My doctor recommended Pilates in 2007 as a way to manage my cerebral palsy. I didn’t do it at first because I, like a lot of other people, thought Pilates was for people who were already strong and flexible. I was neither of those things.

In the summer of 2008, my massage therapist told me that massages were a waste of money if I wasn’t exercising. I don’t like the gym and didn’t want to go. There happened to be a Pilates studio right up the road from the massage therapy clinic, so I went there and never looked back.

I used Pilates to manage my cerebral palsy. It helped my posture, balance, strength, and mobility. My pelvis untwisted, my feet stopped clunking, the huge curve in my spine diminished, and I carried myself differently. People who had known me for years often didn’t recognize me because my body changed so much in a very short period of time.

Becoming an instructor

I did Pilates for almost eleven years before I became an instructor. After seven years of working in journalism and digital marketing, I lost a job I’d barely started. I knew I wanted to change industries, but wasn’t sure what to do. The next day, I went to my Pilates class. The studio owner asked me how the job was going. I told her it hadn’t worked out and she said, ‘Do you want to be a Pilates teacher?’ I said, ‘Yes!’