Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Verderame.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Annie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have been practicing Pilates for over 10 years. I came to find my passion for Pilates while studying Natural Sciences and Dance at Loyola Marymount University.
My love for understanding the body and how it moves helped me to complete my Pilates certification through Body Arts and Sciences International with a specialization in Dance in 2010.
After graduating Summa Cum Laude from LMU, I began teaching private and semi-private lessons in Los Angeles. My clientele ranged from professional athletes, to pre and post-natal women, to clients with ailments including spinal injuries, disfigured feet, paraplegia, and vertigo. During this time, I also completed a Yoga Teacher Training with Michelle Mazur. It was a certification that specialized in Yoga Therapy, giving me an even deeper understanding of how best to address my clients, their needs, and their ailments.
In 2013 I returned to my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, where I added group reformer classes to my teaching repertoire.
I passed the Pilates Method Alliance exam and became a member of the PMA in 2015, and am currently a Continuing Education Provider for them.
In 2016, I became a Master Level BASI Pilates Teacher.
I opened Annie Verderame Pilates in the Arcadia neighborhood in February 2017. It is a very small and intimate studio where my clients are guaranteed a session catered to their specific needs.
I am currently teaching privates and semi-privates at my studio, and I travel to teach workshops in the United States and around the world.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Is it ever!? No, it certainly has not been a smooth road! I am blessed because I knew I always wanted to be a Pilates Teacher, so my passion to get what I wanted was unwavering, but the road to get where I am today definitely came with bumps and bruises.
Many people thought it was silly for me to pursue a career in something most thought couldn’t support me for the rest of my life. But thankfully, that notion was squashed soon once I started teaching full time.
After that hurdle was crossed, I had to adapt to teaching in a studio environment. Big studios come with their own challenges; large scale classes, multiple instructors with varying levels of education, and differing views on how and what to teach.
I was even fired once. I don’t believe it was deserved, and neither did the clients that followed me, but at the time what I had seen as a terrible day, is now a day I am so thankful for. It is what pushed me to start my own LLC, and eventually, build my own studio.
The thing I made sure to do throughout everything was continue learning and growing. I never stopped taking Continuing Education Courses, and made sure to push myself to get to a Master Level of teaching.
Please tell us about Annie Verderame Pilates.
Annie Verderame Pilates is a small studio. I teach only private and semi-private sessions, catered entirely to the client/body in front of me. No client or session is the same as the next, as I work diligently to make sure each session I teach is exactly what that person needs on that specific day.
I specialize in pre and post-natal training, prepping a pregnant body for birth and what is to come afterwards.
I also specialize in training athletes. I’ve trained professional boxers, baseball and basketball players, Olympic rowers and marathon runners.
I am most known for putting a contemporary twist on classical pilates, making my sessions fluid, fun, and challenging; but available for all levels. I do my best to change up each session so my clients don’t get bored with the same, repetitive exercises.
There are so many big studios out there now. With 10 or more pilates reformers in a room, clients cannot get personal feedback, special cueing, or attention to detail: those are the things my clients will always get.
I give sessions that are catered to my client’s needs, strengths and abilities and I give feedback on how to accomplish their goals. Aside from that, I do what I can to help facilitate healthy changes in their daily lives when they are away from me. When you spend a lot of time with a client, and care deeply about their improvement, growth, or rehabilitation, it is easy to form a close relationship, and it is one of the things I love most about what I do.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Dancing and performing. I grew up dancing from infancy all the way through college. One of my favorite memories is getting to perform in the Prince Renoir Theater in Monaco.
Contact Info:
- Website: annieverderamepilates.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annieverderamepilates/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnieVerderamePilates/
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