Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Powell.
Hi Jenny, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was first introduced to Pilates while attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas as a Dance Major. I fell in love with the precision, technique, and detail of the Classical Pilates Method. After graduation I moved to New York City with no real plan, other than to dance and survive in the insanity of the city. Along with auditions and dancing jobs, my days were also filled with making smoothies, prepping paninis, dancing in crazy costumes for kid parties, dog and bunny sitting…you name it. I was hustling and starting to need a few less jobs, and more of a second career that would support my dance career financially and mentally.
I was able to get my first Pilates Certification as a work study student in 2011 at The Lab in Dumbo, Brooklyn. This certification opened up many doors for me. I was eager and ready to take on the work: 6am clients, Sunday reformer classes, 8pm sessions, subbing into classes.There was never a lack of Pilates work, and I was so much happier that my job was now teaching movement to others. After building my clientele and teaching for six years across the city and the boroughs, I started to crave more knowledge in the true Classical Pilates Method. I then pursued a second Comprehensive 600 hour certification through Power Pilates, NYC as a bridge student. The Power Pilates program connected all the dots for me. There was a focus on the “why” we teach, versus just the “how”. The programming of my sessions got stronger, and I started seeing my clients progress safely but very effectively through the system.
In 2016, a Pilates mentor of mine, motivated me to establish my own LLC- Powell Pilates. I was able to start renting Pilates studio space by the hour and therefore setting my own prices and managing my own working hours and schedule. My mornings would be filled with teaching my own Pilates clients, then I would be off for the afternoon to dance rehearsal or performances. Pilates had become my second career and it supported my dance career, my body, and my mind. My own Pilates practice kept me mainly injury free throughout my professional dance career with Amanda Selwyn Dance, and Carolyn Dorfman Dance. Pilates became my cross training to dance and it significantly helped me get stronger and more stable.
After 12 years in NYC, my husband and I decided to move to Austin, Texas for a change and slightly less fast paced life. Houston was home for me growing up, so it felt comforting to move back to Texas. My Pilates dream was to finally own my own Pilates home studio. This would cut down my commute time and allow me to book sessions back to back without having to take on a retail space with an expensive lease. When looking for our home, we found a house that perfectly offered a space for me to establish my business. Just as we started to enjoy our new calm and quiet Austin home, we found out we were pregnant with twins! Since 2019 I have been building my home studio while also becoming a Mom. The studio started with one client and has grown through referrals to a mighty home business. As the studio numbers grew, I was able to start adding more and more Pilates equipment to the space. I now teach about twenty five sessions a week and enjoy working with clients of all ages and levels. In addition to my home studio, I became a teacher trainer for Power Pilates in 2022 and teach several Pilates certifications in Austin and other cities throughout the year. I believe as a teacher trainer, I am able to ensure the next generation of Pilates instructors continue to teach the true method and continue on the legacy of work that Joseph Pilates established.
I am so grateful that Pilates has given me this opportunity to help people feel better, move stronger, and breathe deeper. I truly love my job and love sharing the Pilates method to my clients in Austin, TX.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My biggest obstacle was first just finding a way to get Pilates certified while basically being a broke starving artist living in NYC. Full comprehensive Pilates certifications run around $4,000- $5,000 dollars. That number to me was daunting and scary. The work study program allowed me to get started. This wasn’t just a desk job, we were also required to scrub the toilets, mop the floors, wipe up the sweaty mats, and front desk hours. I wouldn’t exactly say I enjoyed it, but I was able to work off many of my hours and then pay the remaining smaller balance.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Powell Pilates in a fully equipped Classical Pilates Home Studio located in the neighborhood of Bryker Woods, Austin, TX. My studio is one of the few in Austin, that offer the full system of equipment which includes – two reformers, a cadillac, the high chair, the wunda chair, the ladder barrel, the spine corrector, the ped-o-pull, the baby arm chair, props, and small equipment. The studio is always private and reserved for one session at a time.
I offer private or duet sessions that are programmed to the clients’ individual needs. I enjoy working with all fitness levels. True beginners to advanced movers are all welcome. With my extensive training, I can always work around injuries and keep clients moving safely. I focus on what we can do, versus what we can’t! Each session will feel like a full body workout.
Movement is life, life is movement.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I am a big supporter of strength training in combination of Pilates. I personally lift heavy weights three to four times a week in addition to Pilates. I am not the type of Pilates instructor that will tell you to only do Pilates. I advise all of my client to do both fitness modules. This combination of movement is the perfect pairing of becoming a controlled strong mover.
I also stay a student! I still take my own Pilates sessions with different teachers, and continue every year to do continued education in Pilates and movement. I owe this to myself and my clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.powellpilates.com
- Instagram: @powellpilates
- Facebook: Powell Pilates
- LinkedIn: Jenny (Powell Pilates LLC) Gillan- Powell
