Rebuilding and finding new beginnings
The start of a New Year is often a time of reflection, accompanied by excitement or trepidation for the year ahead.
I have been a Pilates practitioner for 26 years, and an Educator of Pilates for 22 years. In that time I have felt the Pilates hug of support from all around the world but 2022 really showed me that I have much more than a career in the Pilates Industry but allies who are there when it counts.
As we were rebuilding our studio after the devastating Floods that occurred here in Lismore, April 28th 2022, many incredible Pilates minds and thoughtful souls were sending their support in any way they could. I will be forever grateful.
Lismore was completely under water and my studio of 13 years, Northern Rivers Pilates (NRP), was destroyed. I had family, staff and clients to support. There was no time to dwell only time for action and to move forward. We wanted to support our community, especially our clients who lost their homes, provide a source of Pilates in some way for whoever wanted access to it and to rebuild NRP. My daughter and Studio Manager Maddison was the backbone in raising $35,000 to give to our past or present clients who needed it most. We then had the astronomical task of cleaning up and rebuilding. My husband Adam is a builder, but wow what a task, physically emotionally and financially. Through the whole time we were re-building we held online classes for any person wanting to join us and gave access to our pre-recorded videos for all our clients at no charge.
To financially get the ball rolling, I made some calls and organised work in Sydney at the Polestar Pilates Headquarters in Brookvale along with workshops in various studios and then headed to Singapore and worked with Focus Pilates for a few months. Meanwhile Maddison organised the studio and we gradually started to buy new equipment and re-build. We had a huge amount of support from the Pilates community through this time and I could not have done it without them. They were my extended family.
It was during this time of my work travel that it became apparent that the Pilates Industry workers were craving face to face education. I was booked out in all studios I was working from with Practitioners hungry to learn. I toyed with the idea of a retreat in Lismore and within a couple of weeks we had a line up of phenomenal presenters and we set our dates for November 2022.
Within two weeks of announcing our speakers we were completely booked out. Enthusiastic Pilates Professionals were willing to come to the flood stricken country town of Lismore from Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Darwin, Adelaide, Sydney Melbourne and Brisbane. We were beyond excited to be able to open our space for learning and bring business to our community that needed a financial overhaul.
It was to the wire; we were there the night before our first day finishing building touches but we did it. The Teach to Preach Retreat is one of my proudest career moments and mother moments as again Maddison worked the behind scenes to make the entire event run without a glitch.
This opportunity to come together was so much more than an education opportunity it was about treating the mind, body and soul. Maddison had thought of every detail. It was a time to acknowledge the challenges of the past few years and celebrate us all moving forward. We had the amazing Kat Ma talk about her personal experience of overcoming an autoimmune disease-causing full body incapacitation known as Gillian Barre paralysis and each person was able to relate to her strategies of getting through times.
Sharing teaching knowledge with experienced practitioners Cat Giannotti, Luisa Saiter Lins, Julie Park and myself. We heard new upcoming fresh ideas from Maddison Garlick and Kevin Privitt along with my Mum Heather Roudenko who is still teaching amazing classes for the elderly at 77 years of age. We had insightful knowledge shared from Danni Gillham about pre and post-natal women and the effect of Pilates on the Pelvic Floor; the introduction to the Balansit, a posture correction tool created by Daniel Vlandetta the founder of the OOV and most amazing mind and caring soul; Bruce Hilderbrand who shared his unique way of understanding somatic and facial systems and the awesome owner of Focus Pilates in Singapore Daniel Dittmar talking moving the thoracic and classes with Animal flow.
There wasn’t a moment when people were fidgeting or wanting to leave. Every piece of information was absorbed with eagerness and gratitude. It was also an opportunity for the participants to chat amongst themselves and with us about their personal experiences with the impacts of the past few years. Covid impacted everyone financially, physically and emotionally and although it is a dirty word amongst us all it was a life changing part of history and created new opportunities for some as well as closed others for ever.
Everyone walked away talking about the experience as uplifting and changing for them.
There is an immense pride amongst our industry professionals and every time I have the opportunity to be a part of a convention, workshop or delivery of course material it is very clear that we want quality of teaching to be maintained. Forums such as this reading opportunity is where we can plant the seeds for all who are looking at Pilates either personally or professionally. Keeping our industry alive begins with you and me.
Kimberely has been a Pilates practitioner for 26 years, and an Educator or Pilates for 22 years. Initially, she managed the Pilates Room and wrote their Mat and Reformer Certification training over 500 people. In 2003 she became an Educator for Polestar Pilates.
Kimberley owns Northern Rivers Pilates in Lismore northernriverspilates.com.au/