Beyond the Reformer

"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 apprenticeship to learning tactile cueing on real bodies, and why Alan believes the explosion in demand for teachers has made standards "a little suspect."
They unpack the difference between being an instructor and being a teacher, the gaps emerging in fast-tracked training courses, and why Alan still believes you cannot learn to teach Pilates without a body in front of you.
They also go deeper into the evolution of the industry, the rise of group reformer classes, the misunderstood role of flexion in modern training, and the client stories that have kept Alan teaching for over five decades.
Timestamps 
00:00 Alan opens the UK's first Pilates studio
 03:11 How "Pilates" got its name
 09:57 Training as an apprentice in New York
 13:35 Bodies first, technique second
 24:14 Why Alan built a network outside Pilates
 25:27 Is teacher training broken?
 27:53 The truth about tactile cueing
 36:11 How far is too far for Pilates on social media
 40:13 What Joseph Pilates would think of Pilates today
 45:16 The flexion problem in modern training
 48:16 What it really takes to teach a group class
 57:10 Why group reformer classes aren't really teaching
 58:56 The client who's been coming for 50 years
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Connect with Alan:
Alan Herdman Pilates Website
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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 had barely changed in 50 years. What followed was years of prototyping, welding in sheds, searching Herefordshire countryside for the right designer, and eventually building a piece of equipment that's now in luxury hotels, health clubs, and studios across Europe.
They explore what it actually takes to build something from scratch in the Pilates industry - the resilience, the false starts, and the moments that unlocked everything. They get into the real barriers to Reformer Pilates accessibility, from cost and intimidation to the question of who the industry thinks it's for. And they discuss where connected fitness meets Pilates, and why Yvette believes technology should make the friction fall away and leave you with just the movement.
They also go deeper into what the next five to ten years could look like for the industry - and why Yvette believes Reformer Pilates is about to stop being something people add in, and start being the foundation everything else is built on.
Timestamps
00:27 Why the reformer hadn't changed in 50 years
04:29 Yvette's journey into Pilates and professional dance
06:56 Building the Reform Method and opening studios
10:24 Who Reformer Pilates is really for
16:45 The decision to build ReformRx
19:04 Designing the reformer from scratch
23:23 What the smart spine changed
26:43 Should teachers be worried about at-home reformers?
27:49 Why mat Pilates is harder than people think
29:55 How studios are using connected reformers
32:13 ReformRx in hotels and hospitality
40:08 What building ReformRx taught Yvette
44:40 Where to find Yvette and the Ultra One Reformer

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:
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Nic's Instagram
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Book a Pilates Class
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Connect with Yvette
Yvette’s Instagram
Yvette’s LinkedIn
NordicTrack Website
ReformRX Website

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

"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 saturation means for studios competing on price instead of differentiation.
They also dig into what it takes to build a Pilates business with longevity: going employed-only with teachers, building an in-house academy, choosing the right locations, the realities of rising costs and shrinking profitability, and Joanne's leadership philosophy after nearly two decades running studios.
Timestamps 
01:24 The car crash that led to her "happy accident" into Pilates
03:31 Launching Ten with one borrowed reformer studio
06:08 Finding a business partner and going employed-only from day one
09:06 The case for professionalising the Pilates industry
15:01 Training standards, VAT, and not being a recognised profession
24:21 Scaling from one studio to a London-wide brand
28:30 Choosing locations and franchising with Tenreformer
34:24 Rising costs, big-box gyms, and the race to the bottom on price
41:12 Is owning a Pilates studio still profitable?
44:10 What community really means at Ten
52:17 Building TenAcademy and what makes a great teacher today
1:00:49 Joanne's leadership philosophy: true support

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:
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Soul Pilates Instagram
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Connect with Guest:
Joanne Mathews Instagram
Ten Health & Fitness Instagram
Ten Health & Fitness Website

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

"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 teacher - not to the depth of a medical degree, but in a way that genuinely improves your cueing, your touch, and your ability to help clients feel the work in the right places. Tracy shares why she wrote The Science of Pilates and the gap she kept seeing in teacher training that inspired it.
They get honest about the state of the industry right now - the social media-driven push toward dynamic, athletic content and what that means for the integrity of the practice. Both Nic and Tracy share their concern that the essence of Pilates is being diluted, and why returning to the foundations matters more than ever.
They also dig into the reality of being a new teacher - the confidence challenges, finding your own voice, managing mixed-ability classes, and why the basics taught really well will always outperform a fancy class plan that doesn't land.
Timestamps
01:56 Why anatomy overwhelms Pilates teachers 
03:21 Tracy's journey into Pilates and physiotherapy 
09:52 How The Science of Pilates came about 
12:03 How the book was created and illustrated 
17:15 How to bring anatomy to life beyond the textbook 
19:59 Finding your voice as a new teacher 
27:10 Managing mixed ability classes
 29:54 Language, modifications and empowering clients 
37:11 Social media and what it's doing to Pilates 
42:08 Common misconceptions about the body 
43:49 The myth of perfect posture 
44:37 Should we be blending Pilates with other modalities? 
47:38 Pain, movement and what clients misunderstand

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
Join Soul at Home
Book a Pilates Class
Sign up to Our Newsletter
Connect with Tracy
Tracy’s Instagram
Freshly Centered Website
Freshly Centred Facebook
Science of Pilates Book
Pilates Kids Cards

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.

"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 conversation: what's actually happening with teaching standards right now, why weekend certifications are producing a generation of teachers who only know the choreography, and why loving Pilates does not make someone qualified to teach it.
They also explore what separates good teachers from great ones - from personality and people skills to the ability to read a body, adapt on the spot, and never stop learning. Katie shares how expanding into sound healing, Reiki, fascia, and nervous system work has made her a more intuitive, holistic teacher - and why Pilates has always been about the whole person.
And on the business side, Katie talks candidly about building a sustainable private practice from scratch in a new city, setting boundaries with clients, pricing at a premium, and designing a career entirely on her own terms.

Timestamps
00:00 Intro to Katie
00:21 What's really happening in the Pilates industry right now
01:47 Weekend certifications and the choreography problem
06:17 Katie's journey into Pilates and why she chose Polestar
10:13 Building Pilates Delivered: at-home Pilates in Amsterdam
13:47 What clients actually want — and what keeps them coming back
18:55 Expanding beyond Pilates: sound healing, Reiki, and fascia work
23:17 How holistic training makes you a more intuitive teacher
26:57 Pilates and wellness as complementary — not competing
32:35 What actually makes a great Pilates teacher
37:09 Just because you love Pilates doesn't mean you should teach it
39:29 Authenticity, personality, and being exactly who you are
44:04 Building a sustainable career outside the studio model
49:02 Quick-fire questions
50:26 Where to find Katie

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
Join Soul at Home
Book a Pilates Class
Sign up to Our Newsletter
Connect with Katie
Pilates Delivered Instagram
Pilates Delivered Website
Katie’s Substack

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.