Transcription

• Speaker #0

  Okay, let's set the scene for you. Picture this. Late afternoon, Gamarth, Tunisia. That beautiful golden light. You can almost hear the horses nearby. Maybe the sea whispering through the pines. Sounds like just pure relaxation, right?

• Speaker #1

  Oh, absolutely. The perfect summer vacation setup.

• Speaker #0

  And that's exactly what Sirian was thinking. She's 20, studying sports management back in Nice.

• Speaker #1

  Right. So she arrives expecting, you know, beaches, family time, maybe some parties. The usual summer break.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah, the usual. But, well, her aunt had a slightly different idea about what productive meant for Serene's holiday.

• Speaker #1

  A very different idea, it sounds like.

• Speaker #0

  Totally different. Instead of, like, hitting the beach, Serene finds herself enrolled in a Stott Pilates reformer training.

• Speaker #1

  Wow. At Studio Renaissance in Tunis, that's quite a pivot from parties and sunbathing.

• Speaker #0

  Exactly. Talk about an unexpected detour.

• Speaker #1

  And her first reaction, pure dismissal, wasn't it? She kind of thought Pilates was, well...

• Speaker #0

  For relaxation, yeah. Or for seniors. That's what she said. Definitely not for a young, sporty person like her.

• Speaker #1

  It's that classic thing, isn't it? Oh, I know what that is, and it's not for me. We all kind of do that sometimes.

• Speaker #0

  We really do. It makes me wonder, though, that initial strong feeling, that dismissal, does it make the eventual turnaround, the revelation, even bigger?

• Speaker #1

  That's a really interesting point. I think it absolutely does. The depth of that skepticism. really amplifies the shift. And for you listening, as we get into Siren's story, it's not just about her changing her mind. It's about exploring how our own preconceived notion, those persuasions can sometimes really block us from experiences that could be, well, transformative.

• Speaker #0

  Right, how something she completely wrote off ended up reshaping her whole view on sport, her confidence, even her future plans.

• Speaker #1

  Exactly, so let's unpack that. Day one.

• Speaker #0

  Okay, day one. You can almost feel the hesitation, can't you? She called it complicated, said she felt a bit lost.

• Speaker #1

  And it wasn't just the physical stuff, was it?

• Speaker #0

  No, not at all. She mentioned lacking the right word, the vocabulary, finding the posture analysis kind of unclear, being really uncomfortable with getting corrections or having to explain things herself. There was a lot of fear and doubt, she said.

• Speaker #1

  But underneath that, there was something else, too.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah, she mentioned this quiet desire for confidence. Even amidst all that uncertainty.

• Speaker #1

  Which is fascinating. And what's really striking is how fast things started to change. You'd think it might take weeks,

• Speaker #0

  but... Right. By day two, she said she already felt a difference.

• Speaker #1

  Yeah, she used words like more knowledge, a bit more confidence.

• Speaker #0

  That fear had started to fade, she said. And she felt a real connection building with Pilates.

• Speaker #1

  Already starting to zero in on specific things to work on, like getting that neutral posture right.

• Speaker #0

  Which is so key in Pilates, isn't it? That stable spine alignment. Absolutely crucial. So that's a huge leap from feeling lost just the day before.

• Speaker #1

  It really is.

• Speaker #0

  And then fast forward to the last day. It sounds like a total transformation.

• Speaker #1

  Complete breakthrough, yeah.

• Speaker #0

  That stage fright she mentioned. Gone. Just gone. She felt way more comfortable, way more confident.

• Speaker #1

  And the vocabulary.

• Speaker #0

  So much richer. She really got the importance of distinguishing different types of contractions. stability versus movement.

• Speaker #1

  Right, a nuance.

• Speaker #0

  And how respiration breathing changes as you go from beginner to intermediate levels. It's subtle, but important.

• Speaker #1

  Definitely. Her whole mindset shifted, didn't it,

• Speaker #0

  from that initial fear to this real desire to transmit what she learned. She was basically saying everyone should try Pilates.

• Speaker #1

  That's quite the turnaround.

• Speaker #0

  Incredible,

• Speaker #1

  right. And what about the group dynamic? She was the youngest there, only 20. Sometimes that can be a bit awkward, maybe feel isolating.

• Speaker #0

  That's a good question. You might think so. But apparently not for Cyrene. She described herself as having solar energy.

• Speaker #1

  Solar energy. I like that.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah. You know, someone who smiles and laughs easily brings good vibe. But she also knew when to be serious.

• Speaker #1

  Ah, okay. So a mix.

• Speaker #0

  Exactly. She felt that blend actually brought energy and a good balance to the group. It wasn't a negative thing at all. Sounds like she just sort of lit up the room.

• Speaker #1

  That makes sense. So she's finding her groove. Confidence is building. She's connecting with the group. But let's get back to the physical side.

• Speaker #0

  Right. Because her first impression was relaxation for seniors.

• Speaker #1

  This is where those ideas must have really been challenged.

• Speaker #0

  Oh, definitely. She talked about this one muscle endurance class. Planks and abs focus.

• Speaker #1

  Oh, sounds intense.

• Speaker #0

  Her words. It left everyone killed. She said arms and abs on fire.

• Speaker #1

  Okay. So definitely not relaxing or just for seniors.

• Speaker #0

  Not even close. close.

• Speaker #1

  But how did she feel about that intensity? Was she put off?

• Speaker #0

  No, that's the amazing part. She said she was too content. She actually loved it.

• Speaker #1

  Wow. So that class just completely flipped her perception.

• Speaker #0

  Totally. She realized you absolutely can work, endurance, transpire, push limits, all while sticking to the core principles, the six basic principles of the Stop Pilates method.

• Speaker #1

  It really highlights that idea of deliberate discomfort, doesn't it? Sometimes the biggest growth happens when you push through that initial awkwardness or difficulty, like building muscle, essentially.

• Speaker #0

  That's a great way to put it. So this wasn't just... Like learning exercises, it was a whole re-education for her about what fitness even is.

• Speaker #1

  It fundamentally changed her view. Moving away from Pilates being just stretching or some kind of tranquil reinforcement.

• Speaker #0

  So what was her new vision? How did she see it afterwards?

• Speaker #1

  She saw it as hyper-precise, hyper-demanding, and very physical. She understood that you can get true fitness from Pilates, but it takes more awareness. more corrections. It's not just grunt work, it's smart, connected work.

• Speaker #0

  Yeah, being really aware of your body.

• Speaker #1

  Exactly. And Sirian's story, it really makes you think about those persuasions, those ideas we hold. How often do we just dismiss something valuable because it doesn't fit our neat little box of what it is?

• Speaker #0

  It's a really powerful question for all of us, actually. So when she had to boil it down, summarize the whole experience in just three words, what did she pick?

• Speaker #1

  She chose confidence, which makes sense given her progress. Then connection, that bond she felt with the method itself. Okay.

• Speaker #0

  And the third?

• Speaker #1

  The third was kiff.

• Speaker #0

  Ah, kiff. For anyone listening who doesn't know, that's French. Basically meaning she just absolutely loved it. Pure enjoyment, a real pleasure from start to finish.

• Speaker #1

  Exactly. And that kiff, that passion, it's really lit a fire under her, hasn't it? For the future?

• Speaker #0

  Oh yeah. Big time. She gets back to Nice and she's immediately looking for work in a reformer center.

• Speaker #1

  But not just to practice herself.

• Speaker #0

  No, she wants to teach. Her goal is to transmit this energy, as she put it. She wants to show people that Pilates isn't only calm and respiration.

• Speaker #1

  She wants them to know it's also. Sweat,

• Speaker #0

  work, and an incredible consciousness of the body. That's her mission now.

• Speaker #1

  That's fantastic.

• Speaker #0

  So as we sort of wrap up this deep dive into Serene's journey, what's the takeaway for you listening? I mean, her path from total skeptic to this profound personal and professional change. It all came from an unexpected challenge, didn't it?

• Speaker #1

  Definitely. Driven by those discoveries she made along the way, she got a little nudge, maybe a big push from her aunt into something she thought wasn't her thing at all.

• Speaker #0

  And it just opened up this whole new world.

• Speaker #1

  It really makes you wonder, doesn't it, about those unexpected turns in our own lives. Sometimes stepping out of that comfort zone or maybe getting that gentle push like Serene did leads to the biggest breakthroughs, the most confidence-building moments, even in areas you thought you had all figured out. Yeah. What might you discover? What new kiff might be out there if you just said yes to something unexpected or allowed yourself to be open? Makes you think.