In 2011, a single statistic lit a fire in PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT founder Aeshia DeVore Branch’s heart and changed her life forever.
As a new mom, she was shocked to learn that childhood obesity disproportionately affects minority communities—African American and Hispanic children are 30% more likely to be overweight or obese than their white peers. With three daughters of her own, this wasn’t just a statistic—it was personal. She knew something had to change.
So, Aeshia left behind a successful career in TV production, tapped into her network of celebrity friends and influencers, and created PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT—a lifestyle movement designed to unite women through fitness and redefine what it means to be healthy.
THE journey kicked off on September 24, 2011, when Aeshia partnered with singer and actress Keri Hilson to support Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign in NYC. What began as a fun fitness event for 100 girls quickly grew into a nationwide movement, inspiring hundreds of thousands of women to embrace sweating, smash stigmas, and prioritize their health.
Since then, PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT has hosted countless events, built a loyal community, and empowered women to lead by example. We believe that moms, who make 80% of healthcare decisions in their homes, are the original social influencers. By focusing on fun, affordable, and accessible fitness, we’re turning healthy living into something they actually look forward to—not just another chore on their to-do list.
But our biggest accomplishment? Seeing the ripple effect of healthier, happier families and communities across the country. Together, we’re not just breaking a sweat—we’re breaking barriers.
Our Mission: to make fitness fun and your wellness journey feel a lot less lonely. We share tips, tools, and stories to help you build a better life, connect you with an uplifting Sweat Sisterhood, and celebrate diversity in wellness so everyone feels seen, supported, and ready to shine.
When you see someone who looks like you thriving, you know you can too!
From college days to careers, motherhood, and beyond, PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT empowers women to embrace healthy living with confidence and joy—proving that sweat is beautiful, powerful, and motivating others to walk the same path!
Our Impact:
✔ Inspired over 200,000 women and girls
✔ Launched the annual PGSFEST and SWEATlebrity™ Awards in 2017
✔ Funded health leadership programs on 30 college campuses nationwide
✔ Product sales raised thousands of dollars for underserved communities
Join the movement, prioritize your wellness, and sweat with purpose today!
Through transformative wellness experiences, an annual fitness festival and SWEATlebrity™️ awards show, an engaging multi-channel content platform, and popular limited edition merchandise, we’ve built a “Sweat Sisterhood” that empowers women to sweat with purpose, lead healthier lives, and give back to underserved communities.
MEET the FOUNDER: Aeshia
(pronounced AY-EE-shuh)
A passionate and self-funded fitness & healthy lifestyle entrepreneur, Aeshia built PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT from the ground up through DIY, determination, discipline, and willpower. Frustrated by the childhood obesity epidemic and the lack of fun, empowering fitness content for young women, the proud wife and mom of three daughters turned her passion into a movement—one that now unites and inspires thousands of women to become health leaders in their communities.
Her work has been featured on ABC, SiriusXM, Shape Magazine, PopSugar, Create & Cultivate, and Ulta’s Muse 100, proving that when you combine vision with action, big things happen.
Prior to PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT, Aeshia spent a decade in the TV industry — from ABC, to senior producer at global content company RadicalMedia — producing award-winning programs such as Sundance Channel’s Iconoclasts (featuring Venus Williams, Dave Chappelle, Maya Angelou, Deepak Chopra, Brian Grazer, Alicia Keys, Lorne Michaels and countless others.)
Aeshia was a committed athlete in high school (varsity track, volleyball, and basketball), earned her Bachelor’s degree on a full scholarship at Middle Tennessee State University, is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and was signed to Wilhelmina Models during her time in NYC.
In her free time, she enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and sharing great meals and lots of laughs with friends.
Making Fitness Fun Since 2011
2011
FITNESS IS FUN
Aeshia launches PGS on September 24th, 2011 with 100 Girls in New York, NY. Keri Hilson becomes the first SWEATlebrity Ambassador
2012
SWEAT SISTERHOOD
Aeshia discovers that women make 80% of healthcare decisions and targets female college students to be health advocates before they transition into adulthood — forming PGS on-campus teams.
2013
LET’S MAKE IT OFFICIAL
Demand grows for PGS tees, and the mantra PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT is trademarked. The first t-shirt is sold to the public and featured on ABC.
2014
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
PGS partners with BET, Girl Scouts, and Essence to host wellness events — garnering 5.6 million social media impressions.
2015
PGS MOVES TO ATL
With popular apparel, inspiring content, and transformational wellness experiences, Aeshia brings Pretty Girls Sweat LLC to Atlanta, GA.
2016
BRIDGING THE GAP
Corporate companies begin hiring PGS to engage multicultural women with their products through meaningful wellness events.
2017
CHANGING THE FACE OF FITNESS
#PGSFEST launches with 500 paid guests, honoring 6 SWEATlebrities while fostering 90+ diverse wellness influencer partnerships.
2018
INVEST IN HEALTH!
PGS 501c3 nonprofit SWEAT MAKES CENTS reaches a milestone of over $180,000 in donations for childhood obesity prevention programs.
2019
YOU GROW GIRL
1,000 women paid to attend the annual #PGSFEST, with many flying in from other cities.
2020
DIGITAL DANCE PARTY
During the pandemic, PGS pivots to make fitness fun at home for sweat sisters.
2021
10TH ANNIVERSARY!
PGS launches a new and improved website to make fitness fun, affordable, and accessible for busy women so they can look and feel their best.
OUR TEAM
GIVING BACK
Relentless in the mission to end childhood obesity for future generations — PGS donates a portion of profits to their 501(c)3 nonprofit SWEAT MAKES CENTS.
SWEAT MAKES CENTS trains young health leaders and wellness journalists at 30 college campuses nationwide and awards scholarships.
Over 500 girls have successfully completed the 9-month SWEAT MAKES CENTS programs, impacting more than 20,000 peers—and are on track to building healthy families while fulfilling the SMC mission they began in college. Learn more at sweatmakescents.org.