In our most recent webinar, Unite Health Founder and Director Sarah Todd sat down with four incredibly inspiring panelists, each of whom has successfully created their dream life and career with Pilates at the centre. 

 

 

The session was inspiring, exciting, and full of insightful advice and lessons to help you commit to building your own dream life in Pilates! If you’ve ever considered pursuing your dream in the industry, now is the time. With the demand for Pilates booming around the world (more on that to come…) and the different opportunities continuing to expand, all you need to make it happen is a qualification from Australia’s number one Pilates education provider! And a side of motivating, practical advice from some of the best in the business… 

 

Read on for all the tips and tricks you need to help you kickstart your dream career today.  

 

Their stories

 

Each of the four panelists shared their journey to creating their dream life in Pilates - and they all looked entirely different. It goes to show, anyone can build a thriving, successful, rewarding career in the industry if you have the passion, determination and the right support and education behind you. Here are their stories.

 

Janelle Williamson:

 

Janelle was burnt out after spending 12 years working in advertising in New York - half of which she’d hated - dealing with excessive stress and extremely long hours. She had a baby and moved from New York to Melbourne in 2022, where she finally admitted her advertising career wasn’t working for her and her changing priorities anymore. 

 

She’d known for many years she wanted to make a change, but she only took the leap after realising she wanted her future to be in Pilates.

 

“I [spent] many years knowing that I wanted something different. Once I figured out what it was that I was going to do next, that was the catalyst. I think Unite Health really was the start of everything [I’ve achieved] in the last three years,” Janelle said.

 

Janelle had previously enjoyed the ability of group fitness classes to help her “switch off” from work. Recognising she wanted to build her own dream career in Pilates, she decided to complete her APPI Pilates Instructor Certification with Unite Health.

 

Not only has Janelle now completely transitioned from corporate life into Pilates, she’s also recently opened her very own Pilates studio in Melbourne: F2 Collective, all while raising her young daughter.

 

Ian Marcus:

 

Ian is a full-time spin and yoga instructor, who recently taught at the prestigious Saint Haven studio in Melbourne while on a working holiday, before relocating back to his home in Singapore. During his time in Melbourne, he completed Unite Health’s three-week intensive APPI Pilates Instructor Certification course to help him gain a more thorough understanding and mastery of mat and reformer Pilates and human anatomy. 

 

Ian was inspired by how well Pilates complemented the other fitness modalities he teaches (spin and yoga). After seeing how strong the demand for Pilates was in Singapore, he wanted to upskill in the practice.

 

He found himself with time to spare after a studio he was teaching at in Melbourne shut down. Ian decided to use his extra time as an opportunity to enrol in Unite Health’s intensive course, allowing him to complete his Pilates qualification in a matter of weeks. This meant Ian could start incorporating his new skills and knowledge into his career as soon as possible and set himself apart when pursuing potential new work possibilities.

 

“Once I started to pick up more of the intricacies of Pilates, it offered an additional lens to how I viewed the way the body moved… With yoga it was all about anatomy, how the body shifted, how the body moved. But with Pilates, you really get to see the intricate effects of solidified, isolated movements in reps. You start to be able to implement it together. So then my offering started to evolve,” Ian said.

 

Ian spoke to the transferability of Pilates skills too. He said the techniques, movements and theory he developed throughout his Certification have elevated his teaching skills and his understanding of yoga and spin, while also opening up new career opportunities in the Pilates space for him.

 

Dominique du Toit:

 

Dominique is a two-time Olympian, having played on the Australian Rugby Sevens team for 10 years from the age of 17. Her time with the Rugby Sevens was her first experience with any kind of gym or weights training. Her introduction heavily emphasised performance, focusing on lifting heavy, building muscle mass, and continuing to increase the weights she was lifting over time.

 

She quickly began to experience regular “niggles” and injuries, including lower back pain and pelvic floor issues. After seeing a pelvic floor physio, Dom was told Pilates could help with the physical challenges she was navigating.

 

“Honestly, it was quite quick - the difference that it made and the impact it had on my training, and my body, and the way I was able to move,” Dom said.

 

Even after her back pain resolved and she was injury-free, she continued to practise Pilates for its ability to prepare her body to perform at the high level she was demanding of it.

 

“I just wish I'd done it from the get go. From when I first started doing it, just the way it helped my body…the different way that it isolates muscles and movements, it really complimented rugby,” Dom explained.

 

She said while rugby is an intense, aggressive and highly physical environment largely out of your control, having a tool like Pilates to help prep and activate muscles in such a demanding sport was really important for her physical health and career success. 

 

When she retired from rugby, Dom was unsure what was next for her career. She had previously completed a Media and Communications degree, but after working in an admin role with Rugby Australia, she quickly realised a desk-based job was not for her.

 

“I wanted to keep doing something that was moving my body, and I loved Pilates. I just googled Pilates, and United Health came up and had great reviews.”

 

She’s now completed her course and all of her teacher training log book hours, and is preparing to take her final exam to become a qualified Pilates instructor.

 

“Pilates is definitely something that excites me… I need to still be doing movement as part of my day-to-day.”

 

Dominique has exciting hopes and plans for her future career in Pilates, and is confident in her ability to make her dreams her new reality with her APPI Pilates Instructor Certification behind her, helping her to achieve her goals.

 

Liv Sumin:

 

Liv came to build her career in the industry after she began noticing how Pilates was popping up in different areas of her physiotherapy practice - from corporate offerings, to 1:1 client services. She decided Pilates was the perfect addition to incorporate into her knowledge and passion for mobility, strength and conditioning, so she could better support and serve her patients across all stages of their lifespans.

 

She’d always dreamed of creating her own movement platform. “I often joke that I came out of the womb doing some type of Pilates or movement, because it's just been a big part of my life for a very, very long time. And so when I had the opportunity to learn from and work alongside Unite Health…my passion just grew and expanded,” she explained.

 

After completing her APPI Clinical Pilates Certification (our course designed for allied health professionals, or qualified Pilates instructors looking to upskill and expand their repertoire and knowledge), Liv went on to continue building her knowledge, expertise and learnings in the space. And when she moved from Sydney to Melbourne last year, her work schedule and priorities shifted.

 

“I'd gone from a very busy clinical role in a physiotherapy clinic, with a little bit of Pilates in the morning and night when I could fit in those hours, to a few more days within the schedule that I had to play with [to incorporate Pilates].

 

“This beautiful passion that had been snowballing for all these years kind of came to a head. I thought, ‘Right, it’s now or never.’”

 

Not wanting to always wonder “what if”, she found a studio she loved (which was actually a beautiful old florist!) and began recording herself teaching Pilates.

 

“It was just perfect. I essentially set up my own little camera, and started from nothing. I had myself and my mat. And you learn all the things - from turning the camera on and pressing record, to figuring out how to edit and play with audio,” she revealed.

 

“I wanted to connect with my audience back in Sydney. I had a beautiful clientele in Sydney that I missed teaching, and would often receive messages to say ‘We'd love to still have you in for some classes. And I thought, ‘This is perfect. I can film and record myself doing what I like to do and how I like to teach, and just share it with my family and friends back home.’”

 

It evolved quickly from there. “By the end of the year, I was like, right, if I'm doing this for my family and friends and a few odd clients, why don't I make it into something I can share?”

 

And so her movement platform, Live Active, was born. The app offers physio-led matwork, reformer and mobility classes and different strength programs, and emphasises the importance of knowledge sharing amongst Liv’s dedicated online and in-person community. Liv has exciting plans for the platform’s future growth.

 

Their advice…

 

Each of our panelists shared a bunch of useful insights, advice and learnings from their own journey to building their dream careers in Pilates, which you can catch up on in the recording of the session here. 

 

Below, we’ve rounded up each panelist’s most important, actionable piece of advice below for anyone wanting to follow in their footsteps and make your own Pilates dreams your new reality:

 

Janelle: Plan, prepare and make it happen!

 

Janelle highlighted the importance of not just thinking about the career in Pilates she desperately wanted, but actually going ahead and making it happen! She initially needed to build her confidence to overcome imposter syndrome she was struggling with, and she shared that finding the right Certification was essential in helping her do so.

 

“Everything about the course just really appealed to me.. There was the anatomy part of it, there was the in-person training to make sure that we were learning the repertoire the right way. And we were trained by these highly educated physios as well. And I knew that Unite Health would really give me the confidence to get into the industry and do it the right way,” she revealed of her reasons for choosing our APPI Pilates Instructor Certification.

 

From there, she practiced hard - learning to teach Pilates to clients, to work with other instructors, and to understand the business aspect of opening her own Pilates studio.

 

“Once I started to feel like I had gained a more well-rounded background on teaching, and of the business, and of the community in Pilates, I think I finally was able to take all of that and say, ‘Alright, today's the day. We’ve just got to do it.’”

 

Janelle said she built her career in Pilates using a very process-driven approach, but eventually she just had to take a risk and make the leap - and it paid off big time!

 

Ian: Get ahead of the curve, and be authentic!

 

Since his return to Singapore, Ian has been looking at creating a new modality involving Pilates to offer his clients, alongside his existing work and teaching.

 

“I am equipped very nicely because of Unite Health to be able to provide for that, if Pilates is something that we’re thinking about. I can’t reveal anything yet!” he told us.

 

He also emphasised the importance of finding authenticity in your teaching and career, by offering classes and services you’re passionate about and love. “If you can align with that authenticity, then it's so much easier for you to serve and deliver Pilates - in your own expression as well,” he said.

 

Ian is really excited about the future growth of Pilates in Singapore and globally too, revealing it’s the perfect time to get involved in the industry ahead of so much potential and evolution.

 

“There are so many things coming up now. There's like classical Pilates, there's a more athletic kind of Pilates, rhythm-based Pilates. SRT [Slow Resistance Training], that's coming up as well.”

 

Dominique: Understand the benefits and importance of Pilates, and deeply know your “why”.

 

After completing her exam, Dominique is eager to keep practicing Pilates herself after experiencing the profound benefits it’s had already for her as an athlete. “I'd love to start teaching some of my teammates as well… [With rugby] being a really high impact, aggressive sport, knowing the different Pilates movements can help with that. I'd love to be able to do that with my teammates.”

 

She plans on making her own dream career in Pilates happen in the coming years too. “...My dream is to open up a studio. That's my ultimate goal… I would hope to be able to do that in the next couple of years. Once I'm confident in instructing and I feel comfortable in that environment. I'd love to offer both Mat and Reformer, and I think I want it to be an environment for everybody. But I'd also really [like to] work with different teams… elite athletes and professional athletes in the contact space in football, rugby league and rugby union.”

 

Dominique shared that, while she only discovered the power of Pilates through injury, it’s crucial to offer the preventative and strengthening elements of the practice to potential clients to set yourself apart and create demand for your skills and knowledge as an instructor.

 

“As an athlete that does a contact sport, Pilates offers a space to be able to move your body intentionally and at a pace that you can control. And I'd really like to be able to offer that to other professional athletes. Because for myself, I was always really competitive… But Pilates allowed me a space to move. It almost forced me to slow down and listen to my body, and move without constant pressure to perform. So I want to be able to offer that to other elite athletes,” she revealed, showcasing the importance of authenticity and passion when building a career in Pilates, and the impact of having a deep understanding of your target client.

 

Liv: Take the risk, and make your dreams happen. And continue to learn and grow from there!

 

Liv encouraged any aspiring Pilates instructors or health professionals wanting to expand their skillset to take the leap and follow your instincts.

 

“Even if you've got a little inkling of what you want to do, just follow your gut and if you love it, dive right in!” she said. 

 

“I think the clinical repertoire within what Unite Health taught us expanded my skillset. I often think about how different I would be now as a physio. Both in my career, but also as a health professional. I truly believe that the course, and teaching clinically within Pilates, have shaped who I am today as a clinician,” Liv shared, reiterating how glad she is that she followed her own gut and pursued her dreams.

 

She also emphasised the importance of continuing to grow your skillset and enhance your knowledge base when building your dream career in Pilates or healthcare. “Being able to connect with different populations [was so important]. I think I would've had a very narrow population group when I first graduated as a physio. But with the clinical skillset that I gained, I was working with young female athletes, I was working with our older population who were looking to stay fit and healthy. The diversity it offered was really, really important.”

 

“I honestly am so grateful to this day that…I thought, ‘Let's just shoot my shot and jump into the world of clinical Pilates and see what it might offer that I already don't know within the physio sphere!’ And it's a lot, there is so much we don't get taught that Pilates has taught me,” Liv said.

 

Some final key takeaways and advice shared by all our panelists:

• Find what you love, and pursue it with everything you have. Don’t wonder “what if”, make it happen.
• Practice! Practice the repertoire, teaching skills, queuing, until you’re confident and ready to go out and make it happen!
• Pilates skills are so transferable and can powerfully elevate any career - from allied healthcare services, to other fitness modalities. The practice offers prevention, strengthening and rehabilitation too, so it really does cater to all levels, abilities and needs, making it an excellent industry to pursue a long-term, rewarding and successful career in.
• The Pilates industry is only going to grow in demand from here, so it’s the perfect time to get ahead of the curve and become a qualified instructor or add it to your existing healthcare practice to set you apart from your competition.
• Where you complete your qualification matters. Getting an education from a respected, recognised education provider which is committed to evidence-based modules and learning, taught by expert Educators and healthcare professionals, and promises ongoing support to help you make your dream career in Pilates become a reality is essential. (And you’re looking at Australia’s number one Pilates education provider right here… We promise all of that and more, just saying!)
• Find your passion and purpose within Pilates, and stick to it. It helps you be authentic and love what you do every day. Pilates is not only a financially rewarding career, it’s also personally rewarding and fulfilling - imagine spending every day helping your clients improve their health and their lives!

If you’re ready to take the leap and commit to your own dream life in Pilates, now is the time! Enrol in our upcoming intake of our APPI Pilates Instructor Certification or APPI Clinical Pilates Certification here, or book a free chat with our friendly course experts to receive personalised guidance and advice, and get the answers to all of your questions today!