March 20, 2017

Meet Ashlee Carignan of Pilates With Ashlee in Beverlywood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashlee Carignan.

Ashlee, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I come from an athletic background, including playing competitive soccer through college to a dedicated life in gyms and fitness classes. My Pilates career started 10 years ago when I completed an intense certification program of the Ivan Dahl Method. I was quickly addicted to the practices of Pilates and became excited by the idea of building a career centered on teach people Joseph’s theory of complete coordination between the body, mind and spirit. It’s been nothing short of a gift to work with men and women of all ages, sizes and backgrounds on their physical, mental and emotional transformations. My education includes a window of time where I was studying 7 days per week. After a series of residencies at some of LA’s most popular studios, I recently launched my own location in the Beverlywood neighborhood of LA, appropriately called “Pilates with Ashlee.” My clients include bonafide beginners to Pro Olympic Athletes.

My studio also offers a newly launched “Buddy System” where I partner clients with new people on their level in an effort to also forge new friendships at my studio.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
If the road was smooth, I feel like everyone would have their own studio! Starting and running this business is more gratifying than not, but it isn’t without ongoing struggles. Each of these hurdles have helped me build my business stronger along the way. It’s a process of learning what works and what doesn’t. The biggest challenge for me has been addressing the issue of scaling.

The studio is great, the product is great and I am fortunate to have very supportive clientele. They are truly an army that is actively recruiting their friends to join. Many of them do, which leaves me with more bodies than I can handle at times. Finding and training new instructor talent has proven to be difficult, but I am dedicated to working through this problem area and growing. I guess in this case, what doesn’t kill me is literally making other people stronger!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Pilates With Ashlee – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
The Pilates scene in LA is very competitive, so I get asked this question a lot. Few things set me apart from other studios and are the catalyst of my success. First, I am all-inclusive. My clients of are all ages, all body types and all levels of experience. Many of my clients tell me that other classes felt intimidating, as they are filled with a specific genre of student (both visually and skillfully). My classes are truly catered to the client and I give my student my full patience and encouragement. Their time with me is about them, their goals and their progress, ongoing! This leads me to the Pilates with Ashlee BUDDY SYSTEM. To help keep my classes some of the most affordable in town, my studio offers a pairing system to achieve a group class setting. This system allows every client the choice to be paired up with 1-2 people based on skill level and schedule. No more walking into a studio not knowing what workout you’re gonna get. At PWA you have the intimacy of a private at the same time knowing you’re gonna get a killer workout for the same price or even less. In all honesty, this can be very time intensive, but I do it to make sure my clients have a great experience and hopefully bond with other clients as well.

I am most proud of the fact that I built everything from nothing. I came to LA under difficult circumstances. No money, just exiting a hurtful marriage and basically starting from scratch. Not something I’ve ever watched on ABC’s “Shark Tank”! I credit all of my success to a true passion for this work, it is the anchor of my existence, and to my very loyal clients. They are my partners and have allowed Pilates with Ashlee to grow and thrive.

In the last 6 months the company’s growth has doubled. I’ve had a Pilates With Ashlee signature sweatshirt I can’t keep in stock, and my Instagram has rose to 6000 followers in 4 short months. We are on track for a big successful 2017!!

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I am currently focused on building out the Pilates with Ashlee BUDDY SYSTEM and growing my studio. Down the line, I plan to start a teacher training program and series of workshops that caters to newly-certified instructors. This combines physical training and techniques, with my insight on how to start building a business and clientele and ultimately mentorship. My clients often tell me that their sessions feel like 5 minutes. There is a lot of thought and research that goes into routines that are fun and feel effortless, but without a doubt, they make a difference.

I’m looking to start my first workshop over August/Sept 2017 and this is just the beginning for PWA!

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