Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirstin deFrees.
Every Body Pilates opened its doors on April 1st, 2000. Kirstin is originally from Colorado, where she was born and raised and couldn’t stand still. From the age of 12 to 32, she was a dancer. As an adult, being a dancer, and therefore, a waitress, her intention was to establish a day job that aligned her passions: working with bodies in motion, and helping people find the best version of themselves. Teaching Pilates was a natural fit. Brand new to Boston, and holding a Pilates teacher training certificate with the ink still wet, absolutely no one would hire her.
Using the word Pilates was in trademark litigation, and the Pilates teacher training schools and community were dramatically divided. Her Alma mater, The Pilates Center, in Boulder, Colorado, is widely known as well as one of the most rigorous training schools including 1000 hours of training and apprenticeship, but there were no graduates in the Boston area at the time. Through a series of happy accidents, she found herself in the Pilates Studio business. With her expertise working with chronic conditions, local instructors began to seek her out, first for lessons and then for training.
This eventually led her to become a licensed teacher trainer for The Pilates Center. 17 years of meaningful business ownership, and close to 20 years of teaching Pilates later, it’s clear, there are no accidents. She has joyfully, and tenaciously, built a business with a fierce team of talented, dedicated instructors with the intention to teach people to utilize Pilates as a powerful tool for change in their lives–to feel better in their bodies, with less pain, maintain zest for their favorite activities, to establish a practical wellness mindset, and be empowered through a robust Pilates practice.
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t think that any small business has a smooth road all the time. You have to work crazy long hours, find the humor, even when laughing is the last thing you can imagine, and keep coming back to the hope that your work is making the world a better place to get through it all. It occurs to me that as with anything worth doing, the long game is what it’s all about.
A friend of mine that had opened her own studio in the DC area talked me through a lot of the initial set up of mine. When I called her to let her know that I had signed the lease, she said, “Congratulations!!… I’m so sorry.” We laughed, but she was right. There is a relentlessness to the worry and the stress that one just can’t anticipate when you have a small business with a lot of moving parts and a mission so close to your heart until you are smack dab in the middle of it.
However, as trite as it sounds, every time another client finds their way out of terrible pain and back into their lives, it feels like a triumph. Every time a teacher blossoms into more meaningful teaching skills, it is a delight. There is never-ending problem-solving too–people, time, space, money–there is either a perception of too much or too little from all sides. It’s certainly not boring, and I do love a good puzzle… so I’ve got that going for me.
Tell us about your business/company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
We specialize in getting clients more– more strength, more flexibility, and more integration of all of it. Because our training is to meet each person where they are, we are known for our expertise in getting clients to a higher performance level, no matter where they are starting from. Anytime I meet a person that tells me, “I tried Pilates, and I don’t think it’s for me,” I tell them, “then you haven’t done it with us!” Pilates can be truly terrific for everybody if taught well. Our team can genuinely work with any person, at any age, that comes in our door–on foot, with a cane, or walker or in a wheelchair. Many people stop moving when they have traumatic pain. Their doctor or physical therapist tells them to “get moving,” so clients try to, but they get hurt, then go back into PT or have another surgery, and then the whole thing starts again. We do a lot of what we call PT support. Many clients have PT exercises that they are supposed to do but don’t. We help clients understand the power of those exercises, and how to do them well and safely so they can stay on track.
For this reason, we have physical therapists, surgeons, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and massage therapists who refer to us. We start by teaching our clients what we call, “The Rules of the Game.” These rules can be used to keep any movement less opt to cause pain or injury in any activity. We use a systematic approach to help clients establish routines and practices that keep them in motion. We help clients continually hone their practice, but we haven’t done a good job if clients don’t have any idea what to do without us. For this reason, we have opportunities for clients to utilize the equipment, supervised, at a self-directed pace, as well as small group and fitness classes, but everything is anchored around a regular schedule of one-on-one instruction to continue to put a point on movement skills so clients are continually moving forward at a pace that makes sense for them. Anyone can work you out, but we can help you find a personal practice that WORKS specifically FOR YOU, that helps you feel great without it being a chore or a hassle, and actually PREVENTS injuries.
If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?)
In truth, I am not sure I could have done any bit of it differently. If I had know one wick about business or organizational behavior, I would never have jumped down this rabbit hole. Thank goodness for not knowing what you don’t know. I certainly WISH things were different sometimes– more money, more time, more instructors–but I have the presence of mind now to know that I can’t control anything outside of myself.
Being a small business and being a part of what was a fledgling industry limited what was truly possible along the way but I have enjoyed the fierce creativity required to make things work.
Constraints can be valuable and tough times certainly clarify who is on your side. I am one lucky gal, who makes excellent lemonade.
Contact Info:
- Address: 50 Leonard Street, Suite 201
Belmont, MA 02478 - Website: everybodypilates.com
- Email: frontdesk@everybodypilates.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/every_body_pilates
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/EveryBodyPilatesBelmont
- Twitter: twitter.com/EBFPilates
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/every-body-pilates-belmont
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