Good Neighbor Podcast: North Shore
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of North Shore
Good Neighbor Podcast: North Shore
EP #54 - Meet Allie Duffy: From Physical Therapy to Pilates Visionary
What happens when the worlds of physical therapy and Pilates collide? Join us on the Good Neighbor Podcast as we chat with the visionary Allie Duffy, founder of Pilates RX. Allie takes us through her inspiring journey, from her roots as a physical therapist to launching an innovative concierge Pilates and physical therapy studio that combines luxury with healing. Discover how Pilates RX is transforming the way clients perceive their wellness journeys by offering expert instruction from licensed medical professionals, and turning what many see as grueling workouts into an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. Allie sheds light on common misconceptions about physical therapy and Pilates, emphasizing that healing and fitness can be fun, luxurious, and effective.
Allie's story is not just one of professional innovation but also of resilience and adaptability. She courageously launched her brick-and-mortar studio at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020—a time of great uncertainty and fear. Listen as she shares the challenges she faced and overcame, turning what could have been a daunting setback into a testament to her creativity and determination. Beyond her professional achievements, Allie also shares her personal interests, including her love for outdoor activities with her family and her passion for reading. Her journey is a captivating tale of turning passion into a thriving community resource, and her insights offer valuable lessons in faith and flexibility during trying times.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Yvonne.
Speaker 2:Godfrey, welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Today in our studio we have Allie Duffy. She is the owner and founder of Pilates RX. Allie, how are you today?
Speaker 3:I'm great. Thank you so much for hosting.
Speaker 2:Thank you for joining us, so we're eager to learn more about your business?
Speaker 3:Can you tell our listeners about your company? Of course, the Pilates RX is a concierge Pilates and physical therapy studio, so we offer integrated Pilates physical therapy treatments as well as concierge private Pilates sessions, and our whole team is made up of licensed medical professionals who are also certified Pilates instructors, so we can really offer an expert tier of instruction.
Speaker 2:Wonderful, and how did you get into this business?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's a great question. I have always loved movement and being active, so I naturally gravitated towards physical therapy as a career and separately. I got personally invested in doing Pilates just as a form of fitness for my own body, and it completely changed my body. So it healed many, many nagging injuries that I couldn't quite kick even despite doing traditional physical therapy. So as a practitioner, I started to wonder why we weren't integrating this element of exercise into our physical therapy treatments, and that really wasn't something that was readily available in the settings I was working in. So I decided to take a leap of faith and launch that on my own and really blend the two worlds of PT and Pilates together.
Speaker 2:Okay, sounds great, very interesting. Yeah, so, ali, what are some myths or misconceptions that you've discovered in this industry?
Speaker 3:I think there's a lot and they kind of apply to both physical therapy and fitness. But I hear all the time that PT and Pilates are grueling they're painful, they're not fun and I think we really work to dispel that myth that your healing can be a luxury experience. It can be a concierge experience. It works, it should be fun, it should feel good and I think that's part of the joy in what we do and the different experience that our customers have when working with us.
Speaker 2:Nice, nice, nice, I love it. We often think that all exercise Pilates included, that it's gruesome Work out on the body and it just causes most people to think let's do something else more fun.
Speaker 3:Exactly, exactly, yeah, so it definitely doesn't have to be that way and, frankly, I think it shouldn't be that way.
Speaker 2:So, outside of work, what do you do for fun, allie?
Speaker 3:First thing that comes to mind is Pilates. I really do love it, but I will expand. Outside of that, I love to be outside with my dog and my son. I'm also a huge reader, so one of my favorite moments of the day is getting into bed and reading. At night, I love to read all different kinds of books, so I like to just be active, read, be outside, okay.
Speaker 2:All right, so let's change gears. Allie, can you describe one hardship or one of life's challenge that you've rose above and can now say because of it, you're better, you're stronger? What comes to your mind?
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh boy. I mean I think it still stands out that when I actually opened the Pilates RX as a brick and mortar business in March 2020, um, so I signed my lease in March 2020, right at the brink of COVID. In fact, I knew that COVID was happening, I just didn't think it would be you know as long or as intense as it has been. So my business plan essentially went completely out the window the moment I opened and that was pretty shocking and scary to take that leap it was my first time ever being a business owner, first time ever renting a commercial space, but I think you know it very quickly made me more flexible, more resilient, more creative in the way that I run my business, and I think that's part of what has made us so successful in the long term.
Speaker 2:Beautiful, beautiful have to step out on faith.
Speaker 3:Beautiful, beautiful have to step out on faith. Yeah, there was a lot of faith in those first couple of months. Yeah, it was. It was a scary time but honestly, I wouldn't change a thing about it these days.
Speaker 2:Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. So so please tell our listeners, Ali, one thing that they should remember about the Pilates RX.
Speaker 3:Tell our listeners, allie, one thing that they should remember about the Pilates RX. I think Pilates truly is everyone. Despite what you see on the internet with all the you know, crazy forms of exercise out there, I think Pilates, in particular on the equipment, can be really, really intimidating for someone who's new to exercise or unfamiliar with it. But truly, the equipment in particular offers countless modifications and if you've ever been scared off by doing Pilates, give it another thought, give it another try. I promise there's something you can do to get you moving, and not only get you moving, but get you to feel really good while you're doing it.
Speaker 2:Nice, that's great.
Speaker 3:Yes, absolutely Our clients. Really. We have all ages, all different abilities and skill sets, so it is open, flexible and available to everyone.
Speaker 2:Nice, beautiful, beautiful. So, allie, can you tell our listeners how they can learn more about the Pilates RX?
Speaker 3:Of course. Well, you can come visit us at our office. We're located in the Winter Hill neighborhood in Somerville. You can also follow us on Instagram or book an appointment with us directly on our website. We also offer free discovery calls. So if you want to learn a little bit more, talk to me one-on-one. You can book those calls right on our website as well.
Speaker 2:Beautiful Allie. I really appreciate you being on the show with us today and we wish you and your business continued success moving forward.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much. It's been an absolute pleasure and I love what you guys are doing with this podcast, so thank you for inviting us to be here.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpnorthshorecom. That's gnpnorthshorecom, or call 857-703-9406.