Moora mother-of-three Joley Holliday started her business Stem Pilates in November last year as an off-shoot from her husband Marcus’s physiotherapy practice Walkabout Physiotherapy.
After 2 years in business, Walkabout Physio. was inundated, and with over 2,000 clients Marcus felt they would never be able to meet the high demand. Choosing to focus on the prevention rather than cure, Marcus and Joley began looking at how Pilates classes could improve the health and wellbeing of their clients. Pilates focuses on improving core strength which in turn corrects poor posture and can prevent chronic pain and other health issues.
Stem Pilates began as a small class in one of the treatment rooms of Walkabout Physio, however, within a week, word had gotten out and it was moved into the waiting area to accommodate more students. Within 3 months, the popularity had grown so much that the need for an entire building of it’s own arose. Joley Holliday sought a space that was not only functional, but beautiful. “ I wanted a comfortable space that would give community members a designated place to focus on their overall health and wellness, “ she explains.
Stem Pilates has become a hub of activity where like-minded men and women meet not only to work out, but socialise too. Conveniently located right next door to popular cafe Jeanne D’Moore, the once dilapidated and forgotten empty art gallery building on Gardiner Street has come alive again, with over 90 clients passing through its doors each week.
For the renovation, Joley chose to employ local wherever possible. Local artist Chelsea Manning painted an incredible mural on the South wall, Moora Glass installed 6m metres of flush mirrors to the North and Straightline Welding custom made the legs for the ballet barres made from locally sourced wood, and a pendant light was sourced from local business Cranmore Home.
“By going local with everything, I was able to give back to the community that allowed me to create this space in the first place.” says Joley. “Stem Pilates has already had some incredible success stories, from helping one determined young lady lose 26 kilos since February this year, to increasing the core strength in a local shearing team, improving their lower back pain on a daily basis. They and now incorporate what they’ve learnt into their warm up and stretches before work.”
Stem Pilates runs beginner, intermediate, pregnancy and post natal classes throughout the week. Mens classes will resume in 3rd term which focus on the issues that local farmers and shearers deal with most commonly including lower back pain and inflexibility. To enquire about any of these classes or to come along, please phone Joley on 0423 165 130.
