Putting Your Passion to Work: Building Sustainable Partnerships & Doing it All

Part Three - Interview with Beauty & The Bod’s Christie Preston

Welcome back to Part Three of Christie Preston’s Interview Series! So far we’ve brought you Parts One and Two of a Three Part feature. Today, we’re thrilled to share Part Three of Christie’s inspiring journey! Let’s see how Christie builds meaningful, sustainable partnerships and manages to do it all!

Written by: Erin Munro

Part Three: Building Sustainable Partnerships & Doing it All

Hi Christie! Thanks for joining us again for the third and final part of our series featuring Beauty and the Bod. We have loved hearing about your journey, and so have our readers. We’re excited to jump right in and hear more about the partnerships you’ve built with lululemon and totum, and how you manage to do it all!

That’s a lot of questions at once Erin! Let me tackle the partnership one first.

I am so lucky to work with amazing partners. Currently, I am working with lululemon and totum life science.

I knew that I wanted to partner with best in class companies right from the get-go,I wasn’t going to just partner with anyone. As a new business owner or manager, it may be tempting to reach out and jump at the first opportunity available to you, but my advice is to wait and make sure the partnership and collaboration is something you can be proud of! I work closely with lululemon and totum life science, both best in class in their categories, and this is something I am extremely proud to associate with my brand with. Waiting for the right partners is definitely worth it in the end!

Something that was extremely important to me, is how my partnerships would affect my community of Beauty and the Bod members. I wanted them to be able to participate in awesome events, and be able to come to a gym that was clean and where they could have a nice shower after working out. lululemon and totum bring a great added dynamic to Beauty and the Bod, and I love working with them.

That is great advice Christie. It is always important to associate with people and companies that reflect your own values, and those of your company. In the last 2 weeks, I feel as though I have gotten great insights into Beauty and the Bod, and the exciting stage you’re in now. Just to recap for our readers, we talked about developing your business idea, executing, adapting to the changing needs of your clients, overcoming challenges and accepting a helping hand. You run your own business, and do all your website, marketing and administrative work, and you love to cook and travel! Now let’s hear more about the question we’re all dying to have you answer...How do you do it all?!

I take naps!

But in all seriousness, I am a major do-it-yourselfer. I know when to put my hand up, but for now, doing it myself is working for me! I always schedule a nap time off. Some weeks, I am like oh my god, I am not busy enough, and others I am like oh my god I have so much work on my plate I don’t know what to do with myself. I make sleep a priority. Sometimes it’s not a perfect 8 hour night but I try to play catch up when I have time off!

Also I workout! I really do practice what I preach. Daily movement gives me the energy to tackle anything that comes my way!

When it comes to my social life I’m a total bore haha! My idea of a great night is spent at home with Matt. We love to have friends over and do simple dinner parties. Even here I try to keep things stress free. Oh She Glows is our go to recipe book! The meal ideas are amazing and they are all vegan! We are not vegan but we do love a plant focused way of eating! I’m all about balance with how I eat. I will never label myself a “paleo” or a “vegan” or a “ice-cream only eater”! I think whenever you do that it just adds unnecessary stress and expectations.

Actually, just a little while ago, I hosted a birthday party which was supposed to be for 4 people, and 24 people ended up confirming the day of the party! I knew with this kind of crowd that instead of freaking out and trying to make some homemade super healthy dessert thing from scratch that I would just buy a box of cupcakes and make them! Everyone was SO happy - myself included! Sometimes you just need to scale back and prioritize your sanity and have fun with it, so yeah, for me I try to do it all, just not all of the time!

Running your own business is all about ebb and flow. There are times when you’re CRAZY busy and other when I don’t have too much to do and I can just chill. I think a major lesson for me was to simplify as much as possible, then maximize what works! Chill business owner, chill clients. I apply this philosophy to my personal life and my business.

I am guessing nap time is super important for you to stay energized for your hands-on work and fitness regime! So Christie, with learning to balance everything, can you share your greatest learning experiences with us?

That is a great question...I am continuously learning as I go, and I haven’t exactly taken the path most travelled. Firstly, I think it would be learning to be my biggest promoter, and I think this is a challenge and learning experience that many entrepreneurs face. We are always the heart and face of the business and brand, so it can get pretty exhausting to promote yourself 24/7.

When I first started Bod Squad five years ago I would practically whisper to people, “I’ve got this class and I’d love it if you would come”…I was very shy. Then I was out for lunch one day with my sister, and she was like, “Christie, if you don’t want to stand up on this table right now and scream to everyone that ‘I’m doing these classes and they’re amazing’, then no one will care and no one will want to come”. She was so right! You’ve got believe in yourself and project that because if you don’t then no one is going to follow your lead.

Again though, it’s all about balance! Promotion should be natural.

Christie, do you have any final words of advice for our readers? We’ve loved featuring your story, and hope to hear many more great things from you and Beauty and the Bod going forward!

It is easy to get weighed down by complexities and trying to keep up with everything that is happening in our tech savvy environment! My advice would be to simplify, focus on what works and maximize that to your full advantage. You don’t need to fire all day long on every single social media cylinder! Find outlets that works really well for you and your audience and focus on doing them effectively. You don’t need to be everywhere all the time.

Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us Christie, it was truly inspiring to hear about your success and advice for future entrepreneurs!

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Christie Preston is a Toronto native, fellow Branksome Hall graduate and the creator of Beauty and the Bod. Christie’s Bod Squad is the next level workout class! Christie offers group training out of Totum Gyms, Pop-Up locations and of course from the comfort of your own home with personal training packages. If you want a comfortable, friendly atmosphere surrounded by likeminded, fit, fun, and awesome people who are there to support you and cheer you on with every drop of sweat then you've found the ideal place! Christie goes beyond the role of trainer with an interactive blog sharing beauty tips, favourite recipes, travel experiences and so much more! Her kinetic energy will sure get your pulse jumping whether you’re watching and using her workout videos, or joining a class!
If you’ve loved reading about Christie’s journey, head over to our Schmooz Blog for more inspiring stories. If you missed parts one and two, grab a coffee and sit down for a cozy read. If you’re interested in learning more about promoting events and social media, then Art Gallery of Hamilton’s Megan has a story for you.