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One of the hardest things for me is keeping quiet. As a child if I was in trouble at school it was usually for ‘chattering’, and at home I was endlessly told off for hogging the phone line making LONG phone calls to friends. When I began my journey into 'horse-whispering" my teacher and mentor Monty Roberts explained that in the wild, horses are silent as any noise will attract predators, so when working with horses we should be as quiet as possible. There is no reason to t

Can’t make it to class? No problem, Julie has you covered! With a variety of classes available to watch anytime, anywhere, from the comfort of your own home, your hotel room or even your stable block there’s a class for you! Sign up today for a 30 day free trial to PilatesAnytime.com! Use promo code DRIVER at signup. Sign up here

Julie joins Jenna Zaffino to talk about her Pilates journey, how a serious injury, IVF and other life challenges helped shape her own teaching and bring a deeper understanding of the teacher/client bond.

Julie Driver on Horsemanship Radio - Episode 76 Julie joins Debbie Loucks to talk about her passion for horses, and how Pilates is the perfect partner for Equestrians to build their riding skills. View on HorsemanshipRadio.com

This is Joe and his horse, Tommy. Together they served in the Cavalry of WW1 and together they survived. Six weeks was the average life span of a horse and soldier in WW1. Both animals and humans suffered the same horrific injuries including shell shock. An estimated 8, 000, 000 horses died. This number does not include the large amount of mules and donkeys that also played their role. In gratitude to his valiant equine companion Joe named his first-born son Thomas. Thoma

I love Autumn, the colours, the encroaching darkness and the colder weather. As I sit here on this glorious Autumn day, watching this seasonal change it fills me with happiness and also slight envy at the ease with which this shift happens. I feel like I’m watching with new eyes and admiration at how the trees let go of their greenness and drift towards being the skeleton of themselves before bursting back into colour with renewed vigour and life. We call it the change of

I am terrified of heights. Once I stood absolutely still, stranded at the top of the empire state building for almost an hour before I was able to ‘unstick’ my feet and bolt for the exit. So, when the opportunity arose to hike through one of the most dangerous mountain paths in Europe, I politely declined and instead booked myself a trail ride, which I assumed would be through stunning Andalusian forest on relatively FLAT ground, and Yes, I do know what they say about the w

Summers here. Cute dresses, skimpy shorts and barely there bikinis. Personally, I love winter with knee length boots and chunky jumpers. Believe me I'm no stranger to a bikini but with grafts on my leg I can no longer safely bare my legs on a sunny day. So it's in summer that I particularly notice the media pressure to conform, to join the army of bronzed legged ballerina pump wearing perfect size 10s. The desire to look airbrushed to within an inch of ones life even when

I have a coaching session once a month. In that hour I have the time to think about what I’m doing, where I’m going and to reflect on what I have achieved Recently I was asked to think back to my first experiences of teaching. What was it that made me want to teach? What did I enjoy most about teaching? I thought back to one of my very first mat classes, taught in a large, draughty sports hall attached to a local school. My group of 12 attendees and I barely filled half o

January 2017. I made a decision to say "No", I closed a door. I knew it was the right decision and the right time to do it, but I was anxious and questioned myself, and my husband constantly. The self doubt was enormous, but I learnt that sometimes we need to create space for the new to thrive…and it did. 2017 thrived and I had a wonderful and exciting year full of new experiences, challenges, friends and laughter. Sometimes ‘NO’ is the positive response and will set you

There are so many things to consider when you find out you are pregnant..., where to birth, which hospitals, what names for the twins are just a few. One of the things that my husband and I instantly agreed on was HOW we wanted to bring up these new little people. An amazing maternity nurse helped us navigate the exhausting early days when we had one twin in hospital and one at home. Her knowledge and expertise taught us a mixture of her own techniques and the usual parentin

During my career I’ve struggled with setting boundaries for my business and holding space for myself and my family. Some days, I find myself running to stand still, permanently exhausted, sometimes frustrated and frequently snappy. Endless “to do” lists that never get completed, procrastinating about when should I do “X”? Can I fit in that lesson/haircut/movie/eyebrow tint. (Delete as appropriate) These among many other circular thoughts and habits, not to mention the eas

Breathing. I'm very good at it, I've been doing it for over 45 years now. Deep, shallow, deliberate, I was particularly good at well placed deep sighs when I was a teenager, I have all the skills, heck I even teach people about breathing! I'm a rockstar at breathing. Until I stepped into a round pen with a small grey stallion. I had been advised by my tutor that this ponies love of life and exuberance may mean a pair of high kicking back heels, a squeal many a teenage girl

Resistance. Assistance. Persistance. There is no doubt in my mind that without these 3 things my recovery from severe injury would not have been achieved as successfully. The “Resistance and Assistance” of the Apparatus springs, and the persistance to use them regularly. February1st, 2008 I had a debilitating ski accident. My left leg was 180* rotated below the knee. My tibial plateau had imploded, there was a spiral fracture down the rest of the tibia and my Fibula was i

I had never felt a huge desire to be a parent, whereas friends of mine were very clear from a young age it was what they wanted. For me, that burning ache had never yet materialised. I had been completely honest with my husband from the beginning about my feelings, when he proposed it was with the understanding that I didn’t want children. A few years later I was on a car journey with a close friend, My friend explained that after a heart-breaking number of IVF cycles she h

It continually saddens me to see comments on social media that denigrate other users. Why is it so hard for some to appreciate and honour others and their work? We are all working towards something and so it is not ok to try and improve your own sense of self worth or perceived value by treading all over others in your ambitious haste. It's never to your benefit and inevitably works against you. You cannot improve your status by belittling someone else. Your light will not

"I was tired. I needed a shake up. I was in danger of stagnating, the worst thing that you can allow to happen to your teaching. I needed a break, I needed to be taken out of my comfort zone, shaken vigorously, not stirred and given new learning experiences. I have my regular lessons and I attend courses and workshops as often as possible. Yet I knew I needed a period totally given over to my own learning. You could even say "to be selfish." It is not easy leaving your Hus

Our weekend had been set aside for teaching our 4 year old twins how to ride their new pedal bikes. As they were highly proficient on their balance bikes, we were determined they would make the transition to 'big' bikes without the use of stabilising wheels and that it would be relatively easy with only the occasional tumble and tears. Imagine my surprise when on my sons very first attempt, my husband started frantically waving his arms and shouting my name. I looked up, exp

Truth Time I love my kids, I had no idea how much that love would keep increasing day by day. Since I had my kids my home is dirtier, my language is cleaner. But Parenting is not easy and it is not made easier for anyone if other women do not tell the truth. Staying at home is work. It's rewarding but exhausting. Going to work is work. It's rewarding but exhausting. Working Partime is work. Its rewarding but exhausting. Women may look at each other and think "Their gra

Goldilocks tried the first Chair and the springs were too heavy.... Goldilocks tried the second Chair and springs were too light.... Finally with hope in her heart and a spring in her step, Goldilocks tried the third Chair... the springs were just right! And the pilates community lived happily ever after. The End