Fresh out of college I had my new fishing pole and all of my gear ready to go. Not really sure how to set myself up to catch the best fish, I decided to just dive in.
Like most fishing trips I thought finding a great location would be the best place to start. Insert a huge private wellness facility with over 6,000 members, 100 plus free group fitness classes, well educated Personal Trainers, this place seemed to have it all. But, in was in the middle of IOWA.
The Interview:
Interviewer: “Can you
teach Pilates?”
Me: “I have taken a
couple mat Pilates classes.”
Interviewer: “You’re
hired.”
That first catch didn’t
take long! But now I had the fish and had absolutely no idea what to do with them. I was taken to the far back corner of the gym to
these two rooms with no windows, minimal light to find 2 studios full of reformers,
of which the likes I had never seen. A large barrel with what looked like a
ladder next to it, being used as a mat holder, collecting dust. I asked what it
was and told, “I think they use that for Physical Therapy.”
Where I Started:
- Attended classes and shadowed instructors.
- Notes, notes, notes!
- Asked a LOT of questions.
A month passed and I
started teaching 20 classes per week on my own with an outline that look a lot
like this:
- Footwork 2R1B
- Supine Arms 1R
- Feet in Straps 1R1B
This is all well and
good, until you realize you have been fishing alone everyday doing all the work
and you start thinking, “Is this really it?’’
During Pilates one day,
I noticed the name on our equipment “Balanced Body.” I decided to go online and
research to see if they had any education.
The Pilates Journey:
Balanced Body was in the beginning stages of releasing Balanced Body University and they sent the “one and only” Nico Gonzalez to our facility in the middle of corn fields Iowa. I will never forget his first reaction to the dark enclosed studio space with mirrors all over the walls and ceiling, “Well, this is interesting.”
I am so forever grateful to this day and that he gave us a chance. We all started our formal training on the reformers and over the course of 7 years, 3 kids and a full-time job, I slowly but surely completed my comprehensive training and was able to test out with Nico in 2012.