Life and Work with Marisa Oldefest NCPT, owner of Peace Of Mind Pilates and Executive Stylist with Peach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marisa Oldefest NCPT, owner of Peace Of Mind Pilates and Executive Stylist with Peach.

Marisa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I took my first Pilates private session in 1997 at a physical therapy clinic. I was going through rehab for a neck injury from an auto accident. 30 minutes into my session, I felt relief from my pain and more mobility in my neck and back. Pilates changed my life at that moment and I changed my career path from retail management to begin a Pilates teacher training in Denver. I taught for a local studio for five years and when I had my son opened a private Pilates studio in my home so I could be home to raise my two children. I formed Peace Of Mind Bodywork in 2000 after becoming certified in massage therapy, then renamed my business to Peace Of Mind Pilates in 2014. After teaching in my home studio for 16 years, I began renting a studio space with three other Pilates teachers in South Denver. Pilates is my passion and I love working with clients of all ages from 10-95 to help them heal from injury and pain and move freely in their bodies!

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?
Teaching Pilates is the easy part of my business. The challenges come from doing all the business end by myself. As a studio owner and teacher you are in charge of ALL the sides! Marketing yourself can sometimes be a challenge because you are constantly needing to do it to keep growing. As a Pilates teacher you need to be comfortable with selling yourself so you can grow your clientele. My business has been built one client at a time and with referrals and word of mouth. This can be frustrating for new teachers entering the industry because most teacher training programs don’t address this. Most teachers finish their training and think they will get a job with a studio with a full 8-hour class load a day. This is often not the case. It takes promoting yourself and networking to build a successful clientele.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Peace Of Mind Pilates – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
One of my favorite sayings is “your vibe attracts your tribe”. Having discovered the Pilates work due to an injury that is the clientele who I tend to attract. Most of my clients come to me to get out of pain. The most rewarding part of teaching for me is watching my clients get stronger and more mobile in their bodies. Sometimes it brings me to tears to my eyes to witness that!

Another aspect of my Pilates studio is also being a stylist for Peach Athletic wear. I was the first studio in the Denver area to bring in this startup brand. Peach is a company that is founded and run by women and supports female entrepreneurs. This company has been a great addition to my Pilates studio, as their mission is in line with mine of helping women feel good and thrive!

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
Aside from always reading parenting books in search of advice on raising two teenagers, I also love to nerd out on anything relating to the Pilates Industry, Business and Anatomy/Physiology. My favorite podcast is Pilates Unfiltered with Jenna Zafino and I am currently reading Dare to Lead by Brene’ Brown.

Pricing:

• New Client Special- 4 Pilates Privates for $260
• 20% off 8 Group Class Package for any new clients who have previous Pilates Reformer experience

Contact Info:

• Address: 1776 S. Jackson St Suite 100
  Denver, Co 80210
• Website: peaceofmindpilates.com
• Phone: 303-525-7491
• Email: marisa@peaceofmindpilates.com
• Instagram: @peaceofmindpilates
• Facebook: @peaceofmindpilates

Image Credit:
Shon Oldefest

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