Meet April Kaminski of April Kaminski Instructor

Today we’d like to introduce you to April Kaminski.

April, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I never expected to be an entrepreneur, and I never planned on owning my own small business. But when the unexpected news came in November 2016 that the studio that I was teaching at was closing its doors, I suddenly found myself not only unemployed but also struggling with the profound sense of loss of my community, a group of women who I had spent the past 10 years with.

I simply couldn’t let that happen. I began my feminine movement practice a decade before, in 2006. Sitting on a purple mat in a darkened room with no mirrors, I felt a monumental and unexpected shift in a class that I took because I wanted to learn the flirty and taboo art of pole dancing. How fun, right? But boy, was I ever in for a surprise!

Over the next 2 years, I certainly learned how to spin, twirl, climb, flip, and swirl around that chrome dance partner – but oh, so much more. My body was changing, but something deeper was happening. For the very first time in my entire life, I began to have a healthy and loving connection to my own body. I found a confidence I had never experienced, I I felt shame from years of social conditioning around my body issues beginning to melt away. I had a newfound respect for what my body was capable of doing, how strong she was versus basing it on what size I was or how my body looked on the outside. And then, there was something magical happening with us, all of us who were taking classes together.

A community was born. Friendships and bonds were formed, with women who came from all imaginable cross sections of life. Women who, on the outside, couldn’t be more different. Different ages, different backgrounds, different family units, religions, everything. Shared life experiences and the beauty of the tapestry of the “us” wove us together. We cheered each other on in classes and in life. We celebrated our successes, held space for the struggles. Each woman MATTERED. And each one felt like she did.

This experience literally changed the direction of my life. It awakened a deep sense of purpose within me, a deep desire to be a bigger part of this and to share this with as many women as I possibly could. I fell deeply in love with feminine movement, feminine fitness, and the beautiful embodiment of feminine emotionality. I began teaching part-time in 2009, and in 2012 I retired from a 15 year-career corporate America to teach and share this gift full time. I felt like the absolute best version of myself that I had ever known.

So when the studio unexpectedly closed in November 2016, I had two choices – I could either go back to corporate America, or I could figure out a way to continue on my own. I didn’t know what that looked like – I had no idea how to go about it. All I knew was that I HAD to find a way to continue this journey not only for myself but also for my students. It was terrifying. I had no road map, no template, no business model, no studio.

Just my passion, and the unshakable knowing in my very bones that somehow I simply had to make it work. Not doing it, whatever “it” was, was not an option. So I became licensed. I rented space, and I continued to teach my classes. I am still finding my way. And I am deeply proud of that.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has certainly not been a smooth road! I’ve landed myself smack in the middle of being a small business owner. At first, I simply struggled with the logistics of teaching a specialty niche class without having space – where to teach, purchasing equipment, insurance, etc. Once I addressed those basic things, creating functional systems and procedures of a small business became my next challenge. – I literally had to “learn as I went.”

And lastly, my biggest struggle is to continue to find time for myself to train and practice my own personal movement, to not only teach but also to stay a student of movement. That’s incredibly important to me.

Please tell us about April Kaminski Instructor.
I teach a feminine movement modality that inspires women to have a healthy relationship with the body they live in!

The deliberate movement is designed to awaken the curves of the feminine body, to build muscle and strength where the body asks for it – but also to ignite the feminine spirit, and strengthen the whole woman, inside and out. To eradicate shame and celebrate the beauty of the feminine body and spirit. It’s physical, but also spiritual and emotional.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Authenticity, and the desire to connect, really connect, to other people. In a world where automation and technology are increasingly abundant and important, the one thing that connects us to others, more than anything, is a real human connection. That takes choice, agency, and authenticity to show up just the way you are.

I believe that every woman matters and the most precious gift anyone can ever give you is to choose to spend their precious time with you. Time is the one thing that we can never buy, bargain, or create more of.

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