Meet Heather Harrington

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Harrington.

Hi Heather, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I started teaching fitness/yoga in 2008. My body was not made to sit at a desk, so when I found you could teach movement for a living — I was sold. Yoga was my first love and where I discovered that connecting movement with music could light up a stranger’s day. I became quickly addicted to being a “day maker” — a person others looked to for a break in their daily life to reset and restart and refocus, so the rest of the day wasn’t so hard. Being able to lead classes that were creative and fun and full of sweat and belly laughs was such an honor.

I taught for at least 12-15 studios across Colorado Springs and Denver – before finding another passion in real estate. And then I decided to blend the 2 into my perfect life, with the addition of a husband and a little girl. I had never dreamt of opening a studio until a dear friend, Jillian Keaveny moved to Denver. We reconnected and taught fitness and yoga together at a few different studios, eventually deciding to open our brick-and-mortar — Compass Fitness. Jillian had put on large fitness events throughout Denver and I taught very large classes at various events, retreats, and studios — so our goal was to go big or go home. We opened a 7000 sqft gym that has evolved year after year into a real home for the Denver fitness community.

We have such a beautiful community — a very “Cheers” like gym, where everyone knows your name. We had all of the small business challenges, but we never felt alone. Even through the hardest of times — we would put our hopes concerns and needs into the Universe — and somehow, we always made it through. We were working non-stop through covid to keep our doors open…and then cancer hit. I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at the end of 2020. I had to go through a double mastectomy and a 12-week chemo regimen followed by a year of cancer drugs that were rough on my body. As always – our community pulled me through. I’m cancer-free and still teaching classes — and forever grateful I have such a great place to call home.

My real estate business is thriving with the best brokerage in Denver – Milehimodern. I coach my daughter in volleyball, golf, and soccer, and cheer her on VERY loudly in basketball, swimming, and tennis — and I’m eternally grateful that she gets to grow up in a city like Denver. A city where 2 women can open a business and people show up. Where we stand up for things we believe in, and people stand with us. Where we can speak our minds and yell at the top of our lungs, and people hand us a microphone. It’s a delight to live here and do what I do.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Super smooth….a large downhill slide. Just kidding.

Ya know…covid, cancer, property taxes tripling since we’ve opened, competing with gyms opening all around us, weathering every storm you can imagine. But that’s being a small business owner. You have to roll with the punches and take your beating to experience the joy of “making it”.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am one of the owners of Compass Fitness — I have 3 business partners that I have the pleasure of working with daily at the gym. Caitlin Pittaway and Taylor Ames joined Jillian Keaveny and me at Compass Fitness a year after we opened. We each have our style and strengths that we bring to the table, but we all have the same goals. I couldn’t be more grateful for our teaching team and what we have accomplished in 6+ years together.

We are known for our creativity in workouts, never doing the same thing twice — and for bringing authenticity, realness, and humor into our workouts. You’ll leave with a smile on your face and most likely, a new best friend. We offer classes that are full-body, upper-body-focused, lower-body-focused, core/cardio-focused, straight lifting-focused, and a little gem called a bounce class. We use anything from kettlebells to dumbbells, to ski ergs and rowers, to barbells and trampolines. Variety is our specialty — we change our workouts daily and our teachers are the best in the business.

At Milehimodern – my team is second to none. We believe in connection first; every home has a soul-filled story to tell. Our purpose is to bring this story to light by discovering the artistic sizzle, the iconic value, the extraordinary architecture, or simply the narrative of a beautiful life lived in each property.

I’m all about health and wealth. Helping people find their forever homes, create stability, lay down roots, and take care of their bodies and minds at the same time is my absolute dream. I’m so very lucky to have both of these careers to show my daughter where passion can take you.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
The people, the views, the proximity to the mountains and the plains, the sports, the food, the opportunities, and the weather.

The traffic.

Pricing:

• Offering a month of fitness for 59$ for new clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: compassfitnessdenver.com and milehimodern.com
• Instagram: @compassfitnessdenver and @hlorince