Fitness Icon, Author & Founder of YAS Hybrid Fitness Now Inspiring Women Business Owners & Wellness Visionaries
Kimberly Fowler called the "Godmother of Yoga Hybrids" by Shape and Self Magazines.
MARINA DEL REY, Calif., Feb. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- What does the creator of the hybrid fitness movement do after she transformed an industry and built a community of enthusiasts? A year after ending the hands-on, business owner chapter of her career, Kimberly Fowler -- the founder of YAS (Yoga & Spinning), author of two iconic yoga books and creator of Nike's Yoga for Athletes™ program – is busy guiding other would-be wellness visionaries to make their business dreams come true.
Fowler spends most of her week consulting for Integrity Square, a private equity firm that advises start-ups, entrepreneurs, executives and capital providers in the health, active lifestyle and outdoor sectors. Called the "Godmother of Yoga Hybrids" by Shape and Self Magazines, Fowler is popular as a speaker at industry events, but her passion is for women in business workshops. Noting that Boomer Women lead the way in starting new businesses, her goal is to help share lessons she has learned along the way -- via Workplace Wellness Training, Business Coaching for female-owned wellness companies and Public Speaking.
After beating a brain cancer diagnosis in her senior year of law school, Fowler showed her determination and grit by training to be a triathlete. Then for nearly two decades she practiced law and later served as COO of a vitamin company with revenues of $200 million a year. Facing her own mid-life questions at 40 and frustrated at the inconvenience of traveling to different places to take both spinning and yoga, the tall, slim blonde founded YAS in 2001 and in short order built a community of cult-like devotees.
Attend an industry event with her and it's not uncommon to hear younger women stop her and say, "You were the reason I started my company." In fact, the founders of the fitness phenom, Soul Cycle, were members of Fowler's original YAS gym on Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA.
"I wanted YAS to be the Cheers of workouts," says Fowler, a native of New Jersey. "The goal was for everybody to bring friends, meet friends and hang out, and it really became that." She explains that she took a hospitality industry approach to fitness and made sure that there was never an air of pretentiousness at her gyms, but instead the Front Desk staff was trained to be "Creators of First Impressions" and to make everyone, especially first timers, feel comfortable and welcome.
She admits that she had major push back from both spin instructors and yogis at first because she developed a "no-chanting, no-Sanskrit, no-granola" version of the practice that combined elements of Iyengar, Ashtanga and Power yoga, but the results spoke for themselves. Her hybrid fitness offering -- that doubled as a healthy community gathering place -- attracted the city's professional A+ personality types like a magnet.
Her first book, The No Om Zone, was published in 2010, next she starred in her own DVD called Kimberly Fowler's Yoga + Weights and in 2013 she wrote and starred in a book & DVD set for Prevention Magazine's wildly popular Flat Belly series.
In this day of corporate wellness, it's easy to overlook the fact that fitness trends typically began with an individual who took a chance – like Jane Fonda with fitness videos, Johnny G with Spinning and Kimberly Fowler with YAS. In fact, before her boutique fitness studio expanded to four locations, Nike reached out to Fowler to design their Yoga for Athletes™ program and for the next five years she was their official Yoga Athlete . She was also the face of Chase Ink® for their Small Business Campaign; and she even did a campaign for Got Milk™.
Fowler's quiet but strong demeanor is best understood by the wisdom she shares on a range of topics:
- On Hybrid Fitness: "You need cardio from an activity like spinning, you need stretching and strength training which yoga does. Yoga helps you reach the meditative state. You can fling around weights on a bike, but that doesn't really get you your flexibility or the long, lean muscle tone. And, one-note, hard core fitness measures typically catch up with a body as it ages."
- On Never Giving Up: She was diagnosed with a brain tumor 25 years ago. She was hit by a car while competing in a triathlon. And she almost died after falling during a climbing expedition. What helped her survive these unbelievable challenges? Kimberly says yoga and keeping fit.
- Mental Wellness: "It's one of the most discussed topics in wellness roundtables today" Fowler admits. "But people need to remember that exercise helps fight depression, so make time to keep moving!"
- Yoga Today: Fowler attends a wide range of classes but is concerned that often Millennials are being taught yoga that moves so fast, they don't get the benefit of the poses. "You might as well go out and run," she says.
- Marketing to Boomers: "They just do not think they're as old as they are," she says. "If you market to them with terms like 'Silver Sneaker Discounts,' they won't buy your service because it sounds old and a little embarrassing to them."
- Giving Back: "For entrepreneurs, I think it's important to give back in some way. There's always a way," she says. "I've raised millions of dollars for different organizations since I started, through YAS-a-thons and while serving on the board of ThinkCure. As a cancer survivor, that cause is particularly close to my heart."
To book Kimberly Fowler for a speaking engagement or workshop, please email: [email protected]
SOURCE Kimberly Fowler
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