Exploring Life & Business with Alexis Hurtado of Ciento

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Hurtado.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hi! I’m Alexis, but some of you may know me better as Lex, your favorite Pilates instructor lol. I’ve been dancing for over 10 years, so movement has always been a huge part of my life. I actually discovered Pilates through dance conditioning, and I was immediately hooked. I loved that it challenged me in a completely different way and taught me to be more intentional about how I moved and connected with my body.

What started as conditioning for dance eventually became something I knew I wanted to build a career around. I started teaching Pilates and developed my own style that blends the foundation and classical repertoire of Pilates with the sculpting, high energy approach I naturally bring from my dance background.

From there, I created my own business, Ciento, where I bring Pilates into events, corporate wellness, private experiences, and community spaces. Building community has honestly become one of my favorite parts of what I do. I love creating experiences where people can move, connect, have fun, and actually make time for themselves.

As a Latina, creating a space where people of color feel welcomed into wellness is especially important to me. In so many of our families, there’s this deeply ingrained idea that you take care of everyone else first and yourself last. A lot of our parents and grandparents weren’t taught to prioritize themselves or see wellness as something they deserved to make time for. I want to help change that narrative. Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish, it’s necessary like brushing your teeth, and you deserve to make yourself a priority too.

It’s been really cool to watch something that started with dance turn into a business and a community that represents so many things I care about: movement, wellness, culture, confidence, and connection. And honestly, I’m just getting started.

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?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but I think most of my biggest obstacles have been mental. Imposter syndrome has been a huge one for me, especially as I’ve stepped into entrepreneurship and continued to grow. There have been so many moments where I’ve questioned whether I’m doing enough, whether I’m on the right path, or whether I’m actually capable of building the vision I have in my head.

I’ve had to learn that I don’t need to have everything figured out before I take the next step. A huge part of my journey has been learning to trust the process, trust my ideas, and trust myself. Sometimes you’re building something before you have any real proof that it’s going to work, and that can be scary.

I’ve had to get comfortable being uncomfortable, learning as I go, and reminding myself that I’m allowed to be a work in progress while still building something meaningful. I think the biggest lesson has been realizing that confidence doesn’t always come before you start, it’s something you build by continuing to show up.

I still have moments of imposter syndrome, but now I’m much better at recognizing it for what it is instead of letting it make decisions for me. I’m learning to trust that what’s meant for me doesn’t have to happen overnight, and I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be in the process.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My business is called Ciento, which means “one hundred” in Spanish. The name is inspired by the Pilates Hundred, one of the most iconic exercises in the Pilates repertoire, so it felt like the perfect name for a brand that represents both my Pilates roots and my Latina identity.

Ciento is a Pilates and wellness brand centered around movement, community, and creating experiences that make wellness feel fun and accessible. I take Pilates beyond the traditional studio setting through private events, birthdays, bachelorettes, corporate wellness, brand activations, and community experiences.

At its core, Ciento is about creating a space where you can move your body, connect with other people, and actually enjoy taking care of yourself. I want people to come for the Pilates, stay for the community, and leave feeling stronger, more confident, and maybe with a few new friends too.

How do you think about happiness?
I’m a big family girl. My family is everything to me, and my grandma is one of my favorite people on the planet. She’s my best friend and has taught me so much about life, confidence, and honestly, how to be fabulous. My family has always been my biggest cheerleaders and really instilled in me that I can go after whatever I want in life, so I carry that with me in everything I do.

My fiancé is also huge part of my world. He makes every moment special & always so proud of me. I love that we get to do life together finding new restaurants, trying new food, going to concerts, hanging with our friends, traveling, and just collecting experiences together. I’m a big “let’s make a memory out of it” person.

I’m naturally very curious and creative. I LOVE being a student. I’m always learning something, whether it’s about the body, movement, wellness, business, or something completely random that I suddenly become obsessed with. I think that curiosity is a huge part of who I am and why I’m always dreaming up new ideas.

I’m happiest when I’m surrounded by people I love, creating something, learning something, or working toward a new goal. I love having something to be excited about and a reason to keep growing. And of course, give me good food, good music, a cute outfit, and my people and I’m set.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/cientopilates