Pilates for a Purpose: Building Strong Bodies and Bonds.
After trading her corporate heels for a Pilates reformer, super-mum Libby Teale is single-handedly transforming and empowering the women of Beecroft.
'My eight-year-old named this one the beached whale.’ Libby deftly lifts her body off the carousel into a pin-straight vertical position. ‘I’m not sure whether to take offence to that. I used it in class this morning and I think it startled a few women,’ she laughs.
Entrepreneur turned corporate drop-out, turned full time mum-of-three, turned owner of independent Love Pilates brand, Libby Teale has seen it all.
‘She’s an actual superhuman,’ business partner Kara Phillips gushes. ‘It really feels like she has double the amount of time in the day.’
Libby has owned the Love Pilates brand for almost 4 years. In February, she expanded the practice from Willoughby to the content, quiet suburb of Beecroft. Nursing an average age of 46, the area housed much potential for a new brand of fitness.
Libby stretches on the machine with expert ease. I mention how impressed I am with her abilities; she laughs and shakes her head.
‘Funnily enough I was never a sporty kid.’ She stands to begin arranging the studio for her fifth class of the morning. ‘I hated team sports and found any excuse to get out of school carnivals.’
Despite this, Libby found love in pilates as she matured into adulthood, attaining comfort in the deep relationship she built with her body, created at her own pace.
‘I realised this was movement I could do, I loved it, and it felt good.’
2021 Census data in conjunction with a 2022 ABS report estimated that over 2,500 women aged 18-64 in Beecroft alone were insufficiently active and did not meet the muscle strengthening component of national physical activity guidelines.
‘The more I read, the more I recognised it as my duty to introduce new opportunities for women in their next stage of development.’
This sense of responsibility to the community expanded during Covid-19 lockdowns. Instead of closing business, Libby, pregnant with her third child, began live-streaming classes from home.
‘We never made money out of it,’ she says. ‘It was about providing and maintaining that point of connection for our clients.’
Indeed, seeking this fulfillment, women hasten to secure their classes before they fill each week. To accommodate the demand, Libby’s team has grown to triple its size since opening to offer the women of Beecroft increased opportunities for engagement.
‘We couldn’t have anticipated the traction and popularity it has built,’ Kara explains. ‘Libby works seven days a week, it’s crazy!’
Pictured on right: Libby Teale (right) and Co-Owner Kara Phillips (left).
Constantly searching for ways to improve community wellbeing, Libby began research into the future of wellness in Australia.
The data she found revealed that by 2066, 21-23% of Australia’s population will be aged 65 and over, accompanied by a plethora of age-related impediments.
Seeing this as an area for enhancement, Libby and her team decided to go the extra mile, introducing a new class dubbed Love Strong. Amongst the fifty alternative classes offered each week, Love Strong focuses on building pre-menopausal strength in women.
In response, local physio Ben Klarich has noticed the reduction in atrophy-related injuries since the opening of Love Pilates 10 months ago.
‘Maintaining a strength routine is extremely important to halt the progression of age-related bone density and muscular atrophy barriers.'
The clientele notices the differences too. ‘I feel stronger, healthier and happier. It really is a testament to the practice’ local membership holder Pauline Law explains.
Pictured on left: Libby Teale instructing in the Beecroft location.
In the studio, the hum of conversation and excitement builds as women assume positions, seamlessly blending into old conversations and sharing their mid-week ventures. It is easy to see how the practice has suceeded in its short tenure.
When I ask Libby how she manages her hectic lifestyle, she takes a moment. Then breaks into a wry smile. ‘With a lot of Panadol and Schitt’s Creek,’ she laughs.
‘I started this journey for me, to improve myself,’ she ponders.
‘But I’ve seen what this practice can do for women, for the community, and once you’ve had a taste of that gratitude, you never go back.’
Certainly, the women of Beecroft won’t forfeit in a hurry either. Guided by Libby’s philosophies, women are not just strengthening their bodies, but weaving a vibrant and healthy community.
Story written and photographed by Kate Law-Whitting
