When asked how The Station Pilates began, founder Monica Smith often smiles and says, “I traded my Louboutins for grip socks.”
For years, Monica lived in a fast-paced corporate world filled with long workdays, endless meetings and networking events. Her wardrobe was polished, but her sense of balance always seemed just out of reach.
Movement had been part of her life, yet it was during her yoga teacher training that her perspective shifted dramatically.
“The pain I had been carrying for years suddenly became unbearable,” she recalls. “I pushed through, as so many of us do, until eventually I found myself in a surgeon’s office in Brisbane. He gave me three options: an operation, a schedule of spinal injections, or Pilates. I chose Pilates.”
Pilates gave Monica not just strength and healing, but a new sense of purpose. She wanted others to experience the same benefits of movement in a space that felt inclusive rather than intimidating.
“I had walked into studios before where I was judged by my appearance or ignored entirely,” she says. “I knew I wanted to create something different – a place where every ‘body’ feels welcome.”
That vision led her to take over the old Zenko Yoga space in Bli Bli, just as the world was emerging from COVID. At the time, people were searching for new ways to move, to connect and to find balance again. Yoga had its place, but Monica quickly saw a shift: the need for diversity in movement practices.
When the old fire station tenancy became available, the idea for a new kind of studio sparked. “The moment I walked through those doors, I could see it clearly,” Monica explains. “A space that could be transformed into something vibrant, fresh and fun, but different from our Aktiv Living Studio in Bli Bli.”
Together with her daughter Ella, she rolled up her sleeves. They hauled in reformers, poured their energy into creating a welcoming space and laid the foundation for what would become The Station Pilates.
“It wasn’t just another business,” Monica says. “It was the birth of a movement – one that mirrored my own journey back to strength, resilience and joy through Pilates, while still keeping a grounding practice of yoga.”
At the centre of The Station Pilates is one ethos: every body deserves to move. “Inclusivity is everything to me,” Monica explains. “Pilates or yoga isn’t reserved for a certain type of body, lifestyle, or age group. Movement belongs to everyone.”
The classes are designed to meet people exactly where they are, whether it’s their first time stepping onto a reformer or years into their practice. Instructors act as guides, supporting and inspiring members on their own movement journeys.
Monica believes Pilates has endured for a reason. “Pilates builds strength from the inside out. It’s not just about sculpting muscles. It’s about resilience, posture and moving with more freedom in everyday life.”
Members often share how their back pain has eased, their energy has lifted and how they feel stronger in both body and mind. Beyond the physical, Pilates and yoga offer space for mindfulness, slowing down and reconnecting with breath.
For Monica, the community is what makes The Station Pilates truly special. “Our members often tell me it’s the community that keeps them coming back – the friendships, the energy and the feeling of being part of something bigger than themselves,” she says.
“I never want to lose the heart of why I started: to empower people through movement and to create spaces where everyone feels they belong.”