Meet Andrea Atkins, Fitness Instructor at The Pilates Barre

Find out why Andrea Atkins, a dedicated and passionate fitness instructor at The Pilates Barre, loves her job and the clients she calls “family”.

What makes the Pilates Barre different from other fitness studios?

We don’t compete with other studios, we support them by helping people lead healthy lives.  But we are seasoned veterans of this method and the cool thing is that we were all trained in Barre at different places…The Dailey Method, BarreSculpt, Equinox, Exhale, Total Barre and Lotte Berk.  We are not  married to one training or one way of thinking, and we are not obligated to a franchise.  We are also a Pilates studio and offer Suspension training.  It’s very cool to be able to get Barre, Pilates and TRX with one package!  The owner [Sharon McSpedon] has been both Pilates and Barre trained for 30 years and she is always evolving and introducing us to different exercises and ideas on how to help people so we don't become bored and neither do our clients.

We are more than a fitness studio.  We truly want to create a sense of community and culture.  Our studio has it’s own personality that’s fun and not at all intimidating. We all hope The Pilates Barre is a place that helps to make lives better every day!

What makes for a good barre instructor?

Experience, personality, and commitment to every student in every class .  A good instructor will attract people and keep them coming back. My goal is to make every client smile and feel great when they leave.

I  have 15 plus years in the method as a student and teacher.  My training was a very long period before certification.  I had to take countless classes, teach endless community classes and have 100 classroom hours.  It is not something that happened overnight or in a week long course.  When I came to The Pilates Barre, I spent  time with Sharon on anatomy and discussing the need to protect clients from barre protocols that might be contra-indicated.  I love it when clients grab a prop if they need modifications.  We always want to make sure clients are exercising safely and love to see how strong they become.

Why do you love what you do?

The clients and the place I work.  It’s important for me to not only teach barre but to have my clients achieve goals.  The best compliment a client can give me is, “I feel stronger in my mind and body.”  It brings confidence and positive being.  There is nothing more inspiring than seeing that transition.  

The Pilates Barre is also a haven.  It’s a very special place where people are guided to a new level of fitness.  It’s a beautiful space where there is a personal connection to every client.  We are all hands-on and concerned about everyone who come through our doors.  I love the staff and we are a family of people.  It has the community feel that's special.

What do you do in your free time or when you are not teaching?

I am a mother of two quickly growing kids and one active puppy.  I love to run, hike, take class when I can and laugh as much as possible!

I am a wife to an adventurous husband, so staying on my toes is a necessity, even though I wont tell him that!

I love to travel and experience life to it’s fullest…!!!