By: Ava Sobel
As soon as I stepped into Balanced Body, I was greeted with the delightful smell of incense, relaxing music, and the aroma of plants and wood, immediately relieving any stress I had. Although it was my first time taking a fitness class at Balanced body, the warm atmosphere made me feel as if I was at home. The owner of Balanced Body, Kathryn Kotlarz, shared her journey with me about how she was inspired by her youth to establish a successful business.
Kathryn grew up as a dancer, and was inspired by one of her instructors who opened up a pilates studio. She followed her path, and taught at the studio of her instructor. “As a dancer, we suffered from tons of injuries, and pilates is a huge help for injured athletes and dancers. The strengthening and lengthening aspect of pilates helps build up muscle”, said Kotlarz. Kathryn eventually decided to open up her own studio to become her own “girl boss”. She offers a variety of classes to her customers including pilates, yoga, barre classes, sculpting, and even dance fitness.
Kathryn’s vision is to create a welcoming atmosphere for anyone who walks into Balanced Body. “Our goal is to create a space where you can feel welcome and never feel like anyone is judging you”, said Kotlarz. To make customers feel more comfortable in a class environment, she dims the lights so each individual can focus on themselves. Kathryn creates a “homey” feeling within her studio by using neutral and calming colors, essential oils and diffusers, and by playing relaxing music in her studio lobby.
Kathryn’s advice for a young female entrepreneur is to have a vision, but also to be flexible to the world around you. “I try to focus on what my clients are looking for, and listen to their suggestions on how our business can improve”, said Kotlarz. Kathryn keeps up with her yelp reviews, and makes sure to take the opinions of her customers into account. In addition, she believes that it is important for a young female entrepreneur to know what direction they want to head, but to always be open-minded to change.
