Episode 13 - Suzanne McCarty - Hara Beyond Movement Studio

Today I am talking to my dear friend Suzanne McCarty, 2nd Generation Pilates teacher, Gyrotonic Master trainer, yoga teacher and now massage therapist. She is also about to join the faculty on my Classical Pilates Mat program which will be held in in Brisbane and Coffs Harbour in 2025.

Suzanne has been teaching Pilates for almost 25 years, having had the amazing opportunity to learn from Romana Kryzanowska and other Pilates teachers in The USA , Europe and Australia. 

She is a deeply curious teacher and movement professional, and is constantly learning more about the human body to work more effectively with her clients.

In the podcast, I chat with Suzanne about how she approaches working with her clients and how she uses these multi-modalities to bring the best out of her clients. 

Suzanne comes from a Background In Ballet, having an incredible career in Vienna 1989-2000 at the Vienna Volksoper and the Vienna State Opera. She returned back to Australia in 2008 to start her own studio and we chat about her earlier career and how she found Pilates.

We’ll also touch on her home studio, her influences and what her plans are for the future.

We discuss:

• Her early life as a dancer in Vienna

• How a switched-on surgeon in the early 2000’s led Suzanne to Pilates after a knee injury

• How she found herself studying in the US with Romana Kryzanowska and other master teachers

• Her memories on Romana, Drago’s Gym and the Classical Pilates teacher training

• How she found Gyrotonic®, how it informs her teaching and how she works with her clients in Gyrotonic®

• How she started her own studio in her house, then opened a commercial premise before bringing her studio back home during Covid

• How she has dealt with burnout in her commercial premise and how she has overcome imposter syndrome over the years

• Her love and passion for training other teachers

• Her thoughts on the current state of the Pilates industry

Thanks Suzanne!

 

You can find Suzanne here: 

Hara Beyond Movement Studio

https://www.beyondmovementstudio.com/

And on instagram:

@harabeyondmovementstudio

 

Suzanne mentions:

The Pilates Studio Teacher Training Mat certification, coming to Coffs Harbour and Brisbane in 2025

https://www.pilatesteachertraining.com.au/courses/classical-mat

 

Did you catch Episode 12 of the Podcast? in this episode I get candid about my thoughts on the industry and the #safepilates ethos.

 

To receive my 10, customisable #safepilates  Canva templates, subscribe to my newsletter at kimpaxtoncoaching.com/safepilates to get them sent to your inbox!

 

More about Suzanne:

Suzanne loves to share her passion for movement, anatomy and the energetic body that is based on experience from a lifetime of studying and practising movement.

She enjoyed a 12-year professional dance career in Vienna, Austria as a ballet dancer in the Vienna Volksoper & State Opera Ballet Companies before becoming a movement teacher in year 2000.

Suzanne has taught Movement to people from all walks of life full-time for over twenty five years. 

Suzanne’s deep understanding and love of movement, dance & anatomy enables her to guide both the fully able and the injured to move in a way that honours their body and gets the most out of each session. Suzanne is passionate about ensuring everyone who comes to her leaves her care in a better physical state than they arrived.

Suzanne has recently added remedial massage to her list of qualifications to offer a more hands-on approach to helping her clients achieve their best physical condition.

Suzanne is a Teacher Trainer in the GYROKINESIS® and GYROTONIC® Methods. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and skills with other teachers or helping to expand the network of The GYROKINESIS® and GYROTONIC® methods here in Australia.

Suzanne holds the following qualifications:

• 2nd generation Pilates Instructor (Full Pilates education with Romana Kryzanoswka New York graduation year 2000.)

• Diploma of Pilates/ Australia

• Pilates Instructor-Principal Level Pilates Trainer Pilates Alliance Australasia

• GYROTONIC® & GYROKINESIS® Master Trainer

• Yoga Therapist (Certified-International Association Yoga Therapists)

• Yoga Teacher 500 hours

• Lisa Howell Dance teacher training level 1/ level 2 Pointework & Flexibility training

• Dance for Parkinsons

• Diploma of Remedial Massage

Former:

• Ballet Dancer- Vienna Volksoper Ballet 1988-1996

• Ballet Dancer Vienna State Opera Ballet 1996-2000

When not teaching movement, training courses  or performing massage, Suzanne loves spending time with her husband and puppy or travelling interstate to visit her sons & daughters. She loves Music , Film & above all The Ballet