How Y7 Studio Reinvented the Yoga Experience — with Sarah Larson Levey, founder and CEO

In this episode, Amy Will sits down with Sarah Larson Levey, founder and CEO of Y7 Studio, to talk about how she built a yoga brand by completely rethinking the experience. Frustrated with traditional studios, Sarah set out to create something different — combining music, atmosphere, and community into a format that felt more like a lifestyle than a workout.

She shares how Y7 started as a small pop-up and grew into a recognizable brand, along with what it takes to build something that stands out in a crowded space. The conversation covers creating a distinct customer experience, trusting your instincts, and building a brand that people feel connected to.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Girl Gang the Podcast. I'm your host, Amy Will, and the founder of Girl Gang. This podcast is brought to you by Girl Gangthelabel.com. Head to our website after the show to browse our directory of female-owned businesses and enjoy exclusive discounts from them. Read our online magazine, The Edit, for interviews with female creatives, plus tips, tools, and rituals to level up your own career. Shop our line of merchandise, including our signature support your local Girl Gang collection. For every item sold, we team up with a charity to support women's education, health, and empowerment. Shop today and use code Girl Gang to receive 20% off at GirlGangthelabel.com. Show us your listening by tagging us on Instagram at Girl Gang the Label. Thank you so much for tuning in. Hi, my name is Sarah Larson Levy. I am the founder and CEO of Y7 Studio. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. I'm so excited to learn your story and building this awesome empire. Um and before we get into where you're at today and the hustle and grind of it, I'd love to know the beginning stages, like where this idea came from and those those first steps in execution, if you can t go through that story with us. Yeah, sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

So um I was actually never really into yoga. Um, I played sports growing up, and um I just, you know, it wasn't really something that I ever took time to do or to learn about. It was kind of just I knew what it was, and you know, I'd gone with my mom a couple times. Um, but in 2012, um, late 2012, I pinched my sciatic nerve. Um, and that caused me to be really, really laid up for quite some time. Um the week I did it, I was actually like on bed rest for about 10 days. Um I didn't walk for a week, and it kind of forced me to reevaluate how I was looking at my exercise routine and fitness. Um, so when I was able to start doing other things than just walking and my stretches, um my uh physical therapist was like, you know, you really need to work on your core strength, then you know, a lot of that is gonna be, you know, yoga is something that's really great for that because it's low impacts and you're using your body weight, you know, and you're gonna have to pay attention to what you're doing in terms of what muscles you're using. So I started trying a ton of different studios around New York City. Um, and I just could not find one that I really felt spoke to me. Um, you know, I'd go to some, and uh, there were all of these, you know, mirrors and bright lights. And as a beginner, I felt so self-conscious. You know, I would leave feeling really bad about myself. Um, you know, and it's a practice, it's a slow progression. And I just, you know, I never felt like I was getting consistency out of the classes. Um, the price point was really, really hard. Some were membership-based only, or you know, some were really, really crowded. And then there was Bickram, which was way too hot for me, and just all these things that I never really resonated with. So out of all of that frustration, Y7 was really born.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

What were those first steps in going from this idea to like bringing your flagship studio to life?

SPEAKER_01 3:14

I actually really credit my he was my fiance at the time, but he's my husband now. Um, he's always been this kind of like serial entrepreneur. He's like, well, start businesses, knows how to do like LLCs, like all these things. And I was like, what? And so he was like, we should just try to like do this thing because what you want is so different. So for those of you who don't know, um, Y7 um is sweat dripping, beep bumping, candlelit yoga. So the room is dark, uh, it's candlelit, there are no mirrors. Um, we use infrared heating technology, teed it to about 8590. So you're getting a really great sweat, but it you're still able to breathe, right? It's not this like overwhelming sense of heat where you're like, I can't even move, I'm so hot. Um, and we practice a vinyasa style yoga, which is one breath, one movement, and we do that to the beat of the music. So it's meant to be really fun, just like, you know, not too serious, and you can, you know, take it, take the practice as far as you want it. So um I knew what I wanted, and he is Mason. Uh, my husband is just really like, okay, like that's fine. Like, let's just find a space and like put an ad on Craigslist. And we auditioned teachers, and we thought this was gonna be like a cute little, like, it was for me. It was so I could get what I wanted. And um, people really liked it. Like, people came and we were like, oh, okay, amazing. So, you know, it was just supposed we rented this like really funny, um, it was just like this room off of, it was actually a recording studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. And it was in a fourth floor walk-up, and it was just this extra room they had that they didn't use on the weekends. So we rented it out for two hours on Saturday, two on Sunday, held two classes, called it a day. And, you know, it was just supposed to be this like cute little like pop-up. It was like donation. It was like free the first weekend, and then um, you know, at the end of it, someone was like, So how do I like how do I like buy a package? And I was like, uh politely lied and said, They uh, you know, we're working on finding our permanent space, and got her email, was like, I'll let you know. And that was kind of all we needed. And you know, I think, you know, when we started this six and a half years ago, it wasn't so common, but it's you know a lot more common now to have these shared workspaces, and um, you know, I really New York was kind of at the cusp of that, which was really, really fun. And we ended up getting this um finding this 300 square foot artist loft in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Um, it was like under a thousand dollars a month to rent, and everything was included, like heat, internet, like everything. We were like, this is great. So we ended up running that space. We could both afford it on our salaries, and this was just like a really fun side thing we did, and it remained a side project for about two years. Um, I left my full-time job in the spring of 2015, and that was right after we'd opened the Flatiron Studio, and it was the first location that was like we signed a real lease at. I have to contact the city to like do trash pickup and like all of these things that you know I just had no idea that that was real, and I was like, I gotta do this like full time. So um Mason and I sat down and you know, it was I was in a career where I worked in fashion as an account executive and felt that like I could take a break from that, and if this didn't work out, I could always go back. Um, you know, because it's kind of a sales role basically, so you can take that to a lot of places. Um and Mason ended up leaving his job like four or five months later, and here we are now.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

If you could paint a picture for us of those those first two years when it's you're identifying it as a a side hustle, really, but uh of course it's like consuming so much time. I think a lot of people out there are discouraged and feel like, well, I have a full-time job, I can't do this thing, especially when it really turns into a life a lot bigger than um maybe you anticipated or quicker. Um so if you could kind of paint a picture of what like a day in the life was like, how you kind of stayed sane, were there sleepless nights, was there any such thing as balance, or was it just two years of chaos, and then you're like, I am at zero miles per hour, I gotta go in. It was definitely two years of chaos.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

Um, I have no idea how I had the energy to do it. I I just I don't rem I have no clue. Um when you love something like that and really believe in it, you just kind of go. You know, I think anyone who's been in that position, you're like, okay, well, this is just what has to be done, so I'm just gonna do it. You don't really question it, right? You just kind of keep moving forward. So um it would be so at the time, you know, and fitness is really interesting, especially studio fitness, because you know, the bulk of your most people want to come before after work, right? So you kind of can get away with not being open during the day without really sacrificing a lot. Um, so we would have a 7 a.m. class, an 8.15 a.m. class. Um, one of us would wake up at like 5:30, be at a studio by six, heaters, all of that stuff. Um, open the studio, check people in for the 7 a.m. Um, I would usually check people in for the 8:15 a.m. I would try to take the 7 a.m. sometimes, um, check people in for the 8:15 a.m., shower, and then I would let one of my teachers close the studio and I'd be at work by 9:30.

unknown 8:59

Damn.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Work my day. I would leave promptly at 6, dash to one of the studios, be there hopefully by 6:30, open the studio, work the 7 p.m., work the 8.15 p.m. Good good night. Yeah. That's the house. You know, like that's the that's it. You know, the first studio for about until January 2015, it was just the Williamsburg studio in Brooklyn, and we lived a couple blocks away. That's why we it was pure convenience. Um, you know, so I was really lucky that it was like I was home basically in like I would close the studio and be home in 10 minutes. So, you know, I was able to kind of like be in bed by 10, quick dinner in bed by 10, and do it all over again. And, you know, once we opened, um, we popped up um in Soho um within another studio in January 2015. Opened Flatiron in uh March of 2015, and that was when it started to really kind of like that three months was really rough um for me because that was like back and forth to Manhattan a lot, and like, you know, it's not that far if you look at it on paper, but um, if you ask a New Yorker, you know it's quite quite the hike. Um, it can be at least. So it was taking a toll on like my health, and like I I just I wasn't able to give a hundred percent at either place, you know, and that was really hurting me on both ends. Um, so that was when kind of you know, if we wanted to see if this Y7 thing is like a thing, now's the time. And luckily it is, um, and I'm so thankful for it. So, you know, it was the right decision, but I think a a lot of people when they're looking to kind of make the transition get very nervous, and you know now in the time that we live and work in now, I think a lot of employers or you know, if people are worried about their resume or gaps in their resume or something, it's people kind of like to see that you can do stuff on your own and you can take the initiative. I don't think it's as negative as it would have been, say, like, you know, even like 15, 20 years ago, where it's like, so you just like worked for yourself for two years, like what what the hell are you doing? It's like what does that even mean? You know, and it's it's funny because even like talking to my parents and realizing that my parents have been in, you know, the same companies for 20, 30 years, it's just crazy. And it's a different kind of security and goal in the people in our generation are looking for.

SPEAKER_00 11:32

What results did you see in those like first few months from being all in with it?

SPEAKER_01 11:37

Yeah, I was definitely able to focus on the experience more, which was kind of what I felt was lacking when you know the customer service, just the handle on the schedule. Like I always felt like really, really scrambled all the time. Like I was playing catch up constantly. Um, so you know, doing it full time really allowed me to sit down, look at the schedule. We added more classes to the schedule, which was great. So it wasn't rushing, you know, it wasn't like, well, I can't get there until 6 30. So that's the earliest it will ever be. Um, you know, look at um, look at our schedule, really optimize the times. It allowed me more time to hire and look at teachers and just really develop kind of how the studios should be run. That was kind of the first step. Like, let's make sure everything's like working and running. Right. Um, and then that was we just really continued to kind of open and we were self-funded till the end of 2016. Um, so it was just about like signing leases that we could afford. It was like, how much money do we have in the bank that we can sign another lease, like put another security deposit down? And this was really, you know, 2015 was really when boutique fitness kind of started to really just like take off. Like studios were opening left and right, and it was getting a lot of attention, and um, it was a really cool time for us to kind of expand and look at what we were doing. I had five of my instructors from New York move out to LA for you know, different like personal reasons, or you know, they were all teaching yoga, but they were also acting, or you know, their boyfriends, girlfriends, partners, whatever were moving out here for jobs. So that's when we decided to open LA. I was like, great, I got a starting lineup, let's go. Um, so it it was just a really, really fun and cool time. And then, you know, 2016 it kind of became apparent that okay, this is a real business now. And we never had a business plan. There was never like this year we'll do this, this year we'll do this. We never had any of those like real hard strategic goals. And, you know, for anyone starting a business, I recommend you definitely have that. Um, because we ended up obviously making one any, you know, we have one now. Um, but we didn't have any strategic goals or anything like that. It was like, let's just see if this people like this. This is something they want to do. Um, so after we ended up raising a round of funding, um, it was it was really time for me to kind of build a team. So that's what all of 2017 was spent, just like building our leadership team and what that looks like and putting the right pieces in place so we could have this really solid infrastructure to grow from.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

So the point you're at now, you have this awesome leadership team. You're spending time between you're uh based in New York, but you spend time in LA as well. Um, what is the stuff that you're focusing on in current day and what are the things that really like the days that really light you up when you're what what what is that looking like for you?

SPEAKER_01 14:40

Oh, I I would say it's kind of it's days like this where I get to talk about the business a lot. Like it's really fun for me. It's it's fun to get to tell the story and you know, to let people know like I didn't go to I didn't go to business school. I don't have like, you know, a degree in economics, I don't have like a background in finance or like any of that stuff. And it's truly being able to talk about the brand and you know how we've built and um and what that looks like for other people. Um and then you know, a lot of the stuff I'm focused on now is um bigger picture, like how do we scale this into a true lifestyle brand? Like so much, you know, of what we do in the studio is the physical practice, but there's so much more to yoga than that. Like, how are we impacting the other aspects of yoga? You know, the teachings of yoga, the dharma, how are we bringing those little things into people's everyday lives? And how are we doing that with people who maybe don't have access to the physical studio locations? Um, what are we doing to engage those people? How are we doing that through our marketing, um, our retail? How are we doing that through retreats? And, you know, that's the way to involve people in sort of a greater community, um, you know, who aren't always in, you know, right now it's just New York and LA and soon Chicago. But, you know, we have people who are coming from all over the world when they're visiting those cities, and it's really fun. They want to make sure that they still feel a part of this community. So that's like a lot of the fun stuff that I get to do is kind of dreaming up what that looks like. Last year we launched our anthem, which um you can find on every single in every single studio. Um, it will be on a wall um in like the lobby or around the locker room. And what we did, what that is, is it's our internal core values that we have um brought client facing so everyone can know, you know, when you read it, that is what you feel at the end of class when you've come out of class, when you've just gone through like a hard ass flow for 60 minutes and you're dripping sweat, but like also knowing that like you have the support of this like community in the room with you. And if you need to take a break, take the break, but then like that banger of a song comes on, you're like, okay, I'm not not moving to this, so like here we go, and like you're back up again. And it's you know, we worked really, really hard on that, and my marketing team was absolutely incredible and you know, making that come to life, and it's just a really beautiful statement of who we are as a company, and we wanted to, you know, be transparent and share that with like our community.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

Oh my gosh, I'm so excited to see that all come to life as well. Um, and so current day, where are you looking for when you're brainstorming growth, figuring out what are these next steps? How is everyone a part of it? Where are you going for inspiration? Do you take one of your own classes? Do you go for a walk, talk with your circle of friends, read a book, listen to a podcast? What are the places when you're feeling stuck you gravitate towards? Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_01 17:46

Um it really comes back to taking class because for me, that's my opportunity to, you know, listen to what clients are saying to each other, you know, in a nice way. I'm not like dropping on anyone's personal lives, but like, you know, how class was, or spending time at the front desk and spending time in studio is really, you know, the best way for me to get re-inspired because it it allows me to see what everybody loves and what can be done better and what people maybe want. You know, if you're like, oh, I really wish this or I really wish that, or it would be so cool if they did this. It's like, oh, like maybe, you know, and it's taking it back to the team and you know, experiencing what you've built in its sort of truest form, right? And that, you know, sometimes I've had amazing experiences, sometimes they're not so great. And I'm like, okay. I'm like, well, maybe, you know, this person or this team needs also some re-inspiration of like why we do this and like what we're doing and what that looks like. And that's such an opportunity, I think, to grow and just be better and you know, communicate more and be more innovative.

SPEAKER_00 18:55

Also, now spending time between the two places, primarily in New York, but going to Los Angeles, if you wouldn't mind getting transparent with our audience, like what is that really like to be bouncing back and forth while you're running this huge booming brand?

SPEAKER_01 19:09

Yeah, uh I love it. It's incredible. Like I feel very, very lucky, especially now when it's freezing on the East Coast. I get to be, you know, I get a little bit of warmth. I get that nice jean jacket weather. Um, but it's busy. I haven't I haven't been to the beach in like years since I've been in LA. Like I do that when, you know, if I'm on vacation, like I don't go to the beach in LA. Like I'm not having these like nice long brunches every day. And like, you know, if I want to hike, I have to get up at like six in the morning and do my hike then because I have things to do. So it it's definitely um it's challenging too because I try and stay on East Coast time so I'm not falling too behind. So it's a lot, it's packed, but like I feel really lucky because you know, you get to experience kind of best of both worlds, and you also get to see how you know different demographics of clients react. Um, you know, it's LA is so different than New York, you know. New York is so heavily reliant on like the subways and walking, and LA is a lot of driving and traffic. So, you know, it's understanding the client behaviors and the patterns and where you know people are going and what time because we're not, you know, New York we're not so dependent on rush hour. Right? Like we just kind of leave when we leave, and the train comes and we get to work and it's fine. And you know, when there's you know train delays, like everyone knows because it's announced on Twitter or whatever. So there's a lot of, you know, it's it's just a little bit different. You know, we're here if you are not when we're looking, you know, to open new locations and what that looks like, understanding that people are spending the most of their time during the week driving in between home and work. And if you're not in the right place in that path, you know, it doesn't matter if people really, really like you, if it's hard to get to, you might not just get, you know, it just might be too hard. Um, so that's been super interesting for me to kind of learn like consumer behavior and like patterns, and I think that's like a really cool thing about you know, the differences between each city, because you can have something really, really great, but if you're not in the right place, it might not work.

SPEAKER_00 21:28

And then moving into Chicago now, did you do you have some history there? Had you been spending time there? Is it kind of like it makes sense to move the market there? So that's why you're doing it. What what brought that about? So I'm from the Midwest. Oh my gosh, that's such a cool.

SPEAKER_01 21:43

Yeah. I grew up in Michigan. Um, I grew up like 40 minutes outside of Detroit, and we're like a four hour drive from Chicago. Um, so that was kind of like our city. We went like shopping in, you know, let's go to Chicago for the weekend and go shopping and Um, and my sister uh went to Northwestern and she lives in Chicago. So it's and I think what's cool about Chicago is that it's really, you know, the most ideal representation of what an American city is like. It's um it's a combination of, you know, the walking, the public transit, and the driving. Um, and it's a little bit more spread out. You know, New York, everything's kind of condensed into Manhattan, really, and you know, the boroughs are kind of their own neighborhoods, and um, you know, LA is very much, I think, community and neighborhood based. And uh, you know, Chicago is I think closer to what we're you know, we see in a Seattle, in a DC, perhaps, you know, when we're looking at consumer behaviors and traffic patterns and how people are coming and going to class. So I'm really excited to see that because I think, you know, we want to see if it works outside of New York and LA. And it's just a really it's a super exciting time. And um I love the Midwest. I went to school in Wisconsin, so it's kind of like, you know, where I consider, you know, really kind of coming home. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 23:11

Oh my gosh, yeah, like what a personal victory and like such a cool chapter as well to be opening something where it was like the city you would go to when you go and shopping, like you're gonna be owning a studio space there. Like that's such a special thing.

SPEAKER_01 23:24

It's really cool and to have, you know, a lot of people that I grew up with moved there. And so it's just like really, it's really fun. It's it's a really, it's really exciting.

SPEAKER_00 23:32

So oh my gosh, congrats. That's that's so special. Yeah, I mean, yeah, we're excited. Well, thank you so much for sitting down and sharing your story today. Can you let our listeners know where to um learn more about you, um, Y7 Studios, and where they can be taking a class right now if they'd like to as well.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

Yeah, so if uh you want to follow Y7 on social, it's at Y7 Studio on Instagram, Facebook, all the things. Um, and then, you know, if you're in New York, LA, or soon to be Chicago in March, um, you can go to our website, which is just y7-studio.com, and you can see all the schedules up there. And if you have any interest in following me, um, you can find me at Sarah S A R A H underscore Ayako A Y A K O Um on Instagram. Perfect. Well, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

Thank you for having me. Yes, thank you. Thank you so much for tuning in. If you liked this episode, please take a moment to leave us a review. It helps us out so much. Remember to head to Girl Gangthelabel.com to redeem your twenty percent off discount with code Girl Gang. Take a moment to remind the females in your life that they inspire you and support your local Girl Gang.