Carly Pink-O'Sullivan
Founder + Dog Mum of 2
Studio Apparatus + Matwork teacher
After 15 years spent working in an office, and nearly ten of those years in FIFO deskbound jobs, I decided that something had to change.
It didn't feel right to be in my early 30s, suffering from excruciating migraines and my neck, shoulders and hips in an almost constant state of pain. I thought waking up with a headache was normal.
I exercised daily. I did the stretches. I considered myself strong. I worked at a sit/stand desk. I had the ergonomic keyboard and mouse. So why was I constantly visiting my physio to sort out my jammed neck?
I was desperate to try anything to help myself. I'd heard about Pilates and the benefits of it so I went all in. I signed up to the Diploma of Professional Pilates Instruction after attending just one class. Sure, I could've attended classes in my two week break but I knew I had to be consistent, so fortnightly wasn't enough. Why not sign up to the Diploma, teach myself and understand my body more? So that's what I did.
When I tell people that Pilates changed my life, I mean it.
Six months into my training I was beyond ready to leave FIFO. Not only had Pilates reconnected me with my body, it had connected me to the most encouraging and supportive community. You could say it pretty much restored my faith in humanity! I'd also found a form of exercise that helped me to manage my blood sugars (I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 27 years old - that's a story for another time).
Less than a year later, in August 2020, Aniko Pilates came to life.
I knew I wanted to create a sense of community. Belonging.
A place where you can walk in as you are and be greeted by friendly and familiar faces. Where we play with movement and get curious about shapes rather than dictating that you need to move and look a certain way.
Liz Gordon
Studio Apparatus + Matwork teacher
After finishing uni, I originally started working in Public Relations roles in the corporate sector.
But after having my son I decided not to go back to that, and instead pursue a career in fitness, which is something I have always loved, being an avid fan of the gym and group fitness classes for many years.
I started off doing a Certificate 3 in Fitness and became a Group Fitness Instructor in 2019. After doing this for 2 years, the opportunity came up for me to start teaching Pilates, which was something I was interested to explore. I enrolled in a Matwork Pilates course at PITC and that is really where my journey into Pilates began.
After completing that course and teaching Matwork for a year, I decided to go back to PITC and complete my full Pilates Diploma in 2023, which has absolutely been one of the best decisions I have ever made!
When I'm not teaching or doing Pilates, I love spending time with family, taking my son to his hockey games and practice, and watching true crime documentaries on Netflix.
Ashlee Avino
Matwork teacher
After high school I studied Fine Art and then Photography and then went on to do neither, choosing instead to travel and perform in small cabarets and sideshows around Australia and the world. In 2013 I decided I needed a "real job" and realised very quickly that the only thing I could stand doing everyday would be movement, I seeked out Pilates and the love affair continues to this day!
I am truly passionate about Pilates, and honestly believe it can improve peoples life joy no matter what their physical capabilities and that is so very special. I feel really privileged to be in a position to be able to show you that.
When I'm not teaching, I'm still performing, or spending time laughing and loving with my daughter. Beach days, gumboot bush adventures, camping with no one else in sight, I love it all!
Ronai Abreu
Matwork teacher
I worked in PR for stockbroking & mining companies for many years and over time it started to impact my health. After going through a major health scare, I immediately quit my job and healed the only way I knew of, which for me at the time, was Yoga.
So I moved over east and completed my Yoga Teacher Training in Byron Bay, and proceeded to spend the next couple of years studying the Iyengar Yoga method, which I happily taught for several years.
However, after my twins were born, I was experiencing constant lower back pain & found I was struggling in yoga poses I once deemed ‘easy’. So I turned to Pilates to strengthen my core and aid in rehabilitation, but unexpectedly fell in love with Pilates, and was instantly hooked!
Shortly after I commenced my Pilates Teacher Training with ITC. Since then, Pilates has become my wholehearted passion. My ‘must have’ for continuing on this journey of life. It’s given me such an unimaginable quality of life and renewed sense of self.
I am now currently studying for my Diploma in Professional Pilates Instruction.
Holly Broderick
Matwork teacher
As a child I loved movement and would regularly find myself practicing being able to touch my toes and my toes being able to touch my head, cartwheels, bike riding and abdominal crunches on the floor, always easily inspired by physically strong and fit people around me, who could do amazing things with their bodies.
Eventually, this lead me to training to be a professional ballet and contemporary dancer in my youth and then living a brief moment in time being a professional dancer in Lausanne, during which I discovered once I had reached the point I trained so hard for, and my parents pushed themselves also to get me there, it was not for me and not the best for my overall health, with the intense push from instructors, little compassion and the highly competitive nature of the dance world I found myself in, stripping me bare of the joy I once felt when dancing, at that point in time.
So, I quit and returned home, facing my dance teachers in Perth and my parents, was bitter-sweet and fairly uncomfortable. After this, I missed a healthy driving passion in my life and felt lost, so I threw myself into living a more “normal” and mildly wild life, travelling, going to festivals, my first ever boyfriend, clubs and living in the UK, and then in 2019, I went to a Pilates class and the way the conscious movement made me feel was incredible and a spark of passion was ignited.
Not long afterwards, I signed up to do a Matwork and Reformer qualification with Pilates ITC and the passion continued to grow, and as I felt the benefits and relief it gave me for my injuries (labral hip tears, torn and missing ligament in my right ankle, lower back compression and a partial ACL tear in my right knee), the sense of feeling able to stand taller, stronger, with less pain in my body and more ease in movement, made me want to help others gain the benefit from Pilates too.
After a few years of instructing Reformer and Matwork Pilates and the borders opening and Covid restrictions easing, I took a break to go solo travelling and ended up meeting the love of my life, my hubby Manu, living in Argentina for 9 months and achieving an Ashtanga yoga instructor qualification (Yoga being another discovered passion for it’s incredible benefits) and now lovingly home in the Perth Hills, I find my passion for Pilates as strong as ever and see it being part of my life forever, with the desire to continue to grow my skills and knowledge for it.
Beth-Marie Smith
Matwork teacher
Hi! I'm Beth-Marie.
I have been practicing yoga on and off for over 25 years. About 2 years ago I realised I want to share what has helped me so I enrolled in a 350-hour yoga teacher training course. It was an amazing education that deepened my personal practice and gave me the tools I needed to teach yoga.
When I went out to find yoga teaching jobs, several people asked me if I could teach pilates as well. I could not but thought that I had better learn! So I promptly enrolled in a pilates teacher training course. I learned anatomy, mat work and reformer pilates and I immediately fell in love.
Pilates wasn't even on my radar but I am so grateful that I did the training and now I practice several times a week! Pilates has helped my neck, lower back and knee pain. It's also improved my posture and made me stronger. It's amazing!
I now have two movement practices that I am passionate about and I love to share them with others. Yoga and pilates keep my mind and body healthy and strong. My hope is that I can pass on a bit of my excitement and help inspire others to move in ways that feel good for them. Let's keep moving, stay healthy and grow and evolve together! I hope to see you soon.