Traveling Pilates

Issue #360 – Wednesday, February 23, 2022

by Tricia Whitlock

What is your biggest challenge as a studio owner?

For me, it’s staffing my studio with qualified instructors to match changing seasonal demands, as well as normal attrition.

Several years ago, a mentor heard me complaining about this topic and gently said, “You have to create relationships with your teachers, just like you do with your clients.”

I stopped dead in my tracks, feeling a pang of anger (which meant it was true). She was right. The thought of having to nurture yet another relationship felt exhausting. Yet, once I saw this truth, I knew it had to be done. I began to wonder if there were different relationship paradigms (beyond the traditional studio owner ↔ instructor relationship) that could be fostered.

This topic came up during a discussion with a colleague regarding what we’d like to do when we retire. (As if anyone ever really wants to retire from teaching Pilates!)

Side Note: Owning a Pilates studio technically IS my retirement gig. I left corporate America after 20 years following a life changing event in 2011 and bought an existing studio to take my entrepreneurial plunge. Though that’s a different story than I’m here to tell today.

That colleague and I both love to travel and wondered if it would be possible to combine our love of teaching Pilates with our passion for traveling. Wouldn’t this be the ideal way to live out our post brick-and-mortar days and help fellow studio owners to deal with the inevitable instructor ebb and flow?

I let this idea percolate in my subconscious for a while.

Then, in 2017, I needed someone to manage the studio while I took an extended trip to see my family in Sweden. I was discussing this with Mary Peacock, a friend and fellow studio owner, who unexpectedly said she was interested in the opportunity. Mary is well-versed in traveling and teaching and offered me guidance on setting things up based on her experience at a studio in Florida, where she teaches for 3 or 4 months every year.

Together we wrote up an agreement, confirmed the dates, and worked through the details. The agreement outlined my expectations of Mary, defined her “professional hourly rate” (this means different things for different people), and the minimum number of those hours per week that she would be paid for. This rate was inclusive of the managerial/miscellaneous duties to be performed. She would also have access to my vehicle while she was there and would stay at my home for a portion of the time.

Once these arrangements were in place, I considered what Mary needed to know in order to run the studio in my absence. My head began to swim, thinking about all the little things that I do every day that are second nature to me, but may not occur to her.

Each video should focus on one topic (for example, how to convert a reformer to a tower or how to adjust the thermostat) and be short (ideally about a minute)

Use a Trello board or other easily accessible web-based resource to share these videos as well as notes

Making videos of my daily routines proved to be an efficient way to capture all the subtleties. Here’s what I recommend for your videos to maximize efficiency:

Mary reviewed the videos and also made detailed notes regarding keys, codes, important phone numbers and more.

While I was gone, we had regular contact by text and email plus a weekly live check-in to make sure everything was going well and to go over any questions or concerns. Mary made decisions as needed based on parameters we set forth in the agreement (for example, if there was a request to extend a package). I believed that being available was important, but Mary’s own studio ownership experience and ability to make most decisions on my behalf did not make that a burden and I was able to really enjoy the time away.

When I returned from my trip, I realized that this was exactly how things should be managed and organized for any Pilates studio owner to be able to take a vacation. I was really intentional about choosing Mary for this first trial run. Her qualities of open/honest communication, knowledge, and experience were absolutely critical for this kind of exchange to be successful.

Here is what I recommend you should look for in ANY teacher that you would consider for filling your shoes (even on a temporary basis):

References (verify them!)

Similar teaching background to your own

Studio management experience

I decided to start a Facebook group to see if there were any other instructors or studio owners that had similar desires, faced similar struggles, and wanted to join me in creating a community to prepare for the day when, hopefully, we could begin this traveling and teaching adventure/dream. And thus, Traveling Pilates Instructors was born!

Much to my surprise, the community quickly grew, as did my vision for what TPI could become. I felt that it could be a way to unite the community under updated terms, ones where we focus more on our passion for living life and teaching; and helping one another to be our best selves when serving others; focusing on raising our collective consciousness instead of bickering about who is right or wrong about this or that.

And then, 2020 happened.

I have used these past two years to dream bigger, building a website around the TPI mission – connecting Pilates studios with teachers who love to travel and teach. My best friend fell in love with the idea and teamed up with me to help with the site and the marketing, and I experienced just how rewarding a collaborative effort can be!

Change forever looms on the horizon, yet this uncertainty simply pushes me forward. I envision a time when studios can easily find traveling instructors and/or managers to fill their temporary and seasonal staffing needs to account for vacations, parental leave, illness, and seasonal ebbs and flows, allowing those instructors to explore new locales, meet new people, and scratch their nomadic itch!

Hi, I’m Tricia. I left Corporate America in 2011, searching for a career with purpose and meaning. That’s when I found Pilates, or rather, Pilates found me! Nowadays, I run a boutique Pilates studio and offer Rossiter Stretching for increased mobility and pain relief. The challenges of running and staffing a small business inspired me to create Traveling Pilates Instructors. Plus, I absolutely love to travel! At home I enjoy painting, reading, and spending time with my nine-year-old rescue Australian Shepherd, Moxie.

Learn more about Tricia and TPI at www.travelingpilatesinstructors.com