Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lauren Thompson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lauren, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I would never describe myself as a risk taker. I usually attribute that description to people who regularly take actions that are seen as reckless, short lived, and mostly for the thrill of it. I prefer to think of myself as a person who dabbles in the unconventional. But when I really think about it, most of the highlights of my journey through life have all been the result of taking risks. Importantly, risks that have gone well. Of course, the confident feeling of ‘I’m so glad I did that’ usually is not present while I’m taking the risk. In the moment, those risks feel like a chaotic ball of anxiety that makes me want to crawl in a hole and hide. It’s only with time and distance that those moments become sources of pride. Many of the risks I’ve taken are because I’m curious, imaginative, and see an opportunity for something awesome to happen. And well…I guess at some level for the thrill of it. Despite all my best efforts to be a cynic, at heart I’m an optimist. I think optimism is the key to people being willing to take a risk. The hope that if you risk something familiar, the reward will be worth it in the end.
Everything from how I met my husband to where I’m currently living was an unconventional choice. Risks that have shaped my life into the wonderful picture it is today. Professionally, I’ve submitted art concepts for grants that I really had no idea what I was doing, but I had a great vision that I was passionate about and I received the grant and made the project happen. I’ve jumped into political battles where I’ve felt enormously inadequate and in over my head. However, as long as I prepared and showed up consistently, those battles went my way. Being a business owner and being a mom are roles that require little risks all the time. You just have to embrace it.
At times it gets exhausting. Coming off the last few years, right now is actually exhausting. However, when I start getting too comfortable or too settled, I start to feel like I’m wasting time. So, I’ve learned that taking risks is just part of what I need.

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?

I have been teaching Pilates and Yoga for over 15 years. I have my MA in Counseling & Guidance and was a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC). When I first started teaching Pilates and yoga, I was mostly teaching an intense, athletic style of Pilates and yoga. I’ve been fortunate to train some really inspiring athletes throughout my time (Go Chiefs!). As fun as it is to train those elite level clients, over the years my focus has really changed to more of a therapeutic style of teaching.
As a counselor, I worked in private practice, group settings, and in the corrections system. I found my work rewarding, but I really missed having physical movement in my life. So, I started my own studio, Thrive Pilates & Movement Studio. Thrive is a place where I could tie together my knowledge about how the body moves and the brain works to bring my clients a powerful, holistic movement experience.
I have always had particular interest in serving women with my work and have additional certification through the Center for Women’s Fitness as a Certified Women’s Health and Fitness Specialist.
The information I’ve been provided through my studies as a fitness instructor, counselor, and women’s health specialist has proven to be invaluable in my transition into motherhood. These tools have provided me with the support necessary to be present and active in the many roles I play for myself, my family, and my community.
We are so fortunate to have a team of staff at Thrive that are some of the best and committed instructors in the area. All of our instructors teach from a holistic place and see their work as more than ‘just a workout.’ We offer both private and group sessions at our studio and are working on expanding our online offerings so that our clients can get the best of both the in person and online worlds.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

One of the first books I read when I opened up Thrive was Daniel Pink’s “To Sell Is Human”. I knew I needed help getting comfortable with sales. His book really did a wonderful job of reframing sales for me. I think most of us look at ‘sales person’ as an unfortunate, maybe even sometimes annoying, occupation. But really, most of our essential institutions rely on a certain level of sales knowhow, even thought that’s not what we really think of it as. A teacher has to sell to their student that their lesson that day is worth paying attention to. A doctor has to sell to his patient that they need to follow a new diet. When I look at sales from an education perspective, it really helps me get that necessary work done and get the word out about what we have to offer at Thrive. I have found that it’s really hard to find a mentor that truly understands my area of work. There are lots of coaches and mentors out their for entrepreneurs in general, but often they lack an understanding of the specifics of running a Pilates studio and the information they provide is only partially applicable to what I do. I’ve been really fortunate to find some wonderful mentors with the ladies at The Pilates Masters Program. Not only do they get my specific line of business, but they are also all moms! They really get it! And because of that, they really know how to assist me in continuing to move forward.

Have you ever had to pivot?

If you were in business pre-2020 and you’re still in business post-2020, then you had to pivot in at least in some form. My first pivot actually came in 2018 with the birth of my first son. With that pivot, I started to really learn how to create boundaries with my time and schedule that I didn’t necessarily need to do prior to having kids. I really had to narrow down what my work schedule and my family schedule would be and then stick to it. Then of course 2020 came along and blew up everyone’s business plans to pieces. The big pivot there for my industry, as I think many of us experienced, was the pivot to teaching more online. Did I like those changes at the time? No. Not one bit. I was grateful that we had something to work with, but I was eager to get back to my ‘normal’ in studio teaching. But here we are, two years out and guess what? The online teaching has stuck around. I still have clients that I only or predominantly teach online. I get to teach clients from literally anywhere in the world. It’s actually kind of cool. So, I’ve embraced it and plan on adding more online options to our offerings at Thrive. We’re here to help our clients make a change in their lives. I’ve realized that utilizing both is really going to give our clients all the support and knowledge they need to make those changes happen and stick!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.thrivepilateskc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivepilates/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivepilatesandmovement/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC14d1jtjY0D1OzAxgWLRLog

Image Credits
Photos by Thrive Pilates & Movement Studio