We were lucky to catch up with Megan Kizer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Megan, thanks for joining us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

Change Management– I have worked in non-profit, educational reform for the last 11 years before taking on this role as a studio owner. In this other aspect of my work, I have learned a lot about change management. Some of the components that stand out are how to respond to resistance and making sure to include messaging about the change that covers the relational and technical aspects. Essentially getting to the understanding of how the feelings, motivations, points of resistance, and social dynamics people you’re working with must inform the pace and tactics of change; recognizing that altering the status quo can create discomfort and how to forge ahead anyway.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Megan and I am the new owner of DanceFit Chestnut Hill and DanceFit Exertainment. We are an adult dance and fitness studio in Philadelphia. We offer dance based fitness classes and a community for people who crave a challenging workout but a boutique experience. When we say boutique, we mean, smaller class sizes, a chance to influence what music we use in class, the frequency of change and quality of choreography and the relationship a client can expect to have with the instructors and each other. We talk about disguising your exercise when you come here to take class. We have a lot of pride in the inclusivity of our space and how we stand for love of self. Our bodies are amazing, they do amazing things and we push that daily in our classes. At the same time, you get embody strength, sensuality, confidence and we hope you carry that around all week!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

One of the best things for maintaining morale is to be available to listen but not promise solutions. We all want to have the answers but if everyone on staff expects to get their way immediately, there is not way you can meet everyone’s needs. It is my practice to take in perspective but not commit in the moment so that each person experiences being heard.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Switch by Chip and Dan Heath — this book is an oldy but a goodie. This book is fun to read and think about and really explores what makes adults change. I think the power of the book lies in the lesson that resistance to change isn’t personal to the individual enacting the change. Truly, you’re up against their mindsets and their ability to flex and shift. Depersonalizing allows you to focus on strategy and not contaminate your feelings and mindset.

Contact Info:

• Website: dancefitex.com
• Instagram: @dancefitex
• Facebook: DanceFit Ex
• Twitter: @dancefitex