Developing a passion for something and then creating a lucrative career of it is no mean feat.
First, you’ve got to find something that gets you up in the morning.
Maybe it’s baking, or fashion, or cars, or knitting, or Photobooth-filming yourself dancing in your bedroom to John Farnham.
Whatever it is, once you’ve nailed down this thing that drives you, elevating it from weekend hobby to full-time gig is an achievement few master in their lifetime.
One person who has done this and come out the other side absolutely punching is Kate Kendall, co-founder and director of yoga at Flow Athletic.
Flow Athletic is something of a Sydney institution. It’s a fitness studio in Sydney‘s Paddington that prides itself in its ability to harness the power of three – dedicating yourself to yoga, cardio and strength, equally. With 18 teachers on the books, a beautiful studio space and a solid Instagram following on both her personal and business accounts, Kendall is killing it.
She was kind enough carve out some busy time in her stretchy-yogi schedule to get on the phone to PEDESTRIAN.TV to talk us through starting a career in fitness, taking care of her mental health and expanding a biz like a boss.
P.TV: Talk me through your career leading up to starting Flow Athletic.
So I’m a yoga teacher now, but before that I was in advertising. I was an account manager at a digital agency in Sydney. I had the best team, I learnt so much working on cool brands, but there was always a voice inside of me. I would be sitting in meetings and I would think, “It doesn’t feel real.” It lacked a bit of authenticity for me. I got into yoga around that time, and when I got into it I wasn’t in a great headspace.
I’d been on antidepressants, and I thought “I’m going to live on these now, this is how I will cope.” I got into yoga initially at this stage for vanity, as it gives you longer, leaner, toned muscles.
I walked into the studio and there was incense burning and deities, and I thought, “I don’t belong here.” I fumbled my way through the first class, and then while I was walking home I stopped in my tracks because for the first time in seven years I had these overwhelming emotions I had been numbed to since being depressed. I thought, “wow, the wonders of yoga!”
I kept going back and within a month I was off antidepressants.
I was so enthused by yoga, I researched what yogis eat; I got my head and my heart right into it.
One of my yoga teachers eventually said “you know, you’d make a really great teacher one day.”
That day changed everything.
I went to India, I studied there and started freelance teaching yoga in Sydney. A guy called Ben Lucas would come to my classes, and asked for some private lessons. We formed a great friendship, he would give me personal training lessons, too.
Meanwhile, my yoga classes were getting really packed and I was building a following.
I went on a trip to Canada and was thrown all these tools for being an entrepreneur. I came back very inspired. I then did a trip to LA and New York and researched studios over there and got some really cool ideas.
No one in Australia was doing yoga and fitness together and maintaining the magic of it.
Kendall eventually joined forces with Lucas and Flow Athletic was born. The rest is history, and four years later, the business is going stronger than ever, with the pair getting “a lot of interest” from investors and eager franchisees.
How did you start Flow Athletic, logistically speaking? What were the early days like?
I’m so grateful I started this with someone else. [Lucas] has always been the one to tell me I can do anything and that I’m ready – he’s incredible. So I love working with him, but there were times in the first year of business where we were working so much, I was getting up at 4am and getting home at 10pm. I was adrenaline fatigued, dying inside, and at some points I wanted to walk away because it was so hard.
When this would happen, he would talk to me and say, “KK, what’s going on?! You’re not 100% in this right now, you’re not being a good leader to the team.”
Honesty is so important when you’re working with someone else and you must keep up constant communication otherwise relationships deteriorate.
What does an average day for you look like now?
I always move in the morning. It wakes my body up. I like a 30 minute run followed by 30 minutes of yoga. I also meditate first thing and then again at 3pm. Meditation is key – the times when you think you can’t benefit cause you’re so busy; that’s when you need it most.
Mornings are spent catching up on e-mails, meetings and writing. I do a lot of writing for various online publications. I was doing that way before, I’ve always loved writing and creating content.
Then, I’ll teach classes. Evenings and Saturday mornings, mostly. If I’m teaching at night, I’ll give myself a break between 4pm – 6pm to have a swim or meditate. Then I get back into it.
What are your thoughts on being a leader in the fitness industry?
Leading a team has been a different experience for me. I don’t feel like I am leading – but you redefine what that means. How do you define a leader, anyway? What I’ve come to conclude is that you’re a leader just by being yourself unashamedly.
When I started to accept myself more, that’s when I started inspiring others. That’s what a leader does.
The leader isn’t the one who thinks they know more. My [yoga] teachers [at Flow Athletic] know more than me, they’re the ones going and getting more training and being inspired.
What would be your best piece of advice to someone wanting to create a lasting and lucrative business?
Get really clear on your values. Keep going back to them. Our mission statement is “inspiring healthy and remarkable lives” – how do we do that? We provide great classes and experiences. At the moment, everyone is craving ecstatic experiences.
[For example], we do Flow After Dark – it’s a yoga silent disco. That started in our Paddington studio and grew and grew and grew. People really love those experiences. I think they’re also craving experiences that don’t include going out and getting wasted or going on a retreat or a holiday. People are thinking, “how else can we create these experiences on the weekend or a week day?”
Finding something people are seeking and make it fun, and half the battle is won, it would seem.
At the end of the day, Kendall thinks running a business should be fun, above all else. “If you’re in business, look at Richard Branson,” she says. “He’s having fun.”
Photo: @activeyogi / Instagram.
