Today we’d like to introduce you to Lori Lesniewski.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Lori. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in Shreveport, LA and moved to Big D over 16 years ago with my medical sales job. I’m one of 6 kids and while most of them have kids of their own, the studio is my only baby.
I’m definitely not the stereotypical studio owner that was a fitness fanatic throughout life and followed their dream to own their own studio. My story is more one of perseverance and passion. I actually was introduced to barre in NOLA when I moved down there to get married. I immediately fell in love with it, but it didn’t come easy. Right before I moved to NOLA, I found out I have Rheumatoid Arthritis which causes inflammation and pain, especially in the hands and feet. Barre classes exacerbated the pain because so much of the classes are on your toes. Even though my doctor told me to give up barre, I wouldn’t and pushed through it. But that wasn’t the only pain I dealt with in NOLA. My fiance called off our wedding two weeks after invitations went out to pursue his career in DC. Hurt, humiliated and feeling like the biggest failure in my life I packed up after only nine months and got back to Dallas as fast as I could.
The Barre Code (actually Barre Bee Fit at the time) had just opened nearby and had a Groupon that I bought. I saw the biggest physical transformation in my body that I had ever seen. But the biggest change was on the inside. For the first time in my life, I felt so comfortable in my own body which is what made me want to be more than just a member. I wanted to help other women feel exactly how I felt especially after such a low in my life.
Five years later, despite the need to modify more and more of my classes because of my RA, I’m still just as passionate about it, if not more. I still crave our classes, they still kick my butt and I am motivated and inspired daily by our awesome instructors and clients.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest challenge for me has been work-life balance. While this is so difficult to do especially when I first bought the studio I’ve had to make this one of my main goals in life. It’s still a daily struggle but it is so important that everyone take time to reset. I always come back more energetic, clear-headed and ultimately more productive. It’s tough juggling my day job and the studio so I’ve definitely had to learn the art of delegation. A lot of people thought I was crazy at first for buying the studio with my already busy schedule but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. The studio is still my happy place!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into The Barre Code – Design District story. Tell us more about the business.
The Barre Code is a boutique fitness studio offering a comprehensive wellness program focused on cardio, strength, restoration, and empowerment. We are not your ordinary barre studio which usually offers only traditional barre classes; at The Barre Code, we offer a variety of class formats including Bootcamp, Interval training, BarRestore, and our most popular Brawl kickboxing. Outside of our Design District studio we are also very involved in our local communities and can be found putting on fun classes/events all over town like Klyde Warren Park, The Adolphus Hotel, WFAA Victory Park and many more.
I am most proud of the community of strong supportive and caring women we’ve fostered at The Barre Code – Design District. Our clients see drastic changes not only in their bodies but more importantly their minds with new found confidence from exceeding their own expectations. I love the confidence that we’ve seen grow in our clients over time; there is nothing more rewarding than giving a woman confidence which does not come easy. Seeing the lives of so many women change in our little studio over the years has been such a blessing.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
Oprah Winfrey is my main source of inspiration. We both came from low-income families and had to start working early to escape our less than ideal upbringings. As a result, we both share a strong work ethic and have made our own success and way of life.
Pricing:
- New Client Unlimited Month $89
Contact Info:
- Address: 1430 Dragon St #25
Dallas, TX 75207 - Website: https://www.thebarrecode.com/studio/dallas-design-district/
- Phone: (972) 803-5144
- Email: designdistrict@thebarrecode.com
- Instagram: barrecode_dd
- Facebook: TheBarreCodeDallasDesignDistrict
- Twitter: barrecode_dd
Image Credit:
The Barre Code, The Barre Code Dallas Design District
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
