![]() When we were chatting one day she said, “you need to open another studio and I’m going to help you.” This was the buoy I didn’t know I needed, in a sea of uncertainty and overwhelm. Lee began teaching at Fine Tune while I was pregnant and had since become a permanent fixture at the studio. I had known Lee Melamed for years through working at different studios together across the city. It was a time when I had to either expand or quit, and the thought of expanding seemed more than daunting, it felt impossible. I started to fantasize about closing the studio and what it would take to give everyone their money back. With little business experience and my dwindling energy levels, I felt like I was drowning. The opposite of what I thought might happen when I took a break to honor the postpartum time: the studio was overflowing and we could no longer take on any new clients. I struggled to balance managing my little studio and the small team of instructors, I struggled with postpartum anxiety, I struggled with my confidence, I struggled as many women do during this period of their lives. Getting deep in a solo session allows us as teachers to watch how a person moves and create an open dialogue for what they are feeling and why, and to me, that’s when we can best affect change in someone’s body. Beyond the manner in which our teachers work, I truly believe that Pilates solos are best experienced in a private space so there’s an opportunity to really connect with clients and allow them to feel safe and cared for. Teaching the Pilates method of movement has always been a passion of mine, but it wasn’t until I started Fine Tune Pilates that my capacity for this work felt endless. We create trust with our clients, and teach them things about how their individual bodies move to empower them to feel better each and every day. We consider biomechanics, and a person’s bigger picture of well-being to inform our teaching. Within the group of teachers at Fine Tune we collaborate on clients, share knowledge and lend our expertise while attentively watching bodies move. It’s because of this that our clients receive the best service possible, and feel comfortable being cared for by any of us on staff. The tight-knit group of experienced instructors supports each other, we work as a team, and use each other as a resource to better one and other. I had drawn inspiration and experience from teaching at so many different studios across the city, but there was something special about the way the other teachers and I approached teaching here that I’d never seen before. I had great training before opening Fine Tune Pilates. I was nervous about what this new phase would bring, but the community we had created at Fine Tune was patient and supportive, sparking hope and possibility for what Fine Tune Pilates could become. In 2017, when I was pregnant with my daughter, a few skilled instructors came on board to help transition the studio while my personal life was shifting. ![]() My little studio was growing and at the time my family was growing too. Years later, a few curious clients had turned into a strong following of Pilates devotees. In 2014, a space just big enough for one reformer became available and I jumped at the opportunity to open my own little studio in the neighborhood I loved so much. I had already been teaching Pilates for several years, most often one-on-one with people. People cared about each other and seemed to value a certain quality of life. When I moved to Roncesvalles in Toronto’s west end I felt a part of a community for the first time in a long time. ![]()
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