If logic ruled, the latest in the tribe of urban pioneers wouldn't even be alive. Born with a congenital heart defect, Julie Wilkes' heart stopped beating at birth. Doctors prepared her mother for the worst and said nothing could be done to save her baby. But within months, doctors scrawled "miracle" on top of Julie's charts, and she has beaten the odds ever since.
Julie opened Seven Studios downtown this summer, and she wants to help you make your life extraordinary. Keep reading to find out how you can win a package worth more than 300.00.
Julie survived birth, but then wasn't supposed to live past her teen years. That time came and went. In her twenties, Julie ran her first marathon, and that's when the real shift occurred.
"I told myself if I lived to run 26.2 miles, I would be okay," Julie said. "I felt like my life was a gift and I'd been given a second chance. It was my calling help others find theirs."
She went back to school and got a master's degree in exercise physiology with a dream of helping to create wellness plans through a consulting firm. She also began touring as a motivational speaker to talk about her Seven Life Miracles, which will be published in 2014.
Right about the same time she found out that her book was picked up by a New York publisher, she learned about Kickstart Columbus, which she won. This provided no-cost rent for one year downtown to get her business concept up and running.
The studio is really more about community than it is about yoga, Pilates or fitness classes. It's a place where people connect in a fun and healthy way, and before each class, everyone introduces themselves because it's important for everyone to leave the studio knowing one more person. Julie is the first to recognize that you can't tell by looking at people what defines them - from divorce to death to financial ruin to outrageous success.
"No matter where you are in your life, living a happy life starts by trusting yourself, surrounding yourself with good people, letting go of the things that don't serve or help you, and embracing the things that do. We aim to provide that environment at Seven Studios," she said.
Each of the classes is based on one of the seven life miracles that Julie developed to surmount her own challenges. She wants people to feel good when the leave, which will help them create a better personal space.
To inspire you, Julie is giving away a month of unlimited classes, five tickets to Inspire the World Day and three of her signature scented candles to one of our Right Now Downtown readers. Leave a comment about what inspires you, and you will be entered to win.