We had the good fortune of connecting with Nathalie Gonthier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nathalie, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Taking risks, jumping into the unknown has played and still plays a huge part of my life and my decision making in life and career. From a young age as a student in high school, I was dreaming about traveling and discovering the world. Starting from moving out of my home town in the south of France, to go live in three different cities ending up in Paris. From Paris I moved to Los Angeles not knowing what to expect. I stayed in Los Angeles and build a career starting from scratch in the Visual Effect world. After over 20 years in post production I decided to change career and became a Pilates teacher. That’s the short story. Along the way, the changes and the unknown have always been a booster for me. There is both fear and excitement in the fact to start something or someplace new. I also traveled as a tourist in different countries, sometimes choosing to travel alone, to stay tuned to my surroundings and immersing fully in the places I was visiting. Looking at the future as a blank canvas, or an empty space where everything is yet to be created give you the freedom to try new things. Trying new things, meeting new people, pushing myself with new challenges to get out of my comfort zone is not always easy, but the result is always gratifying no matter small or big the decision is.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I don’t see my career as a career. I see life as a path I follow and make encounter, build experience along the way. As a teenager I knew three things about myself: I wanted to travel the world to know more about different cultures and languages. I was attracted by the Arts and by mechanic. I wanted to become a truck driver, with the idea to travel, or a mechanic and own my garage. I ended up going to Art School to study Fine Arts and the History of Art, which lead me to working in the movie and visual effects field for over 20 years. Changing career to teach Pilates brings me back to meeting people and the mechanic of the body. How did I get there? Looking back, I made choices in my life not just by trying to do what I love, but by trying to eliminate what I don’t love. Changing gear and direction when a situation is being counterproductive, or taking an opportunity when it presents itself.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When I first moved to Los Angeles from France I spent months driving around to discover the city. From Venice Beach, to the PCH and Malibu. To Hollywood, Bel Air, Down town, Korea town. I was then and am still now fascinated by the diversity of this city. The different social and ethnic backgrounds. After years living here, I am always drawn back to Venice Beach. When I have a day to myself, I usually end up back to Venice, walking the along the water or the boardwalk. The Pacific Ocean and the diverse crowd there always make me reflect on where I am today and where I come from.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
“It takes a village”: it is the accumulation of experiences and connections that gives you the directions you want to follow. In my case there are a lot of people that have been an inspiration along the way. For me changing career from Visual Effects to Pilates teacher was a change in worlds. From one environment predominantly masculine and driven by deadlines and budgets, to a world more balanced, with more women entrepreneurs. Jill Cassady, Rachel Lotspeich, Mia Reynoso, Yasmin Simavi, Sandy Shimoda, Daniela Escobar: These business owners have been a model and inspiration. I have learned and grown working with them over the years. Each one of them have their own style, personality and experiences, but the one common thing they share is the love and passion they have for what they do. They are not performing a job, they are sharing a passion, they are bringing to other people something they see as valuable for they health, happiness, wellbeing. Of course the financial side of what they do is an important one but not a driving one. Their compassion and dedication to others has been a source of inspiration and motivation for me in my own career and practice.

Website: www.nathaliespilates.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathaliespilates
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalie-gonthier-77b6603/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathaliespilates
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/nathalies-pilates-los-angeles

Image Credits
@guidolucianiphoto – Guido Luciani Photography @jeyev – Jennifer Booterbaugh

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