Staying Nimble in Business with Kristi Stuart

Sep 5 2023 • 33 mins

Melanie Nicholson welcomes Kristi Stuart - co-founder of Barre Belle Studios, Nutrition Coach, and Personal Trainer - to the show to talk about how she helped guide her business through Covid and what it looks like to take steps in a new direction after. Kristi is always accomplishing new goals and sets an example by never stopping in defeat.

Kristi shares the story of Barre Belle’s pivot into online to survive Covid and describes how it felt like she and her partners were “learning to fly as they built the plane”. She credits the willingness of her partners and the incredible community of support built around Barre Belle for making their new directions successful. However, Kristi admits to Melanie that she struggled with depression later in the pandemic and wanted to do something new. Melanie learns how Kristi dove back into school to study nutrition and dig deep in the lack of information surrounding perimenopause experiences for women. Kristi’s ability to push through adversity and never rest on laurels drives her to new successes and she is a testament to listening to yourself and pursuing what truly makes you complete.

“I would have absolutely made the same business decisions. I think we had advisors and we made the best decisions we had with the information that we had at the time. And I still am 100% happy with those decisions. What I might have done differently is I might have been a bit more open with the community as to how I was feeling because I'm very much an open book. You ask me any question and I'll tell you the answer. And I did have my guard up for the first time I felt, in my life, with my community, I had my guard up a bit because I was so terrified and there was so much uncertainty.” - Kristi Stuart

About Kristi Stuart

Kristi Stuart is certified as a Nutrition Coach and Personal Trainer and has a BSc in Cell and Molecular Biology. She is currently studying to become a Certified Menopause Support Practitioner.

We talk a lot about lifespan but Kristi wants to focus on health span. Health span is “the period of life spent in good health, free from the chronic diseases and disabilities of aging.” She wants to help you increase your health span so you can live the life you’ve always imagined.

Contact Melanie Nicholson | Melanie Lynn Communications Inc.

Contact Kristi Stuart

Transcript

Melanie Nicholson: [00:00:03] Hey, everyone, and welcome to It's A Theory. I'm Melanie Nicholson, and I'm taking you inside the world of leaders and entrepreneurs who are taking ideas and concepts and putting them into action. What really happened when they put theory into practice? Let's find out. Today, we're talking with an award-winning entrepreneur, Kristi Stuart. Kristi grew her first business, Barre Belle, to become one of the 5% of female-founded companies that had multi-million dollar revenues and became Canada's largest female-founded and owned fitness brand. And then there was a pandemic which forced an extreme pivot both personally and professionally. We're going to talk to Kristi about all of this and about the launch of two new companies in the last year and a half. Kristi has a BSc in molecular biology and biochemistry. She's a certified menopause support practitioner and has completed her certification in both personal training and nutrition coaching from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. I also have first-hand experience of doing an online workout with Kristi, and let me tell you, she will make you work. So excited to have Kristi on the podcast today. Let's dive in.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:01:14] Kristi, welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited to have you here. My colleague and I were saying we both feel like we know you and that you're already our friend because we've both taken your workout classes before. But I want to start there because I think while your journey has been one so inspiring to watch, I think it also highlights that social media only tells part of the story. We don't really know, so we feel like we know you, but I think we know zero about you in reality. So I'm excited to learn more. But I wanted to start with have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur? Was that something that you always saw yourself doing or did you just land there?

Kristi Stuart: [00:01:50] Literally just landed there? Never once thought about it. I thought I would have a stable job. I frankly didn't think I had the constitution for it. And sometimes I still wonder if I have the constitution for it.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:02:04] Oh I feel that every day.

Kristi Stuart: [00:02:06] Yeah. So, no, it was... it was never, never a plan.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:02:11] You started Barre Belle, you're a co-founder of Barre Belle, in 2016. Do I have that right? Doing so well. Everything was there. But I want to go back to early 2020 because I think that was really when there was a big, the big shift that a lot of you running a fitness organization, everything shuts down. What happened there? You went online. Were you already online? How did you navigate the early stage of the pandemic?

Kristi Stuart: [00:02:39] Yeah, so we were fortunate in that we had originally gone online in late 2018. Now it wasn't streaming. It was we had gone and we had filmed videos just because we had had clients who would go away for the summer and they loved the workout so much they wanted to still be able to keep up with their fitness level while they were gone. So we went and we filmed, so we had some online content available and then 2020 hit. And so it was very much all of a sudden kind of the fitness community in Calgary came together and just said, Holy crap, what are you doing? What are you doing? And we were on this email chain and talking about Zooms and it was very much - because we didn't do Zooms before when we had previously done a recording - so I remember sitting with my team and we'd be on Zoom and we were trying to figure out how do you play music while you talk without cutting it in the background, just like these simple things, but that were extremely important, right? And you know, at the beginning everyone was very, very forgiving. And, you know, like you'd, you were just very much winging it. And I still, like when I think back to kind of when the pandemic happened, it was very much sheer panic on one hand. And just like really and truly not quite comprehending the gravity of what was happening while at the same time holding on to dear life and being like, okay, we've got to put something out there for our clients because there has to be some sense of normalcy with what we're doing or we're just - me, can't speak for anybody else - just gonna fall apart. So it was the weirdest time ever.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:04:17] And I think that when you really, it's not just the business side, you're also trying to hold your personal life together. And when, because no one knew what was going on.

Kristi Stuart: [00:04:25] I remember messaging my kid's teachers and saying, you know, I know they've got homework. I know tests are coming up, but my business is falling apart and I'm barely keeping it together. So if my kids don't - at the time they were maybe eight and ten, ten and twelve, it all who knows, right, it all blends in at that time - but messaging them and saying, I can't support my kids at all during this time because I have the capacity to do one thing right now because my life is crumbling around me. And so this is going to give. And I just I never in my life would have sent an email like that. But it was very much, oh, my God, like my world was just falling apart around me. And it was I need to focus on something or I'm literally going to going to fall apart. And that was, you know, not that you could do your business at the expense of your family, but it was at online school and they were in elementary school. So I'm like, you know what? It's very low risk to be like, oh, you guys are doing your online school? Or who knows? Who knows what you're doing.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:05:27] Somewhere over there.

Kristi Stuart: [00:05:29] But I'm like, I'll make sure you feed. I'll make sure you've got your basic needs met. And whether you're online playing video games with your friends or doing school, that's like, I couldn't I'm like, I can't control that. I can't micromanage that. Something's got to give. And that gave.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:05:42] You can't do everything all the time, all at once. It's not the movie. What's the movie title? Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. It's so wrong. It's impossible. So I think, thank you for being honest about how hard that was, because I think a lot of people don't realize how that navigation, it was so different for everyone and so hard in different ways. One of the things you said to me previously is that you were learning a new business as it was happening. Is that like when you look at that online space like, is that essentially a new business? I mean, you've got the fitness, the fitness studios, the in-person, is it essentially relearning the whole game then?

Kristi Stuart: [00:06:22] Absolutely. And it was really, it was I have to say, that was the one, if there was anything exciting about Covid, what was, that was it because all of a sudden we were accessing people who had followed us online or knew who we were, but maybe lived in Saskatchewan or maybe lived somewhere in Calgary even, or, you know, at one point we were streaming in 20 different countries around the world. That was the neatest thing, seeing people who discovered us, who didn't know us before Covid or had never taken a Barre Belle class, and all of a sudden we were sweating alongside with them. And that to me was the coolest thing. So you were learning, you were learning, you know, not only how do you make a really good product, an online product that has great production value, but also then how do you get it out into the world and the costs associated with that? And it was a brand new business and we were you know, I like to say with Barre Belle, we were flying the plane while we were making it, and the online was almost like we were like on a rocket ship while we were building it.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:07:25] The trajectory would have just been straight up.

Kristi Stuart: [00:07:27] It was. And I think because we had had the, we'd had the infrastructure already there, because we'd previously done videos, we were at a bit of an advantage in the sense that it was very easy for us to pivot into this new realm because we had had experience in it before. So we were lucky in that capacity. And also, you know, our community is the best community and they were all missing us so much. So they all jumped online as well with us and brought their friends in. And it was nice because, you know, remember when early pandemic when you'd have like drinking parties with your friends on Zoom like, right, and this was another way to connect with people because we were like, what do you mean we can't see you in person? And especially because ours are in person, you know, like people would come in and they didn't know each other and all of a sudden they're best, like they became best friends. And all these really phenomenal relationships were established and people were really missing that community aspect. So too, we wanted our one of our main goals, in addition to, you know, making a great video, was how do we then replicate the community that we had online and keep that going for people who desperately need it? Because we were all like stunned, like dazed and confused for so long.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:08:43] And how do you do that? How did you do that?

Kristi Stuart: [00:08:46] It was really challenging because, you know, like right now we're talking face to face, but there's something missing when you're not in person with one another, right? And so it was very much getting comfortable being in front of the camera, like really comfortable imagining as though you're there. Because one of the things that I always do is I always tell stories while I'm teaching. And so it was telling stories while you're in front of the camera and then connecting. So, okay, we put this video out. Well, then when people would respond, it'd be like, Oh my gosh, I love it. And then you get into a conversation with them. So it was really trying to engage to say, you know, you still need this community, we still need you, let's continue it. And I think initially it was very natural for people to do that because everyone was missing that contact so much that they were very much willing to, okay, Well, let's start this conversation online through a platform.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:09:40] It sounds easy in the grand scheme of things, but it's not. And I know it's not. And it's, but what was presented as someone who also followed, it looked seamless. It looked like, oh, hey, we've flipped online and now we're this and here's the community and it's just all happening. But it can't have been that easy.

Kristi Stuart: [00:10:01] Oh, it was. I like to say, like, you know, one thing that we, that my partner and I and our entire team were so good at, were creating community. And I still believe that that's why we were successful so quickly off the bat was because we created this incredible space that people really wanted to become a part of. And so while it wasn't easy to make that community online, it did come naturally. What didn't come naturally, what was really hard behind the scenes, was how literally everything else felt like it was falling apart and you had to put that forward face on to say it's okay, because so many women, we had so many messages from people saying, You guys are what's keeping me sane during this pandemic. And so, you know, we had many discussions where we just felt, you know, we can't fall apart. Like, you know, you want to be honest and authentic to who you are. But at the same time, there was a lot of things behind the scene that like, legally we couldn't talk about, but that were, you know devastating. So it was nice to have that. You know, you don't want to say you're putting on a performance, but you almost were and like I was. And it took me out of that, Oh, my God, like, I'm falling apart here too. I'm doing this for my community because they need it. And so it gave me a purpose when my previous purpose had just imploded. So I was, on one hand, it was very easy and because it was like the only good thing that was happening at that point, because everything else was just kind of, I don't want to say falling apart, that's too dramatic, but...

Melanie Nicholson: [00:11:40] Confusing and uncertain.

Kristi Stuart: [00:11:43] Uncertain, uncertain. Yeah.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:11:46] Is there anything you would have done differently through that transition period?

Kristi Stuart: [00:11:51] I would have absolutely made the same business decisions. I think we had advisors and we made the best decisions we had with the information that we had at the time. And I still am 100% happy with those decisions. What I might have done differently is I might have been a bit more open with the community as to how I was feeling because I'm very much an open book. You ask me any question and I'll tell you the answer. And I did have my guard up for the first time I felt, in my life, with my community, I had my guard up a bit because I was so terrified and there was so much uncertainty. And I did feel that if I started sharing, I like wouldn't be able to stop. And also, I don't like when people feel sorry for me. And I was getting a lot of and it was all very genuine, We feel so badly for you. And people did, right, and I appreciated that. But I also didn't want to be a victim and I didn't want, I don't like when people feel sorry for me. And so I felt, you know, if I'm truly honest and sharing how I'm feeling and what's going on, then I'm going to get that outpouring, and I just don't, it just makes me very uncomfortable.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:13:09] But I also think that, like, whether you intend to be an entrepreneur or not, every single person I know that is an entrepreneur, there is some level of that in their gut where it's like, I will figure this out. Just give me a minute. Don't talk about it because I might, because I might cry, but I will find my way. I just need a minute and I need the right people to help me work through. Here's my concept now I need to get it over here.

Kristi Stuart: [00:13:37] It's so true that you say that because you're, you want to be like, never say die. And also, yeah, I don't... I'm a very vulnerable person. But there are certain things like, you know, the business it was so great and it was really changing due to Covid and I felt a lot of responsibility. And even though, you know, I didn't create Covid, you know, our business was set up, we ran it a specific way that Covid was really detrimental to us. But so I felt, oh my God, how did I not have a problem solve for this? Why didn't I see a pandemic and plan for it? Come on, Kristi, be better. Be better.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:14:25] I was just gonna say. Unacceptable.

Kristi Stuart: [00:14:26] Unacceptable. So I did. I felt like a lot of shame and responsibility and, like, I should have had answers because as the leader, you know, you don't have all the answers, but you can always say, you know what, I'm going to think about this and I'm going to get back to you and we're going to figure it out. But you couldn't figure out Covid. You couldn't get back to people with an answer. And so that I felt, I did feel like I was letting a lot of people down. And I really struggled with that. And so I felt, you know, if I was truly saying what was going on behind the scenes for myself, that I just, that I just couldn't. There was just something in me, I just couldn't because I didn't want to fall apart, I guess.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:15:08] And then did you hit a moment where you knew it was time for some change for you from a business, from a personal, I mean, you're still involved with Barre Belle, you're still a co-founder, but you have made some changes. When did you know you needed to make a change?

Kristi Stuart: [00:15:25] So it was about early 2022. We had gone through the ringer, gone through the ringer with Barre Belle, and I noticed that I felt like I was still in survival mode or had all of a sudden gone back into survival mode, where I couldn't - and Barre Belle truly is the greatest thing I've ever done in my life. I am so proud of what we created. It is an amazing company but I was starting to feel like I couldn't, I wasn't contributing in the way that I previously had. I just, I was really depressed, like, you know, when we had opened because, you know, we had nine studios pre-Covid, we had to permanently close eight of them. And then in January 2022, we opened up a new one in Calgary. So we had one left over in Toronto and one in Calgary. And so it was like, okay, well we should be like back to normal and good to go when I think because all of a sudden it was like - I don't know if it was all of sudden the adrenaline crash or what happened - but I just realized I was like, Man, I'm like, really not well mentally. I realized I was like, I was very depressed and I was not sure where to go. And I felt like I wasn't bringing my best self to Barre Belle anymore.

Kristi Stuart: [00:16:45] And I couldn't continue doing that because I didn't want to have any negative impact on the company or on the brand. And so on my own, I just started, I said, I need a couple of things for myself now. And so I got my nutrition certification and I started doing, like, personal training and that was great. And then I start like, you know, like I was really exploring, like, this sounds odd, like my body and the way I was feeling. And that's when I kind of realized I was experiencing a lot of, like, perimenopausal symptoms. I was like, I was going for like, I was going crazy and all these things. And so I spent a lot of time really like researching. And then I realized I wanted to do a course in perimenopause. And so talk to my partners, and, you know, like we have a very open communication and relationship. And, you know, we were all like, no one was thriving. But everyone, you know, you kind of, I guess that's the good thing about having, one of the great things about having partners, is, you know, like how they say in a marriage, if you don't get divorced, it's because no one wanted to get divorced at the same time.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:17:59] Because everyone's working, you balance each other out.

Kristi Stuart: [00:18:03] Exactly. And so we all, when I was low, they were high. When I was high, you know, like we all really balanced each other out. And I was at a point where I was like, you know what, guys? I just need a bit of a breather because I'm not my best self right now and I need to get back there. And they were just so incredibly supportive as I knew they would be. And so, um, yeah, so I stopped teaching at the studio for a bit and filmed a bit online, but really focused on schooling.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:18:37] Good for you.

Kristi Stuart: [00:18:38] Yeah. Yeah. Thank you.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:18:39] And did that give you that refocus, that moment to sort of redirect into a different way?

Kristi Stuart: [00:18:46] It really did. It felt as though when I started school late last year, I was like, Oh, there's that, there's Kristi again. Like, I'm a very optimist, like, I'm annoyingly happy. I'm, you know, I'm glass half-full. Like always, We'll find a solution.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:19:06] Energy to burn. If I recall from taking, I've taken some of your classes lying on the floor of my office. I'm like, She'll be fine without me. I'll just lie here.

Kristi Stuart: [00:19:19] 100%. And all of a sudden I was like, back to that girl and maybe not fully back, but getting back. And I was like, okay. And it gave me new, just like a new drive and a new I just started to feel like myself again. And that was really nice because I was worried, you know, when you're in a state of stress for so long, that is this who you are now and can you, you know, I am fully a new person than I was pre-COVID. 100%. But the core of like my happy-go-lucky optimism has come back.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:20:00] Has success changed for you? Like, does that look different to you now as well, or is that still there, that core feeling of what success is for you?

Kristi Stuart: [00:20:10] It's funny that you were saying that because I was thinking about that this morning, because my problem is I am like - excuse my language - balls to the wall like 100% I want to be successful. I want to be, everything I do, I want to be the best at. And I remember, like with Barre Belle talking to our instructors and was like, you guys, yes, we have high expectations, but no one is held to a higher expectation than me. I hold myself to the highest and I do that with everything that I do. And I can't just, so like with my new supplement company, it's doing really well and I'm thrilled. And I'm like, Well, why isn't it better? How can I make it better? Like, just like I just, and I'm like, Kristi, relax. Like, you've been selling for two months now.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:20:57] I was gonna say, we're... last Friday.

Kristi Stuart: [00:21:01] Exactly.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:21:02] Basically.

Kristi Stuart: [00:21:03] Yeah. And it's like, be proud of what you've accomplished. And so I do, I struggle with the balance of living in the moment. I was really bad at that at Barre Belle. And I'll never forget there was a client and she's a fellow entrepreneur here in Calgary and we had just opened our ninth studio and we'd become the biggest female-founded and owned fitness brand in Canada. And that was like a big goal for us. And yeah, and she was like, Kristi, are you taking like, congratulations? How does it feel? Are you taking it all in? And I was like, No, not taking it all in, like next goal, on to the next thing. And I just, I'm not good at, I'm good at being in the moment outside of work. But when I'm like, okay, all the like psychologists that are listening are like, oh...

Melanie Nicholson: [00:21:50] You should call me.

Kristi Stuart: [00:21:53] I know. Like, I know how to help you. It's like you know how you hear like when you hit one level and it's like, okay, well, what's the next level you want to hit? And realizing that you keep trying to find those milestones and the milestones themselves, it's the journey, right? And guess I'm not good at really enjoying the journey. And that's like a huge work in progress for me that clearly I'm like not working at. So I'm recognizing it. Isn't that the first thing when you have a problem?

Melanie Nicholson: [00:22:21] I was just gonna say, that's how I feel, like 75% right there. But I am aware I am a problem.

Kristi Stuart: [00:22:29] Exactly.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:22:29] Let's move on. I want to talk about the supplements. I want to talk about it. You and I are both early 40s. To me, it's very interesting from a fitness nutrition perspective when we think about Barre Belle and a lot of fitness trends very geared towards that 20 to 30 year old crowd, trendy gyms, organizations are really engaging in that group, which is great, works really well for them. I think in my opinion, there's also a really big push for what I call active retirement, which my parents would be in. And then there's this gap and you're really aligning now into essentially our age group. And what I want to know is, is it because it's easier to connect of people with similar age as we're going through similar things? Or did you see that it was an unsupported area? Is it, maybe it isn't an unsupported area. In my opinion, it might be. Like, how did you end up there?

Kristi Stuart: [00:23:30] So it was interesting. So I remember I made a post last year on Instagram basically just saying, Hey guys, I'm going back to school. I'm learning about perimenopause because every single woman, if you're a woman and you survive above the age of 50, you're going through menopause, every single one of us. And yet it's almost impossible to find accurate information that tells you what the heck is going on in your body. And I found that really unacceptable. And the amount of feedback I got from that one post, I was like, Oh, I'm on to something. And I thought that I would, because I'm finished my schooling, I'm certified. I can, you know, I could open up a practice or I could work with, you know, whatever to counsel perimenopausal women and help them go through. But I wasn't planning on doing supplements, but I did on one hand, yes, I did, you know, my core values, I love learning and I love passing on that knowledge in whatever capacity that is, whether it's through fitness, nutrition or now this perimenopause. And when I got all that feedback that people were like, Yes, please. And so I started making these videos online just every time I'd learn something new, I was like, okay, everybody deserves to know this because it's factual and it's science-based.

Kristi Stuart: [00:24:52] And if you're experiencing this, you should have an idea of what's happening. And so I'd post these videos and like, they're kind of tragic. Like it's me sitting, like I'm like not great at, I'm not polished is the word on Instagram whatsoever. But I still like, people are writing me and they're like, Kristi, thank you. Like we need this information and that really drove me because I knew people were finding value in it. So then I would just like, I dove into learning even more and, you know, always spending every spare minute because, you know, having teenagers, they don't want to hang out with you. So I have more time on my hands. So I'm, you know, just like always learning, always learning and sharing that information. And that has been, so connecting with the community and seeing that there was a huge market where - and again, I wasn't anticipating I would do supplements, I thought I would open some sort of practice and see patients and help them with nutrition and fitness and perimenopause, get them through perimenopause and go from there. So a little bit of both.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:25:59] And did the idea for the supplements, where did that, did that come from the course? Did it come from like, how did you get to that?

Kristi Stuart: [00:26:06] Yeah. So I was working with nutrition clients and I was learning. And, you know, when you were, I followed like the world's foremost experts on hormones. And as I, and you know through my school that I did online we would hear lectures from people all across the world. So it was really cool to hear everybody's perspective. And all the top hormone experts said if you don't have your fitness, your nutrition, and your supplementation dialed in, hormones aren't going to be great for you. And I was like, Huh? And every single person kept saying that. And I'm like, okay, so I would look into the supplements and I would look into research studies because what I would find is, you know you would, okay, well, you know, vitamin B6, really important for perimenopause. And I'd look at supplements and I couldn't find the correct quantity from the scientific paper. And so I kept running into this where you'd see supplementation that would be offered for a woman that would help. And then I'd go look to see what the market had to offer, and it wasn't in the quantity to make a difference. And so I started recommending, so at one point I was like, okay, guys, these supplements - and you need to take this much - so typically you were taking kind of, you know, like one pill was essentially half the dose. So at one point to my clients and myself, I had like, you know, those old lady pill containers, like the AM PM. I was taking like 22 pills a day.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:27:38] Oh, my God.

Kristi Stuart: [00:27:39] And I'm like, so, you know, it's, so you'd eat your dinner and then you're like, okay, gotta buckle down and like, take all these, have like another meal of pills. And, you know, like in the morning you'd have like ten. And I was like, How do you live like this? And I'd recommend this to my clients. And they're like, Are you kidding? They're like, We'll do it, but this is a lot. But then the moment they would do it and do the quantities that I said, they're like, Holy crap, I really feel good.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:28:05] Like they can feel the difference.

Kristi Stuart: [00:28:06] They can feel the difference. And then I'm like, okay, so, if only I could make a supplement company where I could put all these in the little, that would just make it easier. And so down that rabbit hole I went, and yeah.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:28:22] Is that where you Google how to start a supplement company?

Kristi Stuart: [00:28:25] Truly, Truly. You Google.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:28:26] Because where do you, where do you even begin? The theory is over here.

Kristi Stuart: [00:28:33] That's Google. Where do you make supplements? How does one find a supplement manufacturer?

Melanie Nicholson: [00:28:38] Well, yeah. That's amazing.

Kristi Stuart: [00:28:41] Google. I think, I don't know how we lived before Google.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:28:44] The library. Encyclopedia.

Kristi Stuart: [00:28:46] Exactly, right? Where's the encyclopedia for How do you make a supplement company?

Melanie Nicholson: [00:28:50] I don't know. Good question. These are good questions. So where to next? Where do you go? That was, you started in May 2023.

Kristi Stuart: [00:29:01] Yeah. Launched them in May. And now, um, you know, I want to, I want to keep the growth. I want to grow really big because the initial feedback has been phenomenal. People are, and I knew they would feel good, but it's also terrifying. But they're feeling great. And so, you know, I want to, I've got some other products in the pipeline that I want to make. And I was like, okay, my founding principles are it's got to be science-backed and it's got to be able to help someone with a symptom they're feeling. And with those two guiding, I'm like, okay, we can, I can do this. So, you know, I want to be, I'd love to have a wholesale business, I'd love to continue with DTC and then hopefully sell to, I don't know who you would sell it to, but, you know, sell in five, six, seven years and just, again, kind of go big or go home, as seems to be my motto.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:29:55] Do you still feel like you're building the plane as you're flying it?

Kristi Stuart: [00:29:58] 100%. 100%. Like I'm reaching out.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:30:02] So you're doing it right?

Kristi Stuart: [00:30:03] Yeah, exactly. Like, so I'm like, what is? I'm, like, direct to consumer. I know nothing about direct-to-consumer. So just, you know, and what I have found is my, like, way back in the day, my first jobs were in sales. So I have no problem asking for help or asking, you know, asking. And so I've been reaching out to founders of good CPG brands, Canadian ones, because, you know, and female-founded and everyone has been so kind and willing to have a conversation with me. And yeah, that I really appreciate because you know there's, you can learn - like I always say, you know, I always, nothing against an MBA at all, but what we learned going starting Barre Belle through the pandemic after, you could never have learned that in school. And so by talking to people who've been through it, that's how you get the best advice and the best way to move forward. So I'm trying to you know, I'm trying to grow and all while being a startup too, you know, and cash flow is tight and all, you know.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:31:11] I do. It's the standard business problems but I think you probably will find, I'm going to guess, that there's going to be things that you learned during that Barre Belle experience that you don't even know that will come up later where you're like, wait a second. Hey, that happened, I actually know what to do.

Kristi Stuart: [00:31:32] Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Know what? Absolutely. Absolutely.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:31:37] Thank you so much for sharing your story today. I, like I said at the beginning, I've loved following you. I love your story. And I think that you are a testament to try again and pivot and figure it out as we go. And sometimes you can have the best, most solid business plan in the world, but sometimes you have to just build a plane while you fly.

Kristi Stuart: [00:32:00] Exactly. Exactly.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:32:02] Thank you so much.

Kristi Stuart: [00:32:03] Oh, thank you so much, Melanie, for having me. This has been an awesome conversation.

Melanie Nicholson: [00:32:10] A huge thank you to Kristi for joining us today. A perfect example of how you can be building something and get so focused, so in the weeds on making the concept work that you can forget yourself and forget about your mental health and wellness. And it's a challenge for many entrepreneurs. I'm so grateful for Kristi sharing her story so honestly with us today. You can follow Kristi on Instagram @KristiStuart and check out her website BlueprintByKristi.com. And thank you so much for listening. Please like, subscribe and consider giving us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. We'll catch you next time on It's A Theory.