By Shayna Mace | Photography By Hillary Schave
Amy Fickell is a busy woman.
In addition to owning barre3 Middleton, a barre studio, she’s mom to six kids — and wife to Wisconsin Badgers head football coach, Luke Fickell. Owning her business has allowed Amy to have a career that supports both her wellbeing and her family.
“My path was different than most female business owners. I put my career as a physical therapist (PT) on hold to be a stay-at-home mom. barre3 fed my kinesiology mind and allowed me to be home with my kids as well. It was the perfect marriage of utilizing my PT background, [being with my family] and serving the community, all at the same time,” she says.
Here, Amy shares a typical day in her life with us.
4:50 a.m. My alarm goes off for me to teach a 6 a.m. barre class. The first thing I do is grab my water and start sipping — hydration is key for me! I quickly get dressed for class, brush my teeth and put on face lotion and sunscreen. I’m out the door within 10 minutes to head to the studio.
5:15 a.m. I arrive at the studio with my 24 ounces of water already down and it’s time to brew a cup of MOKA coffee. (MOKA is a local business partner — shout-out to Joan Wilson, a fellow female small business owner!) I sip my coffee as I review my class and prep the studio for our 6 a.m. crew. This group is amazing — we all come as we are, without makeup or judgment.
I quickly prep the studio for the 7 a.m. class and head out the door to get my youngest two children (aka “the littles”) up and ready for school.
7:45 a.m. I wake my littles, get some mom snuggles in, grab a quick shower and we are off to Our Lady Queen of Peace, where my littles go to school. We usually eat breakfast in the car and many times it is a whole- food powerhouse breakfast from Joiaas foods. The owner and founder, Vipasha Chakravarty, belongs to barre3 Middleton.
We also fuel our souls on the ride as one of my littles reads Sarah Young’s “Jesus Calling” daily devotional and we chat about it, incorporating Jesus into our day. Faith is the center of my world.
8:30 a.m. I attend all-school mass at Our Lady Queen of Peace with my littles. 9:45 a.m. Back at the studio for administrative work and connection with clients. I meet with my studio manager, Sophia Nourse, who is also my niece. I am grateful to have her on board. There’s nothing like having family close and with you on the daily!
12 p.m. I head to the Badgers’ football facility to prep for the weekend’s game. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work done here, especially for home games. Checking in with staff families, recruiting and donors are my priorities this morning. A perk of this job is a check-in with my husband, Luke, and also my three older boys, who are all part of the program.
2:20 p.m. Wednesday is early release at Our Lady Queen of Peace, so I am back for school pickup followed by a quick stop by the studio to check in and make sure all is good for the evening classes.
When they aren’t in school, my kids are with me at the studio. They help with childcare, cleaning or take classes — it’s a family affair. I would not have opened this studio if my family wasn’t a part of it with me.
3:45 p.m. Back at home to prep for dinner, pack lunches for tomorrow, get homework done and get ready for evening football practice.
5 p.m. Drive to Edgewood of the Sacred Heart for my littles’ football practice. There’s a lot of chatting with other moms. Then I squeeze in a walk while praying my rosary. This is my time to fuel my soul.
7 p.m. Back at home to get everyone cleaned up for dinner and more homework.
9 p.m. Bedtime prayers and snuggles for my littles, followed by some laundry and waiting up for my hubby to get home from work.
10 p.m. Post-workday pillow talk with my husband, then lights out!
