Today we’d like to introduce you to Kris Ward
Hi Kris, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Slow & Wild is the amalgamation of all my passions, callings, and offerings over the years. My background includes:
– a lifetime of dance and choreography;
– 2 decades of teaching yoga, somatics, and embodiment;
– a decade as a coach and coach trainer running a 7-figure company serving women entrepreneurs in the wellness and empowerment realm;
– an education in Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy;
– and in the last 5 years—perhaps the most transformative phase of them all—I’ve focused on Self-Reclamation.
Self-Reclamation:
Self-Reclamation is a journey towards wholeness, unshakable self-trust, and embodied freedom (the courage and ability to be your true self). It’s taking yourself back—all of you—from your body, voice, time, and space, to your sexuality, spirituality, passions and desires. At Slow & Wild, we make that journey together beginning with a calm nervous system.
Slow & Wild was born from my own healing process. For the years I was in grad school to become a Marriage and Family Therapist, I was simultaneously clawing my way out of a deep depression—one that resulted from too many layers of pain and heartache to count. These included but were not limited to:
– my 3-year-old daughter’s open heart surgery,
– multiple cross-country moves and financial crises,
– several identity crumblings and abrupt friendship and family changes, and most of all,
– feeling stuck, confused, and conflicted in a codependent marriage that I couldn’t “fix” for the life of me.
My only saving grace during this period was my movement practice in which I did a lot of feeling, emoting, and moving big energy. This practice morphed over time into a ritual that alchemized my deepest aches into something fiercely nourishing, liberating, and soul-remembering. It literally brought me back from the almost-dead, and back home to myself. I knew there were other women like me—exhausted from contorting themselves into the box society prescribed for their goodness and worthiness—women who needed a space where they could strip off the armor, drop into their bodies, and reclaim their fire and raw power. So when a studio space finally came available after years of searching and deliberating, I trusted my gut and went for it!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not even close. The road to Slow & Wild has been anything but smooth—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Building a studio that centers around women’s sensuality, emotional intelligence, and erotic reclamation in Charleston, SC, of all places (relatively progressive but still very conservative) means challenging deeply ingrained societal conditioning. (While I was born in SC, I’ve spent the bulk of my adult life in California where a concept like this would face a lot less scrutiny.)
Many women in Charleston are drawn to this work but carry fear and hesitation because of its taboo nature. Some women carry years of internalized shame around their bodies, sexuality, and self-expression. So the main challenge has been helping these women grant themselves permission to walk through our doors in the first place. They’re often afraid to “open Pandora’s box”. Once they’re here, though, the hardest part is over, because we do a great job creating an environment where they feel truly safe to go their own pace and honor their inner compass every step of the way. I tell them all the time, “One definition of trauma is doing ‘too much, too fast, too soon’, and they could traumatize themselves even here if they ignore their bodies’ signals.” Most of the women who come here once, come back again and again, and share how grateful they are that they listened to their inner prompting to come the first time. They knew there was something important here for them, and followed their intuition.
On a logistical level, launching a niche studio with an unconventional message and approach has had its hurdles. This studio doesn’t fit into any well-grooved categories. I literally had to create a new category.
I’ve had to educate people on what Slow & Wild actually is—that it’s not a just a dance fitness studio, not just another yoga class, and not a place where you have to “perform”, “look good”, or “get it right” to belong. It’s about liberation, embodiment, and self-reclamation—and that’s a message that takes time to land in a culture that still sees feminine sensuality as dangerous and shameful; something to control or commodify.
Personally, I’ve faced my own internal challenges—unlearning the old conditioning that told me to stay small, quiet, or “appropriate.” I had to own my voice, trust my instincts, and step fully into this work, even when it felt risky. But every challenge, every fear, and every moment of self-doubt has only made this mission stronger.
Of course, the most rewarding part is seeing women just GET IT when they step into Slow & Wild’s Permission Field. They get out of their heads, into their bodies, and awaken something in themselves that had been buried for far too long. That’s when I know—the struggle is so worth it. I’d do it all over again.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
*Tell us more about your business. What should we know?*
Slow & Wild is Charleston’s Self-Reclamation & Sensual Movement Studio for Women—a space where movement, deep self-care, and sisterhood come together to help women reclaim their bodies, voices, and full aliveness.
At its core, Slow & Wild is about emotional and erotic intelligence—teaching women to trust their bodies, move with self-authority, and shed the conditioning that has kept them small, silent, or disconnected from their own power. Our classes achieve this through a sensory-rich blend of yoga, dance, and somatic grounding (somatic simply means OF THE BODY). Our workshops and transformative programs take this many layers deeper with 1:1 or small group coaching that facilitates the Self-Reclamation Journey.
More than a studio, Slow & Wild is a Permission Field—a collective space where women aren’t just allowed, but actively encouraged, to take up space, break invisible rules, gradually confront and release what binds them, and move, play, and express themselves without shame.
*What do you specialize in? What are you known for?*
We specialize in Self-Reclamation through movement and sisterhood. Ours is an experiential, embodied process that helps women recognize and release societal conditioning, reconnect to their sensuality, and build unshakable self-trust.
Our signature elements include:
✨ Sensory Mats – 6-foot round yoga mats allow for 360° of movement freedom. They’re topped with an additional padded layer of the softest faux rabbit fur for slinking, stretching, and calming the nervous system.
✨ Choreo Series – A simple but wildly sexy, full-length dance routine (floor, chair, or heels) taught over multiple weeks, lovingly nicknamed “The Church of Slow & Wild.”
✨ Deep Somatic Work – Classes incorporate grounding techniques, self-massage, audible breathwork, and journaling prompts to explore and integrate the wisdom of the body that gets revealed through the movement practice.
✨ Erotic & Emotional Alchemy – The process of transmuting the “issues in our tissues”—turning repressed emotions, energy, and desire into personal power through movement, breath, and embodied self-expression.
We are not a traditional dance or yoga studio. Our work isn’t about looking good or performing—it’s about liberation, release, and coming back home to yourself.
*What sets you apart from others?*
Most movement spaces focus on fitness, flexibility, or aesthetics. Slow & Wild is about reclamation, embodiment, and liberation.
We know that most women over-think, and that over-thinking is under-feeling. So, we yoga. We shake. We grind and undulate. We exhale loud, expelling sighs. We do it all to feel, too release issues from our tissues—to open up and empty out. In other words:
✔️ We move to feel, not to perform. Our classes are about releasing, unraveling, and rebuilding from a place of self-ownership.
✔️ We cultivate safe sisterhood. This isn’t just a class—it’s a community of women who witness, hold space for, and celebrate one another—granting permission to be authentically and unapologetically ourselves.
*What are you most proud of brand-wise?*
I’m most proud that Slow & Wild gives women a truly safe space to be real, to be seen, and to reclaim long-lost parts of themselves that hold vast reservoirs of their creative power. This is an environment that makes room for messiness and the full spectrum of our humanity. Here, it’s okay to let your guard down, drop your mask, and stop efforting so hard to just be enough. It’s also okay to be deeply vulnerable OR unabashedly sexy and tapped into your pleasure! There’s no competition, cattiness, cliques, posturing, shame, or judgment… only celebration of whatever happens to be alive in us from start to finish of the entire class. It’s all just energy in motion (or e-motion) and it’s welcomed with open arms.
I’ve watched women fall in love with their bodies and forgive themselves after years of cruel self-judgment of their feminine form. I’ve seen them muster the courage to tell their stories of sexual assault and disempowerment, and reclaim their own worth, asserting protective boundaries where there were none. I’ve seen them cultivate entirely new relationships with their own pleasure. I’ve heard their voices come online, and witnessed them let go of a lifetime of shame—to finally feel safe and celebrated in their own skin.
I’m also proud that we’re creating a new kind of movement studio—one that prioritizes sensory experience, emotional attunement and alchemy, and deep embodiment over aesthetics and perfection. This is a radical shift in how women relate to movement, their bodies, and themselves.
*What do you want readers to know about your brand, offerings, and services?*
Slow & Wild is for women ready to stop playing small and start reclaiming every ounce of their power, sensuality, and desire.
💃 Join us for a class—whether it’s a Slow & Wild Yoga Flow, a Signature movement class, a deeply restorative Release class, or our Choreo Series. You can also get a taste of them all through our introductory “Gateway to Slow & Wild” class. https://slowandwildstudios.com/schedule
📖 Dive into Book Dommes—fearless conversations, deep reflection, and a space where no topic is off-limits. More than a book club, this is a fiercely supportive container for women wanting to peel back layers, uncover their truth, and gain the skills to show up for themselves unconditionally. https://slowandwildstudios.com/book-dommes
✨ Work 1:1 with me in private coaching for an immersive experience and a much deeper level of support during your Self-Reclamation Journey. Reach out to inquire: https://www.slowandwildstudios.com/contact
Not everyone is ready for Slow & Wild—but for the women who feel the pull, you’ll know exactly where you belong.
👉 Join us in-studio or online: https://slowandwildstudios.com
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Dance. Always dance. Blocking the TV so my brothers had no choice but to watch my latest routine. Riding the high of performing—especially when my cheerleading team took first place with choreography I created. Laughing and goofing off on long tour bus rides with my dance team, heading to competitions. The backstage rush—getting dressed, nerves blasting, calling out “Break a leg!” to each other before stepping into the lights. Beach house weekends filled with anticipation, adrenaline, and the thrill of bringing our hard work to life on stage.
But beyond the performances, it was my dance teacher who left the deepest imprint. I watched how she moved through the world—graceful, powerful, feminine, fully self-expressed. She had built something beautiful: a studio, a business, a family, a life rooted in her passion. I knew, even then, that I wanted to follow in her footsteps—not just as a dancer, but as a leader, a creator, a woman who shapes her own world.
Pricing:
- 3 classes for $50 (New Student Offer)
- Drop-in pricing: $30
- 4 classes/month: $54 (Pulse membership)
- 8 classes/month: $97 (Rhythm membership)
- Book Dommes: $97/month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://slowandwildstudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slowandwild_studios
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slowandwildstudios/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@slowandwildstudios
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/slow-and-wild-studios-mount-pleasant
