Finding My Spark Again: Why I’m Pursuing Lagree Certification
At the heart of my coaching, I’ve always wanted to help people feel capable in their bodies. Personal training has allowed me to do that in a focused, one-on-one way, but group classes let me amplify that impact — creating energy in the room, fostering camaraderie, and helping more people feel strong and successful at once. That spark is exactly what Lagree brought back into my life, and what ultimately led me to pursue certification.
Teaching group classes has always been a meaningful part of my identity. I began teaching in 2011, right at the grand opening of the Santa Barbara Dailey Method studio, and for nearly a decade, barre became my home base. I loved everything about it — the emphasis on form and alignment, the breathwork, the music, the creative process of building classes and playlists. It helped shape me as a coach and an instructor in ways I still carry today.
But over the years, the group fitness landscape shifted. As HIIT and spinning surged in popularity, barre began chasing a more explosive, high-intensity format. With the stress of running a business — and unknowingly navigating the effects of a pituitary tumor — that level of training didn’t support my body anymore. What had once been grounding and energizing eventually left me feeling depleted.
At the same time, I was teaching large-format fitness classes at a health club. They were fun, but they came with a familiar trade-off: constant novelty often meant sacrificing progression. New moves and random intervals kept classes exciting, but without a structured approach, many students plateaued.
It was in my small-group training classes at Titan that I saw the opposite. With just 6–8 students, access to heavy weights, and structured programming, we could actually track progress over time. That’s where my love for small group strength training and coaching really deepened — seeing people get stronger, week after week, because the method itself supported it. There’s nothing like helping someone feel capable in their own body, and I realized that’s what I missed most about teaching: the opportunity to help things click for people.
Fast forward to early this year. I took my first Lagree class in January and instantly felt a spark I hadn’t experienced from group training in years. Lagree reminded me of everything I loved about barre — the alignment, the small class size, the creative flow of movement and music — but with an approach that aligned much more closely with my strength-based philosophy. The Megaformer gave me the structure, the challenge, and the intentionality I value, while also offering the freedom to scale intensity to exactly what my body needed.
After fewer than 20 classes, I knew I wanted to dive deeper. So, I signed up for the Level 1 Lagree certification. For me, it feels like coming full circle: combining my love of teaching, my appreciation for alignment and form, and my belief in progressive, strength-based training — all in one place.
And now — the fun update.
I’m officially teaching.
Stepping back into the studio has felt both nostalgic and entirely new. The method challenges me creatively, the alignment cues feel like second nature again, and I’m rediscovering the joy of leading a room, supporting people rep by rep, and watching those small breakthroughs happen in real time.
I didn’t expect to return to group fitness after stepping away four years ago, but this journey reminded me how much I missed it — and how deeply I love helping people feel strong, capable, and connected to their bodies. I’m excited to keep learning, keep growing, and keep refining my voice as an instructor within a method that feels so aligned with who I am now.
With strength & support,
Sara