What do you love about teaching Pilates and teaching clients? What about your training, teaching teachers, and how do you see yourself as a leader and influencer?

I absolutely know i was meant to teach this work. I love what I do and I am incredibly grateful for my clients and my team of teachers. They humble me, accept that my thoughts, presentation and expectations may change daily, and theirs may as well. Trust in those relationships are truly what has allowed myself and my team to “raise the bar” in our teachings. I love when my clients tell me they had a pain while out of the studio and they knew exactly how to fix it. Those moments are my wins.

I was fortunate in having an incredible Pilates education. As all those teachers helped pave my path in some way, Jay Grimes was the teacher that gave me permission to question. I understood him in a way that no other teacher was able to communicate to me. If it weren’t for him, I would not have ended up on the path I am on. Remember, this is Joe’s work. Those teachers interpreted to me what they were taught and how they understood the work. It was up to myself to create my own interpretation. We have opportunity to dissect what Joe Pilates was saying and what he meant the work to be. There is a direct line to his work through his writings. That should be the certification, training, advanced training that people should be flocking to. The best part is, you can do it yourself if you want. You are your best teacher.

I really never look at myself as a leader. I think I am a teacher with a loud voice and a Chicago accent that tends to travel through a room. What I would like to hope is that I can continue to challenge teachers to think for themselves and give them permission to humbly question what they learned. Was it Joe’s intentions? You decide, for you. Your interpretation is just as valid as mine…If you truly believe you are teaching Joe’s work.