Natalie Kozlowski’s journey to opening The Root Studio 7 in FishHawk’s Park Square has been anything but ordinary.
The new yoga and Pilates studio is the culmination of decades of personal triumphs and challenges that took Kozlowski from the bright lights of Broadway and Disney stages to a life-threatening battle with breast cancer and a renewed purpose centered on healing and community.
The Root Studio 7 offers yoga, Pilates and wellness classes designed to help people reconnect with themselves through movement and mindfulness.
“Dance was my first love,” said Kozlowski, who began training as a child before performing professionally in Broadway productions and at Disney. “But eventually I realized I wanted to create something that would help people in a different way.”
After leaving professional dance, Kozlowski built successful careers in cosmetology, makeup artistry and hospitality before life took an unexpected turn.
In her late 20s, she learned she carried both the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations and was soon diagnosed with stage one breast cancer. She underwent a double mastectomy in hopes of avoiding chemotherapy, but complications followed when she contracted MRSA, resulting in weeks of IV antibiotics and multiple reconstructive surgeries over the next two years.
The experience became a turning point.
“It started my healing journey physically, emotionally and spiritually,” she said. “I found movement again, I found breath again and I realized I wanted to help others heal too.”
Doctors warned Kozlowski that she might never have children, but after unsuccessful fertility treatments, she conceived naturally. Her son, Michael, whom she calls her miracle child, inspired both the studio’s mission and its name. The number seven has appeared repeatedly throughout her life, including Michael’s December 7 birthday, his 7-pound birth weight and the seven rooms in her first business venture.
After Michael enrolled at FishHawk Creek Elementary School, Kozlowski said she knew FishHawk would become home. She found a location in Park Square, where she had previously worked years earlier, and after a yearlong permitting process opened The Root Studio 7 in August 2025.
Today, the studio serves as both a fitness space and a wellness sanctuary, offering classes focused on movement, restoration and community connection.
To introduce the studio to the community, The Root Studio 7 will host a free community wellness event on Saturday, July 18, beginning at 8 a.m. at Park Square. The event will feature complimentary yoga and wellness activities and is open to all ages and experience levels.
Kozlowski hopes visitors leave with more than a workout.
“I want people to know that even the hardest chapters of life can become the foundation for something beautiful,” she said. “That’s what The Root Studio 7 is all about.”
The Root Studio 7 is located at 16144 Churchview Dr., Ste. 109, in Lithia. For more information, visit https://therootstudio7.com/ or call 813-407-6298.