IN CONVERSATION WITH LAURA HALLS, FOUNDER, LAURA HALL PILATES — SYDNEY
CEE CLEAR x Laura Halls
A conversation with Laura Halls, founder of Laura Halls Pilates.
Consistency is kind of her thing.
There’s a quiet confidence to the way Laura Halls has built her business: considered, consistent and distinctly her own.
As the founder of Laura Halls Pilates, Laura has turned a lifelong relationship with movement into a business shaped as much by experience and design as it is by Pilates. We talk about starting before you have it all figured out, the realities of running a business, backing yourself and building something people want to return to — plus beauty, travel and the rituals she relies on.
WHO IS LAURA HALLS?
Laura: Laura: Grew up in Berry, NSW, but call Sydney home now. Founder & instructor of Laura Halls Pilates, lover of beautiful spaces, considered design & a studio that feels more like a sanctuary than a gym. In my bridal era, wedding set for 2027, if I can get a wriggle on!
Love travelling, fashion, wellness & experiencing beautiful hotels and spaces where i get most of my inspiration from. Currently building an online Pilates platform with my two best friends, launching later this year.
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH PILATES STARTED INCREDIBLY YOUNG, AFTER DISCOVERING YOU HAD SCOLIOSIS AT 11. HOW DID THAT PERSONAL EXPERIENCE EVENTUALLY BECOME A CAREER?
Laura: The change in my posture was the first thing I noticed, along with how much my back pain decreased. But what really stayed with me was that I'd finally found a form of exercise I actually looked forward to doing. Mum did it alongside me, and I think back on that time with so much gratitude, it wasn't just about the physical benefit, it was something we shared.
What started as something I needed became a passion I couldn't imagine my life without and that's when I knew it was going to be my career.
I actually had a spinal scan a few months ago, and the scoliosis didn't even show up a pretty full-circle moment after everything Pilates has done for me.
YOU TALK ABOUT CONSISTENCY OVER INTENSITY. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IN REAL LIFE, AND HOW OFTEN DO YOU THINK WE ACTUALLY NEED TO MOVE TO FEEL THE BENEFITS?
Laura: For me, it's daily movement which doesn't always mean an hour a day. Even 20 minutes counts. A walk, a Pilates session, some weights, it all adds up. The goal isn't intensity, it's showing up.
With Pilates specifically, that's where I really see it play out with clients the ones who get the most out of it are the ones doing it consistently, whether that's in studio or at home. It's part of why I'm working on bringing LHP online, so that consistency is easier to build into everyday life, not just studio days.
YOUR STUDIO FEELS MORE LIKE A SANCTUARY THAN A TRADITIONAL FITNESS SPACE. HOW MUCH OF THAT AESTHETIC CAME INSTINCTIVELY TO YOU, AND HOW DID YOU APPROACH CREATING A SPACE THAT FELT DISTINCTLY YOUR OWN?
Laura: It came instinctively, but it was also very intentional. I never wanted LHP to feel like a typical fitness studio, I wanted it to feel considered, like a space you'd actually want to spend time in. I leaned into a gallery-atelier direction with gorgeous velvet bench seat, antique mirrors, stainless steel consoles, finishes that feel more like an art space than a gym.
I had a custom bench seat made by Jono Friend which has become the feature of the room, and sourced a few decorative pieces from Italy. I wanted talking points things no one else had. Every decision came back to the same question: does this feel like LHP? If it didn't, it didn't make the cut.
I wanted it to look and feel like nothing else in Sydney, genuinely luxury, not just fitness-luxury.
FOR SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THEY WANT TO OPEN THEIR OWN STUDIO OR BECOME AN INSTRUCTOR, BUT HAS ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHERE TO BEGIN, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THEM?
Laura: Get your qualifications right, that's non-negotiable. I did my Pilates Studio and Rehab Diploma, did work experience with some of the top names in the industry, and went to New York to further my education. Having the right knowledge underneath you is everything, it's what gives you the confidence to teach properly and the credibility clients can trust.
The other piece is people. Find clients who back you, who believe in you and will support you as you grow. That kind of trust doesn't happen overnight, but it's what everything else is built on.
IN THE SPIRIT OF CEE CLEAR AND KEEPING THINGS TRANSPARENT WHAT’S ONE REALITY OF OPENING YOUR OWN STUDIO THAT NO ONE TELLS YOU, BUT WOULD HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE TO KNOW FROM THE START?
Laura: Honestly, where do I start! One thing I really underestimated is how much I'd need support staff. Teaching the classes is genuinely the easy part, it's the admin behind it that's relentless. Setting up the studio, bookings, payments, emails, cleaning, doing all of that as a one-man band is unlike anything I expected. You need help, and I'd tell anyone starting out not to wait too long to get it.
But with that said, there's something really special about building every single part of your business yourself. It's a lot, but it's an honour.
FOR SOMEONE DREAMING OF STARTING THEIR OWN BUSINESS, WHERE DO YOU ACTUALLY BEGIN WITHOUT FEELING LIKE YOU NEED TO HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT?
Laura: Honestly, you don't need it all figured out I certainly didn't. I started in my spare bedroom, just to help cover rent. I had no idea what I was doing, and I never imagined it would grow into an actual business. There was a point where I quit my full-time job to do this, and even then, I still didn't have it all figured out.
You just have to start where you are, with what you've got, and trust that the rest works itself out as you go.
WHAT’S ONE SMALL RITUAL YOU THINK HAS AN OUTSIZED IMPACT ON HOW YOU FEEL?
Laura: Prayer and gratitude. It sounds simple, but taking that time each day genuinely shifts everything else and how I show up, how I handle stress, how present I feel. It's a small ritual, but the impact is anything but small.
HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR BEAUTY ROUTINE SIMPLE WHEN LIFE IS BUSY AND YOU’RE CONSTANTLY ON THE GO?
Laura: I get ready in about 10 minutes flat. I don't wear much makeup I'd rather put the effort into keeping my skin healthy so I don't need to. When your skin's in good shape, you don't need ten steps to feel put together.
WHAT’S INSIDE YOUR CEE CLEAR DAY-TO-DAY?
Laura: Concealer, hair clip, mini perfume bottle, brow gel, lip balm and in the winter aesop hand cream.
WHEN YOU’RE TRAVELLING OR OUT OF ROUTINE, WHAT ARE THE NON-NEGOTIABLES THAT HELP YOU STILL FEEL LIKE YOURSELF?
Laura: Finding a Pilates class nearby, I love trying out new studios wherever I go, it's such good inspiration. A lymphatic drainage session is another non-negotiable. When I was in Milan last year, I found this tiny underground studio down a back alley, completely unglamorous, but honestly one of the best lymphatic massages I've ever had. And a blow-out, so I still feel put together while I'm travelling.
QUICK FIRE
Carry-on or checked luggage?
Carry-on
Early flight or late departure?
Late, always
Who is your favourite person to travel with?
My fiancé Ryan
A place that always inspires you?
New York
A destination you’d go back to tomorrow?
Cayman Islands, specifically Palm Heights Hotel
The one beauty product always in your bag?
Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer
One thing you never leave home without?
My phone
Best coffee, matcha or wine in Sydney?
My local cafe Alimentari for my morning coffee
Your most-used app?
Instagram but substack starting to take over...
Current podcast or book recommendation?
The Morgan Stewart Podcast
The best career advice you've ever received?
Back yourself. It's simple, but it's carried me through the moments I had no idea what I was doing. Nobody's going to believe in what you're building more than you do.