EPISODE · Mar 4, 2026 · 39 MIN
Nat Harrison | Building a Purpose-Led Wellness Studio From the Ground Up
from Beyond Four Walls · host Penzo Group, RTF Productions
What if your workout was designed to help you feel good — not punish you? Nat Harrison, founder of SOAR, built a movement and mental health studio that does exactly that.Nat Harrison spent over a decade in corporate marketing — working on brands like Gatorade and Nike Canada — before stepping away to raise her family. What followed was an unexpected journey: a backyard barre class that grew into SOAR, a 4,000-square-foot movement and wellness studio in Toronto's West End now drawing 10,000 visits a month.In this conversation, you'll hear about:📌 Why she believes movement should build you up — not punish you for what you ate📌 How SOAR survived opening one week before pandemic lockdowns shut gyms down📌 The three-tier model she built: from drop-in classes to workshops to one-on-one psychotherapy📌 Her sobriety journey and how it shaped her books and her approach to mental health📌 Why she thinks careers are scaffolding, not a ladder — and what that means for reinvention at any age0:00 - Intro1:59 - From Pepsi to Nike Canada: Building a Corporate Marketing Career2:22 - The Moment That Changed Everything at 187:22 - From Backyard Barre Classes to a Movement Studio10:18 - Why Most Gyms Get Fitness Wrong for Mental Health13:52 - The Secret Behind SOAR's Community and Culture16:11 - Opening Week One of the Pandemic — And Surviving It19:10 - Movement for Mindset, Not Aesthetics: The SOAR Philosophy27:37 - Retreats, Workshops & the Three-Tier SOAR Model30:26 - Writing Two Books and Sharing Her Sobriety Journey Publicly35:03 - Returning to School at 45 to Become a Psychotherapist36:33 - Why Careers Are Scaffolding, Not a Ladder
What this episode covers
What if your workout was designed to help you feel good — not punish you? Nat Harrison, founder of SOAR, built a movement and mental health studio that does exactly that.Nat Harrison spent over a decade in corporate marketing — working on brands like Gatorade and Nike Canada — before stepping away to raise her family. What followed was an unexpected journey: a backyard barre class that grew into SOAR, a 4,000-square-foot movement and wellness studio in Toronto's West End now drawing 10,000 visits a month.In this conversation, you'll hear about:📌 Why she believes movement should build you up — not punish you for what you ate📌 How SOAR survived opening one week before pandemic lockdowns shut gyms down📌 The three-tier model she built: from drop-in classes to workshops to one-on-one psychotherapy📌 Her sobriety journey and how it shaped her books and her approach to mental health📌 Why she thinks careers are scaffolding, not a ladder — and what that means for reinvention at any age0:00 - Intro1:59 - From Pepsi to Nike Canada: Building a Corporate Marketing Career2:22 - The Moment That Changed Everything at 187:22 - From Backyard Barre Classes to a Movement Studio10:18 - Why Most Gyms Get Fitness Wrong for Mental Health13:52 - The Secret Behind SOAR's Community and Culture16:11 - Opening Week One of the Pandemic — And Surviving It19:10 - Movement for Mindset, Not Aesthetics: The SOAR Philosophy27:37 - Retreats, Workshops & the Three-Tier SOAR Model30:26 - Writing Two Books and Sharing Her Sobriety Journey Publicly35:03 - Returning to School at 45 to Become a Psychotherapist36:33 - Why Careers Are Scaffolding, Not a Ladder
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Nat Harrison | Building a Purpose-Led Wellness Studio From the Ground Up
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