

Today we’d like to introduce you to Juliana Duszlak.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Working for myself has long appealed to me. After working various sedentary jobs in the nutrition field as a Registered Dietitian (RD) and enduring long commutes, I was barely home, found limited time to work out, and felt physically drained. The saying “do more of what makes you happy” kept calling to me and I knew something had to change.
I began practicing Pilates in 2010 and Barre in 2015 and immediately fell in love with both methods. I have a long history of dance training that began at the age of 4 and lasted through college, and both Pilates and Barre provide that familiar style of fitness that I was used to and enjoyed throughout a major part of my life. I’ll admit, I was never a gym rat and somewhat struggled with the motivation to workout in a traditional gym setting, but I just never felt that way about dance…and until recently, Barre and Pilates. So, the decision to pursue certifications as an instructor came easy. It wasn’t long after I started instructing that I realized just how much more I enjoyed being in the studio teaching classes over my full-time professional job. In the fall of 2015, after much contemplation and the support of my husband, I made the decision to pursue a slightly different career path that would allow me to branch both my interest and education in nutrition and love of barefoot workouts – on my own time.
For the past few years, I’ve considered myself somewhat of a “freelance” fitness instructor. I’ve had the opportunity to teach regularly at some local studios and continue to work as a dietitian on an independent contractor basis. The goal to open my own studio has been in the making since then. While I was initially searching to find the perfect location, I became pregnant with my first child and decided to put the studio on hold until I had a little bit more time to commit to giving it my all. My daughter Eliana was born January 2017 and by the summer I was anxious to start looking for space again. As luck would have it, the exact location I had been eyeing for the past 2 years became available at the perfect time, so I took that as a sign and decided to go for it!
I signed a lease during the first week of September and we opened our doors to The Barre Effect on October 15th. I couldn’t be happier with the results and response from the community! Life is a bit more hectic these days learning to juggle responsibilities as a small business owner and mom to a 9-month old baby girl, but it’s exactly what I’ve been aiming for and excited that the pieces are finally falling into place. I’ve started to build an amazing team of instructors and have so many ideas to grow the studio, including plans to offer nutrition programs and continue to put my Master’s degree in Dietetics to good use. So much to do, so little time, but I can’t wait to see what the future has in store as a small business owner and I’m learning to embrace the journey along the way!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Honestly, I can’t complain. The biggest struggle is that there are only 24-hours in a day and with a little one at home, the time has been even more pressed than usual. My husband Thomas renovated the entire studio himself while also working his full-time, and I’ve been handling the business side of things. It’s been a learning process for sure, as this is all brand new territory for me, but I’m figuring it out as I go. We also had some help from family and friends who lent a hand getting the studio ready and babysitting when needed – including my brother & sister-in-law who donated their time until 2 am the night before our Grand Opening! But, we pulled it off and I’m thrilled with the results! Still capping off some details here and there, but classes went off without a hitch and we’ve received very positive feedback so far.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the The Barre Effect story. Tell us more about the business.
The Barre Effect is an intimate boutique fitness studio specializing in Barre, Pilates, Yoga, and fusion-fitness classes.
I’m most proud of our talented team of instructors who all have something unique to offer and were willing to take a chance on being part of something brand new. We all have slightly different backgrounds and certifications – ranging from dance to fitness, which allows us to offer a variety of class styles to our clients. In an effort to keep things fun and help set us apart, we’ve created a schedule that offers tried and true methods of Barre, Pilates, and Yoga – including the ever-popular Booty Barre, as well as some fusion-fitness classes. Some of our fusion classes include Barre Roulette, Barre Mixer, Barre Blend (Barre/Pilates/Stretch), Tabata Barre, Ballet Tone and Deep Stretch, Chiseled, Barre & Flow (Barre & Yoga), and Slow Flow Vinyasa with Aromatherapy.
We also offer unique pop-up classes throughout the month to highlight some other style classes we can offer and may add to the schedule in the future. Our first Barre pop-up is called “Barre & Booty Camp” which is a boot-camp style barre class and tons of fun! We pride ourselves on being able to offer a variety of options to our clients to help them stay motivated in reaching their fitness goals and want them to look forward to their workouts with us.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’m not sure if it was luck or fate, but the studio location I had my eye on since I started this process over two years ago just so happened to become available right as I started to search again. I used to drive by the plaza that we now call “home” and always felt drawn to it as the perfect spot for The Barre Effect. It’s on a busy road with high-visibility and easy access to surrounding towns, not to mention close to home making my commute an easy 5-minutes. Sometimes things are just meant to be!
Pricing:
- New Client Special – 2 Weeks UNLIMITED Classes $29
- Single Class $18
- Grand Opening Special – UNLIMITED Month $99 (Limited time only!)
Contact Info:
- Address: 198 Worcester St (STE 3)
North Grafton, MA 01536 - Website: www.barreeffect.com
- Phone: 508-284-6995
- Email: TheBarreEffect@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarreeffect/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebarreeffect/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-barre-effect-grafton
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.