Pilates Elephants
Kanaal Besonderhede
Pilates Elephants
We get to grips with new research, teaching strategies, and social issues around Pilates and Pilates teaching. This is 100% authentic, unscripted, real talk about everything Pilates. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: AdBarker - https://adbarker.com/privacy
Onlangse Episodes
324 episodes
345. Where Should I Be Feeling This?
The most useful kind of body awareness is mostly unconscious and automatic control, like a cat. This is built through practice, not narration.
L...
343. Why Your Clients Don’t Show Up (Even When They Want To)
Your clients don’t skip Pilates because they don’t care.
They skip because the system asks them to do work they don’t have the capacity for.
342. 3 Pilates exercises walk into a bar...
What do flamingo, arms in straps and knee pulls have in common?
They look different. They feel different.
They’re secretly doing the exact...
341. There's a grape under your back
A Pilates cue goes off the rails and exposes everything we get wrong about “perfect form.” Expect heresy, biomechanics, and a very small grape that ru...
340. What's the minimum effective dose of Pilates for strengthening?
How much Pilates do you need to do to get stronger?
Probably less than you think!
338. The 3 Skills That Differentiate Average Pilates Instructors From Superstars
What to look for when coaching your team - or critiquing your own classes.
337. What are lunges for?
The humble lunge - there's a LOT more there than meets the eye. We go there - biomechanics, cueing, how to layer it and why most instructors don't get...
336. How Build A Studio That Attracts VIP Clients with Patricia Robinson
In this episode Patricia Robinson from Pilates Vita, London, breaks down how she built a boutique, premium-priced Pilates studio serving VIP clients i...
335. How Ana is making €100k+ teaching Pilates in a Tiny Dutch Town
The story of how Ana Maria Borrero went from from €17/hr employee to nearly €10k/month in revenue with 6 reformers, 20 classes, and a waitlist in a sm...
334. Leaving Classpass with Sari Sadhati
Many studio owners have a love/hate relationship with Classpass - Sari and I have an honest conversation about the pros and cons, and why (and how) he...
333. What To Cue (It's Not What You Think)
There IS a right thing to cue in each exercise in Pilates. Here's how to know what it is.
Bonus - There is no consistent pattern of muscle activ...
332. You're using layers wrong
Many instructors use layers, but most miss the most powerful part of this amazing programming tool.
331. 100 First Visits/Month With $0 Ads - Cassie & Henry from Sunny Space studio
Cassie and Henry from Sunny Space Studio share how they grew their reformer studio in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, to $65k a month within a year...
330. How this husband & wife team built 2 thriving studios in 1 year - Laura & Sam from Form & Flow UK
Laura and Sam from Form & Flow Pilates share how they grew from one to two thriving studios in a year. They reveal the systems, standards, and teamwor...
329. Boundaries protect culture - with Alison Ward of Pilates Process Vancouver
Pilates Process Vancouver co-owner Alison Ward shares how clear boundaries protect studio culture, staff morale, and client respect.
We dive in...
328. Why You Shouldn't Offer Mat, Yoga or Barre In Your Studio
Most studio owners think offering more types of movement classes will attract more clients.
In this episode, I explain why those formats actuall...
327. What No One Tells You About Opening a Second Pilates Studio, with Laura Saggers and Raphael Bender
Laura Saggers joins me to share the real story behind expanding from one to two Pilates studios.
We cover the unexpected challenges of growth,...
326. How a 23-Year-Old Built a Waitlisted Pilates Studio in Just 1 Year, with Chelsea McBride and Raphael Bender
At just 23, Chelsea McBride turned personal struggles into purpose and built a Pilates studio that filled up so fast she had to close the books.
...
325. How to build a loyal community, with Sara Leach and Raphael Bender
Sara Leach, owner of Downtown Pilates in Mississippi, shares how she built a thriving reformer studio serving mostly 50+ clients, scaled to six teache...
323. Why the best instructors encourage messy form, with Heath Lander and Raphael Bender
Heath and Raphael challenge the myth that flawless form makes for safe, effective Pilates. They discuss why, and when, form should “fall apart” in str...
322. From Zero to $23K/mo in 34 Days: Jennifer Tan’s Pilates Studio Launch in the Philippines
Jennifer Tan opened Bacolod’s first reformer Pilates boutique, Madila Pilates, and hit $23K revenue with 87% margins in her first month.
She sh...
321. When did Pilates become so obsessed with specific cues? With Raphael Bender
Pilates is all about cueing specific muscles, neutral spine and avoiding locking your joints, right?
Often - yes. But it wasn't always that way....
320. The 5 stages of Pilates studio business, with Raphael Bender
These are the 5 predictable stages every Pilates studio owner goes through — from dreamer to thriving CEO. Exactly what breaks, plus what to do to gro...
319. How to make your Pilates studio stand out in a sea of competitors, with Raphael Bender
This is for Pilates studio owners who are feeling pressure from an explosion of new studios offering the latest fads and undercutting prices.
T...
318. The Myth of Hands-on, with Heath Lander and Raphael Bender
Why we changed our minds on hands-on cueing in Pilates.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
Connect with me on Instagram: @the_raphaelben...
317. New Prenatal Guidelines with Nicole Mazurkiewicz and Raphael Bender
ACSM's new pre and postnatal exercise guidelines just came out, and there are several substantial changes. We talk through them, the evidence behind e...
316. Why Simplicity Wins in the Studio, with Heath Lander and Raphael Bender
Raph and Heath share their journey from rigid STOTT Pilates rules to a science-backed, minimalist approach to teaching.
Discover why doing less...
315. Can Pilates Make You Stronger? with Heath Lander and Raphael Bender
In this episode, Raphael and Heath challenge the myth that Pilates doesn’t build strength. They break down the science of strength adaptations, clarif...
314. From Zero to $30k/Month in 5 Months – Brian’s Story, with Brian Darsie and Raphael Bender
Five months ago, Brian Darsie opened the doors to his Pilates studio. He had never taught a group Pilates class outside his certification course. Sinc...
313. ‘True Strength Comes From Control’ — Really? with Heath Lander and Raphael Bender
You’ve heard it a thousand times: strength comes from control.
But what if that’s only half true?
In this episode, we challenge the dogm...
312. Change Is Good – If You Do It Right, with Natalie Wilson and Raphael Bender
Natalie shares how she navigated fear, self-doubt, and career pivots—and what made the difference.
If you’re thinking about change, this is how...
311. Do it scared, with Natalie Wilson and Raphael Bender
In this episode, Raphael talks with Natalie—a Pilates instructor who faced her fears, took imperfect action, and built a new life teaching Pilates.
310. Strengthening: Simpler (but not easier) than you think, with Nicole Mazurkiewicz and Raphael Bender
In this episode, Raphael and Nicole cut through the noise around strength training—and explain why it’s way simpler than most Pilates instructors thin...
309. Why Some Instructors Light Up The Room - and How You Can Too, with Natalie Wilson and Raphael Bender
Charisma isn’t magic—it’s a skill you can practice.
In this episode, we break down the four elements of charisma—technical expertise, body lang...
308. What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do, with Natalie Wilson & Raphael Bender
Not sure what to do when a client shares a diagnosis with you at the start of class?
Here’s the simple framework to stay calm, take action, and...
307. Why Pilates Should Look Ugly Sometimes, with Heath Lander and Raphael Bender
Heath and Raph unpack why good form isn’t always desirable.
They break down the difference between skill and strength training, explain when “ug...
306. The Jibber-Jabber Episode - Why Your Cues Aren't Landing, with Natalie Wilson and Raphael Bender
Still saying “engage your core” or “axial elongation”? In this episode, Raphael and Natalie break down why so many Pilates cues are confusing, ineffec...