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Meet Ashley Patchen of Alchemy of Movement in Boulder

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Patchen.

Ashley, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always had a passion for dance and music, but until about the age of 20, the extent of my training was what I could come up with in front of the mirror or from following along with MTV music videos.

I had pursued a traditional academic career in math and Spanish at a small school in upstate New York, then in 2009, I moved to Colorado to attend grad school for applied math. I discovered that I really enjoyed teaching math, so I spent the following years teaching part time in a few different places. I eventually landed a more permanent job at a local high school in 2013, but dance still continued to be what I loved.
Even when I wasn’t teaching math, I spent nearly all my free time exploring new dance forms. I quickly fell in love with Latin and Indian styles of dance with a heavy focus on Salsa, Bachata, Bollywood, and Bhangra. I joined some competitive and performance troupes to start working on those dance skills that I had missed out on as a kid.

At the same time, I got certified to teach Zumba Fitness and joined a tiny studio that had just opened up in Superior. It was at this studio that I made some of my life long friends and started to teach my own Zumba classes. Sadly, that studio didn’t make it and had to close a few years later. When it closed, I had to decide whether I should continue working for someone or play the long game and build my own brand and clientele. I chose to take the more risky path, and believe me, this process was incredibly slow and challenging. But I knew that if I ever wanted to own a studio or hire other instructors to teach with me, I had no choice but to build from the ground up.

I left my full-time teaching job in 2018. I was burnt out, and recognized that I needed to make some changes in my life. I started talking with the owner of one of the dance studios I had been renting from, Alchemy of Movement. She mentioned that she was feeling the same way about her role at the studio that I was feeling about teaching math, and that she too was ready to move on to something different. I realized that this might be the opportunity we had both been looking for, so we put wheels in motion towards me taking over the business. Six months later I swapped my calculators for business books and started running the day-to-day at Alchemy of Movement.

I’ve only been a business owner for a year or so, but I’ve learned a lot about what kind of time, energy, and effort it takes to keep a business running. I’m learning how to do everything from design, marketing, accounting, making apparel to sell at the studio, tiling, plumbing, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. I constantly feel challenged and always feel like I’m working, but I’m also just excited to do the work. I love figuring stuff out on the fly.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
So easy! I’m kidding, of course. There are always struggles and stresses you have to deal with. Business or no business, that’s life. I will say that it helps to think about whether or not you want your “passion” to become your job. I’ve been laying the ground work for this for about a decade and have worked hard to get here, but I also had some luck, great timing, and all sorts of privileges that have allowed me to do what I love.

The things I struggle with most right now are hiring and retaining good people, having difficult conversations, getting new folks in the door and keeping them, figuring out the best way to grow our classes, and since I’m teaching and dancing a lot, my body hurts every single day and I’m basically always hungry.

If you think you want to make your passion your business, I think you need a tolerance for risk, a never-ending desire to learn and the ability to push yourself to get better. It also helps to have a little financial breathing room when you start, and a backup plan if things don’t go your way. It’s not easy, but it sure is fun.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Alchemy of Movement – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Alchemy of Movement offers adult dance fitness and wellness classes. Our goal is to provide a welcoming and fun environment where dance is accessible to people who maybe don’t consider themselves “trained dancers” but just love to dance. Or if you’re someone who wants to be fit you don’t love running on a treadmill, come on in.

I’m really proud of the community we’re building. I have had so many people tell me that Alchemy is not only their method of staying healthy but a place where they know they’ll leave happier than when they came in. It’s a place where they have made life-long friendships.

Alchemy is different from other fitness studios because we aim for fun and effective classes. We’re different from other dance studios in town because our clients are mostly adults and we don’t focus on getting choreography perfect, we just have a good time grooving to music.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’m always stirring on new ideas for the studio, some of which are easier to implement than others. One of the biggest things I’m working on right now is a new dance strengthening class. We have a lot of classes that get your heart rate up, but nothing that’s focused on strengthening your muscles. I’m hoping to add the class to the schedule this May, and I’m working on training other teachers so we can offer it more often. I’d also love to offer dance classes online, but it’ll be awhile before that project is ready to launch.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Oh my gosh, so many people. I’m not sure I could name everyone who truly deserves credit for the amount of time, energy and love that they’ve put into the studio with me. You know how I was talking about that “community” thing earlier? Everyone is supportive and willing to help because it’s more than just a fitness studio to them… it’s a home for a lot of these folks, it certainly is for me.

To name just a few:
My best friend Bethany has spent countless hours (literally through the night) helping me tile the studio floor, painting, giving advice, subbing when needed, running the front desk when someone cancels last minute, and just being there to support me and the other instructors.

My partner Justin has been my rock through the ups and downs through this process and has helped in more ways than I can count. He’s great at poking holes in what I think are my “brilliant” ideas so I can think through all the ways my decisions might actually not work out as planned.

I also certainly can’t imagine making it as far as I have without Lauren, Cactus, Luis, Chayenne, Megan, Sarah and the time they put into supporting me and helping the studio thrive. There are so many others who have helped me decorate, paint, shop for furniture, or even offer to pay for several years worth of classes up front so I can buy things that I need at the studio. It is honestly such an honor to be surrounded by such loving and supportive people.

Pricing:

  • Introductory offer: $30 for 30 days of unlimited classes Drop Ins: $15 Monthly Unlimited: $99 5 Classes: $70 10 Classes $130 K-12 Teachers, Students, Seniors (65+) receive a 10% discount

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Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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