Dear Friends,
Thank you for supporting our small business for the past 4 years!
Hi, it's Grace!
Some of you have known me for less than a year, most of you for the past one to nine years, but only a small group of you have known me since the beginning of my fitness career, so I thought I would share a bit of my journey...
(click on the image above to admire my amazing 10-year-old style)!
Ok, maybe that's a little too far back...
Fast forward through gymnastics (elementary and middle school), cheerleading (middle school and high school), and hip hop dancing (college and post-college).
Despite a few confusing years of figuring out my identity and purpose...
I am glad I quickly pivoted from getting my Bachelors in Management Science at UC San Diego (and minor in Advanced Piano), to earning my Elementary Teaching Credential and Masters in Education at Santa Clara University.
In the daytime, I had a full-time job teaching elementary school in Cupertino, and I got my Group Fitness Certification in 2005 to teach part-time classes in the evenings. Unlike my 8am-3pm classroom job, my evening fitness job was so refreshing because everyone followed directions on the FIRST try!
Becoming a mom was the turning point where I decided to focus solely on fitness teaching.
As a self-diagnosed overachiever and work-a-holic, I would have kept my 2 jobs and raised a family. But my body said NO.
In 2011 when I was 3 months pregnant with my first child, I suddenly bled all over my Kindergarten classroom floor, and was given the choice to terminate my pregnancy or go on bedrest.
What a wake up call. I couldn't do it all, AND the health of my baby was all up to God. This was one of the hardest times for me, emotionally and physically.
Me, bedrest???
You guys, I ended up cross-stitching and knitting baby blankets all those months!
Three key teachers along my path...
All the years I was teaching in Cupertino, I found a yoga instructor named Sherry Han, who I thank for inspiring me to connect with yoga students through (gentle) hands-on-assists and by treating students as family. She knew everyone's names and she always personally acknowledged every individual, which is something I continue to try and do in my classes.
After my pregnancy, my husband had a one-year fellowship at USC, and so I worked for a fitness instructor named Michelle Dozois in Pasadena, who I thank for hiring me as a choreographer for her routines. She gave me the confidence and experience to trust that I was able to create unique and creative content, and she challenged me to test out new class formats even if they flopped.
We moved to Marin late 2013, and I found a new studio, Marin Power Yoga, that I instantly felt drawn to. What started as a pure Power Yoga studio, evolved, as the owner, Jamie Foresta Ginsberg, had an open-mind and vision to let me test out other formats like gentle yoga, yin yoga, TRX, triple threat (flopped), and... ta-da this was how Stop Drop and Dance was born in 2014! I am grateful to Jamie for his courage to think out of the box and for his philosophy for teachers to share from the heart and be real.
The first 5 years of dancing together...
2014 is when I first introduced Stop Drop and Dance, and next year it will soon be 10 years!
The first 5 years were my proof of concept years... what started as 1 person became 15, which became 30, and then became 45 and more.
In 2019, I turned 40 years old and threw my first 3 hour dance-a-thon at a nightclub in San Francisco. That's when I decided, THIS is the vision:
I want to keep GROWING Stop Drop And Dance!
So I filed for the trademark and LLC on December 12th, 2019.
Highlights from the past 4 years as a small business...
* I never thought we'd be dancing online, but hey it works for those of you who live far away! Our on-demand feature has proven to be a convenient feature for members who want to take classes on their own time!
* We have been re-growing our in-person attendance from 2 people on my deck during the pandemic, to dancing in the rain at the PELO parking lot, to our current venues, the weekday UU Marin church and Saturday Thorndale garage!
* Our community is so FUN. We regularly celebrate birthdays and special events, and I've never dressed up in costumes as much as I have the past 4 years!
* We are officially traveling and dancing around the world together! We had our first retreat to Tulum last year with 39 people, and we have our second retreat to Belize in January with 24 people!
* Dancing has become an impactful way to raise money for non-profits, schools and other charitable causes! We have danced at over 50 events and raised over $100,000!
Click on the image above to watch our official recap reel!
In 2024, I am (vulnerably and humbly) manifesting...
A collective studio space we can call home.
1) Wear and tear.
I am really tired of carrying my trunk FULL of equipment and setting it up before and after every class. My equipment is breaking at a faster rate (imagine unpacking an iMac from the box 5x a week...) and it's just such a waste of time. What's it like to just show up and teach again??
2) Extra rent.
I may teach a 75 minute class, but I am literally paying for double the time because I have to account for 45 minutes of set up and 30 minutes of break down of all my equipment. Double rent with half the income is probably not the smartest financial move.
3) The right vibe and space.
We have gotten through the pandemic where dancing on concrete was... ok. Now, it is necessary and smart to dance moving forward on proper wood-sprung flooring so we can dance until we are 100! Also, it is beautiful to have a bright, open room, but wouldn't it be amazing if it could convert to a darker room with hip lighting for dancing? Less self-consciousness and more freedom!
4) Central location.
I have been mindful that Terra Linda is just a little too far for some of you to travel, so my ideal location that would best serve all of you up and down Marin is around Central San Rafael. Of course no place is perfect, but I am trying to be reachable to everyone!
5) Additional programming.
If we have a space with more hours available to use, we could add a few more strength classes, community hangout opportunities, night dance parties, mini day-retreats, and choreography performance classes. I have so many ideas!
Do you have a small business and want to share/rent hours at this *potential* collective space?
Do you have actionable ideas to help make this dream studio become a reality?
Do you want to partner in some way and have something creative in mind?
I am putting it ALL out there and it is terrifying to share my biggest dreams with you! But I know that I can't do it alone, and I know that we are ALL stronger when we work together. Reach out if you'd like to chat and help!
Happy Birthday Laura Winter Williams!
Last Tuesday, it was a high intensity, sweaty and hot, cardio Stop Drop and Dance 75 minute playlist from our birthday girl!
Please show Laura your love by following her band and her music at Third Coyote Band! She plays all over Marin and you can catch her live performances every month.
We are so grateful to have danced with Laura for years and witnessed her passion for singing and playing her guitar become a blossoming career! Congratulations Laura!!!
Happy Birthday Laura Briggs!
Last Thursday, it was a Hippie Bohemian themed Stop Drop and Dance 75 minute class today for our birthday girl!
Please show Laura your love by following her account Dream Closet Darling! She is a wardrobe consultant and helps with personal styling.
Laura is so thoughtful and brought beautiful pink zinnias for everyone in class! She is the true 70s flower child!
Happy Birthdays Anne Kaplan, Elizabeth Miller, Kim Frederickson, Monica Jones and Nina Watson!
We had so much fun last Saturday morning at Stop Drop and Dance class dancing for FIVE birthday celebrations! Thank you to Anne, Elizabeth, Kim and Nina for coming in person to class, and Monica for sharing the spotlight on zoom from her home in Florida!
The one-minute recap video above has highlights from each birthday girl and includes some fun spontaneous stories!!! Love learning new things about each other!
Upcoming Class Schedule
Wednesday, December 13th @UUMarin
9:30am 60 Minute Cardio Strength (bring dumbbells and mat)
10:45am 60 Minute All Levels Yoga (Bring a mat)
Thursday, December 14th, 9:30am @UUMarin
75 Minute Stop Drop and Dance Class
Happy Birthday Nicole Bailey!
SONG THEME: Black artists and/or Inspirational female artists
Saturday, December 16th, 9:30am @OneThorndale
60 Minute Stop Drop and Dance Class
Happy Birthday Karen Shen (she'll be on Zoom)!
NEW DATE: Tuesday, December 19th, 9:30am @UUMarin
75 Minute Stop Drop and Dance Class
Happy Birthday Sandy Aley!
THEME: Christmas, Hanukkah, or any Holiday Spirit colors!
Wednesday, December 20th @UUMarin
9:30am 60 Minute Cardio Strength (bring dumbbells and mat)
10:45am 60 Minute All Levels Yoga (Bring a mat)
Thursday, December 21st 9:30am @UUMarin
9:30am 60 Minute Stop Drop and Dance
10:30am 10-15 Minute Core/Abs/Stretch
CLASSES CANCELLED
Saturday, December 23rd - Wednesday, December 27th
I will be joining our family sleepover at my parents house with my sister's family!
Classes will resume on Thursday, December 28th!
If you have a special celebration, birthday, or fundraiser you would like to add to our calendar, please reach out to grace@thepowerwithgrace.com!
Dance Church
If you've actually read everything and made it all the way to here... congratulations and wow, thank you.
In my dream world where there wasn't a monthly rent to be responsible for, I'd love to create a dance church that:
Welcomes everyone.
Is free if you want to join.
Has a give-what-you-can model.
Keeps everyone accountable.
Offers community gatherings.
Organizes retreats and camps.
Develops outh programs.
Serves the community.
Changes lives.
Take a moment after you read this email and close your eyes for just one minute.
What do you see for yourself a year from today?
How have you grown?
What goals have you accomplished?
What have you learned?
What are you manifesting in your life?
Here we go...
Hello Day 1 of Year 5!
I can't wait to grow with you!
Love,
Grace
