A tool from a persona-building exercise for instructors

Wednesday June 19, 2024

“What is next for founders in our space?" was the common-thread of the many meetings & catch-ups from my time last week in Singapore with co-founders of multiple- format-type studios across 5 countries.

And with this in mind, I have begun to plan the next Boutique Fitness Talks event for us to come together and brainstorm, celebrate, problem-solve & connect with each other IRL next year. We will be leaning-into 4 potential answers to this question as our Talks pillars & I look forward to sharing more with you in time!

I'm in my last few days in Mumbai with this extraordinary management team & team of new cycling instructors as the studio prepares to launch a new product vertical to their existing formats & brand identity. 

Today when sharing a persona exercise with the trainees, I asked them to list 10 adjectives to describe who they are or who they aspire to be when teaching an indoor cycling class. 

As well, I asked them to write down 5 things which they are not; (eg entitled, thinking they're better than another coach on the team, etc) as I firmly believe it is as important to note down who/what you are not as it is to note down who you are.

I offer you this tool to give to your team or to localize for your own efforts as a manager or owner.

I'd love to hear what you uncover!

Have a great rest of your week!

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The question successful boutique fitness studio owners all must answer

Wednesday June 12, 2024

The passage of time has been blowing my mind these past few days: 10 years ago this month, my contract in Singapore was extended an additional 5 weeks so I could continue to work with a few cycling instructors in training who were on-the-border of being class-ready & worth the drop-in cost of the class. The clients saw the value in ensuring that the instructors delivering their product were fully-baked & ready to be the answer to the question we all need to answer; “I already have a gym membership with group classes included; why should I pay extra to come to your studio?”

We were the first indoor cycling studio riding to the beat of the music to open in *Southeast Asia (XYZ Hong Kong opened in August of 2013) & our 2-week unlimited first-timers trial class purchase was approximately SGD $179 (USD $132 today); we needed clients to “make us a habit” & to do that, we needed to ensure a robust schedule of instructors worth the time & money, should clients opt for a class package rather than the more costly unlimited 6 month minimum commitment of an unlimited membership.

 We offered a metrics-and-music-focused ride, a choreography & weights-focused ride & an on-off-bike HIIT Bootcamp, taught by personal trainers. 

3 class types so clients could have multiple verticals with us to train. 

2014. CBD Raffles Place Singapore; a corporate area. 

No Lululemon store yet (that would come later that year to Duxton) & no Classpass (Guavapass would begin first in 2015 & be acquired by Classpass in early 2019).

If you're familiar with Singapore now, you may or may not remember that back then, there were gyms, there was Yoga Movement & there was U-Fit, along with the box gyms, of course. That was about it.

 I'm back in Singapore for a few days this week to catch up with colleagues in the region, which I'll share more about another time. 

Most importantly, I leave you with a repeat of the same sentence as above:

“I already have a gym membership with group classes included; why should I pay extra to come to your studio?”

Click reply - I would love to hear your answer.

Have a great rest of your week!

Noël

Connection

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would you rather: 65% technique/100% ‘zazz or 90% technique/nominal ’zazz?

Wednesday May 22, 2024

Between today & yesterday, I observed 11 cycling trainees teach-back a class from their pre-class speech to the final stretch. 1 trainee hit probably 65% of the salient points for the class…but was so engaging in his analogies & coaching & personality, I found myself laughing as well as writing down some of the great things he said to share with him, following his teach back. 

Another trainee hit closer to 90% of the important parts of the class to convey…but was going through the motions & I had no idea who he was as a coach.

Do I think they will both become excellent cycling coaches with more time, practice & mentoring? (they're already solid while teaching barre!) 

I absolutely do…but they each received the reverse feedback from me, today.

This reminded me of 2014 when I taught briefly for Equinox NYC. One day after my class at their SoHo location, a member came up to me & said “I love taking your class but I'd prefer to ride with you at SoulCycle rather than here at Equinox. Can you please give me your schedule at Soul?” 

🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

Me: “What a lovely compliment; thank you for taking the time to share it with me…but I don't teach for SoulCycle…so I hope you'll continue riding with me at Equinox!" 

To be abundantly clear: Equinox' cycling classes when I worked there, were taught on a Schwinn bike with a power meter & a wattage console; everyone taught to metrics; power, RPM and distance in mileage. There were no weights on a bike nor tapbacks, “pushups” or any dancing whatsoever in my class at Equinox, being that I was committed to an on-brand experience.

(And remember, of course, Equinox' parent company acquired SoulCycle years back…so there is, of course, a serious brand-differential from what members do on bikes at EQX vs Soul!)

The clients who come into our spaces, regardless of the class formats we offer, want to feel something:

Connection to a musical arch & progression of music that is not one-color and one-beat….but bright & brilliant.

Connection to the cueing and coaching. 

Connection to humor, organic & spontaneous storytelling in the room.

Connection to their results.

Many many others, you get it.

Instructors give instructions. Coaches help us progress to the next level…and deliver hospitality & a journey in the room.

Do you have more instructors on your team who clearly share 65% of the class rhetoric perfectly but make us feel something? Or share closer to 90% without drawing-us-in-for an unmissable class experience?

Click reply - I would love to hear.

Noël

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training break & Peloton instructor recruitment 2013

Wednesday May 15, 2024

Firstly, before we get to Peloton: this week is our training break for the new cycling studio project in Mumbai. We ALL needed a pause in feedback, giving & receiving both! Trainees are absolutely keeping to a group training schedule this week with benchmarks to attempt to hit & time to collate questions for me as they stumble-through teaching their first class + the hospitality chats which come before the lights are lowered and class begins.

Do you/did you build-in an intentional training break at your studio? I highly recommend building one into any class-format immersive instructor training. If everyone is on-task, it is a valuable use of time & provides opportunity for trainees to bond as team-mates as they teach-back their classes, together. Do feel free to reply to this email if you have any specific questions! 

*

My own Peloton story reverts back to the boutique fitness experience we deliver in boutique studios, rather than virtually. (Of course, hybrid training virtual & in-person, both, we know is here to stay & it was never an “either” or an “or” but an “and”) Peloton is back in the news seeking a new CEO & amidst more staff-cuts, but rather than focus on that negative for the folks at the company…it prompted me to share & offer you insight.

Back in 2013, the NYC Well+Good newsletter mentioned that virtual video indoor cycling classes were to launch on a new platform called Peloton. 

I immediately sent a resume & an invitation to take my cycling class at Crunch gym to whomever was in charge of scouting talent.

That September, I was asked by their then-consultant if she could come take my class, which turned into “actually, come to 227 west 29th St. Suite 9F on Friday September 13th, 11-1 & here’s the door access code” for a demo & conversation.

We approached both SoulCycle & Flywheel, separately, to collaborate with us on this & they both decided to continue to pursue the studio experience and not in-home exercise is what founder & former CEO, John Foley, shared that day.

He was very clear that he didn't care how much money their studio would lose; they would give away classes at a flash-sale rate on ClassPass if they had to…because he was building a television production studio, essentially, which would be their flagship cycling studio. They knew they had to have riders in the room for energy; the instructors couldn't cater to an at-home ridership without feeding-off human interaction on bikes in front of them, live from Chelsea NYC. 

I remember suggesting to look at country clubs & hotels as his target user travels for work & to second homes.

It was all about selling the bike. And building enough of a subscription model that people would keep…even if their subscription wasn't utilized daily, same as Netflix.

And to sell the bike…they had to sell the content. (Even though they couldn't be bothered to license music properly in the early days if you remember when this hit back in 2019)

And to sell the bike…and the content…they had to craft & mold new fitness celebrities to deliver the class product. Emphasis on celebrity. The Peloton instructor TV-hosting a red-carpet, becoming best-selling authors & boasting large social media followings…was by design from even before these early meetings in 2013.

I left the demo & conversation very grateful I had connected IRL with Carol, their consultant (who would 3 years later, refer me to a cycling studio client in Mexico City), because I thought she was so real & so cool.

And I knew working with Peloton as an instructor was absolutely not for me. Happy for other colleagues for sure; a USD six figure instructor salary is nothing to sneeze at; but I knew that being camera-ready all the time, and coaching hundreds of thousands, (if not millions) of people I couldn’t see was not where I saw my fitness career progressing; it simply was not my dream.

[Frankly, I also was underwhelmed by the bike prototype I rode during the demo; it felt cheap & flimsy to me, who had taught on virtually every bike on the market at that point.]

But the reason for my sharing this with you…is that while I firmly believe the brand has cultivated engaged members across screens across the world, the Peloton experience is not the same class experience as what we do in-person, in-studios, whether its on bikes, treads, mats, apparatuses, whatever. 

I love being a part of a group of people, delivering service to clients on a daily basis. 

I love getting to know people both in class and in the organic chit-chat before & after.

I believe in these interactions wholeheartedly. Do you?

Having human interaction and connection in a third-space delivered to me is why I continued to attend classes after I was “dragged against my will” by a friend to my first boutique cycling class back in 2008. So many of you fell in love with boutique fitness concepts while living and working abroad & wanted to re-create magic when you moved back home.

If there were ever a time to double-down on hospitality & tightening-up service to your clients….it is from the moment the C**vid quarantines were lifted…to right now.

I have a few ways to work together, irrespective of the format(s) you offer, in the pipeline & look forward to sharing them with you, first here, over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, I hope we may all continue to lean-into what make our community spaces special.

Until next Wednesday, 

Noël

"Train people well enough so they can leave…" non-competes & NYC 💸💌

Wednesday May 8, 2024

Every so often, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes, attributed to Sir Richard Branson; “Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don't want to."👑

In case you missed it, the USA Federal Trade Commission recently ruled against Non-Compete Clauses put forth by employers; “The final rule provides that it is an unfair method of competition—and therefore a violation of section 5—for employers to, inter alia, enter into non-compete clauses with workers on or after the final rule's effective date.[2] The Commission thus adopts a comprehensive ban on new non-competes with all workers.” (Peruse the complete document here)

While senior executives in the six-figure salary range are not a part of the ruling, it is for lower-wage workers…when someone cannot be hired by Burger King for a service job because they've been working for McDonald's…I think we've lost the plot.

Back in 2011, I was offered USD $45/class at Crunch Gym in NYC to teach group fitness. Easygoing clientele, mid-range big box gym; not a boutique fitness studio. No non-compete clause & it wouldn't have made sense for me to sign one, anyways. 

In 2014, I briefly taught for Equinox & fought to make $60/class instead of $50, again a box gym where classes were/are a part of a flat rate monthly membership; not a studio wherein clients would be paying a premium to attend a class.

Fast forward to 2024…and I can offhand think of two NYC boutique fitness studios charging their clients a premium per-class package rate, who:

• have a mandatory internal instructor training program in their homegrown methodology, i.e. you have to complete their training to teach there, unlike Crunch or Equinox gyms where you need only to have a 1 day certification + CPR training

• have a very specific method they teach which will not easily transfer to other studios or a big box gym

• pay their instructors between USD $42 - $60 a class (yes, what I made at a gym not boutique in the same very expensive-to-live city more a decade ago 🤡🤡)…including some senior instructors…

• …have a non-compete clause in place for their instructors for the method they offer

Of course, the ruling will be challenged. 

"Noncompete agreements trap workers from finding better jobs, drive down wages, and stifle competition," the AFL-CIO, the country's largest labor federation, said in a tweet in response to the announcement. (from the Reuters piece)

Are you working towards having the very best work experience possible for your staff at your boutique fitness studio? Treating staff well enough that they don't want to leave?

I'd love to hear what's been working well for you.

Until next Wednesday, 

Noël

Openings, closings & your key player; equipment distributors

Wednesday May 1, 2024

Hello from the construction site of the new cycling studio project which has been taking up the majority of my brain-space here in Bandra, Mumbai. Of course, the project has had a delay of a few weeks…because if there is not a delay, are you even launching a new studio? Even Wildly Efficient Singapore had a two week delay back when we opened in 2014. 😉 

I was so sorry to hear that SpaceCycle China ceased operations in Beijing & Shanghai yesterday. If you had the chance to take a barre, indoor cycling, HIIT or cardio dance class at their studios in mainland China, you undoubtedly saw and felt how they only added positive value to new fitness communities in those cities.

Do I have an update on what's happening with Stages Cycling? I don't.

(ICYMI last week, here is one of the many articles out there) 

Let's see what shakes out in the coming weeks.

On a related personal note, we have begun Week 3 of 7 weeks of the comprehensive cycling instructor training / program development I was hired to do here in India, and as of 2 days ago, finally have our power display consoles. Big shout-out to TIFC, our local distributor, for keeping an engineer on standby for us for when the consoles arrived to their offices via DHL!

Which…brings me to the bigger point for todays' email: your key equipment suppliers & what they offer to your brand.

I have seen far too many studios of ALL formats over the years invest very significant money into high CapEx equipment purchases…and unfortunately, then end up not investing energy into the following….so here's what I most commonly have seen overlooked, over the past 10 years:

(take the tools you want, leave the rest, and if you've done it all, reply to this & tell me so I can send you a virtual gold star! 😉)

a. Create a cleaning protocol, written-out as a checklist or as an internally-distributed video, etc, made clear how to clean equipment properly, using best practices shared by the folks who sold it to you

b. Learn which parts of equipment need to “be aired out," or need to be oiled or need to be adjusted and with what kind of simple tool do you need for an adjustment. Create an operating procedure that the person(s) whose job it is to see that its completed properly…has all tools available to them for their success and yours! 

c. Learn basic servicing troubleshoots to mitigate common issues yourself! Then as well have a great working relationship with your equipment suppliers (who sold you your product & your service package for x amount of months) for when a bike, a Reformer, a rower, etc needs to be fixed which is beyond your ability.

d. If you have a larger team, significant equipment & multiple locations, were you offered an FAQ-type 1-2 hour learning-seminar with your equipment suppliers after install? And if so, do you have those notes updated for new team members? And if not…what is your relationship like with your equipment supplier?

If you'd like to intentionally nurture your relationship with such an important member of your extended team…what step can you take in the next 1 month to do so? A call? A check-in? An invitation for their office to take a class as your guest?

As always, hit reply if you want to chat or share.

Until next Wednesday,

xx Noël

💌value discounting, no more Stages Cycling? & a future time to meet IRL💌

Wednesday April 24, 2024

One of our indoor cycling trainees here in Mumbai, is, (like every other trainee!) a dancer as well as a dance instructor. She shared with me that during the beginning of the pandemic lockdown when everyone “had pivoted to online," she felt it was a good time to sharpen her technical skills while unable to work in-person performing or teaching. She decided to ‘shoot her shot’ & reached out via Instagram to an esteemed LA-based modern dance instructor & mentor to see if she'd be open to a private lesson on Zoom & what is her rate.

 USD $250. For 30 minutes, 1:1.

 As you can imagine, given strength of US dollars vs India rupees + average income levels, this dancer needed to really think could she afford to spend a decent chunk of her hard-earned savings on this lesson. Our trainee came back to this dance instructor (who runs academies, has a studio in the LA area, has former students dancing professionally in every kind of media & is legitimately worth the fee) & said very simply, “I'd love to learn from you & I know I'll grow…but with the currency conversion, it is a lot of money for me…do you have any flexibility?”

 And instead of discounting her private lesson cost, she was given the option of a 45 minute 1:1 lesson for the price of a 30 minute 1:1 lesson. An add-on of time, gifted to a young dancer in a less economically blessed situation from a leader who was still being properly compensated for her time & extraordinary feedback.

 Was it worth it? She says yes; this dance leader was able to unlock better technique for a specific type of movement & her performance of that specific move has never been better. A tangible result.

 This is the strategy I would love to see boutique studios of all modalities worldwide employ rather than a % discount; an additional value given to the client for the price you've set (you're the one who knows your break-even) rather than a discount. 

e.g. Buy 10 classes at the regular price + receive 11 classes + a pass to bring a first-time friend for free, instead of buying 10 classes for a % discount.

The shift is that clients plainly see the price you've set as a small business they're supporting and are gifted something more. In the case of the dancer with the expensive 1:1 lesson, she knew the value of the high cost & that she would come away from the lesson with something great she could use, immediately. 

As my friend & marketing coach Alexa Cawley says often; if we condition clients to wait for the “deal” to buy, it is incredibly tough to re-train them to buy at full price. (An analogy of feeding your dog scraps from your dinner table comes to mind; unless you want that to be your dog's normal expectation, never do it!!!)

Two other newsworthy bits of information I wanted to share with you:

• Stages Cycling has ceased operations & apparently laid-off their entire staff. WOWZA. Do I know, specifically, what this will mean for your studio, should you use an SC1, SC2 or SC3 bike? I do not…but I will absolutely share any news I receive, should you want to chat privately or wait for an update here. Finding parts may prove problematic depending on your region, so do revert to your local distributor as needed. I heard a bit of gossip while at IHRSA…but will wait until more is revealed as Stages has not yet formally announced if they have been acquired or not and by whom or if it is truly game over with no version 2.0. If you are considering replacing bikes you've had several years or have an expansion plan in place, I highly suggest taking a beat before moving forward on a new purchase. Do click reply if you want to chat through anything.

• I've spoken with several of you over the past months who are wanting another Boutique Fitness Talks event…and I do, too! The plan was to meet together in Saigon, Vietnam in June & collaborate with a wonderful studio & studio owner I know you will sincerely enjoy meeting…but I simply could not appropriately time an event with you all due to this new studio project I'm consulting in India! We WILL do another in Asia in the coming quarters…and I am narrowing-down a collaborator for Europe…stay tuned.

Until next week!

xx Noël

non-negotiable hospitality in group ☘️🧀fitness classes

Wednesday April 17, 2024

I am in Mumbai, India; week 1 of 7 weeks of indoor cycling instructor training for an incredibly exciting new boutique studio project. I look forward to sharing more soon! With 11 of 11 of our trainees dancers, I am reminded why I ❤️ love ❤️ training dancers to teach cycle; tend to be consistently on time or early & prepared for the learning session, innately hear the music & what it wants from its listener & have a knack for being “on” from the moment the door to class opens or closes. Should you have a cycling studio (or even if you offer another fitness modality or two) I cannot recommend more highly, recruiting dancers to teach with you.

But first…back to Europe. The last 3 group fitness classes I joined were with Denise @ Perpetua Fitness in Dublin & with Gina & Eva @ Open Ride in Basel, were 3 of the most authentic classes I've joined in awhile. I had previously only had short conversation with 2 of these ladies before these classes, so I cannot truthfully say that "I know them well" and show bias in my observation…but I can say that while taste is subjective, these 3 leaders showed up for their rooms as an enhanced version of themselves & it was refreshing to see. 

As well, these 3 leaders each embodied key hospitality best practices: 

• made clients feel seen & heard

• offered help at the beginning (as everyone should) & in a kind manner

• introduced regular clients to newcomers when organic

• began and ended on time

• were “on” from the moment the door to the room opened or closed (something I always look for & forever teach in any instructor workshop I lead; if you're not sure what I mean by this, please do reach out & I'm happy to share more)

• always had music playing (no silence!) when clients were present & genuinely nice interaction with the front desk staff.

• treated every client like a welcomed guest to an experience which was worth paying a premium price to attend 

Irrespective of group fitness format offered, I feel strongly we all can benefit from checking-in on these hospitality-points, which is why two of my favorite questions to ask (which I ask in my free studio Audit) is: did the instructor both coach movement & what to do and encourage the room with personal touches? i.e. if you didn't already know this person, would you know a bit about who they were based on this class?

I believe hospitality is part of an excellent before/after class as well as what happens in the room. 😊

'Til next Wednesday,

xx Noël

uncomfortable isn't only for the group fitness room

Wednesday April 10, 2024

If you caught last week's email, I am all ok for another year with my never-not-nervewracking cancer screenings! Know that if you're putting-off scheduling a necessary medical check, I am always happy to give you a pep-talk/quick-kick in the butt; you know how to find me.

What I had planned on sharing this week flew out the window (but I’ll come back to it another time!) after I heard from one of my favorite people in our boutique fitness space who is truly “going through it” at present.

Starkly-said: if you are reading this, we know one another by virtue of the fact that the very first indoor cycling studio consulting project I took on 10 years ago in Singapore…had a poor shareholders’ agreement. While this had nothing to do with the 2 cycling formats I built for the studio, I was affected, of course, as was everyone else….& frankly, it was gut-wrenching.

For me, while I mourned the loss of this studio as with any other big disappointment…this poor shareholders' agreement meant that I would be free to build my global consulting business; working closely with cycling studios to both create new programs & train talent AND provide continuing education opportunities for existing studios.

Instead of expanding & growing the studio’s footprint robustly in Southeast Asia as licensing & strategic partnerships across markets was always the overarching goal with this studio…I, instead, became free to work anywhere & to meet YOU.

[So in the end…I came out OK, though it took time & a lot of mental energy!]

For everyone else involved in this initial Singapore studio, the poor shareholders' agreement meant a few hundred thousand dollars down the drain & chalked up to a heavy-lesson, emotional pain, bewilderment, severed friendships, a decision to stop teaching, a later decision to start one's own studios (especially since they saw a few examples of what NOT to do), rolling with the sale of a business & teaching for the new owner, not rolling with the sale of a business because they thought the new owner was garbage, among others.

In the end, the above 192 words can be boiled down to 10:

Your passion is not enough. You need a shareholders' agreement.

Your drive to create a fantastic third place for your community & provide clients with the best classes & hospitality possible & a place to feel seen….is 👏🏻not 👏🏻enough 👏🏻.

I hope you will protect your passion, sanity, money, time, energy with an updated shareholders' agreement. I firmly believe this is no different than updating your will & financial trust, your payable-upon-death bank accounts & your wishes for your end of life.

Do you have an agreement? And have you re-worked the terms as your business has grown and/or changed?

If you have 1 business partner or many, 1 angel investor or a fund backing your studio…truly when was the last time you had your attorney scrutinize the terms & have dialogue with your fellow shareholders?

I care about our industry & I care about you enough to ask the hard questions…& dare to make you uncomfortable so that we can all grow & thrive.

If you need an ear and/or a recommendation for someone qualified to help you with this crucial task, I'm always here & likely have a referral. 😊

On a happier note!…Eid Mubarak to our friends observing & celebrating.

Til next Wednesday,

xx Noël

what am I gaining rather than losing?

Wednesday April 3, 2024

I'm traveling today as I write you. It has been a lovely week in Basel, Switzerland, and I'm heading to Nice, France. Tomorrow morning, I'll take the train over to Sanremo, Italy, where I have been transitioning all of my medical care & will have my annual 3D mammogram & breast ultrasound. My mother was 40 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy & reconstructive surgery, i.e. breast implants. I don't miss a screening…and this time, for the second time…tomorrow's will be hilariously entirely in Italian. My Italian, not to mention my medical Italian, is not at the level it needs to be for a feat such as this one…so thank goodness for Google Translate, smiling, apologizing, trying to speak actual words & for the written-in-Italian radiology report from last year, that I'll bring to the imaging lab so they may have a comparison.

(If you're American, you may be intrigued to know this will cost me $110 total as I don't have nor need “insurance” & I'll leave the appointment tomorrow with my final results…)

Stay with me: this isn't really about a medical check but an overall mindset shift I am trying to adopt personally & professionally and hope you may find value in, too.

My Mom focused on “seeing herself well” through the entirety of her dance with breast cancer back when. She had a 7-year-old child (me) she was told previously she'd never be able to have (…and there I was, born healthy; how wildly fortunate) & she was determined that she would handle whatever came her way. Cancer?! I got this.

Mom also loved sharing that “Now I get to choose my own size!” 😂😂 during her reconstructive surgery & focused on what she was gaining rather than what she was losing. 

What if every new person who came into our spaces for a class experience…was not there to find fault? Was not planning to leave a nasty ClassPass review? Was not wanting to compare what we offer to what someone else does?

What if they were coming into our spaces to gain confidence rather than lose weight? 

What if what we are facilitating in our spaces, focused upon what clients were gaining…rather than what they were losing?

I spoke recently with 2 longtime boutique studio founders who shared they no longer wanted to focus on aesthetics with their clients. That it served a purpose at one point in their business, but they want to continue to lead the industry in their market & they believe the industry is ready for another level. 

And so I ask you…what are you gaining in keeping the faith that what you offer is special & the right people will find you? And is that bigger than what you are losing? And can you “see yourself well” through the next phase of your growth?

All I want is a clear test tomorrow. The rest is icing.

Til next Wednesday,

xx Noël

who recommends their competitor?

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

I've been thinking for far too long about “what if I send out a short email, whenever I have something worth sharing that could be impactful for boutique fitness studio owners & instructors? And do so on Wednesdays?” 

So here we are. It's a Wednesday night where I am & I have something I feel is worth sharing with you…that I hope will offer you the opportunity to think about it twice.

I am currently in Basel, Switzerland for the first time. In less than 24 hours, I found myself in thoroughly unplanned conversations with 2 boutique studio owners with which I have no relationship with whatsoever and have never once spoken with nor met until this week.

[Why Basel? An opportunity arose to cat/housesit here for Easter week & since I love capturing street art as I travel (if you follow me on Instagram, you know that's how daily Stories have kicked-off since late 2022!) & figured there would be some cool murals alongside beautiful scenery/vibe to give me my European-fix before leaving for India next month.]

Last night, I went to an indoor cycling pop-up class at a nightclub, docked on a boat in the Rhine River. It was, as you can imagine, cool AF. I chatted briefly with the woman checking riders in before & after (before went something like, “Umm hi, am I in the right place? Are we really riding bikes on a boat?!”). As we chatted more on my way out, I mentioned I'd seen online that the studio was currently closed.

She very rightfully share-vented their situation (I realized I was talking to a co-founder & I then shared that I'm in our industry, too). I was honored to hold space for her as she shared Psytrack's tribulations with the Swiss government.

What she said next, stunned me. It should be the norm…but we all know it is not:

“You should check out Open Ride while you're here - they're from Zürich but recently opened a space in the train station & they've done a beautiful job.”

 Fast forward to lunchtime today, when I joined a class at Open Ride. Found myself chatting with the instructor afterwards, she outed herself as the owner…and I shared, verbatim, what was said last night by a colleague in our space…someone who would, of course, be construed as a competitor.

 She was as genuinely touched as I was. 

 And I'll be back to ride with her again before leaving Basel, to support the kind of leadership I always aspire to possess & be around.

 xx Noël