Olivia V
Olivia has been (cumulatively) taking Pure Barre over 5 years. She became certified to teach in September 2015, and went on to become certified to teach Empower in June 2017. She recently took a brief hiatus as she was beginning her residency in Anesthesiology at UIC, which coincided with the onset of Covid. Now that things have settled down (on both fronts), she is back and couldn’t be happier about it! Her favorite class format to teach is Empower, due to high energy and fast pace, and her favorite format to take is Reform "it’s the golden child for me. It’s the class type that really hits home 'you’ll work muscles you never even knew you had'" - we feel that too, girl! Olivia has one more year left of residency before she pursues a 1 year fellowship in Regional Anesthesia (hopefully still in Chicago!). Outside of Pure Barre and residency, she loves traveling, reading, trying new workouts, and baking (she's on a half baked harvest kick right now).
"My favorite part about teaching is first and foremost, the team and feeling part of a community. I jumped into PBWL (and then PBF once it was born a few years later) as soon as I moved to Chicago - which made my transition to a new city that much easier. Since then, I’ve loved the community that both the team as well as the clients provide. It’s so nice to have a place outside of work and home where we can all come to forget about the demands of life for an hour, and really focus on you. Health and well being are really important to me, and I’m so grateful to have found a place where I can promote others’ while simultaneously boosting mine. PBWL & PBF hold a special place in my heart because of the integral part they have played in my Chicago experience. The studio and the team, especially Susan, have been a huge part of helping me find a family away from home, and I can honestly say I would have never survived the demands of med school without this community."