Meet Kate Willson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Willson.

Kate, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started off my career in the entertainment business: first singing, dancing, and acting, then directing and producing, a bit of casting and worked my way into the office of a talent agent in NYC who brought be to LA about 15 years ago when he started his own agency from the ground up. I could never have imagined leaving New York and all my friends and family but it sounded like a good adventure. I thought I’d be gone a year or two…the rest is history! While I eventually left entertainment, what I gained in the process was an amazing experience in building things. I certainly didn’t know it at the time, but the process of consulting with developmental clients in their marketing and promotion at the same time as I was immersed in the fundamentals of building a business from the ground up truly informed the rest of my career.

After a few years in marketing and sales in a couple of different capacities, I was fortunate to land with a company called Exhale, which had a national presence as a boutique wellness brand, and owned and operated a mecca of yoga and movement modalities in Venice Beach. I had loved working with clients in my agency days on their personal development and I knew I wanted to get back to that in a really tangible way. At first, I handled the local sales and marketing for Exhale’s Venice location, and eventually became a teacher, managed the teaching team, the buyer for the wellness boutique, and eventually the General Manager, as well. It was a huge undertaking between the boutique, the group classes, teacher training, workshops, events and more. But I finally felt I had found the culmination of all my prior experience – I was able to wear my sales and marketing hat, then switch to my operations hat, and also remove them both and step into the studio to work with members directly. It was the best of all worlds.

Eventually, the Venice location closed before Exhale was bought by Hyatt a few years back, at which point I continued on my own consulting with studios and businesses on their marketing and operations as well as building my own teaching business. The events of 2020 have again shifted my focus as group fitness has been so dramatically impacted but I have confidence we will all come out the other side of this having learned how we can even more effectively sustain a strong fitness and wellness community. I have been on the Board of Directors for the Venice Chamber of Commerce for the last seven years, having joined back when I was running Exhale and it has been a valuable experience to stay connected to the local business community during this pandemic time. Through the Chamber, I have made new connections in my community, joined new fitness and wellness platforms, and have even begun hosting a weekly virtual live event where we spotlight a different business or organization and how they are reaching out to the community in this unprecedented time, or ways they have perhaps pivoted their business or organization to serve the needs of their clients. It’s been a really bright spot amidst all the craziness of 2020 to find all these new ways to bring my prior experience to the table and connect with people in new ways!

Has it been a smooth road?
I think often things are smoother or perhaps more connected in retrospect, no? I’m Not sure if it’s just the gift of hindsight or if time allows us to overlook some of the rough patches. No, I wouldn’t say it’s always been a smooth road. Plenty of challenges that at the time may have even seemed like major roadblocks. Certainly, my career has been anything but linear. That said, there is a through line, at least to me. And I think a lot of the challenges provided some of the most interesting opportunities on the other side. Certainly, had you asked me fifteen years ago if I would be a fitness and wellness professional, I could never have guessed it, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I think a lot of it is the same, actually, whether I am wearing my business development or manager hat or if I am in the studio working directly with clients. Having grown up back East in the New York area, I am used to a pretty direct, straightforward means of communication. I like to problem-solve. Certainly that helps in building a business, or undergoing a re-branding, etc. There is always more on your to-do list than there are hours in the day. If you can keep a clear set of priorities and keep putting out the fires that are right in front of you, you’ll usually be ok. That, and making sure you have a team that is invested and feels empowered. I always try to surround myself with people smarter than I am or experts in fields where I am not as well versed so I am always learning.

I think the idea of always sleeping yourself in that student mentality is important in fitness and yoga, too. That combined with the same problem-solving approach, I find to be really helpful. I try to keep my classes and sessions fresh and interesting while making sure that they are rooted in a mission to make people feel better when they leave than when they came. Whether it’s about getting a stronger or more flexible body or a clearer mind or just detaching from a device for an hour…I find people are looking for tools they can use and ways they can lead a more vibrant, active, mindful life. Whatever role we can play in that as teachers and instructors is a privilege.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Look, I am a city kid at heart, but growing up I always spent summers with my grandparents in the Maine woods. I love the sunshine and I love the outdoors. The best part about LA to me is that we truly have it all: the city, the beach, there are amazing museums and hiking trails that are easily accessible where I can bring my dogs! Within a couple of hours, you can be in the desert or find snow capped mountains. Not to mention professional sports franchises – I am a huge sports fan. There are plenty of things I miss about NY, but it’s hard to beat the spectrum of what you can find mostly year-round in LA.

My least favorite thing would have to be the traffic – although that’s been a silver lining of 2020.

Contact Info:

• Website: Katewillsonwellness.com
• Email: katewillsonwellness@gmail.com
• Instagram: @katewillson
• Facebook: Katewillson
• Twitter: @katew

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