Season 6, Episode 1: Where does confidence in teaching actually come from?

Tania Huddart: So many teachers have said this to me. "I have all this knowledge, but I don't know how to get it out of my head and into my client's body. I don't understand why they don't get what I'm saying." I've heard it for years. And I can tell you, every one of you has got what it takes to be a really good teacher.

Host: Welcome to Build Confidence and Purpose with Pilates. I'm here with Tania Huddart: Pilates teacher, teacher trainer and author of Teach Pilates with Confidence and Pilates & Purpose. Both voices you'll hear are made with AI. Every word Tania says is her own, and she's approved each one.

Last season we went inside Tania's business course. This season we're going inside her teaching course, Teach Pilates with Confidence, one part at a time. First, the people on the mat. Then the tools you teach with. Then the classes you build.

So let's start underneath all of it. Where does confidence in teaching actually come from?

Tania Huddart: From your heart. That might sound soft. But I mean it quite practically, and I'll explain why.

Host: Most teachers I know would say it comes from knowing more. Another course. Another certificate.

Tania Huddart: I understand that. And I'm one of those people. I'm a bit of a magpie when it comes to knowledge. I love learning new things. I'm always learning something.

But knowing more doesn't automatically make me a better teacher for my clients. It makes me feel great. And yes, I've got a lot more in my toolbox. But if I can't explain it so my clients can take ownership of it, so it means something to them and they can take it into their everyday life, then a lot of that knowledge isn't much use to them.

Host: So it's not about how many courses you've done.

Tania Huddart: No. It's not about how many courses you've been to. Or how many different angles you understand the body from. It's about how you reach out and communicate with your clients.

Host: That's a lovely thing to say. But isn't it a bit easy? Some teachers lack confidence because they really don't know enough yet.

Tania Huddart: Sometimes that's true. And then you go and learn the thing. That part's simple.

But I've spoken to so many teachers over the years. And the worry they bring me is almost never one exercise they don't know. It's a feeling. They feel like they don't know enough. They feel like an imposter, and that they really shouldn't be doing what they're doing. We talked about imposter feelings back in Season 2.

A new certificate doesn't touch that feeling. It just moves it along to the next thing you don't know yet. There's always a next thing. That's the lovely part of learning, and the tricky part of confidence.

Host: Is that why you built the course?

Tania Huddart: It's the biggest reason. I love teaching. I love teaching Pilates in particular. But what really started this course was conversations. With teachers who were frustrated. Lacking in confidence. Losing their way. Not knowing what the right way was. Feeling like they didn't know enough.

I wanted to give them a glimmer of something else. A future where that lack of confidence isn't the thing that stops you. Where it's something you know you can work on, and change.

Host: Take me back to the heart, then. What do you mean?

Tania Huddart: Think about why you teach. Why do you teach what you teach? What drew you to it in the first place? And what was the moment that took you from doing it to teaching it? What did you want to share?

When you look at it from there, your confidence really comes from your heart. It comes from wanting to share something you love, and have grown to respect so much, with other people. And then it's not really about you any more. It's about the gift you're giving.

Host: That takes some of the pressure off.

Tania Huddart: It does. And that's how it works. When your attention is on yourself, every little wobble feels huge. Did I say that right? Do they think I'm any good?

When your attention is on the person in front of you, your insecurities take a back seat. You're too busy helping them.

Host: In the course, you say nobody can teach like you. What do you mean by that?

Tania Huddart: It works the other way, too. You can't teach like me. You can't teach like anybody else. You can only teach like you. We all have our own gifts, and our own way of doing things.

So part of this course is helping you find the you inside the teaching. Letting go of trying to be something that doesn't really suit you. Something that doesn't speak to your values and your beliefs. When you let go of that, it's incredible what you can do. For yourself, and for your clients.

Host: Last season was all about values and your why. So what does any of that have to do with teaching a class on a Tuesday morning?

Tania Huddart: People ask me that. "Why do I need this? I just want to teach." Well, here's a little secret. If you don't know who you're serving, and you don't know why you teach, it's much harder to structure your classes.

We went through values, your why and your niche in Season 5, so I won't repeat it. But here's the teaching side. When you're clear on those things, it helps you choose your exercises. It helps you plan your classes.

You see all those fancy things on social media, and you can admire them. But they might have nothing to do with the people on your mats. So you stop comparing. And you stop worrying, "I should be teaching these three exercises, but my client can't do them." You don't have to. Maybe one day. But first, you start where they are.

Host: That sounds like a relief.

Tania Huddart: It saves you time, and it saves you energy. And your clients feel it. They know what they're going to get from you. They're not learning things they don't need. They're learning what helps with the problem they came in with.

And over time, something lovely happens. You stop being the person with all the answers. You hand the responsibility back to them, bit by bit. They become the problem solver, and you're there to guide them. That's a very confident place to teach from.

Host: So walk me through the course. What comes after the welcome?

Tania Huddart: There are three parts. The first is understanding your clients. What motivates them to come and see you. What gets in the way. What they're really looking for. And how they learn. Because if we don't understand how adults learn, it's very hard to build cues and structures that work for them.

The second part is your teaching toolkit. Your best-practice teaching tools. Showing, explaining and asking questions. Then touch, and imagery. How you give feedback. How you build a cue. And storytelling, which is one of my favourite things. Yes, in a Pilates class. Wait for that episode. The quiz in that part asks whether the words you choose have a big effect on the movement. They do. That's most of the toolkit, really.

Host: And the third part?

Tania Huddart: Planning and teaching your classes. What makes a good class. How to teach one class to a room full of very different people. And how to keep it moving, and fresh, for the clients who've been with you for years.

Host: Why that order?

Tania Huddart: Because the people come first. If you don't know who's on the mat, the tools have nowhere to land. You can have the most beautiful cue in the world. If it doesn't fit the person, it won't work.

So you start with them. Then you build your toolkit. And the class plan is where it all comes together.

Host: What could someone do this week, before they've heard any more?

Tania Huddart: Write down why you teach. Just a few lines. What drew you to Pilates. What made you want to share it. Keep it somewhere you'll see it before class.

Then, in your next class, notice one moment when you're worrying about yourself. How you sound. How you look. And move your attention to one person on a mat. What do they need right now? Just that. And see what happens to the worry.

Host: So, three things to take away?

Tania Huddart: One. Confidence doesn't come from knowing more. It comes from how you reach out and communicate with the people in front of you.

Two. It comes from your heart. From wanting to share something you love. Then it isn't about you any more.

Three. You can only teach like you. Get clear on who you teach and why, and let the rest go.

Host: And the question to sit with?

Tania Huddart: Why do you teach what you teach? And when you're teaching at your best, where is your attention?

Host: Everything we talked about today is in the welcome to Tania's online course, Teach Pilates with Confidence. It's an online course built on Tania's book. It has three parts: understanding your clients, your teaching toolkit, and planning and teaching your classes. There are video lessons from Tania herself, and a short quiz at the end of each part. It's open now, and you work through it at your own pace. You'll find it at taniahuddart.com/academy.

Next episode, we start Part 1, with the people on the mat. How do adults actually learn?

Tania, last word?

Tania Huddart: You already have what it takes. I really believe that. Your job isn't to become someone else. It's to find the way you teach, and share what you love. I'd love to help you do that.