We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katie Maurer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?

Working directly with people is my favorite aspect of what I do. I like to really get to know my clients personally because so much of the change that happens as a result of coming to see me goes beyond the exercises I team them. Much of what people experience physically is a reflection of what is happening in their personal lives. A lot of movement specialists focus solely on the movement itself, while I prefer to take a more holistic approach in order for my clients to improve their quality of life. Some days I feel more like a therapist than a Pilates teacher and these are my most memorable days in the studio. When a client opens up about something very personal to them, it makes me feel like I have cultivated a space where they feel comfortable, vulnerable, and trusting of me and the process. Building these connections with my clients gives me a purpose for why I decide to come in to work, it makes the time I spend with my clients so special.

One client in particular made a huge impact on my approach to teaching. He came into the studio at a time in my life when I was going through some big transitions and I’d come to find out that he was as well. Our first session, he was very quiet and we just went through some basic exercises so I could get a better sense of how his body moves and feels. We both had a dance background that we connected on and that is why he said he decided to work with me in the first place. Week after week we got to know each other, I gained a better understanding of who he was and his body was feeling much better than when I first saw him. One day I asked a very personal question without thinking how heavily it would weigh on him, but it elicited a very emotional response and I felt horrible. I cried the whole way home, I felt like a horrible teacher and person and I was regretting big time bringing it up. I thought for sure I would get an email from the studio owner saying he didn’t want to work with me again and I would’ve understood completely. I heard nothing, so went in to teach him the next week as scheduled and there he was sitting on the waiting bench smiling and cracked a joke about beating me there. I apologized and he just said he wasn’t ready to talk about it. I never asked again, but he soon opened up to me about his situation and revealed how much he looks forward to our time together because I make him laugh and I give him something to focus his mind on. We really bonded and got to a point where we were able to talk about the topic that changed his life and I was better able to understand why he is the way he is. This improved our sessions together and I gained a better sense of why he is actually coming into the Pilates studio every week beyond getting stronger physically. This experience completely changed my outlook on teaching because I realized it is so much more than a physical experience that I am providing my clients. They are also having a mental and emotional experience, and I am the one facilitating this for them. Everybody has their own personal things that are happening or have happened to them, and I feel like a responsibility in my job is building a space where they can escape, but accept what it is that they are dealing with and still carve out the time for themself. Scheduling and making it into the Pilates studio to spend an hour with me I don’t take lightly because people have such busy lives. So, the fact that they are taking the time out of their day for themselves is so important and I want to make it worthwhile for them so much so that they continue to make this time for themselves a priority.

Katie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was a dancer my whole life, on track to eventually dance professionally. I went to Point Park University and majored in Dance and in my Junior year I started my Pilates teaching certification through the classical 750-hour Pure Body Teacher Training Program. This happened through the pandemic, so when dance was put on hold, I really focused on Pilates and this made me obsessed with it! All of my dance friends were my first practice clients, where I got to help them with injuries they had or muscle imbalances they wanted to work on and I was hooked. Then I went to the University of Michigan to get my masters in Movement Science because I wanted to learn more and do some research on dance injuries and injury prevention. I got to learn so much including clinical gait analysis, Neuromechanics, and motor learning that enhanced the quality of information I was able to provide my clients in their sessions. My cumulative dance experience and movement science research gives me the skillset to curate Pilates sessions for my clients that enhance their quality of life, making them feel better than they did when they walked into the studio. I want my clients to have decreased levels of pain and to be able to move as freely as they can in their everyday lives. Whatever your goals may be, I am very passionate about helping you get there.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

One thing is discovering what makes a client need to come back. Understanding the clients’ internal motivation is key because all of the external motivators are not going to keep them coming back long term. This takes some practice in working with human beings and really getting to know them. Another thing I have learned is to stay true to what I have to offer and not try to be what I think I am supposed to be. There’s a period of time becoming anything dancer, teacher, athlete whatever it may be where you feel like you are playing a role or emulating people who are great at that job. This helps you build confidence in performing that role, but after a certain amount of time you have to come into your own and figure out how you can keep growing from there. I’ll continue to keep growing and learning in order to keep improving as a teacher and having happy clients that keep coming back!

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

Honestly, I cannot imagine doing anything else right now. This might change in 10 years, but if I could go back I wouldn’t change any part of my journey because it all lead me to where I am now. There was a reason I was a dancer because I don’t know if I would have found Pilates as early as I did if I hadn’t been a dancer. Dance was the first thing that sparked my interest in movement and the body and health and wellness. Realizing that I could have a career in something that I am so passionate about and makes me excited to go to work is a remarkable feeling. I am so grateful to have found something I enjoy doing so much and to be able to share this with people is more than I could have dreamed of. I can’t sit still so I know a desk job, sitting in front of a computer would be mine and my hypothetical boss’s worst nightmare.

Contact Info:

• Website: katiemaurerpilatesllc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiem.pilates/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katiem.pilates
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-maurer-765a73236/
• Other: https://my.playbookapp.io/katie-maurer

Image Credits
Ebba Gurney Photography