Seek, but for Pilates instructors: inside new Canberra-born platform Pilates Will Travel
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There are very few jobs that offer the flexibility of travel, the freedom to set your own hours and the chance to build community – but Pilates instructors have long been leading the way in true work-life balance.
From keeping you physically fit to letting you deepen your own practice all while structuring your working hours around personal commitments, many Pilates lovers are now transforming their passion into a career. However, as more studios open across Canberra and more people complete their instructor training, one local woman noticed a gap in the Pilates market: a platform where the two could connect to find or fill work.
That’s when Lynsey Nichols decided to launch Pilates Will Travel.
“My partner Lauren has a studio here in Kingston, and she on her own in there. She’s always the reason I decided to make the app – because she’s always struggling to find someone who’s trained the way she’s trained,” explains Lynsey.
“If she wants a holiday, she has to have someone who can do whatever she does. This app was intended to help studios like Lauren; who don’t need staff all the time, but do need staff here and there, or do need staff all the time and can’t get them – or just don’t know where to look. It’s like Seek for Pilates studios.”
A decades-old method dating back to the 1920s, Pilates has become one of the most popular forms of movement in the world. In fact, according to the 2025 ClassPass Look Back Report, 2025 saw Pilates named the most-booked workout globally for the third year in a row. It also saw a 66 per cent increase in overall reservations from 2024, with over 15 million Pilates reservations made on ClassPass alone.
When looking at the ClassPass Global Superlatives for 2025, Canberra was listed “Most likely to book a Reformer Pilates Class” – but with the demand for classes comes the demand for teachers.
With many people teaching casually in Canberra – or those teaching full-time already committed – many studios are struggling to find teachers. But beyond that, they’re also struggling to find people who have completed instructor training that matches their own styles and methods.
“We have a lot of studios with a lot of teachers who have completed a lot of different training; from instructors like Lauren – who has a Diploma – to the ones who are just doing exercise Pilates,” says Lynsey.
“In order to fish out who you really want to work for you, this helps a little bit. Obviously, somebody who’s done a weekend course can’t go and teach in a modern studio because they don’t know anything about the equipment.”
Pilates Will Travel acts as a job board and directory for Pilates studios in Australia, allowing studios to post the classes they need covered and teachers to easily browse to find work.
Each listing includes details such as the class type, schedule, start date and pay rate; they stay live for 30 days and can be renewed, with teacher applications going straight to the studio’s account.
When building the platform, Lynsey made sure that teachers creating a profile must provide their qualifications, insurance, first aid and Working with Children or Vulnerable People details.
Pilates Will Travel is ideal for teachers who like to travel or are searching for work and is designed for studios of all sizes and styles – from small studios that teach classic Pilates to larger chains known for hybrid and specialised classes.
While the idea was born from wanting to help her partner have a holiday, Lynsey says she also created the platform because of her own love for the mind-body exercise.
“I feel like everybody should be doing it – everybody, young and old…it’s so unique to every different person.”
Pilates Will Travel is free for teachers to sign up and is currently offering a free Studio Pro membership until 31 January 2027 for the first 20 studios to join. Once the year ticks into February, they’ll have the option to keep the Studio Pro membership at the founding price of $19/month (for life) or move to the free membership.
Pilates Will Travel was literally born out of love, and at the end of the day, all Lynsey wants is for it to be used.
“My hope is to see it right across Australia…That would be awesome to have Pilates studios and instructors all across the country using it and making use of everything that we have that’s free on there,” she says.
“It’s about helping the people who are servicing other people – especially in the Pilates world, where they are helping people get fit and healthy, know their body and move well.”
For more information, visit pilateswilltravel.com.
Feature image: A Muse Pilates Retreat. Brooke Art Studio.
