There was some pretty heavy personal stuff going on in 2012. A troublesome year shall we say. When I would come home exhausted or dread the sound of the alarm in the morning my (wonderful) career took the blame. I began to consider whether I could still do this- could I still give to my clients the way I used to? I started to look elsewhere to keep my finances ticking over...
I looked to lululemon athletica. I looked, to a job in retail.
Please.
At the end of 2011 I had worked for them as a Christmas casual.... I thought it would be fun, I wouldn't have to think about anything when I got home I could just switch off and relax. The hardest thing I would have to do would be to explain the benefits of one tank top over the other. Think of the staff discount! Perfect right?
Thankfully I didn't see it through. I changed the structure of my week and things were fine for a while.
Don't get me wrong, I've always loved teaching people pilates but as I approached ten years I was asking what next? A few people offered me their business for sale. Two of them I seriously considered but in the end, big studio ownership wasn't the right path for me. I considered the Franklin Method course, some sort of career in psychology, massage, aromatherapy, gyrokinesis... But at the end of the day I've always known my real passion is people and pilates. SO what the hell was I looking for?
When my initial plan to go to New York to participate in the FAMI course (four days of anatomy study with cadavers) didn't work out I thought I should go anyway and spend some time taking private classes and doing some observation like I did back in 2007. Good move.
I needed to spend some time with someone amazing. Someone with years of experience, a perspective different to mine, someone dedicated to the work. I chose the amazing Deborah Lessen. Excellent move.