Yes

... then the style absolutely matters.

I [laughs] can remember one of the first music classes I took, I think this instructor was fiddling with the source of music more than she was actually teaching the class.

So not only is it the functionality, functionality of the equipment really important, but the style too.

I know that sometimes the style is, uh, built and based on the brand, and other times it's based on the personality of the instructor.

Um, it, it definitely helps to set the emotional identity of the brand and the studio, but also that particular class style and that, it differentiates the instructors too.

Um, so I think, you know, also, does this change throughout the class? Do we have fans that come on at a certain portion to kind of cool people down and, and, and bring them back into the state where they're gonna go back up again? So thinking through that piece with temperature as well.

And being purposeful about it, creating SOPs and systems, processes, trainings around how is it for your brand.

But we, you know, if we can get in the driver's seat, what are some of the ways that parenting when anxiety is part of the picture can influence kids? It's, it's that overprotectiveness sometimes, isn't it? And there are other aspects to this that are important, I think, to talk about.

Yeah, I think that, that, that, you know, children experience fear in different, different ways, and we do as well.

So sometimes our overanxiousness can be seen as overprotective or, you know, we, we worry about everything, and so then, you know, our children can experience the world as unsafe.

And often the time to talk about this stuff is not when you're, you know, fully into your, into an anxious moment or having a moment where you actually, you know, really need to focus on what you need.

These conversations outside of those moments are really important, where we can talk about, you know, like my mind was imagining lots of terrible things that could happen, and it was, it was, like you said, in the driver's seat.

And, you know, even apologizing a- and repairing, I think, sometimes is, you know, actually that was my, um, you know, my busy mind taking over then, and I should have let you go and not, you know, not be worried that something might happen.

So I think there's sort of a, a mix of things.

What would you say to parents who kind of identify with that kind of thinking and feel like, "Well, I'm at risk of maybe being a little bit overprotective 'cause of my own anxiety"?

What would you say to parents who kind of identify with that kind of thinking and feel like, well, I'm at risk of maybe being a little bit overprotective because of my own anxiety?

I think it's definitely a real thing and, you know, at different levels and different ages.

I think the awareness is always going to be the thing that's key and that's, you know, when we can have awareness of our feeling and or our fear and sometimes in the moment we, you know, we react really quickly and, you know, that question about am I responding to the child in front of me or reacting to the child within me is often that reaction mode.

So we know that when we kind of really quickly snap at something or say a no, that really quickly that that's often because of something internally for us.

So in the book I talk about this courage pause because it takes courage to, you know, Pause and kind of wonder and be curious about what's happening in our own selves.

And so, you know, taking a breath, noticing what's going on.

Wondering, like just wondering about...

And by the time they're 18, we want to have these skills and insights, knowledge and wisdom kind of under their belt and protecting them isn't going to get them there, is it?

Yeah.

'Cause when I started with, um, with...

I started first with the Pilates studio, then I started BootyBar, and all the people that were coming to BootyBar were Pilates instructors.

Then it went into the fitness, then it's now moved back into Pilates, so now we've got all these newbies doing Pilates.

Pilates has grown, like in Asia, quicker.

Barre hasn't even hit it yet, so now barre's coming.

Now the people who've done Pilates now are like, "Oh, we wanna do red hot Pila- but we wanna add barre into it." So it's actually, like, this big circle that keeps going around, so it's really y- it's that entry point.

Yeah

Yeah.

Yeah, of course you do.

All parents want to help their children as much as they can.

The thing that happens, though, when they come back is that everybody can arrive with different feelings and expectations.

So kids might come back feeling relieved that the pressure's off.

And parents want to genuinely help their kids.

But there's this grief sometimes that happens, loss of privacy, loss of freedom, loss of space.

So if this happens, and you know what, of course you're going to say yes, should you try to set some ground rules and say, now listen, if you're coming back, you know, a few things are going to have to change.

Which classes are affected by this? And, and am I going to be able to identify any retention risk, any clients that might be real loyalists to this instructor? How am I gonna game plan that?

Yeah, and then there's the team, too.

What's the bandwidth to fill the gap here? Hopefully you've always kept a pipeline of instructors.

You've got, um, an awareness of who's coming up through wanting more time teaching or has developed their skill to step in place.

The training has been solid that you do have a, a bench kind of waiting for their next opportunity.

So who has the capacity? Who needs training or support? And can your lead coach's responsibilities be divided by a few people for now?

Um, I think, again, we want to get away from that knee-jerk replacing someone to maintain our programming and our consistency and our development, and really look at, you know, is this an opportunity where I could redistribute responsibilities, where I could strengthen the processes behind the scenes here? Let me really take a minute and find someone who's going to be a strong fit in this role.

I don't think there's any harm in the owner maybe stepping in just a little bit more, too.

So how did you go from being this kid to building a career as a person whose main message is children's feelings deserve to be recognized and validated and heard and they're very important signals for us?

Yeah.

Well, it took me a long time really to kind of work out that there wasn't, it wasn't actually something wrong with me, that actually what I had was this superpower of sensitivity.

So I went on to do teaching after I finished school and just kind of felt like there wasn't kind of the right career for me.

And then when my own mum passed away, I really had a moment of kind of going, what is my purpose? What am I meant to be doing? I was 34.

I had two little people, a four-year-old and a two-year-old.

And I really struggled with the whole parenting thing.

When you look back at the woman you were without all this knowledge and suddenly this gigantic part of your mobile is just gone, what was that like for you?

Lisa is a freelance garden speaker and educator, and she is here today to talk to us all about gardening when water is scarce or when we're in drought conditions.

Oh, thank you.

It is a pleasure.

I had so much fun last time.

I was delighted when you asked me back.

Right.

[laughs] Sure.

Um, other ways that could help, uh, preserve water or, or use less water.

You invest and train that team, and then subsequently you identify what future hires you may need to bring in.

So the size and strength, and then of course the roles.

Uh, your future organization must be delegated intentionally, designed intentionally.

Um, oftentimes when we look at different businesses, we're noticing we're not even planned for the next year of events and promotions, let alone for the staff we're going to need three years from now and two more locations down the road.

So intentionality is really important here and, and having that forward thinking.

Every role, every workflow, and every responsibility, they all have to align with the strategic direction of the business that you're becoming, different from what the business you are today or the worst, the business you were last year.

We can very m- easily get stuck in looking backwards and, and, and replanning and reworking the challenges we experienced last, versus looking forward, having that learning on board, and using it where needed, but really the fresh eyes looking forward and thinking to what's the possibility? Where are we going? How will we get there? The direction must be made really very evident in your goal setting, in the way you communicate with your team, and in the financial projections that guide your decision-making.

So let's move on and look at how we plan for change, how we plan for potential competition, and when the market evolves.

Mm-hmm

... those two things don't match.

Yeah, so whether they look like your ideal member is one of the key components, and boutique fitness participation's strongest among consumers who value personalized experiences and they're willing to pay for them.

So you need to know, are the income levels high enough to sustain your pricing? Do the local demographics match your modality? Pilates tends to dominate in certain age c-

Mm-hmm

... be replicated and consistently? And then does your schedule match the local lifestyle rhythms? Again, if it's a very young crowd who's working really late, do you have even later classes available? All of those indicators that, that really help you craft the business that you want to deliver.

This is where many owners discover that their first location's success won't automatically replicate-

moment.

There's this school expectations, you know, technology issues.

This comparison culture that we live in through social media and that huge emotional labor that parents carry all the while trying to stay calm, stay connected to their children while they're doing it.

And it's really depleting parents to the point where.

You know, many parents think that constant exhaustion and anxiety is a part of parenting now.

Really, it's not.

It shouldn't be.

right.