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

Hi Heather, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
This is actually a topic I am exploring right now! When I was younger, I would teach Pilates up to 10 hours a day. I was also involved with musical theatre performance. I would teach from early morning through lunch and then head over for auditions or performances in the evening and not get home until 1:00 am! I have always been one to want my sleep! Overtime, as I have learned more about health and what balance of life feels like for me, I have definitely started that shift. Expanding my studio was a blessing in many ways, but it did take away from my two boys more than I intended. I am now in a life shift to achieve more balance with my professional life and personal life as well as expanding my personal time. The more I give, the more I realize I need time to re-charge my battery with meditation, walks, floating, and bubble baths! It’s a constant evolvement for sure! I am realizing that I love what I do and I love helping people, but I want to also make sure that I am present for my kids as much as I can be. They are growing up so fast! I cherish them and am so grateful for the many lessons my boys have taught me about life and who I am . I marvel how kids teach us as much about ourselves as we teach them.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I think after teaching for over 20 years, I was ready to take all the fun ideas that had been brewing in mind (plus all the spiral bound notebooks of ideas….) and put them into practice. I find small business to be very creative and delightful in the freedom that you can create your ideas, present them, and pivot when needed. It’s an ever evolving practice too! The more I learn about movement, the more I want to offer!

My goal is to help people in multiple ways. First, I am really passionate about everyone being able to get to the ground an back up again with freedom of movement. Too often the exercise world can be highly intimidating for people so they choose not to move. As Jospeh Pilates himself said, “change happens through movement and movement heals.” We need to be strong, mobile, flexible, and agile not only in body but in mind. Pilates has always been amazing about connecting the mind and the body.

The more I learn about movement through Pilates, strength training, mobility, and even mindfulness, the more I see the need to help connect people to every part of themselves. I have a Pilates Studio in The Woodlands, Texas called Core Mobility Fitness and we have so much fun! Our class sizes are small (max at 6 people) so we can help each client with their individual needs. I have thrown in strength movements, mindful techniques, education workshops about nutrition and the pelvic floor, and we are always welcoming guest instructors to hold special classes in their techniques. It’s a community atmosphere and we just love it!

Recently, I have developed with my business partner, Clare Samol, Mama Care Complete. This I am super excited about. This online platform is meant to help moms of any age feel amazing in their bodies. We provide easy, kids friendly, nourishing meal plans and pre-recorded workouts to strengthen your core and tone your body post birth. We offer mindful techniques to help us stay organized, present, and centered in our day. We also offer industry expert speakers on everything from pelvic floor care, postnatal depression, kids immunity boosting, and more! We plan to continue to expand this platform to help as many women as we can in bite sized chunks. Too often we think change is about doing everything at once. If we can’t commit to it all, why start?? But this is the only way to start!!! We have families, we are sleep deprived, nutrient deficient, and just want to feel good again! So our workouts are 5-15 minutes long. The recipes are 10 ingredients or less and the speakers give short and informative information and it’s very cost efficient!

Was this easy? NO!!! Small biz has many ups and downs and finding the balance is incredibly challenging at times. I have had to dig deeper to find out who I am, how to take care of myself, and how to let go. Letting go and taking care of yourself are so hard at times, but it’s an incredible journey!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I have young kids so all my favorite spots as of late are kid friendly!!! However, to always be in touch with your kid side is a plus!

I love Houstons Interactive Aquarium as well as the Houston Zoo Downtown! For a fun adult evening, I have recently been introduced to axe throwing and that is a blast!!!! If they are in Houston for a few days, we should absolutely drive down to Galveston and hit the beach, have dinner on the strand, and listen to some live music. We can also grab some lawn sets at the Woodlands Pavilion. It’s usually beautiful outside and the acoustics are great. Hughes landing in The Woodlands is always fun to have dinner. Houston and it’s surrounding areas have a plethora of fun things to do!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh My Goodness!!! Everyone that we come into contact with shapes us in some way. Growing up, I had my parents always shaping me to be the best version of myself possible. I had two sets of parents growing up and my mom and dad owned their own business. Growing up, I always admired my dad and how much of a true leader he was. As of recent, my mom has been a true rock as she has helped me navigate some rough waters. I have had many people, books, and experiences help me along the way. Mrs. Raines, my second grade teacher, was pivotal in self love. My theatre teacher in High School, Robert Judd, was incredibly encouraging and inspiring for my performance career. Currently, I have been loving Cory Muscara and his podcasts, teachings, and mindfulness apps to keep me centered. Let’s face it, owning a business is hard. It’s always good to have grounding techniques! Brene’ Brown and her book Dare to Lead really opened my eyes and helped me set boundaries for myself and others while keeping empathy and compassion. Several of my clients have been an inspiration to me to keep going and trusting in myself. I also have some incredible friends that lift me up when I fall and show me the mirror of self-reflection when I need it!

Website: www.mamacarecomplete.com; www.coremobilityfitness.com

Instagram: @mamacarecomplete; @coremobilityfitness

Facebook: @mamacarecomplete; @coremobilityfitness

Youtube: @mamacarecomplete; @coremobilityfitness

Image Credits
These are my logo and a stock photo we use on the Mama Care site from Canva. The studio pictures were taken by me!

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