Founders Row, the Atlanta-based brand incubator and operating studio led by founder Jamie Weeks, has announced the launch of LiftHER, a women-only strength and lifting studio concept set to debut in Dallas in September 2026.

The first location will open with additional studios planned across the Southeast, positioning LiftHER as a new player in the growing women-focused strength training category.

LiftHER was co-founded by SculptHouse® founder Katherine Mason and Nike Global Trainer Betina Gozo Shimonek, who will also serve as Head of Programming. The concept was developed in partnership with Weeks through Founders Row, his founder-first investment and operating platform.

According to the company, LiftHER was created following ongoing discussions between Weeks and Mason around the future of women’s fitness and the lack of dedicated environments designed specifically for strength training. The studio was built to address that gap through a model centered on structured lifting, education, and community.

“I started Founders Row for this exact reason — an operating and creative firm partnering with founders at the earliest stage of their journey. As Katherine and I worked through the SculptHouse deal and built a relationship, we kept coming back to the future of women’s health and wellness, and it led us down this path. When we reached out to Betina, she was in — and the three of us were off to the races. I’m excited to build this with both of them.” – Jamie Weeks

Weeks previously built and exited two major fitness companies, including selling the largest Orangetheory Fitness franchisee network in 2017 and later selling a majority stake in SweatHouz in 2022 before launching Founders Row in 2025. And Mason previously founded SculptHouse®, a fitness retail and training concept centered on Lagree-based workouts, while Shimonek is a Nike Global Trainer with experience leading performance programming at a global scale.

LiftHER’s model is built around a dedicated lifting-rack system, where members train at individual stations rather than rotating through circuit formats. Classes will be limited to 8–14 participants, with both trainer-led strength sessions and OpenRack access for independent training. The studio will also offer DEXA body composition scans as part of its member experience.

The Dallas location will be capped at approximately 250–300 founding members, with plans to scale across additional markets following launch. A dual-studio model combining LiftHER with SculptHouse is also planned for Atlanta in 2027.