I spend three years (and thousands of dollars) at this business. The first year I loved every second of it, but I slowly began to get to know the owner and problems began popping up. Over the next two years, I saw the owner overcharge her personal friends, price gouge her long term clients (including myself), and abuse her employees (financially and emotionally). She is the LEAST professional business owner I have ever encountered. At the tail end of my journey with Live Beyond Limit, she would text me just to insult me- routinely- while I was still supporting her business financially and by bringing in new clientele.
Most shockingly, I watched Kate ignore a client while she was suicidal, and after this wonderful girl took her own life, Kate capitalized on her death to promote her business. At this poor girl's "funeral" Kate offered to host, Kate collected donations (that she hasn't used for the purpose they were collected), promoted her business by teaching an intro workshop, and took pictures with my friend's ashes that she immediately posted on social media to advertise her business. At this girl's funeral, Kate never said her name- but she did yield several new clients, which was more important than providing her past client with a respectful funeral.
In addition to all the money I spent here, I got this business a magazine spread, donated money, rented chairs for shows, brought in new patrons, and I was still treated so poorly by the owner. This isn't shocking after seeing how she treats her own employees, cutting their wages, deleting their classes without notice, pitting them against each other to try to get them to work for free. After firing one of the managers over text (unprofessional), the studio took a slide, often not having basic necessities available like water, soap in the bathrooms, and the studio became very dirty, with globs of hair floating around the floors and accumulating in the corners alongside the dust bunnies. When there was an infectious disease exposure at the studio, Kate swept it under the rug, not informing everyone who may have been exposed. This was scary and unethical, even more scary because actual disinfectants aren't used frequently. Mats are wiped with "organic" solutions with no actual disinfecting power.
I've seen Kate lose long term clients, friends, and employees over the way she treats people. I hoped for the best for a long time, but after (1) the funeral fiasco, which truly broke my heart, (2) seeing Kate charge for my performance at an event I volunteered at and her pocketing the money, and (3) Kate becoming verbally abusive to me and others, despite my continued support of her business, I cannot support this business anymore. I understand everyone's glowing comments about Live Beyond Limit; I loved this studio very much my first year there. However, if you are looking for a long term place to spend your money and grow and build relationships, I would suggest elsewhere. Everyone who spends enough time at Live Beyond Limit leaves. Kate's abusive and unethical tendencies are eventually noticed once you get close enough.
If you are interested in yoga, I would go elsewhere and support a business with ethics that benefits the community, rather this dishonest and exploitative business owner. If you want to do aerial, I would encourage you to reach out to instructors individually (Bobby, Drake, Jes, Staza, and Kim are great!) or try one of the other two studios in town. I encourage you not to support someone who capitalizes on someone's suicide and abuses her employees, a pathological liar with no sense of right and wrong. Other businesses offering similar services with classier owners include Vertical Fusion, Lime Light Fitness, and Fractal Tribe Fort Collins. Don't give your money to someone who will eventually take you for every penny you have and spit you out. Coming from someone who spent years at Live Beyond Limit, and who genuinely was passionate about this business for over a year, I could not be more disappointed in the lack of integrity I have seen from the owner. All those good feelings are long gone, replaced with the shock from seeing one individual act so callously with no care for individuals (once she takes your money of course).
They say everyone knows a psychopath; Kate is the one I know. read more