How do you go from being a full time lawyer to owning a fitness studio? It is an unusual combination I admit. 

 

I was never sporty at primary school and really only got into fitness in my later years at secondary school and university where I would go to the gym and also began running. Then I discovered spin classes at my local gym and absolutely loved them, the instructors were really good, upbeat and played great music. They were a real mix and some of them had a background in triathlon and road cycling so it was a great grounding. 

 

I decided I wanted to teach spin and having done all the requisite courses I took on some classes at the gym which I loved. Even then somewhere in my mind this wild idea of having my own spin studio kept popping up! The pandemic didn’t stop me spinning, when the pandemic hit my husband and I did what everyone else did and bought a bike! 

 

By 2023 I was feeling jaded from the day job and took a sabbatical. The plan was to use that time to bring back my fitness retreat business ( link here?) but one day I was walking along near home and saw the empty shop that is now S and W. 

 

I don’t mess around so from taking on the lease in November it was only two months until we were ready to open in January 2024 thanks to my builder and everyone else involved from designing logos, creating a website and advertising to ensure people might actually come along! 

 

It took a while to work out what I wanted S and W to be. First and foremost a spin studio but the studio was not large  so small classes were key and I worked from there. I knew I wanted the best bikes. More importantly I wanted the studio to be for everyone and a place people would feel safe, a place for all ages, abilities and fitness levels. I also wanted to bring a sense of community and I hope that is what we do. People joining together to exercise and have fun. It is really important that fitness be accessible so community classes at lower prices than usual would appear on the timetable and the obvious class to choose was Boxfit, I love teaching outside so we have class on the Heath with plenty of laughs and chat. 

 

When we opened I felt like I was jumping off a cliff. We built slowly and changed the timetable several times until we found what worked. 

 

Finding teachers was hit and miss, although I had good connections I wanted the right people so I ended up going to local spin classes to find teachers. Thankfully my legs didn’t have to suffer for too long and after finding one teacher they kept on coming. We now have a fantastic group of instructors who believe in what we are doing. 

 

Nearly twelve months in, things were going well but I couldn’t run more than one class at the same time. My timetable was limited. After a short trial at some space in Blackheath  to see if some extra classes would work I stumbled upon what is now The Studio at Spin and Workout. Some people thought I was mad, it was a mess, with a partition wall, random sinks and cupboards and full of drums! I roped in my builder again and we were up and running in late January 2025 and we have a lovely bespoke yoga and Pilates studio as well as a therapy room. 

 

Who knows what will be next?