Shawn Anderson
Owner + Head Coach + Program Director at Ritual Barbell

A lifelong nerd, Shawn grew up on books, roleplaying games, anime, and kung fu movies. Hilariously unathletic and entirely uninterested in most sports, Shawn believed she’d never amount to much physically. It wasn’t until her late teen years that, through the power of the internet, she found one can actually TRAIN for these qualities – just like you can in a video game. The idea obsessed her, to the point of dropping her Computer Science major in favor of Kinesiology.

Shawn quickly became infatuated with the grind, pushing her friends to go to the gym with her so she wouldn’t have to go it alone and surrounded by typical gym bros. 15+ years later, Shawn has crafted a comprehensive system through science and experience and built a culture that sits comfortably between welcoming to all and hardcore for those that want it, where egos are squashed and building community is as important as building heavy squats.