The Next Ten Years of Endeavor

Ten years of movement, community, and learning what matters most.

In January 2016, I taught my first yoga classes at Bunten Road Park in Duluth.

I was 29 years old, pregnant with my second child, and relatively new to the area. I didn't know many people, but I knew that I loved teaching yoga, and I wanted to share that practice with my new community.

Those first classes grew. Students invited friends, more people began showing up, and before long I needed other teachers to help meet the demand.

That was the beginning of Chattahoochee Yoga.

In February 2017, we opened our first studio on Buford Highway with six yoga teachers and a schedule of twenty classes a week. Many of the students who had started with us at the park came along, helping us turn an idea into a real community.

I had no idea then what Endeavor would become.

Ten Years of Learning and Growing

Over the next ten years, our little yoga studio grew into something much bigger than I ever imagined.

We added Barre, then Pilates, and eventually equipment-based Pilates. We developed teacher training and apprenticeship programs, welcomed new teachers, hosted workshops and community events, and began creating opportunities to travel and practice together through retreats.

We expanded into a second studio in Suwanee.

Along the way, we learned a tremendous amount—not just about movement, but about teaching, relationships, community, and what it really means to support someone's wellbeing.

We learned that people don't always need another workout.

Sometimes they need someone who understands their body and knows how to help them move forward.

Sometimes they need a teacher who remembers where they started and recognizes how far they've come.

Sometimes they need a place to feel welcome, to connect with other people, or simply to spend an hour caring for themselves.

And over time, we realized that these things are not separate from what we teach.

They are the heart of it.

A Season of Reflection

This past year, as we've been celebrating ten years in our community, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on Endeavor.

I've been quieter, but I haven't been absent.

I've been watching and listening, exploring new ideas, revisiting old ones, and thinking carefully about what this community needs from us now.

I've also been reflecting on my own relationship with Endeavor.

In many ways, growing this business has felt a lot like raising my children. Both have required love, patience, enormous amounts of energy, and the willingness to change as they grow.

There comes a point when something you've spent years nurturing begins to develop a life of its own.

You realize that your role needs to change, too.

I've given much of my thirties to building Endeavor, and that work has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.

As I move into my forties, I want to make more room for myself and my family. I also want to give Endeavor the opportunity to grow into something that doesn't depend on one person to hold it all together.

That doesn't mean I'm leaving.

It means recognizing that Endeavor is ready for its next chapter—and so am I.

The People Who Make Endeavor

One of the things I'm most proud of is our teaching team.

Some of our teachers have been with us since the very beginning. Others have joined along the way, bringing their own knowledge, experiences, and perspectives.

Together, they've created something that I could never have built alone.

Our teachers are experienced professionals who care deeply about their work and the people they teach.

They don't simply show up to lead a class.

They notice. They listen. They remember.

They adapt their teaching to the person in front of them. They celebrate progress. They help people navigate difficult seasons, changing bodies, and changing goals.

They build relationships that extend far beyond an individual session.

And they care for one another, too.

Over the years, I've come to understand that my greatest responsibility isn't to be at the center of everything Endeavor does.

It's to help create a place where our teachers can do their best work, build sustainable careers, and continue caring for this community for years to come.

What We've Learned About Movement

Ten years of teaching have also helped us become much clearer about what we believe.

We believe movement should support your life outside the studio.

We believe that every person deserves to be seen as an individual, with their own history, needs, goals, and experiences.

We believe that good teaching requires knowledge, attention, curiosity, and care.

We believe that progress takes time, and that the most meaningful changes aren't always the ones you can see.

And we believe that movement should be something you can return to throughout your life—not another thing you have to perform, perfect, or achieve.

These ideas have always been part of Endeavor.

Now we're making them the foundation of everything we do.

Where We're Going Next

Beginning in 2027, Endeavor is bringing a more focused approach to Pilates and Wellness across our Duluth and Suwanee studios.

Pilates will be the foundation of our practice, taught through Private Sessions, Duets, and thoughtfully matched Small Groups.

This approach gives our teachers the opportunity to know their clients more deeply, provide individual instruction, and support meaningful progression over time.

Alongside Pilates, we'll continue developing our Wellness offerings—bringing together movement practices that support strength, mobility, restoration, balance, and connection.

We'll also be creating new opportunities for our community to learn and practice together through Small Groups, workshops, events, and retreats.

We aren't trying to offer everything.

We're trying to offer the things we believe in, taught with knowledge and care, in a way that genuinely supports the people who come through our doors.

Our goal isn't to become the biggest studio or the trendiest place to work out.

It's to become an even better version of what Endeavor has always been.

A Place That Runs Well, Feels Good, and Lasts

When I imagine Endeavor ten years from now, I don't picture a particular number of classes, clients, or locations.

I picture a place where teachers are happy and proud to work.

Where students feel known and welcomed.

Where people develop friendships and find support through different seasons of life.

Where the work we do inside the studio helps people feel stronger, healthier, and more capable in the lives they live outside of it.

And where the business itself is healthy enough to continue providing that experience for many years to come.

I want Endeavor to be a place that runs well, feels good, and lasts.

A place built on kindness, honesty, generosity, respect, presence, balance, acceptance, and commitment.

A place where people can continue learning about themselves and one another.

A place where you belong.

The first ten years of Endeavor have been about building, growing, and discovering what we're capable of creating together.

The next ten years are about deepening that work.

Thank you for being part of this community, for trusting our teachers, and for helping Endeavor become what it is today.

I'm looking forward to everything we have yet to learn and create together.

With love and gratitude,

Katie

Founder, Endeavor Pilates + Wellness