Issue #429
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
How to Avoid Burnout as a Pilates Teacher
by Mara Sievers
Are you on the cusp of burnout . . . and think that maybe this whole Pilates teacher thing isn’t for you?
Or maybe that you’re not cut out to make it happen the way you’ve seen others do?
Trust me when I say that I get it.
I’ve been in your shoes before.
Back in 2017, I was SEVERELY burned out and felt like quitting everything.
Since then, I’ve talked to many others in the industry who were in that same space where they had “hustled” themselves into a deep hole that they were struggling to get out of.
And, you know, the whole idea that you’re SUPPOSED to hustle hard is a hustle in and of itself. Not only is it an ideology that we’re forcefully persuaded to believe by all kinds of “gurus” and “experts”, it’s also a lie.
You DO have to be intentional, strategic, and take action . . . but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your time, energy, or happiness to achieve your goals.
It’s ok to move at a pace that feels good to you.
It’s ok to scale DOWN even when everyone around you is putting the focus on scaling UP.
When you’re just starting your Pilates business, there’s a huge focus on getting more and more students. Because more students = more money. So you throw everything you have into attracting students to join your class or studio.
But – and I see this happen ALL of the time – within a year or two those teachers will not only become booked solid (YAY!) — they’ll be OVERBOOKED with huge waitlists.
I know that can seem like one of those “good” problems to have.
And for a little while, that’s how it feels.
But when you don’t have the capacity to handle an overabundance of students, it can drain you quickly.
Suddenly, you have more students than you have the time (or energy) to handle. You’re working and working and working . . . adding more and more classes to your schedule.
Part of you knows you need to slow down.
But the other part of you is like “This is what you asked for! Now you have it, so you have to make it work.”
This is especially true for people who are either highly ambitious, people-pleasers, or have trouble setting boundaries.
You feel like turning people away or limiting your availability is somehow wrong . . . and that it may even hurt your business.
So you do what society tells you to do and push through.
That’s what I did back in 2017.
