Meet Carissa Laitinen-Kniss & Khristen Pahler | Owner’s/Instructors – Twisted Bodies

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carissa Laitinen-Kniss & Khristen Pahler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carissa Laitinen-Kniss & Khristen Pahler, can you tell us about a book that has had a meaningful impact on you?
When we started our business many years ago, it was just a silly idea between two friends enjoying margaritas by the pool. That idea continued to grow and eventually we opened our first brick a mortar studio. A year after opening, Khristen came across the book “What do you do with an idea?” By Kobe Yamada and Mae Besom and gave it to Carissa as an anniversary gift. This book has won several different awards and been on the New York Times best sellers list, and with good reason.

When you start a business it’s exciting and fun; you get caught up in the ride so it’s easy to ignore the scarier parts of business ownership. After you have been in business for awhile that’s where the uneasiness starts to creep in. The ride is over, the excitement starts to wan, and you have to dig in with a huge amount of perseverance to continue on.

“What do you do with an idea?” Is an awesome book about self-esteem, self-reliance, and confidence. This book has provided us with the much needed inspiration at various times to continue fighting for what we believe in. While it is considered a children’s book, it is a great read for any age.

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?
The biggest lesson we have learned along the way, is to NOT compromise on what you believe. It’s hard to stand solid in your beliefs and often times we have been challenged on that over the years. People have tried to persuade us to change or move our values for them or their organization. When these challenges present themselves we form a united front and stand firm in what we believe to be right and true. We’ve learned through doing this you will naturally attract the clientele that supports you and the ones who do not will move along. Over the years we’ve been challenged on our refusal to bring politics into our studio, we want our studio be a safe and inviting space for all no matter their background; let your time at Twisted Bodies be an escape. We were challenged over the pandemic on our mask policy, we stood strong in keeping our studio a clean and safe place for medically fragile individuals to come and work out. Ultimately, you will always have haters….let them hate….they will make themselves miserable, we will continue to enjoy life our way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, we are best friends and own our business together; so we have the best time everyday together. Here are some of our favorite things to do: 1. Andaman restaurant off the Denton square is our go to favorite place to eat.
2. We love trying fun candy at Atomic Candy.
3. We often visit the animal shelter and play with the adoptable fur babies.
4. Or we generally find some ridiculous fun just playing outside doing Acro yoga or exploring new areas.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our shoutout could be a long list of individuals. From our children and husbands, our clients that have stood by us even during the pandemic, the instructors who keep our studio moving, to new people that entrust us with their fitness journey. All of these people deserve credit for where we are today and where we have progressed from. Without their love and support Twisted Bodies would fail to exist.

Website: Www.twistedbodies.com

Instagram: @twistedbodies

Facebook: Facebook.com/twistedbodies