How Losing My Job (twice) Turned From a Nightmare into a Dream Come True

After a year of working at ALT, Assistant Studio Manager Monica shares her eventful journey out of hospitality and into full time aerial teaching.

“The move to Glasgow that nearly broke me, yet ended up turning into the greatest chapter in my life.

When I moved to Scotland for Uni, I had no idea that I would end up living in Dundee for 7 years! During my time there I gained a degree in illustration, made amazing friends, and was lucky enough to have jobs that kept me motivated, even, ( thankfully) through the pandemic. It was also during my time in Dundee that I fell in love with pole and aerial and worked towards my teaching certificates by day while working in a busy bustling bar by night.

But something was missing. As I came to the end of my 7th year, it felt like time to take a big step. I decided it was time to make a change and made the leap to move to Glasgow.

There were plenty of things I was nervous about the move, however job security was not one of them. I was lucky enough that the owners of the bar I worked in also had some branches in Glasgow. My area manager guaranteed me that they would have a position for me in my new city, but as my moving date was approaching, I kept asking for more specifics and each time I would get the same response, ‘We’ll know closer to the time’.

I officially moved to Glasgow and I was still consistently pestering management about where I was to work and what my start date would be. When I finally received a text back, I was shocked and hurt by the response that I was ‘not needed’.

I had worked there for years. I covered shifts, came in early, stayed late.  I did everything I could to be a team player and had even been promoted to Supervisor.  I was under the impression that hard work and sacrifice pays off. However I learned the hard way that, sometimes in life you don’t do anything wrong and you still lose.

Although this setback had come so soon after a big move, it gave me a chance to reevaluate. After two years working at a busy, drunken, late night bar, I was happy to finally have an opportunity to break away from all of that. I didn't dream big, but finding a cafe to work at filled my heart with optimism. No more late nights, more time to train pole and aerial in the evening classes and the chance to to have more of a life in general.

And just like that, I found a popular cafe that was only a 30 minute walk away from my flat. The customers were nice, the girls I worked with were lovely and the food was great. I felt lucky and ready for a fresh start. But of course my new found relief and joy wasn’t meant to last. 

On a random quiet Tuesday the manager told me I could head home early. Who doesn’t want to hear those words?! As I was heading out he stopped me and said he needed to have a quick chat with me. I wasn’t too worried, I assumed we’d be discussing the supervisor role that I’d applied for. But he turned to me and told me that I am no longer needed. 

My jaw was on the floor, I didn’t understand. I loved working there! He went on to explain how he felt that I wasn’t enjoying myself at the cafe. Again, all his words felt foreign to me. I fought back, I was questioning how I could prove myself, but the decision had already been made. He decided to finish off by saying I didn't need to come to the rest of my shifts for that week, that he’d cover them, like he was doing me a favour. He left and I just stood by the side of the street for a long time. What had I done wrong? Why was this happening? I felt like I had finally started settling into my new life in Glasgow after the first rug was pulled out from underneath me and here we were again, on the floor with no job.

I went back a few days later when I knew he wouldn't be in and wanted to talk to the rest of the staff. They were all shocked why I had been fired so out of the blue. It was necessary to hear them be as surprised as I was. I had been spiralling, double guessing my character and work ethic. After all, this wasn’t the first time I had a job just taken out of my grasp, but at least I was validated by their equal shock.

After the pity party, I was back on the job hunt bandwagon. I had decided that I was finished with hospitality and was gonna branch out to other areas. I found myself applying to office jobs as well as retail stores. I got quite far along in some, but it was always a different direction they wanted to go in the end. I was starting to feel a bit hopeless once again.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom however. While my heart felt like it was aching and my brain was overwhelmed, I was giving my body and soul exactly what I needed; dancing and dangling upside down.

One of the big pluses for moving to Glasgow was to finally get to train at all the wonderful studios and gyms the city had to offer. ALT Fitness was at the top of that list. I had first gotten to know the team and people in it during the zoom class pandemic days, even travelling down from Dundee a few times to come and train. Little did I know what the universe had in store for me.

I knew this was a studio that operated on a different level. I’ve come to see that ALT Fitness is the studio people can't wait to come to, no matter who they are or what prior experience they have and it’s truly because Amy and Caitlin, plus all the instructors have managed to create such an authentic and welcoming space. It feels like a genuine studio, run by genuine people, who care about the ethos of ALT fitness. And it just so happened to be my luck that they needed a new aerial instructor for their kids classes.

Before my interview I was sitting in a car, absolutely shaking. It felt like this was the break that I had been waiting for, but my track record in Glasgow had me second guessing myself. My partner took my hand and reassured me how capable I was for this job, we put on some ‘boss-bitch’ music and got hyped up. And few days later I got an email congratulating me on getting the job. Things were (finally!) looking up.

For the next couple of months I was shadowing Caitlin in her classes, learning the ethos of the studio and finding my confidence again. On October 30th 2022, I got to teach my first Glasgow class. It felt surreal, but with each unsure foot forward, I was taking another step in growth. Finally, things seemed to be working out (It  had only taken half a year!)

Not only was I getting to teach again, but I had landed myself a position in a Michelin star restaurant. I was getting to do things that a few months prior seemed like an unachievable situation with the way my luck was going.

I was content.

But you don’t always find yourself growing in the ‘content’ phases of your life, and fate, once again, was about to give me another gift from the universe. Caitlin was pregnant with her beautiful daughter Fiadh, and with the studio busier than it had ever been, Amy needed an extra pair of hands to help with not only the teaching but the admin side of things as well.

It’s now officially been a year since I’ve started working at ALT Fitness, and in the space of a year I have gone from unemployed to Assistant Studio Manager. Everyday I feel lucky to be part of such a wonderful community, coming to a job that I feel not only proud to be doing, but also passionate about. Still finding ways to keep growing and still surprising myself along the way and for that alone, I will always be thankful.

Looking back on the past years and all the different hurdles I have needed to face, there are moments that broke me down and had me questioning everything. But, I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. It just goes to show that the hard times we encounter along the way can sometimes be little blessings in disguise. 

And that bar that gaslit me into believing I had a job in Glasgow? Most of their locations have now closed. I guess Karma was on my side after all…”

- Monica K (Assistant Studio Manager)