Today we’d like to introduce you to Kat Suwalski.
Kat, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
“Hooping is something that I didn’t believe I could do,” I said at my cardio hooping class. “It took me about two weeks to successfully spin the hoop around my waist. I saw it as a challenge and jumped right into it.” I realized then that success is a single spin around the waist. That success doesn’t come from keeping the hoop up for an hour but rather keeping an open mind and a positive attitude. I found freedom and joy from discovering new ways to move my body and a child-like joy and playfulness that was missing from my life. I am a personal trainer, yoga instructor,opera singer, actress, server and a certified hula hoop instructor. I have written hoop instructor training programs as well a Fitness Presenter. Being inside the hoop made me happy and boosted my confidence; it felt great. It became my obligation to share this passion with the world, one hooper at a time. I love that hooping keeps you in the moment; it’s not important what is going on around you, all that matters is the hoop. I can feel my stress melting as I am hooping. The bonus for me was that I could see my body changing. I felt empowered by the hoop.
Wildkat Hoops was born. Now, almost eight years later we craft specialized customized hula hoops, hold hooping classes for a fabulous cardio workout, and host birthday parties and other events. We believe it is everyone’s right to express themselves and to be healthy and strong. The hoop is a fabulous medium for achieving that! The movement created a wonderful transition into yoga for me too. It’s important to find stillness and ease to create clarity and alignment in both the body and the mind.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road wasn’t smooth at all. I first saw a friend hooping a hole in the wall bar in Allston. The 15 people in the bar were totally transfixed on this rotating hoop. She gladly let me use the hoop. I gave it a whirl and it fell – like a bunch of rocks. The crowd of 15 people kept dwindling down until one guy tapped me on the shoulder and told me to give the hoop back to my friend. I felt so deflated. The next day, I went on Etsy to purchase one, I bought a hoop because of the colors (pink sparkles and glow-in-the-dark should spin best, right?) It was mid-winter when the hoop was delivered to me and my one bedroom apartment could barely fit the spinning hoop so I would go outside in my winter jacket – not understanding the first about hooping (like maybe a huge puffy jacket isn’t going to help my hooping). I would spend hours in the backyard basically doing squats to pick the hoop up after it would fall over and over again. Even though I hadn’t had success in hooping, I loved it and decided to make hoops. I felt like the joy I got from one spin should be shared and that maybe making hoops was better suited for me. I started playing with different size hoops and figured out the bigger the hoop the more accessible it is. I made a bigger hoop and was finally able to understand the mechanics of it! It was such a surge of excitement when I was able to get the hoop going and because of all the practice I had before it helped me to understand the physics of hooping as well as the compassion that is needed to help encourage someone to do it!
The other big obstacle was that hooping wasn’t a traditional exercise. It can be really challenging to get people to take it ‘seriously’. People think of it as a child’s game, but I found it to help people in so many different ways from releasing stress and anxiety to a workout tool, a hoop offers a tool to work on different personal and physical issues.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into WildKat Hoops story. Tell us more about the business.
My exceptional and relatable teaching style. My approach to teaching which respects the art and skill of teaching itself. Just knowing how to do something isn’t enough to teach – I pride myself on working my teaching skills. I offer clear-cut guidance in a supportive environment. I have a toolbox of different verbiage to give multiple strategies in having success with the hoop. I am known for my kind and optimistic attitude.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
Hooping.org, podcast – The moth, RadioLab, This American Life, Alice isn’t Dead
Books – Jeff Foster – The Deepest Acceptance, Paulo Coelho – The Alchemist
Pricing:
- Classes $14-18
- Hoops $25-35
- Parties $150+
- Roving Entertainer $100+
Contact Info:
- Address: Classes: 217 N Main St. Natick, MA 01760
- Website: www.wildkathoops.com
- Email: wildkathoops@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildkathoops/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madkathoops/
Image Credit:
Patrick Kibbles
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
