From teaching tots to toning bodies with Pilates

Tayler “Tay” Milburn’s journey from being a kindergarten teacher in Houston to becoming the owner of Fringe Pilates in Brooklyn began with a moment of clarity in 2019. She was living at home with her mom, and the situation was “fine”: a stable job, ready access to food, a mother who didn’t mind being housemates. But something was missing. 

“I just felt like I could live the same day for the rest of my life and [that it] would not be a blip on anybody’s radar,” Milburn said. “That just didn’t feel satisfying enough for me, somebody who thought that they were gonna grow up and literally become Beyoncé number two.”

So Milburn took a leap, moving to New York City on a teaching fellowship at the Brooklyn Museum, where she taught process-based art to young kids. Then a health scare turned her new life upside down. What she first thought was a cyst turned out to be a tumor, which led to four surgeries in quick succession. 

“It was a lot for my body to go through in a short amount of time,” Milburn said. Struggling with mobility post-surgery, she turned to Pilates — something she had dabbled in before but now saw as a serious part of her healing. “Before, I wanted to be snatched and look cute, but after the surgeries, I realized I needed it for mobility and support,” she said. 

As she grew more invested in Pilates, she started to attend different studios across New York City. But Milburn felt isolated. She was often the only Black person in class, sometimes even the only non-white person there. And she couldn’t help but notice the financial divide between herself, a ClassPass participant, and others who could afford expensive class packages. 

One experience left a lasting impression. After deciding to invest in a 10-class package at a studio in Brooklyn that she had been attending via ClassPass, she was called aside by the owner on her first day. 

“The owner said she loved that I was coming and recording myself but had an issue with me using the hashtag #BlackGirlPilates,” Milburn said. The owner explained that the hashtag made it seem as though her studio wasn’t diverse. 

“I was like, A, your studio isn’t diverse; B my Instagram is my personal life journey — I’m not working for your studio’s marketing team,” Milburn said. “If anything, it should be good for you that there’s a Black person who’s posting you on their page and making good conversation around your business.”

Knowing the owner was in the wrong didn’t stop Milburn from feeling rage. That moment of confrontation highlighted the need for Pilates spaces that truly embraced diversity, inclusivity, and community, which ultimately fueled Milburn’s desire to create that safe studio space. She started by organizing her first pop-up Pilates experience, which a friend taught, in August 2021.

After the murder of George Floyd, there was more investment in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and with that came an opportunity for funded training programs. She found a fully funded Pilates teacher certification program.

But the experience had its challenges. She was the only Black person in the program, and was still working as a full-time kindergarten teacher, making the hours work however she could, Milburn says. While juggling work and school, she always had the end goal in mind: opening her own Pilates studio.

Her wife, a nurse practitioner in psychiatry, believed in Milburn’s vision, giving her seed money to buy her first two Pilates reformers. She began teaching classes from her basement. She eventually opened the Fringe Pilates studio near her Flatbush apartment in May 2023.

Teaching adults Pilates after years of guiding kindergarteners wasn’t as disjointed as it might seem. Milburn’s work with kids had equipped her with the ability to multitask, manage different personalities, and understand the vulnerability people experience when learning something new.

“People are very childlike when they feel vulnerable and don’t know who to trust,” Milburn said. “All those skills helped me be a strong teacher—it’s just a different set of content.”

When asked what brings her the most joy, Milburn points to the satisfaction her clients feel when they conquer a challenging move. She describes watching a client who struggled with chronic pain manage to reduce her discomfort through consistent Pilates practice.

As the business grew, it was important for other Pilates instructors to also be women of color to help ensure class participants felt seen and supported. Milburn says seeing many wear bonnets to class was one of the biggest signs people felt safe in her studio. 

“Growing up as a Black girl going to sleepovers with non-Black people, [where] my mom was like, ‘Okay, how can I do your hair so that you don’t have to wear a scarf or a bonnet to sleep?’ and it was a source of embarrassment,” she said. “So when I started seeing people come to class with their hair scarfs on, … I’m like, ‘Oh, you feel comfortable.’ And that made me feel just really, really good.”

But running the business side of things has its challenges. One of the hardest parts for her is navigating clients’ pushback to studio policies, like respecting instructors’ time by not arriving in the middle of class. Milburn reflects on how she stays grounded, asking herself, “is this person a quality member of the community? Do I feel like they’re adding something, or do they just want something from us?” 

Community plays a critical role at Fringe Pilates. “We only exist because people believe in us and keep showing up,” Milburn said. As the only Black-owned Pilates studio below Eastern Parkway, she’s conscious of the geographical and cultural gap she’s filling. The classes are small, limited to three people, with plans to increase to six. 

Milburn has also found a strong support system among other women of color who own small businesses in the area. “It’s helped me shed some imposter syndrome,” Milburn said.

Looking ahead, Milburn envisions creating an education program to train new Pilates instructors. But for now, her focus is on strengthening partnerships, particularly within her Flatbush community.

For anyone nervous about joining Fringe Pilates, Milburn’s advice is simple: “Let us know you’re nervous … not just the staff, the students are going to be there to support you too. … Everyone’s there to focus on their own journey, and you don’t have to be at the same place that somebody else is in their journey.”

Fringe Pilates

fringepilatesbk@gmail.com

(347) 201-3426

147 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11226

Learn more at this link.