Pilates Haus

One Instructor. One Client. We offer private reformer sessions in person at our New Braunfels, TX location and virtual private sessions wherever you are!

Founded in Lake Forest, IL. Proudly serving LF/LB virtually, and New Braunfels locally! Our physical location for one on one private sessions is located above the Phoenix Saloon in New Braunfles, TX. We will not be physically reopening our group reformer studio in Lake Forest, IL due to the many changes that covid has brought about, but we will continue to serve our Lake Forest and Lake Bluff clients virtually!

03/05/2026

The cost of chronic illness in the U.S. is….expensive

Took a trip down memory lane today and found my medical bills from 2019, the year my health became a huge problem.

I had hardly any records from the first 26 years of my life aside from immunization records, birth records, and MRI results from high school.

Then 27 hit and it felt like my body crumbled.

ER visits, urgent care visits, cardiology work ups, rheumatology appointments, labs, OBs, primary care, functional medicine drs and everything in between.

1 year, close to 30,000 and no answers.
Actually there was one, hypothyroidism.

But for the pain, the fatigue, the bloating, the headaches, the reactions to foods I used to love , the constant nausea, the gradual inability to keep up with an average pace of life. No answers.

Those come years later after thousands more.

This is with health insurance (that cost not factoring in).

I found an appeal letter I wrote when I applied for financial assistance for an ER bill and was denied in which I wrote verbatim “our bill is 26% of our annual income”

Then there was a chunk of bills on which I wrote the history of $20 payments I was making on various accounts to keep them out of collections.

This is part of what people mean when they say the system is broken. Sub par care with a luxury price tag.

Being sick here is ridiculously expensive.
Getting answers is more expensive.
Getting good care can add another layer of expense.

I know I’m one of the lucky ones and there are others with expenses far greater than mine that they need just to survive.

TLDR: don’t ask your chronic illness friends when they are going to buy a house, they’ve probably put down multiple down payments to their local hospital network.

02/25/2026

I’ve heard this, or a variation of it, many times on my parenting journey. “You’ve got a boy, just wait”.

I’m never really sure what I’m supposed to be waiting for. I think they mean, “wait for him to show you he’s a product of the patriarchy, don’t expect anything else, he’s just a boy.”

I find it ironic because these same people probably wouldn’t identify as a victim or label themselves as incompetent.

But that’s the advice they pass along. He’s just a boy, he won’t talk about his feelings, be observant or thoughtful, see injustice, or be accountable. In other words, just wait, you’ll see he is a victim of his assigned gender at birth and the patriarchy he’s surrounded by.

I have never needed to wait to see that my child is “just a product of the patriarchy,” nor have I ever believed my role as a parent is just to accept that.

Here is what I’ve learned while “waiting”…

My sons’ deep empathy isn’t special. His ability to articulate his feelings and name his needs isn’t unique. His confidence that he can ask for what he needs in a clear and kind way and be met with care isn’t rare. His expectation that people are accountable for their actions, that he should be treated with love and respect, and that we all repair when we mess up isn’t exceptional. His recognition of harmful systems and oppression isn’t miraculous. His ability to talk things out with friends, make clear requests, and notice injustice isn’t in spite of being a boy.

Children can grow up blind to systems that harm others because they are taught to stay inside them, to see them as normal, or to benefit from them without question.

Or

They can be taught how to move through the world with their eyes and hearts open.

I’m still “waiting” to watch my son grow into a young a man. But I’m not waiting for the world to teach him what that means.

Love this or hate this?
Read the full article on Substack

f**kthepatriarchy

01/06/2026

You’re not the first person to cry during a Pilates session, and you won’t be the last.

That’s either the best or the worst sales pitch for sessions with me 🤣

Whether I’m coaching someone through life changes, business choices, or movement, one theme constantly shows up. Presence is powerful.

Simply witnessing each other as we struggle, persevere, learn, grow and evolve is hugely impactful. And it’s not uncommon that emotions come up when we are met with presence… yes, even during Pilates.

If you’ve found yourself tearing up during a single thigh stretch, or have some emotions bubble up during a car cow, you’re not alone. There’s a real beauty in getting quiet and present, in feeling supported, and working through your body, mind and soul together.

Keep moving and breathing and showing up and crying 💕 and if this resonates with you, subscribe to my substack!

09/15/2025

When we step into something new, whether it’s a Pilates move, a new style, or a shift in identity, it’s going to feel weird and clunky at first. That’s completely normal.

As a coach, I’ve noticed how often people look outward for validation, searching for some sign that they’re measuring up, especially when something new feels weird. I’ve also noticed that the most powerful shifts happen when we learn to look inward instead.

My role is to help frame what “success” feels like, not by offering rigid standards, but by giving people a felt sense of alignment. For example, in Pilates I might tell a client the goal of a move is to feel warmth in their abdomen and no pain in their back. That becomes their internal reference point. They’re not chasing a perfect form; they’re learning what “right” feels like in their body. From that place, when they need help, they ask questions that sound more like, “Can you help me troubleshoot this?” and less like “Am I doing it right?”

Even with clear expectations, frustration and uncertainty are part of the learning process.

When things feel awkward, students will often hear me say: “It’s just weird. It’s just really hard. It’s going to feel unnatural for a while.” And then I remind them:
“You might just have to choose it every time.”
….

If you feel aligned with this m, I’d vow to have you over on my Substack where you can read the rest of this and other similar articles 🥰

Use the link in my bio to find and subscribe to Substack!

09/02/2025

Read the article featuring .mv? Same.

Here’s my thoughts.
Pilates can be political, in a really beautiful and liberating way. Teaching, especially women, to connect with their body, make choices that feel good, and to take up space is political. Offering places to speak up with needs, to be met with support and to be present with each other is political. Connecting with ourselves and each other is political.

I’m here for all of that.

OR

It can replicate harmful systems it was created in and alongside of. Without active intention, we end up mirroring systems around us.

We get to choose.
We can choose the language we use.
We can choose to actively fight against oppressive systems in the experiences we offer.
We can choose to stand over people or sit next to them.
We can choose to center People over methods and systems.
We can choose to partner with people and coach them instead of being another place for them to sit down, be quiet, and follow directions.

It’s an active choice.

If you’re into a Pilates experience that centers PEOPLE over a method, stick around for tips on HOW to do that.

Want to read all my thoughts on this?
Click link in bio for Substack info 😍

08/26/2025

Have you ever been told you weren’t good enough?

Maybe it was your parents, your peers, your pastor, or even your Pilates instructor.

I grew up believing not only was I not good enough, but that I wasn’t even good.

I still remember sitting on the edge of my grandmother’s bed at six years old, whispering a salvation prayer, terrified of going to Hell. The adults around me celebrated. All I felt was anxiety. That fear followed me for years—through every altar call I answered “just in case,” through family devotionals, through the quiet nights when I lay awake, afraid the devil could hear my thoughts.

To anyone outside, it’s clear what this was: control, coercion, cult.
 But inside, it felt like the truth. It was the framework I built my entire life on. I didn’t just believe it, I lived it, I taught it. And for that, I am deeply sorry.

Here’s what I’ve learned:
 Evangelical Christianity isn’t the only system where dogma trumps people. I’ve seen it in Pilates, too…

Read full article on Substack, link in bio 🎉

08/18/2025

Pietra
The middle name I was ashamed of.
The name of my grandmother, who I never really knew because my father didn’t teach me Italian. Her native tongue, his native tongue.

It’s a weird thing to be named after someone, you would ultimately be so disconnected with.

Pietra; Strength. Resilience. Stability.

These words feel so true and tender.
I know these characteristics belong to me
I know they belonged to her too.

Her strength, moving countries and crossing oceans. Her resilience, living in a foreign place, raising children and grandchildren, stepping into journeys she may not have always wanted to choose. Her stability is what I know she provided for all who loved her. She was always there. I wish I could have felt that magic from her too.

Stepping into my name, as foreign as it feels. I’m not the first one to enter a foreign place and set up home.

I spend a LOT of time talking one on one with people. People who are in transition, feeling stuck, feeling uncertain. I have the honor of a front row seat into so many journeys of Strength, Reslience, and Stability.

I know what it’s like to long for these things. I know what’s like to feel so far from them, so disconnected from my body, my heritage, myself.

I know what it’s like to find resilience I didn’t know I had. To walk through things I’d rather not, to make it through, and to find some joy in the process.

I know what it’s like taking for stability. To long for it so much you can’t think of anything else until you satisfy that craving.

I know what it’s like to feel strong and invincible, to feel weak and powerless, and to look back and see that weakness and strength always existed at the same time within me.

I’m not fully sure what this is yet.
But I know I’ve longed to share more of what happens in my life, in sessions, the Pilates stuff, but all the really powerful stuff that has nothing to do with Pilates.

I am sure of this.

Strength. Resilience. Stability.

These are mine to hold.
They are yours to hold.
They are ours.

Thanks for being here 💕

08/01/2025

Pilates with Chronic Illness in Mind is Coming again this fall!

- Ready to build a movement foundation?
- Looking for support to troubleshoot moving your body with chronic illness?
-Want a routine you can use to care for your bodies changing needs and energy levels?

Join some chronic illness peeps in this small, virtual course designed with your body in mind!

Use link in bio to Stay in the Know so you’re the first know when registration opens!

07/28/2025

The belief that people are resilient changed my life and teaching style dramatically. When we start with the belief that people are fragile, the outcomes and experiences we offer are very different than when we start from a place of believing people are resilient.

Resilience is not ignoring individual students needs. It’s not pushing someone just for the sake of just pushing them. It’s not assuming anything about the place someone shows up or what their body needs.

It is believing that everyone is able to listen to their body, to go through some degree of struggle, to learn something and to grow. That looks different for everyone!

What would happen if we started encouraging students to move bravely by tuning into themselves instead depending on instruction?

Could we be okay being excited when a student says they are trying a CrossFit, or Lagree or Club Pilates class instead of lecturing them on safety? Is it possible that our Pilates class is not the only safe place for them, but a place where they learn to find safety in their own body?

What beauty could flourish when we let go of any false beliefs that we actually have any control over another persons body, and instead start cheering them on as they move bravely?

If this is resonating, please like, save, share or follow to stick around for more content on how to center the experience of People doing Pilates over any one method 🎉

07/25/2025

The feedback from our first virtual class of “Pilates with Chronic Illness in Mind” is giving me all the feels.

This is the space I never had as someone juggling multiple Chronic Illnesses. It brings me immense joy to be able to create this space with beautiful people and to see others finding safety and freedom in movement.

If you’ve felt unsafe in most workout environments, tired of having to explain POTS, worried about being the person sitting down while everyone else’s body seemingly does what is asked of it… I see you.

If this speaks to you, please consider joining us for another small virtual series.
It’s a course, not a workout class! You can actually do this.
Learn skills to build a movement foundation over time, that adapts to your bodies changing needs.
Get LIVE feedback! Ever wonder where you should be feeling something? Ask and you’ll find out right then and there.
Classes are live but will all be recorded.

Use the link in bio “stay in the loop”, to be the first know when registration opens!

If this course isn’t for you right now but you resonate with this feedback, please know that finding a degree of safety in your body is absolutely possible. And I’m cheering you on in that journey!

07/04/2025

Presence is powerful.There are many days where Pilates feels insignificant, or even ridiculous to be talking about when I look around at everything going on in the world us. It is absolutely insignificant in comparison.But here’s what I know to be true. Presence is powerful.Presence says take a seat, you’re tired, rest. Presence says I see you, I’m here, we’re here. Presence says take a sip of safety. Presence says you’re not alone. People, especially with everything going on around us, crave spaces to be seen, to feel connected, to be heard and safe. While it feels insignificant, it’s a place we can intentionally pursue and offer the gift of presence. That’s how I’m going to keep showing up. Whether it’s in Pilates, a deep breath in the shower, a gaze at a sunrise or a hug from a friend, I hope you’re finding presence today.If you need to borrow a little bit of mine, here’s a beach in Sicily I can’t wait to go back to 💕

07/01/2025

Counting is not cueing.
This week, I’m walking you through 4 cueing styles that actually make a difference in your clients practice.

Save these if you’re a movement teacher shifting toward inclusive, intuitive, people-first spaces.

Directional Cues
Keep simple things simple.
What’s the set up, what’s moving, what’s not moving. That’s it.

If you complicate the set up, you’ve lost someone from the start.
If you want a nervous system friendly start, be kind by being clear. Layer in depth later.

Internal Cues
These are cues that encourage the bodies in front of us to go inward and be problem solvers. Give them the end goal and let them problem solve while making their own choices to get there.

Observational
Say what you see. Build trust with connection over correction.
Feeling an urge to correct? Pause and ask yourself what you’re seeing and what the goal is. Then your client in on the process.

For example… instead of “don’t move your pelvis” we could say something like “I see you working through where your pelvis feels best here”.

This is also a great opportunity to validating and normalizing statements.
“ I see you shaking, these are so challenging and that’s so normal”
“I see the power you’re using there!”

We are noticing and honoring and helping our clients to do the same.

Curiosity Cues
These help clients become their own best teacher. Instead of correcting what we think needs to change, we can get curious and invite our clients to be autonomous problem solves.

When we let them learn for themselves, the learning sticks, it’s internalized because they knew the goal, explored and found their own solution.

Instead of “don’t move your pelvis” after layering in observational cues we could say something” I’m wondering, if the goal is stability, how we could get there?” Or “feed them the thought to get there “I’m trying to straighten my legs with a relatively stable pelvis”

Other open ended option include…
-what are you sensing or experiencing here
-what feels sticky here?
-how could we troubleshoot this?

What’s your favorite way to add depth to cueing that actually helps your clients connect?

Address

193 W San Antonio Street Suite 206
New Braunfels, TX
78130

Telephone

+12245449855

Website

http://www.wearepilateshaus.com/

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