Q. Tell us a bit about yourself — where you’re based, how long you’ve been practicing Pilates, and your life outside Pilates.
A. I’m based on the West Side of Los Angeles and have been practicing Pilates since 2022. I work in tech as a Customer Success Manager, and outside of work I enjoy watercolor painting and solo travel. Pilates has become an integral part of my life, it helps me get out of my head, reconnect with my body, and manage the stress of a demanding job. That experience is a big part of why I want to teach: to help others feel more in tune with their bodies, reduce stress, and simply feel better in their day-to-day lives.
Q. Are you teaching now or working toward it — and were you teaching before these courses?
A. I found Pilates during a period of extreme stress and health challenges that forced me to slow down. Coming from high-intensity exercise and always pushing myself, Pilates taught me to reconnect with my body and find strength in a different way. Over time, I felt called to teacher training to build community and help people of all bodies feel stronger, more connected, and more at home in themselves.
Q. Are you teaching now or working toward it — and were you teaching before these courses?
A. I recently started teaching privates and have my first group class coming up! I wasn’t teaching before starting my training, but I’ve realized that my background in Customer Success translates more than I expected. My work has taught me how to listen, understand what someone needs, and help them build confidence, skills I’m now bringing into teaching Pilates. I’ve always loved helping others, and it’s been exciting to do that in a completely different way.
Q. Which parts of your teacher training did you do in person, and which online? How did that mix come about?
A. I took my introductory courses and anatomy online and completed my Mat series online as well. I intentionally learned from different instructors throughout my training because I wanted exposure to different perspectives and teaching styles. I then completed my Reformer series locally and in person. Learning from a variety of instructors across different regions really helped me figure out what resonated with me and helped me to start finding my own voice as a teacher.
Q. Why did you choose in-person for the parts you did in person? What did you get out of it?
A. I chose to do my Reformer training in person because there’s so much more happening when you’re working with the equipment, from safety and setup, to observing and supporting the person in front of you. It was also a great opportunity to bring everything I had learned up to that point together in a hands-on setting. Having that in-person practice helped me feel much more confident moving into teaching.
Q. Why did you choose online for the parts you did online? What did you get out of it?
A. It was important to me to learn from a variety of instructors, and online training gave me access to incredible teachers without being limited by geography. It also expanded my community. I trained alongside students from all over, even Spain. Hearing different perspectives, questions, and experiences added so much to the learning process and gave me a broader view of Pilates and teaching.
Q. What did each format do best — where did each one really shine?
A. Online training really shined in giving me access to different instructors, perspectives, and a wider community of students. It pushed me to think about Pilates and teaching in different ways. In person, the biggest value was being hands-on, practicing with the equipment, working with different bodies, getting real-time feedback, and building confidence as an instructor. I think the combination gave me both a broader perspective and the practical experience I needed to start finding my own teaching style.
Q. Was there anything that surprised you about either format?
A. I was surprised by how connected and engaging the online experience felt. I expected to miss some of the community you get in person, but learning alongside people from different places added a lot to the experience. I also didn’t expect the two formats to complement each other as well as they did, the online courses gave me a broader range of perspectives, while in-person training helped me put everything into practice and build confidence.
Q. How did each format fit into your life — schedule, travel, family, cost?
A. The flexibility of online training made it much easier to fit teacher training around a demanding full-time job and allowed me to learn from instructors outside of Los Angeles without the added time and cost of travel. In-person training required more planning, but for Reformer it felt worth prioritizing the hands-on experience. Having both options made the overall training feel much more accessible and realistic to fit into my life.
Q. If a friend asked, ‘Should I do in person or online?’, how would you help them decide?
A. Truthfully, I’d recommend a mix of both if they can. Online training gives you flexibility and access to instructors and perspectives you might not otherwise have, while in-person training gives you the hands-on practice and immediate feedback that builds confidence. I don’t think one is necessarily better than the other, they offer different things, and together they made my training feel much more well-rounded.
Q. Knowing what you know now, would you do the mix the same way again?
A. Absolutely. The mix gave me the best of both worlds. I loved being able to learn from different instructors throughout the process. If I did it again, I’d still choose a mix and encourage others to find the balance that works best for how they learn.
Q. Who has inspired you the most on your Pilates teaching journey?
A. The teams at Paragon and Core Conditioning have been such an important part of my journey, especially Matthew Hodge-Rice, Roger Gonzalez, Tiza Riley, and Gwen Miller. They’re incredibly knowledgeable, but also kind, approachable, and always willing to answer questions. They created an environment where I felt comfortable asking questions, learning, and figuring things out along the way.
Q. Anything else you’d love people to know about you or your journey?
A. I felt called to this path because I wanted to help make Pilates feel welcoming and accessible to all bodies. Coming from a demanding career in tech, I also know firsthand how easy it is to become disconnected from your body when you’re stressed and burned out. I wanted to become a knowledgeable instructor who could help people reconnect, feel stronger, and simply feel better in their bodies.
All ideas and assertions expressed in The CORE are those of the individual contributors, offered to spark conversation, enrich understanding/inspire growth and share diverse perspectives within our community. They may not necessarily reflect the views of Balanced Body®.
Kristen Schell
Kristen Schell is a Los Angeles based Pilates instructor in training who works full-time in tech. Her teaching interests center around mind-body awareness, stress relief, and helping people feel more connected to their bodies.
