Ember Pilates: Two Studios, Three Disciplines, One Founder
Last Updated on 7 September, 2026
How an accountant-turned-studio-founder built Sarasota’s most operationally complex boutique Pilates launch — and chose WellnessLiving to run it.
She Planned It in Excel. Then She Built It.
Kimm Kerr is an accountant by trade and an MBA by training. She keeps spreadsheets for vacations. When she decided to open Ember Pilates in Sarasota, she approached it the same way she approaches every serious project: research the market, hire the right specialists, lock down the operating model, and only then start building.
That self-awareness shows up in every layer of Ember Pilates. She delegated social media before the studio opened and partnered with a digital marketing agency for Meta campaigns. She came into her software evaluation with a detailed question list prepared partly with AI assistance. Kimm does not wing things.
Ember Pilates sits at 105 Links Avenue in the Aster & Links apartment building in downtown Sarasota. It is not a single-room studio. Kimm built two.
A Studio Designed Around Two Distinct Experiences
One room holds eight reformers. It runs group reformer classes and one-on-one private sessions. The other is an infrared-heated mat studio offering mat Pilates, barre, and yoga in both heated and non-heated formats. A dedicated private room with its own reformer gives instructors a quiet space for individual coaching.
The programming logic is intentional. Group classes serve the core membership base. A fuller format menu gives members variety within a single studio. Private sessions serve clients who want individualized work. And the packages that tie them together (combined memberships bundling mat and reformer access) reflect Kimm’s analytical approach to a business model that has to serve multiple client types at once.
“I’m a planner, so I’m a more-time-the-better type person.”
Kimm teaches directly. Members who have trained with her describe smart modifications, seamless class flow, and an instructor who makes both complete beginners and experienced athletes feel challenged and seen.
What Ember Pilates Offers
The studio runs six class formats. Mat Pilates, heated and non-heated, builds integrated strength through low-impact, intentional work. Barre sculpts with small, targeted movements. Reformer Pilates develops full-body strength and alignment through resistance-based equipment. Restorative classes, offered in heated mat and reformer formats, focus on mobility and recovery. Yoga, heated and non-heated, emphasizes breath, mobility, and tension release.
Private sessions and duets run in the dedicated private room. A Reformer 101 workshop serves first-time reformer students. A $49 one-week intro offer gives new clients a low-commitment entry point. Guest passes come with select membership tiers.
Founding memberships anchor the launch model: four-class, eight-class, twelve-class, and unlimited monthly tiers, each at a locked-in founding rate. The model is designed so Kimm can identify founding members in reporting and marketing long after the presale closes.
Why Kimm Chose WellnessLiving
Kimm came to her software evaluation with a long list of detailed questions, working through the requirements systematically. A trusted industry consultant had already recommended WellnessLiving based on direct experience with boutique fitness businesses. That referral carried weight.
The branded client app was non-negotiable. Kimm had already started the Apple Developer account process before the software was finalized, so the iOS build could run in parallel with studio construction. Ember Pilates needed an app that looked like Ember Pilates — not a platform’s generic interface.
The operational complexity was the harder test. Two rooms. Three disciplines. Private sessions and group classes sharing the same reformer assets. Multi-tier founding memberships with auto-convert logic. Combined mat-and-reformer packages. WellnessLiving handled every structural requirement without workarounds.
The marketing integration mattered too. Kimm’s digital agency needed direct Meta lead-generation connectivity and open API access to a third-party lead nurture tool. WellnessLiving’s Meta integration and open API cleared both requirements.
What Sarasota Gains
Downtown Sarasota now has a boutique studio that runs reformer Pilates, heated mat classes, barre, yoga, and restorative work under one roof — with a founding membership model, a branded app, and a direct marketing pipeline already in place before the doors opened.
Three members who reviewed Kimm’s teaching describe the same things: smart programming, genuine attention, and classes that leave them feeling stronger and more connected to their bodies. One man who lifts weights did not think he needed Pilates, but he changed his mind in the first session.
Kimm Kerr spent months planning Ember Pilates in spreadsheets. Then she brought in specialists for every function she did not want to own herself. She stress-tested the software before committing. That is not how most studio founders work, but it’s how Kimm works. And Sarasota is better for it.
Want to see more of Ember Pilates’ journey? You can follow them on Instagram!
Opening a new boutique fitness studio and weighing your software options against Mindbody or other platforms? Book a demo today and see how WellnessLiving supports founding-member presales, branded apps, and multi-discipline programming from day one.
