Meet Sarah Lux, owner and CEO of uforia studios, who made up her career as she decided she wanted to become a fitness professional. Read on to learn how she went from biotech to fitness guru. – Sarah

What attracted you to the field of health and wellness? I was originally attracted to health and fitness because I saw a need for a fun and inclusive approach to fitness. I had recently moved to Palo Alto, CA and was taking classes that all seemed really serious and I was looking for classes and a place that was fun and where I’d meet new people. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I realized I had really started uforia because I didn’t have a community in California and that was what I was looking for.

I had gone to a gym in Canada, where I’m from, that was really inclusive and fun and I thought that there could be an opportunity to bring something like that to Palo Alto.

Your Company and Job Title: uforia studios, Owner/CEO

Website: www.uforiastudios.com

Social Media:
 – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ufori...
 – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ufor...

A typical (or not so typical) day-in-the-work-life for you: I try to start a couple mornings with an early class, either Revolutions or GRIT.

I then spend the morning until about 9:30 am with my almost 2-year old daughter before I either go into the in-studio office space at either Palo Alto or Nob Hill.

When I’m in the office I pretty much have back-to-back meetings with my team about sales or programs or upcoming events or promotions. I also meet with all the people who directly report to me, currently about 6. They either work in the studios on studio teams, like our GM and AGM or work on sales or marketing or program development or rockstar management (rockstars are our teachers).

I’m home between 4:30-5:30 pm and have dinner with my family.

Then I typically work again for a couple hours in the evening.

How did you get your current job in health and wellness? I guess I figured that no one else would hire me, as I had no experience, so I had to make up my job. My background is in chemistry and I worked in biotech and pharma for a couple years before starting uforia.

What skills were you born with and what skills have you learned along the way? Good question. I know my family would say that I’ve been bossy since I was born, so I guess that. As Sheryl Sandberg says bossy is really another word for leadership. I think because both of my parents and many of my relatives are self-employed/entrepreneurs I grew up seeing pretty non-traditional work environments and careers so I was pretty comfortable with this kind of career. My parents are truly some of the hardest working people I know. But they love and are super passionate about what they do. I learned this early on that you need to really blend your passion and hard work or else you’ll never last. Being an entrepreneur is hard work as we all know. But it’s the emotional piece that I think is the hardest so you have to be willing to sacrifice for this. You also need a really great team and support network around you. I honestly have the pleasure of working with some really amazing people, my husband (who helped co-found uforia) is one of them.

I have learned so much along the way. This is difficult to answer. I’d say some of the things that I’ve learned over the years and from having a family is that you really have to focus on what’s most important. My husband has a great saying, ‘we often over estimate what we can accomplish in one year and under estimate what we can accomplish in ten!’ Figuring out what’s most important isn’t always easy to do it’s hard work. I’d also say I think I’ve become softer/more understanding of people especially people who are pretty different from me. Our rockstar team is made up of insanely talented performers, dancers, singers, DJ’s and actors. Something I am NOT. I’ve learned a lot about how an artist thinks about their craft and their performance and I’ve gained a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for all our rockstars! Teaching at 6 am (or any time) and inspiring a room full of clients and allowing them to express themselves, have fun, connect and want to come back again is really hard work.

What advice do you have for others wanting to be just as successful and fulfilled as you? This sounds lame, but do what you love (assuming of course you can do something that you can be fulfilled by). Surround yourself with people smarter than yourself. It takes a village (to build a company, to raise a family) start pulling together your village. It can be anyone you trust and who will support you (and you them) but it’s really important. The old saying, ‘you’re only as strong as your weakest player’ is true.

If you could be paid for your job with something other than a paycheck, what would it be? Another good question. I actually don’t take any money out of uforia, neither my husband or I do. We’re focused on re-investing everything back into the business and growing it. It’s been one of our values since we started to be able to provide a career for fitness professionals. This year we started being able to offer health benefits! So I guess to answer your question it’s the smiling facing of our clients after class, it’s hearing how happy a rockstar is with their new class, the many amazing comments we get from our clients or watching someone grow from a client to becoming an integral part of our operations team. That’s why I do (and get to do) what I love each day!

Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN, is a Registered Dietitian and Sports Nutritionist specializing in Weight Management and Sports Nutrition for youth and adults. She writes articles for multiple publications, provides customized nutrition coaching, and is a brand spokesperson. She is founder of Family. Food. Fiesta.Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.