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Barre3 CEO Sadie Lincoln on How to Fight Lonely, Even When We’re Alone
In the span of a few short weeks, our physical interactions with others have plummeted to new lows. But there’s good news: Social distancing doesn’t have to mean emotional distancing. Barre3 has always been about creating authentic connections, and that’s more important now than ever before. We sat down (virtually, of course!) with our CEO and Co-founder Sadie Lincoln to talk about how her own loneliness was a catalyst to creating barre3, how we can connect even when we’re physically apart, and how working out during this pandemic could help us reframe our collective relationship with exercise.
B3 MAGAZINE: Before you and Chris started barre3, you worked in corporate fitness. But despite “having it all” on paper—successful jobs, a house, two kids—you felt lonely and disconnected. Can you talk about this?
SADIE: Chris and I were lonely as a couple for years before creating barre3. We didn’t feel like we truly had a community. We spent hours commuting to work, sitting in cubicles, and working long days to pay our mortgage, and any free time we had we focused on caring for our small children. We didn’t live near family, and we struggled to find time to invest in meaningful friendships. We weren’t thriving in body or in spirit. This stage in our lives was a catalyst to creating barre3 around the premise that fighting loneliness was even more important to our health and fitness than exercise.
Ironically, as I write this, sheltered in my home, away from all people except my immediate family, I feel more connected than I have in years. I am alone, but I do not feel lonely. I have a heightened appreciation and awareness about how we are all so incredibly interconnected.
Globally, we are sharing in this scary time, and we are also coming together in the most beautiful ways. I just taught a live-stream barre3 class from my living room with my dog running circles around me, and I felt the energy, support, and warmth from hundreds of other souls moving with me in the comfort of their homes. It’s incredibly sweet and intimate to witness each other in our homes being our truest selves. This raw and vulnerable time is bringing us together in a way I know I have craved for years.
B3 MAGAZINE: One of your motivations for creating barre3 was to “fight lonely.” Can you explain how barre3 does this?
SADIE: The number-one way we fight loneliness at barre3 is by attracting the kind of people who care as much as we do about fostering a kind and inclusive community. We have a set of core values that guide each and every hire at barre3. Everybody Matters, Give Generously, and Committed to Real are a few of our values that resonate deeply with our community. We also believe that how we design our studios matters. Our ballet barre, for example, wraps around the room in a circle. Standing in a circle is a way to embody community. We are all in it together, and yet we each have absolute permission to move in a way that is authentic and true to our unique bodies. This combination creates instant community. These days, our barre is replaced with chairs and other waist-high surfaces at home, but the sense of community is even stronger. I think collectively we all just realized how much we mean to each other. I love seeing clients all over the nation sending emoji hugs and virtual high-fives as they workout together on Zoom.
B3 MAGAZINE: Right now, with the world practicing social distancing, people are experiencing loneliness more acutely than ever. How are you feeling?
SADIE: I do think many people are more lonely and isolated right now because of social distancing. It’s important for each of us to reach out to the elderly neighbor, the friend you haven’t heard from, or a colleague who was recently laid off and give extra support and lend a helping hand when we can.
I was so devastated to hear about the number of children in need who are impacted by schools being closed. Barre3 just partnered with No Kid Hungry to help out a bit. Finding ways to support those in need gives me comfort. I am incredibly inspired by the amount of people rallying together right now to support one another.
B3 MAGAZINE: Can you share some of the ways you and your family are fighting lonely as you shelter in place?
SADIE: My family and my barre3 team have decided to limit texts and emails. We connect via FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom when possible. For me this has been a game-changer—especially during the really hard days. I was on a Zoom call with our Portland and NYC barre3 studio teams last week and burst into tears mostly out of gratitude for all of their support during this challenging time, but also because I realized how much I need to see them to feel connected. We all need this right now.
B3 MAGAZINE: While we don’t know how long this pandemic will last, we do know that it will end someday. What are some things you hope we can take away from this experience?
SADIE: I was just talking to my live stream class about how this is a rare opportunity to improve our collective relationship with fitness together. We are all at home and we are all in this together. We are no longer working out to prepare for a future event. None of us is getting ready for a wedding, a beach vacation, or a reunion. We get to work out to simply feel at home in our bodies. Literally, at home and in our bodies.
This is a beautiful opportunity for each of us to practice working out based on how we feel without an attachment to a result. We can all practice exercising to be alive and at home in our bodies as they are in this very moment. This is a big shift for many of us because we have been conditioned to work out to get to a result—to achieve, to be attractive, to be worthy, and to be successful. We’ve been taught to workout to win the race. The race is canceled. We get to workout to be present and grateful for our health. We get to workout so we have energy and a strong heart ready to support one another through this unprecedented moment in history.
At barre3, we believe that connection is essential to our health, and that’s exactly why we created the Building Connections Collection—with workouts designed to foster connection with yourself, your community, and the world. Try it out with a 15-day free trial of barre3 online.
In the span of a few short weeks, our physical interactions with others have plummeted to new lows. But there’s good news: Social distancing doesn’t have to mean emotional distancing. Barre3 has always been about creating authentic connections, and that’s more important now than ever before. We sat down (virtually, of course!) with our CEO and Co-founder Sadie Lincoln to talk about how her own loneliness was a catalyst to creating barre3, how we can connect even when we’re physically apart, and how working out during this pandemic could help us reframe our collective relationship with exercise.
B3 MAGAZINE: Before you and Chris started barre3, you worked in corporate fitness. But despite “having it all” on paper—successful jobs, a house, two kids—you felt lonely and disconnected. Can you talk about this?
SADIE: Chris and I were lonely as a couple for years before creating barre3. We didn’t feel like we truly had a community. We spent hours commuting to work, sitting in cubicles, and working long days to pay our mortgage, and any free time we had we focused on caring for our small children. We didn’t live near family, and we struggled to find time to invest in meaningful friendships. We weren’t thriving in body or in spirit. This stage in our lives was a catalyst to creating barre3 around the premise that fighting loneliness was even more important to our health and fitness than exercise.
Ironically, as I write this, sheltered in my home, away from all people except my immediate family, I feel more connected than I have in years. I am alone, but I do not feel lonely. I have a heightened appreciation and awareness about how we are all so incredibly interconnected.
Globally, we are sharing in this scary time, and we are also coming together in the most beautiful ways. I just taught a live-stream barre3 class from my living room with my dog running circles around me, and I felt the energy, support, and warmth from hundreds of other souls moving with me in the comfort of their homes. It’s incredibly sweet and intimate to witness each other in our homes being our truest selves. This raw and vulnerable time is bringing us together in a way I know I have craved for years.
B3 MAGAZINE: One of your motivations for creating barre3 was to “fight lonely.” Can you explain how barre3 does this?
SADIE: The number-one way we fight loneliness at barre3 is by attracting the kind of people who care as much as we do about fostering a kind and inclusive community. We have a set of core values that guide each and every hire at barre3. Everybody Matters, Give Generously, and Committed to Real are a few of our values that resonate deeply with our community. We also believe that how we design our studios matters. Our ballet barre, for example, wraps around the room in a circle. Standing in a circle is a way to embody community. We are all in it together, and yet we each have absolute permission to move in a way that is authentic and true to our unique bodies. This combination creates instant community. These days, our barre is replaced with chairs and other waist-high surfaces at home, but the sense of community is even stronger. I think collectively we all just realized how much we mean to each other. I love seeing clients all over the nation sending emoji hugs and virtual high-fives as they workout together on Zoom.
B3 MAGAZINE: Right now, with the world practicing social distancing, people are experiencing loneliness more acutely than ever. How are you feeling?
SADIE: I do think many people are more lonely and isolated right now because of social distancing. It’s important for each of us to reach out to the elderly neighbor, the friend you haven’t heard from, or a colleague who was recently laid off and give extra support and lend a helping hand when we can.
I was so devastated to hear about the number of children in need who are impacted by schools being closed. Barre3 just partnered with No Kid Hungry to help out a bit. Finding ways to support those in need gives me comfort. I am incredibly inspired by the amount of people rallying together right now to support one another.
B3 MAGAZINE: Can you share some of the ways you and your family are fighting lonely as you shelter in place?
SADIE: My family and my barre3 team have decided to limit texts and emails. We connect via FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom when possible. For me this has been a game-changer—especially during the really hard days. I was on a Zoom call with our Portland and NYC barre3 studio teams last week and burst into tears mostly out of gratitude for all of their support during this challenging time, but also because I realized how much I need to see them to feel connected. We all need this right now.
B3 MAGAZINE: While we don’t know how long this pandemic will last, we do know that it will end someday. What are some things you hope we can take away from this experience?
SADIE: I was just talking to my live stream class about how this is a rare opportunity to improve our collective relationship with fitness together. We are all at home and we are all in this together. We are no longer working out to prepare for a future event. None of us is getting ready for a wedding, a beach vacation, or a reunion. We get to work out to simply feel at home in our bodies. Literally, at home and in our bodies.
This is a beautiful opportunity for each of us to practice working out based on how we feel without an attachment to a result. We can all practice exercising to be alive and at home in our bodies as they are in this very moment. This is a big shift for many of us because we have been conditioned to work out to get to a result—to achieve, to be attractive, to be worthy, and to be successful. We’ve been taught to workout to win the race. The race is canceled. We get to workout to be present and grateful for our health. We get to workout so we have energy and a strong heart ready to support one another through this unprecedented moment in history.
At barre3, we believe that connection is essential to our health, and that’s exactly why we created the Building Connections Collection—with workouts designed to foster connection with yourself, your community, and the world. Try it out with a 15-day free trial of barre3 online.
