The Energy Behind Great Pilates Teaching: Lessons from Motherhood

Mother’s Day brings a certain kind of beauty online—
Photos of special moments, heartfelt words, stories of love and devotion.

It’s touching to witness - motherhood deserves every bit of that recognition.
But sitting with my daughters—and with my own mother—I found myself thinking about everything that doesn’t make it into a social media feed.

All the things we don’t talk about.
All the things we don’t know how to name.
And the invisible thread that connects motherhood to something far greater—something many of us live without ever realizing.

The Love That Holds It All

Motherhood isn’t just a role. It’s an energy.
It’s the invisible presence that says:
“You are safe here.”
“You can fall apart here.”
“You are still loved, even when you mess up.”

It’s not limited to biological mothers.
I’ve felt it from women who held space for me in my darkest hours.
From mentors, friends, sisters—who saw a version of me I hadn’t yet grown into.
They mothered me with faith. With presence. With love.

And yet—my truth? Becoming a mother didn’t come naturally to me.

I didn’t grow up dreaming of babies.
I didn’t trust I’d be enough.
It took falling in love with a stable, grounded man—my husband—to even consider becoming a mother.
And even then, I wrestled with fear, doubt, and a voice inside that whispered, “Are you really capable of this?”

But once my daughters arrived, they taught me.
They showed me how to soften. How to care. How to stretch far beyond what I thought I could hold.
And years later, it was one of them—my daughter—who would return that love in a way I never expected.

The Business That Almost Broke Me

When I created IVA Pilates, it was one of the boldest, most devoted decisions of my life.
I walked straight into unknown territory.
I didn’t know what I was doing. I just knew I wanted to serve. I wanted to give back to the industry that had shaped me for two decades.

But no one prepared me for how much it would take.
The hours. The pressure. The emotional labor.
I gave all of myself to the vision. I was going hard, pushing forward, trying to make it work—pouring out energy with no pause, no breath.

And I almost gave up.
I truly did.
There was a moment where I felt depleted. Like I’d lost the soul of it.
Not because I didn’t believe in the mission—but because I had forgotten how to hold it with love.

And in that moment…
It was my daughter who stood beside me.
She reminded me who I was. She reminded me why I started.
She saw the mother energy in me even when I couldn’t.

She became my greatest cheerleader—not just as my daughter, but as a young woman who believed in the IVA vision with her whole heart.
Her belief became my anchor.
She trusted my devotion to creating a better future for Pilates teachers—and because of her, I didn’t quit.
She held space for me… the way I had once held space for her.

That’s what mother energy looks like.
It’s not always about age, gender, or roles.
It’s about faith, when someone forgets their own strength.
And it lives in all of us.

If You’re a Teacher, You’re a Mother

You birth ideas.
You raise clients.
You grow a vision from scratch.
You love something before the world sees its worth.

And you’ve likely never been told how hard it would be.

So let’s stop pretending it’s all flow and fulfillment.
Let’s talk about the tiredness. The doubt. The invisible labor of running a studio, a method, a brand, a dream.

Let’s name it.
Because only when we name it, can we nurture it.

Your Business Isn’t a Machine

It’s not just a strategy or a set of numbers. It’s a living extension of your devotion.

And like any living thing, it will mirror your energy back to you.

When I was cold, mechanical, and in hustle mode—IVA became a task.
When I slowed down, reconnected, loved it again—she came back to life.

We mother our work the way we were mothered. Or the way we wish we were mothered.

So here’s my gentle invitation:
Let it be imperfect.
Let it be resilient.
Let it be real.

The Call to Action (From One Mother to Another)

If any part of this spoke to you—don’t let it stay as a fleeting thought.
Revisit your work this week, and mother it differently.

Ask deeper questions.
Let your rhythm guide you—not just your task list.
Give it the care it needs to grow—not just to keep up.

This work you’re doing—it’s not just business.
It’s something alive. And it responds to how you hold it.

You don’t have to be perfect.
You don’t have to have it all figured out.
But you do get to choose how you show up for it.

Just begin there.

With love,

Iva