Callan Pinckney (born Barbara Biffinger Pfeiffer Pinckney September 26, 1939 – March 1, 2012) was an American fitness professional who created and popularized as well as excelled in the Callanetics exercises. Pinckney's nine books became international best-sellers and the video series that followed sold over 6 million copies. Pinckney's first video release, Callanetics: 10 Years Younger In 10 Hours, outsold every other fitness video in the US. Within three years it had become the all-time individual best-selling fitness video. Early life Pinckney was born on September 26, 1939, in Savannah, Georgia. She was born with spinal curvatures, one hip higher than the other and severely turned-in feet. As a result, Pinckney was forced to wear leg braces for seven years. In an effort to correct her alignment, she spent the next decade studying classical ballet. Eleven years around the world After two years of college, Pinckney went to Bremerhaven, Germany. For nearly a year, she traveled across Europe, sleeping in a Volkswagen. She took odd jobs whenever she needed. When Pinckney reached London, she worked manual labor jobs such as shoveling coal and snow for eight hours for little more than $3 a day. After her time in London, Pinckney went to Cape Town, South Africa, where she obtained a job with an advertising agency. After a year there, she traveled to Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Zaire. She worked part of the time tracking animal migrations in the wild. To supplement her income, she took on menial labor jobs. Due to Pinckney's inadequate diet, she suffered from severe amoebic dysentery and lost 78 pounds. Her heavy rucksack also put a great strain on her back, shoulders and knees. Pinckney soon decided to travel to Asia. She went first to Mumbai, India and then to Sri Lanka. During this time in Sri Lanka, Pinckney realized that her muscles had lost all their tone and she had no flexibility or extension. The movements she had been able to do as a teenager were now almost impossible. After reaching Japan, Pinckney obtained a job recording British voice-over tapes for advertising. She also wrote about her experiences on the road for a Japanese magazine, modeled miniskirts, and managed a bar with Western waitresses. Eleven years after leaving London, Pinckney returned. Regarding her medical condition, one British doctor advised her to have surgery on her knees; another said her back would never recover. She was in