Cate and her Beautiful Girl

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.

Mad Baby

Don’t MAKE me come over there….

3 Weeks Old and She’s Already Cuter Than You

Well, she is. If it’s any consolation she’s cuter than I am as well.

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.

Itty Bitty Sleepy Girl | Connecticut Baby Portraits

I am wrapping up my spring Fresh Faces project and have a pile of neatly packaged prints to take to the post office including some of this little cutie. Isn’t she a sweetheart? She decided to arrive on the scene a wee bit early and as a result was one of the smallest peanuts I got to play with so far this year. You can see her in my Simply Babies gallery too, which I have totally redesigned and refreshed after this winter’s baby rush.

Newborn portraits are such a delight to do. I get to see all the wonder of new life. Sure, I get peed on during most sessions (though not, actually, during this one). And urped on. And now and again I get pooped on, but there is a reason I wear jeans to the sessions and the joy of a little baby is more than worth the many fluids that come out of them. All of which is to say, in the babbly way that lets you know it’s been an interesting day with my twins, that I have the best job in the world.

6 Months! | Connecticut Baby Photographer

Oh, how this little guy has grown! He is one of my baby package clients and this means I get to see him four times this year. This was the third and, just like at his newborn portrait session and three-month portrait session he was a smiling, adorable flirt. I love 6 month session; for one thing, of course, unlike at a newborn session we don’t have to get the baby to sleep. This session is all about smiles, sitting on your own and giving kisses to mama. This little guy delivered on all accounts.

I hope you enjoy your sneak peek. The whole gallery should be ready soon!