13/07/2022
Frances Cahill is one part of the duo Director team driving Pilates ITC into the future. Frances is a Pilates Practitioner (91490NSW) and co-Director of Pilates Fitness Institute (PFI) in Perth. She has worked in the industry and Pilates education for over 10 years and is passionate about the role Pilates ITC is playing in reimagining “Pilates learning” in formalised and continuing education contexts. We sat down with Frances to see what makes her tick!
When it comes to advancement of any industry toward regulation, education is the key and in our case, accredited qualifications, as a minimum employment level, will help us move forward with higher levels of professional practice and credibility.
I’ve always been a health and movement lover, and I studied dance, nutrition and dietetics at University. The Pilates Method was an important part of my personal health and fitness mix all through uni, so I decided to study Pilates Instruction as a side hustle never expecting it would become my career. It has been a constant in both my personal and professional lives for so long now, and I wholeheartedly believe in the Method and its power to change lives.
Full disclosure, it’s chaos! Beautiful chaos though. The Mum hustle starts around 5am and I land in the office after school drop off for meetings, liaising with our national team, add in there a whole lot of high level project development and general business operations. I also still teach classes and take Studio clients at PFI – although these days this is a light sprinkle in the mix. I do also try and squeeze in my own Pilates workout too before I go back home to Mum-duty.
I have so many sources of inspiration in the industry. Blossom Leilani Crawford, Deborah Lessen, Karen Clippinger, Cara Reeser are absolute powerhouse teachers who are dedicated to passing on the Pilates Method with integrity, quality and a unique voice and connection to Joseph’s original teaching. This really resonates with me. Sally Anderson also inspires me – she wrote the world’s first government accredited training qualifications for Pilates (the Pilates ITC ones!) and is not only an incredible teacher herself, she is truly committed to the advancement of the Pilates profession which is a goal I also share.
I could never choose just one because it depends on the day, mood and moment. That’s what I love about Pilates – it literally moves with what you need, when you need it most!
The Pilates industry really has transformed in ebbs and flows. The explosion in popularity and reach has made it more accessible which is exciting to see, but more options in the market also makes it harder to ensure quality standards are maintained.
The return of Private Health rebates for the industry will be a gamechanger. I expect it will bring about another big shift with clients becoming motivated again to seek out Diploma qualified teachers for regular, affordable practise.
When it comes to advancement of any industry toward regulation, education is the key and in our case, accredited qualifications, as a minimum employment level, will help us move forward with higher levels of professional practice and credibility.
The doing is the study. Don’t think books first, practice later, the practicing of the Pilates work in your own body will be your best teacher plus incredibly rewarding for you personally too!
