Hi Cate. Let me start by saying how awesome you are. Not only are you fabulous personally you have done beautiful things to my core strength and upper arms and turned me into a Pilates zealot. How did you get started doing Pilates?

When I was 16, I hurt my knee playing basketball. My mother, who is a chiropractor, had me work with a therapist at her office on a Pilates Reformer to rehabilitate my knee. My entire body got much stronger from the training, and looking back, I think I was a much better athlete the last year of school because of it. During college, my mother no longer needed the machine, so she let me bring it up to my apartment, and my roommates and I goofed around on it for a few years. After college, I was working as a personal trainer. I found a Pilates certification to take as continuing education credits, and it changed my life. Right away I saw how much more effective Pilates was compared to traditional personal training. I made all my clients switch to Pilates, and haven’t really touched a weight since then. And I’m happy to say that several of those personal training clients are still doing Pilates almost 10 years later. Thanks to my fabulous staff, we’ve been able to service many more clients, and now have three locations, in Hartford, South Windsor, and Glastonbury.

Tell me about Evolution Pilates?

I wish I had a great story about how that began, but really I just opened the business because there was no where else to work. Several gyms offered Pilates back then, but none had equipment, and I really believe the equipment is what makes Pilates so unique. I was 25 when I started the studio, so I had no real business plan, no mission statement, and no idea what I was doing. My parents lent me some money to buy equipment and some IKEA furniture… and I just opened the doors. During the first couple years, I had about 20 clients, and their experience is really what gave the studio a mission and a personality. Currently, Evolution Pilates offers individual training and group classes, to provide an opportunity for more people to afford training. I like to think of the studio as an education center, more than a gym. Our clients learn about how their body’s function, how to move more efficiently and pain free, and for many of them, Pilates becomes a very healing form of exercise, where they get to take a break from the many stressors of our everyday life. We also provide training for Pilates instructors, which is a part of my job I am very passionate about. Our industry has had so much growth in the past 10 years, that it has really diluted the quality of instructors. I like to make sure that anyone who trains under me becomes an excellent instructor, by helping them dig deeper into their understanding of anatomy and learning styles, and communication skills.

Now, I have no idea how you manage running a business the size of Evolution Pilates with a baby. What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced juggling motherhood with business ownership?

Remembering my name. Remembering to put on underwear in the morning. Not letting the kid pull my breasts out in front of my male staff, who can’t handle the breastfeeding. But seriously, everything has seemed a little overwhelming this year. I definitely have had moments when I feel like I’ve taken on a little too much. When I get overwhelmed, I try to remember that this craziness won’t last forever, and that most people are very understanding and supportive of how hard it is to be a new mother. Technology has been my savior with managing the staff and the schedule. Thanks to smart phones and online scheduling, I can do some of my work while breastfeeding. My clients have welcomed the baby at work, which has been the biggest blessing. I really feel lucky that I am able to have her with me at work most of the time, because I am still breastfeeding. The interaction with all my clients has really helped my daughter’s personality blossom. And I believe it has saved me a lot of guilty feeling of abandonment. I am most grateful for the “wind beneath my wings” people… Cami’s dad is really hands-on, and she has two wonderful grandmothers, so I have plenty of help with childcare when I can’t have her with me. My business partner, Kelly, has taken on a lot of my training hours that I’ve had to let go of, and my office manager, Carolyn, has expanded her job responsibilities to include being my brain.

Cami is adorable, of course. Tell me about her. What’s the best thing about being her mother?

This kid just blows me away every day. When I was pregnant, I really underestimated how much I was going to love motherhood. I imagined I would deliver her and go back to work 3 days later, as if nothing had changed. Wow, was I wrong. As soon as she came into this world, all I want to do is hang out with her and watch her grow up. From day one, she has been a really curious spirit, eyes always really alert, taking everything in. As she’s gotten more mobile, she’s turned into a real spitfire. She’s got that good kind of devilish look in her eyes, like she’s always looking for some action. Cami’s is very physical (which isn’t a surprise because her father and I both are), so she spends a lot of her time climbing around on the Pilates equipment… and often eating it. As long as she’s rested and fed, she’s always happy. And I guess that’s really how I get through those overwhelming stressful times. Anytime I’m about to crack, I just take a couple minutes to focus on her, and all the bad stuff melts away. She’s like a little happy pill for me. She makes any obstacle worth overcoming.

What is one thing she does that makes you melt?

She does this hysterical breathing thing that sounds like she’s blowing her nose, but with her nostrils flared. I had no idea what she was doing for the longest time, but now that she can stand, she’ll walk up to my clients and do it in their face while their exercising. I think she’s imitating the forceful exhales we use in Pilates to engage our abs. It is so funny. And if I can pick two things, she also walks around all the time with her arms out and eyebrows raised like she’s saying, “What? What did I do?” That’s pretty hilarious too.

If you could tell her one thing, one bit of wisdom, what would it be?

Never stop trusting yourself. This child was born with courage and curiosity and good instincts, and as long as she trusts herself, she’s going to do great things.

Any advice for other people juggling work and parenthood?

Breathe. And remember that if there’s too much to do, work will still be there tomorrow, but the baby you have today won’t be the same baby anymore. This first year has been so amazing and has flown by so fast. I will never regret the work mistakes I made or the things that fell through the cracks, because it was so much more important to witness this little miracle do her thing.

Of course, my kids never actually cooperate like this. Mine aim more for the “running away from the camera as fast as my legs with shoes on the wrong feet will go” look. Since if they consistently gave me portraits like THESE my house would be wall-papered with photos perhaps I should be grateful.

No. Really. Jen Snyder, who is my long lost dork twin, ordered “lobster with sweet breads” at dinner the first night. Sweet breads are brains. Who knew? She didn’t, and neither did I. They taste like garlic.

Back to the photographers. Summer was so much fun. She does some of the most beautiful color newborn work I’ve ever see and she can get joy out of the most recalcitrant child. Leiba was the coolest, most inspiring wench imaginable and Zoe, who organized the workshop, shoots the most beautiful scenes and intimidates the hell out of me because she is just that good. As for the teacher, well, I am Cheryl Jacobs‘ crazy stalker and some day she’s going to find me living under her porch so I can pluck every last bit of knowledge from her brain.

Brains. Mmmmmm….

So, we took a lot of pictures – go figure at a photography workshop – and this particular child was one of my favorite models because she was such a bit of mischief. And those freckles!

I call this one “Her Ladyship Sits for Her Portrait.”

Expect more of more kids as the days go by…

This one was shot in the Farmington River. Little Miss wanted to wear the “mermaid dress” and get in the water. Dressing up AND getting wet – does life get more fun? I waded out, carrying the 3 million pound camera and the child and placed her on the rock and asked her to just hang out for a few minutes. I stood in the right place, on very painful rocks, and we got this.

This was shot in a diner. I tried to put his hair into a ducktail (hair style FAIL – I can’t style my own hair, why would I think I could style his?) and dressed him up in jeans, a white t-shirt and a faux leather jacket and took him to a 50′s style diner at an off time so it would be basically empty, bought him his first milkshake ever and started snapping.

If you are thinking “I want something like THAT” let me know. There is nothing wrong with parks, wildflowers or your back yard and you’ll get shots you’ll adore taken in your spare room but I am always happy to head out someplace odd to get that one special shot. Like where? How about a carnival? Or an amusement park (though, yes, you’ll have to pay my entrance fee). The candy store. Who IS your child? What does she beg to do, where does he shine? Is your child an avid baseball player? Maybe his Little League game is the best place for a portrait. Does she live to swim? Maybe the pond is where to go. Don’t be afraid to push the boundaries of what a “location” is – that’s the best way to get something that is emblematic of your family and your child!

I photographed this little beauty on Saturday morning. She was right in the middle of her 3-week growth spurt and made me work for it but time, patience, lots of food, womb sounds and loud shushing resulted in some final sleeping images that are just adorable as well as some great looks of wide eyed wonder.