Pilates Elephants

Sara Leach, owner of Downtown Pilates in Mississippi, shares how she built a thriving reformer studio serving mostly 50+ clients, scaled to six teachers, and runs 40+ classes a week. We dive into how she built an incredibly tight and loyal community, plus key challenges she faces in her business.

Connect with Sara and Downtown Pilates Studio

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dpstudios042
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dPstudios042

Connect with me on Instagram: @the_raphaelbender

Download a free course guide:

• Pilates Certification
• Studio Mastermind
• Teaching Mastery Program

We discuss:

• How to tell if you've made this hiring mistake (you almost certainly have)
• How to properly filter potential hires
• Practical steps to get your existing team delivering a consistent high quality experience
• The exact hiring process we used to set up our studio for growth and retention

Heath and Raphael challenge the myth that flawless form makes for safe, effective Pilates. They discuss why, and when, form should “fall apart” in strength and balance work, how load, not alignment, predicts injury, and why real progress comes from reps at the edge of fatigue and wobble.

Bootsy's Basic Funk Formula: https://youtu.be/IHE6hZU72A4?si=1MMYdLpKd6UVjoo1

Connect with me Raph on Instagram: @the_raphaelbender

Connect with Heath on Instagram: @contrologycollective

Download a free course guide:

• Pilates Certification
• Teaching Mastery Program

Jennifer Tan opened Bacolod’s first reformer Pilates boutique, Madila Pilates, and hit $23K revenue with 87% margins in her first month.

She shares her journey from student success team member to thriving studio owner, why she expanded just weeks after launch, and the strategies fueling her rapid growth.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Find Madila Pilates online here and on Instagram here
• Connect with me on Instagram: @the_raphaelbender

Download a free course guide:

• Pilates Certification
• Studio Mastermind
• Teaching Mastery Program

Pilates is all about cueing specific muscles, neutral spine and avoiding locking your joints, right?

Often - yes. But it wasn't always that way. In fact all those things have flipped 180 degrees over the years since Joseph Pilates' day.

Connect with me on Instagram: @the_raphaelbender

Download a free course guide:

• Pilates Certification
• Studio Mastermind
• Teaching Mastery Program

These are the 5 predictable stages every Pilates studio owner goes through — from dreamer to thriving CEO. Exactly what breaks, plus what to do to grow at each stage.

Stage 0 – Wantrepreneur

Stuck in planning mode. No revenue.

Fix: Stop thinking, start doing. Follow Ep 273 for exact steps.

Stage 1 – Solopreneur ($1k–$10k/mo)

Teaching, cleaning, selling — overwhelmed.

Fix: Raise prices, set client boundaries, focus on one offer, outsource admin.

Stage 2 – Builder ($10k–$40k/mo)

Small team, people problems, misalignment.

Fix: Get clear on values, enforce standards, fire low performers, track key metrics.

Stage 3 – Entrepreneur ($30k–$60k/mo)

Great first studio, second struggles.

Fix: Nail positioning, document systems to scale team and quality.

Stage 4 – CEO ($50k–$100k/mo)

Multi-location chaos, communication breakdown.

Fix: Install leadership systems, clarify roles, trim fat, build a real marketing team, and define a cash-positive growth model.

Connect with me on Instagram: @the_raphaelbender

Download a free course guide:

• Pilates Certification
• Studio Mastermind
• Teaching Mastery Program

This is for Pilates studio owners who are feeling pressure from an explosion of new studios offering the latest fads and undercutting prices.

This is a step-by-step practical, battle-tested strategy to stand out without racing to the bottom or chasing trends.

Here's the study I mention - 65% of people think they're above average intelligence: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0200103

Connect with me on Instagram: @the_raphaelbender

Download a free course guide:

• Pilates Certification
• Studio Mastermind
• Teaching Mastery Program

Why we changed our minds on hands-on cueing in Pilates.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Listen to Ep. 160. 'Can we even feel muscles activating' here

Connect with me on Instagram: @the_raphaelbender

Connect with Heath on Instagram: @contrologycollective

Download a free course guide:

• Pilates Certification
• Studio Mastermind
• Teaching Mastery Program

ACSM's new pre and postnatal exercise guidelines just came out, and there are several substantial changes. We talk through them, the evidence behind each one, and what they mean for Pilates instructors.

Links:

• Narrative review of exercise dose during pregnancy here
• Exercise and pregnancy in recreational and elite athletes here
• Systematic review of supine exercise during pregnancy here
• Systematic review on the benefits of aerobic and resistance training on maternal health and perinatal outcomes here
• Resistance training reduces need for insulin in pregnant women with gestational diabetes here
• ACOG position on exercise during pregnancy and postpartum here
• ACSM's Guidelines for exercise testing and prescription 12th ed here

Connect with me on Instagram: @the_raphaelbender

Connect with Nicole on Instagram: @clinicalpilatescoach

Download a free course guide:

• Pilates Certification
• Teaching Mastery Program

Raph and Heath share their journey from rigid STOTT Pilates rules to a science-backed, minimalist approach to teaching.

Discover why doing less—fewer cues, less correction, and simpler programming—gets clients better results, more flow, and deeper engagement.

Connect with me Raph on Instagram: @the_raphaelbender

Connect with Heath on Instagram: @contrologycollective

Download a free course guide:

• Pilates Certification
• Teaching Mastery Program