Everyone’s got a story to tell and we love sharing some from our students! Find out how they started their journeys along the mind-body exercise path. From Psychologies to Pilates Instructor: in this post, we talk to Instructor Trainer Olivier Coste Renoult from Montepellier-Vendargues, France. Born and raised in France, Olivier was a psychologist and opened a private practice in Paris conducting seminars on self-improvement, relaxation techniques, and mind-body awareness. Olivier is a STOTT PILATES® Certified Instructor in addition to being a CORE™ Athletic Conditioning & Performance Training™ Qualified Instructor.
What made you decide to become an instructor in a mindful movement modality?
It all happened by chance. I had just arrived in Seattle where I became a student of the talented Cherie Boschma. After a year of regular sessions with her she asked me: “Don’t you want to do something with all this?” Well, I had never thought about that. She gave me the details of Kristi Quinn, owner of the Merrithew® Licensed Training Center in Seattle. I decided to take the mat training two months later and very quickly I went from Intensive Mat-Plus to Intensive Reformer to Injuries & Special Populations then Intensive Cadillac, Chair & Barrels and obviously ended up taking my full certification.
How has this training affected your life?
This training has changed my life from the inside out. It gave me direction, it gave me hope, and more importantly it helped me realize that I want to help others.
Tell us about your experience visiting Toronto for the Merrithew Mindful Movement World Tour and doing the CORE Foundation Course and Halo® Foundations to Integrated Bodyweight Training.
I honestly didn’t anticipate the intensity of both courses. I knew that learning under the supervision of Moira Merrithew and John Garey would be something but was it ever intense. The kind of ‘good intense’ where you feel every part of your body solicited towards a common goal. I was being challenged along with so many other instructors, all in the same room, and everyone was working to achieve the same thing at the same time. I felt like I was part of a whole dynamic. It’s fun! Great fun even. And it all happened with smiles and laughter, which made the whole experience delightful.
What are your future goals now that your training is complete?
My goal now is to become an Instructor Trainer. I want to share all that knowledge and, the same way Kristi Quinn was there for me, to be useful to others and give their paths a new meaning.
What advice do you have to offer who want to follow the same route you’ve taken?
Just go for it and don’t wait to be sure that’s what you want to do. If you are thinking about it, you are ready. And guess what? If you keep pushing away your desire to undertake such a revealing career path, a year from now you’ll be sorry you didn’t start today.
View Olivier’s and other full student profiles by clicking here!