Founder & President

Stephen Burnette was born in Clearwater, Florida in the mid 80’s, and grew up in Sandy Springs, GA as the middle child of five. After excelling in sports in his childhood, he graduated with a Health, Physical Education and Sport Studies degree from the University of West Georgia.  After teaching K-8th grade P.E., and coaching girls volleyball, and basketball, as well as track and field, he went on to get his Masters of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary from 2012-2016.  This is when he started combining the two degrees, and developed Soul Fitness Ministries. It wasn’t until 10 years later, that he started SFM as a non-profit 501(c)(3).

He has been on mission trips to Alaska, Brazil, Cuba, Guatemala, and Costa Rica, before going to the Holy Land for 80 days in 2016. There, he finished his master’s program with a class called ‘The Historical and Geographical Landscape of the Bible.’ He stayed behind to serve with various ministries such as SERVE NAZARETH, Abundant Hope International, LOVE Into Action, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. This culminated in a ten-day trip to Poland, where he helped with another FCA camp, and visited Auschwitz, a life changing event.

Back in the United States, he worked in Athens, GA and in Niteroi, Brazil with a missions agency, before teaching again. He helped with a Montessori school in Atlanta, a start-up school in Dunwoody, and later, from 2019 to 2021, at the Cumberland Christian Academy. Here, he taught middle and high school students, a variety of courses such as… World Religions, History of the Church, Apologetics, Ethics, Christian Relationships, Health, Weight Training and Physical Education. This is the school that the Kendrick Brothers parents started in Mableton, Georgia. They directed the movies: War Room, Facing the Giants, Flywheel, Overcomer, and Courageous. If you haven’t seen them, they are worth watching.

In 2021, Mr. Burnette was led to start Soul Fitness Ministries, Inc. as a non-profit, instead of continuing to teach at CCA. This opened up the opportunity to move to Front Royal, Virginia, his wife’s hometown, where he worked with Seton Home Study School, and continued to lead Soul Fitness 4 Kids courses. In 2022, he also led Soul Fitness Christmas Music Event at nearly a dozen retirement facilities in Northern Virginia.

In April 2023, Stephen and Bernadette got married in the St. Mary’s Chapel at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Atlanta, Georgia.  After their honeymoon, they attempted to go out west, but the fires in Canada prevented them from doing so.  Stephen got a youth ministry job in Virginia Beach, and this is where they had Ambrose.  Here, Stephen was finally able to publish over a dozen books he had written since 2011.

Early 2025, their military Catholic landlords were restationed back to the area. This helped the Burnette’s re-discern the call to California, and after selling almost all their possessions, and downsizing, again, they made their way across the United States.  They got to travel through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois… and up to the Twin Cities before there were more fires in Canada that produced heavy smoke, causing them to travel several hours south one day, to Des Moines, Iowa, before continuing West through Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah and finally to Sacramento, CA. The journey was filled with wonderful people, challenging times, and ministry opportunities almost daily. After a few days in Sacramento, they prayerfully made their way down to Los Angeles, arriving on Father’s Day, 2025.

Vice President & Treasurer

Bernadette, wife of Stephen Burnette, serves as Vice President of Soul Fitness Ministries. She also holds the Treasurers position.

The Burnette Family lives in Los Angeles County, California with their one and a half year old son, Ambrose.

She was raised in Front Royal, Virginia by the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Her parents strived at giving them a foundational Catholic upbringing in the Saint John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church community. She is the fourth oldest of eight siblings. The second oldest was a miscarriage and she continues to feel her sibling’s interceding prayers from Heaven.

In 2017, she graduated from Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA with a Master of Fine Arts in Acting and Concentration in Directing. Her undergraduate degree is from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Bernadette has lived a dynamic life. One of both adventure and many challenges. She has traveled across the United States and has been to nineteen countries and counting. She had the pleasure on June 18-19, 2019 of visiting the grotto site in Lourdes, France where Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette. That trip had a profound effect on her life, and still does.

July of 2019, she moved to the Atlanta, GA area. This is where she met her now husband, Stephen, on July 4th of that year. Her favorite holiday!

While living in Georgia, she had the privilege of volunteering from September 2020 - September 2021 as the first Director of Evangelization for the opening chapter of Young Catholic Professionals of Atlanta. An experience she cherishes dearly.

Other accolades include, being a member of Alpha Phi Fraternity, whose philanthropic focus is women's heart health, at George Mason University. She’s worked for Seton Home Study School, a company that distributes Catholic based curriculum for home schooling families. During high school, Bernadette attended the Steubenville Youth Conferences at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. She proudly served as a Young Apostle for one of their summer conferences as a teenager.

All of this life experience and, of course, by God’s Will and design for her life, has accumulated into her current work that is apart, but also alongside, Soul Fitness Ministries. Which is Sayre Fidei.

Sayre Fidei is her company where she has released the first book to her outlined novel series, Meet Karen: The Friend That Nobody Likes.

You can visit: www.sayrefidei.com to learn more.

Her work is aimed at helping to lead people to God and His Truth. That's why she feels privileged to work alongside Soul Fitness Ministries, because S.F.M. is helping to further this mission.

Secretary & Board Member

Fr. Seth is an ordained priest with the Catholic Diocese of Richmond in Virginia.

Fr. Seth went to school at Old Dominion University and received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology with a minor in Engineering Management.  He worked for three years as a design engineer before attending Asbury Theological Seminary with the hopes of becoming a Methodist pastor.  He became a Catholic shortly before graduating from Asbury with a Masters of Divinity (M.Div.), and then attended Theological College in Washington D.C. where he received a degree in Sacred Theology.  Fr. Seth was ordained in June of 2024, and presently serves as the parochial vicar of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Virginia Beach.  Fr. Seth's greatest desires are to be the Lord's evangelist, to bring people to the next level of their discipleship in Christ, and to help others encounter the Lord through the sacraments.

Board Member

Dr. Viviano Rodriguez is a chief of human resources, with over a decade of experience helping organizations improve in effectiveness and efficiency. With a background in the federal government and education of a Doctorate of Psychology in Organizational Development, MBA in Human Resources, and Bachelor of Science in Human Resources.  He specializes in strategic planning, operations, and leadership development. Passionate about helping businesses grow, Dr. Rodriguez has worked with government agencies across the administration to streamline processes and drive improvement. When not advising clients, he enjoys being a Catholic life coach who helps individuals integrate their faith into their personal and professional lives, guiding them to achieve their goals while aligning with Catholic values and teachings.