Meet Restore_NI #01BPP
First impressions are important, clicking with people is important. It’s all about the human connection and last Saturday, Restore_NI were the first to take part in the #businessportraitsproject which was all about that!
Sometimes we can meet people and if we’re lucky, they make an ever lasting impression for the good and both Sally and Sarah absolutely did with me. They provided a sanctuary where women could reconnect with themselves and others over fitness, relaxation and food. What more could you ask for?
Sally and I connected through Instagram and spoke about her taking part in the project. Based in Ballycastle, the retreat was held at Benmore CrossFit with Sarah and together these women empowered those who attended.
Normally I’m a hugger, when I meet someone I’m happy to hug or professional me will shake hands and say hi but that part of normality hasn’t been rectified yet. It’s so weird still meeting people for the first time asking about masks and talking about vaccinations but that’s our normality now. That safety element, not only for myself, but towards others is stronger than what I thought it would be, but you have to respect others environments and health too. But looking around, it was so great to see this group of women, chatting and being themselves, genuinely just enjoying each other’s company. After introductions and explaining what I was doing, I loved that when I told them to ignore me, they did. (like, have you ever tried to do ring rows with a camera in your face?) Because of this, their images are natural and not forced. There’s always a goofy photo to be taken, because you just gotta laugh right!?!
As Sally instructed through the Pilates session, I loved seeing how each person connected to their body, through poses and the flow of their bodies movement, breathing and focusing on themselves. Their poses made them work their body and mind together and you could see how they glowed at the end of their session. As part of their introduction with the group, Sally and Sarah stated we may not have been in Bali sponsored by Vogue, or the Galgorm sponsored by the Ulster Tatler, but a retreat was more about connecting with ourselves and listening to our bodies and minds and being productive with taking care of ourselves. What Sally and Sarah provided for these ladies was more than their surroundings, it let each person know it’s ok to be selfish every now and then and look after yourself. With each conversation you can see they take a genuine interest and care with each person that took part and for me, that was a delight to capture!
Sarah was the CrossFit instructor and at Benmore CrossFit she kept the ladies busy with squats with medicine balls and ring rows. I’d end up knocking myself out with the ball or choking myself on the rings but even I saw how much fun it was and these ladies kicked ass. Sarah pushed them to work hard, not only individually but together as their groups, supporting and encouraging as each set progressed. She took the time to show each step and repeated the process when asked. No judgement - no pressure.
What I really loved about Sally and Sarah was their work ethic, their drive and passion for what they do shines. You feel encouraged and welcome, no matter age, shape or level of fitness. It’s your journey and they are all about supporting you. They have a joy for what they do and the service they provide. Both ladies are super supportive and I loved that even though they are highly professional, you can laugh and can still be yourself as they engage and connect with you. It was really evident in how they talked with the ladies there and if I wasn’t 65 miles away I’d definitely be back!
I loved that after such a long period of time, where we’ve not been able to get together to meet people in person, face to face, reading body language, hearing another person’s voice whose not in your ‘bubble’ through a phone or having meeting or conversations through a screen, everyone was at ease. Genuine happiness and real conversations, people making you laugh and feeling good. That’s what it’s all about. There was nothing but pure joy showing between these ladies and Sally and Sarah created that. How awesome are they!?! I’m gutted I couldn’t stay for the food and wine with Caroline of @IrishFeast but the photos on their instagram makes me think the food was highly enjoyed along with Caroline’s company.
As part of the project, the mini email interview is sent to ask how covid and the lack of human connection has impacted their business and them as business owners. Here’s what Sally and Sarah had to say:
Please introduce yourself and your business
We are Sally Laverty and Sarah Bell and we run Restore NI. The focus of our business is ‘true self care for women’. We run day retreats and longer weekend / mid week retreats for women. All provide an opportunity for women to get together, taking some time out of the daily grind to exercise and reinforce healthy habits. Some offer the chance to go deeper, helping women to navigate the post natal and menopausal world. All are safe spaces to talk openly about health issues and identify practical ways to implement self care activities into daily life.
How has covid impacted your business and how have you adapted to keep it going through the pandemic?
Sarah and I both run our own businesses outside of Restore. I am a physiotherapist and Pilates instructor with my own studio and treatment room in Ballycastle, and Sarah is a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer and Nutrition coach and runs her own CrossFit gym with her husband John, also in town.
The pandemic has brought many challenges for our day to day businesses, financially, logistically and let's not forget the joys of having to navigate the world of zoom classes! However, we saw coming out of lockdown as the perfect opportunity to launch Restore and encourage women to reconnect.
As the project is focusing on the factor of human connection, how has your lack of human connection and face to face engagement impacted on you as a business and/or as an individual?
There has obviously been a financial cost to not being able to see clients face to face for a considerable period of time. Some were not so keen to enter the Zoom world and others started to experience Zoom fatigue after a few months so we definitely lost clients and therefore income. However, it is fair to say that we (like most humans), are sociable creatures and the biggest impact on us was to our own mental health. As a physio Sally saw firsthand the impact that the lack of social connection was having on people mentally and physically - neck pain, back pain, general fatigue, anxiety, depression. I know how difficult I found the first lockdown when I was unable to see clients and was at home with 3 kids day in, day out for months.
The impact on my post natal clients has been enormous - the isolation that many of these women have experienced is unimaginable (and probably a subject worthy of a blog of its own)! Sarah and John were just about to open their gym when lockdown began and since that date in April spent around 8 months of their first year closed. They kept focused by recording daily workouts for their youtube channel and by running daily zoom classes earlier this year once they had been open and able to establish a membership.
Has your customers or clients gave you any feedback on how they were impacted with the restrictions while using your service?
Sarah knows that those who joined the zoom classes earlier this year felt a real sense of community despite the physical distance. It made quite a difference to have some routine albeit only via the laptop. Those members maintained and developed their strength and fitness rather than allow it to slip away. Restore is completely new and we very much hope that we'll not see another lockdown to have to experience it.
As your business focuses on well being, have you felt that your customers and yourself as a business owner has felt more negative, stress levels or anxiety increase due the lack of social norms, for example, how we are able to greet, like stating you’ve been vaccinated, wearing of masks so not able to read facial expressions clearly, not able to hug or shake hands? Has the simple forms of body language hindered your communication?
The levels of stress and anxiety in people over the past 18 months have been colossal. Anyone who works in a role where they spend 1-1 time with clients will tell you that there has been a lot of negativity about. One of the challenges is to not absorb too much of that in order to keep being able to support the clients as well as possible.
I have found that having a very open conversation with clients the minute they step out of their car has been a really effective way of managing all the issues around masks and sanitising. Most people are really happy to talk about their concerns and are glad that they have been addressed. It is still perfectly possible to read body language on a person that is wearing a mask!
In a society that’s all about social media, what impact has this had on your business and do you find that restrictions from covid have made accessing your clients easier or have they stated if they preferred it over real life sessions?
We all know that social media is a double edged sword - it is free advertising for our businesses but a huge consumer of our time. Zoom classes bring some reduced logistics as everyone participating is organising themselves at home. As instructors we just have to open up our laptops and go. However, there are additional problems that came up from time to time in terms of technology, connection, communication delays and sometimes visibility problems. It is possible to see more people in one go or in a set period of time but the service is different and understandably has its limitations.
With your first session back, it was interesting to see how everyone engaged, did you find anybody felt any insecurity or hesitance in booking or did they need any reassurance on your social distancing and sanitising processes?
We had a couple of enquiries around logistics that didn't result in a booking so it is possible that those people didn't feel ready. However, we sold all our tickets and nobody raised any concerns during the event. We had all of the hand cleaning facilities, room ventilation and opportunity for social distancing. We marked cups so nobody mistakenly shared them, snacks were individually served, and guests came up to be served food in the evening to limit sharing of utensils etc.where practicable. We also encouraged participants to do a lateral flow test beforehand so everyone felt as though they had done all they reasonably can to stay healthy and well whilst still enjoying getting back to life!
Finally, if you have any other comments about human connection with your business, please feel free to share
We were both bowled over by the power of our first event. Getting amongst our clients is what we're about and it was really quite special to witness it in others and for ourselves at the same time.
Go check these ladies out on their socials and give them some insta love!
Huge thanks again for taking part and letting me into your working environment, it was fun and so lovely to meet you all.
Jx