Pilates Business Podcast: Meaningful Careers in Pilates with Olivia Bioni
Release Date: June 16, 2025
Host: Seran Glanfield
Guest: Olivia Bioni
Introduction
In this inspiring episode of the Pilates Business Podcast, host Seran Glanfield welcomes Olivia Bioni, a nationally certified Pilates teacher, educator, podcaster, and author of the Pilates Teacher's Manual. Olivia shares her journey from a competitive soccer player to a renowned Pilates educator, highlighting the importance of mentorship, storytelling, and innovative thinking in building a sustainable career in the Pilates industry.
Olivia's Journey into Pilates
Olivia Bioni’s transition into Pilates was a serendipitous blend of her athletic background and a search for a sustainable, low-impact fitness practice. Reflecting on her past, Olivia explains:
“I was a soccer player as a kid and played competitively through high school, and I had an injury when I was in high school, and it turned out that contact sports was not going to be the way that I was going to be able to keep moving my body” (03:39).
Her introduction to yoga provided a foundation for her mind-body connection, but it was Pilates that truly resonated with her due to its depth and the one-on-one engagement with clients. Initially intimidated by the sophisticated equipment, Olivia quickly fell in love with Pilates after her first teacher training experience:
“I did not fall in love with Pilates the first time I saw it. I saw the Allegro Reformers with the tower attachments and I was like, oh, my gosh, that looks scary... But look at me now” (03:39).
This passion led her to diversify her teaching portfolio, encompassing university classes, boutique studios, and private sessions.
Launching the Podcast Amidst a Pandemic
In early 2020, just as Olivia felt she had established herself as a versatile Pilates instructor, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The lockdowns forced her to rethink her approach to teaching, leading to the creation of her podcast:
“The whole reason behind starting the podcast to begin with was that I wanted to create a resource that I wish I had when I started teaching” (08:28).
The podcast aimed to provide actionable insights and strategies for Pilates instructors to build sustainable careers without burning out. Olivia’s firsthand experiences of juggling multiple teaching roles and the challenges brought by the pandemic inspired her to offer guidance to her peers.
Overcoming Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome
Launching a podcast and authoring a book while navigating the uncertainties of a global pandemic required Olivia to confront her own self-doubt. She candidly shares her struggles with imposter syndrome:
“What if I start saying things and people are like, you're not a real teacher. Who are you to say anything?” (10:33).
Olivia credits her partner with helping her realize that her experiences and insights were valuable, even if she felt relatively new to the teaching scene. Embracing the philosophy from Atomic Habits, she focused on building consistent habits:
“You build the habit. Like, you become the podcaster, you become the mentor through doing it, and the more you do it, the easier it is to do it” (12:00).
This mindset shift allowed her to persevere and establish herself as a credible resource within the Pilates community.
From Podcast to Pilates Teacher's Manual
Olivia’s podcast served as a foundational platform that eventually evolved into her book, Pilates Teacher's Manual. She explains the motivation behind this transition:
“I wanted the book so that you could control F on an ebook and find exactly what you're looking for, scan the table of contents, and get right to it” (17:32).
The book was designed to complement her podcasts by providing an evergreen resource that instructors could reference anytime. Olivia faced the challenge of condensing extensive podcast content into a structured format, which involved rigorous editing and prioritizing key insights:
“I started like setting calls with [my sister, an editor] and having deadlines and like really holding myself to a bit of a schedule” (21:55).
Despite balancing her full teaching schedule, Olivia dedicated six months to meticulously craft the book, ensuring it addressed the most pressing needs of Pilates instructors.
Future Projects and Continued Growth
Looking ahead, Olivia is excited about expanding her impact through interactive workshops and continuing education programs. She envisions creating a series of workshops that delve deeper into the concepts discussed in her book, offering hands-on learning experiences for instructors:
“I'm looking into developing a workshop series where it's more interactive because podcasting and books are very much like, here you go into the world. So I like the idea of having that connection with teachers again” (24:47).
Additionally, Olivia is developing her teaching philosophy, focusing on the “dimensions of difficulty” in Pilates exercises. This approach considers range of movement, flexibility, coordination, complexity, and load, allowing instructors to tailor their teaching methods to each client's needs.
“It's not a line as much as it's a three-dimensional space that you can play with... building bridges, not only for teachers and helping them understand in teaching where they can, how they can grow” (24:47).
Conclusion and Connecting with Olivia
Olivia Bioni’s dedication to empowering Pilates instructors through mentorship, education, and resource creation exemplifies the meaningful career paths available within the Pilates industry. Her journey underscores the importance of adaptability, continuous learning, and the willingness to step into leadership roles despite uncertainties.
Connect with Olivia Bioni:
- Instagram: @OliviaBioneWellness
- Books: shop.oliviabione.com
- Podcasts: Pilates Teacher's Manual and Pilates Student’s Manual on Instagram and Facebook
- Podcast Community: buymeacoffee.com/Olivia
Olivia encourages instructors to embrace their unique paths and leverage the resources available to build fulfilling and sustainable careers in Pilates.
"If I can stop one heart from breaking, like if I can help one teacher create a sustainable career and that one teacher teaches as many people as they teach over the course of their career, the positive impact is magnified and amplified and just incalculable." – Olivia Bioni (13:39)
This episode serves as a valuable resource for Pilates instructors seeking to enhance their careers, offering practical strategies, heartfelt insights, and a testament to the power of resilience and community in the fitness industry.