Angelique Velazquez, the incredible Founder of Vida Sana Studio, joined me on the Friday Society Podcast. Not only is she a long time member of The Friday Society Membership and friend, but she is also an incredible business owner. She is a Master Pilates Teacher focusing on Classical Pilates.
Angelique and I met several years ago when she reached out after listening to a podcast and asked for some 1:1 help with business marketing. Over the years, I have watched her pivot her business, grow, and thrive. She is bold and has an intuitive knowing of the trajectory of her business.
Vida Sana Studio
Vida Sana Studio is a Pilates studio located in Eureka, California. Angelique found her way to Pilates by accident and could not deny the way her body and mind felt after she left a class. Very quickly she fell in love and there was no turning back.
Vida Sana Studio is now a Classical Pilates studio but it wasn’t always. She happened to take a Classical Pilates training and realized how much she loved the method. After a lot of contemplation she decided to change her business model even though she was a few years into her established business. This is so incredibly brave because her Pilates studio was doing great and now she risked losing customers.
However, she followed her heart and the decision turned out to be the best one she could have made! Her students love the new method and they are seeing incredible results.
Business Burnout
I tell members of TFS all the time that they have to take time for themselves. When we are burning the candle at both ends there is no way we can show up for our business in the best way.
Personally, after several years in business I also changed my business model. I used to schedule 1:1’s with clients everyday of the week and was absolutely exhausted. Last year I decided to only take 1:1 clients from business owners who were a part of TFSM and to block out my calendar 2-3 days a week for sessions. This was a huge leap of faith. I knew I would be letting some clients go, but honestly, it has turned out to be amazing for my work/life balance.
Angelique gives advice on how it’s so important to know our numbers and to stay on top of our business, but this can’t come at the expense of our mental or family health. She began to notice after several years of grinding that she wasn’t showing up the way she wanted to when she got home from work.
Slowly, she began to cut back on classes, and while she lost a few clients, in the long run she was able to be more intentional and aligned with her vision of how she wanted to spend her time.
Building an Effective Team
Being an effective leader who motivates by virtue of empowerment is an art. I have watched many business owners not be the best leader, and that’s ok, but it’s important to know our shortcomings. Angelique has made an extremely conscious effort to have open and honest communication with her employees.
She values grounding herself to make sure she is settled in a calm state before showing up to the studio. She believes that the energy of the studio stems from leadership and if you are coming in with anxious energy, so will your team.
Angelique also ensures that if something within Vida Sana is off that she communicates calmly and as issues arise. After learning how her communication style was perhaps not the most beneficial she has had to learn how to have difficult conversations.
I think as business owners we want to please. We don’t want our employees to dislike us so we will sit on issues instead of bringing them to the surface. But I don’t believe this is the best for anyone in the situation. The art is how you communicate. Ensuring you’re approaching your team from a centered place where the discussion is open to both sides is really important.
Listen to the Episode!
This episode was so much fun to record because Angelique has SO much to offer the listeners. If you are a business owner then this is a must listen! I guarantee you will take away amazing advice.
Learn more about Vida Sana Studio here.
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