Soft Power: Lucy Beaumont on the power of letting go
Hello and thanks for being here! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hello! My name is Lucy and I (amongst other things) own and run a Pilates, barre and yoga studio called Scout Pilates. I love Pilates (might be a given) and the community I've been able to help build with Scout - I truly love what I do and it gives me a real purpose in life. Outside of work you can find me hanging with my dog Ollie, drinking sour beers and nattys with my friends or down on the South Coast of NSW swimming in the ocean or on the beach with a book (full SPF and a hat of course). I also love being outdoors - bushwalks, firepits, exploring, trying new restaurants, travelling (hopefully internationally again one day), deep human connections, interior design and renovating.
We're living in truly strange times, how has COVID affected what you do?
It's affected what I do big time! Scout was only a baby when the first lockdown hit (about 7 months old). It was a very scary time to suddenly shut up shop with no idea of when or if we'd reopen. We pivoted to online quickly which was a great way to stay connected to our community and move together - but I'm not going to lie I find the online stuff challenging. It's not how I personally enjoy teaching or experiencing a class, instructing week after week to a video camera on your laptop to tiny little screens can be pretty exhausting. I find the hustle and bustle of actual bodies in an actual space exciting, energising and fun. I love the chatter, the music and that collective shared experience.That being said online has a time and a place and it's been a great interim offering for our community - and I must admit the daily movement (in lockdown groundhog day) keeps me sane! Fast forward to a year later the second lockdown caught me a bit off guard - I don't think anyone thought it was going to be this long. Online again has kept us all going but I've really noticed the ebbs and flows with uptake of classes and I think that's because this lockdown has been really really loooooong. On a personal level I've missed the things we all have - travel, spontaneous nights out, hugging my family, dinner parties with my closest friends - all the things that colour our world and make up our favourite memories!
Lockdowns suck (necessary, but not fun!), how have you found power in what sometimes feels like a powerless situation?
The art of letting go. I'm the first to admit the art of letting go does not come easily to me but I'm slowly learning that letting go can be really powerful.
I also found that the second lockdown was in some ways easier and less stressful than the first as I knew there would be an endpoint and an eventual reopening date - a ‘when not an if’.
Have you learnt any lessons or picked up any little rituals you'll take with you out of lockdown?
Hopefully slowing down a little - not jam packing my diary so much and practicing the art of letting go where needed. I've been pretty consistent with mediation during lockdown which is a relatively new practice for me so I want to try and keep that up as we emerge from the lockdown and life gets busier.
What are your plans for when we're finally free?
A beach holiday down to the South Coast (get me into the ocean pronto), lots of restaurant bookings, hangs with friends and family - quite exciting that the end of lockdown coincides with silly season, who knows what's going to happen?!
Lastly, tell us about some people who inspire you.
There are so so many. I am lucky to be surrounded by some pretty inspiring women in my life - one in particular is my sister Elle. She is a new mother, lawyer, emerging artist and is currently completing her psychology masters (I know, so many talents). She's also a great mother, friend and sister, caring, supportive and fun. I always notice that she seems to get everything done with an air of grace and ease - she's an incredibly hard worker (don't get me wrong) but she doesn't sweat the small stuff. For her it has never been just about the end goal but the actual process - the life long learner and I think that's a great way to approach life.