After a series of health setbacks and being forced to leave her home after getting red-stickered, Luci Harrison continued to push through her challenges to find the silver lining in flourishing her Parnell-based pilates studio, allowing for her to grow her business.
As the director and instructor of Balance Bloom Pilates, Luci lives a busy and active life – and always has, having grown up on a large farm where she developed natural strength. At 13, a riding accident left Luci with fractured bones in her back which began her journey of healing and treating pain. From a young age, Luci discovered that movement was her form of pain relief. In 2017 she needed to find a new form of healing after being diagnosed with burnout, chronic fatigue, and hypothyroidism. Her reformer quickly became the only form of bearable movement – being able to move her arms and legs on it gave her some hope. What started as a feeling of her body being drained and tight and tired turned into an extensive wellness journey.
She began the Instagram page @sleepy2supercharged with tips to help midlife women recover from similar symptoms.
This past January, Luci’s wellness journey was looking encouraging and her pilates business was starting to build back up. However, 28 January brought more challenges her way as the council land behind her home slipped away causing her once very lush backyard to become unstable and put her home at risk of sliding down a cliff. She was desperate not knowing where to go or who to call. After days without answers and the news of being red-stickered, she had only 30 minutes to get her belongings out. With the hope of helping others, Luci formed the Auckland Red Stickered Houses 2023 Facebook group.
Moving into a new studio, Luci’s focus was now carrying on with her business and leading by example for her clients. Being adaptable and resilient is something that she’s always valued, especially after what she has been through. She is there to tailor exercises to each client and listens to their specific needs.
At 55 Luci says, “I think that it’s really important to live the life that you are teaching, walk the talk.”
