We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sue Schaffer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sue, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

I see a lot of different people come into my yoga studio, all ages from 90 to 6. The one that touched me the most was Emma, a beautiful 6-year-old girl. She and her mother visit their grandma in Gold Canyon from back east several times a year and the mother and grandma make it a point to come into the studio every chance they get. Early on, Lily, the mother talked about her regular home yoga practice and that Emma had been doing yoga with her since she was very young.

One day the daughter came in with mom, specifically to ask me this poignant question,” Miss Sue, what class can I come to? ” As we offer a joyful fitness class that involves movement to music and breath exercise and is an all-around fun class for all ages, I didn’t miss a beat when I told her “we have the perfect class for you to come to. ” With the childhood ability to be all in, the very first class she followed along, doing the movement or modifying to her level without question and even named one of the exercises as dying bug (shaking arms and legs while lying on the floor),

Over the course of the next three years, taking class outside or in studio when visiting, she is now 9 and still stops in with her mom to always ask if she can come to class. What a blessing to facilitate the perfect mother-daughter activity and share in the light of her smiles.

Emma personifies the best of yoga practice; joy, enthusiasm, innocence, lack of self-consciousness and all with laughter. As instructors, we love to have her in our class, and it is always satisfying when you can help someone who is seeking to do an activity that fills their life.

Aptly named, The Live it Well Place, strives to individualizes abilities with goals and dreams and watching them achieve success. The lesson she teaches all of us..,.is to live life joyfully and in each moment.

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

I was a flight paramedic here in Phoenix and worked in the Emergency Medical profession for close to 40 years. When I discovered Yoga about 17 years ago, I finally learned how to manage the anxiety and stress, memories and life traumas that were unresolved. After combining my life long medical training with yoga I was led to the next logical step of embracing additional alternative health options. With the vision and dream that the community in Gold Canyon could benefit from a place of health and wellness, acceptance and mindfulness, The Live it Well Place opened in May 2019.

The Live it Well Place provides for a variety of physical health fitness options; yoga, to include asana, restorative pose, mantra, meditation and pranayama, Pilates, strength, and fitness. Wellness services such as therapeutic massage, an integrative health spa, to include reflexology, sound healing and bio mat therapy are also available. Private sessions are also offered. Additionally, the studio provides ongoing workshops in a variety of subjects, special events such as Symphonic Gong and Sound Healing Concerts. We have also started an Outreach Opportunity Program, where we bring yoga and fitness out into the surrounding communities, like Sunset Yoga on the local golf course and Hike & Stretch, in the Superstitions, our backyard.

The emphasis on personalized instruction, modifications and support in every class is our philosophy. We choose to empower all individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of Yoga, Pilates and several wellness services.

Our stand alone 5,500 sq. ft. building provides spacious room, including our 1,900 sq. ft studio for classes. The atmosphere of peace and quiet is reflected in the welcoming design of the areas within the building. This place of movement with stillness has easy access to our community and is located just off US Highway 60.

One of the pieces of The Live it Well Place that I am most proud of is the assembly of a team of instructors and practitioners who have years of experience and training in their modalities. The maturity and professionalism of these instructors is reflected in their ability to meet every individual where they are and guide them to where they want to be.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Resilience is absolutely necessary in a business to be able to meet on-going challenges, defeat and turn them into blessings. We can all agree that the past few years have created a devastating hardship for individuals and businesses. The challenge is how to stop, take a deep breath and keep moving forward, positively.

Yoga studios specifically were labeled non-essential, and most yoga instructors are independent contractors who received little to no support thru out this time. I was determined to not abandon my instructors and my community, so I needed to pivot my business plan. Falling back on my prior career where we follow algorithms, (which are task specific flow charts) I choose to focus on the wellness portion thru a medical clinician, this allowed us to offer a medically supported program for individuals. I was also able to partner with the local golf course to provide outdoor classes in a beautiful setting. Continually accessing and pivoting the business model while minimalizing expenses combined with owning the real estate allowed me to support all of my instructors and the community during the closures,

There is always a way to succeed, but you have to take it one task at a time and be willing to adjust your plans.

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

One of the biggest elements of a successful team is identifying individuals who want to do more than just teach an hour class. Seeking out instructors who believe in the dream of combining health and wellness with personal connections is vital to building a team. Strengths and talents are recognized and respected allowing the team members independence but encouraging cohesiveness which leads to contentment and pride.

I encourage the team to be creative in their class or workshops and trust them to develop and implement appropriate and creative content. Management’s role is to provide feedback and support rather than dictate the tasks specifics. Successful workshops/classes/events are accomplished in combination with the perimeters of procedures and the support of the office staff and other team members to implement projects.

Another helpful factor is that most of the team members are local and have a strong connection to the community and specifically to their clients. The team members are also invested in the business because they are actively involved in maintaining the serene environment, participating in office work and marketing.

Every individual’s success adds to the success of all and is celebrated.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.liveitwellaz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liveitwellaz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiveitWellGoldCanyon
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-live-it-well-place-gold-canyon

Image Credits
Joanne West Photography