Welcome to the first episode of The Pilates Journal Podcast, hosted by CJ Zarb, founder of The Pilates Journal.
In this launch conversation, CJ sits down with Tracey Mallett, a globally recognized Pilates educator, creator, and decades-long voice in the Pilates industry, to explore one of the most important topics shaping the future of the method: Pilates education.
As Pilates continues to grow, so does the need for thoughtful conversations about instructor training, mentorship, apprenticeship, continuing education, and the real-world skills teachers need inside today's studios. Tracey shares her perspective on where the industry is thriving, where gaps still exist, and how instructors can continue to grow beyond certification.
Together, CJ and Tracey discuss the pressure instructors feel to constantly create something new, the importance of embodied learning, why repetition and progressions matter, how educators can better support the next generation, and why collaboration matters more than comparison.
This episode also sets the tone for The Pilates Journal Podcast: honest, thoughtful conversations with the educators, studio owners, founders, and industry leaders helping shape the future of Pilates.
Tracey will also be joining The Pilates Journal Expo in Miami this September, where she will be presenting workshops and taking part in industry conversations designed to support teachers, studio owners, and the wider Pilates community.
Topics include:
- Pilates education and certification.
- Mentorship and apprenticeship.
- The gap between training and teaching.
- How instructors can build confidence.
- The role of continuing education.
- Creativity, repetition, and progressions.
- Collaboration within the Pilates industry.
- The future of Pilates teaching.
Find more about Tracey Mallett here: https://www.instagram.com/traceymallett/
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0:00 Welcome to The Pilates Journal Podcast
1:32 Is Pilates education keeping up with the industry?
4:34 Why new teachers struggle to choose the right course
5:09 The gap between learning exercises and learning to teach
6:26 What happened to apprenticeship and mentorship?
8:17 What instructors are still missing after certification
9:16 Why embodied practice makes better teachers
12:43 Why the industry's growth is a positive opportunity
14:04 Creating a safe space for instructors to ask questions
15:18 What a better model of Pilates education needs now
17:23 Teaching groups with multiple pathologies and needs
18:17 What Tracey has had to unlearn in her own teaching
18:36 Why instructors do not need to over-create every class
20:48 Teaching with intent instead of chasing pressure
21:48 How the role of Pilates instructors is changing
23:35 Building a more united Pilates community
24:49 How education programs can seek deeper support
26:46 Returning to lineage without losing modern creativity
27:31 What Tracey would change about the industry
29:37 CJ on how The Pilates Journal supports the industry
31:37 Do not chase trends, create your own
32:18 Tracey Mallett at The Pilates Journal Expo in Miami
33:12 Closing
