Julie Kemp

To me, The Works is a place to shake off all of the excess, mentally and physically- It’s a place to move through all of the stuff right under the surface, just waiting to boil over. We all have those stories that swirl around in our heads. They’re the kind that are based on fear and anxiety, and not at all in the present moment: the scenarios that could have happened if we did this one thing differently, the conversations that should have gone better, that workout that we shouldn’t have skipped etc etc.  And all of that bullshit sticks with us physically if we don’t work through it. Call it stress, tension, or whatever, but we have to release it in a healthy way. The Works is that release for me. It helps me get real with myself and the physical practice brings me back to the present moment. Like what really matters? Being perfect? No. Trying to fit in a box? No. Breathing? Absolutely! Connection with ourselves? yes! Connection with each other? YES!

Everything from The Beatles to Common, Mos Def, Arcade Fire, Sylvan Esso, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, A Tribe Called Quest, Aretha, De La Soul, and lately a lot of Tina Turner! I love mixing old and new and anything with a little funk!

I first found myself in the room when I was trying so hard to be everything and anyone but myself. And it’s still the place I come back to when I need the reminder of who I really am.

And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain,
Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders.
For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.