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Breaking barriers and carrying on traditions: Meet Laura
Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 – October 15, and we’re so excited to be celebrating it all month long. Throughout the month, check the B3 Magazine and barre3 Instagram for stories highlighting members of our global barre3 community who identify as Hispanic.
Today, we’re featuring Laura Falcon, a pediatric physical therapist and an instructor at barre3 14th Street. Read on to learn what it was like for Laura to grow up speaking Spanish at home and English at school, how she stays connected to her Peruvian roots, and the connection she sees between barre3 and her work as a physical therapist.
B3 MAGAZINE: Since we’re celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, let’s start with that. Can you talk a little bit about your background?
LAURA: Sure! I grew up in South Florida, but my parents are both Peruvian. They immigrated to the United States when they were 33 years old. They wanted to live the American dream and start a family so their kids could live the dream, too.
B3 MAGAZINE: Did you grow up speaking Spanish at home?
LAURA: I did. Spanish was my first language, and we always spoke it in the house. I didn’t start speaking English until I started school. My mom tells this story of dropping me off for kindergarten and telling the teacher she was nervous because I didn’t speak English, and the teacher told her I’d be fine. And she was right—I have no memory of switching to a new language. I have some vague memories of crossing the languages, saying a Spanish word instead of the English equivalent, and kids would just sort of look at me and say “I don’t know that word.” But overall it was a really smooth transition.
B3 MAGAZINE: Was your cultural heritage a big part of your childhood?
LAURA: Definitely. Even though I spoke English at school, we were still a Spanish-speaking household. My mom had her special Peruvian dishes that she’d make, especially for holidays or big get-togethers, so that always helped me feel connected to the culture. And it helped that we lived in South Florida, where there are so many people from other Spanish-speaking countries. My mom’s best friend was Puerto Rican, and her daughter was my best friend, so we spent a lot of time with them. Even though our heritage wasn’t exactly the same, we had shared experiences. That gave us a sense of community—almost a family environment when we didn’t have our actual family from Peru.
B3 MAGAZINE: Did you ever travel back to Peru?
LAURA: Only once when I was young, and then I took my husband there a few years ago. I remember how great it felt as a kid to experience the culture there, to see that things we had done in Florida were a way of life in Peru.
B3 MAGAZINE: What role did race play as you were growing up? Did you talk about it as a family?
LAURA: We didn’t explicitly talk about it, but I remember becoming aware of barriers through my parents’ experiences. They understand English and can communicate, but there’s still a language barrier sometimes. One of my strongest memories was when my mother was pregnant with my brother and went for an ultrasound. The doctor was having trouble understanding her and said, “I think you’d be better served at a different clinic.” I remember coming home and she was crying, and she told me he didn’t want to take her case. I was 14 at the time, and I would often go with her to appointments to help her communicate, but that day I had something at school—a test or something—and I couldn’t go. I remember feeling so bad that I hadn’t been there to help her. That was my first big exposure to the idea of race and ethnicity, and how powerful a language barrier could be. I don’t remember ever being teased or discriminated against, but this moment that happened to my mom felt like it happened to me.
B3 MAGAZINE: Do you feel like that experience or others like it played into your career path?
LAURA: Definitely. That moment was one of the things that drove me to become a healthcare professional. Since I can speak both languages, I knew I could help people in situations like that.
B3 MAGAZINE: Can you tell us a little bit about your job and how your background plays a role in it?
LAURA: I’m a physical therapist at a pediatric hospital, so I work with everyone from tiny babies to 20-year-olds. I serve everybody, but when there are Spanish-speaking patients—especially kids whose parents aren’t there, often because they’re working long hours—I communicate with them in Spanish. I see every day how hard it is for non-English speakers to navigate the healthcare system. They’re chasing the American dream, but if they can’t communicate, they can’t get the information they need or answers to their questions—and sometimes, like my mom, it means they can’t get care. Having people who can speak both languages to support them and help them navigate the system is so important.
B3 MAGAZINE: What a valuable role! Aside from the language, are there other ways you’ve brought your cultural background into your adult life?
LAURA: Immediately I think of cooking. Food is huge in Peruvian culture, and I have so many memories of gatherings where my mom would make her signature dishes to share with everyone. Still, anytime we gather, it’s the food that brings us together.
B3 MAGAZINE: Did your mom teach you any of her dishes?
LAURA: She tried! I enjoy cooking, but I don’t do it much right now because of my schedule. But my husband and I both love Peruvian food, and we’re always saying we need to get my mom to teach us how to make her ceviche or arroz con pollo. We want to pass that on to our future kids. And there are certain celebrations—or ways of celebrating—that I want to carry on. For example, in Peru, they celebrate Christmas Eve much more than Christmas day. I’d like to continue traditions like that.
B3 MAGAZINE: Let’s shift to your relationship with barre3. How did you first get connected with it?
LAURA: I was teaching at another barre studio—a totally different model—and I saw an advertisement for barre3 in the Park. It was a free class, so I decided to try it. I remember feeling right away like it was definitely more my style. I loved the messaging and the movement itself, but the modifications were the biggest thing for me. It was my first experience in a place that didn’t just offer modifications but actually celebrated them. I was invited to take a class in the studio, and after that I just felt like this is where I need to be.
I love that barre3 doesn’t just tell you to do a move, it gives you the why behind it. When I went through instructor training, I was in school for Physical Therapy, and I had just finished an anatomy class.We’d be doing core work in instructor training, and they’d say, “this move strengthens your core, which includes” and then they’d list all the muscles. I loved that they were breaking out terms from my anatomy class!
And I especially love that barre3 focuses so much on mods. As a physical therapist, that’s what I do. If a patient can’t do something, I figure out a way to help them achieve that movement, giving them modifications while we strengthen the muscles they need to be successful.
B3 MAGAZINE: Throughout all of the heritage months we’ve celebrated, we’ve been talking about the issue of diversity—or more specifically, the lack of diversity—in boutique fitness. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.
LAURA: I agree that in general boutique fitness lacks diversity. Sometimes I see ads or pass by studios, and it’s hard for me to envision myself there. But being a part of barre3 14th Street has been the most diverse fitness experience I’ve ever had. I see other people like me there, and there’s a diverse population of instructors and clients. [Barre3 14th Street owner] Alicia has created such a warm and welcoming space. The message that barre3 sends—that everyone is accepted for who they are—is 100% reflected in the studio.
Thank you so much, Laura!
Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 – October 15, and we’re so excited to be celebrating it all month long. Throughout the month, check the B3 Magazine and barre3 Instagram for stories highlighting members of our global barre3 community who identify as Hispanic.
Today, we’re featuring Laura Falcon, a pediatric physical therapist and an instructor at barre3 14th Street. Read on to learn what it was like for Laura to grow up speaking Spanish at home and English at school, how she stays connected to her Peruvian roots, and the connection she sees between barre3 and her work as a physical therapist.
B3 MAGAZINE: Since we’re celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, let’s start with that. Can you talk a little bit about your background?
LAURA: Sure! I grew up in South Florida, but my parents are both Peruvian. They immigrated to the United States when they were 33 years old. They wanted to live the American dream and start a family so their kids could live the dream, too.
B3 MAGAZINE: Did you grow up speaking Spanish at home?
LAURA: I did. Spanish was my first language, and we always spoke it in the house. I didn’t start speaking English until I started school. My mom tells this story of dropping me off for kindergarten and telling the teacher she was nervous because I didn’t speak English, and the teacher told her I’d be fine. And she was right—I have no memory of switching to a new language. I have some vague memories of crossing the languages, saying a Spanish word instead of the English equivalent, and kids would just sort of look at me and say “I don’t know that word.” But overall it was a really smooth transition.
B3 MAGAZINE: Was your cultural heritage a big part of your childhood?
LAURA: Definitely. Even though I spoke English at school, we were still a Spanish-speaking household. My mom had her special Peruvian dishes that she’d make, especially for holidays or big get-togethers, so that always helped me feel connected to the culture. And it helped that we lived in South Florida, where there are so many people from other Spanish-speaking countries. My mom’s best friend was Puerto Rican, and her daughter was my best friend, so we spent a lot of time with them. Even though our heritage wasn’t exactly the same, we had shared experiences. That gave us a sense of community—almost a family environment when we didn’t have our actual family from Peru.
B3 MAGAZINE: Did you ever travel back to Peru?
LAURA: Only once when I was young, and then I took my husband there a few years ago. I remember how great it felt as a kid to experience the culture there, to see that things we had done in Florida were a way of life in Peru.
B3 MAGAZINE: What role did race play as you were growing up? Did you talk about it as a family?
LAURA: We didn’t explicitly talk about it, but I remember becoming aware of barriers through my parents’ experiences. They understand English and can communicate, but there’s still a language barrier sometimes. One of my strongest memories was when my mother was pregnant with my brother and went for an ultrasound. The doctor was having trouble understanding her and said, “I think you’d be better served at a different clinic.” I remember coming home and she was crying, and she told me he didn’t want to take her case. I was 14 at the time, and I would often go with her to appointments to help her communicate, but that day I had something at school—a test or something—and I couldn’t go. I remember feeling so bad that I hadn’t been there to help her. That was my first big exposure to the idea of race and ethnicity, and how powerful a language barrier could be. I don’t remember ever being teased or discriminated against, but this moment that happened to my mom felt like it happened to me.
B3 MAGAZINE: Do you feel like that experience or others like it played into your career path?
LAURA: Definitely. That moment was one of the things that drove me to become a healthcare professional. Since I can speak both languages, I knew I could help people in situations like that.
B3 MAGAZINE: Can you tell us a little bit about your job and how your background plays a role in it?
LAURA: I’m a physical therapist at a pediatric hospital, so I work with everyone from tiny babies to 20-year-olds. I serve everybody, but when there are Spanish-speaking patients—especially kids whose parents aren’t there, often because they’re working long hours—I communicate with them in Spanish. I see every day how hard it is for non-English speakers to navigate the healthcare system. They’re chasing the American dream, but if they can’t communicate, they can’t get the information they need or answers to their questions—and sometimes, like my mom, it means they can’t get care. Having people who can speak both languages to support them and help them navigate the system is so important.
B3 MAGAZINE: What a valuable role! Aside from the language, are there other ways you’ve brought your cultural background into your adult life?
LAURA: Immediately I think of cooking. Food is huge in Peruvian culture, and I have so many memories of gatherings where my mom would make her signature dishes to share with everyone. Still, anytime we gather, it’s the food that brings us together.
B3 MAGAZINE: Did your mom teach you any of her dishes?
LAURA: She tried! I enjoy cooking, but I don’t do it much right now because of my schedule. But my husband and I both love Peruvian food, and we’re always saying we need to get my mom to teach us how to make her ceviche or arroz con pollo. We want to pass that on to our future kids. And there are certain celebrations—or ways of celebrating—that I want to carry on. For example, in Peru, they celebrate Christmas Eve much more than Christmas day. I’d like to continue traditions like that.
B3 MAGAZINE: Let’s shift to your relationship with barre3. How did you first get connected with it?
LAURA: I was teaching at another barre studio—a totally different model—and I saw an advertisement for barre3 in the Park. It was a free class, so I decided to try it. I remember feeling right away like it was definitely more my style. I loved the messaging and the movement itself, but the modifications were the biggest thing for me. It was my first experience in a place that didn’t just offer modifications but actually celebrated them. I was invited to take a class in the studio, and after that I just felt like this is where I need to be.
I love that barre3 doesn’t just tell you to do a move, it gives you the why behind it. When I went through instructor training, I was in school for Physical Therapy, and I had just finished an anatomy class.We’d be doing core work in instructor training, and they’d say, “this move strengthens your core, which includes” and then they’d list all the muscles. I loved that they were breaking out terms from my anatomy class!
And I especially love that barre3 focuses so much on mods. As a physical therapist, that’s what I do. If a patient can’t do something, I figure out a way to help them achieve that movement, giving them modifications while we strengthen the muscles they need to be successful.
B3 MAGAZINE: Throughout all of the heritage months we’ve celebrated, we’ve been talking about the issue of diversity—or more specifically, the lack of diversity—in boutique fitness. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.
LAURA: I agree that in general boutique fitness lacks diversity. Sometimes I see ads or pass by studios, and it’s hard for me to envision myself there. But being a part of barre3 14th Street has been the most diverse fitness experience I’ve ever had. I see other people like me there, and there’s a diverse population of instructors and clients. [Barre3 14th Street owner] Alicia has created such a warm and welcoming space. The message that barre3 sends—that everyone is accepted for who they are—is 100% reflected in the studio.
Thank you so much, Laura!
