How Holly's building a reformer Pilates empire across Yorkshire

Leeds fitness entrepreneur Holly Puddephatt has expanded her reformer Pilates empire across Yorkshire - less than a year after launching her first studio in Seacroft last August. She's navigated the highs and lows of start-up life with determination and drive but a sudden rebrand and the addition of two more locations - in York and now Wakefield - have turned what could have been stumbling blocks into stepping stones:

- 

After a career managing dozens of sites in the financial sector, Holly, you made the leap into fitness in 2024, realising your ambition of starting your own studio?

"I was managing 50 sites before, so three studios feels like nothing to me," she told the Yorkshire Evening Post between classes.

But you have a vested interest in Elethea Studios; it's your 'baby'?

"That was different, that wasn't my business. I am a start-up, so everything starts and stops with me. I do everything from admin' to cleaning to social media. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but my background has put me in a strong position."

Since launching, Elethea Studios has been at the forefront of a growing movement - Reformer Pilates?

"Once niche, it's rapidly gaining traction in Leeds and across the region. When I opened my first site, there was just one other studio offering the workout in the city. Now, there are nine more."

On the face of it, that sounds like quite a lot?

"Leeds has been slower to catch up. If you look at London and the south, there's been a lot more concentration of studios for longer."