As I sit down on the eve of Inhale’s 2nd
birthday I’m sat on the Cadillac in the studio finishing my dinner
after a day of teaching. I’ve taught in this beautiful space roughly 600
days over the last 2 years, approximately 2400 sessions, and over 300
different beautiful bodies. I have
come from very humble beginnings, teaching Mat Classes at Kiama Downs
Surf Club and offering private equipment sessions on one reformer from a
spare bedroom at home. My beautiful Mum bought me my very first
reformer at the end of 2014 just before Christmas.
Many
of my clients would fondly (or maybe not so fondly) remember Marley (my
darling energetic 40kg fur baby) joining them whilst they sweated it
out in the stifling heat of that room at home. The
opportunity to open a studio of my very own was, no joke, a thought
that stayed with me every day for a solid couple of years. I quite
literally could see it, what it looked like, the energy of the space,
the beautiful clients I would connect with. I could FEEL the vision I
had. This became key in physically manifesting what I could envision.
I remember opening the door on the first day of business two years ago and thinking “wow, I get to call this work!”. I
had worked 6 days a week for a number of years to this point so the
demand of running the whole schedule on my own didn’t frighten me but
the unknown certainly did. But I
TRUSTED. Intuitively everything felt right. I was in the right place
doing the right thing at the right time. Thankfully the beautiful
Arabella walked through the door 6 months later and lightened my load a
little and added her own unique magic to the energy of Inhale, and
personally to my life, and for this I will be forever grateful. In
this time, two of my long term clients decided to do their Teacher
Training and I’ve loved the role of nurturing and teaching them in such a
different way from client to student.
I’m
at a point of expansion, ready to bring on more, more teachers, more
classes. Inhale is on the verge of another big step up and I can feel
it. She’s
ready for it and so am I. Businesses are certainly not all roses and
butterflies and if I’m being truly honest, catch me some days over the
last two years and you would have found me rocking back and forth under
the front desk crying (you feel me fellow small business owners?). Some
days are tough, some weeks and some months are challenging in a
multitude of ways and beyond what I could have imagined. I was so green
starting out, I made my fair share of mistakes and I won some battles as
well. But you know what - I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.
I
have been forced to step up, stand up and ultimately stay up. I have
grown and stepped far outside what I had categorised as my comfort zone
and realised I’m actually a hell of a lot bloody stronger than I
thought. I never grew up wanting to be “in business”. I grew up wanting
to make a difference. At that time it was making a difference for those
who couldn’t ask for it themselves, hence my Animal and Veterinary
Bioscience degree. But every single day I make a difference in my
current work. Ok I’m crying now (but hey you know how I am). Every.
single. day. I get the opportunity to forge relationships with AMAZING
people. People from all walks of life. Old. Young. Male. Female. Mums.
Dads. Childless individuals. Athletes. Those needing rehab. Those simply
needing time out. Those needing maintenance. Those needing that edge in
their competitive performance. You name it, I’ve met them in the Inhale
studio. The PRIVILEGE to be an ear for people to be heard, to be a
voice of empathy and understanding, to be a source of laughter, to be a
figure of guidance for people back to emotional and physical health is
the greatest gift I could ever ask for not just today
and not just this time of year. It’s not the exercises. It’s not even
the method of Pilates. It’s the relationships. The laughter. The tears.
The hugs (and I’m a freaking good hugger if I do say so myself). The dad
jokes. The exchange of intelligent conversation. The COMMUNITY. This is
where the magic is.
Thank
you to every single person that has walked through the door, and most
of which have stayed. YOU are all the reason I get excited to go to
“work” every day, that I feel a sense of belonging with my tribe, that I
have felt held and supported in my times of need, that I have laughed,
cried, hugged, learned and grown. Everything Inhale is is because of
you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
