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Meet Kayla Allen of Pure Barre Brentwood and Pure Barre Santa Monica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Allen.

Kayla, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I didn’t plan on owning my own business but I’m so glad that’s where my path led me. When I was in my 20’s I decided to do my CPA after getting my undergrad in Economics. Having a CPA seemed to provide the most flexibility in business and offered the ability to travel. Everything about my training to be a CPA has served me well in owning my own business!

(new para) I’ve been with my husband for 16 years. We both grew up in Canada and wanted to spend one year living in Santa Monica – but we loved it so much we stayed. We’ve been here for over ten years now. We love living in LA! I first tried Pure Barre when I couldn’t run anymore. I was introduced to running in College and ran 10k’s, half marathons and marathons many times. When I moved to LA as a runner, running in Santa Monica was absolute heaven! I joined the LA Triathlon Club to meet like-minded people and spent my mornings and weekends swimming in the ocean, biking through the Malibu canyons, and running along the beaches. I loved it! But after I had my son in 2011, I didn’t have the same amount of time to commit to triathlons and I was injured from many years of running.

And that serendipitously led to me walking into Pure Barre Brentwood in January 2012. Within a year of trying my first Pure Barre class I had opened my first studio, and 11 months after that I owned three and had two children under two years old! It was an exciting and challenging time, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was so much fun having the flexibility to be with my young family, running these studios, and doing what I love. I have since sold one studio and own Pure Barre Brentwood and Pure Barre Santa Monica. My kids are in school now so I try my best to get as much work done while they’re in school so I can be there to pick them up, do homework, go to baseball, soccer and ballet, and cook meals for them. And they go to bed early so my husband and I can spend some time together too!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes, absolutely there have been struggles! But every challenge has taught me such resilience and I’m a stronger person because of it. Each day brings a new challenge in life and in business… in everything! It would be a dull life if there were no problems to solve. Owning my own business has taught me to solve problems with joy instead of stress because every day brings a new one! So better to enjoy the process than stress about it! Most importantly, I have learned that I need to surround myself with good people who believe in me and trust me, just like I believe in them and trust them. Everyone has different strengths, and my best lesson has been to surround myself with a team of opposite strengths but like minds and that together we overcome the challenges. I LOVE my team and adore that they are so dedicated to the studios and our amazing clients. My team is everything to me and is the reason I’m still doing this.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Pure Barre Brentwood and Pure Barre Santa Monica – what should we know?
Pure Barre is the largest, most established barre franchise in the nation with more than 500 studios and has exploded in popularity because IT WORKS! And it’s more than just a workout! Beyond being a workout that changes your body, it heals your soul too. That’s what sets us apart. At Pure Barre women share a sense of community and inspire and empower one another. I love to see friendships form and women supporting women at my studios. I have been looking for a supportive community like Pure Barre my entire life and I’m so proud to provide it to the men and women of LA. Pure Barre is a 50-minute workout that uses resistance bands and light weights with your body’s natural resistance to create long lean muscles. It is 50 minutes of body and soul, designed to make you stronger physically and mentally.

Pure Barre has 3 class formats to choose from, making any fitness goal possible: – Pure Barre Classic: Our classic barre class. Driven by music and fueled by small moments. – Pure Reform: We have revolutionized the Reformer and created a Reform class at the barre with sliders and resistance bands. Driven by music, this class takes your pilates workout to the barre! – Pure Empower: Our answer to cardio! Low impact, higher intensity, a bit more sweaty, and lots of fun! Driven by music and utilizes wrist and ankle weights and a platform to get your heart rate up. Come sweat! And it’s not just a workout! The studios are friendly with a high-energy atmosphere – it’s fun to workout at Pure Barre and it’s amazing to watch your body change!

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
There have been so many lessons along the way. I have learned so much about people and myself and what it means to have a strong team that is dedicated. I have learned that I am capable of so much more than I ever imagined and that my team is the heart and soul of the business, I have learned so much from owning Pure Barre through many challenges and lessons learned, but I wouldn’t change anything. Every lesson is valuable down the road! I’m proud of my path and I’m grateful I found my way to owning two Pure Barre studios in my favorite city!

Pricing:

  • First Foundations Class is Free for local residents
  • Unlimited Membership for as low as $169/month
  • Membership for as low as $79/month

Contact Info:


Image Credit:

Marlin Olynyk

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2 Comments

  1. Donna Switzer

    September 5, 2019 at 16:46

    What a great story – I love to hear about strong women following their path! Beautiful images.

    • Donna Switzer

      September 5, 2019 at 16:47

      Loved this story of a woman who loves what she is doing and making space for her family as well!

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