Feature in Shoutout LA

I recently had the pleasure of sharing my story with Shoutout LA, a publication that highlights and supports artists and small businesses.

An excerpt…

Hi Kate, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always wanted to, planned on, maybe even knew I had to work for myself in one way or another. My first foray into business was a vintage clothing shop, which I started on my laptop when I was 23, the day after I was laid off from my one and only 9-5. I pursued an MFA in creative nonfiction, and spent my 20s supporting myself with a collection of assistant, teaching, and freelance writing jobs. My broader focus was having the time and energy to continue my writing projects. All the while, I was also exploring my interest in movement and embodiment practices as a gateway to creativity.

I’d been teaching barre and Pilates in-person and online, and knew my message, sequencing, even music selection were all resonating. I had the idea to record a few classes and offer them on my personal website. Then, after a lot of thought and encouraging conversations with friends, the name and idea of Mood Barre came together. Slowly, then all at once, I decided that this would be a digital (for now) studio offering Pilates, barre, and generative writing classes, live-streaming and on-demand, for the moody among us. Mood Barre’s philosophy emerged from my lived experience of turning to movement as a therapeutic ritual, as a prerequisite to my most generative writing times… and good moods.