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Natalie Butler
BARRE BALANCE
Happy New Year! If you're wanting to start a New Year's resolution to keep fit but don't know where to start, I'd suggest you take a look at Barre Balance, created by Natalie Butler. I spoke with Natalie and her journey to finding her passion and the creation of Barre.
I went to a Barre class a couple of months ago where I met Natalie for the first time, and I can honestly say I've never felt more rejuvenated and ready for the day ahead of me. Natalie omits such an amazing energy that encourages everyone to have fun. I love keeping fit and dancing, so Barre's combination of fitness, dance and pilates creates the perfect balance for me.
I was intrigued as to what Barre is, and wanted to find out a little more about Natalie's background regarding it. She talked me through her career changes and journey towards Barre, proving that in order to do what you're passionate about it isn't straightforward. Natalie originally worked in a very senior management role in Liverpool and found monetary success early in her career. "My vision was that if I work hard I'll get higher up the hierarchy as quickly as possible, get more and more money... I'll be this really successful individual but in actual fact I got there and I was successful in terms of money, but not fulfilled."
Natalie had a pivotal moment in her life as she decided her job was unfulfilling. So, she decided to leave her career behind and travelled to try and preposition her perspective on her life. After travelling for a while she found herself in Australia where she stayed with friends from University. Natalie was hired and later sponsored by a bar/restaurant in Melbourne where she very quickly became general manager. "I was given an amazing opportunity to build a business over there, in a basement on one of the main streets of Melbourne... but it absolutely absorbed all of my energy and time!" This was the exact same thing Natalie was trying to escape from back in Liverpool. She said she felt as though she had side-stepped in her career, except this time it was in Australia. "I was working to live and I wasn't really thinking about what I was getting from it, all I could do was deliver for my bosses... if your job defines you, you need to be passionate about it." I couldn't agree more with Natalie, if you are going to dedicate so much of your time and energy into something you don't gain any joy from, you aren't going to get that time back. Not being passionate about your field of business can often lead to a lack of fulfilment which is exactly what Natalie felt, and she needed something to focus her energy on.
Natalie's determination took her on a beautiful journey towards her passion for Barre, which she discovered whilst being in Australia. Following her discovered love for Barre, she decided to go to a Barre retreat in Bali. "I found that wellness and fitness are things that I absolutely love and do on a daily basis without even realising it." She was encouraged to do an intense teacher training course in Byron Bay by the instructors in Bali and became a qualified Barre instructor.
Natalie discovered that she had found a niche in the British market, as very few Barre classes are available here. So, Natalie decided to bring home her expertise and knowledge and share them with the people of Liverpool. Her journey was definitely a life lesson as she had finally found her passion. She was able to use the skills she gained on the business side of her career and channelled that into Barre in order to make it a successful business.
Barre classes are fluid and are suited best to both instructor and class ability and interests. Natalie said there are basic structures to Barre routines, just as long as you make sure you transition smoothly between movements, creating effortless connectivity. Most importantly though, Natalie said "in order to be a good Barre instructor, you need to make sure your energy is in the room. You need to be mentally and physically present in order for you to be there for the class." This idea is crucial in any business; making sure you're taking charge in order for your team/clients to follow your lead. You can never bring in your personal lives into the business otherwise the inter connectivity will immediately be broken. Natalie see's the importance of creating an atmosphere in her classes in order to make her clients feel empowered and ready for the day ahead."I want people to feel as amazing as I first did when I did my first Barre class, and if I have that's my fulfilment!"
By taking on a less challenging job back in Liverpool, Natalie was then able to exert more energy into starting up her own Barre company. She began doing classes on the side, renting rooms around the city and encouraging friends and family to spread the word. Natalie built up her classes as the weeks went by, and within six months was able to leave her job, officially starting Barre Balance. "I was training for a marathon... it was the marker of 20 years since my dad did his first marathon and I wanted to do the same race he did, but beat his time! I raised money for the hospice that looked after him, and after that it was really a turning point for me to quite my job and invest all of my time in to the classes."
"I wrote down a day in the life of: me" Natalie told me. It was for her to refer back to when progressing with the business, so that her vision would always be on track. It is really important for Natalie to be ambitious enough to stick to what she wants without settling for anything less. "It was my ideal life in a lot of detail- this journey is about getting close to the ideal day in the life of: me." Natalie still refers back to this to make sure she's doing everything she believes is right for her in order to reach her goals. I thought this was a really helpful tactic when starting your own business, it's a sort of step-by-step guideline to where you want your business to go.
Natalie is always looking for ways to expand and develop her business further, and has big plans for Barre Balance. "I don't think there's an end for Barre, its just another step in the journey I want to take. My vision for Barre would hopefully be retreats and other studios... But I don't want to run before I can walk." Natalie said it's vital for a business to experience "organic growth" In order for it to be successful. You need to meet the needs and wants of your business first before you can expand it further. Patience and ambition go hand-in-hand when making a successful business, and Natalie's wide experience has struck her the perfect balance. (No pun intended).​To Natalie, Barre is a “lifestyle, a happiness, a contentment." Natalie's story has truly shown that fulfilment doesn't always come from how much money you make or how high up your role in a company is, it's about doing something that you're passionate about and you will find fulfilment in every aspect of your job.​Barre Balance are holding a Renew You challenge for the New Year, starting on the 3rd Jan 2020. This challenge encourages you to attended 3 classes a week for 4 weeks, stick to a meal plan set for you, plus rituals Natalie has put together. By completing this, you are in with a chance to win a pair of Barre grip socks, 3 free classes and a wellness goodie bag (worth £70!). Contact Herricane to find out more, or contact Barre directly on their website, or follow their Instagram: @Barre.balance
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