Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiana And Brandon Dottin
Hi Tiana And Brandon, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Tiana started dancing at the age of 2 and has had a love for movement and the body ever since. Brandon ran track in high school and college and developed a passion for challenging the body and the mind. We met in the gym in 2012, and the rest if history! Since then, we have been training private clients all over NYC for the past 12 years. In 2020, we launched the retreat aspect of our business, going to places such as Nicaragua, Greece, France, Joshua Tree, Sicily, Mexico, and Thailand for our Movement + Adventure Retreats. In 2024, we opened Fire Studio in Harlem — a boutique fitness studio offering strength training, rowing, and yoga classes. At Fire Studio you can fuel your fire with feel good fitness and build community along with strength.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There have definitely been challenges! Building a private training business from the ground up involves years of building your client network, struggling to make ends meet, and relying on referrals. It took us years to get to a stable and profitable point — but through a lot of hard work, early mornings, and consistency we made it happen. We have the best clients and our schedules are packed! COVID threw us another curveball, where we had to adjust all of our in person sessions to either outdoors or virtual. It was a time when a lot of people in the industry closed up shop and called it quits. We had a pretty awful year and business suffered, but we were able to adapt and stay the course and came out stronger on the other side. Opening our brick and mortar business in 2024 came with it’s own challenges. NYC is definitely not a cheap place to run a small business, and we are still just starting out. In addition to investing our own money in the buildout of the space, we had to learn how to work with contractors, design the studio, become social media and marketing experts, hire and train and team of coaches, and do all the things that keep a business running day to day. We do everything — down to being the janitors! It’s a lot of hard work and a constant challenge, but so rewarding.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We offer small group strength training and rowing classes, specializing in making fitness accessible to ALL bodies regardless of age, weight, background, injuries, gender, race, or experience level. Our classes and retreats are not homogenous — everyone looks and moves differently! We are really proud of fostering such a diverse space for every body to move and feel good. Fire Studio offers group training that feels personal — you’ll never be just a face in a crowd! — and a place to feel good about yourself and your body. It’s feel good fitness, and it works! We also offer fun pop ups like Pilates in the Park, Boxing + Brunch, Yoga + Art Therapy, and work with a physical therapist to make sure all the needs of our clients are being holistically met.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
To be honest, we learn the most in person from other people! You can read all the books and listen to all the podcasts in the world, but that can’t compare to what other people you respect in the industry can teach you. More than that, our clients teach us the most. Working with an individual body in person is the best teacher out there.
Pricing:
- First Class FREE
- One Week Unlimited — $50
- 3 Month Unlimited — $500
- Mini Membership (4x a month) — $100
- Unlimited Membership– $195
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fireandvoice.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firestudionyc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fireandvoice/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQtsiO22kBZho-cyPXgW44Q
- Yelp: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zR87SnJczM2YjtV4A
Image Credits
Brandon Dottin