Patty Ciano thanks God she walked into the Lewes Chamber of Commerce when she did. Patty had moved her family to Lewes from Los Angeles. The only people she knew in Lewes were her parents, but they decided to move here with the idea that Patty was going to open an infrared hot yoga and Pilates studio. However, there was one small hitch in her plan: she didn’t know anything about starting a business. The day she walked into the chamber office, she learned there was a free class starting the very next day on how to open a business in Delaware. She signed up for the class. The rest is history.
Patty grew up in Queens, N.Y. She graduated from Queens College and completed an internship with the Rikki Lake Show during her final year of school. From that initial exposure to the television industry, she decided that was what she wanted to do with her life. Next came a position as producer for the Jenny Jones Show in Chicago, and then a return to New York to work as a producer on Rikki Lake. She then worked for several other shows before becoming executive producer on The Morning Show with Mike & Juliette. She and her family then followed her dream and moved to Los Angeles, where she became executive producer for 10 years on a show called The Doctors. She loved producing that show, but more than anything, she appreciated how the show gave people the resources to take care of their medical issues, which they would never otherwise have been able to do. Her experience in the television industry showed her people could often be exploited, but The Doctors truly made life-changing experiences possible.
With the advent of social media and streaming technology, the financial model for television was soon turned on its head, and very successful shows in a short period of time were no longer successful. As a result, The Doctors ended in 2022. At almost the same time, Patty was diagnosed with breast cancer at 48. Her diagnosis, along with the end of her television show, caused her to take a step back and question what she really wanted to do with the rest of her life. Along with a career change came a life change. Inspired by the health information she absorbed from The Doctors, Patty quit smoking, quit drinking, started working out every day, and lost 35 pounds.
“If I hadn’t developed breast cancer, I may not have made the career change I ultimately made,” she said.
In addition to the other changes, she signed up for a hot yoga class. One day, out of nowhere, she found herself crying uncontrollably in the middle of class. She realized that yoga had enabled her to begin to release all the trauma she was still holding onto, from the high-pressure job in television to her medical issues. It taught Patty the strong connection between mind and body, and she felt she wanted to be able to help others benefit from yoga, the way it had helped her.
After taking the business class, finding a building to rent and renovating the space, Patty opened her studio. The studio’s name is Hiatus 24. The word hiatus, as used in the television industry, means a pause or break in production. These breaks were valuable moments for people to rest and recharge. The number 24 itself has several connections for Patty. It is significant in several contexts and also means when your actions follow your heart, a beautiful journey lies ahead. She officially opened her studio June 24, 2024. Hiatus 24 is more than just a name for her studio; it is a thread through the many experiences of Patty’s life.
As Patty thinks about what lies ahead, she will always have her studio. She wants to write a book about her journey. She also recently obtained her certification as an integrative nutritional health coach and is ready to start coaching people about how to get unstuck with their own lives. She wants to help people make the changes they may have thought about but haven’t been able to do. As Patty says, “If you want to make change in your life, you have to be intentional every day of your life, and you must have the discipline to work toward that goal.”
Patty ultimately convinced herself that if she can produce a successful TV show, she can figure out how to open and run a yoga studio. While the uncertainty was there at times, she found herself falling back on the advice that she would have given her 18-year-old self – “Trust yourself. Everything is going to be OK.”
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This column provides an opportunity for readers to connect with the personal side of business leaders in area communities. Many of our local business owners and CEOs are thought leaders in their community, and they can provide valuable insights and ideas on issues of common interest to all of us. Successful businesses are essential for a healthy and growing society, especially as people continue to move to this area looking for employment opportunities. This column will highlight leaders who are not only successful, but also making a difference in our communities.
Jeffrey Fried was an executive in the healthcare industry for over 40 years, including serving as the president/CEO of Beebe Healthcare for 24 years. After leaving Beebe Healthcare, Jeff started his own consulting and executive coaching business and has coached other executive in a wide variety of industries. In addition, Jeff has partnered with a company called Vistage, the oldest executive development and coaching company in the country. He serves as a Vistage chair on the Delmarva Peninsula, where he supports a local group of business owners and CEOs. Jeff and his wife Sherry reside outside Lewes and have three children, six grandchildren and two rescue dogs.
