Meet Deanna Dunlap, owner and instructor at SHiNE Dance Fitness and Uplift with Deanna. Her story starts in Peru, Indiana, where I was born on Grissom Air Force Base. She grew up mostly in North Manchester, Indiana, then went on to nursing school at Indiana University. After she graduated, Deanna and her husband, Ryan, settled in Columbus, Ohio, where they spent 24 years raising their three kids and calling the Columbus and Galena area home.
Ryan and Deanna have been married for 31 years. Their son Zach is 26 and lives in Tampa; Ally is 24 and settled in Nashville, and their youngest, Quincey, is 21 and finishing her senior year at UCF in Orlando. They made their way to Florida full-time in 2020, after spending years visiting on vacations and during the summers.
Before jumping into the fitness world, Deanna worked as an RN in Ohio, with experience in Labor and Delivery, the ER, and orthopedics. These days, she runs and teaches for SHiNE Dance Fitness in Englewood. SHiNE blends cardio dance with strength training in a way that’s welcoming, effective, and, above all, fun. Deanna’s passion is helping people shift from dreading workouts to actually looking forward to them and then cheering them on as they become die-hard fitness fans.
Though she’s left nursing, Deanna still gets to help people feel better, just in a different way. Her classes aren’t just about dancing; they’re about building genuine friendships and creating a supportive, vibrant community of women. SHiNE Dance Fitness is all about #morethanfitness, and honestly, that’s what keeps Deanna so excited to do what she does every day.
Click here for more information about SHiNEW Dance Fitness.
What is your most marked or distinctive characteristic?
Friendliness/welcoming
What do you most value in your friends?
Trustworthiness
Who are your favorite writers?
Kristin Hannah, Shannon Dunlap-Leahey, Mary Stone, Elle Gray, Freida McFadden, Kathryn Stockett
Who is your hero of fiction?
Frankie McGrath-a young and tenacious nurse during the Vietnam War. Frances “Frankie” McGrath in Kristin Hannah’s hit 2024 historical fiction novel, The Women. She is a young combat nurse who serves in the Army Nurse Corps
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Clara Barton
Who are your heroes in real life?
Any child battling Pediatric Cancer, my Papaw Couch, and Grandma Hughes-all these people face and/or faced unimaginable life circumstances but battle/d them with incredible grace and resiliency.
What are your favorite names?
Quincey, Ally, and Zach (my kids)
What is it that you most dislike?
Hypocrisy
Every edition, Englewood REVIEW spotlights someone who stands out in the community. We ask each person to tackle The Proust Questionnaire; a classic set of questions created by Marcel Proust, the French writer.
