The Founders Series

Christina Schwefel thought she would be entering the teaching field after college, but a serendipitous moment when applying for graduate school lead her down the academic track after a chance encounter with a notable mentor and professor.

So how does someone who is studying developmental psychology go from being an academic to the owner of a barre brand? That’s what I wanted to learn more about.

I had the chance to speak with Christina on how she got started, what it was like to acquire and then rebrand an established barre studio chain, and what distinguishes her technique from others.

Could you break down The Forme Method® for people who might not be familiar with the method? What is it all about and how does it differ from other methods?

The Forme Method® barre class combines elements of ballet, Pilates and strength training into a dynamic 60-minute format that will transform your body and mind!

Our method is designed to activate muscles at their deepest level and to work in a continuous fat burning zone with deliberate exercises that target specific areas of the body. High repetitions with low weights and body weight followed by an extended isometric hold are the cornerstone of the Forme Method.

Exercises are sequenced together purposefully to create layers of work followed by intentional stretching; this combination results in a long, lean physique with a serious tone.

The class provides a balance of intensity and release that is nothing short of addicting. Every class is led with an informed and effective teaching style that reflects the standards of our company’s training and continuing education program.

At FORME, our team is continually learning about anatomy and alignment. We regularly consult with experts in the fields of physical therapy, classical ballet technique, and biomechanics to bring our clients an informed fitness experience that’s ever-evolving. Our clients receive the benefit of years of continuing education efforts aimed at continually improving the Forme Method.

We are classically trained, passionate about barre fitness, and dedicated to providing a safe, effective exercise method that works across the lifespan.

Forme Barre Fitness owner Christina Schwefel.

Can you explain (for our readers) what the backstory is behind Go Figure and how you came about acquiring the business from Cindy Sites?

Cindy Sites founded Go Figure and the Figure Method twenty years ago–it was a first generation barre company, meaning that Cindy’s training was through Lotte Berk, the originator of all barre fitness methods.

I was invited to train with Cindy and become an instructor in 2010, shortly after I moved to CT from New York City. I was teaching in the Fairfield & Westchester County locations and spending the summer in Nantucket. Nantucket seemed like an ideal place to open a Go Figure and so after one summer of a pop-up, I opened a studio in the summer of 2013 as a licensed location under Cindy’s direction.

It became clear soon after opening and operating Nantucket that I had a passion for the business and was interested in taking the company into the next phase of its identity.

Did The Forme Method® evolve from The Figure Method? In other words did anything change when Cindy passed the so-called ‘baton’ to you?

There was definitely an evolution from The Figure Method to the Forme Method. The name Forme derives from the French word for “figure” as a nod to our history. Continuing the tradition of the Figure Method, Forme Method stays very close to Lotte Berk’s influence.

We have avoided industry trends of picking up the pace or incorporating cardio sequences and instead decided to dig down deeper into our roots with an added emphasis on postural alignment and form.

When I took over the company, I reached out to a multitude of professionals in related fields who acted as consultants for the Figure Method–specifically physical therapists who work with dancers, biomechanics experts, and classical ballet trainers. These consultations resulted in a revision of the major sections of the Figure Method, and thus the Forme Method was born.

What attracted you to the Go Figure method? Had you tried other techniques before?

I have a longstanding interest in fitness methods that strengthen and lengthen the spine, improve posture, and tone and sculpt hard to change areas of the body. I am a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) and Certified in Mat Pilates which I taught for many years in New York City in boutique studios and large health clubs. Neither format on its own quite worked for my teaching and training style, so I developed my own group fitness concept which merged power yoga, mat Pilates and strength training until I found barre fitness.

I was drawn to barre fitness classes because of their focus on technique and inclusion of isometrics and weight training. However, I struggled with the flat back/round back portion of abdominal work due to a history of scoliosis and a weak core.

When I took my first class at Go Figure, I immediately noticed that the Figure Method was steeped in the tradition and influence of Lotte Berk but without a round back/flat back section. This was crucial in attracting me to the method. I was instantly inspired by the rigor and intensity of the Method and amazed and motivated by the way it transformed clients’ bodies.

So you took over the Go Figure brand in 2016 which coincided with a rebranding. Was it important to distinguish this new brand from the existing one?

Being an academic who appreciates applied practices (I still conduct research and publish studies in my other life!), it was extremely important to me to take a closer look at the Figure Method and apply the perspective of experts in the fields of alignment and classical ballet technique.

The consultations I embarked upon were illuminating and resulted in a revision to the method that lead the way for the rebrand. It became clear that our new focus was on postural alignment–finding new and innovative ways to help clients find their best form and to activate and engage under-trained muscle groups.

How did you go about coming up with the brand name and look?

In 2017, I hired Tess Fantegrossi, who stepped in to help with the rebrand. Together, we created a brand storyboard, piecing together images and colors that represented the new direction.

Once we had a good sense for the new look and feel, we conducted surveys with clients and non-clients to test out potential names, logos and colors. Once we had it narrowed down, we surveyed internally and sought the opinion of our instructors and team.

What advice would you give people who are thinking of acquiring an existing business? Are there any lessons you learned along the way? Were there any surprises?

My biggest piece of advice would be to remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. I had so many ideas and visions for the company but the first steps really had to be very slow and deliberate; it was about letting the existing team get to know me and being transparent about future plans.

It was essential to tell the existing team how much respect I had for them and to hear their perspectives and not to just rush into a rebranding phase.

There were inherited issues both internally and externally that had to be thoughtfully managed before launching into a new look, feel, and name.

The brand’s name en français means “form” and is a derivative of “figure” which represents your emphasis on proper alignment. I read that you’ve developed custom mats designed to support the spine and to help with alignment. Could you talk a little bit about that, and how that came to be?

Our Alignmats, which are entirely bespoke, were developed by our senior team over a period of 18 months. They were born out of a consultation with Stephen Apatow, biomechanics specialist, who felt we needed additional support for the thoracic spine in our side lying series.

Stephen pointed out that during these center floor exercises (during which you are lying on your side), the thoracic spine was pushed into a curve, and far from a mechanical ideal.

The Continuing Education Director, Jane Mossa, and Creative Director, Monica Gray, and I tried every wedge, block, and mat under the sun but nothing was quite right for our needs. So, we started from scratch, testing insert materials and devising ideal dimensions.

We thoughtfully analyzed and tested until we found the perfect compliment for the exercises in our method. Each one is hand sewn by a local seamstress.

The best part of the Alignmats was that they ended up having so many applications to our Method, beyond the side lying series. This is a prop that supports ideal alignment of the spine, hips, knees and ankles in various positions throughout our class.

From what I’ve seen online, the Nantucket studio looks absolutely idyllic! What motivated you to start your ownership journey there?

My husband and I bought a small house in Madaket right after we had our first child–after visiting during his youth, he had a dream to one day come back and be able to bring his own children.

I fell in love with Nantucket and everything it offered–incredible beaches, a slower pace, and a truly fantastic place to spend time with family.

We ended up spending a significant amount of time each summer there, and as it turned out so did many of the Go Figure clients from Fairfield and Westchester counties.

We were asked many times if we would ever consider opening a studio on Nantucket and once I started spending summers there, it just made sense to try.

So you recently partnered with NEOU, so clients can stream some of your classes online. How did that partnership come about and what was the primary motivation behind finding a third-party app to partner with?

I came across an article about NEOU in Forbes and was instantly intrigued by the business philosophy. Bringing together top-notch offerings in every fitness category at an affordable and accessible price point made good sense.

A mutual friend set up a meeting between myself and the NEOU founder, Nate Forster, and I was instantly intrigued by his vision. We were invited to partner, and the collaboration felt natural and like a logical next step for our brand.

NEOU provides us with an opportunity to teach in New York City each week, exposes us to an entirely new clientele, and puts us on a platform with other fitness brands and trainers for whom we have tremendous respect.

Has your psychology background helped you as a business owner in any way?

Being trained as a psychologist has helped me in life — not only in understanding myself better but in understanding myself in relation to others.

As a business owner, I am forming new relationships and maintaining others daily. Being able to introspect and thoughtfully analyze new challenges has been key in owning the business. So that would be my training as a therapist really.

My research training, which is my academic background as a psychologist, has really helped in bridging the gap between research and practice for our Method. Let’s look at the deepest layer of the core for example–the transverse abdominis. This is an underutilized muscle group that becomes weaker with age but particularly so after childbirth. There are a plethora of readings on how to access and strengthen this muscle group from practitioners such as physical therapists, doctors, and medical researchers.

I have made it my mission to read books, articles, and even speak to the source when possible to better understand these findings, and then bring them back to the Forme Method. Without my psychology background, where so much of my training was in analyzing research and pulling out relevant findings, I would not be taking this step for our barre fitness program.

You put an emphasis on continuing education with your instructors. Why is that so important for your brand?

Continuing education is the key to developing and maintaining expertise. In an industry that’s ever-changing and driven mainly by fads and fitness trends, the team at FORME works tirelessly to provide a method that focuses on muscle engagement and alignment above all else. We do this by learning as much as we can about biomechanics and anatomy through our continuing education efforts.

We believe that the combination of correcting one’s posture patterns while activating (and strengthening) the intended muscle group is an extremely powerful and transformative experience.

Forme is dedicated not only to changing the aesthetic of clients’ bodies but also to improving posture and helping clients get closer to their mechanical ideals. We have seen clients change their bodies not only in terms of definition and sculpting but also alleviating back pain, knee issues and neck and shoulder problems.

You work with several advisors who coach you on improving your technique. What is the greatest improvement that has come out of these coaching sessions?

It would be hard to identify one single greatest improvement. As mentioned earlier, consultations with Stephen Apatow inspired the creation of the Alignmats. Our work with Stephen also resulted in major revisions to our abdominal sequence.

A consultation with Heather Strauch, a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor function, influenced the way we talk about core engagement when we are teaching. This is especially true when we bring clients awareness to their pelvic floor when coming in and out of a plie (accent on e) sequence. The list goes on and on!

What’s next for the brand?

2019 promises to be a very exciting year for Forme! We are opening two more locations in Massachusetts this spring (Chestnut Hill & Boston).

We will continue to provide our online class offerings through NEOU and hope to develop a complete instructor training and continuing education resource through this platform as well.

Additionally, we have two consumer products currently in prototype phase that we hope to bring to the market this year.

Beyond the studio and your work, how do you make time for yourself? What do you do to relax?

Making time for myself is definitely crucial and sometimes feels entirely impossible between work and family (I have 4 children under the age of 8).

I started to practice Transcendental Meditation last summer when I hit a breaking point in my life. I felt physically and emotionally exhausted and really, depleted. TM helps to center me, to relax my body and mind, and to alleviate nervous energy. It has been a critical tool in my toolbox for combating anxiety.

I’m Italian American so I also have a complete and deep love for food. Relaxing to me is curling up on the couch with my husband, putting on a movie or series, and enjoying something delicious for dinner. And then something yummy for dessert.

Okay, so this was one of the coolest things I came across in 2018 on Instagram. Could you talk a little bit about the history of The Barre Bus, and how it came to be?

Thank you! On Nantucket, we often joke around that the studio’s biggest competition is mother nature. On a beautiful day on Nantucket, most people want to be outside and not taking class indoors. It seemed like offering class outside (ideally on the beach) would be very welcomed. Yet, there was no real way to provide a true Forme class outside without creating a format that eliminated the use of any ballet barres. And that just did not feel right.

Michelle Birmingham (one of the first employees I ever hired, and my right hand in Nantucket!) and I even tested portable ballet barres on the beach but they couldn’t withstand the elements. They were unsteady and often collapsed with the wind. We were determined to provide an authentic Forme Barre experience outdoors, but could not quite wrap our heads around how to do it.

So you found this fabulous 1979 Pinzgauer. How the heck did you find this bus? There has to be a cool backstory behind that!

So, one day while beaching with my family at Great Point, we see this incredibly cool vehicle go driving by with at least 10 people inside. My husband was immediately intrigued (as he loves nothing more than driving on the beach, especially in a vehicle that can fit absolutely everyone and everything) and did a little research. That summer ended shortly after that, but the journey to finding a Pinzgauer had just begun.

My husband ended up buying the Pinzgauer later that fall, unbeknownst to me. He took me to dinner for our anniversary and surprised me with a picture of the recent purchase. Then, he said to me, “You know how you’ve wanted to offer class on the beach? I think this is the answer.” I immediately looked up the dimensions of the truck and realized he was on to something.

The next step was to go to the welder for brackets, grab some new ballet barres and then visit the mechanic who looked at me like I was whacky (I had drawn out the vision to the best of my ability). As we now know, it worked! We have a Barre Bus 2.0 planned for the future as a class can be anywhere outdoors and does not need to be on a beach. We applied for and were granted a U.S. patent at the end of last summer.

The bus mostly hosts classes on Nobadeer Beach, but where else has the bus been on the island?

The Barre Bus is very popular among private groups such as bachelorettes, wedding parties, and birthday weekends. As such, we have been to many private homes with the bus!

We have also offered classes at Cisco Brewery and Bartlett Farm during the Yoga Festival. Believe it or not, the Barre Bus has also gone out to California for Coachella and made a stop at the beach and a large winery while there.

If you would like to know more about Forme Barre Fitness, the Barre Bus or their online classes, visit formebarre.com.