All Things Pilates with Darien Gold - Pilates Expert

There has been a flurry of published Pilates manuals coming out of Germany, and more specifically, authored by a Pilates instructor named Reiner Grootenhuis. As a Pilates studio owner, Reiner recognized a need to document Joe’s method in all of its heritage. Reiner has published a number of books, including the well received biography on Carola Trier, one of Joe’s most talented students. About Darien Gold ~ https://www.dariengold.com Music credits ~ Instagram: @theotherjohnmayer Email: mayerranchrecordings@gmail.com About Reiner Grootenhuis ~ https://pilates-powers.de Become a show supporter! https://www.buzzsprout.com/332675/supporters/new Support the show

In this episode, Sonje Mayo, a Pilates educator and physical therapist talks about how she’s combines her experiences as a Joe Pilates student with her physical therapy background. In 2018 when All Things Pilates was a live radio show, Sonje was a guest and I and my listeners learned a bit about her. For instance, we learned about Sonje moving from her South African home to dance in England and then to NewYork City to continue her dance career. She also told us about studying dance at the famed Martha Graham school and how she discovered Joe Pilates. Like many dancers injured and/or simply needing a conditioning method, Sonje found herself at the Controlgoy studio. Over a period of two years she learned the Contrology system from Joe Pilates. Armed with her extensive education, Sonje travels around the world helping Pilates teachers understand how to get the most out of the Method. About Darien Gold ~ https://www.dariengold.com Music credits ~ Instagram: @theotherjohnmayer Email: mayerranchrecordings@gmail.com Become a show supporter! https://www.buzzsprout.com/332675/supporters/new About Sonje Mayo ~ https://sonjemayo.com Support the show

Our guest today is Marcela Zia, a former professional ballet dancer, who now represents Empower Pilates, a classical Pilates apparatus company in Brazil. Based on Joe Pilates original designs, but also responsive to the teachers who use the equipment, this company is the latest in the growing need for quality classical apparatus. When I refer to Joe’s apparatus as “classical” for those who don’t know, it implies that Joe’s designs are carefully preserved with minimal changes, if any. I remember vividly Romana sharing with us that she would monthly or at least regularly, visit the Gratz Industries factory, at that time, in Long Island City, Queens to make sure they were complying with Joe’s specifications. I’ve asked our guest, Marcela to tell us about Empower Pilates, and what the reception has been like especially, here in America. About Darien Gold ~ https://www.dariengold.com Music credits ~ Instagram: @theotherjohnmayer - Email: mayerranchrecordings@gmail.com Become a show supporter! https://www.buzzsprout.com/332675/supporters/new About Empower Pilates ~ https://www.empowerpilates.com.br/en Support the show

Now part of the Penguin Random House Author club, Gwen Miller is all smiles and is here to share what it’s like to be a new published author. Last season, Gwen helped us understand about various spinal pathologies and how she was preparing for the publication of her upcoming book, Safe Movement for All Spines. Today, I thought we’d like to hear from Gwen again, about how it felt to see her book in print, what the response has been and what she hopes to accomplish with her book. About Darien Gold ~ https://www.dariengold.com Music credit ~ Instagram: @theotherjohnmayer - Email: mayerranchrecordings@gmail.com Become a show supporter! https://www.buzzsprout.com/332675/supporters/new About Gwen Miller ~ https://www.gwenmillerstudio.com As a Hendrickson Method® Manual Therapist, Gwen combines orthopedic manual therapy with movement to help her clientele achieve and maintain their quality of life. Her advanced certifications qualify her to work with spinal pathologies, with an emphasis on scoliosis. She is a Corrective Holistic Exercise Corrective Holistic Exercise (CHEK Practitioner 3), Master Scolio-Pilates® Teacher, and is certified in Yoga for Scoliosis®. Gwen is also a Principal Educator for Balanced Body® Pilates Education and enjoys mentoring teachers and developing community amongst movement professionals. Support the show

In this episode, we’re going to hear from two very influential Pilates educators, Pat Guyton and Kevin Bowen. You may recall from last season listening to the wonderful Pat Guyton and if you’ve been following me for a few years, you might have heard my radio interview with Kevin Bowen on KPCA-Petaluma. Pat and Kevin have known and worked with each other ever since Kevin founded the Pilates Method Alliance in 2000. And both of my guests have gone on to teach and mentor Pilates teachers around the globe leaving lasting impressions on all of their students. This interview may be somewhat provocative because we’ll be touching on the unrest surrounding the PMA, little known tidbits about the First generation teachers, and the current state of our Pilates community. About Darien Gold ~ https://www.dariengold.com Music credits ~ Instagram: @theotherjohnmayer - Email: mayerranchrecordings@gmail.com Become a show supporter! https://www.buzzsprout.com/332675/supporters/new About Pat Guyton ~ https://patguytonpilates.com Pat is the founder and owner of Pilates Conservatory®, which offers mentorship programs, continuing education and a comprehensive teacher training program. About Kevin Bowen ~ https://coredynamicspilates.com Kevin is the owner and Director of Core Dynamics Pilates, a comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training Program based upon the Eve Gentry lineage. Featured on various news programming and publications such as CNN, ABC, WSJ, L A Times and Miami Herald, Kevin continues advocating for the Pilates profession. Kevin was also the co-founder of Pilates Method Alliance (PMA). As the executive director of the Human Rights Alliance in Santa Fe, NM, Kevin is also a committed ally and activist to the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. Support the show

Healing is a word that’s tossed around a lot, even in the Pilates community. But what constitutes healing and how do we know if healing is taking place? There are many paths to healing, and the melodic sound and vibrational quality of crystal bowls is such a path. Here to explain about this growing field is Carrie Miller, a Pilates teacher who teaches Pilates in Scottsdale, Arizona and has added sound healing into her teaching. About Darien Gold ~ https://www.dariengold.com Music credits ~ Instagram: @theotherjohnmayer - Email: mayerranchrecordings@gmail.com https://www.buzzsprout.com/332675/supporters/new About Carrie Miller ~ https://carriemillerpilates.com Support the show

Our hands. How often do you think about your hands and all they do for you each and everyday? We put them to work the moment we get out of bed until we turn the lights off at night. Our hands grab, wave, lift, hold, caress..and in addition, our wrists and arms allow us to practice for example, the Long Stretch series on the Reformer, or the Pull Up on the Wunda chair. Did you know that the forearm alone has over twenty muscles? Though crucial to everyday activities, our hands don’t get all that much attention. Joe understood this and invented devices to help strengthen fingers, hands and wrists. The Hands-Tens-O-meter and the Bean Bag roll up device can be found in many Pilates studios, and who knows what else Joe Pilates would have invented had he lived longer. About Darien Gold ~ https://www.dariengold.com Music credits ~ AKA Johnny Instagram: @theotherjohnmayer - Email: mayerranchrecordings@gmail.com Become a show supporter! https://www.buzzsprout.com/332675/supporters/new About Institute of Human Anatomy ~ https://instituteofhumananatomy.com Support the show

As you may recall, in 2000 the Pilates community experienced a collective sigh as the Pilates trademark was litigated in a court of law. However, this lawsuit resulted in the Pilates name not deemed proprietary. Now, in 2023, there is yet, another Pilates lawsuit pending, and my guest today Mary Kelly is right smack in the middle of it. Boston born, Mary, after discovering Pilates in 2008, went on to certify through Romana’s Pilates in 2016. I’ve asked Mary to share her perhaps cautionary story, and though it may give you pause, it’s important that our community understands what is at stake. About Darien Gold ~ https://www.dariengold.com Music credits ~ Instagram: @theotherjohnmayer Email: mayerranchrecordings@gmail.com Become a show supporter! https://www.buzzsprout.com/332675/supporters/new Contributions to the Go Fund Me campaign ~ https://www.gofundme.com/f/preserve-your-rightful-access-to-pilates-history?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer Support the show

Hello Pilates Lovers..Just 2 weeks away until All Things Pilates Season Five launches! And as usual, there are varied topics such as details of a Pilates lawsuit, an author’s new book about the spine, insights into cadavers and a healing modality using crystal bowls for the Pilates student. So mark your calendars for June 6th and be prepared for the provocative, the inspirational and lots and lots of opinions! See you very soon and as always, thank you so much for supporting All Things Pilates! Support the show

During Season Four, you learned about some of our Pilates history, how best to heal from a hip replacement, the emergence of new authors and even advice and tips on how to run a successful studio. As 2022 comes to a close, I’d like to acknowledge all of my podcast guests and to say thank you very much for sharing a little about yourself… Today’s podcast appearance: Jonathan Grubb Alison Jones Roberta Gratz Jennifer DeLuca Nancy Chin John Vignola Anna Shaffer Mary Bowen Christina Gadar Pat Guyton Rael Isacowitz Eva Rinke Gwen Miller Mair Culbreth Elizabeth Larkam Gordon Firemark George Tingo Carla Harris For more information about Darien Gold: https://www.dariengold.com Theme music: Soul Blues Piano Shuffle by Boom Zoom Support the show

As Season Four comes to a close, I thought it only fitting as we began the season with a First Generation Pilates teacher that we book end it with another. She is the most senior of our Pilates elders and is none other than Mary Bowen. Mary has taught the Contrology system for the last forty seven years. She is also a trained Jungian psychoanalyst and cleverly blended the two practices, naming it Pilates Plus Psyche which she continues to teach. Mary shares her wisdom and encouragement to the many generations of Pilates teachers who have come after her. For more information about Mary Bowen: https://pilates-marybowen.com For more information about Darien Gold: https://www.dariengold.com Theme music: Soul Blues Piano Shuffle by Boom Zoom Support the show

The Pilates Method Alliance had its beginnings in 2001. Kevin Bowen and Colleen Glenn, both Pilates teachers, shared a mutual interest in preserving Joe’s Method. So they invited Pilates teachers, including the First Generation - Ron Fletcher, Mary Bowen, Kathy Grant, Lolita San Miguel and even Romana Kryzanowska, though she didn’t attend. Also, equipment company owners, Ken Endelman and Moria Stott. They all met in Miami, Florida to form an organization and they set out to create a curriculum that would be the industry’s standard for certifying potential Pilates teachers. The PMA has had its ups and downs but has managed to survive for these last two decades. Enter Carla Harris. Hired in 2021 to step into the executive director role, Carla is determined to take the PMA in another direction that is more reflective of today's Pilates community. For more information about the Pilates Method Alliance: https://pilatesmethodalliance.org For more information about Darien Gold: https://www.dariengold.com Theme music - Soul Blues Piano Shuffle by Boom Zoom Support the show

My guest today is Roberta Gratz, co-owner of Gratz Industries and wife of the late Donald Gratz, whose father Frank along with a business partner opened a custom metal fabrication business Treitel/Gratz in New York City in the 1920’s. When Mr. Tretial moved on, Frank renamed the business Gratz Industries, Inc. and continued to fabricate sculptures, metal furniture and produce industrial design prototypes for many of the worlds top designers. Donald, Frank’s younger son joined his father after finishing college and a stint in the Army. At one point in the mid 1960’s one aspect of their metal furniture business began to slow down leaving room for a unique but untested type of business. On a serendipitous afternoon in 1968, Donald while delivering a metal furniture piece to one of his customers met Romana Kryzanowska at his customer’s home. Romana had needed a manufacturer for her apparatus as more and more teachers were arriving at her studio eager to learn Pilates from her and then needing apparatus to work on at home. It was this fortuitous meeting with Romana that opened a new line of business for Gratz Industries, located at that time in Long Island City, Queens - it was the birth of classical Pilates apparatus. Special thanks to KPCA-Petaluma Music credit: Summer Sidewalk by Audionautix For more information about Gratz Industries: https://www.pilates-gratz.com For more information about Darien Gold: https://www.dariengold.com Theme music: Soul Blues Piano Shuffle by Boom Zoom Support the show

Second Generation Pilates instructors, like myself are referred to as such because we’ve had the privilege of learning the Method from one of Joseph Pilates’ disciples. But there are a handful of us who have had the opportunity to work with more than one disciple and and one of those instructor’s is my guest today. Her name is Pat Guyton. Though Pat wouldn’t begin her Pilates journey until 1984, she actually met Bruce King 1976, the first of 3 Joe Pilates disciples that she would eventually, work with. Then in 1992, she met and began learning Pilates with the second disciple, Kathy Grant and then Ron Fletcher in 1995 - these 3 First Generation teachers, among others who studied with Joe, are known to us as the Pilates Elders. Of the three teachers, Ron Fletcher had the biggest impact on Pat. She spent thirteen years working for and along side him. She completed over 90 workshops from 1995 - 2006. So impressed Ron was in Pat’s diligence and hard work, she became a senior teacher, then he named her master teacher as well as an assistant for his Ron Fletcher method. She was also awarded a Certificate of Merit by Ron in 1997 and 2006. Pat is a published author, a Level Three Franklin Method educator, an alumni board member of the PMA and spent a decade as a registered physical medicine assistant at Boulder Osteopathic Center. For more information about Pat Guyton: https://patguytonpilates.com Theme music: Soul Blues Piano Shuffle by Boom Zoom For more information about Darien Gold: https://www.dariengold.com Support the show

This podcast has featured First Generation Pilates teachers, Second Generation teachers, authors, photographers, equipment owners and even a Pilates historian, but I’ve yet to feature just a regular guy who has taken a liking to the Pilates method. I thought it might be interesting for us to hear from a Pilates civilian, if you will, who also happens to be my BIL - brother-in-law, John Vignola or JV, as everyone calls him. When I was healing from Covid, my sister and JV were so gracious in allowing me to recover at their house. On the days I felt strong enough, I’d work with JV and teach him some of the mat exercises and stretches to help him free up his chronic achy low back. As an lifelong athlete, beginning with high school and college gymnastics, JV spent decades weight training and body building. However, a sports injury he sustained over 28 years ago never fully healed, that is, until I introduced him to the Pilates mat work. Stunned by the immediate results, JV wanted more and joined one of my weekly mat classes. For those of you who may have people in your lives that still think Pilates is really best suited for professional dancers or athletes, please have them listen to this interview. This episode is dedicated to just regular guys and gals, who if interested in devoting time and effort, will get tremendous benefits thru practicing the Pilates Method. You might say, this Method is your true friend with benefits! Theme music: Soul Blues Piano Shuffle by Boom Zoom For more information about Darien Gold: https://www.dariengold.com Support the show

Jonathan Grubb, Pilates historian appeared on my show for the first time a couple of years ago. He talked about his history based Facebook page, called, “Joseph’s Legacy - Pilates 100 + which at the time had already attracted five thousand followers. Jonathan has lived almost his entire life on the Isle of Man which is a small island in the Irish Sea off the coast of Great Britain. He was introduced to the Pilates Method in 2013, but he had no idea at the time how his life would intersect with Joe Pilates. When Jonathan and I first talked, you may remember that he told us of his amazement at discovering that the man whose method he was studying, had been interned on the Isle of Man at Camp Knockaloe, the largest internment camp during World War One. And to his utter surprise, he also learned that his own great-grandfather, Jakob Grubb was not only another internee at Camp Knockaloe, but unbelievably, imprisoned in the same sub camp as Joe. From that point on, a flurry of research about Joe and the lives he touched ensued and to this day, continues. Jonathan’s Facebook page now has almost fifteen thousand followers who are transfixed by his on-going discoveries. With his honorable reputation, he’s been given access to archival material and shares these items on his page. One example, is an inquiry letter from Joe Pilates to Anna Shaffer, a guest on this show, who studied with him for nearly sixtenn years. So, my faithful listeners, get comfortable and sit back as you listen to Jonathan’s story and you’ll even be hearing for the first time, new information he has yet to make public. For more information about Jonathan Grubb: https://renewpilatesiom.com Theme music - Soul Blues Piano Shuffle by Boom Zoom For more information about Darien Gold: https://www.dariengold.com Support the show

Jennifer DeLuca, owner of BodyTonic Pilates Gymnasium in Brooklyn, NY. Jennifer began her Pilates life in 1985 at the esteemed High School for the Performing Arts in New York City. Part of the curriculum was a semester of the Pilates Mat under the tutelage of Nancy Butler. Not exactly wowed by Pilates, Jennifer couldn’t have anticipated how her love of dance and movement would intersect with the Pilates method. Joe Pilates said, "A healthy body is your birthright,” but his quote would be tested when Jennifer discovered a lump in her breast and was diagnosed with breast cancer in July of 2020. Learning she had the BRCA gene, Jennifer made the hard decision to have a double mastectomy. So began her journey of isolation, surgeries and chemotherapy. She credits the support of her staff, clients and her own Pilates practice for helping her return to health. Today, Jennifer has no known cancer and she and her business, BodyTonic are thriving. For those who are dealing with any kind of health issue, you may find this interview very inspiring. For more information about Jennifer DeLuca: https://www.body-tonic.com Theme music: Soul Blues Piano Shuffle by Boom Zoom For more information about Darien Gold: https://www.dariengold.com Support the show

There is no machine that man has invented that can compete with the complexity of our own human spine. The Spine is a masterpiece of science and art. A pillared tapestry of bones, muscles, joints, nerves and connective tissue. But sometimes our spines fail us, they either can no longer keep us upright or disease has decreased normal range of motion or there is simply the pain of wear and tear. However, there might be help for these types of issues, and with us to discuss them is Gwen Miller, an integrated therapist who specializes in spinal pathology. Gwen has developed, written and taught an array of continuing education workshops and courses on various spinal pathologies such as scoliosis and osteoporosis. Gwen is also a published author. North Atlantic Books, a subsidiary of Penguin Publishing will release Gwen’s book, Safe Movement for All Spines, A guide to spinal anatomy and how to work with 21 spine and hip conditions in the spring of 2023. For more information about Gwen Miller: https://gwenmillerstudio.com Theme music: Soul Blues Piano Shuffle by Boom Zoom For more information about Darien Gold: https://www.dariengold.com Support the show

Entrepreneurship. What is that exactly? And what does it have to do with the Pilates Method? Well, if are you a Pilates instructor or studio owner, then you may find this interview especially interesting. Our guest is George Tingo, an entrepreneur who has a 40-year career in business and law and founded and practiced law in a San Francisco based business law firm. He was the Founder/CEO of a multitude of national and international service, manufacturing and technology companies, including CEO for a publicly traded company. For those of us who own our own studios and even those who are independent Pilates instructors, I’ve asked George from his perspective, what it takes to keep a business running and how better we might manage our studios. As George will explain, a healthy business has three goals. Your business for profit, your business for the betterment of others, and thirdly, your business for creating your own peace of mind. George is an avid golfer and yoga practitioner and perhaps one day soon, a Pilates client! Theme music: Soul Blues Piano Shuffle by Boom Zoom Support the show

Our guest today is Nancy Chin, owner of Pilates Avenue Los Gatos in the city of Los Gatos, California. She is a graduate of the Vintage Pilates program called, The Work. Last summer, Nancy had a life changing experience that impacted her own Pilates practice and gave her an entirely new understanding of the body - especially, the pelvic region. After many years of dealing with an extremely painful hip, Nancy decided to have her hip replaced. I’m not sure if there are statistics that show the number of Pilates instructors who have hip replacements, but I thought Nancy would be the perfect person to take us through the surgery, the post surgical phase and if the Pilates method had assisted in recovering her balance, strength and mobility. For more information about Nancy Chin: https://www.pilatesavenue.com Theme music: Soul Blues Piano Shuffle by Boom Zoom For more information about Darien Gold: https://www.dariengold.com Support the show