Season 2, Episode 10: How do I keep going for the long haul?

Tania Huddart: When I moved cities, I sat down and wrote a list. Everything I wanted to do that made me smile. Everything that made me happy. Then I built my teaching week around it. And I scheduled my renewal time first. Before a single client.

That doesn't mean I don't love my work. I do. But I tend to put myself last, and stretch myself too far. And when I do that, everything in life feels that bit too hard. I get grumpy.

Host: Welcome to Build Confidence and Purpose with Pilates. I'm here with Tania Huddart: Pilates teacher, teacher trainer and author of 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 episode was about teaching one class to every level. This is the last episode of the season, and it's about the person at the front of the room. How do I keep going for the long haul?

Tania Huddart: By looking after the person doing the teaching. That sounds obvious. But it's the thing most of us are worst at. So let's talk about your body, your energy, your week, and what keeps you curious.

Host: Let's start with the hard part. Why do so many teachers burn out, or leave?

Tania Huddart: There are a few reasons, and most of them share a root.

The first is frustration. You know so much, and you can't get it across. That wears you down, class after class. The second is confidence. Feeling like an imposter, every time you walk into the room. I know that one well. "Progress, not perfection" is the mantra I use when it rears its head. And the third is that people can't see where their career goes from here. More classes for the same money, forever.

If any of that sounds like you, you're not alone. And none of it means you're in the wrong job. It usually means nobody taught you how to teach.

Host: And the body? Teaching is physical work.

Tania Huddart: Very. When you start out, you tend to demonstrate everything. And if you demonstrate every exercise, for hours every day, your body will soon complain. It can lead to injuries.

I know a bit about that. I came to Pilates in the first place because I kept getting injured teaching dance. So learn your other tools early. Your words. Your questions. Images. Touch. They'll carry the class on the days your body can't. A good question can save you a lot of demonstrating.

Host: You mentioned the career part. More classes for the same money. Is there a way out of that?

Tania Huddart: There are more paths than people think. One is to teach to your strengths. If you're a runner, a cyclist or a golfer, you could build a class for people who love that sport. Help them reach their goals, and move in ways that make them more resilient.

Another is teaching online. Clients and teachers are much more open to it now. It can add another stream of income, and you're not limited by where you live. And keep your prices the same online. Your time is worth the same.

And the tools from this season help you grow your business, not only your teaching. A teacher who can explain, ask, and paint a picture doesn't have to perform every rep. That's a much longer career.

Host: When teachers get busy, the answer is usually to teach more hours.

Tania Huddart: It is. And it doesn't work. Time is finite. You can't make more of it. But you can look after your energy.

So that's what I'd plan around. Not how many hours you can squeeze in. How much energy you've actually got to give.

When your energy runs low, it takes a toll on everything. You feel overwhelmed. You get distracted. You start to switch off from work you used to love. That's not a character flaw. It's an empty tank.

Host: What does looking after your energy look like, day to day?

Tania Huddart: Small rituals. Good food. Moving your own body. Enough sleep. Work out which rituals build your energy back up, and protect them. When those slip, everything gets harder. Not just your energy. Your mood and your focus too.

And take breaks during the day. Short ones count. The length of a break matters less than the quality. Five quiet minutes with a cup of tea can do more than an hour scrolling on your phone.

Host: What about your emotions? Some days are frazzled before the first client walks in.

Tania Huddart: Start by noticing how you feel at different points in the day. Most of us don't. We just keep going. Notice what your moods do to your teaching, and to the rest of your life.

And here's a little trick for the frazzled moments. Breathe in and out through your nose, and notice what's around you. Only what you can see. Name it. Plant. Window. Chair. Desk. It brings you back into the room.

If that doesn't work for you, think of all the things that make you feel grateful. We all tell ourselves stories about our day. Try to tell yourself the most hopeful one you can.

Host: Let's go back to that list you wrote when you moved.

Tania Huddart: I wrote down everything that made me smile. Then I set up my schedule around those things. Renewal first. The things that lit me up went in the diary before the work did.

Then I worked out how many hours I wanted to teach each week. Not the most I could survive. The number where I felt I could give every client the energy and focus they deserve.

Host: And the money? That's usually the fear.

Tania Huddart: It is for most people. So I looked at my outgoings first, what I needed to cover. Then I worked out what I could earn from the hours I'd chosen. And I found I could earn more than I thought, and still have the life I wanted.

You may need to make some adjustments for your own life. Talk to an accountant where you live if you need help with the numbers. But it is possible to make room for everything that matters to you.

And set your goals in small steps. Write down what you'll reward yourself with when you get there. It doesn't have to be extravagant. A coffee with a friend. A bubble bath. Something that lights you up. Then celebrate when you reach it.

Before you start, ask whether the goal is achievable. Do you have the skills, the energy, the time and the resources? If not, what do you need to do first? Small, honest steps last longer than big promises.

Host: Renewal before clients. That's quite a shift for a lot of teachers.

Tania Huddart: It is. Teachers spend so much time looking after everyone else that they forget to look after themselves. And your clients get the version of you that's left over. If you're running on empty, that's what they get.

Your values matter here too. If you value your family most, and you're never home, you'll feel it. That gap makes people anxious and unhappy. So check that your week matches what you actually care about.

If you're not sure what your values are, here's a lovely exercise. Pick your top five. Then ask three people who know you well to choose them for you. See if their list changes how you see yourself.

Host: Beyond rest, what keeps the spark alive? Years in, how do you keep loving it?

Tania Huddart: Curiosity. Teaching, like learning, has no beginning, middle or end. You go round and round. You plan a class. You teach it. You look back and ask how it went. Then you plan again.

If you stay curious, every round teaches you something. And I love exploring how bodies can move. Mine included. Movement should feel joyful, more like an adventure. When you get curious, you don't have to make yourself move. You choose to. That's true for teachers as much as clients.

Host: Does your "why" still matter, years in? Or is that just for when you start?

Tania Huddart: It matters more as you go. There's a line from Nietzsche I put in my book: "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." When you know why you teach, the hard weeks are bearable.

So write it down. Ask yourself a few questions. What makes you forget the passage of time? What do people come to you for help with? Why do people usually thank you? Then write a purpose statement from your answers. One that makes you feel grounded and excited. And come back to it when the spark goes quiet.

Host: You said you look back on each class. How, though? Most of us just pack up and go home.

Tania Huddart: Film yourself teaching, now and then. Then become your client. Listen to your cues. Do they make sense? Does the class flow? How fast are you talking? It may surprise you, but you need to talk a little ahead of the movement. Your client needs to hear what's next a fraction before they do it.

And be kind when you watch it. Don't beat yourself up for your mistakes. Learn from them. It's fun, honestly. You'll hear things you never knew you said.

Host: Teaching can be lonely, too.

Tania Huddart: It can. As teachers, we work alone, even in a busy studio. So find other teachers. Take their classes. Read. Watch. Borrow ideas and make them your own.

And if you're struggling, ask a more experienced teacher for help. I'll say that one twice. Ask for help. I ran a teacher training school for twenty-one years, and asking is still the best thing a teacher can do.

Host: How do you know if it's working? There's no report card.

Tania Huddart: No, there isn't. Most jobs have some measure of success. In teaching, you have to find your own.

It might be the client who wants to sit on the floor and play with her grandchildren, and now she can. It might be what people thank you for. As soon as someone thanks you for what you shared, you've succeeded. Write those moments down. On a hard week, that's your evidence.

Host: Looking back over the whole season, is there one thread that runs through it?

Tania Huddart: I think so. I wrote it in my first book, and people flinch when they hear it. "The people that come to your classes don't care about you… they care about what they can learn from you."

It sounds harsh. But it's freeing. When you put your attention on the person in front of you, your nerves take a back seat. Your cues, your stories, your mixed classes. It all comes back to them. Every episode this season has circled back to that. And to keep giving that, year after year, you have to look after you.

Host: So, for the last time this season. Three things to take away?

Tania Huddart: One. Plan around your energy, not your hours. Put your renewal time in the diary first.

Two. Learn all your teaching tools, so your body doesn't have to do all the work.

Three. Find your own measure of success, and write it down where you'll see it.

Host: And the question to sit with?

Tania Huddart: What makes your heart sing? What makes you happy? You know in your heart what your dreams are. Write it down. Then look at next week's schedule, and see how much of it is in there.

Host: If you'd like everything from this season in one place, it's all in Tania's book, Teach Pilates with Confidence. It has the tools from every episode, from cueing and stories to planning a class, and looking after yourself.

That's the end of Season 2, and there's more to come.

Tania, last word?

Tania Huddart: Look after the teacher first. The teaching will follow. And be as patient with yourself as you are with your clients.

Host: That's the season. Thank you for listening, and for the care you bring into the room every time you teach.