What I’ve Learned After A Year Of Teaching Pilates Online

Today is the 1 year anniversary of Helen Phelan Studio (and it’s also the anniversary of one very traumatic panic attack about studios closing in NYC)!

Celebrating a year of launching my business is bittersweet, and I’m definitely IN MY FEELINGS about it all. It was a wildly transformative year for me in terms of finding clarity and direction in my work, finally having my own platform and community, as well as navigating the deep grief we’ve all experienced as a collective with such a prolonged, ongoing tragedy happening every day with Covid-19.

Would you believe it if I told you I actually started doing market research for an online fitness studio in summer 2019, and started recording workouts in November of 2019? 

Probably not, because I never shared them with anyone. I had wanted to get into the digital space for YEARS, and I was THIS CLOSE in the fall of 2019, but I let fear and impostor syndrome get in my way. I decided it would be too much work and not enough reward as I’m not a “celebrity trainer” and no one knows or cares who I am, so why bother? I had enough IRL 1:1 clients whom I adored and a spattering of group classes to support myself and in the end, I decided to let my fear of being seen keep me playing small.

The universe, thankfully and tragically, had other plans. March 2020 was actually poised to be the most financially successful month of my business as a private pilate instructor since I went out on my own from studios in 2018. Then came Covid -and 100% of my income relied on getting to see, touch, breathe and move WITH other human beings, and I was, in a word, f*cked. In hindsight, I was majorly burnt out from commuting across Brooklyn and Manhattan for my private clients. When the NYC studios where I taught all shut down, panic set in and all self consciousness about not having a pretty backdrop or a professional video editor or a hair and makeup team left my body. I spent the next several days recording hours of workout videos (don’t recommend that) and got them online.

I found connection when I needed it most

If you’ve been with me since March, you know that I initially hosted my classes on Patreon, and quickly realized that it was scalable to the type of experience I wanted HPS to have. It was more of a news feed where you could access my most recent posts, but it was a pain to go back and revisit old favorites and there was no way to filter by modality, equipment, or intention, the way you can on Helen Phelan Studio. Fueled by this frustration, I discovered the platform that HPS exists on today, UScreen - and immediately began thinking long term. I had always dreamed of having my own brick and mortar studio in Brooklyn, but with the future feeling so uncertain, taking a risk and building out a custom platform online, seemed more attainable- and aligned for my goals of helping as many people as possible heal their relationship with wellness, food, and exercise.

Throughout the creation of this platform, I have reconnected with old clients who left NYC years ago and met new people who I never would’ve had the opportunity to teach before. Hearing how my classes helped people move through the difficult and confusing emotions of the early days of the pandemic was often the highlight of those endless apartment cramped days. When I started my first newsletter in April, I had 0 people on my list, today, it’s close to 3,000- which is small when compared to other communities, and hopefully just a fraction of what HPS looks like in the future- but I’m so grateful for each and every single one of you!

I found my message when toxic diet culture seemed to take over my newsfeed

Feeling mega frustrated with all the triggering quarantine weight gain memes on social media, I started writing a blog and a weekly newsletter. At first, I was terrified I had nothing original to say and super cringey at the idea of being a “blogger”. I soon found out, which shouldn’t have been a surprise because I’m a big talker, that I had a LOT to say.

Committing to writing weekly turned out to be both the creative outlet I’ve been missing since I retired my professional dancer shoes, and a fast-track to finding my voice in this overcrowded wellness space. As an eating disorder and PTSD survivor (and double major in both Dance and Psych in college), mental health and personal development has always been an area of focus and fascination for me. Writing weekly allowed me to streamline my methodology to help people feel empowered about their bodies through movement, not ashamed of them. The Black Lives Matter revolution of 2020 further opened my eyes about the inequality in the wellness space and just how crucial it is for there to be a shift in wellness to actually being about everyone being well- including bodies of all different sizes, shapes, and colors, and has influenced be to keep the work going by infusing social justice into my work whenever it’s possible.

Movement became more important for my mental health than ever before

Spoiler: running your own business is hard. Like, really hard. Even when you’re not quarantined to your apartment. I love every moment of it, even the moments I hate. It feels like my first heartbreak every single time a Zoom gets disconnected or a video didn’t record— I feel so strongly about each and every aspect of this business. Covid and being my own boss both opened my eyes to seeing just how important daily movement is to maintain one’s sanity, and without it, I would’ve lost my mind some time back when Tiger King was still a topic of national discussion.

I learned to be flexible-in more ways than one

A lot of this year was a learning process, and I’m grateful that one year in I feel like I’ve not only settled into a groove, but created something I’m truly proud of. Running a business is a lot like performing on stage, I’ve discovered. You’ve gotta let yourself be vulnerable, to be really seen, to be effective. Both are scary as hell- but both will teach you who you are.

After listening and adjusting and listening and adjusting, I’m most excited about what’s to come: the new On Demand Essentials and All Access Memberships! This second year of HPS gives you way more options to tailor your at home workouts to your mood, energy, and intuition.

Essentials Plus ($29.99/month with 2 months free when you pay annually)

  • 3 new workouts weekly: a 15 min quickie, a 30 min pilates, and a 30 min cardio pilates

  • UNLIMITED access to the demand library of 250+ all-level workouts (priceless, IMO)

  • Monthly Body Neutrality Salon ($50 value/month)

  • 12+ Prenatal and postpartum workouts available at all times ($264 value)

  • 20+ Restorative recovery flows available at all times ($100 value)

All Access ($99.99/month while in beta)

  • Everything in the Essentials Plus membership ($786 value/month)

  • 1 Semi-private session/month ($120 value/month)

    • 4 time slots to choose from with more added as membership grows (capped at 4 participants so you get personal attention)

  • Complimentary access to 3x weekly live Zoom classes ($264 value/month)

    • more times lots to be added as membership grows!

  • Bonus intuitive eating and mindful nutrition support

I love connecting with this community so much, I’m thrilled to be able to do it face to face, even if it’s through a screen. I also created a private, secret community group on Mighty Networks, Helen Phelan Studio Circle, to be a safe space to share off social media and with higher privacy than a FB group. HPS Circle is totally free- it’s just my way of creating space for you to connect with each other the way you would if we could be at a studio together.

I’m hoping year 2 of HPS also includes in person events, but for now, I’m just SO SO thankful for the little corner of the internet we get to share together. Thank you so much for supporting me thus far, and I can’t wait to see what we continue to cook up together!

Other articles you might like:

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