Beyond the Reformer

"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 

"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.

"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 1

Ava 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 call 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 

"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