Making room for yourself: A morning at Pilates by Ashtyn

There’s something worth celebrating about a small business built around helping people feel better.

Pilates by Ashtyn is one of those places. It’s a Columbus studio centered on movement, strength and making space for yourself in the middle of everything else competing for your attention. After spending a morning there recently, I left thinking about the importance of both: supporting the people building something meaningful in our community and being more intentional about taking care of ourselves.

I've known Ashtyn for almost ten years, and if the two of us are in the same room for more than fifteen minutes, we have usually planned about ten new businesses before anyone says goodbye.

That's just how it goes with her. So getting to watch her actually build Pilates by Ashtyn has been especially fun.

A small business with a bigger purpose.

Pilates by Ashtyn is obviously a place to work out, but spending time there made it clear that Ashtyn is building something beyond that. The studio feels personal. Welcoming. And very intentional.

It is the kind of small business where the person behind it is still very much part of the experience, and I think that matters.

One of my favorite things about local businesses is that you can usually feel the person behind them. Their taste is in the details. Their personality is in the way you're greeted. Their values show up in what they choose to prioritize.

Ashtyn has created a space where taking care of yourself doesn't feel intimidating or performative. You show up, move your body, spend some time with good people and leave feeling better than when you walked in. Simple, but important. Especially because most of us are very good at finding reasons not to do it.

Self-care: the things we always push to tomorrow.

Real estate doesn't have many clean edges. Offers come in at nine at night. Inspections happen on Saturdays. Financing can wobble two days before closing. There is almost always another call to return, another problem to solve or another person who needs something.

I love what I do, but for a long time I treated taking care of myself like something I would get to after the busy stretch ended. The problem is that another busy stretch always starts. And I know I'm not unique in that.

Whether you're building a business, raising a family, leading a team, taking care of clients or doing some combination of all of it, it is incredibly easy to give every open space on your calendar to somebody else.

Eventually, you realize self-care can't just be what happens when nothing else needs your attention. Because that day probably isn't coming.

Ninety minutes that didn't need an excuse

What stuck with me most about that morning wasn't actually the Pilates. It was looking around the room.

There were women running businesses, building careers, raising families and carrying responsibilities I probably know nothing about. And every one of them had decided that, for those ninety minutes, they were allowed to be there. Nobody needed to earn it first. Nobody needed to explain why the email could wait. Nobody needed to justify putting themselves on their own calendar.

A few years ago, I'm not sure I would have done that. I probably would have seen ninety open minutes and immediately figured out who else I could give them to. I'm trying to get better about that.

Supporting local and more people building something.

I have such an appreciation for small businesses like Ashtyn's. Columbus has no shortage of talented people taking a chance on something they believe should exist. They're opening studios, restaurants, shops and companies. They're creating jobs, building communities and giving us places that feel distinctly local.

Supporting them matters. And sometimes supporting a local business happens to be good for you, too.

If you've been meaning to move more, make time for yourself or find something that gets you out of your normal routine, take a look at Pilates by Ashtyn. Not because you need one more thing on your to-do list.

Because maybe taking care of yourself deserves to be one of the things that actually stays on it.

And if you’re ready to book a session — you can find her at Pilates by Ashtyn.

The Mancini Group
mandy@themancinigroupsells.com
614-796-5077