Meet Kate Davies: Owner, YO BK

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kate Davies and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kate, how do you think about risk?
I’ve always been attracted to risk as it brings opportunity, adventure and a bigger, more meaningful life. I believe in trusting my gut and looking for what’s possible.

At 17, I shocked my my liberal New York parents by choosing to attend a University in Texas, which was far outside the expectation of a NYC private school kid! I fell in love with yoga and biked 5 miles daily from school to the studio to practice. I knew right away that I wanted to teach yoga and own a studio.

Upon graduating, I moved to Beijing, China without a job and ended up staying in Asia for three years, working as a private tutor and kindergarten teacher. (I’m so glad Netflix’s “The Serpent” wasn’t released at the time because I was one of those backpackers!) In unfamiliar countries, I always did my best to stay near yoga studios.

I became a yoga teacher in Fall of 2011 and taught for four years before opening YO BK in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I was in my twenties and knew absolutely nothing about running a business. I combined borrowed money from my parents, close friends and my savings from bartending to sign a terrifyingly expensive lease. In the early days, I worked 16 hour days and often spent the night in the studio. Within 6 months, the business was profitable and I was able to hire an amazing team.

YO BK is about so much more than physical exercise — it’s a home away from home for our students to challenge and get to know themselves better. With this philosophy, I opened my second location in Greenpoint and tripled the business within 1 year.

Prior to COVID, the studios offered 80 weekly classes that sold out at 40 students each. I employed 20 teachers and had hundreds of members. After shutting down in March of 2020, we went online the very next day with free classes. I knew our community needed to connect to their bodies, their breath and to each other. Each we were closed felt like a massive risk — should we keep our leases or close permanently, as so many others did? In retrospect, the greatest blessing of the pandemic was not knowing how long it would last!

The community nature of my business meant a lot of support from members, who kept us afloat by continuing to take classes. We reopened both locations in March of 2021 after a full year of shut down. Throughout the pandemic, I had a lot of time to reflect and to realize that studio ownership is the only career I want. I had to make it work, regardless of risk. I was also provided with an incredible opportunity to open a third location in Miami, which will open this Fall.

I’m a big fan of risk when we follow our hearts. Learning to assess risk and trust ourselves is a muscle that we can build, one decision at a time.

Diving in as a full-time stepmother of an incredible 9 year old boy is the risk I’m most proud of.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Established in 2015, YO BK is a hot yoga and pilates studio in Brooklyn, NY and Miami, FL. We believe fitness should be fun, challenging and accessible. Our classes range from Yin Yoga to High Intensity Interval Training so our students can get all their needs in one place.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Temple of Dendur at the Met Museum, Astoria Seafood, Domino Park, Chinatown.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my amazing mentors, teachers and friends — you know who you are! A big thank you to my amazing husband, Luis, who encourages me to make bold moves and to my son, Jake, who cheers me on.

Website: www.yo-bk.com

Instagram: @yo.bk

Facebook: @yobkyoga

Yelp: ew 🙂

Image Credits
Solo pic – Rachel Bradley All others – Chrissy Connors