesday and the global calls for racial justice, I couldn’t ignore the overwhelming silence from fitness and wellness spaces. I reached out to brands and studios I had worked with in both the UK and US and realized many didn’t know where to start.

I launched Move For the Culture to fill that gap—to provide the tools, guidance, and education needed to help wellness spaces, brands, and instructors move toward real, lasting change.

And change did happen. Studios made visible shifts—adding inclusive amenities, finally offering prime teaching slots to Black instructors, and holding conversations that had long been avoided. It was a reminder that with intention and accountability, progress is possible.

After the initial activation, I stepped back and watched how the industry evolved post-COVID and responded long-term. What I saw reinforced what I already knew: one-off diversity initiatives aren’t enough. Real change requires ongoing commitment at every level—individuals, brands, instructors, leadership, and community.

In 2025, Move For the Culture is relaunching as a multi-strand platform with four key branches:

  • Instructor Training for Everyone

  • Consulting for Brands and Wellness Spaces

  • Events for Black Instructors and Instructors of Color

  • Fundraising with Sustainability

What began as a response to injustice has grown into a platform grounded in both purpose and joy—one that provides guidance, education, and support to help reshape the industry, while nurturing and celebrating Black instructors and instructors of color.

This work is deeply personal. I’ve experienced racism in the fitness and wellness industry—often being the only person of color in the room, even while holding leadership roles like Head of Fitness, Master Trainer, and Brand Ambassador. Those experiences showed me that while representation matters, it’s not the end goal—we need to reimagine the systems that define how fitness is led, taught, and accessed.

That’s why this next chapter of Move For the Culture is so exciting. It’s not just about fixing what’s broken—it’s about building something better.

Alongside driving systemic change, Move For the Culture is creating something just as vital: a thriving community. A space where Black instructors and instructors of color can connect, collaborate, grow, and lead. A space to test ideas, share stories, build confidence, and celebrate wins. A space to be seen, supported, and empowered.

This is a labor of love, a call to action, and a celebration—a love letter to the community I'm proud to be a part of. Move For the Culture is here to build a wellness industry rooted in equity, inclusion, and joy—where we rise, lead, and thrive together.

Meet Our Founder

Behind the mission is a lived experience—one that fuels this work every step of the way.

Ianthe Mellors (she/her) is a professional dancer, fitness expert, and wellness consultant with over 15 years of global experience in the fitness industry. From London to New York to LA, she’s worked with major brands across live, on-demand, AI, and VR fitness platforms.

After rehabilitating herself from a car accident in 2011 using her dance and fitness training background, she developed a unique approach to movement—one that centers joy, function, and mental well-being over aesthetics.

She’s a passionate advocate for racial equity, inclusion and accessibility in wellness, and a speaker, mentor, and media contributor who has been featured on Good Morning America, in major publications, and on industry panels—amplifying the message that everyone deserves to feel at home in wellness spaces.