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 allowed me to do that in a focused way, one client at a time. But with group classes, I could amplify that impact — helping more people at once, creating energy in the room that fuels everyone, and fostering a shared sense of accomplishment and camaraderie. That’s the spark I’ve found again with Lagree, and it’s why I’ve decided to pursue certification.
Over the past three years, I’ve really missed teaching group classes. Barre, in particular, has a special place in my heart. I began teaching at the grand opening of the Santa Barbara Dailey Method studio in 2011, and for nearly a decade, I loved every part of it — from the focus on form and alignment to the breathwork, the music, and the creative process of designing classes and playlists. Every element contributed to the growth of both my practice and my identity as an instructor.
But over time, things shifted. Barre classes — and group fitness in general — started chasing trends. As HIIT and spinning exploded in the 2010s, barre classes began matching that intensity. For me, with stress levels already high from running a business and unknowingly navigating the effects of a pituitary tumor, that style of training wasn’t serving my body anymore. What had once felt restorative and energizing left me feeling depleted.
At the same time, I was also teaching large-format fitness classes at the health club. While fun, they came with a trade-off I think many instructors recognize: keeping classes engaging often meant sacrificing progression. New moves, random intervals, mixing things up — all great for variety, but not great for results. Without progressive overload, students who relied solely on classes often 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 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 this year: I took my first Lagree class in January, and immediately felt a spark I hadn’t felt from group training in years. Lagree reminded me of everything I loved about teaching barre — the focus on form and alignment, the small class size that allows for individualized attention, the motivating playlists — but with an approach that aligns so much more closely with my own philosophy around strength training. On the Megaformer, I could push myself to whatever intensity I needed, and I could modify without feeling like I failed. The structure, the challenge, and the intentionality were all there.
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.
I thought I was done with teaching groups after stepping away four years ago, but pursuing this certification has reminded me how much I’ve missed it. I’m excited to grow, to deepen my understanding of this method, and to stand in front of a class again — to not just teach, but to help someone connect the dots in their own fitness journey. My goal is to be ready to teach my first class by the end of the year, and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me.
With strength & support,
Sara