Today we’d like to introduce you to Carleigh Lipman.
Carleigh, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Ventura County in California and I was immediately placed in dance classes at the age of three. Starting at a young age, my love for movement grew. I loved the creative outlet it gave me, I loved that I could work my body in new ways, and I loved the community that dance offered. After high school, I attended California State University, Fullerton to get my Bachelors in Dance. At CSUF my studies revolved around different types of dance and movement; in addition to that, I was also simultaneously learning about kinesiology and the anatomy of the body. I have always been fascinated with what the body could do and how connected it could feel.
I always did a good job of listening to my body and knowing when not to push, and because of that, I never suffered any injuries… Well, until my junior year of college. As a dance major, or a professional dancer for that matter, the hours of dancing are long and you can wear down your body easily. My back started to bother me when I had to stand still. There would be times when I had to stand for long hours and the discomfort really affected me and my pain tolerance levels. I couldn’t understand why I was feeling this way. I didn’t suffer a fall or an acute injury. I was 20 years old and I was in really good shape. I tried seeing doctors but after many failed attempts at figuring out how to solve my problem with x-rays, blood samples, and pain medication… I still wasn’t seeing the improvement that I wanted, so I decided to seek out other avenues to give me the results I needed.
I knew of Pilates because most of my dance teachers were Pilates instructors. I always thought it would be such a fun job and I admired them but never understood how much of an effect Pilates could have on me or my body. I started taking sessions, as I thought it might help with my pain, and I started to notice a different kind of strength in my body. Areas where I expected myself to be connected to, were not so connected to me… and I started to see the extreme flexibility that I was so proud of was making it hard for me to stabilize my body. I instantly knew I needed to get certified in Pilates. I was lucky enough to go through BASI’s comprehensive teacher certification and be trained under the incredible Gail DeSart at Mindbody Wellness in Ventura County. I feel like she was a game-changer in making me understand the body and all that it’s capable of. Gail also introduced me to Foundation Training, which was developed by Eric Goodman. From the combination of Pilates and Foundation Training, my back pain was gone. It was the most liberating experience to feel like my hard work paid off and that I could heal my body on my own without the help of medication, surgery, or a trip to the doctors office. From that moment on, I knew what I discovered was special and that I had to share it with everyone I knew.
Has it been a smooth road?
Running your own business definitely comes with its share of growth opportunities and lessons to learn. When you find something you’re passionate about, you get so excited to share it with others – but don’t realize all of the other thousands of details you have to take care of. Let’s just say I have to wear many different hats! However, I am so grateful for this business in teaching me so many new valuable tools and life lessons. The one lesson that stands out to me the most is how I need to be constantly making sure that my needs are met. As a business owner and instructor, it is easy to give and give all day long to the point where I have nothing left in me to give. Doing this does not benefit my work life or my personal life. Making sure my needs are met looks like: self-care time, saying no to things that aren’t a “hell yes”, making time for joy, getting rest when I can, etc. Finding this balance isn’t always perfect, but I notice it makes a big difference in how I show up for my clients, family, friends, and self.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Pilates by Carleigh – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Pilates by Carleigh offers private training in Pilates, Foundation Training, and soon to be NeuroKinetic Therapy (NKT). Our clients come into PBC looking to get stronger, achieve a greater range of motion, and rehab pain or injuries. We like to focus on postural work with our clients and have found that the significance placed on proper body movements help tremendously with growth during each session. The PBC team places an emphasis on educating their clients and creating strategies that will help them reach their fitness and lifestyle goals – pain-free!
I have found that this protocol is effective at looking at the body as a whole and for the individual. The similarities and differences in each client is amazing to see, and getting them to learn their own body and how to take care of themselves is very important to us. This process takes patience and effort as we find the subtleties that the client might not be aware of, while we help create an awareness. I understand that it can feel intimidating if you’re constantly walking into a session, having to face the uncomfortable and unknown. If you are able to get past that and place trust in us as part of your team of people that care about your health and wellbeing, we can really achieve some pretty cool things!
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Los Angeles is a great home to health professionals that are at the forefront of their practices. It’s great to be in the hub that’s always finding the next best thing, pushing for health and wellness, and establishing tolerance for all the different ways to try to create a balanced system. Our clients come in ready for whatever we’re going to throw at them and very few are not game for the weird exercises and systems we have in place. They know and trust that it will work, and I think it’s partly due to the location we live in and the people we see in our area. With that being said, it’s easy to see that this city can get oversaturated with so many opinions and ideas of what is deemed good and what is deemed bad in the health and wellness category.
Sometimes it gets to be overwhelming and I really wish for more simplicity. For this reason, in our sessions we try to keep it simple and train the system as a whole and work not only the big muscles but the small muscles too. We make you train strong, but also light. We value rest and going easy when it’s necessary – and then kicking it up a notch when it’s needed. The big picture is all about the balance of everything. We promote learning how to listen to your own body and to not follow too many fads. Once you learn your body’s cues, you can tune out all the noise and make educated decisions of what is right for you and your body, instead of always rushing towards the next best thing.
Pricing:
- 3 Session Introductory Package rate: $255
- Single Session: $120
- 5 Session Package: $550
- 10 Session Package: $1050
- At-Home Session: $195
Contact Info:
- Address: 2422 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90403 - Website: www.pilatesbycarleigh.com
- Phone: (805)298-7827
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: pilatesbycarleigh
Image Credit:
Kara Beth Nixon (www.karanixon.com)
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