Hidden Gems: Meet Ashley Thierry of Pilates Thierry LLC.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Thierry.

Hi Ashley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I found Pilates in 2012 during a season of my life that looked glamorous from the outside but felt completely different on the inside.

At the time, I was working in the fashion industry as a celebrity stylist assistant while running my own fashion line. My life revolved around red carpets, magazine shoots, fittings, travel. It was fast, competitive, and exhausting. I was constantly “on.” Pilates became the one place where I could turn that off.

For one hour, the noise stopped. My body felt grounded. My mind softened. I could breathe.

Every single time, it worked.

That feeling pulled me deeper. I began working at an athletic physical therapy clinic in Westlake Village as an assistant Reformer instructor under a mentor who changed everything for me. I had the rare opportunity to work alongside physical therapists and see how movement truly heals. That experience shifted Pilates from something I enjoyed to something I respected at the highest level.

I pursued my Reformer certification, and from that moment forward, Pilates wasn’t just a workout. It became a calling.

I intentionally immersed myself in multiple methodologies, classical, contemporary, fitness-based. I sought out certifications, bridge programs, workshops, and continuing education. I never wanted my understanding confined to one lens. I wanted range. Depth. Perspective. I wanted to understand not just what to teach, but why.

By 2017, I was leading teacher trainings for a studio in Calabasas, mentoring instructors and shaping how they spoke, sequenced, and carried themselves in a room. Around that same time, I created new class formats that are still taught today. That was the moment something clicked: I wasn’t just capable of teaching Pilates, I was capable of building a system.

Over time, that system became refined. It lived in the details, how I cued, how I transitioned, how I counted, how I built flow. It became an intuitive, repeatable formula for teaching. I just hadn’t named it yet.

In 2023, I made one of the boldest decisions of my life. I left the safety and familiarity of the Valley and started over in Los Angeles. No title. No reputation. No built-in community. Just me, showing up class by class.

After teaching one of my first classes there, two instructors approached me and said, “We want to teach like you.” When I shared my background in teacher training, they asked me something simple but life-altering:

“Why don’t you create your own?”

That question unlocked everything.

I stayed up for weeks building my first manual. I poured years of experience into it. My first Pilates Thierry Mat training sold out in one day. My graduates began getting hired at respected studios across Los Angeles almost immediately.

What started as 2 yoga instructors wanting to teach Pilates like me has grown into one of California’s leading teacher training programs in just two years.

But what matters most to me isn’t the growth, it’s the people. When my trainees succeed, I feel it deeply. Their confidence, their safety in a room, their ability to create safe spaces for clients, that is the real success.

Pilates Thierry was built on the belief that when an instructor feels secure, supported, and mentally steady during their training, that energy carries into every room they walk into after.

And that ripple effect changes studios.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has never been smooth.

Starting over in Los Angeles felt like stepping into a city full of dreamers, all reaching for something big. I didn’t have a studio with my name on the door. I didn’t have a safety net. I was teaching wherever I could, carrying a vision that felt larger than my circumstances.

And that vision invited resistance.

I believed I could build a method that wasn’t confined to one style or one studio, something adaptable, intelligent, and human. That belief was questioned constantly. I was critiqued for how I taught, how I cued, how I looked, how I spoke. I had to develop a kind of internal resilience that only comes from standing alone long enough to trust yourself completely.

But the greatest challenge wasn’t external criticism.

It was the responsibility of building a teacher-training environment that truly felt safe.

Not performative safety… Real safety. Emotional safety. Psychological safety.

Not everyone learns the same way. Not everyone processes information the same way. Some people thrive in pressure; others shut down. I pulled from psychology courses I had taken years earlier and studied learning behavior deeply. I wanted my training rooms to be places where people felt seen, not judged for how they look, where they come from, or how quickly they grasp something.

If someone cannot feel safe while learning, they will never feel confident while teaching.

And if they don’t feel confident, their clients won’t feel safe either.

That responsibility weighs on me, and I carry it intentionally.

There were also business struggles. Ideas I created were copied. Systems were replicated. I was misled and disappointed more times than I expected. But I learned that when something works, it will be imitated. I had to shift from taking it personally to seeing it as validation.

The emotional part has been the hardest. I grow close to my trainees. When they graduate, there’s a quiet ache. It feels like watching someone you nurtured step into the world on their own. I’ve had to learn boundaries, how to care deeply without losing myself.

The road wasn’t smooth. But it refined me. It strengthened my clarity. And it reminded me that anything meaningful requires endurance.

As you know, we’re big fans of Pilates Thierry LLC.. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Pilates Thierry is not just a certification.

It is a standard.

It is my perspective (Theory/Thierry) on what Pilates can be when it’s taught with intelligence, heart, and psychological awareness.

We specialize in Mat, Reformer, Tower, and Chair teacher trainings designed to translate across studios and equipment brands. The method blends classical precision, contemporary intelligence, and fitness-based athleticism but what truly sets it apart is that we teach instructors how to think.

Not memorize.

Not imitate.

Think.

Trainees learn spring loads across multiple equipment brands for every movement. They learn why sequencing matters. They learn rhythm, transitions, flow, room awareness. They learn how to command a room without ego.

They learn how to create safety.

Safety is non-negotiable. Precision is non-negotiable. But so is emotional intelligence.

The program is demanding. Expectations are clear from the first phone call. This is not passive learning. If the work isn’t done, you won’t pass. And that intensity is intentional, because confidence is earned through preparation.

But intensity does not mean intimidation.

Inside the training room, people are supported. Questions are welcomed. Mistakes are allowed. Growth is celebrated.

When graduates leave, they don’t just know exercises. They know how to teach. They can walk into an audition the next day and speak clearly, cue with purpose, and adapt in real time.

They don’t just create workouts.

They create environments.

When someone joins Pilates Thierry, they are not simply enrolling in a certification. They are stepping into something I have built with my whole heart. I give them everything I have so they can succeed. My time, my knowledge, my lived experience, and my full attention. They receive nearly double the in-person hours per apparatus compared to most trainings because true confidence is built through depth, repetition, and refinement. Beyond those hours, they have close access to me through group texts where questions are answered quickly and guidance is given in real time. I show up for them consistently, even outside of normal hours, because when they are growing, I want them to feel supported.

Each trainee receives a 100 page Thierry Magazine that holds the blueprint of everything I have learned along the way. Inside are real world strategies on how to become a successful instructor, how to speak with clarity and authority, how to carry yourself professionally, and how to position yourself after graduation so you can land your dream job. The magazine also includes exclusive discounts through our collaborations with over twenty companies, offering savings on jewelry, socks, clothing, wellness products, and even food. It is not just a manual. It is a guide to building a career.

They are also given full access to an on demand video library where they can study my sequencing, my transitions, my language, and the rhythm of the method until it feels natural in their own bodies. Quarterly photo shoots are hosted so graduates and current trainees can continue networking, learning from one another, and sharing real world experience that helps them step into opportunities with confidence.

The manuals themselves are layered with detail, covering everything from precise execution to safety, rhythm, and intention. And within the training, they learn the step by step formula that only Pilates Thierry girls truly understand once they are inside the room.

From the very beginning, they are welcomed with a signature goodie bag especially curated by me, valued at hundreds of dollars. Every item is thoughtfully chosen so they feel celebrated, spoiled, and proud to be part of something special. There are ambassador opportunities, brand collaborations, and continued visibility long after graduation.

More than anything, what they receive is my heart. I do not hold back. I give them the full weight of what I know so they can walk into any studio feeling prepared, steady, and deserving of their place there. And I believe they feel that investment. They work hard not because they are pressured, but because they are supported. When someone pours everything into you, you rise to meet it.

What I’m most proud of is that studios trust the name. The growth has been organic. Word of mouth. Results. Reputation.

Pilates Thierry stands for one thing above all: when instructors are trained properly, technically, mentally, and emotionally, they belong in any room they walk into.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Most people are surprised to learn that fitness was not my first world.

Fashion was.

From fourteen to nineteen, I worked as a celebrity stylist assistant. I lived in red carpets, fittings, deadlines, magazine shoots. At nineteen, while attending FIDM in downtown Los Angeles, I launched my own fashion line.

It looked glamorous.

It was not.

I remember running barefoot down Rodeo Drive to return designer gowns before strict deadlines. Carrying diamonds in unmarked bags because discretion mattered. Managing hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of clothing and jewelry under intense pressure.

I didn’t vacation. I didn’t party in high school. I worked.

That world taught me discipline, stamina, and composure under pressure. It taught me how to perform when eyes are on you. It sharpened my attention to detail, something that now shows up in how I teach and build curriculum.

But fashion never gave me grounding.

Pilates did.

Fitness gave me something quieter and deeper, longevity, purpose, and emotional steadiness. It didn’t just challenge my body. It anchored my mind.

And ultimately, that’s why Pilates Thierry is built the way it is.

Because I know what it feels like to live in high-pressure environments.

And I know how powerful it is to finally feel safe inside your own body.

Pricing:

• Reformer – $3000
• Mat – $1000
• Tower – $1000
• Chair – $650

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ashleythierry.com
• Instagram: Pilates_thierry_llc

Image Credits
Rebecca Dickie
Julian Quinzon
Samath Yos