About Pregnancy Pilates Impact - Founder Alison B. Marsh

Sep 25, 2019

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the mission of Pregnancy Pilates Impact, and Alison B. Marsh - founder.

Click Here to See the founder's Curriculum Vitae (CV) - Resume

Hi! My name is Alison Marsh, and I am the founder of Pregnancy Pilates Impact.

My primary purpose as a Pilates teacher and educator, is to help other teachers learn to confidently, courageously, and competently teach AND empower pregnant and postnatal women.

I have this crazy vision to change the world...

by offering compassionate, empowering movement experiences to pregnant and postnatal women,

Because when a woman is empowered to be her best, she has the ability to make a positively IMPACTFUL difference in her children's lives, her partner's life, and the community she lives in.

And the only way to do that is by having Perinatal Pilates Specialists teaching in every country, around the world, reaching as many women as possible with the power of Pilates, and the Pregnancy Pilates IMPACTER's way of teaching.

I have the honor of providing a well-rounded, uplifting curriculum and learning experience to Pilates teachers, who are ready to apply the information they learn to the women in their communities that need it most, through sharing up-to-date, research-based information and strategies, applying them to the timeless principles of the Pilates method, and incorporating the bio-psycho-social way of teaching.

Here is a summary of my credentials:

Pilates Method Alliance Certified (NCPT)
National Pilates Certification Program CEC Provider
Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist (PCES)
Fascial Fitness Trainer
Pilates Method Certified by DK Body Balancing Method and UNLV 2002
Bachelor in Dance Education 2003
Bachelor in Social Work 2005
Adjunct Professor University of Nevada Las Vegas 2017
Curriculum Writer for DK Body Balancing Pre and Postnatal Pilates Teacher Training
Pre and Postnatal Pilates Contributor for Core Exercise Solutions Pre & Postnatal Corrective Exercise Specialist Training
Former CEO and founder of Your Pregnant Core - Pilates Teacher Education
Founder of Pregnancy Pilates Impact

About Pregnancy Pilates Impact:

There is an epidemic of new moms who are eager to get their pre-baby bodies back, and their desire is at the expense of their physical AND mental health.

So, March of 2019, Pregnancy Pilates Impact was created, to begin fulfilling the need to not only help Pilates teachers become more courageous in their teaching of this population,

but to give teachers the ability to offer encouraging,

uplifting sessions for pre and postnatal women; sessions that will leave their clients feeling empowered and proud of their bodies and lives,

not shame for the result of growing a human.

We use the acronym IMPACT to help teachers adopt the ideal traits of an effective, mindful, and compassionate pre and postnatal Pilates teacher

I - Integrity - Keeping your word to yourself, and your clients.
M - Motivated - Your 'why' behind teaching
P - Patient - with yourself and in your clients' progress.
A - Aware - of your behavior - words, actions, and how they affect others.
C - Courageous - actions in teaching, building the confidence to step and out and lead clients.
T - Trusting - yourself, teaching clients to trust themselves, and building trust with clients.
E - Empathetic - with your choices and your clients' choices and experiences.
R - Resilient - No matter what - you keep going - moving towards what motivates you.

The Evolution of Pre and Postnatal Pilates Teacher Trainings:

I've been teaching pre and postnatal Pilates trainings since 2012, and over time, as I got to know the needs of Pilates teachers, my vision for pre and postnatal Pilates education has grown MUCH deeper than teaching the common problems, anatomy of pregnancy, and exercises.

Having the experience of social work, and a deep desire to uplift and support the human spirit, I quickly began to apply my skills to the world of Pilates, which can sometimes be intimidating to the layman, AND to Pilates teachers!

I learned that teachers actually need more courage in teaching, in addition to support and continuous application of how to teach pregnant and postnatal women.
Another common theme teachers struggle with is helping women to understand the importance of slowing down during pregnancy, and then giving themselves time to heal in the postnatal period.

A little bit about me:

I have been married since 2007, and have 5 children: 2 adult step-children, 2 adopted children, and 1 biological child. I grew up in Las Vegas, NV.

I love to read non-fiction, mostly about personal development, and human spirit and movement by authors such as Katie Bowman, Mary Bond, Amy Cuddy, Brene' Brown, and anything having to do with anatomy and fascial lines with authors such as Robert Schliep and Tom Meyers.

I love being outside (and believe that even weeds are beautiful,) but also enjoy hiding in used book stores.

My Pilates and Movement Background :

I grew up in Las Vegas, NV where I studied ballet and acrobatics with the Kravenko School of Dance, and danced professionally in Las Vegas shows, most notably Les Follies Bergere.

I began my study of Pilates in 1999, while earning my Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), and graduated in 2001.

I completed my comprehensive Mat and Equipment Pilates teacher training in 2002 through the DK Body Balancing Method under Dolly Kelepecz-Momot.

Dolly (pictured right) trained in the mid 1980's under Elizabeth Larkam, (master teacher for Balanced Body, Pilates Anytime, and Author of Fascia in Motion, among many other contributions) as a Pilates Dance Medicine Specialist in San Francisco.

Dolly was the 1st Pilates teacher to open a Pilates studio in Las Vegas, NV in 1988.

I also completed my Bachelor of Social Work degree in 2005, and worked with the Clark County Foster Care System, where I implemented creative dance lessons for children in protective custody. I have since adopted 2 children from the foster care system.

Since 2002, I have been teaching Pilates to a variety of populations, in both large mat class settings for athletic clubs, including LVAC, and private settings, first through Pilates By Dolly, and then through my private Pilates studio, AM Pilates and Posture.

From 2010 - 2017, I created and taught the DK Body Pregnancy Pilates Teacher Training program, in-person, to teachers in Nevada, California, Wyoming, and Montana.

In 2017, I took on the role of Adjunct Professor in the Pilates Minor program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Also in 2017, I released my first e-book The Pilates Teacher's Guide to teaching Pre and Postnatal Women.

In 2018, I became certified through the Pilates Method Alliance.

Now, my focus is on helping Pilates teachers gain the skills they desire, to teach pregnant and postnatal women.

My Pre and Postnatal Pilates Education Background:

In 2008, I began an intensive study of pre and postnatal exercise, after my husband and I were trying to get pregnant.

I completed a variety of pre and postnatal fitness-based trainings, including the Stroller Strides training.

All of the information I learned was a lot of 'don'ts,' and basic information gathered from the top agencies, such as the ACOG (American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists), but with very little direction as to how to implement.

In 2010, Dolly Kelepecz asked me to create a curriculum to accompany her comprehensive Pilates teacher training program, DK Body Balancing Method.

After 2 years of collaboration with other professionals, including chiropractors and Pilates teachers, in 2012, I taught the first in-person DK Body Pregnancy Pilates Training.

We started with a 20 page manual, and a limited amount of mat exercises,

which has grown into over 280 pages, with over 250 mat and equipment exercises!

In 2014, my husband and I became pregnant with our 1st biological child (after 8 YEARS of infertility).

In 2015, I started a blog all about pregnancy Pilates, to capture my FIRST pregnancy experience, AND to offer on-line education to Pilates teachers who wanted or needed to learn how to teach this special population.

In 2017, during my time with Your Pregnant Core LLC, I began the Diastasis Recti Discussion Facebook Group for Pilates Teachers, to provide support for navigating the misunderstood subject of abdominal separation.

Out of that group, and the needs of teachers, The Core Connectors’ Academy was created and approved for 6 PMA-CEUs, a course for Pilates teachers on how to teach clients with diastasis recti.

In 2019, Pregnancy Pilates Impact was born.

Since then, we have welcomed over 100 Pilates teachers from all over the world into the Pregnancy Pilates Impact Academy

I regularly continue my education through courses and workshops with a variety of methods and teachers including

The Franklin Method,
Anatomy Trains,
Anatomy in Motion with Elizabeth Larkam,
Perinatal Mental Health education,
Classical Pilates,
Physical Therapists including Dr. Sarah Duvall and Dr. Sinead Dufour.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know how Pregnancy Pilates Impact evolved into what it is today, and to learn more about me!

I would LOVE to learn about you!

You can email me at [email protected]

Visit our site: http://www.pregnancypilatesimpact.com

Click Here to Get on the Waitlist for The Pregnancy Pilates Impact ACADEMY

I am here to help you on your pre and postnatal Pilates teaching journey!

Alison Marsh NCPT