Olivia & Mara on Pilates Teachers' Manual: The Book

This is the second part of a crossover episode with Mara Sievers of Pilates Encyclopedia discussing Olivia's Pilates journey, how she's grown as an instructor,  and all about writing Pilates Teachers' Manual: The Book! Check out the first part here: https://youtu.be/E3CZIxyaQyQ

I want to hear from you! Share your thoughts and follow the podcast on Instagram and Facebook @pilatesteachersmanual. Full show notes, episode transcription, and chapter markers can be found on the podcast website here: http://bit.ly/pilatesteachersmanual. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast for updates, and rate and review wherever you listen!  Episodes now available on YouTube: *https://bit.ly/YouTubePTM*

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Show Notes:   

You can purchase the EPUB or PDF version of the book here and convert to a Kindle friendly file here: https://amazon.com/sendtokindle

Support the podcast:   

Get your copy of Pilates Teachers' Manual: The Book at https://book.oliviabioni.com/pilatesteachersmanual

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Episode Music:

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Listen/download: https://pixabay.com/music/dance-workout-dance-day-edm-123377/

Transcript

Olivia: [00:00:00] Hello. Hello everybody. Welcome and welcome back to Pilates Teachers Manual, your guide to Becoming a Great Pilates teacher. I'm Olivia. Remember, you get the latest updates when you join my community at buymeacoffee.com/OliviaPodcasts or follow along on Instagram at @PilatesTeachersManual. Pilates Teachers' Manual.

[00:00:28] Olivia: The 

[00:00:28] Olivia: book is available now. You can purchase it and other podcast merch at shop.OliviaBioni.com. I mention in this episode that I'm working on getting the book on Amazon, but it actually is now available on Amazon in Kindle format, but it is more expensive because Amazon takes a big cut of all sales. But there's a really great workaround.You can convert any file, including the EPUB or PDF version of the book into a Kindle friendly format by going to [00:01:00] amazon.com/sendtokindle. save your wallet and get that same awesome book. Disclaimer: is that the EPUB is going to follow the ebook formatting a lot nicer than the PDF. The PDF is just a PDF. You may have to zoom and move the page around in order to read it, but it really depends on how you're planning on engaging with the book.

[00:01:19] Olivia: Today's episode is a conversation with the fabulous Mara Sievers of Pilates Encyclopedia, and she's chatting with me about my book, how it kind of came to be, what I'm working on, what my future plans are.

[00:01:31] Olivia: So I'm kind of the special guest on the podcast today, being interviewed by Mara Sieavers. I hope you enjoy, thanks for tuning in.

[00:01:41] Mara: Olivia, you have just published your very first book. Congratulations.

[00:01:48] Olivia: Thank you so much. Like it's kind of unreal. It's one of those things where I've been working on this and talking about it like: Fun fact, if you're podcasting, like, don't say that you're gonna do something and then not do it because it [00:02:00] just, like, the episode just like waits for you. And it's like, hey, remember two years ago in July when you said you were gonna do that? But so I've been working on it for a really long time. 

[00:02:08] Olivia: It seemed like a very natural progression to have, you know, there's a conversational aspect of podcasting where you get to chat with super cool people and you get to kind of pontificate at large. But then to be able to have it in a written form where it's a little bit more direct, a little bit more to the point.There's a table of contents, you can go right where you wanna go. 

[00:02:30] Olivia: So that's something that I've been working on and now it is officially available and I'll put the link in my show notes and everything so that you could get your own copy. It's available as an EUB and a PDF at shop.OliviaBioni.com. 

[00:02:41] Olivia: at shop.olivia b.com.

[00:02:41] Olivia: That's 

[00:02:43] Olivia: me.

[00:02:44] Mara: That is amazing. I, I was able to, you, you were able to provide me a preview copy and I read through it and I love how organized it is and I love that you can basically, really just browse the table [00:03:00] of content and then find the one thing that you need right this very moment. Then there's a fairly short to the point, no fluff article about this is how you deal with this situation right now.Go and do it. So I love that you're not getting lost in like, I hate books with like 20 pages of introduction.

[00:03:21] Olivia: I know it's a book that's a podcast and it's like very fun when you're listening 'cause like that's the vibe that I wanted on the podcast that I wanted it to feel like you're talking with your friend who's a Pilates teacher and you're talking about, you know, what do I do with this person who's really difficult? They're always canceling on me and they don't pay me on time like. That's a tough situation that I would probably talk to a teacher friend about. 

[00:03:43] Olivia: So to have the ability to just like go right to that, because I also have like episodes about it, but each episode's 20 minutes long, which isn't long by podcast standards, but it's like, okay, I don't need to listen to 20 minutes, just like tell me what I need to do. So there's definitely that aspect [00:04:00] of it. 

[00:04:00] Olivia: And just like how we organized our conversation today, there's a part one that I will be sending you to so you can hear even more about how I got where I got. But I also arranged it in a very like linear fashion in terms of is coming your way. Like everything from deciding to become a Pilates teacher, how do you look at training programs?What do you want from your training program? Like what do you need to do to be successful in that training program and beyond? And then moving into like, okay, so now you finished your training program. Congratulations. Excellent job. So where are you gonna work? What are you gonna do? Like, what kinds of classes do you wanna teach? What kind of studio do you wanna work at? What does it mean to be a Pilates teacher outside of a Pilates studio? Your schedule, like all of that stuff. 

[00:04:46] Olivia: And then just like moving through, I talk about like working with group classes in particular, some strategies and considerations for that one-on-one sessions overlaps in some ways, but in some ways there are [00:05:00] other things that you've gotta do when you work one-on-one. Teaching virtually is really important because that's a way that a lot of us exist. A lot of us have virtual options or virtual classes. and then looking forward, you know, what you do as a Pilates teacher, where does the career path go from there? From specializing in a niche population, potentially becoming a teacher trainer, like it just lays it out.

[00:05:27] Olivia: So wherever you are in your journey, like it definitely has a newer teacher, I think, focus. But wherever you are in your journey there are some interesting things I think in that book for you.

[00:05:39] Mara: Absolutely. And I think a great thing is too, that as you browse the table of contents, for instance, you might not know what you don't know, right? Like we don't know what questions to ask. Very much so as you read through it, you might come across, oh my God, I've never even thought of that, or I have never even realized that could potentially [00:06:00] be a problem. So you can avoid problems before they even show up.

[00:06:05] Olivia: My gosh, yes. And that's another hugely important thing for me is that I want anyone who's teaching Pilates right now, or they're in teacher training, or they're considering teaching teacher training. Um, a to know what they're getting into a little bit ahead of time because sometimes, you know, you're already down the mountain and you're like, oh man, there's more mountain yet.You know, so it's kind of like that. 

[00:06:29] Olivia: So definitely helping offer some guidance and offer some strategies. Just a huge thing for me is just like being intentional from the get go. That's like share myself as a, as an example, like I am not an early morning exercise friend. Like I am not a 6:00 AM Let's go for a run friend.I am a like, afternoon, evening teaching friend. 

[00:06:54] Olivia: So if I had asked myself, you know, "when do I wanna teach?" when I was like [00:07:00] looking at classes or studios and they're asking, oh, well when are you available? And I'm giving like every minute of my life that I could potentially teach a class. Like if I had sat down and just asked like, when are the best times for me to teach? When is my energy the best? Like, what fits well in my schedule? I would say no to a class at 6:00 AM and yes to a class at 3:00 PM instead. 

[00:07:21] Olivia: So being intentional, you know, and yeah, kind of like having a little bit of a roadmap that can be a companion to your training because training- We've talked about this before, even when you were on the podcast, Mara, that like your teacher training is the tip of the iceberg.Like there is so much iceberg under there. So this covers all of that. 

[00:07:42] Olivia: It's much less about the choreography, like that's kind of a given a nd very much about being a Pilates teacher, what that entails, you know, as a job, what skills you need in addition to creating really awesome classes, but also how to create really awesome classes, a little bit of everything.

[00:07:59] Mara: [00:08:00] That's fantastic. I mean, I just love how passionate you are about helping Pilates teachers and some of us prefer to listen when we're driving or when we're running or walking or something. Right. And others or other times, like, I sometimes listen to something as like, I wish I had something to write this down, but then I don't want to sit and listen to something.Right. So now with the book, in combination with the podcast, you can sort of listen first, get the inspiration from your podcast, and then hop over to your book and say, let me see what she wrote about this, and then you can take notes and then you can create your action plan from there.

[00:08:37] Olivia: Yes. Oh my gosh. I love that. And I'm also thinking, I'm thinking about recording it as an audio book, working on it. We're working on it. So

[00:08:44] Olivia: more, more of my voice. It's hilarious. My parents are like, oh my gosh, you know, whenever I miss you and I wanna hear your voice, I just turn on your podcast. They're like, it's great that that's what you're talking about. Doesn't really apply to me. But it's nice to hear you having a good time, and I'm like, thanks mom.

[00:09:00] Mara: [00:09:00] I have to say that you have a really, really lovely voice and I think that's for a podcast host, obviously, I think that's very important. It's part of the deal, sort of, and you do such a good job. You don't have any ums and ahs and

[00:09:13] Olivia: That's because I

[00:09:13] Mara: all of those,

[00:09:14] Olivia: post-production. That's why there's no ums and uhs.

[00:09:19] Mara: The tools, the tech tools.

[00:09:21] Olivia: Yes, definitely.

[00:09:22] Mara: So what's what change are you trying to make in the industry? What are you super passionate about?

[00:09:29] Olivia: Yeah, I mean, I Am passionate about Pilates. I'm passionate about Pilates teachers and making Pilates teaching a career, like a professional career, a real deal thing that you can do with your life. 

[00:09:43] Olivia: That could very much be a hobby. Like there's a big spectrum of how much Pilates you teach, and it's not like, oh, well as soon as you hit 10 classes a week, now you're a Pilates teacher, like you're already a Pilates teacher. but. So the way I see it is like, how do we meet [00:10:00] everyone where they are, both ourselves, like as teachers, what do we need to be successful in the industry? What skills do we need? What tools do we have available to us? I want to connect people with those tools, but then also helping to prepare teachers in ways to support their clients in ways that they may have definitely learned.

[00:10:21] Olivia: Definitely practiced in their teacher training, but also these like. pieces of teaching. So things like building a therapeutic alliance and building trust with your clients. And also like an evidence-based approach because research also shows that like when your clients trust you and you trust your clients and it's collaborative, like the outcomes are better and it's like, great, I want our clients to have great outcomes. 

[00:10:45] Olivia: So, you know, getting the word out on things like that. also really passionate about our Pilates community and the fact that our community isn't like this thing that exists outside of us, that it is [00:11:00] us. And so any changes that we wanna see, anything that we wanna do or make, like we have the power to do it. 

[00:11:07] Olivia: Like I started the podcast with like a dream and a hope, you know? And, and now I'm here and I'm able to, you know, connect with so many more people and just like magnify my impact. But like, I'm not special. Like that is something that anyone could do, you know, whether it's starting a community class that's like in a church or in a community center or at a school, like it doesn't always have to be this like perfect polished Pilates studio with all of the equipment. Like it can be teaching your dad Mat Pilates in the garage, you know? 

[00:11:37] Olivia: So definitely that and just like the Pilates community has had a rough history and conflict like within itself. And so really being a voice of, you know, what we have in common is much greater than what sets us apart. And our differences are beautiful and not [00:12:00] something to wage an internet argument about. That there's space for all of us and however you like to teach, the clients that you connect with, you know, who you are as a person, that there's space for you in Pilates and there's clients who are gonna absolutely fall in love with you and your interpretation and your things. 

[00:12:19] Olivia: So every time I'm on my soapbox, I'm just very much about, you know, Empowering ourselves as teachers to have like the greatest tools, the greatest knowledge that we can share with our clients, empowering our clients so that they can be the strongest, best versions of ourselves, that all of us together, like we're working towards a very common goal of making people's lives better and improving, improving the lives of people that we work with and our own lives as well. 

[00:12:49] Olivia: I've said it before, I think the Pilates industry is like one of the best places to be. That we have the best people, the most knowledgeable people and we really get to take [00:13:00] advantage of that. You know, even something like this was just an email. I was like, Hey, you know, you can, we have a conversation, can we talk about it? Never met a Pilates teacher who was like, no, like, I don't wanna talk about Pilates with you. We love talking about Pilates. So when you go to a workshop and, yeah, like teachers are giving their personal emails and they're like, Hey, if you have any questions, let me know. Like you know them! it's, it's a little leap of faith.

[00:13:27] Olivia: And I know even when I started the podcast and I was really nervous because I was like, what if I'm not a real teacher? Like, what if I haven't like taught enough or learned from the right person? Like all of that self doubt is really- It can be a struggle when you're like in it, but like if you are able to push past that, like the connections you can make, the growth that you can have and the growth that you can inspire in others is huge, magnificent multiplicative, you know.

[00:13:55] Mara: I love so much of what you just said. [00:14:00] I've made a mental note of- I probably forgot three of those, but like, I love that you are a, a, an example, living example for start before you feel ready, right? Don't let any fears that you have stop you from helping people because you probably know a little bit more than those people. So just do it. And as you, you can only get better by doing it. You can't get better by hiding and by not doing it. Right. I love that you said that. 

[00:14:31] Mara: I love your positivity about the Pilates method. I. And you brought up, you know, a challenging history and there's still, I think sometimes a challenging present when you go into Facebook or something like that. But luckily now we have so many resources that we can really choose where we go and we can choose a space that feels more welcoming and safer if we're in a Facebook group that is beating down on you, just leave. 'Cause there's 10 other Facebook groups [00:15:00] where you can go, right, where you might be more supported and maybe there is a membership that you can join where you get more support because it's maybe more moderated than in a free Facebook group. Right?

[00:15:09] Olivia: Sure.

[00:15:09] Mara: So there's that. But also with just generally, like we're so in the industry, we're so past the conversation of classical versus contemporary we're way past that. And I sometimes liken it to the restaurant scene. Like there might be two, two Chinese restaurants on your block or on your street, right, or whatever, three sushi restaurants, and everybody's got their favorites and that's okay.

[00:15:34] Mara: They, we can all coexist because the people who enjoy that particular place will go there and the people enjoy the other place will go there. And just the, the general thought of competition is. It is not helping anybody, right? It's not helping you because it kills your joy. It's not helping. It's not helping. It's not making your life better by thinking about about the Pilates teachers as as your competition. It's more like [00:16:00] you, you'll find a better match for you.

[00:16:03] Olivia: Yes. Oh my gosh, completely. I, think the world needs more Pilates teachers and more Pilates studios because that means that we can meet more people. Because even if you could fit a hundred people in one class. If another person wanted to take class, like I want there to be another space for them as well. I think life is improved by, you know, Pilates and I think Pilates is exercise. It is a very fancy, complex, nuanced exercise, but it's exercise and exercise is good. And Americans certainly, I would argue worldwide, people aren't doing enough to take care of themselves and take care of their bodies. 

[00:16:45] Olivia: So like, yes, amazing. Like I want there to be studios that only do one-on-one sessions and only do duet sessions. You know, there's two reformers in the room. I want there to be big Mat Pilates classes in gyms that people who are [00:17:00] in the gym potentially for another reason, that they take a class on a whim and they're like, oh my gosh, this is great. It is great. You should do that. 

[00:17:07] Olivia: I want reformers to be in physical therapy offices so that we can use the beauty of the springs and our ability to scale exercises. Like nothing scales like Pilates. The fact that we can change the spring tension, we can change the body position, we can change the piece of equipment that we're working on so that there's more support or there's less support. Like is infinitely scalable. Like I want that in a rehab setting. I want that in hospitals. 

[00:17:36] Olivia: I want that, you know, to be the exercises that get sent home with people when they have a knee replacement. So more Pilates - fantastic. 

[00:17:46] Olivia: Finding your space is so important. I love what you said about, know, finding the space that is right for you, that connects with you. because there is, you know, there is something for everyone. Like even we talked in part [00:18:00] one, like I talked about doing Ashtanga yoga and like very traditional Ashtanga yoga is you do that six days a week and you do it at four in the morning and when I was younger and that may have been a possibility and I had more energy, I was like, I don't know about that. Like, that seems like a lot. And for some people, like that regimen was perfect and that was the right fit for them. When I found my yoga teacher training, when I found you know, the style that I wanted to teach, the way I wanted to go, I found a little bit more of a moderate approach that let me do it twice a week. And it was okay with that, you know? So finding a space that supports you to be your best self. 

[00:18:37] Olivia: Because know, Pilates teachers think about Pilates all day every day. Our clients really don't, you know, they think about it when they're there in the session. So creating a space that supports them, like that's the work for us, is really, you know, while our clients are with us, what can we do with them in the moment? And then what tools can we give them in the future so that [00:19:00] you know, they have what they need. Like we, we create those spaces for our clients and for colleagues as well. 

[00:19:07] Olivia: So I think that, yeah, competition is like, not, not the vibe because every studio offers something that's unique to that studio. Every teacher offers something that's unique to them, and our clients love studios and it's great to have like a space that has all of that together. But it's, you know, it's also us. Like we have our own fan clubs of people who connect with us, who wanna do one-on-one sessions with us. And there's always room for growth. Like if every other building was a Pilates studio, I would be like, fantastic. Oh my gosh, there's so many opportunities to learn from so many different people.

[00:19:46] Mara: You mentioned how you feel like we need, the world needs more Pilates teachers and I would actually go so far- not that you didn't mean it that way, [00:20:00] but it's way more than a philosophical: the world needs Pilates. I talk on a daily basis with people who, with studio owners who don't have enough teachers or their clients, literally, right? They're booked out. They have wait lists. So yes, the world does in fact need more Pilates teachers. They have money to give you right now.

[00:20:23] Olivia: I like, I feel so spoiled in Chicago because I like when you're in a big city, you have so many opportunities. There are so many studios that you could work at. So you really get to find a spot that's like a really good fit for you. If you're in a more rural setting or suburban and you know, things are a little bit more far apart. You can't just like hop on the train and there's 18 studios on your way to the studio, you are going to, I think like there's a creativity element that, you know, it might be a Pilates studio, but it might be a university and you're teaching in their fitness program. Or it [00:21:00] might be a religious institution where you're hosting a class there. Or it might be online where you create a space where people anywhere in the world can connect with you. 

[00:21:11] Olivia: But yeah, no, the need for teachers is, is real. In Chicago, I am also a lead instructor for Club Pilates Chicago. There's gonna be nine studios now that have the same owner, and I'm a lead for them. And one of the biggest things is, you know, practicing what you preach. And so when you're good, like, I'm gonna create this space that teachers want to be a part of, you know, so a big thing that we did is like, part of it's. could be having a teacher training in your studio where you are actively recruiting some of your clients and you're being like, you'd be a great Pilates teacher, let's get you in. 

[00:21:48] Olivia: But also, you know, for the, for the population at large that, you know, being a place that has like, awesome clients and like awesome, it's like I feel [00:22:00] very corporate, but like awesome policies that support members that support you as a teacher as well, like. And just putting that out there. A lot of it's like putting that out there. That's like we have a high caliber of people because you know, we have high expectations, but we give a lot back. So, I mean, the world does need more Pilates teachers, studios need more Pilates teachers, certainly. But like how can we make our clients like our best teachers, you know? 'cause that is like such a natural progression.

[00:22:29] Olivia: We were talking about, you know, people who are looking for the depth, like how can we really encourage that? And a lot of it, like happens in class, but a lot of it happens outside of class where it's like taking those three minutes afterwards to just like, check in with someone and answer that question, and then smuggle them into your training program.

[00:22:49] Mara: That's fantastic. Yes, absolutely. I agree to everything. I think once you've been in the Pilates industry for a while, you, you realize that's just how it [00:23:00] goes.

[00:23:00] Mara: So you, you nod a little bit towards it earlier, but what's next for you without nailing you, you know, like holding you accountable.

[00:23:08] Olivia: ' cause it's gonna be in the podcast now and then we're gonna know about it forever. So many things coming up. For one, I'm working on getting the book onto Amazon so that it is also Kindle friendly, although you can convert EPUBs to Kindle friendly file formats. I will say that so I'm working on getting on Amazon.

[00:23:23] Olivia: I would love for it to be an audio book as well, and i'm thinking of expanding the Pilates Teachers' Manual brand so that it worked out really nicely that kind of the parts of the book, I think, will become a really nice workshop series. So everything from like the soft skills that are very much interpersonal and like: how do you build a relationship with people. Like sometimes there are people and that comes very easily, where they connect really easily with people, but, and sometimes you connect really easily with some people and not others. So everything from like working with difficult [00:24:00] clients, working, you know, building that relationship. I'm seeing that as a workshop. 

[00:24:03] Olivia: I'm like thinking about another book because I'm really fond of a theory that I've developed about like what makes Pilates challenging, like the different dimensions of what makes things difficult from a coordination perspective, from a flexibility perspective, from a strength perspective. And how can we play with those variables when we're teaching so that everyone is challenged. Thinking about that being a book. It took me two years to do this book, so that might be like a decade from now, but I'm thinking about it.

[00:24:31] Olivia: And yeah, workshops about like, making class plans is not my favorite thing to do. Like I'm not really inspired to like write down a new class plan, but thinking about like, the theory of how you plan your classes, you know, maybe workshops about doing group classes or specifically working one-on-one with people. So I've got that coming down the pipe and I think that that's probably gonna keep me busy for a, a little bit.

[00:24:57] Olivia: And then also, you know, everything that I'm doing, the [00:25:00] podcasts will continue at the cadence that they're on right now, as well as work, I do have a community on Buy Me A Coffee. So doing those coffee chats and still connecting with listeners, like, I still wanna keep it small even as it as it grows, because that's something that really inspires me is talking with amazing teachers like yourself, talking with amazing clients and students and just like there's so many great people in the world and we become better and more knowledgeable when we get to chat, so I am definitely doing that as well.

[00:25:33] Mara: I think the two way street conversation, right, like we want it to be an interaction in a two-way street. Like teaching sometimes feels like a one way street, but it doesn't have to be. And I think especially when you teach 1 0 1, it should be much more of a two way street of like, just have a conversation with the client and that'll bring you where you need to go.

[00:25:53] Mara: And in terms of us teachers connecting with each other, it's so enriching to hear other people's perspective, to hear other people's point [00:26:00] of views and stuff like that. So I, I love that you do that.

[00:26:03] Mara: And I'm already tired just listening of what you're gonna do next. You have shortened your learning curve. You've gone through the process of one book. So the next book is gonna be just 10% easier.

[00:26:13] Olivia: I hope so.

[00:26:14] Mara: Keep my fingers crossed for you and send you lots of energy for all of that.

[00:26:18] Olivia: Thank you so much, Mara. You've been such a great support and I hope that listeners here on Pilates Teacher's Manual, please check her out at Pilates Encyclopedia. Such an incredible resource, like so amazing the amount of information that she's distilled in her membership program, like she's a fabulous human and Pilates teacher.​