A Conversation with Kristi Cooper: A Unique Perspective

Join Michael and Kristi as they look at the diversity of the Pilates Method.  Kristi is the creator and owner of Pilates Anytime which was the first and is still the biggest Pilates website in the world that hosts teachers from all the different schools of Pilates. They will talk about, how due to her unique position she has seen so many different teachers, and as she is a teacher herself, how she sees the diversity found within our industry. Also, as part of her development of the business, and with her personal passion for Pilates, she has done so much research and has had unique access to both the history and the evolution of the method so let's see what can she share with us about the Myths and Truths of Pilates.  Of course on the night you can ask her your own questions but Michael will be inviting her to share what she has learned.

Kristi had her first exposure to Pilates at the age of 13 when she took a “teen class” taught by Kathy Corey in Solana Beach, California. Kristi loved Pilates right from the start. She took lessons for two years and became a teacher herself at the age of 15. “I knew back then that I would always have Pilates in my life in some way,” says Kristi of her immediate love and passion for the work. Continued learning is always a high priority for Kristi, so after earning her degree in Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara, she decided to explore the method in more depth with Cathleen Murakami. Two years later, after earning a certificate from Synergy Systems™ and the Physical Mind Institute®, Kristi met and aligned with Master Teacher Rael Isacowitz, the founder and director of the world-renowned Pilates education organization, BASI Pilates®. Kristi earned her certification with BASI in 1998 and shortly after, accepted an invitation to work with Rael in his studio in Costa Mesa, California. In 2000, Kristi became a principal instructor for BASI Pilates which afforded her the opportunity to work closely with her mentor as well as travel the globe teaching Pilates.

In 2005, six months after introducing Pilates to Oprah Winfrey, Kristi was featured in a Pilates segment on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

In October 2009, Kristi partnered with Ted Johnson and John Marston to create PilatesAnytime.com.