We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful June Chiang. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with June below.

June , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

There have been many risks associated with being a small business woman.  How to spend money, spend time, make purchases, schedule, and marketing. But, these are small risks.

The biggest risk is consciously turning away from something you know toward something you don’t know. And that is how I started my journey as a Pilates instructor 23 years ago.

I was a Doctor of Optometry. It is a wonderful profession, but after 7 years of practice, it wasn’t what I needed to be fulfilled.

In 1995, I started learning Pilates at the Long Beach Dance Conditioning center. It completely reset and re-organized my body and mindset. I began to let go of perfectionism.  I was learning how to take care of myself.

The opportunity arose to take the LBDC Pilates certification course with the venerable Marie Jose Blom, a pioneer and groundbreaker for contemporary Pilates.

It was a huge risk. I was living on my own and would have to quit my major source of income and live off a part-time job. Basically, I started a whole new endeavor, alone. At the time, few people knew what Pilates was. People would ask, “What is Pie-Lates?”

I was offered a job at LBDC’s brand new Culver City branch and accepted. It felt like a big risk because it was opening in a completely unfamiliar new locale. There were a lot of doubts. But, I followed my gut which said, “You have to do this.”

I made enough money to get thru the first few years of teaching. Those were very lean and mean years. I learned a lot.  Most of all, I started learning to trust and believe in myself.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Pilates On Robertson is a boutique Pilates and GYROTONIC (r) studio focusing on building healthy bodies and minds in a fun and non-judgmental environment. We provide privates and semi-privates to the communities of Beverlywood, Culver City, Cheviot Hills, Beverly Hills, Venice, and more. Our exercise sessions are performed on the incredible Pilates and GYROTONIC (r) equipment for an all-inclusive clientele.

Our clients range in ages from teens to seniors, with a wide variety of goals and needs. Most commonly, clients want to become stronger and more flexible so they can move the way they want to with ease and confidence.

Some want to improve their sports and activity performance. Some want to reduce stress, Others want to stay healthy and youthful. Many of our students hike, bike, run, climb, play racquet sports, golf and more. These activities require core strength, so, we can help everyone achieve these things by improving muscular strength, balance, and mind-body awareness.

Privates and semi-privates are an excellent way to do Pilates and GYROTONIC (r). The individual attention, consistency, and focus on good technique provides healthy progression. Good technique unwinds and prevents inappropriate muscular compensations and imbalances which can lead to misalignments, weakness, pain, and injuries.

The individual specific attention of privates and semi-privates creates a mind-body experience which is hard to duplicate.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In 2017, I had to pivot very quickly and leave a small quiet secluded studio of 12 years in Culver City. There were a couple of options for affordable spaces. The final choice at 2816 South Robertson Blvd, offered signage and more traffic visibility. It was close to the Culver City clientele, felt spacious, and beautifully lit.

It was a fast move and big change into a space twice as big and highly energized.  We gradually added more Pilates and GYROTONIC (r) Specialized Equipment. A lot of energy went into creating an on-line presence, adding teachers, and attracting all types of clients. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone and my husband was very supportive.

There were surprises, twists, and turns. As soon as one thing was accomplished, another need occurred. Looking back it makes me appreciate everything and everyone in our studio in the present moment.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Focusing on learning and listening to the clients and figuring out new and different teaching methods to meet their needs and goals has been my primary strategy. Having a lot of tools and understanding the fundamentals really helps the clients become stronger and progress. The collaborative effort between teacher and student leads to a satisfied and loyal client. Some of my clients have been working with me for over 20 years.

The business becomes sustainable and grows when I focus on learning from the clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: junemeilingchiang
• Facebook: Pilates On Robertson
• Yelp: Pilates On Robertson

Image Credits
Photographer: Samantha Jacoby