Are you feeling pressure to make your Pilates classes more creative but not sure where to start?

We’ve seen how much you’ve been loving the solo episodes, so Nic is back today to discuss how to be more creative in your classes without losing structure or purpose.

With so much inspiration coming from social media, it’s easy to feel like you need to constantly reinvent your teaching. But Nic challenges this idea and brings it back to what really matters, which is strong foundations, clear intention, and teaching that actually serves your clients.

She shares how creativity in Pilates is not about adding more complexity, but about understanding movement patterns, building from the fundamentals, and creating a class experience that feels purposeful and connected.

This episode will help you rethink creativity in Pilates and give you simple ways to make your classes feel fresh without losing what makes Pilates so powerful.

Timestamps

00:00 Why creativity in Pilates teaching is such a big topic right now

02:24 Why do you feel the need to be creative?

03:10 The impact of social media on Pilates classes

06:18 Letting your personality shape your teaching style

08:06 Teaching with intention and clear class outcomes

13:06 How to break down complex exercises into simple steps

16:11 Creating flow and storytelling in your classes

17:44 How to layer progressions and regressions for clients

20:09 Simple ways to adapt and evolve Pilates exercises

24:09 Taking clients on a journey over multiple weeks

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow or subscribe so you never miss a new one. And let Nic know if you took anything away from this episode, she loves receiving your DMs!

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• Join Soul at Home
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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.

Most Pilates studios are sitting on far more revenue potential than they realise.

With the right pricing, membership strategy and business model, a single studio can grow into a multi-million-pound business without needing more space or more classes.

In this episode, Nic sits down with Pilates business expert Lise Kuecker, founder of Studio Grow, to discuss what actually drives profitable Pilates studios.

Lise works with hundreds of boutique fitness studios around the world and shares the real numbers behind successful studios.

From pricing psychology and memberships to team structure and sales metrics, this conversation reveals the systems that help studio owners turn passion into a sustainable and scalable business.

They discuss the most common mistakes studio owners make in their early years, why many studios unknowingly leak profit, and how simple adjustments to pricing or membership structure can dramatically increase revenue.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro to Lise

01:57 How Lise first got started in Pilates and the fitness industry

04:11 Early mistakes many studio owners make in their first year

09:45 How successful studios protect themselves from competition

11:53 The story behind how Studio Grow was created

12:54 Understanding memberships and how studios actually sell them

18:55 Where studios often lose money without realising

22:29 How labour models and organisational structure impact profit

24:12 The financial metrics every studio owner should track

24:44 Pricing strategies that guide clients towards the right option

27:40 Why memberships work and the psychology behind commitment

29:03 What the most successful Pilates studios do differently

34:22 Global boutique fitness trends and the rise of niche studios

40:03 Quick-fire questions

If this conversation helped you think differently about running or growing a Pilates studio, please share it with a fellow teacher or studio owner, and leave a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform. It helps more people in the Pilates community discover the show.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
• Soul Pilates Instagram
• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic’s Instagram
• Join Soul at Home
• Book a Pilates Class

Connect with Lise:

• Studio Grow Website
• Studio Grow Podcast
• Studio Grow Instagram
• Studio Grow Free Trainings

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 call here.

Too often Pilates teachers feel pressure to diagnose, label or overcomplicate movement.

In reality, the most powerful thing we can do is help people move with confidence.

In this episode, Nic speaks with clinician, Pilates educator and biomechanics specialist Sarah Jane Walls about the role of clinical reasoning in Pilates and why simplicity is often the most effective approach.

SJ shares her journey from competitive runner to Pilates teacher and clinic owner, explaining how Pilates quite literally changed her life after a serious injury in her early twenties.

Since then she has spent nearly three decades studying the body, completing multiple degrees including sports therapy, podiatry and public health, and is currently completing a PhD focused on biomechanics and diagnostic ultrasound.

Together they discuss what Pilates teachers really need to know when working with injuries or in rehabilitation settings.

SJ explains why communication and curiosity matter more than having every answer, how to assess movement by simply getting people moving, and why the feet often hold the key to understanding pain elsewhere in the body.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro to SJ

02:33 What clinical reasoning actually means in Pilates

04:08 Trusting the Pilates method when working with complex cases

05:30 SJ’s journey into Pilates

10:26 Why lifelong learning is essential for movement professionals

13:14 Mentors, business skills and building a successful studio

15:50 Helping runners understand why they need Pilates

19:40 Personalising group classes so every client feels seen

27:28 Partnering with clinics and building referral relationships

30:22 The value of shadowing clinicians and building referrals

31:56 The most important skills for Pilates teachers working in rehab

34:18 Assessing clients by getting them moving first

38:57 What Pilates teachers should look for when assessing feet

46:35 Correcting movement patterns from the ground up

50:11 Orthotics, rehabilitation and when they are actually useful

53:22 Quick-fire questions

If you found this conversation helpful, make sure you subscribe to Beyond the Reformer so you never miss an episode.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
• Soul Pilates Instagram
• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic’s Instagram
• Join Soul at Home
• Book a Pilates Class

Connect with SJ

• SJ Walls Instagram
• The Rehab Hub Website
• SJ Walls LinkedIn

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 call here.

Nic sits down with Amy Jordan, founder of Pilates Addiction and creator of the WundaFormer, to explore what it really takes to build a Pilates empire without losing your purpose.

From leaving a career in entertainment marketing to opening her first studio with every penny she had, Amy shares the courage, creativity and conviction behind her journey.

They discuss equipment innovation, studio ownership, scaling through franchising, leadership boundaries, inclusive culture and the mindset required to grow sustainably.

Amy opens up about developing new Pilates apparatus, launching revolutionary home equipment and the lessons she learned about slowing down, building strong foundations and letting go of control.

She also shares her experience of facing cancer during Covid and how movement became part of her healing.

This episode is for Pilates teachers, studio owners, movement educators and entrepreneurs who want to innovate, scale and lead with integrity while staying connected to the true roots of the method.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Amy Jordan

02:02 Leaving marketing and opening the first studio

07:05 Taking the leap and investing everything into her business

11:05 Expanding beyond the reformer

14:02 Sketching and inventing the WundaFormer

19:14 Opening multiple studios and building strong teams

29:22 Balancing athletic flow with classical principles

31:03 Reinventing props for better alignment at home

35:17 Building online reach and global impact

39:16 Designing a revolutionary home Pilates machine

43:01 Franchising Pilates Addiction and scaling with integrity

48:56 Leadership boundaries and empowering teams

50:52 Reflecting on what she has created

54:16 Quick fire questions

If this conversation inspired you, please subscribe, follow and leave a review wherever you’re listening.

Your support helps Beyond the Reformer grow and continue bringing you powerful conversations from across the global Pilates community.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
• Soul Pilates Instagram
• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic’s Instagram
• Join Soul at Home
• Book a Pilates Class

Connect with Amy:

• Amy Jordan Instagram
• Pilates Addiction
• Amy Jordan YouTube
• WundaBar Website

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 call here.

Sitting all day is quietly reshaping our bodies and our confidence, and this episode explains exactly how to change that.

In this conversation, Kerrie-Anne Bradley shares the story behind the Move at Your Desk Method and why she believes small, consistent movement breaks can transform not just your posture, but your mindset too.

Kerrie-Anne reveals how Pilates principles can be applied in the real world, even while sitting at your desk. She and Nic explore the link between stress and posture, why “shoulders back and down” might be doing more harm than good, and how taking up more physical space can shift your confidence at work.

Kerrie-Anne explains how movement improves energy, focus and productivity, and how her simple four-step system helps desk workers build sustainable movement habits without needing an hour-long workout.

If you sit at a desk for hours on end, work with clients who do, or are interested in working with corporates as a Pilates teacher, this episode is for you.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro to Kerrie-Anne

00:30 The mission behind Move at Your Desk

01:37 Kerrie-Anne’s journey to discovering Pilates

03:30 Discovering Pilates as a new mum and managing sciatica

06:11 How Pilates creates space in the body and builds confidence

10:45 Taking the leap into teacher training

14:17 Mentorship lessons and making Pilates feel human and fun

16:11 Creating a corporate desk movement method

18:36 Common desk body patterns and rethinking good posture

22:35 Bringing Pilates principles into daily desk habits

24:05 Helping clients move between sessions and build accountability

25:21 The four-step Move at Your Desk system explained

27:37 Workplace culture and leadership that supports wellbeing

29:34 How Pilates teachers can break into corporate wellness

38:05 Quick-fire questions

43:57 Where to connect with Kerrie-Anne

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to Beyond the Reformer, leave a review and share it on your socials.

Your support helps us continue bringing thoughtful conversations to the Pilates community!

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
• Soul Pilates Instagram
• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic’s Instagram
• Join Soul at Home
• Book a Pilates Class

Connect with Kerrie-Anne:

• Workplace Wellness
• Instagram

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 call here.

We’re back with Part 2 of the amazing conversation with Dr Brent Anderson to go deeper into what is really happening behind the scenes in the Pilates world.

They’re chatting about education standards and what it actually means to take responsibility as a movement professional.

Brent shares why teaching principles matter more than teaching protocols, and how to assess clients based on their real goals rather than assumptions.

They explore the growing conversation around Pilates governance, post Covid training standards, and the gaps that still exist in protecting both teachers and consumers.

Brent also reflects on leadership, bias and how we create safe, mature learning environments in the Pilates industry.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Part 2 of the podcast

01:06 Teaching principles over protocols and the core Polestar framework

04:25 Nic’s story with Pilates

08:49 Questions to uncover what a client really needs

13:36 Critical reasoning and the importance of listening

18:44 Bridging physiotherapy and Pilates teaching

23:54 Education standards and governance

35:10 Quick fire questions

40:33 Defining the types of Pilates for clarity in research and practice

42:23 Brent’s new podcast

45:49 Bias and navigating difficult conversations

If this episode resonated with you, make sure you’re subscribed to Beyond the Reformer so you never miss a conversation shaping the future of Pilates!

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
• Soul Pilates Instagram
• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic’s Instagram
• Join Soul at Home
• Book a Pilates Class

Connect with Dr Brent Anderson:

• Polestar Pilates Website
• Polestar Pilates Instagram
• Brent Anderson Instagram

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

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

In Part One of this incredible two part interview, Nic sits down in California with Dr. Brent Anderson, physical therapist, educator and founder of Polestar Pilates.

Brent shares how science has reshaped the way Polestar teaches core control, why positive movement experiences matter more than perfection, and how Polestar Pilates was born.

The conversation goes deep into the emotional and spiritual power of movement. Brent reflects on how alignment creates presence, how presence builds internal locus of control, and why Pilates has the capacity to create life changing shifts far beyond the studio.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introducing Dr Brent Anderson of Polestar Pilates

01:41 Polestar’s culture of collaboration

04:43 Blending science, compassion and evolving movement research

05:29 Theory of core control

08:18 Teaching reformer to mixed levels and applying the 80 percent challenge rule

11:25 Swarm intelligence and precise cueing

14:37 Going from novice to expert

18:24 Brent’s early movement background

22:24 Why Polestar was born

26:24 Pilates as a catalyst for life change through body, mind and spirit alignment

28:10 The power of collective presence

33:09 Teaching as inquiry, mindfulness in class and internal locus of control

37:35 Moving beyond dogma

42:43 Subscribe for Part Two

Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you can be notified when Part 2 of the conversation is released.

And please leave a review and share the podcast with a friend so we can continue to get amazing guests like Brent onto the podcast.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
• Soul Pilates Instagram
• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic’s Instagram
• Join Soul at Home
• Book a Pilates Class

Connect with Dr Brent Anderson:

• Polestar Pilates Website
• Polestar Pilates Instagram
• Brent Anderson Instagram

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 call here.

A Pilates body has nothing to do with aesthetics and everything to do with awareness, strength and freedom in your own skin.

Nic sits down with Brooke Siler, author of The Pilates Body, to explore what the phrase “Pilates body” really means and why it has been so widely misunderstood.

Brooke discusses her early training with Romana Kryzanowska, the direct lineage back to Joseph Pilates, and the responsibility of carrying a method forward without losing its philosophy.

Brooke explains why breath is the missing piece in so much modern Pilates, the misunderstood concept of tension and release, and how true control builds empowerment in life.

They explore classical vs contemporary Pilates, the explosion of reformer Pilates, why mat work is still important, and what it means to stay rooted in the method while teaching in a modern world.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Brooke

02:05 What the Pilates body means

09:46 Discovering Pilates and training with Romana Kryzanowska

12:09 What Romana was really like

15:36 Becoming a teacher

20:12 Romana’s lessons and stories about Joseph Pilates

24:09 What is misinterpreted about breath and control

28:31 Understanding tension and release

30:36 Classical vs contemporary Pilates

32:37 Breath as the foundation of powerful movement

34:39 Staying true to the method during the modern Pilates boom

39:21 The story behind writing and revising the book

44:12 Why mat work is essential and more relevant than ever

47:27 Responsibility as a teacher and Pilates for life and sport

53:04 Quick fire reflections and how to work with Brooke

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a conversation. Share this episode with another Pilates teacher and leave a rating and review to help more people discover the show.

Connect with Nic:

• Beyond the Reformer Instagram
• Soul Pilates Instagram
• Soul Pilates Education
• Nic’s Instagram
• Join Soul at Home
• Book a Pilates Class

Connect with Brooke:

• Brooke Siler Pilates Website
• Brooke Siler Pilates Instagram
• Shop The Pilates Body Revised Edition

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

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