Meet Whitney Shea | Studio Owner & Pilates Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Whitney Shea and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Whitney, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

I found Pilates at The Pilates Center (TPC) in Boulder as I was completing my B.A. in Integrative Physiology at The University of Colorado at Boulder. Although Pilates was very challenging for me at first, I quickly started noticing the positive impact it was having on both my physical and mental strengths. After practicing consistently for about 6 months, I joined TPC’s Teacher Training Program. However, shortly after that, I experienced a rollover car accident on I-70, that left me with chronic neck and shoulder pain. Practicing Pilates throughout my rehabilitation gave me an even deeper appreciation for the healing qualities of the work, and I knew that I wanted to share it with the world as a teacher.

I’ve been teaching Pilates in the Boulder area since 2008 (minus 2 of those years where I taught Pilates in Chicago). I also had the opportunity of managing 2 of these Pilates studios, which gave me insight and experience into business operations and running a studio. Over the past 14 years, I have built relationships with clients (some of whom I still work with today), as well as with various Pilates studios and Physical Therapy Clinics in the area. After teaching Pilates for about 10 years, I decided to go back to school for my Physical Therapist Assistant License, which expanded my skill set, and helped me to be able to bring The Pilates Method to Physical Therapy clinics in the area. I’ve learned so much from my mentors and teachers, and after having our daughter in June of 2020 (during Covid), I felt the need to slow down and reevaluate my next steps as a teacher and new mom. I started teaching some Pilates to friends out of my home in Louisville, as well as renting teaching space in Lafayette, so that I could continue to teach, but at a smaller scale.

My mom, who now lives in Boulder, is a Physical Therapist and Pilates teacher. She originally owned a private practice in Sherman, TX (where I grew up). Since her and my dad had moved out to Colorado, her previous coworkers in Texas had been graciously taking care of her Pilates equipment, in the hopes that I would be able to adopt it from her sometime in the future. With this in mind, and as my teaching continued to grow in Louisville and Lafayette, I started thinking about the possibility of opening up my own studio in the area.

It was important to me to be in Louisville, as it is where my family lives, and I wanted to share my work with this community. And so being able to open a space in Old Town Louisville was dream come true for me! I found a space for lease that is in a basement setting (which I did not think I would have gone for originally) on Main Street. But being in the lower level allowed me to be on Main Street, at a price point that I could afford as a new business owner. And when I saw the space, I fell in love! The ceilings were high, the lighting and layout was perfect, and the energy was calming.

It seemed as if all the stars were aligning for me to make this dream come true. And even though we were in the middle of Covid, and it was a risky time for a new fitness business to be opening, my gut told me to go for it. With the support of my husband and parents, I signed the lease and we started renovating as soon as we could, and opened our doors one month later. Since then, I’ve also been able to hire a few more amazing Pilates teachers that I’ve known for years, which has made this adventure even more exciting and possible!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Contrology Studio opened in September of 2021, right as the Delta waive was hitting. It was a bit nerve racking to sign our lease that summer, not knowing what was in store for small businesses. However, I knew in my heart that we all needed this work more than ever. It was more important than ever to be taking care of our physical and mental health, as well as reconnecting with other humans.

Contrology Studio is deeply rooted into our community, as well as in the personal and professional growth of our teachers. My family and I moved to Louisville in 2019, and since then being a part of this amazing community was very important to us. There are not many Pilates studios in Louisville, and so I was excited to bring more Pilates to the area! Besides being an intimate space for private lessons and small group classes, we also host community classes and partner with other businesses for fun events with Pilates, food, drinks, and even live music! It’s important for me to have a movement space that is accessible to all bodies, and that encourages and fun work-life balance- for our clients, and teachers!

On December 30, 2021 parts of our little town were destroyed by the Marshall Mesa Fire. This devastating fire burned down about 1,000 homes, all within a few miles of the studio. We had multiple clients who lost everything they owned, but watching our community come together to support the fire victims has been incredible. We feel lucky that Contrology Studio was untouched, and that we’ve been able to be a safe and supportive place for our clients to continue coming to.

As an aspiring Pilates teacher and practitioner, I felt the need for a safe space- where I could come as I was to move, breathe, and not take things too seriously- all the while being supported and encouraged to grow out of my comfort zone (as a teacher and practitioner). Contrology Studio is a studio where our teachers are mentored and encouraged to continuously grow, both personally and professionally. It’s important to me to meet each teacher where they are at, and then continue to support their journey of where they want to go- from teaching classes, to workshops, to opening their own studio someday! Their success is my success, and I strive to always put them first.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh wow, this is a tough question because there are so many fun things to do and see in this area! But if I had to choose, here are some of my favorite local spots: hiking at Chautauqua Park in Boulder, specifically Skunk Canyon Trail, happy hour food & drinks at Zucca and Waterloo in Louisville, beers & tacos on the patio at Sanitas Brewery in Boulder, dinner at Southern Sun in Boulder, cocktails on the rooftop patio at Rosetta Hall in Boulder, yoga with Rob Loud at Yoga Pod in Boulder, and live music at the Pavillion Louisville, the Boulder Theater, and of course, Red Rocks Amphitheatre!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The following people have helped shape me into the person I am today, and continue to inspire me. I’m forever grateful for my parents, Colleen & Gary Grafa; my husband and daughter, Billy & Avery Shea; my Pilates teachers and mentors at The Pilates Center, Amy Alpers & Rachel Segel and staff at TPC; my mentors at Pure Body Teacher Training, Heather Erdmann & Jaime Whtie and staff at PBTT; my Physical Therapist Assistant mentors, Doug Hanna & Dawn Singleton and the PT of Boulder Staff, and my teachers at Pima Medical Institute.

Website: www.contrologystudioco.com

Instagram: @contrologystudio_louisville

Linkedin: Whitney Shea, PTA, CPT, RYT

Facebook: @contrologystudioco

Image Credits
Kirsten Cohen