I can’t believe that I am EVEN writing this post. Cassie was a big reason WHY I became a trainer and got into fitness. I resonated with her teaching philosophy that fitness can be done anywhere with limited or not equipment. It should be fun and challenging. With the amount of moving and traveling, I knew POPPILATES was going to be perfect for our lifestyle. I didn’t need to have a gym membership or any weight. I truly LOVED that I could do it anywhere.
To be honest this is a decision that I probably should have made a while back, but emotionally I just wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to leave the person who inspired me so many years back. I don’t remember exactly when I found Cassie but I loved her monthly challenges, abs/glutes/arms challenges. It’s a day I thought would never. It’s bittersweet, but we all grow and evolve. I am glad that she got me into working out and taking care of myself.
POPPILATES Certification
When Cassie first launched her certification you had to be already have your group fitness certification. I didn’t have any fitness certification, but I knew I wanted to teach this class. I still did her monthly challenges and purchased the programs she put out. Eventually became a certified personal trainer, and knew my continuing education courses would be her certification. I did the online version first because I was living in West Virginia. There wasn’t an in person certification close by, and I think we only had 1 car at the time. It did take me a while to finally get my certification but I am glad I did.
As I am writing this it doesn’t seem real that I am not a POPPILATES instructor anymore. Thinking back on how long it took me to get certified as an instructor and all the time I put into learning the choreography. Even though I loved Cassie and POPPILATES, I wasn’t the best on my memorizing and sticking to the beat. I come to realize I love pilates but structured classes aren’t my thing, I prefer reps and sets. I still do POPPILATES to some degree, just not the way it was designed to be taught.
Pausing My Subscription
During my time as an instructor, I paused my membership several times. I did as a way to think about if it is something I didn’t want to do anymore. I would freeze for 6 months, and think about if I missed it or not. At the time I did miss it, but now I’m thinking did I miss it or just a toy I couldn’t play with and I wanted it. Either way, I would renew my membership and be refreshed and ready to teach again.
The Decision
I posted a question in the instructor portal that I was thinking about cancelling or freezing or taking a break. I explained my perspective about how it seemed to be more work than I was expecting. There are just a few things that I personally don’t like anymore such as the music has changed. I get copyright laws and things have changed but I LOVED that it was to songs on the radio. To their credit, they do now have an option to purchase a playlist based on the release to songs on the radio. I think it’s $15, but on top of the $15 I was already spending each month didn’t make sense.
I was also having a horrible time downloading the songs to my phone. Personally, I think they should just create a playlist on Spotify. Finally I was tired of paying a monthly fee and not teaching. I didn’t feel like I was getting my moneys worth anymore.
Current Emotions
It has been about 6 months since I have cancelled my subscription. There are days that I miss it and wish I tried harder to teach and promote the classes. There are days that I don’t think about it at all. Every month I still get her emails. I will always be so appreciative of everything she did for me. I am also excited to see where my training takes me now.