Name:
Mary Helen Bowers
How your clients refer to you:
Mary Helen
Company:
Contact info:
How many years have you been in business in NYC?
Eight years
How did you get your start and what was your initial inspiration?
Ballet Beautiful is inspired by my love for ballet and my desire to live a happy, healthy life. I have been dancing since I was a child and spent ten years dancing with New York City Ballet. The life of a dancer is incredibly physical and I found that to look and feel my best onstage, I had to work my body outside of a ballet studio. I began putting together a series of exercises to use for myself backstage and later expanded that mini workout into an entire program to help anyone incorporate the grace and athleticism of ballet into heir everyday life. Sharing Ballet Beautiful with others gives me endless inspiration. It is a joy and a pleasure to bring my love for ballet and passion for wellness to others around the world.
What do you feel differentiates you from others in your field?
Authenticity. There are a lot of workouts that claim to be inspired by dance, but they are founded and run by MBAs. Ballet Beautiful was born of my needs and experiences as a professional ballerina, the ups and downs I've experienced with my body and the desire to make the world of ballet more accessible, friendly and fun. The workout gives results like no other!
What do you feel gives you longevity in this big city with so many options?
Starting a business in NYC takes a lot of hustle. If the product itself is not fantastic, it will never take off much less survive.
How do you positively impact your clientele?
Ballet Beautiful brings joy and health to so many people! It is awesome to know that we are helping people train, changing their bodies and their lives and bringing a bit of glamour and fun to the process!
What is your favorite part of your job?
My clients. I absolutely adore the many amazing women that we work with and train. Nothing is more inspiring to me!!
What is your favorite secret NYC spot?
There are so many magical nooks and crannies in Central Park. Exploring everything all over again with my daughter has been such a joy!
How do you benefit mamas?
We try to make our workouts as challenging and fun as possible in a short amount of time. Time is so precious for moms, we have our studios here in NYC for group classes and private training along with hundreds of targeted videos that are 20 minutes or less in our online Custom Workout subscription. I am a huge proponent of doing what you can, when you can! We just launched group classes in our uptown studio with a great schedule that is super mommy friendly.
What is the most memorable feedback a client has given you?
Just hearing that we have changed someone's life is the biggest reward I can think of! It's incredible because we receive emails with amazing testimonials almost everyday! Just recently I was on the street in the West Village, and a mom stopped me to say that she had been working out with me since the birth of her child and that I taught her son to count. It was too cute!
Pay it forward and name your top colleagues in the same field or related field:
Lauren Santo Domingo and Alexa Chung are hugely inspirational to me both as friends and business women. I also love seeing how Misty Copeland is redefining many people's concept of an athlete. Ballerinas are some of the strongest and fiercest athletes I know.
What is the best advice anyone's ever given you? Or what is your "mantra" / words to live by?
I think it is so important to be true to yourself, and your dreams. Don't listen to the naysayers and plow ahead!
As moms, the day can escape us, what is your best time-saving trick?
Ha! I wish I had the secret here. I find it really tough to try and multitask with work when I am with my kids. I put my phone on airplane mode when I walk in so we can all catch up and relax and pick it up again after everyone is in bed.