As most people referred to Joseph Pilates, Uncle Joe was a boxer and gymnast who created a workout routine to help people connect to their breath, coordinating the mind, body, and spirit connection. He referred to this method as Contrology. Though the name never caught on, his legacy of Pilates still grows to this day. I was first introduced to Pilates by attending Boyer College at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. At the time, I was in school to get my B.F.A. in Modern Dance and Choreography. In one of my classes, we were taught the mat sequence and performed the whole thing by the end of the semester. During that time, I just remember having fun learning the workout but not understanding why we were learning it and what it had to do with dance. After graduating college, I gave up dance, traveled to many places, and lived in multiple locations, including New Orleans and Oklahoma. Moving to Birmingham, I found Pilates again and realized how much I needed it after not dancing for a few years. I didn't know the toll that dance had really taken on my body until I stopped. The second I got on the equipment, I realized that this could not only help me, but it could really make a difference in every person's life in some way. That Uncle Joe was correct and that if I wanted to be happy, I needed to keep my body moving and healthy.

With my background in dance, I decided that it felt like the perfect next step for me to become a Pilates Instructor. I found the ideal program for me and finished my Intermediate Plus Teacher Training Program with 600 hours at the Pilates Center in Boulder, CO, on April 7th, 2016. After teaching for two years, I decided to go back and complete the Advance Program with a total of 950 hours on August 2nd, 2018. I did this program to be eligible to become certified to be a Host Advisor with The Pilates Center and help others become Pilates Instructors like me. I love being a Pilates Instructor, and all I have wanted is to share Pilates with the world even though most people don't know what Pilates is, and that's ok! That is what I am here for! I want to share what I believe Pilates to be with my community and everyone that wants to listen. Being a teacher, I have learned the most from others because everyone’s body is different and moves differently, and not every exercise is for everyone. We can adjust and move forward by learning more about what does work!

You don't realize when focusing on others for your job that you forget to do what you teach. Over that past year or so, I realized I have not been practicing what I preached. Especially adjusting to life through Covid. Not exercising and eating at the restaurant I was working at every day, I have put on weight that is not healthy for me. There is this controversy in the fitness world about “weight” and body positivity. I grew up having extremely big breasts as a dancer and was always muscular, which tends to make me look bigger than I truly am. But the weight that I did gain from not keeping up with my personal health has lead to depression. Creating Studio E has many factors for me personally, mainly wanting to help people learn about fitness in a more relaxed and comfortable community. The main reason for me is accountability. I want to be held accountable for my workouts. I need to have the pressure of doing all the exercises myself to get back into my routine of what I love, I won't do it for myself, but I will do it for others. Knowing that people have similar struggles with fitness makes me want to take what I know and share it and show people it can work and inspire other people to get happy and healthy. I hope that moving forward, we can grow together on this journey and learn from each other because that's what a true community does!