the bossbabe podcast - She Built a Million-Dollar Business and Called It a Pretty Prison (the Truth About Revenue, Grief, and Starting Over)

Episode Date: June 23, 2026

This is the conversation about the part most founders don't say out loud: the moment you hit the revenue number and feel nothing. Natalie sits down with Jenna Wright — a Pilates studio owner who built a 7-figure business from $1,000 and an air mattress. From the outside, she'd made it. From the inside, she was running at 9% profit, paying herself $80K a year, and calling it — in her own words — a pretty prison. So she did what most founders won't: she dismantled it on purpose. They go inside the math (she was running $1.2M at 9% profit, paying herself $80K/year), the team mutiny that finally broke the model, and the deliberate revenue cut from $1.2M to $650K that tripled her margin to 30%. If you've ever hit the revenue numbers and felt nothing, this episode is the operating system for what comes next. Time Stamps: 07:40 "Tired at a soul level" — the burnout most founders hide 10:00 $1,000 and an air mattress: the rebuild from zero 14:05 $250K to $875K in one year (and the cost it hid) 19:10 The misery beneath success 25:15 The team mutiny that broke the business model 28:33 The math: cutting 4 studios to 2, profit triples 31:50 "Your business will expose every wound you have" 33:00 The 7-day retreat that reorganized everything  40:05 The lessons Jenna is rewriting today Resources + Links: Pre-Order The Freedom-Based Business Method. Follow Jenna: @iam_jennawright Learn more about Jenna's Teacher Training Follow Jenna Wright + Read Her Substack "The Shift" Where She Documents The Scale-Down Publicly Sign Up For Our Free Weekly Newsletter & Get Insights From Natalie Every Single Week On All Things Strategy, Motherhood, Business Growth + More.  Drop Us A Review On The Podcast + Send Us A Screenshot & We’ll Send You Natalie’s 7-Figure Operating System Completely FREE (value $1,997).

Welcome back to the Boss Bay podcast. Now, most founders won't admit this out loud, but if you've been building for a few years, you've probably already felt it. The moment that you hit a revenue number, you've been chasing and feel nothing. No relief, no exhale, just the next number. And then the question underneath it, what did I actually build and why? This episode is for that founder. I have been in this seat. I've talked about it quite a few times before, but when I came back to Boss Babe after my first baby, my business looked very successful from the outside. But on the inside, I knew the math wasn't matching what was actually working. So I made the cuts that most founders really don't want to make. And it cost us in the short term. And it took time to see the long term value show up. And now the team is tighter. The margin is healthier.

And for the first time in a long time, I have been compounding a P&L that I really understand and that continues to work for us. And the reason I'm telling you that is because every founder I respect has a version of this story and almost none of them tell it publicly until they're on the other side of it. My guest today is in the middle of doing it and she's letting us in on the math while it's still in progress. I met Jenna Wright through the CEO Mama mastermind that I host and she is really one of those powerhouse entrepreneurs that has so much experience in so many areas and she's actively in a pivot and is walking us through what that looks like and how she's really thinking through it. So Jenna built a Pilates business from $1,000 and an air mattress to four

studios and $1.2 million a year in revenue. But every external marker was telling a story that she might have made it, yet internally that was not the truth. So from the inside, she was running her business at 9% profit, paying herself $80,000 a year and calling it, in her own words, a pretty prison. It's like in the previous episode, if you haven't listened to it, we talk about the gilded cage. This is exactly that. This is the exact outcome of building a cage like that. So she did what most founders won't. She cut. She went from four. four studios down to two. She then cut her payroll in half. She took her revenue from $1.2 million down to $650,000 on purpose and her margin tripled. There are three moments in this conversation that I want

you to listen for. The first is the math. So Jenna runs the numbers on her own business out loud. And I'm going to guess that things will land differently for you when you do it on yours. I'm really curious if you're actively doing this math all the time to see if things are making sense. The second is one line she drops. A business will expose every single wound you have. So if you've been hustling harder, hoping that the next quarter or win or launch will fix something that the last six months didn't, that line is for you. And then the third is what she calls the top of her game, an absolutely miserable admission. most of us recognize ourselves in it and I think most people aren't honest about it.

And so if you've ever hit the revenue numbers and felt nothing or hit the revenue numbers, yet your bank account certainly did not reflect that reality, this conversation is the one I'd hand you. I respect Jenna so much. She is an incredible entrepreneur and it's amazing to see her now talking about what it looks like to be an overachiever and be able to regulate your nervous system from that place. She's a powerhouse and I just know you're going to love this conversation. Oh, and as we're diving in, I just want to remind you, my book is out. And if you haven't grabbed a

copy, I really, really encourage you to. It's incredibly tactical and practical and practical. And we are already getting the most incredible reviews from women who are implementing the stuff they're reading immediately. It's called the Freedom-Based Business Method. It is available to buy anywhere that you buy books. And I will also link it below. Please grab a copy. and then buy another one for a friend. All right. Let's dive in. Chandler.

Hi. This podcast is so overdue. I've been so dying to have you on. Thank you for being here. Thanks for inviting me. I remember the exact moment that I heard your story. We were sitting in the CEO, Mama, room. And that was our first time meeting.

And you opened up and shared your story. And I think every single woman, we were all in tears and just in absolute all of you as a business woman. And I think that entire retreat, we were like just wanting to ask. you every like you are just a phenomenal businesswoman but a phenomenal person I feel so honored to know you and to just see your journey the past few years has been incredible and I want to get into all of it but before we can talk about that I think the context is really important so tell me a bit about your childhood yeah it's funny that you say you were you know everyone was inspired by me because I walked into that room being like I don't think I belong

here like these women have built multi-million dollar digital businesses and I'm like, you know, I have my little brick and mortars and I'm in this little town. And I really felt like there's so much to learn from all of you. And it ended up a lot of people being asking me a lot of questions. And so it kind of flipped that switch for me. And so I was an adopted child. I spent the first year of my life in foster care. And I was adopted at a year old to a wonderful family.

Like I have great parents. But I obviously am a mixed girl. And I was adopted to white parents in a very white town. So I always had, you know, this sense that I didn't belong, right? This sense of where do I fit in? What, you know, am I? I was, you know, too white for, or two, you know, too black for white girls and two white for black girls. And so I was always kind of in this in between.

And I think most of my life people, the first question, what are you mixed with? What are you? And I'm like, what are you? I'm just a human. You know, and I don't think it was meant in a negative way, but it was something that kind of always stuck with me, like, what are you? What are you? What are you? And so that was always my question. And growing up, like I said, no one had ever said to me, I don't remember at any point in my life, you're not worthy or if you don't act a certain way, you'll be abandoned. But I think adopted children, and I don't think anybody else in the world can understand this unless you have been adopted out, that that's just something inherently in your soul. is like, you don't understand, you know, you look at your daughter. I mean, could you ever imagine handing her off to somebody? Or I look at my daughter who I'm just like absolutely obsessed with.

And I could never imagine saying, I don't want you. And so that was always a huge question in my mind, like, why? And so I learned at a very young age that the only way for people to, that I felt that I would be kept is if I performed, if I was really impressive. if I was number one at every single thing that I did, if I was always needed to the point where nobody had to do anything and I would do it for them and then they needed me so they couldn't leave me. And so I realized as I got older, right,

that I had built that in all of my relationships, in my business, in my friendships. And so there came a time where I was like, I'm just exhausted from the inside out. Like people say, oh, I'm tired. And I was like, I'm tired. at a soul level. And I said, you know, something has to change.

And so I went through different therapies and started to figure out where that, that deep hustle came from. It served me very well when I was younger. But as I got older, it was something that was really hindering to me and my business in my life. It's such a common thread to that piece around overperforming and the hustle part of us. where it has served us so well that we can't look at it in any other way, except thank you.

You know, it came from maybe not the best place, but it served us so well, but then at a certain point, you just know that that's not going to take you further. And I think it's very different for women and men too, because I think for men, that can take them their entire life without burning out. Whereas as women,

the truth of the matter is when we try and work like men or run off systems like men, it's fundamentally very, very different. So talk to me about how you ended up getting into entrepreneurship. What was your situation at the time? Yeah. So I always say I didn't build the business at all. It was an accident because I had two choices.

I was either going to kick the door open and make it or I was going to be sleeping in my car with my three-year-old. So that wasn't, okay, I'm going to build this business and I'm going to make millions and I'm going to figure out this structure. It was like do or die, essentially. I became a single mom when Stella was three. I had left her biological father. He had some addiction issues, and we just, I couldn't have Stella in that situation. I knew I needed something better for her. So we left, and at the time, I was doing a bunch of private sessions.

So I was going to the wealthiest women in Miami to their homes and giving them private yoga, private Pilates classes. And I had a massive roster of, you know, billionaire women. And I was doing that from when I would drop Stella off till when I would pick her up. And then my evening was free. But it depended on me being there physically every single day for hours at a time. And doing a private session of fitness, I know that sounds funny, but it's almost like a therapy session. Oh, really takes it out of you. I now have applications for people who I work with privately because I'm like,

I cannot have someone who's going to suck my energy out. Like I have to have someone who I like or isn't going to like beat me emotionally. So I was running all over Miami. I was going, you know, to all of these women. And they were paying me well, but, you know, they vacationed a lot. They canceled a lot. They had, oh, I have a gala tonight. My husband wants to whisk me off to the Bahamas this weekend.

And so the money wasn't consistent. And so I was only able to work. a certain amount of hours during the day. And so the money just, it wasn't nothing, right? At the end of the month, it was almost nothing left after I paid rent and food and car insurance and all of the things that you have to pay to live and health insurance. All of that was on me. Tell me a bit more about that situation because there was a time you're on an air mattress

with your baby. Like, just tell me a little bit more about the picture because I think it's easy to see you as who you are now. But I want to hear that because there's probably women listening who maybe, are in those situations or have been in those situations and almost doubt, like, will I ever get out of this? Yeah. So the feeling every single day was a nervous system that was on fire. I was shaking every single day. I remember the first thing I would do and I would open my eyes was look at my bank account and pray to God it wasn't in the negative. And so education for Stella has always been a

really important thing for me. And so I rented the most expensive apartment. I'm sorry, the least expensive apartment in the most expensive neighborhood because the school that I could send her to that was public and was free was the best in all of Miami. And so because I was spending all of the money on housing, I didn't have money for furniture. And so we had literally an air mattress and nothing else in the entire apartment besides the air mattress, no TV, nothing because I was barely able to afford the rent. And so, you know, I was going all over Miami and just keeping the lights on essentially. And someone said to me, have you ever thought of opening a studio? I really feel like these women, if you opened a really beautiful space in a neighborhood that was convenient for them, that they would all just come there, you'd be able to lead classes, two or three a day and make more money because you'd be able to service more people.

And you wouldn't have to be running all over Miami. You'd be able to stay in one place. You could probably do more classes. And Stella went to school in that neighborhood. And I was like, well, I can't afford the rent. I have $1,000. literally $1,000 to my name that I might have to use next month for rent and have $0. And so they said, okay, well, just, you know, just ask around and see what you can do.

And so I prayed about it. I journaled about it. I meditated on it. I would walk the street and visualize, okay, I'm going to have a studio here. I'm going to have a studio here. And lo and behold, someone approached me and said, we're building a hotel. We don't have room for a gym. would you be interested in renting the space in front of the hotel and leading the yoga classes?

Because one of the women had requested me when they were staying at the hotel. And so I was like, what? So they showed me the space. It was beautiful. And they told me, you know, $10,000 for the first and last. And then you'll have to do a buildup. And I was like, I have $1,000. So I was honest.

And I said, I don't have the money to do that. I would love to do this. I think I'm the person to do it. I've already amassed the exact client that you guys are looking for. And I know that they would come here. And I know that they would probably pop over for lunch at your hotel and grab drinks or whatnot. And we could run, you know, very high, high level events together. And so I convinced them.

And I didn't pay for us last. And they paid for the buildout. Wow. Yeah. So that is how my first business started. But I was a hot mess still. I mean, I was scrubbing the toilets while answering payroll emails while trying to get Stella, you know, to bed at a decent time. And so that was really hard.

I still had no idea what I was doing at all. And how did it build from that point? A relentless hustle and vision that I would not let go of. I, you know, people, people say it as a cliche, I do everything for my child, like everything I built for them. But that was true. I was like, she, we are not ever going to be in a situation again, ever, ever, ever, will we be here again? Or will she be here again?

And so I was just fully committed to that. And I just figured it out. I'd Google it. I'd, you know, ask a friend if I could take them to coffee and just, hey, can you peek at this? Or do you think this works? And I will say I'm really good at building a community and being, I'm a very open. in person. And so I think a lot of people feel safe with me. And so it was easy for me to build the clientele. And I talked about it to everybody. And I tried to be everywhere. And the women who I had

served were helping me out. And I'd say, hey, can you just recommend a friend or bring a friend with you? And so it built slowly from there. But I had no systems in place. I mean, I was like running my books through like an Excel spreadsheet. $5.99. I sold today. Sold one stage stick today for a dollar. you know, it was a mess. And I was just trying, you know, trying to survive. So fast forward, say three years from that first studio opening, where are you? So three years from there, I met my husband and we moved to Chattanooga. And I'm working a corporate job still in fitness. And I was the director of talent for a virtual cycle studio. And so I'm like, okay, I'm in a corporate job. I'm in a very comfortable six.

figure salary, close my laptop at five, I'm good. And so I, oh, so the studio is closed because of COVID. Yeah. In Miami. And so I'm like, I'm good. I'm, I'm happy. I was miserable, obviously. Yeah. One's an entrepreneur. Always an entrepreneur. Yeah. But it's stable. It's a paycheck. Yeah. You're probably not in the survival mode as much as you're not enjoying it. It's not survival. Exactly. Exactly. And so I was practicing yoga at a local yoga studio. And, the manager, I don't know, I guess they can smell us from a mile away. Because she was like, hey, can you help me with something really great? And I'm like, yes, sure. And so, you know, I started helping her because I had had the same system that they had

and she was thrown into the position. And so, and then the owner was like, hey, so I want to do some retail. Do you have any ideas on retail? And I'm like, yeah, I can help you? And then they're like, hey, can you help us with the Instagram? Like, you know, you seem like you're pretty good at Instagram. Could you help? And I'm like, okay, so I'll help you. So then she just looked at me one day. She's like, do you want to buy this? And I was like, no, I don't. I absolutely do not want to buy this. I do not want to buy this. I'm happy to help you, but I'm not going to do it. And so I went home that night. And Ryan, my husband, I was like, can you believe it? This girl asked me if I wanted to buy her studio. And he's like, well, you're going to do it, right? And I was like, I'm not going to do it. He's like,

you're going to do it. And I was like, yeah, I'm going to do it. So the next day I called her and we made a deal. And within like two weeks, I owned the studio. So how did that work? So you had a comfortable six-figure style. Are you helping with a studio? No. No. You're working for corporate, but then consulting with the studio? I was working for corporate and consulting with the studio.

Yeah, they weren't really paying me or anything. They were just like, hey, can you help me? I was teaching yoga in the morning before, like at the 7am class, and then I, you know, log into work at 9. So, but yeah, I quit at the corporate job after I, after I bought the studio and, you know, just threw myself in. When we took the studio over there at about $250,000 a year in revenue. and within the first year we took it to 875,000 in revenue within one year of jumping into the business.

And then talk about the snowball that happened after that because you really then started building up this business portfolio. Yeah. So that exploded. And so there wasn't Pilates in Chattanooga. There was. But they were like little private studios. There weren't really any group classes. And I had helped manage open and run a bunch of like megaformments.

style studios in Miami and I was like no we need this here and so I was the first to implement that style of Pilates and the hot mat Pilates style in the city and so I opened a second studio and I mean it just blew up it was like wildfire right it was you know we'd have 60 70 people in a class at a time I mean the studios were just they were booming and I was like at the top of my game I had all of the best fitness instructors I was training them from the round up I'd be like that client it has killer you want me to train you and I'd train her and she'd be like teaching within, you know, two to three months. And so I was, I was on fire and I was on every pot, every local podcast, every local magazine. I was, I was doing so much. And the entire time, I was absolutely miserable.

Tell me about what I was like, what am I doing? This is not what I want. You know, everyone was celebrating a million dollars in revenue and I was like, this is a nightmare. This is my absolute hell. Like I want to be at home with my family. I want to be able to travel. I was still very hands on. Again, it all comes back to that wound. I had to do everything.

Everyone needed to go through me. I needed to approve everything. I needed to be the one to rescue the instructor who was sick or had a family issue. Don't worry. I got it. I'll jump in. I'll teach the class. Oh, you want more training for free.

I'll give you more training for free. Oh, you want to be a teacher? I got you. Like, you want to raise. sure, here's more money. And I was so afraid of everything collapsing that I gave everything of myself. And we were making a million dollars in revenue and we were keeping 9% of profit. So it's like this dynamic you talked about from the beginning, which I think so many women can relate to that over responsibility, that hyper independence. You just replayed the dynamic in every situation. Right. And everyone is like, you're such a badass. You're such a boss. And I'm like, huh. When did you? you start to have that conversation with yourself of actually this might look good on paper but I don't want it when I couldn't feel anything tell me a bit about that so in between all of that massive growth my my brother passed away he overdosed and I remember getting the call and I felt nothing and it was there was no

emotion and I was like I have poured my soul into this business but I I'm dead inside. Like, I don't feel anything. And I remember going to his funeral and I was like, why can't I cry? Like, what am I monster? Like, what is wrong with me that I'm not crying? Like, I was sad, so sad inside, but I just couldn't get the emotion to come up. And he died.

Well, his funeral was right on my birthday. And I remember planning a birthday party because I'm like, okay, we're going to have a birthday party. And I'm going to get everybody out of this mood. And I was like trying to crack jokes. And I was like, I can't let my parents be upset and I got to distract them. And so I was like, okay, this has gone too far. And this is exactly what I'm doing in every area of my life. And that's when I decided everything had, everything had to change.

Everything in my life needed to change. Do you remember when you started to shut down emotionally? Like, do you remember that point or was it a gradual thing? I think I've always shut down emotionally just because I was so afraid of being too much. It was like, okay, if you're too much, then someone's going to say, like, okay, well, I don't need you or I can't deal with you, right? You need to go back where you came from. And so I think I always was like, don't be too dramatic. Don't be too much.

Stay in your lane. Don't make people mad. Don't make people upset. Like, be the bright light. Be the one who everybody wants to be around. And I think that started at a very, very young age. And I can imagine, too, growing up with a brother that had addiction. issues. I just know this. You, a lot of the attentions on them. All of the attention. Yeah. And that's

very challenging also for the people that are kind of left behind. Right. And that's, that's another reason why I performed, right? And I was like, well, you know, so much is going on with brother that if I don't, if I'm not captain of the trap team and winning, mom and dad don't need to come. Or if I'm not, the lead in the school play, mom and dad might not be able to come. And so I was always, always like I have to be number one so that I can shine a little bit and I can get a little bit of attention. And so while it, I hate to say like it, that it was a, it was definitely a hindrance, but it was also ended up being of, of service to me. Yeah. But yeah. I think as a little girl, you don't realize that obviously. No, I think when you're a little girl, it becomes about you. Yeah.

Why am I always the one left behind or whatever story you make of it and especially coming from an adoption background, you're already running a narrative that most little girls are not. And so it just compounds on it. Right. Plus then factored in, you know, becoming a single mom. That's a lot of your having. It's not even, oh, you know, I fell into this pattern. It's I have to be okay.

It's not, it's not an option. You don't have an option to crumble. So, 2023 happened. You know, your brother passed and you started to recognize this. Did you feel like, okay, at this point in my life, I've actually been. built enough stability that maybe I don't need to be the strong one anymore? How did that start to evolve and change for you? So no, I don't think I've ever said that to myself. I think, you know, I was like I went to therapy and was like, I can't cry. I feel like I'm a rock. I feel like I can't

feel anything. But I couldn't pinpoint where that came from. And I couldn't say like, this is why at that point yet. And so I started to unravel. And I, I just started to kind of pay attention to the patterns of the things that were happening around me. And, you know, I would come home exhausted and my husband would be like, well, why did you say yes? And I'm like, well, I had to. And he's like, you don't have to say yes. And I was like, okay, noted, said yes to this and this and this. And so I was like, I think that I thought that if I broke down and if I stopped and if I cried and if I took time to grieve and I took time away, that everything would fall apart. And so I was like, okay, I can just keep going. I can stuff this to the back for now.

I can deal with this later. And then in 20, was it 24 that we did CEO, Mama? You joined in 24, but I think it was it was late 20204, 2025 when everything happened with your team. Yeah. Yeah. That's my timeline recollection. Is that right? Yes.

And so I was, you know, people pleasing to the hundredth degree. It was like, somebody asked me for something and I said yes. Yeah. And somebody needed something. I said yes. Somebody wanted something and I said yes. And so I, at one point, I think it was in, yes, early 20 maybe, I think it was April of, we're in 26, yeah, April of 25.

I had said to myself, I was going to take my hand off the wheel for a second. And I needed to figure out what I wanted, where I wanted to go, how I wanted to lead. And it was also very monumental because the entire time I had lived in Florida, I had never been able to afford to take Stella to Disneyland. And so that spring break, I was taking her to Disneyland. And I'm like, I'm going to shut off. I'm going to take my hand off the wheel. I'm going to trust the people that I have in place.

And I'm going to allow them to do what I've asked them to do. And earlier that year, I had started to train someone who was in my business. And one of the biggest mistakes that I've made in business is hiring people based on vibe and not. Oh, we've all been. Yes. And not actual qualifications. Why are you here? What can you do for the business?

What is your past experience? I think it's okay in certain situations where you watch someone and say, wow, you've got the qualities that I feel like I can groom you into being, you know, great. I didn't have enough of that data because. I had only been there for two years, right, doing us two years in that specific, you know, space. So I was like, okay, she's, she's a little, she's older than most of the other girls, and she's responsible, and I feel like I can hand a little bit of the team stuff off to her. And, but what happened was she wanted to be the protector of the group, and I was kind of the enemy, right? And so instead of being...

I've had this exact exact. dynamic way out. Yeah. And instead of being the one who would come to me and say, hey, you know what, this is what's going on? This is what I think we should do. This is how I think we should handle it. It was the team needs more money.

What are you going to do about it? They're not happy. What are you going to do about it? They think you should do this. What are you going to do about it? You know, that text you sent in the group chat that was a little aggressive. What do you think? They side texted me and they thought you were being aggressive.

I think you should apologize. And it was like, instead of, she didn't have my back. She wanted the team to come to her and kind of block that. And it turned into an absolute nightmare. It was the most costly mistake I have ever made emotionally, business-wise, financially, everything. And I would be lying if I said that didn't absolutely break me because it, my community is everything to me. And I had just been moved from Miami from the community that I had built with Stella. And I was, you know, in Chattanooga.

and I loved these women. These were women who came to me and said, I don't have a purpose. Can I work for you? Can you teach me? My kids are going off to college. I don't have anything to do all day. Like, I would love to be in this community.

Or I'm postpartum and I'm 20 pounds overweight and I hate my body. But I love this work. Like, will you, can I work for you? And these were women because I never had anybody give me an opportunity that I didn't work my butt off for. And so I wanted to get back. this back to these women. I saw a lot of myself in them. And I said, if somebody would have given me this opportunity five years earlier, like, I'd be so far ahead. And I wanted that for them. And it wasn't

because I wanted them to be fiercely loyal to me. And they can't leave or have their own life ever again. It was like, I can give you this gift. Why wouldn't I? Yeah. You know, and that's kind of how I thought of it. And we became a really tight knit group. And so kind of when I took my hands off of the wheels, they started a separate group chat. And like I said, I would be remiss to say that it didn't absolutely crush me to be completely, again, it comes back to that wound. Like, I was left. I was abandoned. I wasn't good enough. I got kicked out. And they started a group chat. And one of the girls finally was like, I feel like this has gone too far and had sent me like screenshots. Mind you, they were still working for me while they were, they were still showing up, taking a paycheck.

They were just like abusing me at that point, you know, within my business. And at one point, basically all of them quit at the same time. And I was crushed. And of course, like I do, I jumped in 30 classes a week, answering all the emails, doing all of the things, you know, running, running the business. And I was like, this is happening for a reason. This is not what I want. This is not what I want. This is not why I built this. And I, you know, and I still grieve those friendships and those relationships a lot because they still all hang out with each other and I see that and I'm the one that's like left out. And will I say I was perfect and all of that? Absolutely not.

Did I make leadership mistakes? Yes. Did I send aggressive tests because I'm stressed out financially, spiritually, emotionally, emotionally, physically? Yes. But, you know, at the end of the day, you start a business because you want the business to run the way you want the business to run. And I remember one of my first Pilates jobs, I worked for a woman who was horrific.

But she would tell us I go to the south of France every July with my family. And while I'm in the south of France, you will not be getting payroll. So you can work at the studio and you'll get paid August 1st for everything you did in July or you cannot work at the studio. And I was like, that's not fair. How can you do that? And so, you know, I said something to her. And she goes, I run the business the way I want to run the business.

If that doesn't work for you, you can leave. And I was like, at the time, I was like, like, that's so rude. How can you do that? I need my money. But I was like, huh, you know, now I'm like, yeah, exactly. Like, you run your business the way you want to run your business. And if that doesn't work for someone, they get to leave, right? And choose and choose differently. And so I thought to myself, I can't continue to run a business based on this kind of dynamic and this kind of, you know, when everybody leaves, everything falls apart. And so that's when I started, you know, getting really serious on like, what systems do I need? How many people do I actually need? How many

studios do I actually want? And I was like, I actually think I only want one. I think I only want to employ six people. And I've been slowly pulling back on the growth and my profit has tripled. And what does your business look like right now? So right now I had four studios. And I now have two. And we were doing $1.2 million in 25. So far in 2016. were at about half a million. At the 1.2 million, we're running at 9% profit. At the almost, I think for 650-ish right now, we're running at 30% profit.

And do you think that's because you've tightened your boundaries and you're more focused? What big changes have you made? I've tightened my boundaries. I've cut payroll in half. My rents were $10,000 each per studio. Overhead was crushing us, absolutely crushing us. I was working my butt off to make payroll.

a lot of entrepreneurs get into this situation where you think that bigger is better and more is not always more and I've been in this situation too I remember having this big fancy office in LA and this massive team and the business on paper is you know doing so well but internally you know the profit margins are constantly getting squeezed I'm working more than ever

still doing other people's jobs and it wasn't what I wanted but we're playing the status game aren't we and if we get pulled into that we end up building something that doesn't even feel like ours and we're building for this eventual exit that really were never the plan. You know, a lifestyle business and an exit, the bold business are very different.

Just from knowing you, I know that one big thing that changed for you was Nervis System work, Jodis Spencer's work. He's seen his praises. Yeah, you know, it's obviously, yes, you've made structural and systemic changes in the business and that's really, really important,

but I think beneath all of that, you have to be willing to do the inner work to even hold a boundary, to even have those uncomfortable conversations, to not replay the same dynamic in your business that's coming from attachment. And, you know, we all do it, but you have to do that work. Otherwise, you do end up creating those work environments that for some people, they work. Like if it's, you know, maybe a toxic environment, it works. It works for them or a burnout environment.

It works for them, not for everyone. but if you're going to run a business differently, you have to do it from a regulated place. Tell me about some of the things that have changed the most for you because I remember the exact Zoom call we had when your team, this happened with your team. And I remember in that call, you didn't even see your way out. Right.

I think I've lost everything. I don't know what I'm going to do to fast forward. I mean seeing you now, you're just a different person. So tell me about this journey you've been on. Yeah, I also think no matter, you know, how smart, you are strategic you are, how hard you can hustle, how hard you can work, a business will expose every single wound that you have. And it will keep showing up and keep showing up and keep showing up until you fix it. You know, just like a relationship, your business is, my business

has been everything to me. And so it just kept showing up. And I said, the same person keeps showing up. And, you know, some people would say, okay, well, if the same person keeps showing up, maybe you're the problem, you know. And I said, maybe I am. Let me figure that out, you know. And so I, thanks to you, you send us on a walking meditation. And I was like, what the heck is this, you know? I was like, this is really outside of my comfort zone.

And that meditation changed my life. And from there, I kept doing the meditations, Joe. And I went to a seven day retreat. And I, Joe dispens a one. Joe dispens one in Denver. Yeah. for seven straight days, which was crazy for me to leave for seven straight days. I did the five and a half hour meditation.

I met the most incredible people. I took my best friend with me who changed her life as well. And I really just got so clear with who I am and what I wanted and unapologetic about it from that moment on. And I said, no more. This is not going to be my life. This is not. I've worked way too hard.

I know who I am and whatever story or narratives, a group of people have chosen to make up, that's not true. I've been doing this my whole life. I know who I am and I am not going to accept any of this anymore. And that's when I really started to make the changes and I really started to push back on the boundaries. And it was almost like an armor had like come around me, right? Where it was people were leaving and I was like, thank you instead of, oh my God. I was like, thank you for showing me that. Thank you for showing me this person was not right for my next level.

This person was not right to come with me where I'm wanting to go. And I just started reframing it. And I don't think there's anything more important for a business owner or a mom than nervous system work. And just figuring out what works for you. I'm not saying that Joe dispensate works for everybody. But it definitely worked for me and it continues to work for me. But yeah. And once I started healing that and I started to just go.

back. And I did, I did, I've done a lot of different things. I've done some childhood trauma meditations. I've done, you name it. And I've, and I've, and I've, and I've done it, shamanic journeys, all kinds of things. And just really going back to the place of where I felt like I needed to be this person, this, this, this, this, this, this strength, this person who people, you know, the people please there, the performer. And I, and it, it almost felt like, at one point, I was like, I feel like my body is different. Like I can't put the mask on anymore. Like it just doesn't fit. And, you know, a lot of people, well, you're aggressive now.

You're so hard to please. I'm like, no, honey, this is called boundaries. I'm the hardest person to please myself. You have no idea the narratives that go on for me. Trust me, I'm being easy on you, you know? And it was, I just said, I'm just, I'm not going to do it anymore. And these are my boundaries and this is what I'm not going to do. And the right people stayed.

and the wrong ones left. And I have had to rebuild myself more times than anyone could ever imagine. And so at that moment, it felt really hopeless. It felt really sad. I felt betrayed and so low, but I knew that I could rebuild anything because I'd done it so many times. And so it does take a minute and it does take a lot of work, but I knew I wasn't, what I needed to stop doing was rebuilding the same thing over and over and over again. Yeah. I mean, I think there's a myth that when you people please, you keep people happy.

And ultimately, you will keep people happy at your own expense. And they just want more. Yeah. And that resentment in you is going to build. And it's going to come out in aggressive texts. It's going to come out in conversations you're not saying, but you're being passive aggressive. Like, I've lived this myself too. It's going to come out.

It doesn't just disappear. Right. And so by people pleasing, you're actually doing the relationship a disservice. Because if they only want to be in relationship with you, because they'd benefit from your lack of boundaries. They're going to hate when you put boundaries in place. But you're going to find the right people that, you know, respect those boundaries.

And I even know for myself, too, building a team, I've never had my best team when I'm a people pleaser and I'm unwilling to give feedback. And I'm really flexible on on boundaries and expectations in the company because there'll be a players in the company that see other people not pulling their weight and they will want to leave. They'll think this is not the environment for me. This is not a place that I grow. if no one's held accountable and it's okay for us to cut corners, then I'm going to go somewhere where my work's respected. And I think that's such a reframe and it's a very hard lesson to learn,

but it's a big reframe. Yeah. How has all of the nervous system work you've been doing impacted your motherhood journey? I love being a mom so much. It's my favorite thing. I know people say it all the time, but I'm like, oh, I just love being a mom. And Stella has healed me in so, many ways. It's just I'm like, okay, this is exactly what I needed. You know, and you can give that to your child. It just feels so good. One of the reasons I work so hard, right, is like, it feels so good to give her, to be who I needed at her age, you know, and, and think about that. And it's, it's funny because, you know, she's an only child. So she's always has friends over because I'm always like, okay, you need someone to play with because like, I got to, you know, you got to, she's a talker.

She'll just talk all day long. And I'm like, okay, let's get you some friends over or whatever. And so they all come to my house. And, you know, our house is very accommodating. I've always wanted to be the house where everybody felt safe. And I always tell them, like, you can tell anybody, anything that happens in this house. But if there's something you want to tell me, we can, we can decide if we keep that private or not. Like, I want to be a safe adult, you know, obviously, if it's something that their parents need to know, I'm not going to hold secrets.

But I've always wanted to be that safe space for them. And, you know, I was, I wasn't, I was pretty nerdy in high school. I know, can you believe it? So I went to her school one day. She was doing something. And all the popular little girls were like, Miss Jenna, Miss Jenna, Miss Jenna. And I'm like, oh, my God, this is so healing for me, you know? And my husband, too.

My husband is like my best, best, best, best friend. I think he's the only person who really understands and knows me at such a, on such a deep level. And that's so good for your nervous system, you know, someone that's just like always safe for you. always your safe space. Like home, home, I will say, is the place that I have built and that the one place where I have a lot of boundaries and walls up there. But yeah, also, you know, I have a lot of conversations with still, again, she's an only child. So I like, talk to her like an adult. Everyone's like, she's so mature. I'm like, well, she didn't have any little, you know, siblings or anything

where we, they, she and also I was a single mom. So it's like, okay, we're going to brunch. Okay, we're going to this event. Okay, we're going to the yoga studio. So I have these conversations with her. Like I talk to her about this stuff, what I'm going through, what's happening in the business, what's happening in my life, how I'm feeling that therapy is important, meditation is important, journaling is important, prayer is important. And she does all of those things. And so when she feels herself, you know, breathwork, when she feels herself getting, you know, into a whatever, or I see her going into a negative spiral, I watch her use those tools, right, that I teach her. So they always say your children are only as happy as your mother's nervous system is common and organized.

And so I take all of that very seriously. Yeah, being a mom is the best. It's the best. It's the best. So what's next for you? Because I feel like you are just on the most amazing journey right now. Yeah. I'm very excited for what's next.

So I am working on. So I have a Pilates teacher training now, which is just the mat. And I'm working on a full apparatus training that will be partially virtual, partial in-person retreat, which I'm so excited about. I'm hoping to launch a lot. that in this summer. I'm going to drop down to one studio, hopefully, one studio space and just really niche in on the Pilates. And I am working on systemizing every single thing in my business that is repeatable, that is doable so that if somebody does leave, I know where all the bodies

are buried. And I can run my business. And so, I mean, something you've, you know, you help me with immensely is systemizing everything and, and making sure. that, you know, everything can be run with or without team or another team member can slide in. I'm excited to, we're looking at different, like, real estate options in different places so that we can travel more. And again, I can't have my hands on fully on the business, you know, doing all of that stuff. And I'm excited for AI and what that means for my industry specifically, right, for the Pilates industry. So, yeah, lots of fun things. And who knows where we'll end up next year. right? I know. I have some ideas. I know. So if you could go back to one-year-old Stella,

what would you tell her? One-year-old Stella. Oh, well, I'd tell her we make it. I'd be like, we did it, girl. We made it. Me and you together. We got off this air mattress and she has the best dad now and she has the best life. And, you know, you don't want to put the pressure on a child of saying it's, you know, it was because of you, but, you know, every decision I made was for her, right? And for us to never have to have this fight or flight feeling ever again. And yeah, she'd be, she liked the air mattress, though. She tells me sometimes she'll be like, I remember I was in my troll pajamas and we were, you know, I thought she was too young, but yeah, maybe she hears me talking about it.

But yeah. And what about one-year-old Jenna? Oh, goodness. I would tell her we make it too. We got it. Yeah. And that what you feel is your biggest deterrent and your saddest story is that you become powerful in spite of. And you don't hold yourself back because of.

It's in spite of that you will succeed and you will make it and you will make it. and you will impact a lot of people in very positive ways. And so take your hurt and turn it into power and story and inspiration. I love that so much. And I love the similarity in the message you'd give yourself and Starla to. Why can everyone find you? So I just started a substact, which I'm really excited about. What are you going to be writing about?

Okay. So it's called the shift. Okay. And I'm basically just documenting this whole series of scaling down and what that looks like and how everybody thinks the bigger the better. And it's not the bigger the better. It's it's the whatever makes you happy, really. And I think women go into things. And like I said, everybody celebrates the big revenue number.

And I was like, I was keeping 9% profit. I was making $80,000 a year for $1.2 million business. Like that doesn't math. That math doesn't math. And so I'm just, I'm writing about all of the messy things that are happening, all of the decisions I'm making, all of the things that I'm systematizing, how I'm going to systematize it. And just giving women a resource and whether that's in wellness or they're just getting started in a brick and mortar business, I think a lot of people sell this stream, right? And specifically in Pilates right now where it's like, okay, just build the aesthetic studio and hire the gorgeous teacher and people will come. And that's true right now, really.

Like you could put a Pilate studio down the street and brand it beautifully and people will come, right? But they will be drowning in the business because you have to understand the business. You have to understand how this works. And brick and word is really tricky, really, really tricky. So, yeah, so writing about that, the shift in my nervous system, the shift in my boundaries, the shift in my business, the shift in my relationships, just writing about all of it. I love that you're doing that. I feel like Substack is like the nervous system human bomb that we need.

I also just loved the blog era. Yeah. I'm like, this is kind of bad. It's coming back. It's coming back. In a really cute way. And I like long form, but sometimes I'm like, okay, the YouTube with the editing and the stuff and the setup and the lights and the camera and you got to do hair and makeup. And I'm like, this I can just like, right.

You can be in your pajamas and coffee and right. Yeah. So is it Jenna right on Substack? It's the shift with Jenna. Okay. Amazing. Yeah. Thank you so much for being.

Yeah. I'm going to put all the links below in the show notes too for anyone that's interested in teacher training with you. Yeah, I'm excited. But I'm excited by yourself, Zach. Thanks, Natalie. Thank you for being here. Yeah, welcome.