SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — If you're craving community, but want to stay safe while you sweat... this story is for you.
We're all just trying to exhale and get through things these days. And Stephanie Firenze wants to help. She owns FWRD Fitness Studio in San Diego.
Stephanie says, "Fitness has always been my outlet ever since I was little. I wanted to share that with people. Fitness is my time to connect with myself and forget everything else that's happening in the world."
I mean, it's hard to forget what's going on around us, especially when you're a small business owner like Stephanie. Because of the pandemic, she had to reduce her class capacity and therefore wasn't able to afford her studio rent in Rancho Bernardo anymore. So after 9 years, she moved forward so she wouldn't get left behind. Stephanie took her studio outside, to a spot of land in Poway.
"Our first classes were out there by the dumpsters. But I just remember that first day, almost everyone was in tears because they were just craving community. As I like to say, we are physically distancing but socially connecting."
Stephanie and her husband connected with the Poway community and started renting land from a privately owned park, taking advantage of unused soccer turf to build their new 24-hundred square foot fitness studio.
"We quickly put the cement blocks on top and put wood planks up. My husband painted it. We brought the bars from the studio. I learned all about frame tents and pole tents."
Surrounded by hay bales to block out the noise and a canopy to shield you from the weather, there's plenty of room to distance your yoga mats but stay close to your fitness community. And for Stephanie, the Poway community holds a special place in her heart.
"We live here. My kids go to school right there. So I feel very ingrained in this community. And I love supporting all the small businesses, too. It's been quite a journey. Lots of ups and downs and learning. But I am very hopeful and I'm positive. We're going through this but we'll all become stronger versions of ourselves. That's what I tell myself."
And as Stephanie ends each class saying... "Slowly lower your hand on your heart. My hope is that by taking this time for yourself today, you're able to navigate this new day with more confidence and more ease. Thank you guys for joining me today".
FWRD FITNESS WEBSITE
fwrdfitness.com
