Lauren K. is an employee of Jaybird and an avid fitness enthusiast with a love/hate relationship with running. She has completed over 15 half and 2 full marathons and most recently competed in a bodybuilding competition. When she’s not traveling with the team as our Event Manager, she loves to hike and backpack with her adorable dog, Bob. Her favorite vacation spots include Escalante, UT and Nepal and she hopes to someday explore Egypt.

March 22nd started like any other day at the Jaybird office in Park City, UT. The morning passed quickly in a blur of emails and Thursday meetings. Not knowing much besides I would be put through a “HIIT” workout later that afternoon, I sat waiting as patiently as I could but secretly filled with excitement. Being a fitness junkie myself, I couldn’t imagine anything better than spending part of my workday getting paid to work out! 

Our local Community Manager arranged a private session at the Beau Collective followed by a panel of female business owners to celebrate International Women’s Day. Nearly our entire office (males included) loaded up for the short ride over to The Barn. Upon entering the Social Space I was immediately impressed by the calming presence it had. I was surrounded by physical words of encouragement on plaques and homemade art, plenty of darling items for purchase in the Beautique and complimentary beverages. I was soaking it all in but it wasn’t long before we were shuffled into the gym portion of The Barn. Whitney and Lindsay gave a brief rundown about what they were about to put us through. They also asked us if we had to rate our current emotional state on a 1-10 scale, where did we sit? Needless to say, we averaged around a 5-6. 

It’s a good thing they asked us how we felt before we knew what we had ahead of us! Our workout would consist of 7 different stations. There were 3 different exercises set up at each station that we had to repeat 5 times in just 5 minutes. You do the math… All I can say is, WHEW! Our coaches’ energy throughout the 45-minute workout kept us all in the game. With their words of encouragement, affirmations all over the walls, pumped up music, and insanely beautiful mountain views, how could one fail? By the end, we were all drenched in sweat and flooded with endorphins. I’m pretty sure my coworker may have emptied his breakfast in the garbage can but that’s beside the point… High fives were exchanged all around and there wasn’t a single person who didn’t have a giant smile on their face. Although you would think this style of conditioning would be “every woman for herself” mentality, it was quite the opposite. It was incredible to see us all pull through such an intense test of physical endurance side by side and end up a pack of “10’s”. 

So now that the hard part was over, we were escorted back to the Social Space for lunch and a conversation with some phenomenal women. It was incredibly inspiring to end the afternoon sitting before four women who each had their own story of how hard work has paid off with their professional success. I was especially moved by Whitney, founder of the Beau Collective. Her journey from fitness enthusiast to purveyor in a new state as a new mother was particularly impactful. I’m moved by self-starters and this woman has proved that with enough hard work, patience, and involving yourself in your community, you can achieve your wildest dreams. 

“We are better together” is a mantra shared and expressed throughout The Barn by coaches Whitney and Lindsay of The Beau Collective. Words that I’ll always carry with me from my afternoon at The Barn.