Many people have asked me what made me decide to open my own studio. Looking back it seems that BARREbeat has been years in the making. It was first an idea, that became a dream , and has now blossomed into reality.
Growing up I have always been a performer. I started dancing at the age of 3 learning many forms of dance such as ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, as well as musical theatre. Around middle school my singing voice started to develop and I started to perform at local shows and festivals. By the time I was 16 I landed an independent record deal where I recorded my own album that was available on ITUNES. Throughout my music career the label I was signed under had me start working out with a personal trainer. This is where I found my true love of health and fitness. After my first few personal training sessions I was hooked. I loved the feeling that came after completing a workout and accomplishing things physically that I never thought I could do. This led me to want to extend my education in health and fitness. I decided to study Kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise and fitness at San Jose State University. After I graduated, I became a personal trainer and group exercise instructor, mostly working in corporate fitness around the Silicon Valley. I studied and taught many different forms of group exercise including dance cardio, boot camp, HIIT, barre, kickboxing, and cycle. I even taught a ‘mommy and me’ stroller fitness class before I became a mommy myself! I became a group exercise junkie! I realized that I loved variety in my fitness routine, as I myself am one to get bored easily.
While I was personal training and teaching group exercise at various corporate sites, I was also a dance teacher for both children and adults. I taught many forms of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, as well as musical theatre. Between teaching dance and my group exercise classes, I was instructing close to 20 classes a week. I really loved that I never got bored with what I was doing because I was always switching up the types of workouts I did or introduced, which allowed me to teach new forms of classes that I loved.
I thought to myself, “ Wouldn’t it be great to have a fusion studio where I can combine all the different types of fitness workouts I enjoy as well as dance and music?” Teaching at various studios throughout the day, and traveling all around the Bay Area really takes a toll on your body physically. That made me even more eager to start my own studio where I could have the freedom to be creative and share all my workout concepts with others!
As we all know in life things happen. After getting married and having two children, my dream of opening my own studio had to be pushed out for awhile to be able to stay home and raise my kids. While I love my children more than anything in this world, I realized that their was a void in my life. I was no longer doing the things that I was passionate about, which I believe is so important to have in your life to enable you to be the best parent you can be. The main question I get asked is, “How are you going to run/own this studio while raising two young children?!” And my response is always, “Why cant I do it all!” I can be an entrepreneur (A Girl Boss! ?) all while being a wife and the best mommy I can be! Because of this mind set, the train started rolling and has not stopped. And in just a few short months with the support of my family and friends, my dream that has been years in the making will become a reality ?
