Pilates Business Podcast

The boutique fitness industry is changing quickly.

Pilates is booming. Consumers are investing more in movement and wellness. Clients are no longer necessarily loyal to just one type of fitness experience. And at the same time, studio owners are navigating rising costs, instructor shortages, changing membership regulations and new expectations around transparency.

So what does all of this mean for the future of your studio?

In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, I’m joined by Mike Gasinski, Chief of Staff at the Health & Fitness Association, to step outside the four walls of the studio and take a look at the bigger forces shaping our industry.

Mike oversees advocacy, research and communications for HFA and has been deeply involved in representing the health and fitness industry at both state and federal levels.

We talk about what the data is showing right now — including the continued growth of Pilates, the rise of consumers investing in multiple fitness experiences, and the increasing recognition of physical activity as an important part of preventive health, healthy aging and longevity.

But we also get into the business realities.

Because growth in the industry doesn’t mean running a studio is suddenly getting easier.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why Pilates and boutique fitness continue to see strong consumer demand
• How Gen Z, Millennials and older adults are changing the fitness market
• Why clients are increasingly combining Pilates with strength training, yoga and other forms of movement
• What changing consumer behavior could mean for your membership model
• The instructor recruitment and compensation challenges affecting studios
• How click-to-cancel and auto-renewal policies are changing
• Why consumer transparency and trust are becoming even more important
• How the fitness industry could play a much larger role in preventive healthcare
• What future healthcare referrals and reimbursement pathways could mean for Pilates studios
• Why small independent studio owners have an important voice in shaping the future of the industry

Listen now, then follow or subscribe to The Pilates Business Podcast so you never miss an episode.

Got a question for Seran? Add it here 👉

~~~

📲 Follow Seran on Instagram @seran_spring_three

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Work with Seran:

🌟 Join the Thrive  Business Coaching Program and get smart strategies that drive growth (and profit) in your boutique fitness studio

Why is your Pilates studio full but not profitable? In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield takes on one of the most uncomfortable questions in boutique fitness: how can your classes be packed, your waitlists growing, and your bank account still not reflect any of it? 💛

Drawing on years of coaching studio owners and looking at the numbers behind the numbers, Seran explains why a busy studio isn't always a profitable one, and why some of the busiest Pilates studios are also the most financially fragile.

If you're teaching, hiring, adding classes and working harder than ever while your profit barely moves, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, you'll hear:

📊 The difference between revenue and profit, and why it changes how you measure success

🪑 How full classes can hide pricing problems, rising instructor wages and discounted spots

📐 Why every empty spot and every square foot affects the profitability of your Pilates business

🧭 How the most profitable boutique fitness studios design their business with intention instead of reacting from fear

🔑 Why profit brings options and flexibility, and why more members alone won't get you there

There is no one-size-fits-all path to a profitable studio. What matters is building one that gives you income, impact and flexibility on your own terms.

Ready to build a profitable, sustainable studio?

Got a question for Seran? Add it here 👉

~~~

📲 Follow Seran on Instagram @seran_spring_three

❤️ Loved this episode? Leave a review - your review helps spread the word about the show and I read each and every one!

🎧 Never miss a new episode! Be sure to follow or subscribe to stay up to date

Work with Seran:

🌟 Join the Thrive  Business Coaching Program and get smart strategies that drive growth (and profit) in your boutique fitness studio

What if the reason you’re exhausted isn’t because you’re teaching too many classes or need better time management—but because you’re carrying an invisible workload that never switches off? 

In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield explores the hidden mental load behind studio owner burnout: the constant decisions, client follow-ups, instructor concerns, marketing questions, financial worries, and unfinished tasks quietly consuming your energy. Seran explains why growing a Pilates studio or boutique fitness business doesn’t automatically make this mental load disappear—and why working fewer hours isn’t always the answer. 

You’ll discover how stronger systems, clearer priorities, leadership skills, and boundaries can reduce decision fatigue and help you build a profitable, sustainable studio that creates not just revenue, but the capacity to think, lead, switch off, and actually enjoy the business you’ve worked so hard to build.

Got a question for Seran? Add it here 👉

~~~

📲 Follow Seran on Instagram @seran_spring_three

❤️ Loved this episode? Leave a review - your review helps spread the word about the show and I read each and every one!

🎧 Never miss a new episode! Be sure to follow or subscribe to stay up to date

Work with Seran:

🌟 Join the Thrive  Business Coaching Program and get smart strategies that drive growth (and profit) in your boutique fitness studio

More clients. Full classes. Waitlists. Growing revenue.

That’s the dream… right? ✨

But what happens when your Pilates studio finally starts growing—and instead of feeling more freedom, you find yourself busier, more overwhelmed, and carrying even more responsibility?

In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield explores the side of Pilates studio growth that nobody really talks about: growth doesn’t eliminate problems—it changes them.

Seran explains why fuller classes and more clients can expose capacity issues, why hiring instructors doesn’t automatically give you all your time back, and how systems that worked beautifully for a smaller studio can quietly stop working as your business evolves.

She also dives into the important shift from being the person who does everything to becoming the leader your growing studio needs.

If your Pilates business looks successful from the outside but feels increasingly exhausting behind the scenes, this episode will help you understand why—and what needs to evolve so you can continue growing without simply adding more work to your plate.

Because the goal isn’t just a busy Pilates studio. It’s a profitable, sustainable boutique fitness business that gives you the capacity to keep growing—and actually enjoy what you’ve built. 💛

Got a question for Seran? Add it here 👉

~~~

📲 Follow Seran on Instagram @seran_spring_three

❤️ Loved this episode? Leave a review - your review helps spread the word about the show and I read each and every one!

🎧 Never miss a new episode! Be sure to follow or subscribe to stay up to date

Work with Seran:

🌟 Join the Thrive  Business Coaching Program and get smart strategies that drive growth (and profit) in your boutique fitness studio

In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield sits down with Laura Munkholm, co-founder of Walla Studio Management Software, to unpack the real relationship between technology and connection in a boutique fitness business. 

Seran and Laura explore how the strongest pilates studio owners are using AI for repeatable training and smarter reporting, why AI-generated marketing copy is quietly costing studios trust, and how the right tech stack can actually deepen client relationships instead of replacing them. 

From personalized client "audiences" to handwritten wow moments and leadership self-awareness, this conversation is full of practical insight for any pilates business owner trying to grow without losing what makes her studio feel human.

Got a question for Seran? Add it here 👉

~~~

📲 Follow Seran on Instagram @seran_spring_three

❤️ Loved this episode? Leave a review - your review helps spread the word about the show and I read each and every one!

🎧 Never miss a new episode! Be sure to follow or subscribe to stay up to date

Work with Seran:

🌟 Join the Thrive  Business Coaching Program and get smart strategies that drive growth (and profit) in your boutique fitness studio

The Pilates industry is growing—and with that growth comes more competition, more choice, and more pressure on studio owners to stand out. But does differentiation really mean adding more classes, more amenities, more content, and more to your already overflowing plate? 

In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield shares her biggest takeaways after spending several days at a Pilates industry conference in Miami alongside studio owners, instructors, educators, franchise leaders, and other industry experts. She explores why an exceptional client experience may be your Pilates studio’s greatest competitive advantage, why building and retaining the right instructor team requires more intention than simply filling gaps in the schedule, and why successful studio ownership isn’t about reaching a point where the challenges disappear. 

If you want to grow a profitable, sustainable Pilates or boutique fitness business without constantly doing more, this episode will help you focus on what really matters.

Got a question for Seran? Add it here 👉

~~~

📲 Follow Seran on Instagram @seran_spring_three

❤️ Loved this episode? Leave a review - your review helps spread the word about the show and I read each and every one!

🎧 Never miss a new episode! Be sure to follow or subscribe to stay up to date

Work with Seran:

🌟 Join the Thrive  Business Coaching Program and get smart strategies that drive growth (and profit) in your boutique fitness studio

Your Pilates studio is growing. Classes are fuller, revenue is climbing, and new clients are walking through the door… so why does running your business somehow feel harder than before? 😵‍💫

In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield explores a stage of Pilates business growth that few studio owners expect: when success creates more complexity, more responsibility, and more reliance on YOU. Seran shares why the systems and leadership habits that helped you build your studio may not be the same ones you need to scale it—and why working harder isn't the answer. 

From strengthening your systems and developing your team to stepping confidently into your role as CEO, you'll discover how to build a profitable, sustainable boutique fitness business that supports your growth and your life. Because the goal isn't simply more clients, more classes, and more revenue. It's creating a successful studio that doesn't require more and more of you to keep it successful.

Got a question for Seran? Add it here 👉

~~~

📲 Follow Seran on Instagram @seran_spring_three

❤️ Loved this episode? Leave a review - your review helps spread the word about the show and I read each and every one!

🎧 Never miss a new episode! Be sure to follow or subscribe to stay up to date

Work with Seran:

🌟 Join the Thrive  Business Coaching Program and get smart strategies that drive growth (and profit) in your boutique fitness studio

In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield reveals the hidden signs of client churn most boutique fitness studio owners miss entirely. 

Clients rarely quit a Pilates studio in one dramatic moment. They quit emotionally, weeks or even months before they ever cancel, and by the time the numbers move, the decision was already made. 

Seran breaks down why competition is rarely the real reason clients leave, how consumer behavior in boutique fitness is driven by identity rather than transactions, and why identity-based retention will always outlast motivation-based retention. 

If your classes still look full but something feels off, this episode will help you catch the disconnection early. 

Learn more about Thrive at www.springthree.com/thrive.

Got a question for Seran? Add it here 👉

~~~

📲 Follow Seran on Instagram @seran_spring_three

❤️ Loved this episode? Leave a review - your review helps spread the word about the show and I read each and every one!

🎧 Never miss a new episode! Be sure to follow or subscribe to stay up to date

Work with Seran:

🌟 Join the Thrive  Business Coaching Program and get smart strategies that drive growth (and profit) in your boutique fitness studio

Growth sounds exciting—more clients, more classes, a bigger team, maybe even another location. But if your fitness studio already feels chaotic, growth won’t fix the problem. It’ll simply make the chaos bigger. 😬

In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield shares the four foundational systems every Pilates studio and boutique fitness business needs before scaling. From creating an intentional client journey that improves retention, to building team systems, simplifying decision-making, and protecting your time as CEO, Seran explains why sustainable growth starts behind the scenes.

If you’re a Pilates, yoga, barre, or boutique fitness studio owner who feels like you’ve become the system in your business, this episode will help you see exactly where your next stage of growth needs to begin. Because a successful Pilates business isn’t simply one with more clients and more revenue—it’s one that can grow profitably, sustainably, and without requiring you to hold everything together.

Before you push harder on marketing, hiring or expansion, it may be time to strengthen the infrastructure underneath the business.

Because the goal isn’t simply to build a bigger studio.

It’s to build a robust, profitable and sustainable business that can grow without losing you in the process.

If you’re ready to strengthen your systems, retention, leadership and operational clarity, learn more about Thrive at springthree.com/thrive.

Got a question for Seran? Add it here 👉

~~~

📲 Follow Seran on Instagram @seran_spring_three

❤️ Loved this episode? Leave a review - your review helps spread the word about the show and I read each and every one!

🎧 Never miss a new episode! Be sure to follow or subscribe to stay up to date

Work with Seran:

🌟 Join the Thrive  Business Coaching Program and get smart strategies that drive growth (and profit) in your boutique fitness studio

If your Pilates studio marketing feels like a lot of work for very little return, the answer may not be to post more, create more Reels, send more emails, or spend more money on ads.

The real problem might be your message.

In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, Seran Glanfield explores one of the most common marketing challenges among Pilates, barre, and yoga studio owners: marketing the method instead of marketing what the method makes possible.

Because effective boutique fitness marketing isn’t simply about creating awareness of what you offer. It’s about creating relevance.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why creating more content won’t fix an unclear marketing message
• The difference between marketing the “vehicle” and marketing the “destination”
• Why clients are buying much more than a 50-minute Pilates class
• How to turn studio features like small classes and expert instructors into meaningful client benefits
• Why broad messaging such as “build strength” or “feel your best” can become almost invisible
• How specificity helps the right client recognize that your studio is for them
• Why strong marketing joins the conversation already happening in your client’s mind
• How a clearer message can improve your content, sales conversations, offers, and overall studio positioning

This episode is for you if you’ve been consistently posting, emailing, trying different offers, or experimenting with social media - but you still aren’t seeing the steady flow of qualified new clients you want.

If you’re ready to build a more profitable, sustainable boutique fitness studio with clearer marketing, stronger systems, better retention, and a business that works as a whole, learn more about Thrive, my business coaching program for boutique fitness studio owners, at springthree.com/thrive.

Got a question for Seran? Add it here 👉

~~~

📲 Follow Seran on Instagram @seran_spring_three

❤️ Loved this episode? Leave a review - your review helps spread the word about the show and I read each and every one!

🎧 Never miss a new episode! Be sure to follow or subscribe to stay up to date

Work with Seran:

🌟 Join the Thrive  Business Coaching Program and get smart strategies that drive growth (and profit) in your boutique fitness studio