Beyond the Reformer

"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 looks like for Pilates teachers - not just tiredness, but resentment, physical symptoms, and the trap of performing busyness as a badge of honour.
They get practical on morning rituals, finances, multiple revenue streams, and valuing your time before resentment does it for you. Audrey also brings in something unexpected: astrology and human design as tools for understanding why you show up the way you do - and why changing your mind is not the same as being flaky.
Whether you're in the thick of burnout or starting to feel the edges of it, there's something here for you.

Timestamps
01:13 What burnout actually is - beyond just being tired
03:50 Busyness as a badge of honour and how to recognise the patterns
07:52 Vision, values, and the Pilates industry comparison trap
09:02 How performance and money are connected to burnout
11:12 Taking care of your body when teaching is your job
13:15 Switching off on holiday (and why content creation doesn't count as rest)
17:05 Rituals, routines and habit stacking
23:37 Finding a ritual practice that fits your life
26:07 Astrology and human design as tools for self-understanding
31:34 Why Pilates teachers are particularly prone to burnout
32:21 Being of service vs. sacrificing yourself
34:15 Burnout, undervaluing, and our complicated relationship with money
56:58 Mindset, self-worth, and why opportunities arrive when you stop chasing them
58:44 If you're overwhelmed right now - start here

If this episode resonated, share it with someone in the industry who needs to hear it. And make sure you're following along so you don't miss what's coming next.

Connect with Nic:
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Connect with Audrey:
Audrey's Sound Healing Training
Core State Website
Audrey’s Instagram
The Everyday Hero Manifesto Book

Join the Soul Pilates Retreat in Cornwall on 19 June for a weekend of movement, rest and nourishment. Find all the details here.

Thinking about investing in Pilates equipment? Balanced Body are offering our listeners a special discount! Fill in the form here and mention Soul Pilates when you order.

Interested in joining the July Teacher Training intake? Find all the details and book a call here.

Get 5% off Balanced Body Pilates equipment with the code SOUL PILATES

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.
But what makes Clarissa's work truly unique is who she teaches. While the Pilates industry talks about being "for everyone," Clarissa noticed a glaring gap - children are almost always left out. 
She shares why bringing Pilates into families' lives earlier is one of the biggest untapped opportunities in the industry, and how her own experience of an absent mother during childhood became the driving force behind her mission to connect families through movement.
The conversation explores how to adapt Pilates for different ages - from babies and toddlers to teenagers and everything in between - and why storytelling, play and affirmations are just as important as the repertoire. Clarissa also shares how she's training other teachers to do this work and working towards licensing her kids Pilates framework so it can reach families around the world.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro to Clarissa 
00:32 Why families are the missing piece in Pilates 
02:51 Clarissa's backstory - news, Dallas and $600 to her name 
05:43 Discovering Pilates and being inspired by female leadership 
09:01 Funding her certification and the sacrifices she made 
13:13 Moving to Germany, becoming a mother and finding her path 
16:03 How pregnancy sparked her interest in pre and postnatal Pilates 
17:30 Teaching children for the first time 
17:40 How to adapt Pilates for different ages and stages 
20:07 Using affirmations and mentorship with teenagers 
22:52 Making Pilates a game for younger children 
24:18 Mommy and me classes and incorporating babies into movement 
25:41 The creativity and storytelling skills kids Pilates demands 
25:41 Training teachers to teach kids Pilates 
44:10 Who Clarissa works with - from ballerinas to retirees 
45:04 What's next for Clarissa 
46:24 Quick-fire questions 
48:24 Where to connect with Clarissa
Thanks so much to Clarissa for coming on the podcast and sharing such an honest and inspiring story. Please make sure to subscribe and rate the show 5 stars if you've been loving it - it helps the show more than you know.

Connect with Nic:
Beyond the Reformer Instagram
Soul Pilates Instagram
Soul Pilates Education
Nic's Instagram
Join Soul at Home
Book a Pilates Class
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Connect with Clarissa:
Clarissa's Instagram
Pilates Mamii Website
YouTube: Pilates Mamii
Facebook: Pilates Mamii
Clarissa’s Sage Does Pilates Book
Clarissa’s Babies & Barre Book

Join the Soul Pilates Retreat in Cornwall on 19 June for a weekend of movement, rest and nourishment. Find all the details here.

Thinking about investing in Pilates equipment? Balanced Body are offering our listeners a special discount! Fill in the form here and mention Soul Pilates when you order.

Interested in joining the July Teacher Training intake? Find all the details and book a call here.

Get 5% off Balanced Body Pilates equipment with the code SOUL PILATES

"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 his approach to the method. Her path into Pilates was never planned; she was heading towards law school when a session at the Ron Fletcher Studio changed everything.
Kyria and Nic explore what it truly means to carry a lineage forward, why the "classical vs contemporary" debate misses the point, and what made Ron Fletcher's approach so unique - from his movement-based philosophy to his breath-centred teaching.
They take an honest look at the current state of Pilates education, the dangers of watered-down training, the rise of reformer-only studios, and what it actually takes to establish meaningful standards for the industry. And they go deeper into the spiritual dimension of Pilates - why client transformation so often shows up in relationships and sense of self first, and what Ron Fletcher would likely say if he saw where Pilates is today. (Spoiler: it's one word.)

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to Kyria Sabin
00:10 Carrying Ron Fletcher's legacy - responsibility and blessing
04:47 What makes the Fletcher approach unique
08:31 Classical vs contemporary - why the conversation misses the point
12:42 Kyria's journey: from art world to Pilates
15:38 How Kyria trained - the apprenticeship model
17:24 Life in Tucson and accidentally staying for 35 years
18:39 The gift of seeing bodies and learning to teach
21:57 Taking over Fletcher Pilates International
23:13 Building a cohesive studio culture and team
26:35 Creating the Fletcher Pilates teacher training programme
28:39 What goes into a quality Pilates education
32:39 The 12-step framework that underpins the Fletcher programme
34:02 Why Pilates transformation shows up in clients' lives, not just bodies
38:45 What defines a high-quality teacher training programme
43:55 Should reformer teachers still be comprehensively trained?
56:29 What excites Kyria about the future of Pilates
58:21 What concerns her about where the industry is heading
01:00:22 Quick-fire questions
01:02:26 Where to find Kyria

If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.

Connect with Nic:
Beyond the Reformer Instagram
Soul Pilates Instagram
Soul Pilates Education
Nic's Instagram
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Book a Pilates Class
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Connect with Kyria:
Fletcher Pilates Instagram
Fletcher Pilates Website
Fletcher Pilates Facebook
Kyria’s Instagram
Get 5% off Balanced Body Pilates equipment with the code SOUL PILATES

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 of you who has supported the podcast over the past year. The community that has been built is more than anything Nic could have imagined, and she cannot wait to continue bringing you these conversations.

Timestamps:
00:00 Reflecting on one year of the podcast
07:08 The reality of doing too much
10:13 Bringing a journalism mindset into podcasting
14:31 Putting yourself out there and asking for opportunities
18:30 Understanding classical vs contemporary Pilates
22:39 Why your personality is your superpower
24:16 Finding your reason for teaching Pilates
26:01 How to choose the right teacher training
30:28 What presence really means in teaching
35:35 Humility and the importance of continuous learning
41:01 Rethinking failure and challenge in classes
45:07 What’s next for the podcast and community

Make sure to subscribe to continue hearing these conversations every week, and send Nic a DM on the Beyond the Reformer Instagram page with your thoughts on this week’s episode.

Connect with Nic:
Beyond the Reformer Instagram
Soul Pilates Instagram
Soul Pilates Education
Nic’s Instagram
Join Soul at Home
Book a Pilates Class
Sign up to Our Newsletter
Get 5% off Balanced Body Pilates equipment with the code SOUL PILATES

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 move better, reduce pain, and build resilience.

The conversation explores how Pilates can act as a foundation for everything else, from running to strength training, and why it should be seen as part of a bigger movement ecosystem rather than a standalone solution.

Juan shares why group classes can be more powerful than privates, how play and task-based learning can transform the way people move, and why teachers need to shift from instructing to creating environments where real learning can happen.

Timestamps
00:00 Intro to Juan
00:37 Why Pilates should be seen as a starting point, not the end goal
04:58 The challenge of getting runners into Pilates
08:16 Using Pilates as effective cross-training
11:30 Juan’s journey into movement and physical therapy
12:27 Moving away from hands-on treatment to building client independence
14:30 The opportunity for Pilates teachers in modern rehab
20:33 Understanding pain, beliefs, and the nervous system
23:01 Assessing movement through tasks and tendencies
25:45 Why group classes can be more powerful than privates
29:03 Building agency and independence in your clients
31:57 Why Pilates teachers need to stop over-cueing
35:03 Using play and games to improve movement and learning
37:44 The Reformer Flow Collective and creative teaching
45:41 Quick-fire questions
49:31 Where to connect with Juan

Thanks so much to Juan for coming on the podcast. Please make sure to subscribe and rate the show 5 stars if you’ve been loving it, it helps the show more than you know.

Connect with Nic:
Beyond the Reformer Instagram
Soul Pilates Instagram
Soul Pilates Education
Nic’s Instagram
Join Soul at Home
Book a Pilates Class
Sign up to Our Newsletter

Connect with Juan
Juan Nieto Instagram
Email: [email protected]
Reformer Flow Collective
Polestar Pilates Spain

Get 5% off Balanced Body Pilates equipment with the code SOUL PILATES