I’m writing this blog in the midst of COVID-19 and I want to dedicate this article to the people I’ve met and shared precious memories with over the last two decades at Body Intellect. There are so many!!
The one thing I’ve learnt through this whole pandemic is that the people in our lives are the most precious commodity you’ll ever own! It is the one thing that you can take with you, the memories and experiences you share with the people around you, this is what shapes your world – your life!
People come and people go. Circumstances come and go. Pandemics come and pandemics will go.
I am a firm believer that there is always a reason, sometimes without ‘reason’. Some people cross your path for only a short period and some stay on your path for a long time while others stay for a lifetime. There is no way that you can build a business or legacy without people! They are the pillars that teach you about life, lessons that are good and others uncomfortable. While we’re on this earth we have to take what comes our way from the people that were put there to teach us about life and give us the gold nuggets that will make us richer in the end.
In the year 2000 I started my own business, a Pilates studio. I never felt that teaching the work or working with clients was difficult, however my most precious and challenging experiences were the instructors I worked with in a business like this. Oh my word! Did I learn about people while working with colleagues’ side by side? It is an interesting dynamic in a Pilates studio because you are working in such close proximity to other humans. You are touching people’s lives and bodies as part of your daily routine and over time you become close to the people you work with. So close in fact they become like family.
To all the instructors that ever crossed the threshold of Body Intellect, I want to THANK YOU with everything I have. You taught me more than I could ever teach you about Pilates. Every single one of you added value to my life to my journey, to becoming a better person and understanding that this type of work is more than just teaching movement. It is about sharing tears, a coffee, a wedding, a funeral, many laughs, trials and tribulations and so much more than words can ever describe. My hardest and most heart wrenching experiences are always when instructors leave my studio under a dark cloud, opening their own studio around the corner. I do not hold a grudge, after all I train instructors to have the skills to earn a living. I have made peace with that over the years. I now see that Body Intellect often serves as a medium to a bigger purpose and in that, I feel Body Intellect and BASI Pilates added to your life. What a blessing indeed, knowing that I have played a role in making someone’s life better.
To all the instructors that have crossed my path, again, thank you for your input, dedications, hard work
and commitment. Without you Body Intellect would not have seen its 20th Birthday. You have helped in
so many ways to grow the studio. Come pop in when you are in the area, it is always great to hear and
see how you’ve grown and where life has taken you. I love you all dearly.
Allow me to single out a few people that made a major impact on my journey in Body Intellect.
My right hand, Thelia, has always been by my side, now for 15 years! First as Body Intellect’s receptionist and then the pillar for BASI Pilates South Africa. One memory I hold fondly to my heart was when Thelia sat me down on the couch in my office and gave me a piece of her mind… Thelia, you keep the bricks on the mortar. You are the rock, more I do not have to say.
Marinda! We have more in common than anybody will ever know… The day I decided to take on a partner in Body Intellect I had no doubt that Marinda will be just that person. I met Marinda as a student at Tuks and from day one her practical application to everything; working with bodies, equipment and every type of personality showcased her ability to manage just about everything she put her hand to, including gardening (ha, ha) But the most precious characteristic of you Marinda is, EMPATHY! You touch so many lives, including mine on every level. No other person I know can put people at ease and comfortable in their own being like you can! You are one remarkable woman and I admire you. Thank you for who you are and everything you are doing. It is seen! Every day!
Shona, in your quiet, thoughtful way you taught me that being gentle, and kind goes a long way. Your presence is such a comfort, your care such an assurance. Shona, you are a quiet strength and the saying that ‘still waters run deep’ is the epitome that encompasses you. You add such value to Body Intellect, and we appreciate you.
Thembi. You are not with us anymore, you left this earth too early. I remember when we took a flight to Durban and you told me you thought you were in heaven and that is where I know you are today. The time you spent at Body Intellect, your laugh and vibrance not only as Thembi, but the person you were, brought sunlight and rainbows to everybody’s day. I always smile when I think of you and I am sure the angels are laughing with you today! We miss you, Thembi! You made an impact!
There are so many people that played such a vital role in Body Intellect and my LIFE, that it is impossible to mention everybody. All I can say is that Body Intellect is an extension of my being, like an organ that I need to function. Body Intellect, the studio, is my happy place and the people that I get to greet and meet there every day is like food for my soul. I love you all dearly and it is with absolute gratitude that I say “THANK YOU” for everything that you have added to my life and the existence of Body Intellect.
Without the incredible people that have made all this possible there would have been a void of absolute emptiness in my life.
I thank you with all my heart and more!
Theo.