About

JOSIE McKENLAY

I consider myself very lucky to have found a career about which I am passionate and one that has lasted for over 25 years with the possibility of continuing for another 25!  My family was always active which set a good example.  I started running in my teens and at about the same time began following a set of exercises, similar to Pilates, taken from a book I found in the library at my boarding school.  By the time I left university I was a devotee of aerobics which was just starting to become popular, here with Arlene Phillips and then with Jane Fonda, although it wasn’t really a career option at the time.  I found a job in London and found a dance studio underneath The Body Shop in Victoria and attended classes every day.    I gave up my job, got myself qualified and threw myself into teaching almost every type of studio based class, sometimes 6 classes a day, in West London.  By the late ’90s, Pilates and yoga started to become popular in the clubs, so it was an obvious progression.  When I wasn’t teaching I was practising and trained with the Pilates Institute and the BSY.  I have now been teaching both for about 12 years.

Having worked in all the best known clubs in West London (The Roehampton Club, Bank of England Sports Club, Esporta, David Lloyd, Holmes Place), I moved out to Kent in 2004 and set up my own business, hiring studios and one to ones, whilst retaining my clients in London.  Then last year, my husband took a job here in Abu Dhabi, UAE and I followed, together with my son and my dogs.  I now teach from a studio at my villa in Mohammed Bin Zayed City and also see clients in their own homes.

I love spending time with so many different people and it’s fascinating to watch their progress, see their posture gradually change, hear how their back problems have miraculously disappeared and help them take control of their lives.  I am very lucky.