Since visiting strategic sales partners in Arizona, I feel a strong desire to acknowledge an incredible strategic partnership that is happening with The Dailey Method in Scottsdale, Arizona. Linda Nofer is the owner of this magical studio and was trained by the one and only Jill Dailey McIntosh.

The Scottsdale showroom team with Linda Nofer (third from the right).

Two Scottsdale Showroom rockstars, Linda Nofer and Gina.

When you meet Linda, you're instantly energized and ready to take on the world. Her energy and passion is so apparent, it’s actually intoxicating. Don’t let her delicate frame fool you: Linda is all muscle and will push you to your absolute limits. I dare you to take a break while in a pose and NOT have her call you out on it. There is such a sense of accomplishment when you walk out of her class that you’re thankful to have gotten out alive.

This is the only Dailey Method in Scottsdale and clients are hooked!! It’s not only because the results pay off, but also the instructor’s passion and enthusiasm for their craft is addictive. Linda is so welcoming when you walk through the door, greeting her loyal guests by name, and newbies immediately feel like they are part of the family. Linda is also an ambassador for the lululemon Scottsdale showroom. One of her most recent community efforts has been around getting more men into the Dailey Method.

Even though I’m back in Vancouver now, I still plan to support her in this goal by bringing my boyfriend to a Dailey Method class as soon as Vancouver’s own Dailey Method opens this fall!

I challenge anyone who is looking for an all over workout to try a barre-style fitness class such as the Dailey Method in your own community. And if you’re lucky enough to live in Scottsdale, don’t miss the chance to work out with the one and only Linda Nofer... Butt Kicker Extraordinaire!

For more details visit http://www.thedaileymethod.com/scottsdale.html.

After high school, Angela moved from Ontario to Alberta for university and volleyball. While at school, she started practicing yoga to compliment her intensive volleyball training. She soon fell in love with hot yoga and made it one of her goals to open the first Moksha studio in Edmonton.

Once she graduated, Angela worked at lululemon athletica on the team that opened our Kingsway store in Edmonton. Her time in the store provided her with the opportunity to develop her leadership skills and discover another one of her passions: developing people. At the same time, her position allowed her the freedom to continue pursuing her yoga studio goals as she took a month off to get her Moksha teacher certification in Thailand.

Angela teaching an outdoor complimentary yoga class

BHAG accomplished

Soon enough, Angela was able to realize her dream and open the first Moksha Yoga studio in Edmonton. At the time, this was the only Moksha studio and she was the only Moksha instructor in the entire province. Her amazing ability to attract and develop people has clearly worked in her favour; two and a half years later, she has opened her second studio location and she now shares the teaching workload with 20 other Moksha certified yoga teachers!

Our Strategic Sales partner, Moksha Yoga Edmonton

Angela still works closely with the Edmonton stores and this past year she signed on for her second term as an ambassador with lululemon West Edmonton Mall. To check out her new studio and to learn more about Moksha Yoga visit Moksha Yoga Edmonton; to find a lululemon Strategic Sales partner in your community check out our partner listings under the Community tab.

Happy anniversary to Hari Om, our Langley BC Strategic Sales partner!

We’ve been working with Hari Om for the past year, and this upcoming weekend (April 24th and 25th) they're celebrating their two-year anniversary as a studio, and one year as our partner. There's an even longer history here, as Valeria (one of the owners) and I worked together once before at lululemon Park Royal.

Valeria left a few months after I started to go off and start her yoga studio, and then a year later we reconnected when I came to the Strategic Sales team and found her while searching out potential partners in the Fraser Valley.

Valeria taking care of business at Hari Om

After one visit to this stunning studio I was sold. Langley is famous as the birthplace of BC, as the growing fur trade and the discovery of gold in 1858 brought people streaming this way. Today, Langley is still thought of as a hub for farming and horses – our mini cattle country.You walk into Hari Om, however, and it’s as though you’ve entered a modern oasis. The studio is reminiscent of a New York ballet studio with beautiful exposed brick, hardwood floors and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a small green space.

They also have tons of great yoga classes with everything from hot to yin to Kundalini to power and more. They also tend to have great guest teachers such as lululemon ambassador Chris Chavez popping in periodically to host workshops. During their celebration this weekend they will be offering free classes daily. I’m still deciding between 'Indian Groove’ and ‘So You Think You Can Hot Yoga’, but either way I will definitely be out there taking class and celebrating their two-year birthday party! For more details on the celebration visit hariomyoga.com.

Inside The Studio, lululemon's newest strategic sales partner

Let’s back up a bit. Wondering what strategic sales is? Strategic sales partners are yoga, Pilates, fitness, Bar Method, Dailey Method, spas and other various fitness and health studios that we've partnered with. They give our guests access to our products right where they sweat. Many of our strategic sales partners are in regions where lululemon stores and showrooms haven't yet opened up.

Back to our newest strategic sales partner: meet Ann Asquith, founder of The Studio.

Ann with a Pilates student. P.S. Spot the manifesto!

A former bank manager, at age 50 Ann was introduced to Pilates. Immediately she was hooked, and in less than three years she was teaching locally. This past September, Ann made a total career change when she decided to ditch her business suits for stretchy pants, and opened her very own studio: sharing her love for Pilates with the world. This past February, she added lululemon apparel through our strategic sales program out of The Studio, which is staffed by the children of her students. How’s that for building community!?

Faded Zap and Senorita Pink: how to brighten up the Yukon Winter!

Ann's passion: Pilates.

We are thrilled to be a part of the Whitehorse community through Ann’s studio. If you’re interested in trying Pilates, visit the web page of your local store to find the closest facility (under "local resources"), or let one of our superstar educators tell you about their favourite place to practice. To find your nearest strategic sales partner, visit "Other lululemon locations" under the store finder at: http://lululemon.com/stores/

This is a guest post by Monica, part of the lululemon Strategic Sales team!

Did you know lululemon is in many small towns where stores don't yet exist? That is part of the work that we do in our Strategic Sales department.

We love small towns! We work with athletically driven businesses like yoga and pilates studios, fitness centres and spas; many of which are in smaller hubs away from big cities. We supply these pre-approved locations with our goods for small town folks to wear while they sweat.

If you are unable to make it to one of our stores, you might be in luck! You never know if a yoga studio or fitness-inspired location near you may carry our gear.

See if there is a Strategic Sales partner in your small town or learn more about the Strategic Sales program.
Monica from Strategic Sales introduces us to her favourite small town!

Where did you grow up?

Grande Prairie, Alberta! It is wild rose country and home of the Trumpeter Swan.

What is the thing you miss the most about your small town?

While the lights of the big city skyline can take your breath away, nothing can quite compare to the Northern Lights.

How far is your town from a city

Grande Prairie is located 460 kilometers (286 miles) northwest of Edmonton, Alberta.

How does your small town sweat?

Well, my favourite thing to do growing up was ride my bike through the trails at Muskoseepi park. The trails went from one end of the city to the other.

What is something that you can only do in your small town, and not in a city?

Grande Prairie is host to many annual hot air balloon races. It was so amazing as a kid to go down to the park and watch the balloons being set up and make their way up to the sky. The city would be covered in hot air balloons. A sight to see!

Last but not least, a big shout out to our newest partner in my own hometown – Love Life Hot Yoga in Grande Prairie, Alberta.

Above: Meet Rob Kirsch, our Director of Operations.

What brought you to lululemon?

I was inspired by the opportunity to do business differently and to grow a worldwide brand while still keeping the integrity of a small specialty store.

What do you like best about working at lululemon? What do you like best about your role?

The challenge of reinventing yourself or your role every day.

What skills / qualities have made you successful in your role?

As I spent my previous career as a coach, my ability to identify talent and build great teams. The greatest satisfaction I receive is in watching my team develop and achieve their goals and move on to the next challenge in their lives.

What is your lululemon legend?

My legend will be found in those I have touched. I am a peer mentor and leader and I am a source of knowledge. I help develop all those I touch in some way as an individual both personally and professionally.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in your role in the future?

To always understand your role and how to add value in whatever you do.

Want to learn more about a day in the life of an account manager at lululemon? Well you've come to the right place!

As a Strategic Sales Account Manager for lululemon, I have the opportunity to introduce lululemon to people in new areas, creating passion for the brand, whilst supporting the communities in which we operate. It's amazing to be surrounded by entrepreneurial minded people who have an incredible passion for our product and culture. I always knew I wanted to work in new markets, I just didn't know at the time that I would land my dream job doing it!

So what does a day in the life of a Strategic Sales Account Manager look like? Well, every day is different, but to give you a snippet my team starts by creating a strategy. Where do we want to go and why? We partner with yoga, pilates, fitness and wellness spas in the US and Canada with a focus on new markets in order to build great relationships with our end users, share our culture and support our stores.

One of my favourite parts of this role is fostering and developing relationships with our partners. They are a business too and it is a rewarding experience to help them grow. The Strategic Sales program provides us with the opportunity to touch so many different facets of our company, from creating seasonal product catalogues, to working with merch and finance. I now have a broader knowledge of how my job affects other teams at lululemon. We also get involved in the fun stuff like creating community events, blogging online about our partners and we also provide product education and merch tips… And of course, taking classes and wearing the clothes!

The best part of all is that I'm following my goals and I get paid to do so! If you want to learn more about our team and what we do, check out the strategic sales section of our website.