Hi, I’m Kate, the owner and instructor of Ziba Pilates You may already know me as the owner/instructor of your friendly neighborhood art studio, ARTini’s Art Lounge. What you may not know is I am a nationally certified Pilates instructor (500+ hours and continuing education), and I have been teaching Pilates since September 2020 – and loving every minute of it.
Another fun fact about me is that I did not enjoy movement until I was in my mid-forties! I did not enjoy exercise! That doesn’t mean that I didn’t know that I needed to move my body – I just hadn’t found anything enjoyable for me. When Club Pilates opened in Athens, I went for an intro class and I was immediately hooked. Turns out that I LOVE to move when the movements are inspired and feel good.
Summer 2023 I was diagnosed with breast cancer – a 3cm mass in the right breast and DCIS in the left. Instead of months of chemo and poisoning my entire body, I opted for a double mastectomy. I was so thankful that I had been doing Pilates already so that I knew what my body could do, and what I needed to do to get back to pre-surgery fitness. I was inspired to create Ziba Pilates to answer the expanded support I found missing during my own rehabilitation and recovery journey, and to simply help people find enjoyment and wellness in movement.
“Post-surgery, I found that getting out of bed (think about how you put your hands down on the bed to get up and scoot out) and other minor actions, such as gripping small objects like a salad plate or a glass, involved the use of my affected chest muscles. I never would have guessed that gripping with my fingers would engage my pectoral muscles so deeply. It was mind-blowing. Fortunately, I had already been practicing and teaching Pilates for years, and I knew that core strength and moving those muscles was paramount in regaining their full range of motion and capabilities. I know for myself and other mastectomy patients I have spoken with, we had to manage our own rehabilitation – this is why Ziba is here.
Once I was released to work out, I went back to Pilates, listening to my body and practicing gently. I asked for a PT appointment to make sure I wasn’t going to hurt anything inside my chest. By the time I saw a post-mastectomy PT specialist I had been working out again for about 6 weeks. She said everything was functioning properly, my range of motion was great, and to keep doing what I was doing. She went on to say that they often have post-mastectomy patients come in a year or more after their surgery, and at that point it’s very difficult to help those muscles regain their pre-surgery movement. It is best to start exercises as immediately as possible. I believe it is best to start Pilates before your surgery so that you know how to move and know what your body feels like and is capable of, so that you can assess how your body feels when you start moving again. This will help you gain a clearer understanding of what you’re working toward after surgery.”
~Kate Owner/Instructor Education & Experience: Comprehensive Certification Sept 2020 National Pilates Certification Oct. 2024 Continuing Education in Breast Cancer Survivor Exercises 2024, 2025 Club Pilates – Team instructor Sept. 2020 to present
Ziba Pilates 