Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Wotowiec.
Hi Bill, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
After concluding a full career in the federal government, I was looking for an interesting retirement gig. I enjoyed parkour and w began discussions with a parkour gym owner about potential franchise opportunities. A pandemic limited my options to an immediate decision to buy an entire parkour gym a year before retirement – and in a pandemic… I took the plunge and quickly learned how to be an entrepreneur!
Once I was over the initial shock of running a physically based business during a pandemic, I began to bring my experience and background with cognitive science to create something new. We rebranded as MindShift Gym and moved to a new facility in Reston. MindShift is really a movement studio that exists to encourage “every body” to move since mobility is so important to our long term physical and brain health! We’re strongly community focused and extremely accessible no matter where you are in your personal journey. We teach small group classes in all sorts of fun and novel movements such as parkour, aerial silks/lyra, acro tumbling, many dance styles (jazz, contemporary, ballet, line dancing, bollywood, bellydancing, flips, yoga, sound baths, and even hula hooping! Our clients range in age from 6-96.
One of my favorite things about owning an accessible movement studio in Reston is the community! We joined the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce and have made so many wonderful partnerships that have resulted in fantastic opportunities to share movement and wellness with various groups like the Boys and Girls Club, Reston Association, Gabriel Homes, Growing Kids, Sterling Middle School, Reston Community Center, and a number of other small local businesses! We’re striving to broaden our connections to local corporations, senior centers, and emergency responders with some of our specialized safe movement offerings…
The science is real – moving in a novel way, through a novel environment, in a social setting (plus getting good sleep) are the best ingredients for a longer healthspan – and who doesn’t want that? Plus our classes are fun – our favorite quote is “we don’t stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing!”
Alright, 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?
Smooth might not be my first choice in adjectives for my path to MindShift, it has been interesting, a learning experience, and often times a lot of fun… but also lots of hard work and many fits and starts in our ongoing attempt to bump the dollars in up over the dollars out. Starting with the pandemic, gyms and physical experiences have had to struggle to reconnect with the community members, social media, instant video access, and increasing prices aren’t the most conducive environment for growth – however, MindShift fills a unique niche as a community of people of all ages that like to move and have fun experiences together! We’d love to meet you and help you find a movement that fits your style…
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about MindShift Gym?
Much of this is in the two previous answers. Some additional interesting pieces include that we also have a mobile training unit for private parties or community events – it’s a modified Firetruck that you can do parkour or aerial silks from – her name is Flash! Beyond just being cool, the connection is that French firefighters were the first professional group to use parkour in their work. We now have a professional 20 hour course called Adaptive Movement for High Pressure Professionals (AMP) that combines parkour moves for safety with team cognition and communication.
We also have a specialized program called PKSilver which is for seniors and targets balance, core strength and fall prevention through really fun classes.
We love to do private experiences and events, community gatherings and corporate team building – we have a number of partners that allow some really amazing sessions – consider an aerial silks team intro with a sound bath, or an accessible parkour intro with a massage session after. We can even add on a certified leadership coach to provide innovation and problem solving discussions and communication assessments!
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Resilience and flexibility are the most important abilities that allow us to keep moving forward and that movement is what is enabling us to make more connections and create support across our local community! A playful attitude and social connects are what engenders a happier and healthier life!
Keep moving together…
Pricing:
- Drop in class $35
- 10 class punch card $315
- Monthly unlimited membership $220
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mindshiftgym.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindshiftgym
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindshiftgym
