Balance is Bull****

I never understood those little placards on desks I'd see in adults' offices when I was a kid. "The buck stops here."

Now, as a CEO and founder of multiple businesses, I really, really get it. But how I get it has evolved.

When I opened my first studios, I thought it meant:

No one can do it as well as the owner can, so I better do it all.

Any delay in responding to an email meant I needed to step in.

Problems the team raised needed an immediate solve, from me.

If I worked hard enough and took care of everything, I'd succeed.

That was exhausting.

I spent years learning Pilates from my mentors Marie Jose Blom and Kendel Pink. The need for expert guides in mastering movement was obvious to me. I came in from the entertainment industry as an outsider and dove deep into this craft with the best of the best. It served me well.

It took a lot longer for me to realize that being an experienced and successful executive in business didn't mean I already knew how to lead. I was a Creative Director at Universal Studios by my mid-20s and an SVP at Marvel by 30. I ran creative and marketing at an ad agency for the first few months I owned and operated the Montrose studio.

I'm not saying I wasn't an effective leader. I was. The team grew, we attracted top talent in LA and NYC, and the studios were thriving. But I was deeply involved in way too much of the business and operations. And by involved, I mean I had eyes on pretty much everything: a dozen email inboxes, studio schedules, social media. Not one of which are roles I excel in or that light me up.

It took reading Dan Martell's book, Buy Back Your Time, to shake things up. I connected with Dan by email, and he invited me to join his Elite CEO Coaching Group. The book was already a huge unlock for me as a leader, and I wanted to grow more.

For two years I joined Zooms with Dan and other top-notch leaders, where we challenged each other on a mix of business issues and opportunities. It's wild to think I'd spent so much energy becoming a master of Pilates when what I actually do is a whole lot more than teaching movement.

Signing up for leadership coaching changed how I show up, where I show up, and where I lead these businesses.

Here are the mindset shifts that drove the biggest change in my life, my peace, and my success.

Balance is BS.

I was already giving speeches on this before I met Dan, but he crystallized it for me. There are a few things each of us not only excel at, but that also light us up and give us energy. As a CEO, anything that isn't that should go to a team member who's lit up by it and specialized in it. 

My Executive Assistant, our Director of Operations, and our CFO, Studio Managers, Marketing leads and our best in class Educator team are the people who make that possible for me. Talented leaders take on the roles I don't shine in, or that I can’t do in 10 studios at once, so I can focus on what I do best: visioning the future, inventing and finding new approaches to movement that help people thrive.

"80% done for me is 100% awesome." 

That's Dan's line, and it's stuck with me ever since.

Ask just about anyone and they'll tell you their highest priority in life is family. A simple way to check if that's actually true for you: look at your calendar and your bank account. Those tell the real story.

Do you carve out focused time for your family, or do you check your phone and email during dinner, on weekends, at your kids' games? 

How well are you taking care of your own health and movement, mentally and physically, so you can live longer and stay vibrant?

Here's a 25 minute full body workout: 

 

Where do you spend your resources, your time and your money? It's hard to hide the truth once you actually look.

I know this might be a little hard to stomach, but I'm not here to pat you on the head and tell you everything's great. I'm here to hold myself, and you, accountable to living our greatest lives so we can use our gifts to help others. 

That's it.

WundaLove, 

Amy