Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Ness.
Hi Lindsay , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
How I got to where I am today can really be looked at like a spider web or a jigsaw puzzle. I suppose I can start with “where am I today?”
I am Lindsay. I am co-owner of The Grand Event Center in downtown Northfield. I am proud to be 2 years sober and continuing to learn more about myself with each passing day in sobriety. I am a dance fitness instructor at the Northfield Area Family YMCA & Carleton College. I am a mother of 4 crazy children. I am a long distance runner. I am a radio personality at KYMN Radio.
I was working at a local restaurant when the pandemic struck. I worked alongside an amazing (but very small) team to keep a very busy, very popular restaurant alive! This caught the attention of Chuck Pryor, restaurant & event center owner in town, who was looking to retire. He offered me the position of general manager of The Grand with a path to ownership. I saw this as an opportunity to make some major changes in my life. Start something new, make something my own. I took the chance! Now, I co-own a space where we celebrate weddings, local musical talents, the drag community, the life of lost loved ones, and a space to have breakfast!
Throughout that process, I used the change as an opportunity to get sober. To maintain a healthy mindset as a newly sober small business owner, I leaned into the fitness community. I teach a dance fitness class that is the cornerstone of my mental wellness. The class and all the participants bring me so much joy. I look forward to the exercise alongside the release that comes with dancing in a group of empowered and supportive people! We are all friends, we cheer each other on, hold each other accountable and lift each other up through the art of dance.
I also started running again. In the crazy world and in my crazy life, running has provided me with some quite time to release stress, unplug and focus. I find that it pushes me past limits I had placed on myself. Running has taught me patience, discipline and the true meaning of mental toughness.
The last two years have been a wild ride. I ran the Twin Cities Marathon for the second time in 2024, I’m registered for 2025 – where I hope to run a Boston Qualifying time and I ran my first 50K in Arizona this past February.
Like I said, my story of where I am is kind of a mishmash of little pieces. When I look at the person I was two years ago, I hardly recognize her. I have grown and changed and I love the life I have created that is surrounded by members of many facets of the Northfield community.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been SO rocky! But it is in the struggle that we really find ourselves and makes the reward that much sweeter.
Learning to own a business was a challenge. Balancing work and family life – making sure I am showing up for my staff, my clients, my children and myself is still something I am working on! Learning to ask for help, to delegate and to slow down and be present are definitely characteristics I am working on!
Staying sober in an environment that is surrounded by substance use has been a challenge. My entire adult life was spent using alcohol as a social tool, a stress reliever and a reward. Learning to use new tools and new coping mechanisms has been hugely beneficial. It required a lot of change and a shift in my mindset and didn’t happen overnight – but I can now say my life is so much better in sobriety. I am a better mother, business partner & friend.
It’s not easy but the struggle feels more manageable with a clear head and a good night of rest!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I own the Grand Event Center in Northfield. I book/plan/execute private events like weddings, birthday parties, celebrations of life. We work with local organizations to plan fundraisers, library events, author events. We host live music for local musicians, serve dinner and breakfast on the weekend!
I also teach a class at the YMCA called “Cardio Dance Fitness”. I teach the class three times each week. The class is very well attended and absolutely the highlight of my week.
I am proud to be a business owner who is connected with so many non-profits in town. I am proud to use the space I have to help others succeed!
I am very proud of the community I have helped to create with my dance class. The group of 25 – 30 individuals who attend regularly have all become friends. We spend time together each week and share the joy of dance, music and exercise. I am so proud to lead the class. That class fills me with joy and gratitude. The relationships that have been built are special to us all.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I am probably more of a risk taker than I should be! I tend to jump right into things headfirst without checking the depth of the water!
When I see an opportunity, I try to take it. I have learned that the hardest decision and the right decision are often the same. It was a risk to raise children in a split household, but I knew that was the right decision for my family. It was a risk to leave a financially comfortable position for an opportunity to buy something of my own, but I knew I needed to take it. Walking away from unhealthy relationships, from the comfort and familiarity of “life as you know it” felt like a major risk. I knew it was the right thing to do but creating a new day to day was scary and daunting – but so worth the risk.
I feel like risk taking can be a privilege. I know others may feel like they can’t risk major changes without significant disruption in their life. I am grateful I was in a position to take the risks, learn the hard lessons, and use those to grow.
I would love for people to trust their instinct! Take the risk if you can. Sign up for the crazy long race, start that new hobby, pursue that passion that is burning inside you! Talk to others about it – you will find you are surrounded by many people who want to support you and cheer you on. Finding that community makes the risk feel, well, maybe a little less risky!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thegrandnorthfield.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063601524728
