When Julianna Curtis made the tough call to shut down her yoga and fitness studio in March 2020, she took a day to feel sorry for herself — then she sat down and figured out how to pivot. 

Julianna is no stranger to adversity in business. A year after opening The Energy Barre, she ended up in court facing a lawsuit about noise complaints from a neighboring tenant. Although the lawsuit was a setback, she pressed on, using headphones in class, until she and her building manager figured out a path forward. 

Today, The Energy Barre offers yoga, barre, and dance classes in three locations in Massachusetts and online. Julianna is candid about the storms she’s had to weather in building her business — and grateful for the lessons she’s learned along the way. 

“Once I made my way through the recovery periods, I was able to look back and see how much positive came out of those experiences,” she says. 

In this episode of Be a Marketer, Julianna and host Dave Charest, Director of Small Business Success at Constant Contact, discuss the ups and downs of owning a small business in an unpredictable world. 

☕ What she does: Julianna is the founder and CEO of The Energy Barre, an independently owned fitness and yoga studio. Founded in 2013, The Energy Barre has three locations in Massachusetts and offers classes and sells apparel online. 

💡 Key quote: “I am so excited and obsessed with the fact that this is what I get to do.” 

👋 Where to find her: Instagram | LinkedIn

👋 Where to find The Energy Barre: Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok