Today we’d like to introduce you to Paola Franchi.
Hi Paola, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I never planned to become a business owner. I planned to teach, to move, and to help people feel strong in their bodies. Yet life had other plans — first in Chile, my country of origin, and later in the United States, where EQ Pilates was born, in a new chapter of my life.
My journey with movement began long before entrepreneurship. In Chile, I worked for years as a Physical Educator in schools and colleges, a Pilates instructor, and a competitive gymnastics coach. I was also part of the Chilean National Gymnastics Team from the age of sixteen. High-performance sport taught me discipline, but it also showed me something essential: performance without balance leads to injury.
As a coach, I became deeply interested in injury prevention. I wanted my gymnasts to build intelligent strength, not just push harder. During college, a close friend who was a Master Trainer for STOTT Pilates introduced me to the Pilates method. I immediately recognized it as the bridge between performance, rehabilitation, and longevity. I asked to get certified and began working in her studio, blending athletic training with mindful movement.
After years of teaching and completing a second comprehensive Pilates certification, something unexpected happened — I opened my first Pilates studio in Santiago, Chile, in 2011. It wasn’t part of a business plan. It was simply a natural extension of my passion for teaching. That first studio showed me that education, care, and movement could become a meaningful space for community.
Wanting to deepen my knowledge, I later traveled to California to complete the ProBridge program with BASI Pilates, That experience marked a turning point for me. BASI didn’t just refine my technique — it completely changed the way I viewed Pilates. Through its scientific foundation, structured system, and respect for intelligent progression, I learned to see Pilates not only as exercise, but as a method of movement education, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement.
Through BASI, I also completed the Mentor Program and Master I & II, and specializing in pathologies and injuries. My curiosity about the human body never stopped. I also earned a master’s degree in Psychology for infants and youth, specialized in the 65+ population, and became certified in TRX suspension training group and personal training,TRX sports and medicine, and TRX Camp.
In 2014, life moved me to Georgia. I never imagined I would open another studio. I thought that chapter belonged to Chile. But after working in physical therapy centers, supporting postpartum clients, and teaching Pilates in studios and gyms across Georgia, I felt the same calling again. Students were not only exercising — they were learning, healing, and reconnecting with their bodies. And once more, teaching naturally turned into entrepreneurship.
That is how EQ Pilates was born.
EQ Pilates is more than a studio. It is a philosophy rooted in emotional intelligence and educated movement. “EQ” represents learning how to listen to your body, move with intention, and build sustainable strength without fear. My mission is not to collect repetitions, but to educate movement so each student understands their own body.
As I often say:
“Teaching is my passion, hobby, and life. Pilates for me is a nonstop teaching and learning cycle. I love to educate movement, and through movement, empower my students with knowledge.”
Today, I teach in both Spanish and English, working with athletes,clients that come from rehabilitation, postpartum women, and everyday movers. What began in Chile and continued unexpectedly in the United States has become a business built on purpose, connection, and transformation — one student, one breath, and one movement at a time.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but every challenge shaped EQ Pilates into what it is today.
One of my first struggles was financing. As an immigrant and a first-time business owner in the United States, I didn’t yet have many years of credit history. Banks were hesitant to approve loans, and when they did, the amounts were very limited — far less than what is actually needed to open a studio. It was stressful to believe in your vision while constantly hearing “no,” and learning to build something step by step instead of all at once.
Another challenge was realizing that knowing how to teach is very different from knowing how to run a business. I was prepared to coach bodies, but I wasn’t prepared for the reality that ownership is truly a 24/7 job. Scheduling, marketing, finances, communication, systems — it all became part of my daily life. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. My husband supports the business by managing the books and anything I need to make this dream come true. He even came back to personal training to help me with some of my class offerings!. Long-term students helped with referrals, but also driving long distance just to take classes or private sessions with me and that is priceless!. The community around EQ Pilates grew in ways I never expected.
Having teachers that share the same values and passion make our students feel home and supported.
Setting boundaries was another big lesson. When you love what you do, it’s easy to work nonstop. But I also needed to protect time for my family, especially my six-year-old child. Learning when to be present as a business owner and when to be present as a mom has been one of the most important parts of this journey.
Budgeting also brought surprises. Even when you think you understand your numbers, unexpected expenses appear — especially as your studio grows: equipment, space improvements, technology, marketing, and staff support. I learned quickly that flexibility and planning are just as important as passion.
None of these struggles stopped me. They refined me. They taught me patience, structure, teamwork, and balance. EQ Pilates wasn’t built overnight — it was built with resilience, support, and a lot of heart behind every decision.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work is centered on movement education. I’m not just teaching exercises — I’m teaching people how their bodies work, how to move with intention, and how to build strength safely for life.
My background combines high-level sport, academic education, and continuous professional development. I was part of the Chilean National Gymnastics Team until age 19 and continued competing through college until 21. That experience shaped my discipline and curiosity about the body. I later became a Physical Educator and earned a master’s degree in Psychology for infants and youth, along with certifications in multiple areas of fitness, Pilates, and functional training.
I started coaching very young.
At the age of 19th I was already working with beginner gymnast, While in college, I worked in gyms and saved every dollar for certifications and workshops because I understood early that education creates real impact. At 26, after graduating, I became a professor for Physical Educators at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (Chile), while also teaching in schools and other colleges in Chile. At the same time, I continued coaching competitive gymnastics.
At 31, I opened my first Pilates studio while still coaching gymnastics, Later, my education deepened significantly when I certified through BASI Pilates, a school that transformed my view of the method. Through BASI, I completed the ProBridge Program and continued with the Mentor Program and Master I & II, specializing in pathologies and injuries. BASI gave me a language and framework that guide every class I teach today.
What truly defines my work is my love for biomechanics and the “why” behind movement. I specialize in injury prevention, postural balance, rehabilitation-informed Pilates, athletic conditioning, postpartum recovery, and long-term functional strength. But more than specialization, I focus on education. At EQ Pilates, clients are students. They don’t just follow cues — they learn how their bodies function. Empowering people with knowledge is, for me, priceless.
What I’m most proud of is creating a space where elite training, rehabilitation, and emotional intelligence meet. My students leave not only stronger, but more confident in their own bodies. That blend of high-performance sport, academic foundation, psychology, and BASI-based movement education is what truly sets me apart.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What truly makes me happy is connection — with my family and with my students.
Spending time with my family and making them part of my business brings me a lot of joy. Everyone at EQ Pilates knows my husband and my child because the studio is an extension of our home. My family supports the vision behind the business, and having them present creates a sense of warmth, trust, and community that goes beyond workouts.
I’m also deeply happy when I see progression in my students. Not only when they advance in Pilates, but when they start to feel better in their bodies — when pain disappears, when confidence grows, and when small steps in body awareness begin to change their daily lives. Sometimes progress is big, sometimes it’s subtle, but watching someone reconnect with their body is incredibly meaningful to me.
For me, happiness lives in those moments: sharing life with my family and witnessing transformation in others through movement.
Contact Info:
- Website: Eqpilates.fit
- Instagram: eqpilatesfit
- Facebook: equilibriumpilatesandfitness
