Today we’d like to introduce you to Nichole L’vov.
Hi Nichole, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am a Second Generation Master Pilates Teacher and owner of Pilates Unites Education Center in North Miami.
I came to Pilates due to pain. I have scoliosis and after 5 months of bedrest during my pregnancy, I was in such pain, I could barely carry my son. My friend suggested I try Pilates and I found a local studio and tried a private lesson. To say that that first lesson was life changing is an understatement. In one session, I felt so much relief. I started practicing Pilates with twice weekly private lessons. It wasn’t easy and at times, I thought I should give up but the benefits were just astounding. I had had infertility related to PCOS and major PTSD from my difficult pregnancy. When I came to Pilates, I felt “broken” and that I had lost all control over my body. Pilates gave me back my sense of power. With each new achievement – I could do a roll up unassisted, I could hold my legs in tabletop and not feel pain, I could do a push up with proper form- I built back confidence in myself and my body. I started having a cycle for the first time in my life. My back didn’t hurt anymore, I could carry all my groceries into the house in one trip! I became so enthusiastic about how the Method was changing me both physically and emotionally that I started telling everyone I knew. My husband suggested I become a Pilates teacher but I scoffed. How does a person with a Master’s Degree in Russian Literature suddenly become a fitness expert?! I knew nothing about the body. But I decided to be brave and sign up for the 500 hour program. It took 18 months to complete. I was fully certified in 2007 but had been teaching throughout the training. I opened my studio in Hightstown, NJ and never looked back.
After having a Pilates studio in New Jersey for 20 years, I unexpectedly moved to Miami 2 years ago. Initially, I decided to just “retire” but after 6 months, I missed teaching and sharing my passion for Pilates. So I started looking at rentals but eventually realized owning my own building was a better business strategy and so in December 2024, I opened Pilates Unites Education Center in North Miami. I wanted to have a place where I could share Pilates with customers, fellow teachers and feature Lolita’s Legacy Teacher Training which is a top tier comprehensive training program for new Pilates teachers. I am a Second Generation Master Teacher certified by Lolita San Miguel who is a renowned Pilates elder. Elders are those who trained directly with Joseph Pilates. Her mentorship has been the most valuable professional experience of my life and has shaped my mission to maintain the legacy of Joseph Pilates’ method and to bring awareness to him and his life’s work. I am also the publisher/editor of Joseph Pilates: A Biography, the first biography about Joseph Pilates published in English. It is a translated work by Eva Rincke, a German historian who wrote the most detailed biography documenting Joseph’s early life in Germany. The first and second editions of the biography have sold out. And I am currently working to bring a digital version to the world so that more people can access this book.
Today, I am striving hard to bring the next level of my dreams to fruition. I am planning the first ever Miami Pilates Conference in January 2027 featuring Lolita San Miguel and many top level master teachers of her training. The conference will bring teachers from around the world including Japan, Ukraine, Scotland and the US to share in our collective love for all things Joe and Lolita.
Miami has made this dream possible because who doesn’t want to come to Miami for the weekend and do Pilates? It’s a way more attractive invitation than coming to NJ! I’m looking forward to bringing more quality Pilates training with workshops and masterclasses so that Miami Pilates instructors can build skills and learn more deeply the Pilates Method.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The struggles were difficult physically to become a teacher. I was very de-conditioned and had to practice and work hard to build my body to the level required to pass the exam. I can happily say that even at the age of 55, I am in better shape than I have ever been and can perform exercises in Pilates that I couldn’t do even 5 years ago. I am constantly improving.
From a business perspective, it has been challenging to start over my Pilates business after so many years in NJ. I forgot how difficult it is to set up a business and build a clientele. In addition, the world now is quite different than when I started my first studio 20 years ago. No one had ever even heard of Pilates. Today it is ubiquitous. Competition is high and the image of Pilates has devolved to the “Pilates Princess” stereotype and “reformer pilates only” studios abound, which is unfortunate. Pilates is for everyone regardless of age or gender and the Method when taught properly uses all kinds of equipment like the trapeze table, Wunda Chair and Ladder Barrel amongst others. It was meant to be customized to the person’s needs and not mass produced for 12 people at a time. A lot of Pilates nowadays is just glorified HiiT or Bootcamp classes using reformers. That is not how the Method was meant to be taught. So it has been a bit of a struggle to make the average Miami consumer understand that private lessons are worthwhile and small group classes with lots of personal instruction and tactile cueing is valuable and effective. But I am finding my tribe one client at a time.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The best compliment I ever got was from a client- She said, “I feel like I’m coming to my friend’s house to do Pilates. It is fun and not scary but I know you won’t let me slack either. If it was any other teacher, I’m not sure I’d be doing Pilates. You give me confidence.” I was so happy because that is exactly what I want to convey every time I teach someone. I remember what it felt like to feel broken, to feel my body had failed me, the pain, the fear, the anger and the sadness. Somehow Pilates took all that and replaced it with positivity and strength – physically, mentally and spiritually. I want every client to know they can do this! It won’t be easy but it will be worth it. I specialize in working with clients who have chronic pain, physical condition that restrict their ability to exercise, pre/post natal and my absolute favorite is working with seniors. They are the best clients!
I have done many things I could say I’m proud of professionally- publishing the Pilates biography, starting two successful Pilates businesses, co-editing a Pilates professional journal, presenting at conferences and teaching around the world. But honestly, the thing I’m most proud of is knowing that I helped each of my clients feel better in some small or big way. I was at the physical therapist one day for an injury I sustained from a fall and suddenly, I hear a familiar voice. It was a client who had years earlier taken Pilates mat classes at my studio. She hadn’t been a consistent client and at the time, I wasn’t sure she got much out of it. But here she was – singing my praises to the PT about how I had taught her so much about her body and how to find good posture and to move safely and that she had used those lessons ever since. I smiled a bit that she was at the PT for an injury I probably could’ve prevented had she’d continued with me, but nonetheless, I was surprised and pleased that even those few lessons I taught her had left an impact. We oftentimes don’t realize how the small things we do create change in someone’s life. I am so thankful to have a career that makes that possible on a daily basis. Helping others has truly helped heal me and given me a purpose in life. I am the luckiest person in the world!
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Empathy and instinct. I think you can learn all the Pilates “flows” you want and you can learn the exercise choreography but to be able to sense what a client needs, how to affect change in their body, how to motivate them psychologically and to build a program, you need to have empathy and intuition. Early in my career, I had imposter syndrome and constantly worried I was not doing the exercises in the right order or doing the wrong ones based on my clients’ physical problems. I went to study with the only other Pilates elder Mary Bowen. Mary is a Pilates teacher who adds Jungian psychoanalysis to her teaching. Over two days of private sessions with her, she taught me to listen to my instincts, to follow what my client needed in the moment and not to overthink things. It was one of the greatest gifts I received from my teachers. I stopped worrying and thinking and started feeling and sensing. My training with my other mentor Lolita taught me confidence and fearlessness.
That’s why I think mentorship is so important. Learning from our elders is something that has gotten lost in modern times and it is a shame. We have so much to learn from those who’ve already been through what we’re experiencing. That’s why I prioritize mentoring young teachers here in Miami – to carry forward my teachers’ legacy onto the next generation. My teachers Mary and Lolita are 96 and 91 respectively and are both still going strong teaching Pilates and inspiring everyone that age is just a number. I plan to do the same!
Pricing:
- Private Lesson: $150
- 10 Private Lessons: $1200
- Monthly Group Class Membership: $300
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pilatesunites.com
- Instagram: @pilatesunites
Image Credits
Tracey Hagen Photography
