April 17, 2017

Meet Holly Swanson of Core Chicago Pilates in Lincoln Park

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Holly Swanson.

Holly, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
CCP opened in 2002 after my mom (the company’s founder!) finished her Pilates certifications. Realizing there was no Pilates studio in Chicago that catered to people who didn’t come from an athletic or dance background she decided to make one.

Wanting to create a space where people of all fitness levels would feel welcome and nurtured, we worked side by side – literally – to make sure each person who walks through our door feels like they get not only a good quality workout but one that makes them just feel better all over.

I’ve continued the mission of the studio with my team of highly qualified instructors specializing in all types of Pilates from Contemporary to Classical. We work with all types of bodies: children to seniors, athletes to first timers, pre/post-natal, and pre/post rehab and tailor each workout because we all need something different each day.

Continuing our growth, I opened the Core Chicago Instructor Training Center in 2014 to certify instructors in our 450 Hour Comprehensive Program. Since then, we’ve continue to spread the idea that Pilates is for every body.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Owning a small business is never a smooth road. Any business feels the same type of “bumps” such as an unpredictable economy, ensuring we have a good team of instructors, Chicago landlords etc.! But if you always circle back around to why you do what you do there’s nothing better than walking in to YOUR business every day knowing that you make people feel better about themselves multiple times a day.

Core Chicago Pilates – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As a Pilates studio our goal is first and foremost to teach the method to our clients. The Pilates method itself is very healing. Most of us have goals for how we want to look which Pilates can help you achieve. But more important, it asks you to connect your mind to what your body is giving you that day. We tailor your workout to how your feeling both physically and mentally.

We specialize in working with people who are post-rehabilitation for various injuries. We have a network of doctors, physical therapists, and structural therapists who all collaborate with use to make sure their patients are exercising with us in the safest most effective way possible. We also have all types of athletes from hockey to football to baseball, as well as those who have never exercised a day in their life. Pilates is very customizable and can be adapted to the body in front of us.

I’m most proud of my team. They work together to make sure all of our clients, even in a group setting, are getting the best workout for them. Every instructor on our team has specialized training that allows them to cater to each type of client. They are all unique in personality and style but similar in wanting to take care of people and just make them feel better.

We are different from other studios in a few ways. We care about each of our clients. We take time to get to know them and what their goals are. If they’re having a good day we celebrate it with them. A bad day? We’ll be there for that too. We’ve built a community in our studio and everyone is welcome to join it. As for the workout itself, you’ll never be bored. We change things up so our classes are different every time, but always rooted in Pilates principles because they work!

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
A few months ago I was in the studio on a busy Saturday but not teaching. I was watching as a few new clients came in and my instructors welcomed them. One was nervous as she’d never done Pilates before and another client reached out and told her not to worry, that her teacher would take care of her and walk her through each step.

The client said “this studio is the best place to try something new. No one will ever judge you.” I was so proud to realize my goal of building a place where people felt welcome no matter what had translated into my clients passing that attitude on to others. We all need every ounce of positivity we can get!

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