Beyond the Reformer

“I started to shift my focus to curiosity. And that profoundly changed the way that I connect with people and the way that I show up in my classes.”

In this episode, we are joined by Courtney Miller, Pilates educator, teacher trainer and founder of Pilates Republic, a growing group of Reformer Pilates studios in Southern California. Courtney has been teaching since 2001, is a long-standing Pilates Anytime instructor, and designed her own Rebel Reformer for her studios.

Nic and Courtney explore how Courtney went from teaching out of insecurity and perfectionism to teaching with curiosity and connection. They talk about the isolation many new teachers feel, and why surrounding yourself with the right people can change everything.

They unpack the rise of athletic and creative Reformer Pilates, and why athletic doesn’t have to mean advanced or risky when every exercise has a clear purpose. They also dig into the gaps in teacher training, including why new teachers need real teaching practice, ongoing education and the permission to be a rookie.

They also go deeper into the business side of Pilates, from building and supporting a studio team to growing multiple locations without losing quality. They finish on standing out in a saturated industry where copycat studios are on the rise.

Timestamps
00:00 Intro to Courtney Miller
01:21 From perfectionism to curiosity as a teacher
06:17 Overcoming isolation as a new Pilates teacher
10:06 Bringing Pilates into the gym and finding her creative approach
15:00 Athletic Reformer Pilates: risk, reward and purpose
20:04 Where the Pilates industry is heading
23:39 Classical, contemporary and the Pilates Republic approach
28:18 Building Pilates Republic
33:29 Hiring, training and supporting a studio team
40:25 How Courtney chooses studio locations
44:05 What new teachers really need from teacher training
50:01 Why continuing education matters
54:10 The biggest gaps in teacher training
01:01:12 AI, technology and the Pilates industry
01:03:02 Saturation, copycat culture and standing out
01:09:29 What’s next for Courtney
If you’re enjoying the podcast, make sure you’re following along so you don’t miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:
Beyond the Reformer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyond_reformer_pod/
Soul Pilates Education: https://www.instagram.com/soul_pilates_education/
Sign up to Our Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/2bff55298739/beyond-the-reformer
Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul

Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Connect with Courtney:

Courtneys Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtneymillerpilates/photos
Pilates Republic website: https://www.pilatesrepublic.com/

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"When did being a good teacher become being endlessly accommodating?"

In this solo episode, Nic answers the one problem you asked her to help solve when she put the question out on Instagram: exhaustion. As a studio owner, teacher and educator, she shares six reasons she thinks so many Pilates teachers and studio owners are running on empty, and she's honest that she's working through this herself.

She explores why Pilates attracts people who care so deeply, the emotional and energetic labour of holding a room, and the hidden load of running a studio. She unpacks the "good person" trap of always saying yes, why boundaries need to flex without becoming rigid, and whether the careers we're building are actually sustainable, including the impact of undercutting on prices and why fair pay for teachers matters.

There are no quick fixes here. The thread running through it all is awareness: noticing what drains you, what refills your cup, and making conscious choices about your trade-offs.

Timestamps

00:00 Why exhaustion is the problem you asked about

01:45 Problem 1: why this work attracts people who care

04:14 Turning your hobby into your job

05:16 Finding a work structure that suits you

07:42 Problem 2: the emotional labour of teaching

08:32 The six minutes before and after class

09:48 The art of presence

11:34 Empaths and protecting your energy

16:51 The "doing more" mentality

17:57 Problem 3: the studio owner load

21:35 Scoring your meetings for energy

22:56 Problem 4: the good person trap

28:56 When to let a client go

31:05 Problem 5: boundaries that flex

34:00 Problem 6: building a sustainable career

38:44 Undercutting, pricing and paying teachers well

41:35 Awareness as the starting point

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:

Beyond the Reformer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyond_reformer_pod/

Soul Pilates Education: https://www.instagram.com/soul_pilates_education/

Sign up to Our Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/2bff55298739/beyond-the-reformer

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul

Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Episodes mentioned:
Michael King: https://youtu.be/QrGUNoPmCqE?si=iuF0yMoefU7lmuit
Phil M Jones: https://youtu.be/sD1fw5GaQtE?si=gr-Ma3H09t_2W2rn
Cameron Angus: https://youtu.be/tu2UB2Qn6Rc?si=pxM6Ia2rNGB_6A9-
Lisa from Studio Grow: https://youtu.be/GjKVyv67W7k?si=kDPGFIDn6m1ttKvT
Christi Idavoy: https://youtu.be/nGoTG1BX950?si=EeXmmdgfiZiOQWui

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"I would rather be effective than sexy."

In this episode, we are joined by Lindsey Hammond, Pilates studio owner, educator, and author of Teach Pilates Like It Matters. Lindsey has been running her first studio for 18 years and now trains teachers through her own education programme, which she is also licensing to studios.

Together, Nic and Lindsey explore the gap between being qualified on paper and actually being ready to teach real clients. They unpack why teacher training covers the what of teaching but not always the how, why the idea of a teacher "it factor" is a myth, and how intentional repetition is what builds real confidence, charisma, and skill.

They also get practical, from planning three classes a week instead of twenty and cutting your cueing down to what really matters, to trauma-informed teaching, tactile cueing and consent, and what studio owners are really looking for when you walk into an audition.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro to Lindsey Hammond and Teach Pilates Like It Matters

00:54 What makes a Pilates teacher ready

01:18 The gap in Pilates teacher training

02:39 Why Lindsey created a bridge training for new teachers

04:55 From client to teacher: what makes a great Pilates teacher

06:56 How to fast-track becoming a great teacher

08:38 The myth of the Pilates teacher "it factor"

10:57 Cognitive load and teaching apparatus-based Pilates

14:55 Why repetition helps clients progress

15:40 Secondary cues: same exercise, different class

17:56 Inside Lindsey's onboarding programme for new teachers

20:16 The audition question that reveals everything

23:31 What's inside Teach Pilates Like It Matters

25:08 Trauma-informed Pilates teaching

29:22 When cueing goes wrong

31:39 Tactile cueing and consent

33:48 Why you need to take private sessions to teach them

36:29 How to plan three classes a week instead of twenty

38:48 Building your classes in "paragraphs"

40:49 Depth vs trends in Pilates

42:01 How to make your cueing more effective

45:44 Why your repetition needs to be intentional

48:09 Quick-fire questions

49:49 The cueing habit Lindsey wants teachers to stop

53:05 What studio owners look for in auditions

55:55 Where to find Lindsey

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:

Beyond the Reformer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyond_reformer_pod/

Soul Pilates Education: https://www.instagram.com/soul_pilates_education/

Sign up to Our Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/2bff55298739/beyond-the-reformer

Connect with Lindsey: https://www.instagram.com/lindseydhammond/

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"We looked really, really busy and busy isn't the same as profitable."

In this solo episode, Nic, founder of Soul Pilates, shares the key lessons from a recent talk she gave on studio operations, and turns it into a mini workshop for Pilates studio owners.

She opens up about the moment her accountant told her she'd made no money despite a full studio, and explains why good operations and good profit are part of the same thing. She walks through her three pillars of great studio operations, clarity, consistency and ownership, and shares how Soul Pilates uses the RACI model to make sure nothing falls through the gaps as the team grows.

Nic also digs into the common gaps she sees in studios, from late cancellations, class cover and client complaints to the sales journey and reformer maintenance. She shares real stories from her own studios, why SOPs need room for grey areas, and how building a daily, weekly and monthly rhythm frees you up to work on your business, not just in it.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to Beyond the Reformer

03:03 The questions every studio owner should ask themselves

04:15 Why growing means you can't do everything yourself

06:04 Write down every task you do in a week

08:08 Busy isn't the same as profitable

10:08 Just because you can do it doesn't mean you should

11:43 Pillar one: clarity in every role

14:15 Pillar two: consistency, and when SOPs go wrong

16:55 Pillar three: ownership and the RACI model

19:21 Turning frustrations into processes

20:08 How to handle late cancellations

23:45 Class cover and keeping great teachers

25:52 Handling client complaints

29:10 Teaching consistency and the sales journey

30:46 Reformer maintenance and safety

31:49 Building your studio rhythm

33:47 Operations are built one problem at a time

34:26 Your one operational commitment this week

36:25 Why every studio should be run like it could be sold

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:
Beyond the Reformer Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/beyond_reformer_pod/Soul Pilates Education:https://www.instagram.com/soul_pilates_education/Sign up to Our Newsletter:https://mailchi.mp/2bff55298739/beyond-the-reformer

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"Good exit strategy is just good business strategy."

In this episode, Nic is joined by Mitch McGinley, founder of Boutique Fitness Broker and author of The Number Nobody Talks About. Mitch has spent his career helping boutique fitness and wellness owners buy and sell their studios, closing over 70 transactions worth more than 30 million dollars, and he sold his own yoga studio before founding his brokerage.

They explore what actually makes a Pilates studio valuable, and why it's rarely the things owners assume, like a beautiful build out or steady revenue. Instead they unpack profit margin, owner dependence, and team strength as the real drivers of value, along with why some studios never should have expanded to a second or third location in the first place.

They also get into the practical side, from how a studio is actually valued using earnings multiples, to what takes the longest to fix before a sale, to why every studio owner, even those with zero intention of selling, benefits from thinking like they might one day.

Timestamps

01:15 Does revenue and utilization make a studio valuable
02:47 Are studio owners paying themselves enough
05:13 Extracting yourself from the day to day
10:47 What owners think makes their business valuable versus what buyers actually value
10:55 The build out myth
12:10 What is a healthy profit margin
13:31 The biggest misunderstanding about business value
15:22 Who is actually buying studios
19:03 The emotional side of selling
21:45 What makes a sale go smoothly
23:21 What actually makes a studio different
26:09 Standing out in a saturated market
29:16 Feeling the pinch as margins get squeezed
31:29 Is now the time to sell
33:16 What makes people think about selling
35:06 Why you should sell at the peak
38:39 Making your studio more valuable over the next three years
40:59 What takes the longest to fix before a sale
42:51 Is multiple locations more or less valuable
45:25 Why bed count matters for profitability
47:57 Buying versus building new locations
49:29 How a studio is actually valued
51:57 What people do after they sell

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:
Beyond the Reformer Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/beyond_reformer_pod/Soul Pilates Education:https://www.instagram.com/soul_pilates_education/Sign up to Our Newsletter:https://mailchi.mp/2bff55298739/beyond-the-reformer

Connect with Mitch McGinley:
Website:https://boutiquefitnessbroker.com/

Sign up below to hear more about our Pilates Teacher Training Courses and to get priority access when our next course opens here.

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"I'm about as alpha male as it gets. I come from 30 years in special forces. It doesn't come much better than that. And I now teach Pilates and I absolutely see the benefits."

In this episode, Nic is joined by Tim Gough, co-owner and instructor at Vagabond Pilates in Dorset, and a 30-year veteran of the Royal Marines and Special Boat Service. Tim shares how his wife Millie's own Pilates journey through cancer recovery pulled him into the method during deployment, and how that eventually led him to leave the military and co-found a full-equipment Pilates studio with Millie and Molly.

They explore why Pilates is still seen as a female-dominated space, what needs to change in how it's marketed and taught to get more men in the door, and the surprising overlap between special forces mindset and the discipline of a Pilates practice. Tim also opens up about the challenges of studio ownership, adjusting to life after the military, and what he's learned about teaching, mentorship and building a team since joining Vagabond as an instructor.

Timestamps

00:00 Tim's first podcast and his path into Pilates
01:43 How his wife Millie's Pilates journey began
03:53 Teaching Pilates to his unit during deployment
07:11 The mission to get more men into Pilates
13:52 Running a men-only class at Vagabond
16:53 Making the studio feel welcoming for everyone
20:44 Thirty years in special forces, then Pilates
23:20 Why one session isn't enough
30:18 Clients who say Pilates changed their life
31:09 Why nobody notices your struggle in class
34:34 Meeting high-performing clients where they are
38:17 How Vagabond Pilates started
40:40 Interviewing to become an instructor
43:49 Adjusting to life after the military
44:29 Working with his wife and an all-female team
49:11 Mentorship and keeping good teachers
51:50 A look inside the Vagabond studio
54:03 Quickfire questions
59:15 Where to find Tim and Vagabond Pilates

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
• Soul Pilates Instagram
• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic's Instagram
• Join Soul at Home
• Book a Pilates Class
• Sign up to Our Newsletter

Connect with Tim:

• Tim Gough LinkedIn
• Tim Gough Instagram
• Vagabond Pilates Website

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"The second guessing is you're trying to be like somebody else and you can never be like somebody else. You can only be like you are."

In this episode, Nic swaps the usual guest chair for an Agony Aunt session, answering real Pilates dilemmas sent in by listeners.

She unpacks what's really behind imposter syndrome, why tactile cueing feels so nerve-wracking for so many teachers, and how to bring your full, authentic personality into the studio without oversharing, including a candid take on teaching as a neurodivergent instructor.

She also gets into the harder judgment calls: balancing what a client wants against what they need, what to do when a studio's direction stops matching your values, and the real story behind opening (and choosing not to keep opening) studios, and what that taught her about staying true to the Soul ethos as things grow.

Timestamps

00:02 Intro to this week's Agony Aunt format

02:19 Dilemma one: will I ever feel good enough?

07:50 Dilemma two: tactile cueing, confidence and authenticity

16:55 Giving clients what they want vs what they need

19:59 Dilemma three: when your values don't match your studio

29:00 Dilemma four: growing without losing yourself

40:49 Closing thoughts and what's next

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
• Soul Pilates Instagram
• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic's Instagram
• Join Soul at Home
• Book a Pilates Class
• Sign up to Our Newsletter

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"You're in the service business, you're not in the teaching business."

In this episode, we are joined by Phil M Jones, bestselling author of the Exactly What to Say book series (over 1 million copies sold) and one of the world's most in-demand communication and sales experts, having delivered over 3,500 presentations across 50+ countries.

They explore why personality can't be taught but connection can, and what that means for Pilates teachers who think they're "not chatty people." Phil breaks down why the question "how are you" is a connection killer, and gives a simple alternative that opens up real conversation with clients instead.

They unpack why the first and last five minutes of class matter more than the workout itself, why some of the most technically excellent private session teachers still lose clients, and how to build a pre-brief and debrief into every one-on-one so people actually come back.

They also go deep on the business side of Pilates studios, from why membership models built on spreadsheets fail, to how studio owners can build retention and referrals by making long-term clients feel like they belong.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro to Phil M Jones
03:47 Can personality be taught? What actually makes a great teacher
06:52 Why you're in the "helping business," not the teaching business
11:08 Ban the question "how are you"
19:03 You are the brand: why the first 15 minutes before class matter
24:33 Why 6 technically great private sessions still lost a client
40:37 The three keys to reconnect with clients on the way out
48:35 Building memberships around real people, not spreadsheets

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
• Soul Pilates Instagram
• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic's Instagram
• Join Soul at Home
• Book a Pilates Class
• Sign up to Our Newsletter

Connect with Phil M Jones:

• Phil's Instagram
• Phil's Website
• Exactly What to Say

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"We have so much more in common than we have in differences, despite what Instagram might make you think." - Nic

This week's episode is a little different. Instead of one guest, Nic is looking back at 11 conversations from the podcast's first year - not ranked as a "best of," but chosen as the moments that made her stop, think, and question.

Across the past year, Beyond the Reformer has brought together voices from every corner of the Pilates world - different schools, different methods, different opinions on what Pilates should even be. In this episode, Nic weaves together the conversations that stuck with her most, and finds a common thread running underneath all the differences: everyone featured is ultimately driven by the same thing - helping people feel stronger, move with more confidence, and understand their bodies a little better. It's part reflection on the show's first year, part reminder that the Pilates community has more in common than social media sometimes suggests.

If you've enjoyed the podcast, the smallest things really do help us grow - subscribe on YouTube, follow on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and come find us on Instagram. Every like, comment, and share helps more people discover these conversations.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
• Soul Pilates Instagram
• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic's Instagram
• Join Soul at Home
• Book a Pilates Class
• Sign up to Our Newsletter

Guests Featured In This Episode
Ava Rodriguez, Tracy Ward, Shelly Power, Kath P, Alan Herdman, Yvette McGaffin, Lesley Logan, Juan Nieto, Brent Anderson, Tracy M. and Rael.

Guest Episodes:

Ava Rodriguez Episode 1Ava Rodriguez Episode 2

Tracy Ward

Shelly Power

Kath Pentecost

Alan Herdman

Yvette McGaffin

Lesley Logan

Juan Nieto

Brent Anderson Part 1

Brent Anderson Part 2

Tracy Mallett

Rael Isacowitz Part 1

Rael Isacowitz Part 2

Interested in joining the September Teacher Training intake? Find all the details and book a callhere.

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"Just because you've got your 600 hour certificate doesn't mean you know it all. This is your beginning. This is just truly your beginning."

In this episode, Nic is joined by Anita Horry, a second-generation Pilates master teacher, founder of the Anita Horry Academy, and internationally respected educator and business mentor based in Spain. With over 20 years in the industry, Anita has trained and mentored teachers across the globe and is actively involved in raising Pilates education standards through her work with the PMA and ITAP.

Together they explore what it really takes to become an exceptional Pilates teacher, and why finishing a qualification is just the start of the journey. They get into the gap between what teacher training programs deliver and what the real world of teaching actually demands, from learning to read bodies effectively to the crucial role of mentorship and supervised teaching hours.

They also take an honest look at the state of the industry right now, including the explosion of reformer studios, underqualified teachers being pushed onto studio floors too soon, and investors entering the space without understanding the method. And for anyone running or thinking of opening a studio, Anita brings her accountancy background to the table with a grounded conversation on fixed costs, cash flow, VAT thresholds, and why being a great teacher does not automatically make you a great business owner.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Anita Horry
01:33 What makes an exceptional Pilates teacher
02:37 Why your qualification is just the beginning
03:15 The state of teacher training right now
04:45 Early gratification and the push to earn too soon
06:14 How Pilates changed Anita's life
13:39 Anita's training journey and lineage
21:27 Classical versus contemporary and what we should actually call Pilates
28:59 Investors, oversaturation, and studios without substance
34:53 The real numbers behind running a viable studio
45:17 Educational standards, PMA, and ITAP accreditation
55:30 Log book hours, supervised teaching, and why they matter
58:16 Quick-fire questions

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
• Soul Pilates Instagram
• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic's Instagram
• Join Soul at Home
• Book a Pilates Class
• Sign up to Our Newsletter

Connect with Anita:

• Anita Horry Academy Website
• Anita Horry Academy Youtube
• Anita Horry Academy Instagram
• Anita Horry Academy Facebook

Sign up below to hear more about our Pilates Teacher Training Courses and to get priority access when our next course opens - https://mailchi.mp/ba9c00dd1d0b/56swq8a1k9

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"Pilates isn't about that for me, you know? It's about really going deep, connecting these people."

In this episode, we are joined by Kia, a classically trained Pilates teacher based in Los Angeles who built her entire studio out of a backyard gazebo during COVID, and has kept it that way ever since. Three reformers, a Cadillac, a tower, a wonder chair, and a waitlist - entirely by choice.

They explore what it actually looks like to build a Pilates career rooted in passion rather than pressure, from how a single mat class on a hotel trip changed the direction of Kia's life, to why she completed a 650-hour classical training program and still goes back to those books today. They talk honestly about what new teachers struggle with most, why doing your own Pilates practice every single day is non-negotiable, and how to find your own voice in a method that has no single rulebook.

They also get into the harder stuff - the moment at the Pilates Expo where Kia sat alone and questioned whether everything she had built was enough, the industry's money-driven boom and what it is doing to teaching standards, and why she started the Pilates Roundtable to fix the teacher loneliness nobody talks about. Plus Kia shares how she blends sound healing into her sessions, her post-client reset ritual, and why she thinks Joseph Pilates would have changed his own method a hundred times over by now.

Timestamps

00:31 How COVID accidentally created the studio

02:23 Why Pilates felt different from anything else

07:47 A 650-hour classical training program

09:57 Why teachers must keep doing their own Pilates

13:03 Safety, social media, and different training backgrounds

14:50 What new teachers struggle with most

17:32 Learning more from clients than from any course

26:23 The 74% studio boom and what it means

29:27 When investors and money drive the industry

35:59 Blending sound healing into Pilates sessions

40:01 Advice for teachers chasing trends

43:40 How to find your own voice as a teacher

45:25 Would Joseph Pilates have evolved the method?

50:46 Why continuous learning makes better teachers

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
• Soul Pilates Instagram
• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic's Instagram
• Join Soul at Home
• Book a Pilates Class
• Sign up to Our Newsletter

Connect with Kia:

• Kia’s Instagram
• Kia’s Website

Sign up below to hear more about our Pilates Teacher Training Courses and to get priority access when our next course opens - https://mailchi.mp/ba9c00dd1d0b/56swq8a1k9

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"Pilates won't lose its identity just because you learn different methods. It loses identity when you haphazardly memorize a set of exercises and think you can just teach this."

In this episode, Nic is joined by Ava Rodriguez, a movement specialist, international presenter, and founder of the globally accredited Mobility Fitness Academy (MFA), recorded in person while both were in London ahead of speaking at a Reformer Pilates industry conference. Ava has spent her career training movement professionals across the world and is no stranger to BTR, making her second appearance on the show.

They explore whether Pilates is losing its identity amid the current industry boom, why social media and AI are making studios sound the same, and the line between healthy diversification and diluted teaching that's lost its essence.

They unpack the real gap between certification and competency, why most teacher training only gets you to the starting line, and how true continuing education means going deeper, not collecting more credentials.

They also get into studio business clarity, why trying to serve everyone means standing out to no one, and finish on what actually matters in this work: helping people move, live, and function better, not just look good doing it.

Timestamps

00:00 Has Pilates lost its identity?
02:38 The blending boom: more methods, less focus
03:35 Why AI is making every studio sound the same
10:45 Instructor vs. teacher: what training doesn't give you
13:18 The lifelong question that makes you a better teacher
17:32 Diluted messaging and losing your specialism
18:49 Why you can't be a studio for everyone
24:16 Change is coming. Are you on the right train?
24:36 Fighting with ChatGPT on purpose
34:48 What Pilates actually gives people
39:38 What it really means to lose your identity
44:03 What training is actually for
48:13 The client told it was impossible
58:09 Outcome over education
1:01:50 Where the industry is heading next

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• Ava's Instagram
• Move Beyond with Ava Website

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"Until you do that, you're not a brand, you're just a transactional product within their life."

In this episode, we are joined by Georgia Testa, founder of Studio 281, a fast-growing Reformer Pilates and functional fitness brand with five locations across Bedford, Milton Keynes, Ampthill, and Olney.

They explore what it really takes to build a genuine community in a Pilates studio, from why customer loyalty can never be built on a transactional relationship, to the mindset shift needed to stand out in an increasingly saturated market.

They unpack the current state of the Pilates industry, including how modalities like Reformer, strength training, and wellness concepts can work alongside each other rather than compete, and why brand now matters more than the product itself.

They also go deeper into the realities of running and scaling a multi-location studio business, from leadership and hiring the right instructors, to the honest, unfiltered challenges of balancing motherhood, burnout, and growth.

Timestamps

00:00 Meeting Georgia and the origins of Studio 281

00:47 Why community has become central to the studio

04:12 Georgia's journey from dance to personal training to Pilates

10:34 Why every modality should own its own lane

13:52 Competitors vs. inspiration in a saturated market

20:07 The consultant framework: building real community from scratch

33:50 Scaling across multiple locations

45:08 Brand over product in a crowded Pilates market

47:36 Motherhood, burnout, and finding your own balance

59:03 Where to find Georgia and Studio 281

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Connect with Georgia:

• Georgia's Instagram
• Studio 281 Instagram
• Studio 281 Website
• 281 Training Academy

Sign up below to hear more about our Pilates Teacher Training Courses and to get priority access when our next course opens - https://mailchi.mp/ba9c00dd1d0b/56swq8a1k9

"They create a business that worked for them ten years ago and they forget to move their business to work for them for the future."

In this episode, Nic is joined by Caroline Copp, a Pilates teacher turned business coach for wellness entrepreneurs. Having opened and sold two studios, Caroline now helps wellness professionals build scalable businesses through her Scaling Wellness Accelerator and weekly Scaling Wellness Podcast.

Together they explore one of the most common traps in the Pilates industry: accidentally building a demanding job instead of a business that supports your life. They get into why so many teachers hit a revenue ceiling, the real state of studio saturation across the UK, and why in 2026 nobody is paying for content anymore - they're paying for transformation.

Caroline also shares what she would do differently opening a studio today, why your equity is the one thing you can never get back, and her framework for building and scaling a digital product the right way - test before you build, know your Island A and Island B, and stop competing with free content by adding more content.

Timestamps

00:59 Have Pilates teachers accidentally built a job, not a business?

02:55 How Caroline came into Pilates and why it changed everything

05:41 Why the Pilates industry is losing its lane

11:52 Opening and selling two studios - what she learned

17:44 Should you go into a business partnership?

20:16 The first online product that failed and why

27:18 Nobody wants your content anymore — they want transformation

36:02 Teaching other teachers: the untapped opportunity

37:11 How to test and scale a digital product without wasting six months

42:11 Pricing for transformation, not just what feels right

48:54 Why most studios are unprofitable and what to do about it

52:18 Studio saturation: 6 studios to 25 in one city

53:56 What Caroline would do if she opened a studio today

56:36 Best business advice: most people don't get what they want

58:21 Biggest mistake Pilates business owners make

01:00:12 What success looks like now

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
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Connect with Caroline:

• Caroline’s Instagram
• Caroline’s Website
• Caroline’s Scaling Wellness Podcast

Interested in joining the September Teacher Training intake? Find all the details and book a callhere.

"We're not gonna cue muscles to cue a movement."

In this episode, Nic is joined by Shelly Power, Director of Curriculum for Polestar Pilates and one of the most respected educators in the industry. Shelly has been teaching Pilates since 1992, has led teacher trainings since 2000, and has examined and mentored Pilates teachers all over the world, including Nic herself.

They explore why great teaching has no finish line, and why the best Pilates instructors stay curious long after they're certified. Shelly breaks down why cueing individual muscles ("tighten your core," "shoulders down") often works against the body instead of for it, and shares the story of a professional ballet soloist whose chronic knee pain disappeared the moment her cueing changed.

They also get into the current state of the Pilates industry: the "trickle down" effect that turns founders' teaching into rigid dogma a few generations later, the pressure of the online "Pilates police," and why rushing to defend a method matters far less than actually helping the person in front of you.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro to Shelly Power

04:17 The "trickle down theory" of Pilates dogma

13:31 Teaching without shame: the "climb a tree" story

17:05 Nic's exam story and what it means to be an empowering teacher

29:57 Belief over anatomy: the ballet soloist's knee pain

48:55 Why we need to stop cueing muscles to cue a movement

1:17:56 Curiosity, beginner's mind, and Shelly's closing advice

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

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Connect with Shelly:

• Shelly’s Instagram
• Shelly’s LinkTree
• Polestar Pilates Website

Interested in joining the September Teacher Training intake? Find all the details and book a callhere.

"I've been lied to my whole life. This just feels relaxing, and yet my body is starting to change."

In this episode, Nic flies solo to unpack a question she gets asked constantly on her teacher trainings: why isn't harder always better?

She explores what conditioned so many of us, especially in the fitness world, to believe that pushing more, harder, and faster is always the goal, and shares her own burnout story from the corporate world that led her to Pilates in the first place.

Nic unpacks the difference between a Pilates instructor and a Pilates teacher, why the classical repertoire is built on mastering the fundamentals with ease before adding intensity, and why some of the most common cueing in Pilates today (think "engage your core," "zip up and hollow") doesn't actually hold up to what we now know about the body.

She also reflects on lessons picked up across a year of guests on the podcast, and makes the case for why efficiency, not effort, is the real skill Pilates teaches - both on the mat and in life.

Timestamps

00:06 Intro: why harder isn't always better

08:44 Nic's own burnout story and how Pilates changed her life

12:45 Getting "practiced" at being busy, and the cost of always pushing

17:32 Pilates instructor vs. Pilates teacher

27:04 Adrenaline, burnout, and "I came for my bad back and stayed for my mental health"

33:31 Why we shouldn't be cueing "engage your core" (and the "zip up and hollow" story)

40:24 Why the end of class matters as much as the start, and closing thoughts

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
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• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic's Instagram
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Interested in joining the September Teacher Training intake? Find all the details and book a callhere.

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"The technique is less important than the person."

In this episode, we are joined by Alan Herdman - the man widely credited with bringing Pilates to the UK, opening the country's first Pilates studio back in the early 1970s. After training in New York under Bob Fitzgerald, Alan returned to London and has spent the last 55 years shaping how Pilates is taught, practiced, and passed on.

They explore what real teacher training looked like in the early days of Pilates, from months of apprenticeship to learning tactile cueing on real bodies, and why Alan believes the explosion in demand for teachers has made standards "a little suspect."

They unpack the difference between being an instructor and being a teacher, the gaps emerging in fast-tracked training courses, and why Alan still believes you cannot learn to teach Pilates without a body in front of you.

They also go deeper into the evolution of the industry, the rise of group reformer classes, the misunderstood role of flexion in modern training, and the client stories that have kept Alan teaching for over five decades.

Timestamps

00:00 Alan opens the UK's first Pilates studio
03:11 How "Pilates" got its name
09:57 Training as an apprentice in New York
13:35 Bodies first, technique second
24:14 Why Alan built a network outside Pilates
25:27 Is teacher training broken?
27:53 The truth about tactile cueing
36:11 How far is too far for Pilates on social media
40:13 What Joseph Pilates would think of Pilates today
45:16 The flexion problem in modern training
48:16 What it really takes to teach a group class
57:10 Why group reformer classes aren't really teaching
58:56 The client who's been coming for 50 years

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

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Connect with Alan:

• Alan Herdman Pilates Website
• Alan Herdman Pilates Instagram
• Alan Herdman Pilates LinkedIn

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

In this episode, Nic is joined by Yvette McGaffin, co-founder of ReformRx and the driving force behind what is set to become the world's first digitally connected Reformer Pilates machine for the home.

Yvette's story is one of the more remarkable in the Pilates industry right now. A professional dancer turned studio owner, she built and ran her own Reformer Pilates studios in Belfast and Edinburgh before identifying a gap that had been sitting in plain sight for decades: the reformer itself had barely changed in 50 years. What followed was years of prototyping, welding in sheds, searching Herefordshire countryside for the right designer, and eventually building a piece of equipment that's now in luxury hotels, health clubs, and studios across Europe.

They explore what it actually takes to build something from scratch in the Pilates industry - the resilience, the false starts, and the moments that unlocked everything. They get into the real barriers to Reformer Pilates accessibility, from cost and intimidation to the question of who the industry thinks it's for. And they discuss where connected fitness meets Pilates, and why Yvette believes technology should make the friction fall away and leave you with just the movement.

They also go deeper into what the next five to ten years could look like for the industry - and why Yvette believes Reformer Pilates is about to stop being something people add in, and start being the foundation everything else is built on.

Timestamps

00:27 Why the reformer hadn't changed in 50 years

04:29 Yvette's journey into Pilates and professional dance

06:56 Building the Reform Method and opening studios

10:24 Who Reformer Pilates is really for

16:45 The decision to build ReformRx

19:04 Designing the reformer from scratch

23:23 What the smart spine changed

26:43 Should teachers be worried about at-home reformers?

27:49 Why mat Pilates is harder than people think

29:55 How studios are using connected reformers

32:13 ReformRx in hotels and hospitality

40:08 What building ReformRx taught Yvette

44:40 Where to find Yvette and the Ultra One Reformer

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:

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Connect with Yvette

• Yvette’s Instagram
• Yvette’s LinkedIn
• NordicTrack Website
• ReformRX Website

Interested in joining the July Teacher Training intake? Find all the details and book a callhere.

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"I think we're at that time where we can actually professionalize this industry, and we can have the standards that we want to set, and we can offer people careers."

In this episode, we are joined by Joanne Mathews, founder and CEO of Ten Health & Fitness, one of London's longest-running Dynamic Reformer Pilates brands, now growing into franchising with Tenreformer.

They explore why London's reformer studios have grown 72% in 18 months against just 50% growth in demand, and what that saturation means for studios competing on price instead of differentiation.

They also dig into what it takes to build a Pilates business with longevity: going employed-only with teachers, building an in-house academy, choosing the right locations, the realities of rising costs and shrinking profitability, and Joanne's leadership philosophy after nearly two decades running studios.

Timestamps

01:24 The car crash that led to her "happy accident" into Pilates

03:31 Launching Ten with one borrowed reformer studio

06:08 Finding a business partner and going employed-only from day one

09:06 The case for professionalising the Pilates industry

15:01 Training standards, VAT, and not being a recognised profession

24:21 Scaling from one studio to a London-wide brand

28:30 Choosing locations and franchising with Tenreformer

34:24 Rising costs, big-box gyms, and the race to the bottom on price

41:12 Is owning a Pilates studio still profitable?

44:10 What community really means at Ten

52:17 Building TenAcademy and what makes a great teacher today

1:00:49 Joanne's leadership philosophy: true support

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:

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Connect with Guest:

• Joanne Mathews Instagram
• Ten Health & Fitness Instagram
• Ten Health & Fitness Website

Interested in joining the July Teacher Training intake? Find all the details and book a callhere.

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027

"I really worry that we will lose the essence of what Pilates actually is. How much are we going to dilute it?"

In this episode, Nic is joined by Tracy Ward - physiotherapist, Pilates teacher, and author of The Science of Pilates, published by DK. Tracy sits at the unique intersection of clinical practice and Pilates, bringing over 15 years of experience teaching, treating patients, and training new teachers through APPI.

They explore what it really takes to understand anatomy as a Pilates teacher - not to the depth of a medical degree, but in a way that genuinely improves your cueing, your touch, and your ability to help clients feel the work in the right places. Tracy shares why she wrote The Science of Pilates and the gap she kept seeing in teacher training that inspired it.

They get honest about the state of the industry right now - the social media-driven push toward dynamic, athletic content and what that means for the integrity of the practice. Both Nic and Tracy share their concern that the essence of Pilates is being diluted, and why returning to the foundations matters more than ever.

They also dig into the reality of being a new teacher - the confidence challenges, finding your own voice, managing mixed-ability classes, and why the basics taught really well will always outperform a fancy class plan that doesn't land.

Timestamps

01:56 Why anatomy overwhelms Pilates teachers

03:21 Tracy's journey into Pilates and physiotherapy

09:52 How The Science of Pilates came about

12:03 How the book was created and illustrated

17:15 How to bring anatomy to life beyond the textbook

19:59 Finding your voice as a new teacher

27:10 Managing mixed ability classes

29:54 Language, modifications and empowering clients

37:11 Social media and what it's doing to Pilates

42:08 Common misconceptions about the body

43:49 The myth of perfect posture

44:37 Should we be blending Pilates with other modalities?

47:38 Pain, movement and what clients misunderstand

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
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• Nic's Instagram
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Connect with Tracy

• Tracy’s Instagram
• Freshly Centered Website
• Freshly Centred Facebook
• Science of Pilates Book
• Pilates Kids Cards

Join the Soul Pilates Retreat in Cornwall on 19 June for a weekend of movement, rest and nourishment. Find all the details here.

Thinking about investing in Pilates equipment? Balanced Body are offering our listeners a special discount! Fill in the form here and mention Soul Pilates when you order.

Interested in joining the July Teacher Training intake? Find all the details and book a callhere.

Ready to take your Pilates teaching to the next level? Applications are now open for Soul Pilates Education's 2027 Teacher Training programs in Bristol! Choose between our 12-month Comprehensive Training (Jan 2027) or our 7-month Reformer Training (Mar 2027). Learn to teach with real depth, adapt movement, and gain full confidence with clients. Limited places available.

Become a Certified Pilates Teacher in 2027