We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Brokaw. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.
Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
My entire Pilates adventure, from the very beginning all the way up until the present, has been one BIG RISK, but one that has filled my life with joy, stability and some of the best people I’ll ever know!
I actually started my journey as an officer in the US Navy. It was there that I developed a passion for physical fitness (and as a side note also earned a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering). After leaving the Navy in 2004, I worked for a short time in the engineering field, but quickly realized that it was not something I desired to do for the rest of my life. In the meantime, I began taking Pilates lessons a few times a week. I fell in love right away with the way that Pilates could give me an intense, strong workout without making me feel hurt, exhausted and sore for days. I could workout, love every minute of it and feel better afterwards – soon I was performing better at physical activities like golf and running.
This is where I began the RISK. With the support of my husband, Cullen, I left my engineering job and pursued Pilates as a career. I moved to New York City on my own for 6 months to do a 600 hour apprenticeship at the very studio where Joseph Pilates first taught when he moved to the states. When I arrived in NYC, I didn’t know a soul, and I had to work quickly to find a place to stay, enroll in the apprenticeship, and get started with my training. I not only learned the actual exercises, but also how to apply them to people with all varieties of injuries, illnesses and conditions. Pilates can be used for regular conditioning and also as a form of therapy – the benefits are amazing when taught properly. It was a true joy to learn Pilates at the place of it’s birth from master teachers who had learned directly from Joseph Pilates himself!
Once I received my certification, the second part of the RISK prevailed. I had to find a job in my field! Upon returning back to my husband in St. Louis, I found a studio within 30 minutes of my house that was looking for a classical instructor like myself. It was at this first studio that I found stability. It was here that I gained years of experience teaching clients, learning from them as I watched their bodies change and heal with the exercises I was doing with them. When people find exercise that makes them feel good inside and out, they typically stick with it. Clients became like family. It was at this studio that I had all three of my boys (Boden born in 2007, Clayton in 2008 and Eli in 2011). I had a job where I could earn a decent income and still create my own schedule to be there for my family – life was good!
Cue the third part of the RISK! After about 8 years at that first studio, I decided it was time to branch off and open my own studio. After many late nights of business planning, I opened Studio Synergy in 2014. It was a very happy time and a very scary time! I had some clients that stayed with me during the move and quickly gained many new ones in my new location. The stress of paying rent and bills has always been there, but the overwhelming positive attitude and incredible kindness of my clients has now brought me stability at my new studio. We are now a flourishing, full-time Pilates studio!
I feel incredibly blessed to get to work everyday with people from all different backgrounds to help them achieve their fitness goals. The human connection is what it’s all about for me! Yes, it has been a RISK the whole time, but totally worth it!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
From being a soccer, basketball and softball player in high school to a rugby player in college, I have always been into working out and fitness. It was after these formative years that I decided I wanted to spend my adult life helping others achieve their health and wellness goals. I also knew that I loved Pilates and wanted to teach it in its original and authentic form. That is what led me to the training program “Romana’s Pilates”. This program was led by a woman, Romana Kryzanowska, who learned directly from Joseph Pilates (the inventor of Pilates). She was chosen as his protégé to carry on and teach others the Pilates method. Learning from her gave me a feeling of authenticity in my work which I still carry proudly with me to this day!
Training at the studio created by Joseph Pilates on the very equipment that he used set the tone for me to stay true to the authentic form of Pilates. When instructed as originally designed, Pilates allows individuals to get their body in tune with their mind and strengthen their bodies from the inside out. It can be used as a form of exercise to help someone that is already strong get even stronger or to help someone who is injured or even disabled reconnect with their body and learn to move again. Pilates is truly for everyone!
Pilates classes at Studio Synergy are different than at other facilities in that we are a boutique studio focused on the individual client even in a group setting. We offer private lessons and classes. Our class sizes are small, and no matter what level you are, we can find exercises that challenge each member of a class taking into account any modifications each person may need. Clients leave our class feeling more flexible, clear-headed, re-oxygenated and with a sense of inner strength. They stand a little taller and breathe a little easier because of the posture exercises we have done and the core work which utilizes the internal abdominals to create a longer, more aligned spine. No class is ever taught the same as there are 1000’s of exercises in our repertoire that can be combined to best benefit the people who show up for class on that particular day. You will never do the same workout twice at Studio Synergy!
We pride ourselves on the attention and care that we give to each and every one of our clients. When you walk in the door, you can be sure that we are going to do everything in our power to get you feeling and looking your best! We work the body and connect it to the mind in a way that restores vitality to both young and old alike. Whether you are looking to run an ultra marathon, play better golf or simply be able to walk up the stairs, we can help you achieve your goals. It is the human connection that matters to us the most! Clients come in as strangers and quickly become friends.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
To be successful in the fitness field, I think it is so important to listen to you client’s needs. Of course it is always good to have an educated background, but you have to be careful not to give your clients exercises that you thing are good for them just because you learned in your training that is what they need. The client will tell you what they are looking to gain from you, and then you must create workouts that meet their goals, not yours.
For instance, I had a client who suffered from a stroke, and I was determined to get her walking normally again. Note: this was not necessarily one of her goals. I just knew I could get her to do it, so I pushed her hard on many exercises, and she always left exhausted. It turns out that she became frustrated with me because her goal was just to leave feeling good and refreshed. Once we sat down and figured this out, I changed my mentality and started doing things that were more about stretch than strength. She immediately began feeling better, and we were both on the same page.
The relationship with your client is everything, you are there to provide a service to them, so it is of the utmost importance that you listen to what they want and do your best to make that happen.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Most recently, I faced the challenge of the COVID pandemic as a studio owner. In order to keep my studio afloat, I had to make changes quickly to the way we did business. We went almost overnight from a fully in person facility to an online only fitness center.
As soon as I knew that we were going to have to shut the doors for an unknown length of time, I began looking for ways to cut costs and alternative ways to make money. Pretty quickly Zoom became an option for continuing to teach classes and private lessons. Not all clients loved the idea of going virtual, but it served us well for a temporary amount of time. One of the benefits we discovered was that we could reach clients outside of our community when doing virtual classes. I even had a class at one point with students from California, New York and Florida! It really expanded our potential.
In addition to the online teaching, it became apparent that I would need additional help. We couldn’t charge the same amount for online training, so there was a gap in income that needed to be filled to make ends meet. I applied for a variety of loans and grants and received a few. It was enough to supplement what we were already doing and keep us going.
Once the pandemic calmed down and restrictions were released, we went back to in person training. Most of our clients really depend on personal interaction and feedback that can only be achieved through being together physically. However, a few clients have maintained their lessons virtually and will most likely always stay virtual because it suites their schedule and needs best. We are happy to be able to provide both options and see the value in each. This stressful situation actually provided us an opportunity to grow, and now we are more successful than ever!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.studiosynergy-mo.com
- Instagram: jenbrokaw1
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/studiosynergymo
- Twitter: @JenniferBrokaw5