Listen here.
I passed my final test-out this week. I am officially a fully certified Pilates instructor.
And the first thing that went through my head wasn't "I did it." It was: okay, what's next?
If you've been in this community for a while, you know my Pilates certification has been a real, concrete goal — not just a vague "someday" idea. I set out to finish it by July. It came down to the wire. I spent more time than I'd like admitting being frustrated with myself for how long it took. But here's what I keep coming back to: I can't change the past, and I can't revel in the delay. I can only be proud that, regardless of the path, I got it done.
That's the whole philosophy, honestly. Options over outcomes. Freedom over finish lines. The finish line still matters — but how you got there, and how long it took, matters a lot less than actually crossing it.
Apprentice To Instructor Doesn't Mean Expert
Here's the part that surprised me. Finishing the program is a real transition — apprentice to fully certified — but it also means I'm just getting started. Some of the instructors at my studio have been teaching for years. Students walking through the door have no idea how long any of us have been at this. They can't always tell the difference between someone in year one and someone in year ten.
So while I was still observing classes during my training, I made a point of asking instructors how long they'd been teaching. I wanted to calibrate — to understand what a class taught by someone with five years of experience actually looked like versus what I was building in my own style right now. That context matters. It keeps you from holding yourself to a standard that isn't actually yours to hold yet.
The Mid-Year Evaluation Nobody Schedules
Most people save this kind of reflection for January. But a transitional moment — finishing something, starting something new, hitting a milestone — is actually the best time to do it. Not because you have to overhaul your whole life, but because you have real information right now about where you are.
Here's the exercise: think about where you are today, and be honest about your current strengths and weaknesses. Then look at where you actually want to be next — the next role, the next level, the next milestone. What does that place require? What's the gap? Naming that gap is what tells you your next set of goals.
You don't need a New Year to do this. You just need a moment of transition and the willingness to sit with the question.
What's Next For Me
I don't have it all figured out yet, and that's okay. Some of it is still living in the "general idea" phase rather than a set, concrete goal — which, if you caught last week's episode, you know I'm fully in favor of at certain stages. But I do know that showing up, doing the reps, and finishing what I said I'd finish is the through line. That's the part I can control. That's the part that's already working.
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