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By Mandy Haggerson
For the Clemmons Courier

Debbie Baisden was born in Winston-Salem but grew up in Greensboro. With twin sisters and a brother all within eight years of each other, she enjoyed the perks of having a close-knit family.

“From a young age, I was fortunate to have great teachers. In fact, I chose my college because my absolutely favorite teacher, Ms. Webster, had attended Appalachian State University. When it came time to pick where to go to study elementary education, all I knew is that I wanted to go where she had gone,” laughs Baisden. “Because I also had a concentration in Spanish, during my senior year I went to Mexico to finish my teaching program for school. I met my future husband, Aaron, there as well who was on the P.E. teacher track.” Aaron and Debbie were married two years after attending the program in 2001.

The newlywed had begun teaching right after college at Sherwood Forest Elementary School. “I had done half of my student teaching at Sherwood Forest and was able to take over for a teacher who had left. Shortly after, I switched to Moore Elementary School. I was teaching third grade for a while before I went onto fourth grade, which is such an enjoyable age to educate kids. I also was certified during that time to teach academically gifted (AG) students. I’d go to work at school and then get my certification done afterwards,” explains Baisden. “I was fortunate to have an incredible mentor that helped guide me through the process.”

After 4½ years of teaching, Aaron and Debbie had decided to expand their family. “We had talks about what our future was going to look like when we were dating. I knew once we started having children that I would be a stay-at-home mom. When Paul was born in 2004, that is what we did. I was smitten with him the moment I met him. Brad was born 16 months later and then another 2½ years after him came our twins (Andrew and Joshua). I was so in love with my kids, I felt fortunate to stay home with all of them,” says Baisden. “I had four kids under 4, it was definitely a lot of work.”

In 2012 with four kids ages 4-8, Baisden had gotten the tragic news that her husband had been killed in a fatal accident. “It was devastating for myself and the kids. I had to keep it together though. I was now the primary provider for my young family. I had ignited a passion for fitness once my children were born. I got certified in fitness instruction, would bring my kids, a mat, and some weights to the park and do workouts with other moms,” says Baisden. “These workouts, the interactions with other women, it brought me joy. The next natural step was to bring it into an online space.”

The mom to four young boys realized the importance of making time for herself. “I began two online businesses with my business partner Emily. We started Momsanity because all moms are crazy but we wanted to focus on motherhood, fitness, nutrition, and spiritual wellness. I recognized early on in motherhood if you don’t take care of yourself, then you cannot take care of your children or others,” notes Baisden. “We expanded our online business to provide products too. Lots of nutritional items like powders to help fuel the body in a healthy way. We provide recipes and recommendations for how they can be helpful.” Baisden’s online following with Emily expanded quickly. Other mothers in the trenches were grateful to see they were not alone. “It was a natural progression to start my own online business, ‘Fit with Deb’ that is just me. There’s some overlap on there, but tons of recipes, boosting moms’ morale, helping women feel confident that they can look and feel their best while not killing themselves,” notes Baisden.

Baisden’s commitment to giving her family a future that included a healthy and happy mom included finding love again. “I began dating a friend of mine that was also a friend of Aaron’s named Jason. I honestly didn’t expect to find love again. It was a surreal experience but we were married in 2014. I love that he can sit at the dinner table and tell my kids stories about their dad. He is an amazing man,” says Baisden. “He’s very supportive of my entrepreneurial endeavors which I appreciate tremendously. He has been my biggest cheerleader and fan.”

Baisden has appreciated Jason’s encouragement in all areas of her life too. “I found out two weeks ago that my mom has stage 4 cancer. She is fighting it with chemotherapy and surgery, and we are very hopeful that she will beat it. It’s been a nightmare but I’m learning a lot. My faith has played a big part, and I continue to get as much information and education as possible on it,” explains Baisden.

Baisden continues to lean on her faith, family, and business pillars that have helped her during tough times before as she continues to put one foot in front of the other. If you or anyone you know could benefit from Debbie’s wellness, nutrition, spiritual boosting, and fitness regime, she can be found at www.fitwithdeb.com and www.shopmymomsanity.com where she will inspire you to be your absolute best version of you.