A commitment to community and a passion for bringing about positive change made Juliana Stein (pictured above with her family and bucket bike) an ideal fit for the BTS Advisory Committee. Her three-year term began in November 2023. Juliana had been active in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce for a couple of years before a chamber leader encouraged her to get involved with BTS as a small business owner.
That small business happens to be Barre 3 | Bethesda, a boutique fitness studio at 4829 Cordell Avenue. Juliana is celebrating her sixth anniversary as owner of the studio, which is one of 170 franchised locations in the U.S., Canada, Japan and the Philippines — and the only site in Maryland. She originally discovered the company via its Georgetown studio, where she enjoyed working out after having her second child.
“This is the first time I’ve owned and operated a business,” said Juliana. “It’s an amazing company that really supports people finding balance in their body and their life. And it offers on-site child care for clients, so I found a refuge and a home at the Georgetown studio.”
As a Bethesda business owner, Juliana said part of her mission is giving back to and being part of the community any way she can. While transportation doesn’t seem at first glance like a close fit with a fitness studio, her participation on the BTS Advisory Committee enables her to advocate for healthy mobility options like cycling and walking.
She is looking forward to supporting Bike to Work Day this year and connecting with other business owners downtown for whom the Bethesda pit stop event is a big annual opportunity to raise up the whole community.
Juliana’s two-wheel sensibilities were greatly influenced by her time in Berlin, Germany, where she and her husband retreated — it’s his native country — for a while during the pandemic.
“We biked everywhere there,” she said. “Everything in Berlin is conducive to public transportation, and cycling is really central to getting around.”
Upon returning to Maryland, her husband insisted on bringing the giant, electric “bucket bike” they had relied on in Berlin. She wasn’t sure bringing it all the way back here would even be possible, but their choice proved practical — in large part because their home is just a 13-minute bike ride down the Capital Crescent Trail from downtown Bethesda.
“He rode it all the way down the trail to the Pentagon recently,” she said.
Juliana loves Bethesda’s “urban and family residential” mix, its diverse demographics, its “amazing shops and apartments,” and its very-connected community of people.
“I’ve really felt welcomed as I’ve grown my business,” she said. “The studio is in the Palisades apartment building next to Bethesda Green. We are very close to the Battery Lane Urban Park and the Bethesda Trolley Trail, so I want to get a bike rack in front.”
Juliana said she’s grateful her business survived COVID and is “back to thriving and supporting people in their wellness journeys.” She said Barre 3’s workouts focus on strength, cardio and mindfulness, helping clients at all fitness levels meet their goals while cultivating more balance in their lives. Learn more at Barre3.com/bethesda.
About the BTS Advisory Committee
BTS is led by an 11-member advisory committee appointed by the Bethesda Urban Partnership's (BUP) board of directors. Drawn from the business and residential communities in and around Bethesda, the advisory committee evaluates progress toward attaining commuting goals outlined in local plans, reviews traffic patterns and control measures, and submits comments and recommendations on BTS’s biennial report and on Bethesda employers’ traffic mitigation plans and annual reports.
Visit the BTS website for a schedule of advisory committee meetings and activities.
