Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Edde.
Hi Andrea, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Pilates was completely foreign to me when I took my very first class. I was in college at the time and joined the local YMCA to stay active. A fun fact about me is that I absolutely love group and guided classes, so I tried all the classes available that would fit my schedule. One Tuesday morning, I decided to try Shari’s Pilates class.
That day, my life changed.
I found the Pilates class extremely challenging, yet very satisfying. I could barely keep my legs straight or my core engaged, but I felt relaxed and sore every single time. Shari’s teaching method would pump the entire class and her soothing voice kept you completely concentrated with every move you made. The mind-body connection was new to me, but I became fascinated with it. I began practicing this incredible connection in other exercise classes such as bootcamp which is very high paced, and wow, I felt and saw the difference in my body and mind! With this high concentration level, exercise became therapy for me.
In 2017 I decided I wanted to learn more. I had been doing mat classes at the YMCA for a few years, but now the reformer peaked my interest. I enrolled in the teacher training at The Pilates Place Studio in Miami and became comprehensively certified in 2018, which covers mat and all apparatus (reformer, cadillac, chair, etc.). Jackie and Louis, the owners and mentors, inspired and motivated me to continue to grow as a Pilates instructor.
As soon as I became certified, I got my first Pilates job at the very same studio teaching every Sunday morning. I had a full-time job, so waking up at 7am on Sundays was not ideal, but my passion kept me energized. For a long time I wanted to deep-dive into Pilates on my own, but was always hesitant and didn’t really know how or where to start. I began teaching privately as well and in 2019 SAFARAE was born as a blog.
Once the pandemic began in 2020, I found myself teaching virtual Pilates classes as a way to fuel my passion. Through that process, I was lucky to connect with Stephanie Essenfeld, a therapist who built an amazing community, “Caminar Contigo” (Walking alongside You). In this space, she invited me to teach weekly Pilates classes to keep members active while in lockdown. It was my first time teaching in Spanish and to a group virtually, but all challenges became valuable lessons.
Through this unique experience, I formalized my idea of how I would bring Pilates to life in my own way. I decided to create a virtual Pilates studio and in August 2021, SAFARAE Pilates will be launching!
SAFARAE Pilates is a space dedicated to inspire and empower women to embark on a self-love journey, transforming the body & mind. The SAFARAE method focuses on targeted, highly effective movements while emphasizing form to create beautiful, long, lean lines throughout your body.
My mission is to inspire and empower women to implement exercise and healthier habits into their daily routines to create a happier, balanced, more conscious lifestyle. All of this while truly enjoying the journey, being kind to our bodies and not taking ourselves too seriously.
I am super excited to begin this new chapter in the SAFARAE journey and to be able to share my passion with all of you. Spreading kindness, good vibes and positive energy!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I think my biggest struggle has been figuring out what exactly I wanted to do with Pilates. I am an overthinker so I overwhelmed myself trying to push too hard when the right idea was not there yet. It has taken me years to finally narrow it down to what feels authentic and challenges me in the best ways.
SAFARAE began as a blog that was short-lived. I was a bit all over the place with some personal struggles along the way, and then the pandemic hit, which I believe was a big change for most people.
Despite the challenges due to the pandemic, the ability to work from home really helped me focus on Pilates because I was no longer commuting to the office. Those became extra hours to pursue my passion and now I’m ready to present SAFARAE Pilates to the world.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Throughout my career, I’ve had a few roles in different organizations. I’ve worked in the communication industry since college, in TV production, a global communications field and in marketing at a bank. Now I am still communicating, but this time it’s by sharing my deepest passion with you.
Currently, I’m focused on pushing myself past my limits – in the healthiest way possible. SAFARAE Pilates is a dream which is slowly but surely becoming a reality and it feels so surreal. I couldn’t be more excited and grateful to see how this journey continues to evolve.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I absolutely love the energy of the city. There is a little bit of everything in Miami. People from all over the world either living or visiting year-round, a variety of different languages spoken, cultures and restaurants of all types. It’s a vibrant city with beautiful beaches. One thing I’m really liking now is how fitness and healthy eating has become so relevant, which only helps create a healthier society for both body and mind, and it brings people together.
The thing I least like about Miami is the traffic. It is very hard to gage how it will take you from point A to point B because there is traffic at random hours.
Pricing:
- For pricing, I will be offering a 7-day free trial, if you can include that it would be great!
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@safarae.com
- Website: safarae.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safarae_/
Image Credits
@catirephy
