We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kevin Carrington. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kevin below.
Kevin, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
I entered the health and wellness industry after years of dealing with health issues. I was feeling unwell: brain fog, stomach issues, skin irritation, joint pain, migraines, etc. At the time, I worked in journalism and always had shifting schedules and deadlines to deal with. I was constantly stressed because I never knew how I would feel each day. Regardless of how down I was, the world kept going. Long story short, after many tests and years of “this could be the cause,” I found out I had celiac disease. From that moment on, my journey pivoted to health and wellness. I started to feel amazing—starting to “feel human.” I was able to worry less about my physical symptoms and begin processing other things in my life that had been beneath the surface. During this transitional time, as I felt this pivot, I experienced stress and anxiety in many forms. I had just turned 22 and was really exploring the dating scene and processing my sexuality. Coming from a Mormon background, I was terrified and carried crippling doubts that I’d never have the acceptance of society and the people I hold dear. I felt like I was drowning. It turns out, I wasn’t the only one experiencing such pain. My brother, without my knowing, was also struggling with substance abuse. On New Year’s Day, I experienced the trauma of my brother overdosing and had to perform CPR until the ambulance arrived. It was, hands down, the most terrifying moment of my life and really put things into perspective. We managed to save my brother’s life, but the events haunted me.
I didn’t know how to grieve what had happened because he was alive. Why should I feel so much pain and anxiety when the person I cared about lived? Sometimes I say “Yoga saved me” because it truly did. I stumbled into my first yoga class without knowing my purpose for being there. Something in me nudged me to go. It was a restorative class—slow, gentle, and the last place I wanted to be at that moment. My mind was racing, and my thoughts were all over the place. I was tormented by the slow pace and steadiness of the movements until I hit child’s pose. For those of you who know, child’s pose is a love/hate relationship. It’s so powerful but also a lot. It can be uncomfortable physically, and much of our emotional trauma can be stored in our hips and lower half. So I’m there, in it, wondering, “When the hell can I get out of this?” In that moment (I swear, in that very moment), my instructor Liz Radcliffe put her hands on my back and assisted me deeper into the pose. I didn’t know Liz at the time, and she barely knew me. And I sobbed. Sobbed like a child. Sobbed harder than I can remember ever doing. I felt semi-embarrassed because I’m an expressive person all around. Imagine this quiet and peaceful space filled with my blubbering, wailing, and sobbing. Let’s just say, RELEASE. I immediately left when we transitioned poses, so embarrassed and humiliated by what just happened. I sat in my car thinking, “What the F did I just experience? I can never go back.” After that initial thought, I paused for a few moments in the stillness, in the quiet. I realized how amazing I felt. How much I NEEDED that. And from there, I was struck with the biggest clarity.
I knew that I wanted to help people experience that type of RELIEF. Part of “feeling human” is the complicated emotions we experience. From what I was experiencing and what I witnessed (without knowing) from my brother’s pain… We’re all healing from things we don’t speak about. We all crave connection, safety, and that true sense of comfort in our purpose. From that moment on, I dedicated my attention and honed my passion to embody and BE as much of that true comforting space.
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?
Absolutely!
Before my career in health and wellness & before my health diagnosis, I was going to school full-time for Marketing and Communications with a minor in Broadcast Journalism. I had always loved people and working with them. To pay for school, I did door-to-door sales and traveled each summer for five summers because it was something I was good at. I was able to lead my own team as a manager, training others to be successful. This truly helped me find better and more accessible ways to reach people. I helped the Hansens (Joe and Jenna) turn their vision of Awaken Studios into a reality. They didn’t have a position created for me yet, but I knew I wanted to be part of this journey. I worked part-time making phone calls, working public events, and obtained 100 members before our doors even opened.
I worked my way up from a part-time salesperson to a part-time front desk manager, and eventually to a full-time general manager. I really started to “bet” on myself and knew that I was capable of doing anything that i put my mind to. I took my education further and have become a 500 Hour E-RYT Yoga Trainer, a Reiki Practitioner (Energy Work), a Yoga Teacher Training Educator, a Pilates Instructor focusing on injury and special populations, a group fitness instructor for TRX and Cycling, and my journey is still continuing. If there’s anything I know about myself, it’s that I get along well with people. I love learning about people because we’re all here to learn and teach.
Mission and Vision
My mission is to connect with as many people as possible.
Taking into consideration that everyone has their “story,” I’ve been able to apply everything I’ve learned to something everyone can benefit from. Because I also know and understand that:
- Movement is for Every Body.
- Movement is for anyone in any phase of their journey.
- Movement is a “Practice.”
Whether it’s the poses, the mental chatter, the emotional balance, or the RELEASE, we just need to take that one step forward.
I love being someone who can instill confidence in another human being, letting them know that they are seen and heard and can benefit by prioritizing themselves in whatever capacity they need.
Community and Connection
We’ve been able to create a community that will learn, grow, and become stronger.
We are hardwired for connection, curiosity, and engagement.
We crave purpose, and we have a desire to create and contribute.
We will take risks, embrace our vulnerabilities, and be courageous.
We engage with one another, show up beside each other, and learn together.
We’ve created an atmosphere of learning and support so people can have their outlet while also
learning about themselves and their bodies, enabling them to continue doing the things they love.
Services and Offerings
- We provide one-on-one services to better cater to individuals’ needs.
- We offer educational certification courses for those who want to create their
ripple in the health and wellness journey. - We host retreats so people can experience new environments and new things
beyond what they’re used to. - We’ve developed coaching programs that redefine relationships with food and
eliminate the stigma of “diets and fads.”
Nurturing Mind, Body, and Spirit
I’m most proud of truly nurturing the mind, body, and spirit. We’ve developed a “home away from home” for people to truly feel the joys of movement amongst a tribe of humans, where people know that they belong and aren’t alone.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Empowering our staff with the autonomy to fuel their passion has been our most effective strategy for growing our clientele. While we’ve established structured formats and provided a “blueprint” for class requirements, we’ve truly allowed our instructors to craft the unique environment and ambiance of the classes they lead.
We nurture the unique characteristics that make our staff who they are. We support and encourage the inherent magic within them, allowing them to excel in their areas of strength and offering constructive feedback to help them build on it.
We ask our staff to connect with clients by addressing them by name, acknowledging first-
timers, celebrating birthdays, and calling clients who haven’t been in the studio for over 30 days, etc.
Our staff is happy to do that because we make our intent clear.
Our commitment to fostering the best in our staff resonates deeply with our clientele. They can feel the authenticity and passion of our team, creating a genuine connection.
We also “mine” our clientele. We trust the community and the people we’ve drawn in. They have felt the difference of our studio. We allow our clients to give 7-day passes to bring folks into the studio and enjoy classes alongside them. For any new member that joins, they receive a 21-day pass to gift to someone new to enjoy classes with them too. Because, again, connection is important, and working out with a friend is always better. Our business has truly grown through the power of our staff, the commitment of our members, and their willingness to share the “good vibes” of their experiences.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Know your “ideal” client.
Who is your client avatar?
Create a backstory for them and develop their origin story.
Having a clear idea of who you can help and support, and above all, understanding how they can add to the atmosphere of your business, is important.
If you can think about the person or people who make you enjoy what you do, bring in MORE PEOPLE LIKE THAT. The more clarity you have on who “works for you,” the better.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://awakenstudios.com
- Instagram: @kmcarringtonfitness / @awakenstudios
- Facebook: Kevin Carrington
- Linkedin: Kevin Carrington
- Yelp: Awaken Studios and Retreats
Image Credits
Roslyn Smithers
Wesley Aldrich
Roxy Christensen
Lindsey McDermott (Lindsey Stewart)