Your Studio Podcast | Strategies for Studio Owners

Are your teachers asking for more pay while you’re still not paying yourself enough?

In this episode, Chantelle and Michelle dive into one of the most uncomfortable (and common) challenges studio owners face: navigating teacher pay requests without sacrificing your own income or the health of your business. This is an honest, practical conversation about boundaries, profitability, and leading with clarity instead of emotion.

You’ll learn:

• How to confidently respond to pay requests without feeling guilty or reactive
• Why your current wage structure might be the reason you’re not paying yourself
• A simple way to structure pay that rewards retention and supports studio growth

This is the kind of conversation that shifts everything, not just your numbers, but how you show up as a leader in your studio.

💡 Join us in The Leap: https://studioevolution.com/leap

📖 Full transcript + blog post: https://studioevolution.com/journal/s5-e3-when-teachers-ask-for-more-than-you-earn/

🎙️ Got a studio challenge you’d love our help with?
Leave us a quick voicemail and your question might be featured in an upcoming episode of Solve Your Studio!
👉 Chat to us here: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeaveEvolutionAVoicemail

💛 Love this episode?
 Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow studio owner!

📸 Instagram | ▶️ YouTube | 📘 Facebook | 🌐 Website

Are free trials costing your studio more than they’re helping?

In this episode of Your Studio Podcast, Chantelle and Michelle unpack one of the most debated strategies in the studio industry: free trials. From retention challenges to marketing conversion and admin overwhelm, they explore why the traditional “free trial” model might actually be slowing your studio’s growth.

You’ll learn:

1. Why free trials can quietly damage retention, classroom culture, and student commitment
2. How direct-to-enrolment strategies often outperform trial-based marketing funnels
3. What to do instead if you want stronger conversions, less admin, and more committed students

If you’ve ever felt exhausted chasing trial students who never convert, this conversation will help you rethink your approach and build a more sustainable enrolment model.

✨ Ready to attract more committed students to your studio? Apply to work with us here: https://studioevolution.com/apply

💡 Join us in The Leap: https://studioevolution.com/leap

📖 Full transcript + blog post: https://studioevolution.com/journal/s5-e2-should-studio-owners-offer-free-trials/

🎙️ Got a studio challenge you’d love our help with?
Leave us a quick voicemail and your question might be featured in an upcoming episode of Solve Your Studio!
👉 Chat to us here: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeaveEvolutionAVoicemail

💛 Love this episode?
Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow studio owner!

📸 Instagram | ▶️ YouTube | 📘 Facebook | 🌐 Website

Are you building a studio business that still fits the season of life you’re in?

In this Season 5 opener, Chantelle and Michelle share the biggest pivot in Studio Evolution’s history — the closing of their long-running signature program and the launch of something far more intimate and powerful: The Eight. This episode is an honest conversation about evolution, leadership, simplicity, and choosing depth over scale.

You’ll learn:

• How to know when it’s time to evolve your business model (even if it’s still “working”)
• Why deeper connection and accountability create faster, more sustainable studio growth
• What to consider when pivoting your offers without losing momentum or profitability

If you’ve been craving more spaciousness, stronger support, or a business model that actually matches your current life — this conversation will feel both grounding and expansive.

✨ Curious about joining The Eight? Apply here: https://studioevolution.com/apply

💡 Join us in The Leap: https://studioevolution.com/leap

📖 Full transcript + blog post: https://studioevolution.com/journal/s5-e1-why-we-closed-our-signature-program/

🎙️ Got a studio challenge you’d love our help with?
Leave us a quick voicemail and your question might be featured in an upcoming episode of Solve Your Studio!
👉 Chat to us here: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeaveEvolutionAVoicemail

💛 Love this episode?
 Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow studio owner!

📸 Instagram | ▶️ YouTube | 📘 Facebook | 🌐 Website

Are you dreaming of growing your studio — but worried you’ll lose the magic (or your sanity) along the way?

In this uplifting conversation, Chantelle and Michelle sit down with Studio Evolution graduate Mary Ellen Bryan, whose studio has grown from a single location to three thriving spaces — all while keeping her creativity, culture, and joy at the heart of everything she builds. Together, they explore what it really takes to scale sustainably, lead with vision, and create systems that set you free.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

• Build simple, sustainable systems that actually expand your creativity
• Grow your studio (or even your locations) without diluting your culture or burning out
• Step into visionary leadership while empowering your team to shine

A gentle reminder that growth doesn’t have to mean stress — and with the right structure, your studio can flourish in ways you never thought possible.

Download your free resources: https://studioevolution.com/start

Join us in The Leap: https://studioevolution.com/leap

Full transcript + blog post: https://studioevolution.com/journal/s4-e8-the-secret-to-scaling-your-studio/

🎙️ Got a studio challenge you’d love our help with?
Leave us a quick voicemail and your question might be featured in an upcoming episode of Solve Your Studio!
👉 Chat to us here: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeaveEvolutionAVoicemail

💛 Love this episode?
 Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow studio owner!

📸 Instagram | ▶️ YouTube | 📘 Facebook | 🌐 Website

Are you secretly terrified of raising your prices — even though you know it’s time?

If you’ve been walking on eggshells around your pricing, this episode will show you how to finally find your confidence and charge what your studio is truly worth. Chantelle Bruinsma and Michelle Hunter unpack the fears that hold studio owners back and reveal a proven, heart-led approach to increasing your prices without losing students.

✨ In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

• Release the fear and guilt around charging more
• Communicate a price rise in a way that feels calm and respectful
• Create a clear, repeatable pricing plan that supports long-term profit and freedom

Because raising your prices isn’t just about numbers — it’s about valuing yourself, your time, and the transformation your studio creates.

🎁 Download your How to Raise Your Prices Without Losing Students Guide: https://studioevolution.com/pricerise

💡 Join us in The Leap: https://studioevolution.com/leap

📖 Full transcript + blog post: https://studioevolution.com/journal/s4-e7-how-to-raise-your-prices-without-losing-students

🎙️ Got a studio challenge you’d love our help with?
Leave us a quick voicemail and your question might be featured in an upcoming episode of Solve Your Studio!
👉 Chat to us here: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeaveEvolutionAVoicemail

💛 Love this episode?
 Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow studio owner!

📸 Instagram | ▶️ YouTube | 📘 Facebook | 🌐 Website

Is money one of the most stressful parts of running your studio?

If you’ve ever felt guilt, confusion, or even shame about your studio finances — this episode is for you. Chantelle Bruinsma and Michelle Hunter open up a powerful conversation about how to heal your relationship with money, bring structure to your studio finances, and finally create the calm, profitable business you deserve.

✨ In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. How to release money shame and see your finances with fresh eyes
2. Why generosity and profit can absolutely co-exist in your studio
3. How to create simple, empowering financial systems that help your studio (and you) thrive

It’s time to shift from survival mode to structure, from guilt to growth, and from fear to freedom — all by learning how to hold money differently.

💡 Join us in The Leap: https://studioevolution.com/leap

📖 Full transcript + blog post: https://studioevolution.com/journal/s4-e6-money-shame-and-the-studio-owners-secret-to-profit/

🎙️ Got a studio challenge you’d love our help with?
Leave us a quick voicemail and your question might be featured in an upcoming episode of Solve Your Studio!
👉 Chat to us here: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeaveEvolutionAVoicemail

💛 Love this episode?
 Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow studio owner!

📸 Instagram | ▶️ YouTube | 📘 Facebook | 🌐 Website

Are you paying everyone but yourself?

In this inspiring conversation, Chantelle Bruinsma and Michelle Hunter sit down with Studio Evolution graduate Jordana Martin, a powerhouse Pilates studio owner who turned burnout into a thriving two-location business — all while paying herself from day one.

Jordana opens up about how she left corporate life, built strong systems, and learned to honour her worth — proving that profit and passion can absolutely coexist.

✨ In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to build a studio that supports your life (not the other way around)
• The financial mindset shift that lets you pay yourself first — without guilt
• Why systems, strategy, and self-worth are the foundation for real growth

If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to grow a profitable, sustainable studio — this episode is your permission slip to dream bigger and pay yourself what you deserve.

💡 Join us in The Leap: https://studioevolution.com/leap

📖 Full transcript + blog post: https://studioevolution.com/journal/s4-e5-the-studio-owners-guide-to-paying-yourself/

🎙️ Got a studio challenge you’d love our help with?
Leave us a quick voicemail and your question might be featured in an upcoming episode of Solve Your Studio!
👉 Chat to us here: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeaveEvolutionAVoicemail

💛 Love this episode?
 Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow studio owner!

📸 Instagram | ▶️ YouTube | 📘 Facebook | 🌐 Website

Are your Facebook or Instagram ads falling flat — no leads, no enrolments, and no idea why?

You’re not alone. In this episode, Chantelle Bruinsma and Michelle Hunter unpack why paid ads often don’t deliver the results you hoped for — and how to fix it for good.

You’ll discover the simple, soulful marketing shifts that help you attract dream students, reconnect with your studio’s magic, and finally run ads with confidence — knowing they’ll actually work.

✨ In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

1. Rebuild your website into an enrolment engine that turns clicks into students
2. Craft marketing messages that connect with hearts, not just fill classes
3. Simplify your ad strategy so you stop wasting money and start building momentum

After this chat, you’ll have the clarity and confidence to know what to focus on first — and how to make every marketing dollar count.

💡 Join us in The Leap: https://studioevolution.com/leap

📖 Full transcript + blog post: https://studioevolution.com/journal/s4-e4-real-reason-paidads-fail/

🎙️ Got a studio challenge you’d love our help with?
Leave us a quick voicemail and your question might be featured in an upcoming episode of Solve Your Studio!
👉 Chat to us here: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeaveEvolutionAVoicemail

💛 Love this episode?
 Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow studio owner!

📸 Instagram | ▶️ YouTube | 📘 Facebook | 🌐 Website

What if your new students could bring in your next ones without you lifting a finger?

In this episode, Chantelle and Michelle reveal how a well-designed onboarding system can increase retention, create studio-wide alignment, and spark the kind of referrals that fill your classes.

You’ll learn:

• How a strong onboarding system sets the stage for long-term loyalty
• The 4 core elements of onboarding that actually create real change
• Why referrals happen naturally when students feel seen, safe, and connected

This isn’t just admin. It’s marketing, retention, and culture wrapped into one. If you're ready for more enrolments and fewer headaches, start here.

🎁 Download your free Word-of-Mouth Booster Kit: https://studioevolution.com/onboarding

💡 Join us in The Leap: https://studioevolution.com/leap

📖 Full transcript + blog post: https://studioevolution.com/journal/s4-e3-the-secret-to-more-enrolments-that-doesnt-cost-a-cent/

🎙️ Got a studio challenge you’d love our help with?
Leave us a quick voicemail and your question might be featured in an upcoming episode of Solve Your Studio!
👉 Chat to us here: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeaveEvolutionAVoicemail

💛 Love this episode?
 Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow studio owner!

📸 Instagram | ▶️ YouTube | 📘 Facebook | 🌐 Website

What would you change if you could start your studio all over again, knowing everything you know now?

In this episode, Chantelle and Michelle break down the three most powerful decisions they’d make if they were building their studios from scratch today. After years of hands-on experience, missteps, and big growth moments, they share the strategic shifts that lead to a simpler, stronger, and more scalable studio.

• Why retention (not enrolments) is the real growth lever
• How to simplify your business model without sacrificing quality
• What it really takes to build a team-driven studio that lasts

If your studio feels too complex, too dependent on you, or just not growing the way it could, this episode will help you rethink your foundation and move forward with confidence.

💡 Join us in The Leap: https://studioevolution.com/leap

📖 Full transcript + blog post: https://studioevolution.com/journal/s4-e2-if-i-started-my-studio-again-heres-what-id-do-differently/

🎙️ Got a studio challenge you’d love our help with?
Leave us a quick voicemail and your question might be featured in an upcoming episode of Solve Your Studio!
👉 Chat to us here: https://www.speakpipe.com/LeaveEvolutionAVoicemail

💛 Love this episode?
 Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow studio owner!

📸 Instagram | ▶️ YouTube | 📘 Facebook | 🌐 Website