Enjoying Her Hiatus
Enjoying Her Hiatus
After a career producing hit television shows and a life-altering cancer diagnosis, Patty Ciano traded Hollywood pressure for coastal Delaware, creating a wellness community built on connection, balance and second chances
Written by Kristen Hampshire
Photography by Pamela Aquilani
On a summer morning in Lewes, sunlight spills across a patio dotted with tables and chairs. Inside, yoga mats are unrolled, matcha is being poured and members linger after class rather than rushing out the door.
This is Hiatus 24, a boutique wellness studio where hot yoga, Pilates and boxing classes share space with cold plunges, community gatherings and conversations over coffee.
For founder Patty Ciano, the atmosphere is entirely intentional.
For nearly three decades, her professional life operated at a vastly different pace.
An Emmy Award-winning executive producer, Patty spent years launching television shows and eventually running the nationally syndicated medical talk show, “The Doctors.” Her days revolved around deadlines, production schedules and problem-solving.
“We would tape every single day, and I’d take phone calls half the night,” she recalls. “A lot of my job revolved around putting out fires.”
Today, the urgency has been replaced by something else: presence.
“I am just a happier person,” Patty says. “I sleep better. I’m calm. It’s such a shocking difference in such a good way.”
Yet arriving at that realization required a dramatic personal and professional reset.
A Change in Course
Though Hiatus 24 opened in 2024, the seeds were planted years earlier.
While producing “The Doctors,” Patty found herself immersed in conversations about health and wellness. Over time, the medical experts featured on the program inspired her to rethink her habits and priorities. She quit smoking, stopped drinking, embraced fitness and discovered a new passion.
“I always joked that if I could bottle and sell how good I felt, I’d be rich,” she says.
When “The Doctors” ended its long run in 2022, Patty expected to launch another production venture. Instead, life took an unexpected turn. The same week she lost her insurance coverage, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“My whole world fell apart,” she says. “My job, my career, my health… It was a really dark time.”
Months of surgeries and recovery followed. As her strength returned, so did a new perspective.
“I felt like I got a second chance,” she says. “I didn’t want to spend my life the same way anymore.”
She and her husband sold their Los Angeles home and headed east with their daughter. The destination was coastal Delaware, where Patty’s parents had relocated several years earlier.
Ultimately, the move marked a fresh start for the entire family. While Patty was preparing to launch Hiatus 24, her husband, Ted Corriero, reignited a television career he had largely put on hold while staying home with their daughter. Today, he serves as director of photography for CoastTV and recently earned his second consecutive Emmy nomination.
“We kind of switched roles,” says Patty, who now has the freedom to pick up her daughter from school every day and the time to make homemade dinners.
Even so, the move was definitely a risk. Before settling in Lewes, Patty and Ted had visited only a handful of times. “We were really taking a leap,” she says.
Still, she carried a vision with her. From the moment the family decided to relocate, Patty knew she wanted to open a wellness studio. When she found the future home of Hiatus 24, the feeling was immediate. “It was almost exactly what I had pictured in my head,” she says.
Building Community
Patty threw herself into the project with the same intensity she once devoted to television production. She gutted the building, worked through business planning with guidance from the Delaware Small Business Development Center, and opened the studio less than a year after arriving on the Eastern Shore.
“It was harder than launching a television show,” she says with a laugh.
But what emerged was far more than a fitness studio.
Named for the cherished breaks between television production cycles, Hiatus reflects the importance of stepping away to recharge. The number 24 carries personal significance as Patty’s longtime lucky number and as a reminder to stay aligned with what matters most.
She envisioned a place where movement and community would coexist. Alongside classes, members gather for painting events, wellness workshops, social gatherings and special programs. A coffee and matcha bar encourages visitors to stay and visit. Outdoor spaces create room for conversation. New offerings continue to emerge.
The concept resonates with many newcomers to the area, including Patty herself.
When her family arrived in Lewes, they knew almost no one beyond her parents. Today, she counts fellow business owners, instructors and members among a growing network of friends and collaborators. “It’s a really tight-knit community,” she says.
The Heart of the Studio
While visitors often notice the thoughtfully designed space, Patty believes the true identity of Hiatus 24 comes from the people who teach there.
“The heart and soul of Hiatus 24 is really the vibe each teacher brings,” she says.
Each instructor offers a distinct style and energy. Some classes are calming and restorative. Others are fast-paced and challenging. Modifications are encouraged, and the goal is inclusivity rather than intimidation.
That’s particularly important for Patty, who underwent two hip replacements and understands firsthand that wellness journeys rarely follow a straight path. “I was often the worst one in class,” she laughs. “I think that made people feel comfortable.”
Today, the studio attracts participants across generations, from children trying boxing classes to older adults exploring yoga for the first time. Everyone receives the same welcome. “We know everyone’s name,” Patty says.
At the end of class, members are handed chilled lavender towels. Fresh lemon-cucumber water awaits nearby. Small touches reinforce a larger mission.
For Patty, Hiatus 24 represents far more than a career pivot. It’s proof that life’s most difficult chapters can become a catalyst for something entirely new.
Meanwhile, she is expanding the mission to include hosting private events; she prepares healthy spreads by hand in her friend’s commercial kitchen. From wellness retreats and workshops to barbecues, bachelorette parties and other celebrations, Hiatus 24 continues to evolve as a gathering place.
Whatever their reason for stopping in, Patty hopes guests leave feeling rejuvenated. Reiterating a life lesson she’s learned, she says: “People think they’re stuck. But the only way you’re stuck is if you keep yourself stuck.”
The post Enjoying Her Hiatus first appeared on Coastal Style Magazine.
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