Check Out Sam Stilwell’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Stilwell.

Hi Sam , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My love for movement, exercise, fitness all started at a very young age as I started dancing as I was learning to walk. I transitioned into turning dance and fitness into my career in high school as a dance teacher, in college as a fitness instructor, and after college into a professional dancer, choreographer, and competitive program dance director for several studios.

Honestly after just burn out of trying to juggle dance and fitness for most of my adult life I was seeking something a little deeper. I was searching for something that I just couldn’t seem to find. I was looking for somewhere that I could belong, unapologetically. A place where I could show up as myself, whatever that meant day-to-day. I was craving a place where I could move my body in a way that served me that day, regardless of what I looked like, what I was wearing, or if I was feeling my best, physically or emotionally. I was looking for a studio/gym where I could build relationships and be part of a community. A studio where I was known by name and where the instructors and the owner were present and genuinely cared about what I needed and why I was there.

On top of that, my body and heart personally crave a variety of movements. The type of movement that serves me changes from day-to-day, and I started to notice that not many studios offered an intentional, complimentary line up of movement styles. Since I grew up as a dancer, I enjoy moving my body freely, with self-expression, and in a way that makes me feel like the artist of the movement. And I also find deep value in the stillness and mindfulness that yoga creates, and how complementary it is to other forms of movement. The more I dug into what I valued in a movement studio, the more I saw the importance in a place that offered many types of movement, wrapped up into one membership. I knew I couldn’t be the only one craving TRUE human connection and an intentional variety of movement. After being in the industry for years as well I really learned the true value and results that can be achieved when adding yoga, barre, strength, and cardio as your main routine and therefore being able to be consistent with it. I was tired of beating my body up and feeling like I was never doing enough.

After being turned down for a job teaching in Raleigh because I didn’t seem to be “in shape” enough (a blessing in disguise), I was motivated to educate myself more and create a studio that stood for all the things I couldn’t find anywhere else. Someone’s personal health isn’t based on what they look like. We all deserve to feel free, alive, and in a respectful relationship with our body, heart, and spirit. That’s the practice! I knew I wanted to create a studio that embodied this. A studio that offered a place for EVERYONE, all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and colors, to come and find joy through movement. And that’s exactly what YoBa Studio is and was designed to be. As well as a good use of all of our time no one wants to waste their time, I’ve tired to take all the guess work out and allow people a place to show up and get strong and best yet have fun while doing so!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Owning YoBa for the last nine years has come with both exciting highs and challenging lows. It’s a mix of passion for fitness and entrepreneurship, so there’s a lot to balance. Honestly, there have been many lows for example covid that almost took everything out of me and at times had been questioning everything.

I found that first few months or even years were extremely tough—there’s a lot of upfront investment, both in terms of money and time and competition can be fierce in the fitness industry and Raleigh is flooded with fitness options. After feeling like we had made it over a huge few years we really started to hit our stride and I feel like years of covid took the life out of me and the business for a while. I just couldn’t throw in the towel though and I’m so thankful that the Lord kept me steady and here are in 2025 with another studio open and rebuilding and growing our brand!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a boutique fitness studio owner, I create a unique, personalized fitness experience for OUR clients. We focus on providing high-quality, specialized classes in more intimate setting compared to larger gyms. This allows us to build deeper relationships with clients and offer more tailored services. We really get to know all of our clients. We pride ourselves in the variety of movement that we offer and know that we can be the only membership that you need no matter your age.

We want YoBa to be a place that allows working out to be fun yet effective.. bottom line and we know that YoBa is both!

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is all of our clients they are the most supportive and loyal community. People come to our studio not just for the fitness, but for the relationships, the camaraderie, and the sense of belonging that is what makes YoBa successful. Our community is our driving force in everything we do! I feel like many of our clients know and understand they’re part of something bigger! We hear people sharing their success stories and encouraging each other every single week and that is our WHY!

As for me personally, I think success for me as a fitness studio owner is a combination of several things: seeing our clients thrive, building a sustainable business, and finding personal fulfillment. It’s about knowing that my and our work as a team is meaningful and having the freedom to enjoy both the journey and the destination.

Pricing:

• If you haven’t joined us before we would love to welcome you in to try us out for two week of unlimited classes giving you a chance to try yoga, barre, strength, and cardio!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yobastudio.com/
• Instagram: yobastudio and yobalady