Beyond the Reformer

Episoder

• 
  Has Pilates Lost it's Identity with Ava Rodriguez 17.08.2026 1t 6min

  "Pilates won't lose its identity just because you learn different methods. It loses identity when you haphazardly memorize a set of exercises and think you can just teach this." In this episode, Nic is joined by Ava Rodriguez, a movement specialist, international presenter, and founder of the globally accredited Mobility Fitness Academy (MFA), recorded in person while both were in London ahead of speaking at a Reformer Pilates industry conference. Ava has spent her career training movement pr...
• 
  Why Great Pilates Isn’t Enough Anymore | Georgia Testa 10.08.2026 1t 2min

  "Until you do that, you're not a brand, you're just a transactional product within their life." In this episode, we are joined by Georgia Testa, founder of Studio 281, a fast-growing Reformer Pilates and functional fitness brand with five locations across Bedford, Milton Keynes, Ampthill, and Olney. They explore what it really takes to build a genuine community in a Pilates studio, from why customer loyalty can never be built on a transactional relationship, to the mindset shift needed to sta...
• 
  How to Build a Pilates Business That Actually Supports Your Life with Caroline Copp 03.08.2026 1t 5min

  "They create a business that worked for them ten years ago and they forget to move their business to work for them for the future." In this episode, Nic is joined by Caroline Copp, a Pilates teacher turned business coach for wellness entrepreneurs. Having opened and sold two studios, Caroline now helps wellness professionals build scalable businesses through her Scaling Wellness Accelerator and weekly Scaling Wellness Podcast. Together they explore one of the most common traps in the Pilates ...
• 
  The Truth About Pilates Cueing Nobody Talks About with Shelly Power 27.07.2026 1t 23min

  "We're not gonna cue muscles to cue a movement." In this episode, Nic is joined by Shelly Power, Director of Curriculum for Polestar Pilates and one of the most respected educators in the industry. Shelly has been teaching Pilates since 1992, has led teacher trainings since 2000, and has examined and mentored Pilates teachers all over the world, including Nic herself. They explore why great teaching has no finish line, and why the best Pilates instructors stay curious long after they're certi...
• 
  Harder Isn’t Always Better: The Smarter Way to Build Strength 20.07.2026 44min

  "I've been lied to my whole life. This just feels relaxing, and yet my body is starting to change." In this episode, Nic flies solo to unpack a question she gets asked constantly on her teacher trainings: why isn't harder always better? She explores what conditioned so many of us, especially in the fitness world, to believe that pushing more, harder, and faster is always the goal, and shares her own burnout story from the corporate world that led her to Pilates in the first place. Nic unpacks...
• 
  How to Cue Pilates Like a Pro with Alan Herdman 13.07.2026 1t 4min

  "The technique is less important than the person." In this episode, we are joined by Alan Herdman - the man widely credited with bringing Pilates to the UK, opening the country's first Pilates studio back in the early 1970s. After training in New York under Bob Fitzgerald, Alan returned to London and has spent the last 55 years shaping how Pilates is taught, practiced, and passed on. They explore what real teacher training looked like in the early days of Pilates, from months of apprenticeshi...
• 
  What the Future of Reformer Pilates Actually Looks Like with Yvette McGaffin 06.07.2026 47min

  In this episode, Nic is joined by Yvette McGaffin, co-founder of ReformRx and the driving force behind what is set to become the world's first digitally connected Reformer Pilates machine for the home. Yvette's story is one of the more remarkable in the Pilates industry right now. A professional dancer turned studio owner, she built and ran her own Reformer Pilates studios in Belfast and Edinburgh before identifying a gap that had been sitting in plain sight for decades: the reformer itself h...
• 
  How to Build a Profitable Pilates Studio Business with Joanne Mathews 29.06.2026 1t 5min

  "I think we're at that time where we can actually professionalize this industry, and we can have the standards that we want to set, and we can offer people careers." In this episode, we are joined by Joanne Mathews, founder and CEO of Ten Health & Fitness, one of London's longest-running Dynamic Reformer Pilates brands, now growing into franchising with Tenreformer. They explore why London's reformer studios have grown 72% in 18 months against just 50% growth in demand, and what that satu...
• 
  How Much Anatomy Do Pilates Teachers Actually Need to Know With Tracy Ward 22.06.2026 54min

  "I really worry that we will lose the essence of what Pilates actually is. How much are we going to dilute it?" In this episode, Nic is joined by Tracy Ward - physiotherapist, Pilates teacher, and author of The Science of Pilates, published by DK. Tracy sits at the unique intersection of clinical practice and Pilates, bringing over 15 years of experience teaching, treating patients, and training new teachers through APPI. They explore what it really takes to understand anatomy as a Pilates te...
• 
  The Wild West of Pilates: Why Teaching Standards Are Letting Everyone Down with Katie Nankivell 15.06.2026 54min

  "There is a lot of money-hungry people chasing trends with a lack of moral compass and ethics behind them." The Pilates industry is growing fast - but not always in the right direction. In this episode, Nic is joined by Katie, founder of Pilates Delivered, an Amsterdam-based at-home and private Pilates service. Katie trained comprehensively with Polestar Pilates and has been teaching for over a decade across private clients, studios, and her own business. They get straight into the hard conve...
• 
  From Basement Studio to 9 Locations: How New York Pilates Defined Its Method 08.06.2026 58min

  "Real change in your body happens from grounded, consistent work. Doing the split and a handstand is entertaining, but that's not what Pilates is about." In this episode, Nic is joined by Heather Andersen, founder of New York Pilates - one of the most recognisable reformer studio brands in the world, with nine locations across New York City and counting. Heather built New York Pilates from a basement space in Greenwich Village in 2013, at a time when group reformer classes simply didn't exist...
• 
  The Missing Piece in Pilates Teacher Training with Amy Havens 01.06.2026 1t 8min

  "I think self-acceptance and self-compassion... it's gonna keep changing and if you hear the loud stuff saying, I can't do that anymore - no." - Amy Havens In this episode, Nic is joined by Amy Havens, a veteran Pilates educator, mentor, and movement teacher based in Santa Barbara with over 30 years of experience in the industry. Amy has trained across multiple lineages - including Fletcher, BASI, Kathy Grant, and Madeleine Black - and is widely respected as one of the most thoughtful voices ...
• 
  Burnout, Boundaries and Building a Career That Lasts as a Pilates Teacher with Audrey O'Connor 25.05.2026 1t 9min

  "I cannot be of service to other people if I cannot be of service to myself." You left the corporate world for a reason. But somehow you're exhausted, resentful, and wondering why this passion-driven career feels just as relentless as the one you walked away from. Nic is joined by Audrey O'Connor - former quantity surveyor, Pilates teacher, sound healer, and wellness educator who now works with global brands like Google. Back for her second appearance, Audrey digs into what burnout actually l...
• 
  Teaching Pilates to Children: How to Make It Fun, Inclusive & Effective 18.05.2026 52min

  Nic is joined by Clarissa Shepherd, kids Pilates specialist, pre and postnatal educator, Club Pilates master trainer, and author of Sage Does Pilates and Babies & Barre. Clarissa's story is anything but conventional. From working in TV news and witnessing a live on-air shooting, to packing up her car with $600 and driving to Dallas, to funding her Pilates certification while working night shifts - her path to becoming a Pilates teacher is one of grit, resilience and pure determination. Bu...
• 
  Beyond Classical: Ron Fletcher's Pilates Legacy With Kyria Sabin 11.05.2026 1t 6min

  "The body floats on the breath. Without the breath, we don't have a core. We don't have a centre." - Kyria Sabin In this episode, we are joined by Kyria Sabin, director of Fletcher Pilates International and one of the most respected custodians of a first-generation Pilates lineage in the world. Kyria worked directly with Ron Fletcher - a first-generation teacher who studied with Joseph and Clara Pilates and danced with Martha Graham - and has dedicated her career to preserving and evolving hi...
• 
  A Year of Pilates Conversations Changed How I Think About Teaching 07.05.2026 51min

  Beyond the Reformer turns 1!! 🥳 In this special solo anniversary episode, Nic marks one full year of Beyond the Reformer by sharing her honest reflections on everything she has learned over the past year. She opens up about nearly quitting the podcast, the challenge of doing too much as a studio owner and educator, and how a year of conversations with some of the most respected Pilates professionals in the world has genuinely changed her perspective. A huge thank you to every single one...
• 
  Rethinking Pilates for Runners, Pain, and Performance with Juan Nieto 04.05.2026 55min

  Nic is joined by Juan Nieto, a physical therapist, Polestar educator, founder of the Reformer Flow Collective and co-creator of Runty. Juan brings a completely different perspective to Pilates, movement, and coaching. Rather than focusing on perfect technique or choosing the “right” exercises, he challenges the idea that there even is a single correct way to move. Instead, he shares why expanding movement options, building awareness, and increasing variability is what truly helps people mov...
• 
  Stop Copying Other Pilates Teachers and Start Being Yourself with Lesley Logan 27.04.2026 1t 4min

  In this episode, Nic is joined by Lesley Logan, a classical Pilates teacher, international presenter, fellow podcaster, and founder of Profitable Pilates and Online Pilates Classes. They explore what it really takes to become a great Pilates teacher, from developing the ability to observe bodies and cue effectively, to navigating imposter syndrome and finding your unique voice in the industry. They unpack the importance of having boundaries and also the current state of the Pilates indust...
• 
  How to Become a Great Pilates Teacher with Polestar UK Owner Andre Santaella 20.04.2026 56min

  In this episode, Nic sits down with Andre Santaella, COO of Polestar Pilates and now leading Polestar UK, to explore her journey from discovering Pilates through her mum’s studio to stepping into a global leadership role. Nic and Andre discuss what truly makes a great Pilates teacher beyond just their qualifications. They also explore how to choose the right training provider, why mentorship is essential, and the importance of continuous education. To finish off they chat about how we s...
• 
  Rael Isacowitz: The Basi Block System, Industry Standards and Crediting in Pilates (PART 2) 16.04.2026 1t 2min

  Welcome back to Part 2 of this conversation with Rael Isacowitz, founder of Basi Pilates, where Nic and Rael go deeper into the evolution of the method, the role of equipment, and what it really takes to become a great teacher in today’s industry. Rael shares the story behind designing Basi equipment and how it was created to reflect both form and function. He breaks down the Basi block system, explaining how structure can actually unlock creativity in teaching rather than limit it. The c...