Today we’d like to introduce you to Hope Pedraza.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I fell in love with dance at the age of three and never stopped moving. Born and raised a Southern girl in Louisiana, I have had a passion for rhythm and movement since I could walk, and I danced my way through high school and college when I discovering Pilates. I started teaching Pilates and group fitness classes in college at the campus rec center and to the Louisiana Tech athletes like the football team, girls and boys basketball team and volleyball team. I continued teaching as a side hustle as I graduated with my Master’s Degree and began working full time s a teacher and dance coach.
After a decade of teaching fitness and earning certifications in fitness and Pilates, including becoming a licensed Fletcher provider, a 500 Hour BASI Comprehensive Pilates, a Certified Personal Trainer through ACSM, a certified Nutrition Coach through NAFC as well as The Nutritious Life and is a Board Certified Member of the America Association of Drugless Practitioners, I opened inBalance in 2012, a fitness and wellness studio offering Pilates, barre, dance, yoga and fitness classes in San Antonio, Texas. I have actually presented the opportunity from the owner of a yoga studio who was going to close down. I thought, well here is my shot, I’ll buy it and see what happens! So, I bought it, changed the name and rebranded to make it inBalance. I selfishly wanted to make my studio what I would want to do; which is to have a place where I could get everything I needed in one place. Why go to four or five different places when I could do it all in one place!
My goal with inBalance is to help others experience the joy of movement and the peace-of-mind that true health brings. While running my business in its start-up phase with a full-time job, I eventually “retired” from my day job as a high school teacher and dance team coach, so I could devote my time and energy to my studio, to focus on my true passion and love of health and fitness, share the concepts and techniques of Pilates and my love of movement with other people, to provide a sense of belonging and community, and to educate them on the power of purposeful movement.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course not! I don’t know what business has a smooth road (I would like to all of those who didn’t have struggles!). When I first bought the studio, I was going through a divorce so for me, it was all or nothing. I had a lot to prove and was determined to prove I could do it. It was hard, like really hard. I was working full-time teaching and coaching cheer and dance and teaching over 15 classes a week. These were long, hard days, filled with uncertainty, but through all that, I knew I would make it work. I never gave myself the option to do otherwise. And since then, of course, there have been other struggles, making business decisions with zero business experience or a business school degree; I have learned it all from trial and error! But I think I am stronger because of it; stronger as a human and stronger as a businesswoman. I can say I value all the struggles because it has brought me where I am today.
After starting my studio, I realized that I really wanted to expand what I had created and I wanted to empower other women to do what I had done; to be able to do what they love in fitness and wellness while creating a space to help make people feel good! I decided to franchise in 2017 and sold my first 2 in 2018 and have plans for expansion outside San Antonio and beyond!
Please tell us about inBalance.
I created inBalance with one goal in mind: To give people an opportunity to love movement as much as I do, and provide them options for classes that they will find nowhere else in town. I wanted to create a space to inspire people to nurture their body and their soul, and to provide a sense of belonging and community with students. Classes at inBalance rely on a variety of proven methods that take students out of their comfort zone, strengthening the body and improving flexibility by developing a balance that utilizes fun and focused approach to movement, and all of this is done with top-notch instructors. inBalance isn’t to create a fad dedicated to fitness. The goal is to create a lifestyle that demonstrates a love of movement and prides itself on connecting the mind, body, and spirit for wholeness. Our workouts and our classes are amazing, and they are effective! We offer five signature classes, classes created by me that you will find nowhere else, they are proprietary to inBalance; and in addition to these, we also offer traditional yoga and pilates. Our studio and our classes are built on these pillars.
Inclusive
Our instructors are real people, just like you. And they’re dedicated to you: they were trained here, they stay here, and they’re always your workout partners. They’re not standing around barking orders, they’re working out with you! Each class is modified to YOUR level and where YOU are when you walk in the door; no expert knowledge of fitness needed, we meet you where you are. Everyone is included and everyone is welcome.
Innovative
Most commercial barre studios and franchises teach a barre method that was created over 50 years ago. inBalance barre was created by Hope Pedraza (me), to incorporate more muscle groups using actual ballet and dance movements in a cardio and interval style workout igniting your metabolism. After seeing the effectiveness and popularity of inBalance Barre, I took the same approach and her methodology to develop even more ways to work the body to create 4 more inBalance signature classes. Our classes are designed to progress, change, and evolve over time so that you are always evolving, never plateauing. In addition to the 5 signature classes, inBalance provides classes that build a foundation for movement as well as opportunities for recovery, with classes like yoga, mat pilates, and restorative classes.
Empowering
Our classes take everything you’ve got, so it is a full mind and body experience. They are designed to make you feel strong and powerful, so you feel good in your body and can own every part of it. With our love of movement at the heart of our studio, you learn how to move and feel fully empowered by the time you leave.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I think some of my favorite memories are my days as a dancer; I love to dance I loved the relationships it built and the memories ai have with those girls last a lifetime. Remembering the rehearsals, the recitals, the competitions, performing at football games, I loved every minute of it.
Pricing:
- We have a 2 week Try us Pass for $59
Contact Info:
- Address: 23535 IH 10 West Suite 1203
San Antonio, TX 78257 - Website: inbalancesanantonio.com
- Phone: 210-852-4020
- Email: hope@inbalancesanantonio.com
- Instagram: @inbalancesa
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inbalancesa/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/inbalance-san-antonio-2?osq=inbalance+san+antonio
Image Credit:
Photographer: Bryan Butts
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston 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.
