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PMA and NCPC Breakdown with guest, Ben Erdmann
Pilates PSA: The Pilates Method Alliance & NPCP — Who Are They Really Serving?
In this episode, host Heather Erdmann* is joined by Ben Erdmann, administrative coordinator for Rebel Pilates Collective, for a deep-dive critique of two of the industry's most influential organizations: the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) and the National Pilates Certification Program (NPCP).
Heather traces the PMA's origins back to the elders who organized before, in and around the Pilates trademark lawsuit, exploring how a small, closed circle of insiders shaped standards that would come to govern the entire industry. From there, the conversation unpacks the 2020–2021 split that created the NPCP as a supposedly independent, third-party testing body — and questions how separate the two organizations really are given overlapping stakeholders with shared financial incentives.
Together, Heather and Ben dig into the murky language around "certificate" vs. "certification" vs. "credential," the lack of any government regulation behind these terms, and what it actually means (and doesn't mean) for an organization to be "accredited." They examine the NPCP's exam pass rates, study guide sales, and recurring continuing-education requirements, raising pointed questions about whether the system is designed to protect students and safeguard the public — or to generate recurring revenue.
The episode also addresses accountability gaps within the industry, including instances where ethical violations have gone unaddressed, and closes with a broader reflection on what genuine industry regulation could look like versus the self-appointed authority these organizations currently claim.
This is a candid, well-researched conversation for teachers, teacher trainers, and students trying to make sense of certification in an unregulated field — and a call to ask harder questions of the organizations claiming to represent Pilates professionals.
*Disclosure: Heather Erdmann is the owner of a Pilates teacher training program (Rebel Pilates Collective); this disclosure is made directly in the episode.
Show Notes:
Heather's "unhinged" PMA social media post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DY8Yr67jvsy/?img_index=1
PMA Latest IRS 990 https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/651074374
PMA Code of Ethics:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6896366bbdee3f1cb97a4ca4/t/689f537052625d32a74f64cc/1755272048435/PMA+Code+of+Ethics.png
NCPC 990s
https://nationalpilatescertificationprogram.org/common/Uploaded%20files/NPCP/About/2024%20Tax%20Return%20Documents.pdf
NCPC General information
List: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/cu/gH4XGWt/NPCPtaxes
NCPC Annual Report
https://nationalpilatescertificationprogram.org/common/Uploaded%20files/NPCP/About/2025%20NPCP%20Annual%20Report.pdf
View all episodes
By Heather ErdmannPilates PSA: The Pilates Method Alliance & NPCP — Who Are They Really Serving?
In this episode, host Heather Erdmann* is joined by Ben Erdmann, administrative coordinator for Rebel Pilates Collective, for a deep-dive critique of two of the industry's most influential organizations: the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) and the National Pilates Certification Program (NPCP).
Heather traces the PMA's origins back to the elders who organized before, in and around the Pilates trademark lawsuit, exploring how a small, closed circle of insiders shaped standards that would come to govern the entire industry. From there, the conversation unpacks the 2020–2021 split that created the NPCP as a supposedly independent, third-party testing body — and questions how separate the two organizations really are given overlapping stakeholders with shared financial incentives.
Together, Heather and Ben dig into the murky language around "certificate" vs. "certification" vs. "credential," the lack of any government regulation behind these terms, and what it actually means (and doesn't mean) for an organization to be "accredited." They examine the NPCP's exam pass rates, study guide sales, and recurring continuing-education requirements, raising pointed questions about whether the system is designed to protect students and safeguard the public — or to generate recurring revenue.
The episode also addresses accountability gaps within the industry, including instances where ethical violations have gone unaddressed, and closes with a broader reflection on what genuine industry regulation could look like versus the self-appointed authority these organizations currently claim.
This is a candid, well-researched conversation for teachers, teacher trainers, and students trying to make sense of certification in an unregulated field — and a call to ask harder questions of the organizations claiming to represent Pilates professionals.
*Disclosure: Heather Erdmann is the owner of a Pilates teacher training program (Rebel Pilates Collective); this disclosure is made directly in the episode.
Show Notes:
Heather's "unhinged" PMA social media post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DY8Yr67jvsy/?img_index=1
PMA Latest IRS 990 https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/651074374
PMA Code of Ethics:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6896366bbdee3f1cb97a4ca4/t/689f537052625d32a74f64cc/1755272048435/PMA+Code+of+Ethics.png
NCPC 990s
https://nationalpilatescertificationprogram.org/common/Uploaded%20files/NPCP/About/2024%20Tax%20Return%20Documents.pdf
NCPC General information
List: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/cu/gH4XGWt/NPCPtaxes
NCPC Annual Report
https://nationalpilatescertificationprogram.org/common/Uploaded%20files/NPCP/About/2025%20NPCP%20Annual%20Report.pdf