Pilates Perspectives

What does the pelvic floor actually do, and why does pelvic floor health involve so much more than Kegel exercises? Joy is joined by Dr. Charisse Balance , PT, DPT, RYT, a physical therapist specializing in chronic pain, pregnancy, and postpartum care with advanced training in Myofascial Release, Myofunctional Therapy, and yoga. Dr. Balance breaks down the different layers of the pelvic floor, the...

Why are so many men hesitant to try Pilates, and what happens when they finally do? Join Joy and Reed Flanagan , ISSA Master Trainer and Founder of Atlantis Fitness & Pilates, for a candid conversation about Pilates for men, masculinity, and movement culture. Reed explores some of the cultural assumptions that can make men apprehensive about stepping into a Pilates studio, from discomfort with...

Who is the voice behind Pilates Perspectives? In this special episode, the spotlight turns to Joy Puleo , Director of Education at Balanced Body and host of the podcast, interviewed by her colleague, Paul Endelman, for a personal conversation about her path through a Pilates career, movement education, leadership, and creativity. Joy reflects on her career as an “improbable and unlikely Pilates in...

What should you actually eat to support your workouts, and does “healthy eating” look the same for everyone? Joy and Kylie Benak , Registered Dietitian and Pilates teacher, cut through nutrition myths and explore how to fuel your body for movement, workout recovery, and long-term health. Kylie explains why fitness nutrition is highly individual, with dietary needs influenced by genetics, lifestyle...

What happens in the brain when we move, and why does cognitive movement complexity matter more than high intensity? Joy is joined by Dr. Julia Basso , neuroscientist, certified yoga teacher, Director of the Embodied Brain Lab , and Co-Director of the Science and Art Movement Lab at Virginia Tech, for a fascinating dive into the neuroscience of exercise, neurodivergence, and the deep mind-body conn...

Pregnancy often comes with a long list of exercise restrictions, but how many movement "rules" are actually backed by evidence? In this episode of Pilates Perspectives, host Joy Puleo sits down with pre- and postnatal specialist Stephanie Forster to unpack the realities of prenatal Pilates and postpartum Pilates recovery, debunking pervasive myths that make pregnancy workouts feel unnece...

Joy talks with Kathi Ross-Nash , creator of the Red Thread Method, founder of the KRN Education and the Pilates Advanced Professional Teacher Training (PPATT) program, celebrated author, and globally renowned classical Pilates teacher, about utilizing lesser-known specialized Pilates apparatus and props to deepen the work beyond the familiar Pilates Reformer and Mat work. Kathi shares how a system...

Leah Grant , NCPT and BFA, explores the powerful connection between functional exercise, creative expression, and the ultimate mind-body experience. Through the lens of the Pilates method, Leah shares how mindful movement can help quiet distractions, invite emotional openness, and create the ideal conditions for achieving a psychological flow state. Leah reminds us that every fitness professional...

What happens when therapeutic Pilates meets physical therapy, evidence-based practice, and decades of advanced movement education? Joy Puleo sits down with Chrissy Romani-Ruby —Educational Director of PHI Pilates, PT, D.Ed, MPT, ATC, NCPT—and Cassie Ruby-Nemec , NCPT, DPT, and Board Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist, for a thoughtful conversation on the powerful relationship between clinic...

What does it take to become the Pilates teacher you aspire to be? Joy chats with Lesley Logan , founder of OPC (Online Pilates Classes), Pilates educator, business owner, and host of the Be It Till You See It podcast, for a candid conversation about teaching, self-advocacy, and building a meaningful Pilates career. Lesley shares practical advice for new and experienced Pilates instructors alike, i...

What role does Pilates play in fitness, athletic performance, and real-life movement? Joy chats with John Garey, founder of Pilates & Fitness TV and Pilates Grad School, about how Pilates can support athletes, everyday fitness clients, and anyone looking to move through life with more ease. John shares how Pilates can impact strength, mobility, coordination, body awareness, and performance in...

What does it mean to facilitate Pilates “queerly”? In this episode of Pilates Perspectives, host Joy Puleo speaks with Sofia Engelman about creating more inclusive, trauma-informed Pilates spaces for queer and trans clients and for everyone who deserves to feel respected, supported, and safe in movement. Sofia Engelman shares practical ways Pilates instructors can move beyond surface-level inclusi...

Safety is essential to a strong, effective Pilates practice for students, teachers, and studio owners alike. In this episode, Brooke Bowersock , Balanced Body Principal Educator and Founder of ALIGN Pilates Studios, talks about how to create safer, more supportive Pilates class experiences. Brooke shares practical Pilates safety tips for both students and instructors, including what to look for in...

Joy and Shelly Power , VP of Education at Polestar, have a thoughtful conversation on navigating movement advice and fitness misinformation in a world full of conflicting information. Shelly Power shares how to identify fitness misinformation, evaluate sources, and model critical thinking in fitness when deciding what guidance to trust. She also explores why evidence-based movement is rarely as si...

Proprioception is often described as the body’s “sixth sense,” but what does that really mean for movement quality? In this episode of Pilates Perspectives, Joy talks with Misha Von Bechtolsheim about proprioception, kinesthesia, and the sensory systems that shape how we move through the world. Together, they unpack the relationship between proprioception, kinesthesia, the vestibular system (balan...

How do we teach Pilates in a way that empowers rather than corrects? Joy and Cara Reeser , Master Teacher and second-generation Pilates educator, explore a more nuanced, relational approach to Pilates teaching. Drawing inspiration from Kathy Stanford Grant’s gentle dissuasion of performance, Cara reflects on the value of helping clients move how they actually move, not how they think they’re suppo...

What does it really mean to practice “classical” Pilates, and is that even the right word? In this thoughtful conversation, Blossom Leilani Crawford , owner and director of Bridge Pilates in Brooklyn, reflects on the classical Pilates traditions that shaped the method and how it continues to evolve today. Drawing from her close mentorship with Kathy Stanford Grant, Blossom shares intimate insights...

Pilates is more than a workout; it’s a path to better health, holistic wellness, and a more meaningful life. In this inspiring episode, Dr. Brent Anderson , Founder of Polestar Pilates, joins us to explore the Pilates method as a lifestyle rooted in the integration of mind, body, and spirit. Joy and Brent discuss the movement philosophy behind the original Pilates method, the importance of functio...

Join Joy and Nora St. John , renowned Pilates educator, acupuncturist, and massage therapist, for a rich conversation on Pilates for care of health and how movement can support healing in practical, lasting ways. Nora shares how professionals can leverage their education with more nuance, why most clients don’t need all the bells and whistles to make progress, and how returning to Pilates fundamen...

In this episode of Pilates Perspectives , Joy has an open conversation with Stephanie Comella (Co-Founder & CEO of Zebrafish Neuro) and Vanessa Cameron , PhD (nurse and disability advocate), about ableism in healthcare and movement spaces. Vanessa shares what it was like to become a wheelchair user and the ostracization she experienced, highlighting the subtle ways bias shows up in clinics, Pi...

Amy Rost , Founder of Arc Pilates, joins Joy for a powerful conversation on building real community through Pilates education and events. She shares how to create inclusive Pilates spaces that feel like home, how to create a community if you can’t find one you feel you belong in, and how connection can be an antidote to loneliness and burnout in the wellness industry. Together, we explore the shif...

In this Pilates history episode, Joy interviews John Howard Steel , author of Caged Lion , and Ken Endelman , founder and CEO of Balanced Body , for a rare firsthand telling of what it was like to train directly with Joseph Pilates, the creator of Pilates, in New York. John recounts the atmosphere of Joseph Pilates’ original studio, Joe’s focused teaching methods and classical Pilates training app...

Tonya Amos is the kind of leader who expands what Pilates can be and who it can be for. As the owner of the award-winning Aspire Pilates Center and Artistic Director of the Grown Women Dance Collective , Tonya has delivered more than 22,000 hours of classes internationally, while building programs that pay it forward through scholarship access and community reinvestment. She shares what it means t...

Mychele Sims has one of those “wait, how do these worlds connect?” careers: legal investigator, certified Pilates instructor, and dancer. In this episode, Joy sits down with Mychele for a conversation that reveals the surprising through-line between all three, and the skills of observing, listening, and interpreting human behavior with care and context. Together, they unpack how Mychele’s “legal b...

In this two-part season finale episode, host Joy Puleo sits down with the visionary minds behind Pilates Anytime : first, co-founders John Marston and Kristi Cooper, then current CEO Kira Sloane, to explore how one platform reshaped the global Pilates community. In Part 1, John and Kristi share the story of bringing Pilates online at a time when streaming fitness was just emerging. They reflect on...