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Studio Owner Spotlight: Amy Leclerc
The barre3 West Village studio is opening late Spring! And today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to the woman who’s making it happen along with my husband and I, Amy Leclerc. Amy has been with me since the early days of barre3 (she’s my VP of Sales + Marketing) and now I’m honored to partner with her as we open our first studio in New York City.
Amy is one of the healthiest and most inspiring women I know. She’s a fierce and thoughtful leader, a mentor to many of my core team members, and a hands-on Mom. Her positive energy is contagious—if you ever meet her, you’ll immediately know what I mean. We recently caught up with Amy and asked her to share her barre3 story and describe how her definition of being healthy has changed over the years. Here’s Amy in her own words.
I discovered barre3 one day when I was walking in Portland’s Pearl District – just a few months after Sadie and her husband Chris opened their flagship studio. I tried one class, and I was hooked! I vividly remember sitting in the lobby after class thinking “I don’t know how, when, or where, but I’m going to do something with barre3 someday.”
I immediately felt at home at barre3, and I looked for any excuse to spend more time at the studio. The instructors were so warm, welcoming, and encouraging (not to mention super fit!). Having just moved from New York City to Portland, I felt like I had found my people at barre3.
After months of taking classes, I basically begged Sadie to let me become an instructor. Somehow I found myself on the schedule teaching a ton of classes—and loving every single second. I used to tell people, “Your house could be on fire, but when you’re teaching, your focus turns 100% to your clients. It’s an amazing feeling.” After three months of teaching, Chris Lincoln shared his long-term vision for growing barre3 and he asked me if I wanted to be a part of it. I literally couldn’t believe I was sitting there having someone describe my ideal career. Four years later, here I am! I have my dream job.
In the beginning it was Sadie, Chris, and I sitting at their dining room table, sketching the franchise model and strategizing how to grow the company. Just a few years later, we have 70 locations-globally! I am still in awe of how quickly our business model has caught on. We hear from hundreds of people every month who are interested in bringing barre3 to their own community, and it’s so rewarding when it comes to fruition. With the barre3 network we’ve built, I feel like I have families all over the country!
I gave my 20’s to New York City. Emotionally, it is where I grew up. I had a career in magazine publishing where I worked my butt off selling advertising. People thought I was crazy because I would literally walk the entire length of Manhattan for exercise and was often popping into lunchtime yoga classes when my co-workers were hitting up sample sales. I was always striving for balance in a city that can make that really challenging. I know firsthand, New Yorkers need barre3! City-dwellers are easily run ragged— they work hard, play hard, and live in an environment that’s overtly competitive. People are so driven in New York and often get caught in thinking you need to sacrifice and compensate in order to achieve. Barre3 brings such a fresh approach to fitness and whole-body health, that I know it’s going to have a huge impact on our clients there. I can’t wait to witness those transformations.
Aside from barre3, I’m a big walker, and I run. I take other group exercise classes when I have the time like spinning, yoga, and a dance class called Cardio Funk. I chase my toddler around. I’m always moving, whether it’s walking around while I’m on conference calls or doing squats when I brush my teeth. It all adds up.
I’m constantly learning new ways to be healthy since I joined the barre3 team. This has been equal parts exciting and humbling for me. Prior to joining the team, I considered myself a really healthy person. I eat really clean and exercise often. Over the years (thanks to my work with barre3), I’ve realized that being healthy is so much more than what you put in your body and how many calories you burn. Health is everything from how you sleep, to how you connect with friends and family, to how you nourish your body, to how you move throughout the day. Being healthy isn’t about checking off a few things on your to do list—it’s a practice all 24 hours of the day. That’s why I believe in barre3, and why I’m so honored to be a part of this amazing company. New York, here we come!
Would you like to own a barre3 studio? Learn about how you can turn your passion for barre3 into your dream job here.
The barre3 West Village studio is opening late Spring! And today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to the woman who’s making it happen along with my husband and I, Amy Leclerc. Amy has been with me since the early days of barre3 (she’s my VP of Sales + Marketing) and now I’m honored to partner with her as we open our first studio in New York City.
Amy is one of the healthiest and most inspiring women I know. She’s a fierce and thoughtful leader, a mentor to many of my core team members, and a hands-on Mom. Her positive energy is contagious—if you ever meet her, you’ll immediately know what I mean. We recently caught up with Amy and asked her to share her barre3 story and describe how her definition of being healthy has changed over the years. Here’s Amy in her own words.
I discovered barre3 one day when I was walking in Portland’s Pearl District – just a few months after Sadie and her husband Chris opened their flagship studio. I tried one class, and I was hooked! I vividly remember sitting in the lobby after class thinking “I don’t know how, when, or where, but I’m going to do something with barre3 someday.”
I immediately felt at home at barre3, and I looked for any excuse to spend more time at the studio. The instructors were so warm, welcoming, and encouraging (not to mention super fit!). Having just moved from New York City to Portland, I felt like I had found my people at barre3.
After months of taking classes, I basically begged Sadie to let me become an instructor. Somehow I found myself on the schedule teaching a ton of classes—and loving every single second. I used to tell people, “Your house could be on fire, but when you’re teaching, your focus turns 100% to your clients. It’s an amazing feeling.” After three months of teaching, Chris Lincoln shared his long-term vision for growing barre3 and he asked me if I wanted to be a part of it. I literally couldn’t believe I was sitting there having someone describe my ideal career. Four years later, here I am! I have my dream job.
In the beginning it was Sadie, Chris, and I sitting at their dining room table, sketching the franchise model and strategizing how to grow the company. Just a few years later, we have 70 locations-globally! I am still in awe of how quickly our business model has caught on. We hear from hundreds of people every month who are interested in bringing barre3 to their own community, and it’s so rewarding when it comes to fruition. With the barre3 network we’ve built, I feel like I have families all over the country!
I gave my 20’s to New York City. Emotionally, it is where I grew up. I had a career in magazine publishing where I worked my butt off selling advertising. People thought I was crazy because I would literally walk the entire length of Manhattan for exercise and was often popping into lunchtime yoga classes when my co-workers were hitting up sample sales. I was always striving for balance in a city that can make that really challenging. I know firsthand, New Yorkers need barre3! City-dwellers are easily run ragged— they work hard, play hard, and live in an environment that’s overtly competitive. People are so driven in New York and often get caught in thinking you need to sacrifice and compensate in order to achieve. Barre3 brings such a fresh approach to fitness and whole-body health, that I know it’s going to have a huge impact on our clients there. I can’t wait to witness those transformations.
Aside from barre3, I’m a big walker, and I run. I take other group exercise classes when I have the time like spinning, yoga, and a dance class called Cardio Funk. I chase my toddler around. I’m always moving, whether it’s walking around while I’m on conference calls or doing squats when I brush my teeth. It all adds up.
I’m constantly learning new ways to be healthy since I joined the barre3 team. This has been equal parts exciting and humbling for me. Prior to joining the team, I considered myself a really healthy person. I eat really clean and exercise often. Over the years (thanks to my work with barre3), I’ve realized that being healthy is so much more than what you put in your body and how many calories you burn. Health is everything from how you sleep, to how you connect with friends and family, to how you nourish your body, to how you move throughout the day. Being healthy isn’t about checking off a few things on your to do list—it’s a practice all 24 hours of the day. That’s why I believe in barre3, and why I’m so honored to be a part of this amazing company. New York, here we come!
Would you like to own a barre3 studio? Learn about how you can turn your passion for barre3 into your dream job here.
