Kia ora and welcome to Five on the Fly, where we sit down with local business people to hear their stories, challenges and hopes for Te Hiku.

In five quick questions, we get to know the person behind the business, what drives them and what they hope for the future of our region.

Interviewee - Nara from Grey Heron

1. Tell us about yourself
Kia ora, I'm Nara, Head Instructor and founder here at Grey Heron - Pilates & Fitness Studio. I'm Far North raised, and grew up on the east coast. I'm now raising my children here in Kaingaroa, passing on the free range childhood philosophy that I loved growing up.

Movement and creativity have always been my greatest outlets, it's here my soul is most grounded. The process of planning and programming, underpinned by anatomy, biomechanics, and the attention to how the movement flows brings together these outlets for me.

When I'm not in the studio you'll find me in my own movement practice, the garden, with family or being creative. My fav local is the Nui Bristo, and I think people are very surprised when I tell them I'm a grandmother! 

2. Tell us about your business

Grey Heron is a women-focused fitness studio and is set privately here in Kaingaroa. Classes are small and intimate, no mirrors, no phones - the culture of this space is coming home to yourself and reconnecting without the 'noise'. The complete Pilates method is here as well as resistance training programmed for women at every chapter of her life - all ages, pre- and postnatal. The inspo - becoming a Pilates Instructor was an offshoot from being incredibly unwell with herniated discs, dramatically changing how I moved. I began to look at other fitness modalities and came across Pilates, the reformer was an integral part of my rehab journey. I was mind-blown by how incredible the movement was - not only for building strength, but also for showing me the mistrust I had created with my own body. The sessions were over an hour's drive away, I knew this movement needed to be more accessible for our Far North community, and off I went on a new career path!

3. What’s been your biggest challenge in business so far?

The overlap of my photography business and the opening of the studio was a juggle, to say the least! Now, as the studio continues to grow, finding instructors has been challenging but has taught me that doing it all only leads to burnout, and life work balance is so incredibly important. There is also a 3-month wait to get the equipment into the country, a lot of planning in advance and goal setting definitely assists in setting up for success!

4. What’s been a highlight or proudest moment?
Throughout my training, I was continuously pushed out of my comfort zone, growth can feel so incredibly uncomfortable! Reformer training in Christchurch was a solid 2 weeks away from my children - it was physically and mentally challenging. My Pilates training has taken me back and forth from Auckland, down to Hawkes Bay, and there were the weekends away at AUT in Albany to complete my Personal Training and fitness instructor certification - so much traveling for someone who is a homebody, so much juggling of family life! This experience has proven to me that growth happens when we keep placing one foot in front of the other, and no matter how uncertain or uncomfortable it feels, just keep moving forward. My old comfort zone is so far behind where I am now, and I take this with me every time I go to the studio, seeing the empowerment of women outgrowing their comfort zones is everything!