Today we’re excited to have a special guest contributor to the blog, Merrithew’s™ own Lesley Hopps, Vice President, Education. Through the Partner Connect Tour, Lesley travels around the globe, visiting a number of our Licensed Training Centers (LTCs) and gaining insight on what contributes to their achievements and accomplishments. In her second guest post, Lesley shares alternate titles for inspirational mind-body exercise instructors!
Stepping outside of the Merrithew offices and into the mind-body spaces of our Licensed Training Centers over the last six months has brought me up close and personal to the many roles that our partners play each day to help make their facilities successful. On a business card, they might be called “Owner”, but they can also be called:
- Life changers: Sara Baker and her team at Inspire Health in Georgia, USA, make this role look easy. I met with clients who were hardly able to walk through the door when they first started at this Atlanta-based studio. Today they enjoy active lifestyles and give full credit to the Inspire team and their approach that combines physical therapy and STOTT PILATES® exercise
- Community builders: Jolanda Hoefnagel of k’dans believes in the importance of giving back to her students and taking care of the local fitness community in The Hague, Netherlands. She does this by frequently bringing in a variety of educators who bring new material and different perspectives to keep things fresh for her community
- Networkers: Dani Gonzalez from Dublin, Ireland, understands the importance of getting to know her community. Whether its meeting with new physical therapy grads at career fairs, writing content for local industry publications or teaching for Merrithew at a host center in another country, the COMPLETE BODY MOVEMENT owner never stops reaching out to make new connections
- Architects: It’s easy to underestimate the importance of a well-designed and maintained studio space, but this is top of mind for Pilates South Texas owners Chau Pham-Kid and Paul Kid. They take pride in the layout, design and aesthetics of their space and it shows. Their pristine, light-filled space makes it easy for students and studio clients to leave distractions behind and quickly enter a state of mindfulness
- Power couples: Not every two-some has what it takes to survive working together, never mind owning and operating their own business. Connie and Bruno Ierullo are not only surviving, but seem to thrive in their roles as co-owners of The Pilates Body in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. They bring passion and their own unique and complementary talents to the studio each day, creating a recipe for long-term success