“Where power meets control”: How Chantelle Corby’s Callie Pilates has gone from strength to strength

Callie Pilates founder Chantelle Corby discusses scaling her business, breaking industry stereotypes, and her bold plans for international expansion.

Fitness entrepreneur Chantelle Corby finds herself on the crest of a wave.

Having launched Callie Pilates with studios in Brisbane, Queensland, and Tamworth, New South Wales, her boutique sites have been bustling, with the company’s growth tracking the rise of Pilates itself.

“The community we are cultivating is inclusive, energised and grounded,” says Corby. “Regardless of gender or background, people are drawn to environments that make them feel valued, challenged and connected.”

While Pilates first hit pop culture en masse in the late 1990s, boosted by Sex and the City’s Samantha Jones and later played for laughs in Judd Apatow’s Step Brothers, its uptick over the past five years has been truly pronounced. Closer to home, Lara Worthington has been a high-profile Pilates fan and owns her own reformer.

Pilates’ popularity now extends far beyond the 40-and-over female demographic that made up its early adopters. Today, the zen-like aesthetic of modern studios is attracting a younger TikTok-savvy audience eager to chart their progress and build long, lean muscle.

“One of the most persistent misconceptions about Pilates is that it is ‘just for women’ or inherently feminine,” says Corby. “In reality, Pilates was created by a man (Joseph Pilates in the 1920s) and designed as a method of strength, control, and rehabilitation for all bodies.”

Corby has ensured Callie Pilates welcomes all levels, from beginners to seasoned practitioners.

“It is where power meets control,” says Corby, who could also be talking about her own entrepreneurial ambition.

Q&A

Forbes: Was there a decisive moment when you realised a business like Callie Pilates could really succeed?

Chantelle Corby: There was a defining moment during a period of constant travel, moving between places and routines, when I realised something was missing. I didn’t have access to a space that truly supported how the body should move, recover, and strengthen with intention. 

Also, I couldn’t stay physically consistent, and my health suffered. At that moment, I understood that what I was envisioning was necessary. That’s when the concept shifted from an idea into something with real purpose.

What is the toughest challenge you’ve overcome, and what did it teach you?

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to support myself completely. It’s easy to lose sight of your own vision these days, especially when browsing social media makes you second-guess yourself. 

I have learned that resilience rests in the discipline of the mind. It’s about training your thinking, being grounded in who you are, and allowing this to change. No two people think the same, and they are not supposed to. That difference is not a weakness, it’s where invention begins.

What’s the boldest goal you’ve set yourself for the next five years?

Heading into the international market is the next step. It’s complex, particularly in an industry deeply community-driven and built on trust, but that’s exactly what makes it compelling. Maturity is required to understand that growth at that scale takes time. It requires patience, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace uncertainty.

What advice would you give to your younger self starting out?

Always remember that a plane takes off against the wind. There will always be resistance, setbacks and periods of doubt, but this is not a signal to stop. They are often indicators that you are moving in the right direction. The most meaningful achievements are rarely the easiest.

They require effort, discipline, and a willingness to stay the course when things feel uncertain. If you truly want something, you have to work for it. That’s where respect for your craft is built, and where you begin to understand not just what you’re doing, but how. And the “how”, that’s what allows you to grow. That growth should never stop.

Visit calliepilates.com.au for more. 

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