For those of us just getting acquainted, or for a trip down memory lane, I present you the seasons of my business since inception, 2007.
It is true that necessity is the mother of all inventions, and I look forward to more intentional planning as I move into a more mature phase of business and life. Many thanks in advance for reading, enjoy!
phase 1: personal trainer makes house calls, 2007
When I started my business by necessity (see that story here) I knew there was only one thing I needed to do – continue to see clients directly. At that point, I couldn’t wrap my brain around paying rent for a commercial space, so I made house calls. I especially enjoyed being known for doing so by bicycle, sometimes riding 10-15 miles one way. But… Not. Sustainable.
phase 2: yoga found me, 2008
A friend referred me to teach Yoga twice per week at the hospital, and I accepted. So I thought, “I might as well look into training now!” I asked my local mentor, Sandra Helpsmeet, what she recommended. She said if I could make it to New Zealand, to study with Donna Farhi. I’d never heard of her, but did research and booked my tickets about a year to complete a 21 Day Intensive. I called that trip my Sweet Freedom Adventure (see why here).
I surfed, I backcountry rafted, saw glaciers and fjords and stood atop mountains. I trusted humanity to welcome me to the other side of the world without much planning or travel savvy, and I not only had my basic needs met – I fell in love with life again.
After the training, I knew my teaching could no longer only focus on the physical body.
I began moving away from traditional fitness and gyms, weights, and weight management and toward facilitating expression and healing.
phase 3: home base – Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 2010-2014
I came in to teach class in a space I rented from the Yoga Center of Eau Claire and the massage therapist next door, bundling sheets in her arms from her last client, said to me, “Do you want to rent this space, Cheri? I’m going to be moving out.”
Keys in hand a couple days later, the space became mine! Beautiful hardwood floors, big windows, great location and affordable rent. Sold. My work deepened as I moved through the Franklin Method Teacher Training and I had a dedicated space for practice. Essential. I like practicing at home, but I do much better in a devoted, empty space. My clients felt supported and safe there, and our sessions felt more sacred.
phase 4: nomadic entrepreneur lands in CA, 2014-2015
I taught everywhere I could that year…Green Bay, Duluth, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, even Louisiana. I created Runner’s Tune Up in the spring of 2014 (which will open for enrollment for the LAST time this fall!)
After wrapping up a semester of teaching modern dance at UW Eau Claire, I moved to Texas to join my husband. I also returned to New Zealand, this time visiting friends from the first trip, and now assisting my teacher, Donna Farhi with her advanced training.
I’m grateful and still humbly surprised by the number of teachers who’ve chosen to work with me privately since then, expanding my online teaching to Ireland, the UK, Canada and Australia – wahoo! When I introduced my 4 Month Immersion business model (spring 2015), I didn’t realize how much magic it would inspire. I also knew it was time to value my teaching at a higher level. My client’s commitments drove incredible results and insights. Gratitude! And…Sustainable.
phase 5: crafting and curating, current
We moved to California June 2015 and one serendipitous meeting after another led me to the perfect teaching home here, Be The Change Yoga and Wellness in Irvine. They’ve invited me to take on a significant role in their teacher training programs, including helping create curriculum and teach for the Yoga Therapist Program. I absolutely love being in this role.
A new program or perhaps a written work is brewing – around themes like self study and confidence, forgiveness and grief, among central themes in the body like the spine and pelvis, pelvic floor, digestion and more. I basically wish that everyone could have the training and wisdom of a professional – so having spent 17 years in this field, my goal is to attempt to synthesize the latest research, the best practices and a supportive community so that women can learn to trust themselves and befriend their body on a deep, soulful level through studying physicality, habits and embodiment.
And of course, I’m curating this new work as I nurture my daughter, Fern, and get taught to love, give and receive to new depths by marriage, womanhood, and friendship. Relationships root me and expand me at the same time.
One of my favorite quotes about Yoga is “You know your practice is working if your relationships are improving.” I couldn’t have imagined being in this collaborative, blossoming phase of my career even a few years ago, and it is the support and confirmation I’ve needed in order to birth this next phase.
While I’m not currently seeing private clients, I will resume doing later this year. If you’re interested in seeing how powerful, fluid and alive you can become, please apply here so I get you on the waitlist.
Thank you for supporting me over the past decade and into new seasons ahead.
May we continue to grow and thrive together,
Cheri