October 29, 2016

Meet Certified Pilates and Yoga Instructor: Ivory Howard

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivory Howard.

Ivory, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m passionate about helping people reach their health and fitness goals. I started Flat Belly Pilates as a convenient alternative to the traditional gym environment for people who prefer a private, personalized workout experience.

Had enough with the schlep to the gym? Too busy to visit a studio? Need individual attention? In need of privacy? Now you can get studio results in the comfort and convenience of your home or office. Flat Belly Pilates is making things easier for you by delivering Pilates and yoga classes at the time and location you need in the Atlanta, GA area.

Flat Belly Pilates is a mobile personal training studio in the Atlanta area that delivers private classes at the time and location clients prefer, allowing them to achieve studio results in the privacy of their homes or offices. During a session, your instructor will guide you through a series of poses with verbal cues and physical adjustments specifically for your needs whether you’re a beginner who wants an introduction to Pilates or yoga, someone hoping to learn new poses at their own pace, or an advanced student seeking to develop their skills.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Flat Belly Pilates now offers classes online that can be streamed from anywhere in the world, allowing clients to workout consistently between appointments or while away on travel. It also offers people who don’t live in Atlanta a way to connect and workout with Flat Belly Pilates. I’m excited to offer more online classes in the near future.

Let’s dig a little deeper into your story. What was the hardest time you’ve had?
Flat Belly Pilates has only been in Atlanta since September 2015 and I think its success is due in part to it being well received and the incredible amount of support, opportunity, and resources available to entrepreneurs in Atlanta.

That said, I’m not immune to the challenges of being a small business owner. Life as an entrepreneur is full of challenges but if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, you’re passionate about what you do, and you provide a valued product or service, you keep going. I don’t think of challenges as obstacles because they are ways to overcome every one of them.

Are there days when you feel like you’ve done everything you wanted to, careerwise – the “I’ve made it” kind of moments?
Building a business that clients value is an honor because every dollar Flat Belly Pilates makes is someone saying yes to their health. I’m happy to hear from clients that they’ve found a fitness plan that works for them, are working out consistently, and reaching their weight-loss goals. Healthy people means healthy families and healthy families means healthy communities. Ultimately, that’s why I do the work that I do.

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