There is something especially rewarding about being invited back by a client.
Last year, I photographed Burn Boot Camp Summit for the first time when the event came to Arlington. This year, I had the opportunity to join their team again for Burn Boot Camp Summit 2026 in St. Louis.
Summit is Burn’s annual multi-day conference for Franchise Partners, Trainers, operations leaders, and members of the headquarters team. It combines leadership development, practical training, company updates, and a celebration of the people serving Burn communities across the country.
Returning for a second year meant I already understood the event’s pace and what the media team needed from me. It also gave me the chance to notice more—not only what was happening onstage, but the ideas and moments that gave the weekend its meaning.
Three Days at Union Station
This year’s Summit took place at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel, an incredible setting for an event of this size. I arrived Wednesday for the production run-through, and by Thursday morning we were off and moving.
The schedule included general sessions, role-specific breakouts, live workouts, product previews, interviews, a vendor expo, and an awards celebration. I worked alongside many of the same people as last year, with Brand Director Dana Boone and Chelsea Fetzer helping lead a media crew that also included Isaiah and Jordan on video and production.
Large events move quickly, and good coverage depends on communication and trust. Multiple things are always happening at once, priorities shift, and moments can’t be recreated. Working with a team that communicated well made it possible for each of us to stay focused while still serving the larger story of the event.
Stewarding What Has Been Entrusted to You
Thursday’s State of the Business session gave Franchise Partners a look at where Burn is headed, but the message that stayed with me most came from Morgan Kline as she spoke about stewardship.
She described stewardship as the responsibility to grow, protect, and strengthen something that has been entrusted to your care. For the leaders in the room, that included Burn’s brand, mission, culture, and the communities each location serves.
That idea reaches well beyond business.
Stewardship is an important part of my faith and affects how I think about my family, ministry, work, and leadership. Morgan’s message prompted me to consider what has been entrusted to me. Am I simply maintaining them, or am I intentionally helping them become stronger?
Devan Kline carried that theme forward as he challenged the room to examine its standards, practice accountability, and refuse to allow mediocrity to become acceptable. His point wasn’t that the organization was struggling. It was that past success should never become permission to stop pursuing excellence.
That challenged me personally, especially as someone who leads teams myself. It is easy to become comfortable with what is working or to let small compromises become normal. But stewardship requires care, and care sometimes means taking an honest look at where the standard has slipped.
Remember the vision. Take responsibility for what has been placed in your care. Do the work with excellence. That became the throughline I carried with me throughout the weekend.
Training Designed for the People in the Room
Friday began early with a Camp led by Sally Pierce of Burn Boot Camp Mallard Creek, the previous year’s Trainer of the Year. Her team arrived wearing shirts with her face on them, which was a fun picture of how enthusiastically Burn locations support their people.
The general session that followed included company updates, a preview of the newest version of the Burn app, and changes to upcoming workout protocols. The news that Wacky Jacks were leaving the protocol received one of the loudest cheers of the morning, so apparently no one was sorry to see them go.
Another memorable moment came when Burn introduced PR bells inspired by an idea Devan encountered during the Proud Tour. When a member reaches a personal record, they get to ring the bell. The bells were passed around during Matt Morris’s segment, and the room became ridiculously loud. It was a small moment, but one that showed how intentionally Burn celebrates progress.
Between the larger sessions were breakouts developed specifically for Franchise Partners, Trainers, and operations leaders. Much like last year, I was impressed by how practical the content was. The sessions weren’t simply there to fill out a conference schedule. Rooms were full, attendees were engaged, and the conversations continued after the sessions ended.
There were lighter moments as well. Fabletics hosted a pop-up shop alongside Burn’s exclusive Summit merchandise, and we got to dress Matt Morris as the Muffin Man while attendees sampled the new Blueberry Muffin Afterburn flavor. For the record, it is actually really good.
Seeing the Work from a New Perspective
My perspective was a little different this year because Rebekah, my wife, and I have become members at Burn Boot Camp Hurst. I now have firsthand experience with the Camp and can better see how the ideas shared at Summit eventually reach members at individual locations.
That was especially true on Saturday. The morning began with Burn Boot Camp LIVE, led by Matt Morris, Burn’s VP of Fitness, and streamed from the Summit ballroom. Later, Matt, Devan, and Katie Bell led two mock Camp sessions—one focused on the fundamentals of Camp execution and another on advanced coaching.
Watching those sessions gave me a greater appreciation for what Burn asks its Trainers to do. They demonstrate movements, monitor form across the floor, provide modifications, manage time, encourage individuals, and keep an entire room moving. Burn aims to provide personal training within a group setting, and delivering that well requires an impressive amount of awareness and skill.
Trainers I spoke with afterward described the mock Camps as some of the most valuable content of the weekend. Even experienced leaders found details they could refine and lessons they could take home. That willingness to keep learning reflected the standard Summit encouraged throughout the week.
Celebrating the People Behind the Work
Saturday evening brought the VIBO Awards, when workout clothes gave way to formalwear, and Burn recognized accomplishments by Franchise Partners, Trainers, operations leaders, and locations from across the country.
Burn knows how to celebrate its people well. The production was excellent, but the most memorable part was seeing how genuinely excited attendees were for one another. The evening also included the announcement that Summit 2027 will take place in Atlanta, which received a pretty enthusiastic response from the room, especially from my friend Isaiah.
The awards were followed by an afterparty with music, food, dancing, and photo booths. Once I had captured the photographs the team needed, I was able to put my camera down for a little while and enjoy the close of the event with some friends from Burn Hurst.
My night didn’t technically end there. I still needed to edit and deliver photos before heading to the airport so I could make it home for an event I was overseeing at church. I never made it to bed, and the nap I took Sunday afternoon may have been one of the best of my life.
Burn Boot Camp Summit 2026 was fast, demanding, and a lot of fun to photograph. I left St. Louis grateful for the opportunity to work with Burn again, thankful for a production team that worked so well together, and challenged by what I heard.
Whatever the setting—business, ministry, creative work, or family—stewardship asks something of us. It asks us to remember the purpose, care for the people, and pursue excellence with whatever has been entrusted to us.
I’m looking forward to joining Burn again for Athlete Games this fall.
Scroll through a few of my favorite moments from Burn Summit 2026 below.
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