The Pilates Alliance Australasia (PAA) is a not-for-profit association led by a dedicated volunteer committee. While we are passionate about serving and advocating for our profession through the PAA, each committee member is also actively involved in Pilates beyond their committee role. Many of us own studios, teach clients, mentor practitioners, educate future professionals, and experience the same opportunities and challenges faced by our members every day.
We believe this connection to the industry is one of the strengths of the PAA. It allows us to remain grounded in the realities of teaching, studio ownership, practitioner development and client care. Through this Meet the Committee series, we invite you to get to know the people behind the committee, their stories, their businesses, and the passion that drives their commitment to Pilates.
A little about me personally: I have been part of the Pilates industry for 29 years and continue to be inspired by the incredible impact our profession has on people’s lives. Outside of Pilates, I am the proud mother of three daughters and grandmother to one beautiful granddaughter. I love spending time outdoors, particularly hiking, which is the form of movement my body enjoys most. I am also a lifelong learner and can happily spend hours reading, studying or simply getting lost in a great book for pure escapism.
Thank you for inviting me to be the first person featured in our Meet the Committee series.
My name is Kimberley Garlick, and I am honoured to serve as President of the Pilates Association Australia.
Accepting the role of President was an easy decision because I genuinely believe in the greatness of our profession. My commitment comes from the heart. If I want to be proud of our industry, then I must also have the courage to help illuminate a vision for its future. We cannot simply talk about what Pilates can be and then sit on our hands. We must actively contribute to its growth, protection and advancement.
Our profession has a rich history that deserves both respect and gratitude. We must preserve the identity of Pilates and honour the foundations that Joseph Pilates gave us, while embracing the science and evidence that help guide our path forward. We are standing at an exciting crossroads where the respect for Pilates as a profession will either be strengthened or diminished. The outcome depends on all of us. We each have a role to play, and that is why I am here.
That same passion flows through every aspect of our studio culture.
Northern Rivers Pilates
Northern Rivers Pilates, located in Lismore, has proudly served our community for sixteen years. Throughout that time, our mission has remained unchanged: to provide Pilates education and movement experiences that empower people to move well for life.
Meet Our Team
At the heart of our studio is Maddison Garlick, our Studio Manager and Studio Practitioner.
If I am the visionary, Maddi is the engine room. She keeps the wheels turning, the standards high and the team moving forward. Quite simply, she’s the one who makes the magic happen.
As my daughter, Maddi and I share a wonderful working relationship built on mutual respect, trust and an endless exchange of ideas. She thrives on working with our diverse client population and plays a significant role in shaping the culture of our studio.
All of our practitioners are comprehensively Studio qualified and bring unique skills and passions to our community.
Emee brings a wealth of movement knowledge through her professional dance career and yoga teaching background. Her Diploma of Pilates is the icing on the cake, allowing her to deliver movement with nuance, grace and a language that movement specialists appreciate and movement lovers simply enjoy.
Josefina, originally from Uruguay, is our gorgeous newest instructor. Living with scoliosis herself, she has a deep appreciation for movement as a daily wellness practice. She has a special interest in helping people with scoliosis and supporting clients to develop pain-free movement patterns.
Kristy is the youngest member of our team. With a background in remedial massage, her ability to read bodies is exceptional. Her tactile cueing and hands-on skills bring an extra layer of care and understanding to every session.
Lisa has undertaken additional studies in women’s health and has delivered specialised workshops focusing on perimenopause and healthy ageing. Her passion lies in helping women navigate life’s transitions with confidence and strength.
Rhiannan has been part of our studio family since she was seventeen years old, beginning at reception while still at school. Since then, she has completed her Matwork and full Studio qualifications and has been with us for over ten years. Alongside her Pilates career, she is an RAD Ballet teacher and particularly enjoys supporting dancers and young performers.
Sam, together with Maddi and Lisa, plays a key role in our mentoring program. With a professional dance background, Sam loves helping emerging practitioners develop their skills and confidence while learning to work effectively with a wide variety of client presentations.
Our Studio
Our two-storey studio has been thoughtfully designed to cater for a broad range of clients and services.
Downstairs houses our fully equipped Studio space where two to three practitioners are typically working with private and semi-private clients throughout the day.
Upstairs features our Reformer studio with eight reformers, a dedicated Mat Pilates room, and treatment spaces for massage and physiotherapy services.
The studio opens as early as 5:30am—yes, I teach that class—and continues through until 7:30pm most evenings.
Our Community
One of our greatest blessings is our community.
Our clients come from all walks of life: farmers, doctors, builders, dancers, young sporting prodigies, rehabilitation clients and people simply seeking wellness through movement.
Being the first Pilates studio established in our region has allowed us to build a strong understanding within our community of what Pilates looks like. We are fortunate that our area has not experienced an influx of pop-up reformer studios, and as a result there remains a deep respect for the Pilates method and its traditions.
Education and Mentorship
Beyond client care, we are passionate about education.
We regularly host in-house workshops, mentoring programs and small professional development conferences. Supporting practitioners to continue learning and refining their craft is something we value deeply.
One of our greatest strengths as a team is our staff retention. We have built a workplace culture that encourages collaboration, curiosity and continual growth.
A Final Thought
I often encourage both our team and our clients to lead an examined life.
Pilates teaches us to focus on the process rather than the destination. We seek sustainability rather than sacrifice. Every small action contributes to something larger. I often refer to this as the butterfly effect, the idea that small positive choices, repeated consistently, create meaningful change over time.
I truly love what I do.
Pilates has given me a profession, a purpose, a community and a way of contributing to the wellbeing of others. My hope is that everyone has the opportunity to experience the benefits of Pilates in their own life.
I look forward to continuing to work alongside our members as we strengthen, protect and celebrate the future of Pilates together.
“If we want to be proud of our industry, we must help build it.”
Kimberley
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