Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Olin
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?
My story.. hmm that’s a long conversation. Lol. I’m born and raised in Philly. Graduated from Rutgers University started with pre-physical therapy quit and ended up with a degree in Sociology and I knew I would never find a job lol. I worked in the corporate sector doing random jobs like HR, sales, recruiting and I quickly found that I hated being confined within 4 walls with no windows and a cubicle! I”ve always been interested in beauty, wellness and fitness in high school but never thought I could pursue a well paying job much less a career in it. I went to an open house to become an esthetician and a licensed massage therapist and that was it! That stuck for 2 decades. I pursued various roles/positions within the spa realm like lead therapist, service trainer, product trainer, manager, even owned my own little spot off Lincoln road in South Beach. I think I enjoyed doing SPA b/c it was the most rewarding job/career I’ve ever been a part of. It was more therapeutic and healing for me that it was for the client. There’s something so visceral and powerful about touch therapy and human connection that’s healing.
How I came into the Pilates world? Well I got into 3 major accidents all in Miami! It’s a dangerous place to live, drive and ride a bike!. I got hit twice on my bicycle while I was training for triathalons b/c I was bored and I got into a horrible boating accident b/c the driver was high and I didn’t know it. It hit a sand bar going full speed and almost flipped completely over and I was thrown from the front of the boat to the back. So tons of accidents in my mid/late 20’s. Being young I bounced back however, it wasn’t until I started aging and going through various life milestones like getting married, having kids, doing stupid works outs like crossfit and boot camps to lose weight affected my body and spine. I always tell my clients you never listen when your body is screaming at you to stop or it’s in pain until you’re made to listen and it literally shuts down to protect itself. And that’s what it did. I hit a wall- my body started to shut down physically, my nervous system was completely shot and I panicked. I went through a lot of therapy, physical, mental and emotional and interpersonal spiritual I would say and healed my own body. No medical doctor would help me, they didn’t know what to do with me and they just told me to get spinal surgery for my herniations in my neck and back and I would be stuck just being on pain medications for the rest of my life. I refused to believe that so I started to get certified , explore, research and deep dive into somatic movement, myo-fascial therapy, structural integration therapy, breath-work, RAPID neuro fascial therapy. Even personal training!
I came upon the Pilates reformer originally in Miami, I had a great sports chiro at the time who was progressive and after the second bike accident he said try it,, I heard it helps heal your spine and strengthen joints and core. There was 1 little studio on south beach that had it at the time and it was super expensive. I loved it but I couldn’t afford it. Fast forward, I met my future husband in Miami and we decided to get out and move to San Diego. CA. Well when I moved to the fitness capitol of the country where very major fitness head quarters is there, Pilates Reformer classes were so cheap! That was when Groupon was around and there was no digital marketing or social media like FB and Instagram. Classes were like $10! So I went everyday sometimes even twice a day bc my spine, my back and my body felt so good and strong. Well that little studio that I was going to everyday was the original studio of the original founder of club pilates. Allison Beardsley. I went through her teacher training program and the rest is history. When she sold the company to what is now known as xponential fitness there were just in the infancy of expanding into the Florida market. My husband and I decided to move back to Florida b/c California was so damn expensive especially after having our second child. Eric is from the central florida area, born and raised and his parents are in winter park and Apopka so it was a natural choice to move to central Florida. I worked for club pilates corporate for a few years opening new studios in florida, I opened the CP winter park location and was the studio manager there. I also worked as a master trainer for CP education program and I was tired and burnt out from working 60-70 hours away week managing, teaching and travelling for education. CP was going in a direction that no longer aligned with my goals and my future. So I walked away and did nothing for 6 months to figure out next steps. I never wanted to open my own studio b/c I saw and experienced how much work it was especially the self sacrifice of time away from my family. I saw the toll it took on the individual studio owners mentally emotionally and physically. Franchises are not easy. It’s a risk and someone or something always gets the bad end of the stick. It wasn’t until after I took a 6 month hiatus’s that I realized I missed movement and therapy. I started taking private clients in my house for myofascial work and pilates and I soon outgrew my house and rented a office space next door to my husband in the same building. I quickly outgrew that space and then I had to take that leap of faith and courage to start looking for a brick and mortar for a studio space. It wasn’t easy to find. I scoured the market for 6 months even drove around everyday and one day when I was coming home from the vet in casselberry I looked to my right and I saw my future space in a gritty shopping plaza warehouse. It was a hot mess but I saw the potential. I approached the landlord/owner and I sold them my vision and they took a chance and believed in me when no one would. I couldn’t get a loan to save my life. I took out personal loans and maxed out my credit cards to make it work. By the grace of god I got my equipment second hand from a studio that switching out all 12 of their reformers to something else in Texas and I hired a friend’s trucking company to go pick up the equipment (that saved me $60 grand!). The universe just gave me green lights all the way, every day every step of the way. No road blocks.. so I said yes and here we are getting ready to open a second location in winter garden fl!. I wanted to re-created that special community and magic from Allison’s original Club Pilates Studio off Morena blvd in San Diego Ca. That culture got lost when franchising . I want to expand my brand with quality control, authenticity and do it with integrity. I think that education is the key. I”m passionate about educating the current and future pilates instructors out there. If you teach them right, train them right and nurture them they will shine and then that generation of teachers will create something magical. The instructors are the product not the studio. People come for the instructors . I’m on a mission to impact the world of pilates and movement in general !
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Hell no! If it was smooth I wouldn’t be who I am today with pure grit and determination ! I wouldn’t define them to be struggles but more life milestones along the way that have taught me resilency, sheer determination and will power to succeed.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Soteria means “salvation” in Greek. I chose that name because it embodies and represents what I do and what we do at Soteria. We save lives in every way shape and form. Physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I am a healer and an educator and when you see the name Soteria Pilates I want people to equate that with SALVATION. A place of solace to disconnect from the world and their daily lives/routine. Soteria Pilates Brand vision is movement therapy, education, empowerment through progressive movement.. We want everyBODY to move freely and live pain free.
Soteria’s Mission is to provide personalized experiences and prioritize injury prevention, strength and long term wellness. We want anyone who walks in the door to find safe effective pathways to achieve their fitness goals.
Our tagline is Reimagine Strength, Redefine Movement to “reform your core”
We pride ourselves in offering the best pilates certification in town and we meet tradition with innovation. We combine classical Pilates principles with modern approaches to functional movement.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If you’ve never tried Pilates or are curious about Pilates reach out and try a class. You will be pleasantly surprised on how great you feel afterwards and how much more balanced your body and mind will feel from 1 session. Pilates will change your life and it is the answer for everything!
Pricing:
- Intro Special for new clients: Try 1 week for $65 @ Maitland
- Intro Special for new clients: Try 3 classes for $59 @ winter garden
- Private Training: New Client Specials: Try 3 sessions for $195
- Private Training: New Client Specials: Try 3 sessions for $225 @ Winter Garden
- Winter Garden Presales We are open NOW! 20% off membership packages for life! Limited Quanities only! Reach out info@soteriawintergarden.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.soteriapilates.com
- Instagram: @soteriapilates
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Soteriapilates/
- Other: Tik Tok: @soteriapilates
Image Credits
Kellie Warren -Photographer/Videographer
