Conversations with Shania Samuels

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shania Samuels

Hi Shania, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Beyond Barre Fitness began in the summer of 2021, a whirlwind season for me. I had just graduated from UMKC with my Bachelor’s degree and gotten married—all within a month! After such a busy time, I wanted to find something that allowed me to give back to myself and help manage my anxiety. That’s when I discovered a studio in Kansas City offering Yoga and Barre classes. I tried them out and instantly fell in love with both the community and the Barre fitness format. However, I quickly noticed the lack of diversity among the students and teachers in the classes. I thought to myself, I can do this—I can teach classes and bring more diversity to this fitness community.

With my background in gymnastics and ballet, Barre teacher training felt like second nature, and I had so much fun immersing myself in this creative new world of fitness. A year later, I earned my Yoga Sculpt certification and began teaching that format alongside Barre classes. At this point, I decided to step out on faith and create Beyond Barre Fitness as a pop-up fitness studio. I held pop-ups all over Kansas City—at boutiques, gyms, and more. The energy of teaching in a room filled with people moving their bodies and having fun is unmatched. I truly love building that kind of community!

As a lifelong learner, I wanted to expand my fitness repertoire further in 2023, which led me to explore Pilates. After taking Pilates classes for four months, I fell in love with its emphasis on core strength and alignment. While the cost of Pilates education was initially intimidating, I discovered a studio offering a scholarship program. I applied, received the scholarship, and dove into the world of Pilates while continuing to take classes. Over the course of 11 months, I completed a rigorous comprehensive Pilates certification program. This involved 600 hours of training, teaching, taking classes, and observations. Now, I’m certified in four formats: Mat Pilates, Chair Pilates, Cadillac, and Reformer Pilates, with a foundation in both Classical and Contemporary Pilates techniques.

This certification gave me the confidence and expertise to open Kansas City’s first Black woman-owned Pilates studio in the heart of downtown. At Beyond Barre Fitness, we’re passionate about building a welcoming and inclusive community where clients of all fitness levels can come together. Whether you join us in the studio or online, we’re here to help you move, grow, and feel your best!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Along the way I’ve had plenty of struggles but I like to look at them as learning opportunities, in ways I can grow. From not feeling adequate to teach, to being true to my authentic self I’ve struggled along the way to creating Beyond Barre Fitness Pilates Studio. From finding my “teacher” voice to understanding why we move the way we do in connection to anatomy. With each obstacle I reflect on ways that I can improve and help out the next person that may have a similar struggle. Building the BBF community has helped me be transparent with my clients and remind myself that I am human. Being a small business owner is a fun ride and with challenges and setbacks that are out of my control I remind myself life goes on and we grow. Set backs like power outages or having to cancel a class because of construction are just the start of the life of a new business owner, but with it all we continue to keep going.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Being a Pilates Instructor and Studio Owner a lot of work is done behind the sense, that is all okay with me! I love working in my business and on my business, as we grow our team will continue to grow! A lot of what I get to do is learn and build with the community that Beyond Barre Fitness has created. When we do group classes, Pop Ups, and events we see the support from our community and it brings me joy. Community is what it is all about and building that healthy community focused on Pilates and fitness has been the best part of this journey! What sets our studio apart from others is our strong foundation in the Pilates principals and our growing diverse community here in Kansas City!

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Some advice for finding a mentor and networking would be don’t be afraid to look outside of your city! I’ve been blessed to have connections outside of Kansas City that have helped me grow my business.

Pricing:

• $35 single group class
• $120 4 Group Classes
• $215 8 Group Classes
• $300 12 Group Classes
• $100 Private Sessions

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beyondbarrefitness.com
• Instagram: @BeyondBarreFit
• Facebook: @BeyondBarreFit
• Youtube: @ShaniaKC