Building a Business with Soul: Why Mantra Isn’t Just Another Pilates Studio

BY KATHY - COVINGTON

June 19,2025

There was a moment, not in a boardroom, but in the studio, when I looked around the room during class and saw something I’ll never forget.

It wasn’t just sweat or perfect form that caught my attention. It was the collective exhale. The softening of shoulders. The tears in the corner of someone’s eyes. The way women were reclaiming space, not just on their mats, but in their lives.

That’s when I knew: I wasn’t building a Pilates studio. I was building a sanctuary. A movement. A business with soul.

Where It Began

Years ago, I was a young mom and a lifelong horseback rider looking for something that could challenge me, center me, and reconnect me to my own strength. When I discovered the Lagree method, I was hooked, on the intensity, the grace, the transformation.

But what I didn’t find in those early studios was connection. The workouts were powerful, but the energy often felt cold and transactional. I wanted more. I wanted to create a space where people felt truly seen, where the work wasn’t just physical, but emotional, energetic, and personal.

So I took a risk. I built my own version of the experience. I called it Mantra, a name that symbolizes conscious repetition, inner power, and the journey back to self.

Why We’re Different

Let me be clear: Mantra is not just Pilates. And we’re certainly not a copy of something else.

We’ve developed our own unique approach, the Mantra Method, which blends high-intensity strength training with breath work, nervous system awareness, conscious cueing, and spiritual alignment. It’s a workout, yes, but it’s also a return to your body, your breath, and your truth.

But it’s more than the method.

It’s the energy you feel when you walk through the door. The lighting, the scent, the curated playlists, everything is designed to ground, elevate, and awaken. Our instructors aren’t just here to teach, they’re here to hold space, uplift, and help you move through more than just resistance bands. They help you move through life.

And then there’s the community. We don’t just remember your name, we remember your story. We celebrate your wins, support you through losses, and show up for one another. This is not a place where you come to disappear behind a towel. It’s where you come to rise.

The Stories That Keep Me Going

There are so many client stories that continue to inspire me, but none quite like Eli’s.

It was 2012. I was sitting behind a tiny IKEA desk I had built myself inside the unfinished shell of my very first Mantra studio in Sarasota, Florida. The machines had just arrived. We had hosted our first instructor training, and if you peeked through the windows, you could feel the energy of something being born.

That’s when Eli knocked.

She was 83 years old, sharp, radiant, and full of life. She told me she’d been walking by and watching what was happening inside, and with total certainty, she said, “This workout is for me.”

I was speechless. At the time, I believed Lagree was only for younger bodies. I thought, How is she possibly going to do this workout? But Eli wasn’t asking for permission. She wanted in. I told her the price, and without a second thought, she pulled out her checkbook and signed up on the spot.

She became my very first member.

And she didn’t just show up ,she thrived. Eli could do every move that any twenty-something could do. She brought power, presence, and light to every class. She inspired not only our clients but me, deeply.

One day I asked her, “Eli, what’s your secret to staying young?”

She smiled and said, “Never stop going.”

That line has never left me. It reminds me that strength isn’t defined by age, it’s defined by mindset. And it’s exactly why I built Mantra: to help people reconnect to that unshakable part of themselves.

The Why Behind It All

Mantra is more than a fitness brand. It’s a reflection of my own evolution, through motherhood, heartbreak, reinvention, and personal healing.

I’ve built this company the same way I rebuilt my life:

With intention.

With intuition.

With courage.

With love.

Every studio is designed with care. Every class is a ritual. Every decision, from who we hire to the cues we teach, is grounded in the question: Does this help someone come back to themselves?

Because this isn’t just about movement.

It’s about remembering who you are beneath the noise.

This Is a Movement, Not a Membership

At Mantra, we’re not here to just give you a great workout. We’re here to help you feel powerful in your body, peaceful in your breath, and alive in your purpose.

We believe fitness is sacred.

That your body is not a project to be fixed, it’s a vessel for your truth.

That healing doesn’t happen from the outside in it happens from the inside out.

So if you’re looking for something deeper, if you’re ready to be seen, challenged, and supported, come find us.

This isn’t just another studio.

This is Mantra.

And this is your invitation to rise.