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When SavFit owner Savannah Edmonds lost her mother five years ago, she says her whole world changed and so did her mindset.

Edmonds’ passion for fitness began when she was going through a rough time personally, but once she found fitness, she knew she had found her calling. She began dreaming of owning her own gym or opening a fitness studio, little did she know then that one day down the road she would do just that.

In 2007 Edmonds’s son was just 2 months old. As she was deep in the throngs of adjusting to new motherhood as a single mom, she suddenly lost her own mother. Edmonds then found herself in a complicated whirlwind of emotions as she rejoiced the birth of her son while simultaneously grieving the loss of her mother.

“It changed my whole life, how I see the world, how I treat others, how I raise my son, how I show up every morning, everything,” Edmonds said.

Edmonds says that losing her mother not only left her shaken personally, but it showed her just how short life can be. She started to entertain her dreams a little bit more every day as she worked through her grief, until one day she says she had an enlightening moment and she knew it was her sign to go for it.

“I told myself, Savannah if you don’t do this now, you’re never going to do it,” she said.

She says was working hard to provide for herself and her son. Her job at a bank only allowed her enough time to be able to see her son for a few hours a day, but she felt deep down in her soul that there was more in store for her, that she had a deeper purpose.

“I was working a 9-5 at a bank, and it was great money, but I would get up, take my son to school, hit the gym then go to work,” she said.

I wouldn’t see my son until later in the day and I was like, what am I doing? I felt like I was wasting my life because I literally had no time for anything else.”

It was during this time in her life when Edmonds said she heard a voice telling her exactly what she needed to do.

“My friends probably thought I was insane, but this voice was as real as me and you, and it said, Savannah if you quit your job then you’ll have no other option than to go after what you want to do.”

Edmonds says the thought of this jolted her and was more than a little scary, but she had one final gift from her mom.

“I thought, there’s just no way, I’m a single mom, I’m barely getting by. How am I going to pay my bills? But when my mom passed away, I was able to pay off my home, so I didn’t have a house payment and I knew if I’m going to do it, then I can do it.”

Edmonds says she started saving up her money, determined to eventually see this dream through, thinking maybe she could find space in a warehouse and build up clientele that way, but the universe had something even better in mind and she would eventually be holding the keys to her very own storefront in downtown Morristown.

“I knew it was crazy, but I saved up my money for a year and a half, and that’s when I found this spot downtown. I immediately knew it was perfect.”

Edmonds says she continually drew inspiration from her late mother, and her work ethic derives from remembering how hard her mother worked growing up.

“I’ve come a long way. My mom was the type of woman who worked, she always worked and worked hard. It was all she did. She always told me Savannah if you build it, they will come.”

Edmonds has grown her social media presence organically to nearly 70,000 followers, and with that she has been able to release her own apparel line. She says her goal is to continue to grow and share her passion of fitness with the world.

“I have so much support, not just through social media but also here in Morristown. My plan is to grow my brand as big as I possibly can, not just in Morristown but all over. I’m on a mission to reach as many people as I can reach.” Edmonds said.

Edmonds says failure is not an option, that her driving force is her son, and showing him that he can always chase his dreams.

“I want to show my son that hard things are possible. Life is short, and I can’t tell my him to chase his dreams if I’m not living that myself. If I fail, I will fail forward,” she said.

Edmonds has this encouragement for other single mothers who might be dreaming of starting their own business or chasing a dream, “Nobody should ever underestimate the power of a single mom.”

SavFit is located at 138 W. Main St. and offers DanceFit, Zumba, and personal training. To find a schedule of classes or for any information on services offered visit their facebook page SavFit