Name: Karen Katz
Age: 34
Location: New York City
Education: B.F.A. in Theater from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in New York City
Job Title: Pilates instructor/National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) personal trainer
What She Does: Spends a lot of time at the gym! During the day, you’ll find Karen at New York Sports Club, where in addition to teaching Pilates classes (she’s in the studio by 7 a.m. most days), she also teaches step, total body conditioning, abs, and stretch classes. In the evening, she goes to her clients’ homes for Pilates-based personal training sessions.
How She Got Her Gig: After college, Karen toured as a performer in musicals such as Bye Bye Birdie, Grease, and Fiddler on the Roof!, appearing in a grueling eight shows a week. “Depending on the tour, the cast and crew would stay in a city for a month, a week, or sometimes just a day, and often there wasn’t a gym nearby,” says Karen, who began creating workouts for the cast that they could do in parking lots or hotel stairwells. “After about nine years, I wanted to stay in one place, live in one apartment, and get a dog. Teaching classes at the gym seemed like a natural choice. I had always loved working out, so I had a feeling it would be a good fit.”
Learning as You Go: At first, Karen taught tons of high-impact classes like kickboxing and aerobics. “I was having a great time, but it was exhausting!” she says. She had begun training on the Pilates reformer machine (a contraption that helps strengthen and lengthen muscles) when her trainer suggested she pursue her Pilates certification. “I finished in about three months, but when I started teaching classes, I realized I only had the knowledge to teach my students choreography rather than technique or core principles,” she says. “I decided to enroll in the Kane School of Core Integration in New York City to further my education, and took the full anatomy, mat, and apparatus training. When I completed the course, I finally felt like I could teach Pilates with much more integrity and on a deeper level. This gave me a lot more confidence, and I also felt ready to take on private clients.”
Real Rewards: Karen credits her students with energizing her. “My private clients and class regulars are so positive and open and enthusiastic,” she says. “Seeing them progress is the most rewarding part—they become stronger and more aware of their bodies, literally standing taller! It’s also always great to get client referrals and feedback about how Pilates training has improved someone’s daily life.”
School Yourself: As with anything, the more you know about your subject, the better equipped you’ll be to teach it to other people. If you’ve got a penchant for Pilates, take the time and make the commitment to get a very thorough Pilates certification, says Karen. “You’ll be a better teacher, have more job opportunities, and the more you know, the more interesting Pilates is to teach.”
This Job’s for You if: You’ve got a healthy dose of patience, empathy, and enthusiasm. “A sense of humor always helps get you through the 20th class of the week!” says Karen, who takes classes taught by other instructors when she needs a boost of creativity. “And remember, in life, as in Pilates, always use your breath.”
