Beyond the Reformer

How to Become a Great Pilates Teacher with Polestar UK Owner Andre Santaella

• Nic Lenny • Season 4 • Episode 51

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In this episode, Nic sits down with Andre Santaella, COO of Polestar Pilates and now leading Polestar UK, to explore her journey from discovering Pilates through her mum’s studio to stepping into a global leadership role.


Nic and Andre discuss what truly makes a great Pilates teacher beyond just their qualifications.


They also explore how to choose the right training provider, why mentorship is essential, and the importance of continuous education.


To finish off they chat about how we should be viewing other studios, teachers and trainings as an opportunity to collaborate instead of think of it as competition and and how shifting this mindset can completely change your experience within the Pilates industry.


Timestamps

00:00 Introd to Andre

01:41 Taking on Polestar UK

04:53 Discovering Pilates through her mum’s studio

10:55 The path from studio manager to COO

16:16 What actually makes a great Pilates teacher

20:52 Questions to ask when hiring teachers

26:05 Learning from observing different teaching styles

27:14 Choosing the right Pilates training provider

33:05 The role of continuing education in Pilates

37:34 Why collaboration beats competition

44:02 Differences in the global Pilates industry

50:22 Quick fire questions


If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow or subscribe so you never miss a conversation!


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Get 5% off Balanced Body Pilates equipment with the code SOUL PILATES 

SPEAKER_00

Coming up on today's episode of Beyond the Reformer.

SPEAKER_01

I feel very privileged to now be in this role owning Polestar Pilates in the UK. I've always described myself as not a business owner, but a problem solver.

SPEAKER_00

Today I'm joined by Andre Santiella, head of Polestar UK, former COO of Polestar Pilates, and a leader who is deeply passionate about education, collaboration, and uplifting the Pilates community.

SPEAKER_01

I think the easiest thing to observe very quickly is the skill sets. The hard part is do they align with your values? It's not about you, it's about the person that you're working with. And you're just there to create a positive movement experience. Whatever that means for them, not for you necessarily.

SPEAKER_00

Do you see differences in the Pilates industries across the different kind of continents?

SPEAKER_01

I do. I do.

SPEAKER_00

And I think Hello everyone and welcome back to Beyond the Reformer. I'm Nick Lenny, a Pilates teacher, a studio owner, an educator, and your host for these conversations from all over the world of Pilates. I am really thrilled to have you here. The podcast has been growing at the craziest pace. I think we're in 98 countries, and our listening figures are honestly doubling every month. And I am just loving building this community with you. I read all your comments and your DMs, and I love how these conversations are resonating with so many of you all over the globe. I'm delighted to bring you today's guest because Andre has been such a generous supporter of the podcast from the very beginning, despite the fact she doesn't even know me. She listened to an episode, she loved it, and she got me in front of some of the biggest names out there before anyone knew who we were. This is actually her very first podcast appearance, which makes today's conversation even more meaningful. We talk about what makes a really great teacher, the pitfalls she sees in today's education landscape, how to choose the right training provider, and what it really means to lead with stewardship rather than ego. And before we dive into today's conversation, I have just a little small favor to ask, please. Because if you're enjoying these conversations, it would mean the world if you could like, follow, or subscribe wherever you're listening or watching. It's a small thing, but it genuinely helps this podcast grow and allows me to keep bringing you these thoughtful leaders like Andre. Andre, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast this week. It's such a delight to have you here. Thanks so much for having me. I was very looking forward to this day. So excited to be here. Well, I want to start straight away with you're now running the Polestar UK. You started as the COO in Polestar Pilates in the US. It's quite a big shift, isn't it? Not just in title, but in terms of responsibility. What's that felt like to you? I'm enjoying it so much.

SPEAKER_01

I remember, I think up to 2024, I've always described myself as not a business owner, but a problem solver. And I felt very comfortable being in that arena. You know, I wouldn't have conversations with people and they're like, well, have you ever thought about opening your own business? I come from a huge line of entrepreneurs stemming back to my great-grandfather and grandmother. And I've I'm always like me, no, never. But here I am. I think it's been such a wonderful experience, the support that I've felt from the whole community, from my team. I feel very privileged to now be in this role of owning Polestar Pilates in the UK and kind of the word that always comes to mind is stewardship. Polestar Pilates has been in the UK for over 15 years, and it's done a great job. My role now is how do I continue that and elevate it and grow the community? So it's been great learning a lot, learning how to feel comfortable in this new role as a visionary, right? As a business owner.

SPEAKER_00

It's interesting that you had this family then of entrepreneurs, but you did you have some beliefs that you had to overcome then to be able to step into this space? I think so.

SPEAKER_01

Because, you know, from a very young age, I've been a part of business conversations. And I've seen the good and the bad of owning a business. It's great when you're things are going really well and things are growing. But then things can flip uh very suddenly. I was born in Venezuela, so around the time, I think it was 2000, uh, my mom had her had her business and she owned restaurants. She had to close down a lot of restaurants because of you know the political climate and the situation that Venezuela was going through. I think that kind of made me fear being an owner because it's not only what's happening for you as a business owner, but you you hold the lives of so many people, all your employees. So I think that that might be one of the beliefs or or reasons why I'm like, I'm never doing this.

SPEAKER_00

I can imagine that completely because I mean, that is not only being part of any of that instability that not many of us could ever understand, but seeing how much it affected. I mean, anyone who's listening who's got their own studios to think that, you know, overnight you've got to pull it, and then what do you do? I mean, I totally understand that. My not remotely the same, but my dad had his own business. And I used to see that my dad never was off, like he was always working. And I think that's something that I battle with still to think, you know. So it is kind of interesting, isn't it, how these beliefs for sure come through. So tell me, Andre, about your Pilates journey. When did Pilates come into your life?

SPEAKER_01

You know, I was thinking about that this morning, and it was actually 10 years ago, around January or February, when I had my first daughter, Julia. My mom decided to move from Venezuela to to Miami. And um, she's like, you know what? I'm gonna open a Pilates studio.

SPEAKER_00

Like, okay, what does that even mean? Your mom thought about opening a studio. Had she had she got any experience in this? Or no, she just uh she she loved Pilates.

SPEAKER_01

She she was a client at this really amazing studio in Venezuela. And she's like, I really, I really like this. I like the helping people, I like the all the energy of what happens inside a studio. And and she knew that she didn't want to go into the restaurant business again, especially she she had a hamburger franchise, and she's like, I'm not gonna bring that into the United States. So this felt more comfortable. And she asked me, you know, why don't you go through the training? She didn't see herself as a teacher, but she understood the importance of understanding the method so that she could vet the right instructors and also provide them the support that they needed. Um, so she asked me, I'm like, sure, you know, how hard can this be? I'll get in shape, I'll learn something new. And I went through my first comprehensive teacher training. And was that with Polestar? Yes.

SPEAKER_00

It was.

SPEAKER_01

And what were you doing at the time? I was doing business development for a media company, traveling a lot to South America. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into, but Polestar's headquarters were right next to the building where I lived. So I'm like, okay, this is convenient. And I researched the company a little bit more and started to see, okay, what do they stand for? What is this program about? It felt aligned with my own values and my respect for good education. I joined and did my training. Halfway through, I had to take a break because as a new mom at a job. This was more complicated than I thought it was going to be. I had no idea what flexion and extension was. I just thought, like, as soon as if your spine is bending, you're flexing your spine. So I had to kind of learn this whole new language.

SPEAKER_00

And I think that's it. It's that I always talk about that. It's like learning a new language, isn't it? And you did what I did, and so many people do, where they are complete. I mean, you didn't even know it was a career change at that point. But the point is, you weren't a dancer, you weren't a mover necessarily in that way. And you were doing it with a child as well and a job. So that's a lot. And I think it's great that you share that because I think I've had people pull out of courses and I say, it's fine, take a break. Like it's okay. It took me two and a half years to do my exam because I was working full-time. Like it's a lot, especially on a comprehensive course when you've, like you said, you don't even know what flexion extension. I mean, I remember vividly, you know, you'd be on the courses and they'd be like, So you can see this with this person. I'm like, how can you see that? I don't know what you're talking about. Yep. Yeah, it it was very humbling. And how long did you have out? And then what kind of brought you back into it?

SPEAKER_01

I think like six months. I took a break. It was quite enlightening because at some point I'm like, I'm really not enjoying this work that I'm doing, right? I'm flying out every Monday, coming back every Thursday, being away. I'm not being present. So I'm like, I remember the admissions advisor from Polestar, Mylin, she called me back and she's like, What are you doing? Like just checking in. How's everything going? And I'm like, you know what? This is perfect. I feel like now I can join back and I can, I'm doing it for a different reason. Like, that's when I started to see the goal of transitioning from you know corporate America to becoming a Pilates instructor. So I I started again, I got pregnant for the second time, finished the training, quit my job. I think right after that, uh I finished with my last module uh of comprehensive and I I had to start uh practicing and teaching and those things. And the person who used to manage the training facility in Miami, because it it's very similar to Pulsar UK, where the studio was just mostly for training purposes, she was moving back to Uruguay. And I'm like, okay, well, maybe let me just go upstairs to and see if if they're looking for somebody, right? If they need somebody to fill that position of just holding the space and allowing students to come in and practice. So that's what I did. That was my first role in Polestar outside of being a student, was just managing the studio for the training and practice and courses.

SPEAKER_00

And did your mom open the studio?

SPEAKER_01

She did. She has two studios now. And did you work for her as well at some point? Yeah, that's actually where I started teaching. I didn't feel comfortable at first to start teaching at Polestar. You know, it's like, well, it's a school. I can imagine it's a lot. You know, you have Shelly there, you have Brent there. I don't do I really want to teach here just straight out of my last module. So I started with her. It was great. It was a safe space. And then I finished my hours, I took my exam, and I'm like, okay, now I now I feel like I'm ready to to maybe start teaching at Polestar. So I taught at Polestar and I taught at my mom's uh space. And then what was the journey from there to becoming the COO? I think it was a month before I was giving birth. I was sitting at the studio. It was quite boring and empty because there wasn't a lot going on during the week. You had students who would come in either really early in the morning or later in the afternoon, but I had so much time in between that when I was done with my own practice and getting my hours, I'm like, okay, there has to be something else that we can do. And I put together a plan and I went upstairs and I sat with Brent and I'm like, we're just gonna open this studio as a regular Pilates client-centered studio during the week. And during the weekends, we'll have our trainings. He's like, all right, this this is great. However, you are about to give birth. And I'm like, it's okay, I can do this. And he's like, All right, if if you think you can do it, go for it. And we did. I was actually, I think we opened the studio the same day that I was giving birth to my second daughter. Thankfully, I had one of the instructors that I had hired, which was who had become a really good friend of mine because we started our journey together and we did all our hours together. We took our exam together. She stepped into the role of managing the first months while I was getting my life back on track, being a mum of two.

SPEAKER_00

That's hard though. I mean, I opened my second studio when my son was seven weeks old. So I was like, you know, literally with the builders the morning I gave birth. And then it opened. So it's funny how you did the same thing. I wonder if it's also, I'm just in my mind, I'm thinking, is that part of that entrepreneurial ship family where you're like, my whole life is my work and we shall just continue and no baby shall get in the way and we shall just crack on. But it's hard, right? I definitely, and then COVID happened two days later, and that's another story. It's a lot, but so you had someone to help you with that first month. I guess in the US, you're kind of used to the fact, you know, in the UK, I think in Spain, where you are now, you know, we get much longer maternity leaves. But I guess the US is it is quite a shorter period, but it's still tough.

SPEAKER_01

It is. Thankfully, there really wasn't a lot of pressure around, you know, like you only have three months. The fact that I lived right next door made it super easy for me to casually come in to the studio and be there with my baby, build new relationships without having to worry so much about the day-to-day business or didn't feel like work because I had I had the support of the instructors of Luana, my friend who who she still teaches for us at in Miami. I felt like I had time to do both things and I and I got to enjoy it. From there, I took over the management of their other center in in Miami, the one where they had physical therapy. They had three Pilates rooms. So I did that for for a while and then started getting more involved with the education side, especially international, all our partners. How do they, you know, supporting them in their business, growing the Pilates education around the world? And then from there, since I I had kind of done, I had been a part of uh the different business lines, I organically just moved up to become the COO and oversee studios, oversee education domestically in the US and internationally. Now I'm the licensee, which is what we call our partners internationally.

SPEAKER_00

And what did your mom think of all of this? You know, she asks you to do a course to help her out and suddenly you take this whole career on. What did she what does she think about all this?

SPEAKER_01

Well, I think, you know, at first she was, I don't think it's what she expected or she had in mind. But to be honest, she had her business partner already, right? So she had her studio, she had a business partner. There wasn't really enough room for me to grow professionally in that uh business relationship that already existed. And I thought I could be of better help to her if I could supply instructors to her, right? Like start the vetting process from who's going through the training, who has graduated, who's in locally or nearby her studio. So that's what I did. That's how I kind of positioned my role in my support to her. I also continued taking trainings, mentoring students for Polestar. So I was kind of that consultant who came in, offered her support, but wasn't necessarily tied to an employee role with her. You know, it's not like you can you can have so many people when you have a studio. It doesn't the at the numbers don't add up.

SPEAKER_00

Even sometimes going into partnership with someone, you think there's not enough room in this. But that's so interesting. And you know, within your role as a mentor, supporting the education, but also, you know, literally feeling like you want to feed, I mean, you want to feed good teachers into your mom's studio. You must have really thought about what is it that makes a really good Pilates teacher? So, what are the things that you see that make someone great and they can go into a studio like your mom's and thrive and do well for themselves and for her?

SPEAKER_01

Well, I think there are two things, right? One is the Pilates education doesn't mean that you have to be, I'm not talking pole star. Do you have an education? Do you understand what you're doing, what your role is as a Pilates instructor? For me, that means understanding the body, understanding and respecting your clients' goals and needs, not necessarily what you want that person to be doing, right? Respecting them. And then it's like opening that two lines of communication where you're helping them, but they're you they're also informing you of what that progress looks like. So skill sets on one side, and the the other one is your emotional uh what is it, your EQ? Like, do you do you have empathy? Do you have respect for the profession, respect for the studio that has its own goals, its own mission, ethos? Do you align with those? And are you going to help me build the studio or the the business owner? Are you gonna help them make the studio thrive? Right? Are you really committed to what what we're doing together and showing up for that inside the studio, inside the class, and outside?

SPEAKER_00

I love the way that you share that, Andre, because I think you're absolutely right. I think it should be somewhat given that your skills as a teacher are kind of there, like is in the repertoire and the way to teach it. But the energetic piece around it is important, like the way that you show up, your passion, the way that you conduct yourself. And then, as you said, the way that you're working with that studio, you know. So I think, do you come across this where I think not maybe not all teachers understand different studios have different ethoses? And so sometimes an ethos might not resonate with you, and you've got to decide if you can flex yourself into that or not. But I see this as one of the frustrations we sometimes have as studio owners is are you as invested in this as we are? Like, are you wanting it to grow as much as we are? And the teachers who are, they thrive. I can never put my finger on exactly what that is. I talk about it being like it's an energy. I don't make this rule, but when you energetically invest into my studio, it comes back at you. If you think that you can come in here and deliver a decent class, but kind of start and end and that's it, and you just have your box and you fill it. I don't know why, but those people aren't successful, even if they actually deliver a good class. There's something about the way that they chat to people and that they go to other people's classes and chat to people. And, you know, there's something about they energetically, as you said and you framed it so beautifully, they want it to thrive as well. Because we're all in it together, aren't we, as a team? This isn't me as a studio owner. It's not you as a teacher, like it's all of us together and all the other members of a studio that help it run so well.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I think the easiest thing to observe very quickly is the skill sets, right? Are they a good teacher? You can tell them to teach you a class and automatically, you know, yeah, they they gave me the good cues, they corrected me, they had good flow. That's the easy part. The hard part is do they align with your values? Do they align with what you want to bring to the community? You know, people can put on a facade and say yes, and you're like, yes, I love this person, but getting really good at asking the right questions to kind of dig deeper to find out if if there is that match. And I feel like this is in business, like when you're hiring somebody for a marketing position or when you're hiring an instructor to come to your studio. And it's not necessarily, you know, like I don't want to say that the person is bad. It's just not right for you. And that's okay. I don't need to be right the right studio or the right person for that instructor either. And I think the more that we talk about that and the more that we help instructors kind of find who they who they are for themselves, it would allow them also to feel more at home and happier with what being a Pilates instructor is about. So it goes. Both ways.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I mean, what kind of questions do you think studio owners could be asking to try and delve into this?

SPEAKER_01

I think the questions are going to stem from you doing first the work of what's your vision? What are you bringing to your studio? And then it could be situational questions like what will you do in this in this? Or asking, like, what is your vision of what you're doing, right? Like understanding why they came into this role and seeing if that aligns. And if not, it's like, you know, I think you would be a better fit for this studio that I know is also looking for instructors, because we're all looking for instructors. Go check it out and I'll support you.

SPEAKER_00

You know, in my city, I was the first reformer studio. I was the first kind of Pilates studio, really. Then we were the first reformer studio. Now there's, I think, 15 or something. There's only a few that I think have a really strong ethos that's clearly communicated. And it's great because I do send people to some of these other places. I'm like, this is going to be for you. And I get on very well with them. And they're very different to what we do. And that's great. It feels like we can just be part of this ecosystem. But of course, there is a challenge, I think, now where people are just opening studios and it's kind of Pilates and maybe not an ethos. And I guess that's that's a struggle for clients, it's a struggle for teachers coming in. So that, you know, it's an interesting point. We need to know what we're about. Why are we as studios doing what we do? What do you see, Andre? Do you see anything around teachers who are struggling, maybe they're not thriving? Do you see qualities that that they're struggling with?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, I think because there are so many Pilates studios now and so many variations of what Pilates really means to everybody, right? The client, the studio owners, the industry itself. I feel like there's a lot of comparison in imposter syndrome. So it's like, well, this person is doing this, or I see this person doing this in social media, and I'm not doing it, or I don't know how to do it. And it's like calm down. You know, it's more than do they have the skill sets? Do they have the right education? I think, and that can be learned. It's more of stop comparing yourself, value what you're doing, and do more of that. Like, what are you really doing that's really amazing, that's creating an impact on the person or a change on the person that you're working with, and be okay with that. And if not, instead of comparing and just figure out a way to learn that, if you think that aligns with what you want to do.

SPEAKER_00

I think that's such an important point. I think going back to if you understand your why, like why am I doing this? What does it mean to me? Then when we inevitably see that stuff, and all of us, you included, me included, it happens to all of us. But I have kind of learned to be like, but that's not who I am, and I'm okay with that. That's not what I believe in. And it's great that they're doing that. And of course, all the people on social media who are brilliant, some of them are studio owners and stuff as well. But there's such a skill to being brilliant on social media that means, you know, you also have to be a great videographer and editor. And, you know, it's not just the Pilate, you know, there's plenty of brilliant Pilates teachers who are not on social media at all. We have lots of people listening to this podcast who are in their training. What do you think then, based on what you've just said, are things they should be thinking about? You know, yes, they're learning the repertoire, the exercises, their queuing, the programming. Is there other things they should be thinking about as part of that to kind of help with these kind of challenges?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think here's where support and mentorship are very important, as well as your own practice and observation, right? So you're learning all these things. You're learning about movement of, you know, like, are you able to see exactly what's happening in front of you? How can you correct that? Pilates is just the tools that you're using to solve a problem, or at least that's how I see it. But then it's by you going in into different studios and trying things out, observing what other people are saying, understanding, okay, I feel in line with this teacher. I like the tempo, I like the flow, I like their, or you're like more like me. Like when I teach, I tend to be, you know, like zen. And that's just, you know, my personality. It doesn't mean that it's an easy class, but it's it's what I feel comfortable with. And it's like, I feel like finding your your own self comes from practicing and mentorship. So I think that's important.

SPEAKER_00

I think it is important, and I think there's a lot of people gallantly doing their practice hours on their own in a room with nobody feeding back on their teaching. It's something that we've really tried to bring into our training around, you know, have some supervision of practice teaching and also spread your observation hours out. Because if you kind of go off gung-ho at the beginning, you're only going to observe the kind of things that you you think about at the beginning. But actually, as people go through their time on the course, you see different things. And if we went and observed now, Andre, we would see different things, wouldn't we? You know, we'd be going, oh, that's really interesting to this day. I love going and I go wherever I go, I'll go and find a studio. And even if it's not my cup of tea, there'll always be something I take out of it. I'm like, that's interesting. I hadn't really thought of that. And sometimes it's also okay, I think, to be like, that's not my cup of tea. And it kind of leans into, you know, I was over in Los Angeles recently and I went and did lots and lots and lots of different styles of Pilates. And I actually came away really grounded in my belief of what I think this movement should be about. Like I was, I kind of felt like that just didn't resonate with me a lot of it. Some of it did, but a lot of it didn't. And it was quite nice to feel like that as well, be like, okay, I'm I'm comfortable with what I'm doing. I like the way that I'm doing it. Obviously, you're now heading up Polestar UK and you've been around Polestar for a good while. And you're going to be a little biased because you work with Polestar, but I think, you know, you're especially like your experience in the past of getting great teachers for your mom studio. You know, they're not all coming from Polestar, I'm sure. What is it that people should be looking for in an education provider? Because I think this is a huge challenge. When people ring me up to have a chat about education, I always try and be really honest and explain the system and say whatever you choose, but I want to be really honest with you and explain how it works because it's challenging, isn't it, for people to know the difference of why you would go with Polestar versus another one of the big names versus something else? So, what is it people should be looking for in your opinion? I think you should do a lot of research, right?

SPEAKER_01

Ask the right questions, like meet with different schools, providers, understand exactly what it is that you're looking for. Do you see yourself more as a group instructor? Do you see yourself more as a one-on-one teacher, understanding where you are and where you want to go? And, you know, things like do you have the whole investment? Like, can you invest the time? Can you invest the money to go through a full training? Or do you really need to start with this little piece? Or just you're just curious about the reformer. So asking the questions would help you kind of filter through the what's right for you in that moment. When I was putting together the kind of like the sales uh program for Polestar USA, I had to go through through the role of you know being in that admissions advisor role. And I got to speak to a lot of people. And sometimes I was more of an advisor, like an external advisor, not necessarily Polestar, but it's like, you know what? I really think that you should go and talk to this school, or you should go and maybe take classes at different studios, talk to people, not necessarily just me, and find what, you know, what aligns with you, what are you liking from a teacher? Ask them where they did their training, ask for more experience before you make a decision. Like, don't just jump into this, because like I said at the beginning, like I probably did not start this uh for the right reasons. Like I was there just to help my mom. But if you can kind of take your time to understand what it is that you like and talk to as many people as possible about their own experience, I feel like that's that's important.

SPEAKER_00

I think it is, isn't it? And often people are, they have a teacher they love, and that can often be what drives them. And that's great because they've kind of had that experience. But of course, more and more now, people maybe haven't had that so much. And I say the same thing. Go and try some different teachers. You know, if you're looking at my course, go and these are people I've trained, go to their classes, chat to them, they'll talk to you really honestly. But I have often said to people, I think you should look at this course that's not mine. Because, you know, I often send people, you know, I'm a big, big believer of Polestar. I send lots and lots of people to you over in London, like all the time, because I think I feel very passionate about you need to have the right experience. Because I, as a studio owner, have the flip side of that sometimes where people come in, they believed going into their course, they were getting one thing, and then they come and try and work for a studio like ours. And I'm like, that there's still an awful lot of work to do with you. You know, we had to say that to someone recently like, we love you, we think you've got a great energy, but the course you've done isn't gonna prepare you. And we mentor, we we mentor all our teachers, we mentor all our new teachers that come in because they need that. I think mentorship is a huge part of what is needed in this industry. But there comes a point where you're like, I can't mentor you so much to basically give you another training for free, which is a real challenge. Do you see any kind of red flags, you know, on courses that people maybe should look out for?

SPEAKER_01

I think I want to kind of change the question a little bit if that's okay. Like, I think I honestly think there isn't a right or wrong way to enter into this path of becoming a Pilates instructor. So I think sometimes we get caught up with good education, bad education. And yes, there that exists, but when you look at the person who decided that they wanted to become a Pilates instructor and what that meant for them there and how they started, I think it's more important that they started. And at some point in their journey, they're gonna want to have more. And that happens if you went to the Harvard of Pilates education or you went to community college for a specific profession. Like I I would like for people to to stop kind of judging instructors by what path or how how they decided to come into this industry and just allow the opportunities for how do you support them and make them better.

SPEAKER_00

So true. And I have interviewed quite a few people on the podcast who, you know, because one of the questions I'm going to ask you is around what do you think about short courses? But it kind of leans into it because I've had quite a few guests on the podcast who went and did a course, very quickly realized, oh, this isn't the kind of teacher I want to be, and then went and did another one. To your point, it allowed them to start, and there's nothing wrong with that. And I think for me, I guess what I hope to do a little bit with this podcast is get people to realize one course is rarely enough, even with the creme de la creme of courses. Like you have to keep learning. And I think there are some courses out there that don't make that bit clear. And if they did, then I think we'd all be open to learning and we'd all realize, okay, this has given me a base level. And now I'm learning I'm really interested in this bit, and I'm going to go and learn a bit more about that. And I'd be more open to mentorship and more courses. And, you know, it's a huge part of Polestar, isn't it? I think I was very lucky that that's how I was brought up in this world, is that you do, you know, I did a comprehensive course and immediately it's like, right, what what other courses can I do? And you put on such amazing CPD courses that are really interesting. And I think about that all the time. You know, I'll be teaching something. I'll be like, this is, I remember doing this as a two-day workshop. You know, this these are all the extra bits and pieces that go on there. So it's a good point that you make around sometimes people just have to get started, actually.

SPEAKER_01

Do you remember after you graduated from Polestar, there's a lecture from Brent of, you know, like, congratulations. This is just the beginning. You made it through, like, you just graduated elementary or high school. Don't forget to be curious, don't forget to continue to invest in yourself. And I feel like that's true for people who graduate or take a two-day course, or those that take a one-year course, or two years in my case.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. And it's so true because I remember, you know, I'd done this big course. I remember being a little frustrated during the course because I was thinking, all these other people have qualified, you know, they're they're qualified and being paid. And here I am, you know. Then I do this deep course. I feel like I know so much. I'm in a city where there are no studios. I can't go and work for anyone. So I think I'm gonna have to open my own because this doesn't exist. So I kind of jump in with two feet, and it's just me in a room with all the equipment in an osteopathic practice, and I'm being sent these really quite complex cases. I'm thinking, I have no idea what to do with you. But actually, you know, you go back to the basics of what we've been taught and it works. But you absolutely realize, and I'm sure there's lots of teachers out there who the day one of qualification, whatever qualification you've done, like you are really still, you're still a beginner teacher. And in lots of industries, they have this period, don't they? You know, if you're a lawyer, you're a doctor, there's these junior periods that you are in. It's great that Brent is kind of saying that up front to people. And I think that is because I that was my experience. That's all I've ever known. But I work with teachers as a studio owner all the time who, you know, did a comprehensive course 10 years ago and have never ever done any continuing education. This felt bonkers to me because I have just, you know, I lapped it up and I learned so much from them. And that's a big part of what you're doing at Polestar here in the UK. And I know in the other Polestars, it's the same. Like that's a big part of you bringing people in. What do you look for when you're bringing people in to support with continuing education?

SPEAKER_01

Two things, right? If there's anything that I want to leave, uh, like that, this is my little grain of salt that I'm contributing to this industry is how can I make or create more opportunities for Pilates professionals to continue to upskill their training, the way that they work with clients or the way that they lead their group classes? And I think the best way of doing that is by creating more opportunities around continuing education. And it's not necessarily only about Pilates or working with a specific population, but what other modalities could a person enjoy or learn from that could be applicable to what they're doing or open their mindset of looking at movement from another point of view.

SPEAKER_00

And it's been really interesting to see what you've brought in, and I can really understand that because it's to give people the breadth, isn't it? Because some of the people I talk to on this podcast, you know, they'll talk about their time being an aerobics teacher and how that has really, you know, they are often the teachers who do so well at big group classes because they've learned that skill. You know, that's the point, isn't it? It's like there's all these other skills. I know recently you've done some business uh mentoring on that as well, which is a big part of it, isn't it? Because not only as studio owners, but as you mentioned before, actually the teachers are part of the business, actually.

SPEAKER_01

It's lonely, right? It's lonely as a Pilates instructor. You often go in and out teaching at different uh places. You have to kind of play this role in a different way in different studios. It's also lonely as a Pilates studio owner. Who do you ask the questions? Like, who else near you can you talk about this with? And I feel like that's where collaboration kind of comes in, right? Like you and I are in the same business. Are we competition? No. Like, why? Like, what can we learn from each other to help the industry continue to grow? And I feel like if we could have a place where we can talk more about these things and learn from each other, the better. My background, it's not necessarily, you know, I don't want to be the business guru in Pilates, but I I I do have a passion for that. And I want to create the that platform for people to come in and feel supported.

SPEAKER_00

And I think it's it's really needed because if we don't make money, we can't, you know, we can't do this job. I mean, it's just it's just the fact of it. And of course, we know that so many people are struggling in that area. But collaboration feels like it is such an important part to you. And you're right, it can be lonely as a teacher. It's why I encourage new teachers to go and find a studio that does mentoring and does kind of team events, even if you have your own private thing on the side, because often a bit like me. I mean, I was just me in a room for like three years. And of course, the other studio owners, maybe in your area, do feel like competition. So it's it's maybe hard to have those conversations. I was talking to someone recently and they were talking about, you know, there's also a challenge around females have often been, you know, pretty hard done to over history. And so there is sort of this kind of feeling within us subconsciously that we kind of have to keep it to ourselves and you know, make sure that, you know, because someone might come along and get it. I thought it was quite an interesting idea. I was like, good point, actually. So it's so lovely when we can have these conversations, and me and you have had these conversations, and it's so nice to find, and I'm definitely, and actually through the podcast, finding people, you know, where we can reach out and share things. But why is collaboration so important to you? Have you has it been a challenge for you? Have you felt like on your own and wanted support, or have you kind of had the opposite and always had support and wanted to do it for more people?

SPEAKER_01

No, I actually think I learned this from Brent. Coming from the corporate world, you see your competition as a threat, right? You're not allowed to be friends with the competition if you like the whole Pepsi Coca-Cola, Pepsi employees cannot be seen drinking Coca-Cola even if they prefer it. You know, it's like that's how I grew up. I spend my first 10 years looking at business like, and then I come to Polestar and I'm like, what do you mean that you know you, Brent and Ken from Balanced Body are like the best friends, and your kids grew up together? You know, you do the same thing, but you still see yourself as partners because the mission that you want or your legacy in this community is how do you uplift the Pilates industry as a whole, right? So at first I was like, what's going on? I don't understand this, but I owe who I am right now and how I see see the world. I owe that a lot to Brent.

SPEAKER_00

And it is amazing, having spent some time with him when I was in Los Angeles, he absolutely does this, you know. And you have been such a huge supporter of this podcast. You didn't know me, and you reached out to me, and you were so helpful. Brent's similar. You know, you got me in front of Brent, but Brent also sends me messages and is really supportive. Where do you think all that comes from? Because it definitely does seem to spread through everyone I've met from Polestar is kind of like this and wants to help each other out, it feels like. Certainly at the top level, anyway, of all those people I've met. How do you think he's made it be his mission and got it to seep down through everyone?

SPEAKER_01

I think it's a combination of who he is as a person, how he was brought up in his family, how supportive people have been to him, also, right? Like if you look at Polestar's curriculum, it's not only Brent's voice, right? Like he's leading the curriculum and where we're going. He doesn't think he's, you know, he's the voice and the only voice of this. He's like, let me bring in experts who might know more about this specific thing. And I feel like his own experience, he's been able to kind of instill that not only within the employees, but also uh with his partners internationally and with his faculty. I think it's, you know, like visionary down. He's created a vision, he shares that with everyone, and and people kind of follow it.

SPEAKER_00

How could we take some learnings from this experience ourselves? Like you're already doing it, you know, you're helping someone like me outside of the Star, you know, employees and uplifting me. But how can we, those listening, how can we all do a better job, do you think, of collaborating, supporting, and uplifting? Is that possible?

SPEAKER_01

If you stop seeing others as your competition and see then more of an opportunity for you to learn something from each other. And you just kind of sit with that and practice that, right? Like you, you, you're coming from a place of there's room for everybody. We're all different. We all have something to offer. We'd be better if we kind of help each other out, and people will come, you know, like your clients might be different than mine. If we collaborate with each other, you know, you'll send me business, I'll send you business, and we continue to grow.

SPEAKER_00

It's like karma. It's so true. And I do that, and there's another studio. We have very different ethoses, and we send people each other all the time, you know. They do very athletic reformer stuff. If people come and talk to me, I'm like, this is where you should go. You're gonna love it there. They do it brilliantly, but that's not what we are, and that's your point, really, and that's so interesting. I'd like to circle back to your role in the UK now. Obviously, you were in America, you live in Madrid, in Spain. Do you see differences in the Pilates industries across the different kind of continents? I do.

SPEAKER_01

I do. And I think you know, there could be cultural differences of things like how much do they value education? Right. So in Asia, for example, education is very, very important. In other parts of the world, education is more, I don't know, seen in a different way. There's places in the world where in order for you to be a Pilates instructor, you have to get a state or country, it's regulated by by the country or by the states. That's different than in other places where, like, I don't know, in the US or in the UK, that even though we are trying to create these entities to help regulate and control what's what's going on with with the prof the profession, it really doesn't matter. It comes down to the need of a studio owner to hire somebody to run the classes. And that kind of breaks the system. There's places where I see that continuing continuing education is very valuable. And in others, it's not so much or it's not as developed as it is.

SPEAKER_00

And now you're in the UK. Has it been interesting kind of looking at the UK landscape? Do you see any challenges with the UK? Because when I was in America, it was so interesting. Some people were talking about how, you know, the UK is quite it's been quite tough. Like it's a hard place to succeed, which I found quite a surprising statement compared to maybe the American dream and maybe how there is more of a belief in America that why couldn't you do this? Why couldn't you open a studio and be successful? I thought that was interesting. Have you seen some challenges in the UK marketplace with those that you're working with?

SPEAKER_01

To be honest, no, or maybe not yet. Like I've only been in this role for seven months. I came to this role at a very different stage of the business, right? I didn't start Polestar UK from the ground up. It was already very well established. So for me, it was very easy to just take over. Right now I feel like I'm learning how the UK works, what are people looking for, how hard is it for instructors to get a job. It hasn't been hard, but I honestly don't think I have enough exposure yet. Whereas I started in the in in the US, I was part of, you know, my mom, when she started her own studio, I started my own career in in Miami. I found it pretty tough. You know, it's such a huge, huge country, very different wherever you go. Yeah, I don't know. I don't think I can make that much of a comparison of between the UK and the US, but I do working with all our partners around the world, what I've come to learn more than what it feels like to be a Pilates instructor or a Pilates studio owner, is understanding why do people connect with a brand? Why do people, you know, what are the behaviors, purchasing behaviors? What are the decision-making behaviors? What are the struggles that a country might be going through, right? That in US, UK, they're very stable economies. When you go down to Brazil or anywhere in Latin America, or you go to other places around the world, what you thought was gonna work is definitely not gonna work at all. In order for you to be good, or in my role, to be good at what I do, I have to spend a lot of time digging through and learning from each country independently and not just thinking that I'm gonna come here with this worked in the US and this is how you're gonna do business here because it's it's not gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00

I think that all the time about you know, these brands that are franchising and scaling. And I think I I just I don't know what goes on behind the scenes, but I, to your point, maybe because that worked in Australia, is it gonna work in the UK, or because it worked in the US, is it gonna work in Europe? Like, I I don't know. I I wouldn't feel confident saying, you know, I wouldn't scale my studio and think that the way that I run it would work somewhere else. It's what worked here. So it's lovely to kind of hear that you've come in with this very openness to be like, okay, I, you know, I have an awareness that I don't know yet, and I need to figure that out. Andre, you mentioned about stewardship, which is an interesting word about stewardship of the role that you're in. What does that mean to you versus maybe being the owner of this location?

SPEAKER_01

I think it stems from, I don't see my role as me owning the license or the business, right? Like it's not mine. It is mine legally and all that stuff. But if you stop seeing things as your possession, and this goes not only to business, but your own kids, your partner, your parents. I don't know, like this image in my mind comes comes to me. It's like, okay, you have your hands and you're holding on to something, right? You put your house, you put your family, you put your business here, and you are taking that whatever thing you have here from here to here, holding, holding the space. And ideally, what you're doing in that process is thinking, how do I scale it? How do I make it better? How do I improve it? What am I learning from having the honor of being the person who holds that object or family or business in this given time? Because at some point I'm not gonna be here or I'm gonna want to do something else. And ideally, somebody else will come in and take over and do the same. It's like land.

SPEAKER_00

It's that feeling, isn't it? Like the thing that came to me is it's it's bigger than me. I often thank my studio. Like I'll be in a conversation, I'll thank my studio for what it's given me, and people will say, No, but you've done that. I go, no, I kind of haven't, actually. Like it's bigger than me, and it's this thing. And so it's lovely the way that you frame that. Andre, I've absolutely loved talking to you. To end our conversation, I always like to ask some quick-ish fire questions, if I may. One quality every great teacher needs to have, in your opinion. Empathy. One mistake teachers make too often. Over cue and overassume. I love that. A phrase you often use when you're mentoring. Pause, step back, observe.

SPEAKER_01

I think the other one would be trust the process, the learning process.

SPEAKER_00

And a belief about Pilates that you hold strongly. It's not about you.

SPEAKER_01

It's about the person that you're working with. And you're just there to create a positive movement experience, whatever that means for them, not for you necessarily.

SPEAKER_00

And I think that's always been such a thing that comes through in the Polestar ethos is this working with this individual. And it's such a dream to work with any of your graduates because you bring that, you know, in every training, it comes through so well and it's so lovely. Uh Andre, it's been so amazing to talk to you. I know this is the first time you've done a conversation like this. And it's been so interesting to hear your story. And I think also it what came to me as well is the fact that you have this life where you've lived in lots of different places, I think gives you such a roundness in, as you said, not just having this belief that it's my way or no way. It sounds like in your life you've had to shift and adapt and adjust already, and you continue to do that. So it's been so wonderful to see you. You know, I trained at Polestar UK before your time. And it's been so wonderful to see you come in. And I've had people comment genuinely, I've had people comment on how much they're loving the courses that you're bringing and the marketing that's gone out and the way that you're, you know, kind of showcasing the work. So long may it continue. And thank you so much for joining me today.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you so much for having me and and for saying that. It fills me with pride and joy, and thank you for making me feel so comfortable to share my story. So thank you.

SPEAKER_00

Before we wrap up, I just want to say how much I appreciated this conversation. What really stayed with me was Andre's quiet strength, her commitment to uplifting teachers, raising standards, and leading with care rather than noise. In a world where Pilates can sometimes feel loud or competitive, this felt like a reminder that thoughtful leadership, collaboration, and deep education are what truly move our industry forward. If this episode resonated with you, please do share it with another teacher who might need to hear it. And don't forget to like, follow, or subscribe wherever you're listening or watching. It's a really small thing, but it genuinely helps the podcast grow and allows these conversations to continue. Thank you for being part of this community. Stay curious, stay grounded, and I'll see you on another episode of Beyond the Reformer with another fabulous guest from the world of Pilates.