Beyond the Reformer

"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:
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Connect with Kia:
Kia’s Instagram
Kia’s Website

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

"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
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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Soul Pilates Instagram
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Nic's Instagram
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Connect with Ava:
Ava's Instagram
Move Beyond with Ava Website

"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

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 Georgia:
Georgia's Instagram
Studio 281 Instagram
Studio 281 Website
281 Training Academy
Interested in joining the September Teacher Training intake? Find all the details and book a call here.

"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
Soul Pilates Instagram
Soul Pilates Education
Nic's Instagram
Join Soul at Home
Book a Pilates Class
Sign up to Our Newsletter
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 call here.

"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.
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 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 call here.