Meet Ella Leupold of Class Studios in West Village / Preston Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ella Leupold.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Ella. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been obsessed with movement. I was born and raised in Nebraska and spent most of my childhood and adolescence in the dance studio. I danced competitively for 12 years and always had dreams of opening up a dance studio of my own. As the dream of dancing professionally in LA grew distant, I attended college in Nebraska and fell in love with the industry of Advertising. I loved the psychology of the business and figuring out what made certain audiences drawn to certain brands. Because of my love for advertising and my craving to experience life outside of Nebraska, I found myself in Dallas just two weeks after graduation.

I worked in Account Services at Moroch (an advertising agency in Dallas) for two years. Soon after starting at the agency, one of my co-workers took to me a spin class at Zyn22 on a Saturday morning. It was truly love at first class. I immediately found myself drawn to the artistry of teaching and knew in my bones that I would one day be up the podium. It felt euphoric to be moving to the beat of the music and took me back to all my years of dancing.

Fast forward, my gaze was set on teaching and I was now waiting on the right studio to call home. I was regularly taking Paige Martindell’s Tuesday 5:30AM cycle class and after one of her classes, she told me that her and Jasmine Zutter were going to be opening a cycling + training studio, Class Studios.

The training was long and challenging but beyond worth it. In January 2018, I officially left my stable job to leap into the unknown. After spending months trying to “find my voice,” I eventually auditioned with Session Pilates and taught there for about six months. If you ever have a chance to train with Brittany Grignon, please take it! Teaching for her was the most incredible experience, but unfortunately I had to step away from Session due to a tough battle with vocal nodes.

Today, I teach full-time at Class Studios teaching both Cycle45 and Sculpt45 formats. I have recently finished a 200-hour meditation teaching training with Chelsey Charbeneau and am going to be teaching meditation throughout the city. My life truly feels like a dream come true every single day.

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?
My biggest struggle has been my relationship with my vocal cords. When I started teaching at Session Pilates, I went from teaching six cycle class per week to teaching 14 classes total per week. The idea of “vocal hygiene” is something that is vastly under educated in this industry. When I was at the peak of my vocal nodes flare-up, I would wake up and have absolutely zero volume in my voice. Having to cancel social plans, sub out classes and take long periods of silence definitely took a toll on my emotional well-being. It made it almost impossible to ever talk on the phone, which was very hard on my family as phone calls and FaceTimes are how we keep in touch. I am now passionate about sharing any knowledge and education I have obtained through my vocal cord journey with any fitness instructor because we don’t recognize how important our voice is until it’s gone. Especially in the fitness industry, our voice is our most crucial tool we have in our tool belt.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Class Studios – what should we know?
I believe what separates our Cycle and Sculpt classes from most workout classes is the consistent awareness of the mind-body connection. We constantly remind everyone that these classes are much more than a physical workout. We are striving to create a space for you to check in with yourself. We are consciously holding space for you to open a dialogue between you and you and ask, “what’s working and what needs to change?” I believe that we have all the answers that we need inside of us and when we feel disconnected, it’s an opportunity to simply come back and reconnect. There is something so special about the energy within the walls of Class Studios and it is something that truly needs to be felt rather than spoken of. I leave every class feeling “high on life” and beaming with gratitude for the incredible humans that I have the opportunity to exchange energy with.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Someone once told me that the way I live so authentically in my truth that it gives others permission to do the same and it really stuck with me. I have always been 100% myself, knowing that I’m not going to be for everyone and that’s ok. We sometimes try so hard to appeal to everyone that we end up just being this diluted version of ourselves. Every single day I actively give myself permission to change, to evolve and to grow. I feel grounded in my physical and emotional body and constantly trust that what I’m doing is enough. I hope to inspire others to embark on their own journey of self-discovery and healing because once you get to the root of your existence and begin to love that version of yourself wholeheartedly, life truly begins.

Pricing:

• Class Studios Intro Class – $14

Contact Info:

• Address: Class Studios Preston Center (Sculpt) – 6116 Luther Ln
  Class Studios West Village (Cycle) – 2801 N Central Expwy
• Website: class-studios.com
• Email: ellaleupold@gmail.com
• Instagram: @ellaleupold

Image Credit:
@paigeforrest

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