Beyond the Reformer

62:38

Why Your Pilates Studio Might Be Worth Nothing (Even...

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/10/05

"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 th...

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65:14

When Men Misunderstand Pilates | Tim Gough

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/09/28

"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 h...

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39:56

What No One Tells You About Teaching Pilates

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/09/21

"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 t...

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64:50

Why Some Pilates Teachers Always Have Full Classes...

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/09/14

"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...

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14:04

The Conversations That Mattered This Year

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/09/07

"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, diff...

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66:23

Why Your Pilates Qualification Is Just the Beginning

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/08/31

"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 standar...

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57:01

Building a Reformer Pilates Studio on Your Own Terms...

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/08/24

"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 pre...

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66:49

Has Pilates Lost it's Identity with Ava Rodriguez

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/08/17

"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...

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62:44

Why Great Pilates Isn’t Enough Anymore | Georgia Testa

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/08/10

"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...

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65:50

How to Build a Pilates Business That Actually...

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/08/03

"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 ...

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83:33

The Truth About Pilates Cueing Nobody Talks About...

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/07/27

"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...

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42:28

Harder Isn’t Always Better: The Smarter Way to Build...

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/07/20

"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...

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62:59

How to Cue Pilates Like a Pro with Alan Herdman

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/07/13

"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...

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45:44

What the Future of Reformer Pilates Actually Looks...

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/07/06

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...

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63:38

How to Build a Profitable Pilates Studio Business...

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/06/29

"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...

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53:56

How Much Anatomy Do Pilates Teachers Actually Need to...

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/06/22

"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...

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54:04

The Wild West of Pilates: Why Teaching Standards Are...

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/06/15

"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...

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57:41

From Basement Studio to 9 Locations: How New York...

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/06/08

"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...

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69:32

The Missing Piece in Pilates Teacher Training with...

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/06/01

"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 ...

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70:07

Burnout, Boundaries and Building a Career That Lasts...

Beyond the Reformer ·

2026/05/25

"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...

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