Passion & Perseverance
The RockIt Body Pilates team wants to help you achieve the best version of you.
- CategoryAdvertorials, Health
- Written byLaura L. Watts
- Photographed byFabien & Laura Castro, Jay L. Clendenin
Kaci Bacher may not have all the answers, but she certainly knows how to figure it out. From fulfilling her dream of purchasing RockIt Body Pilates to enduring a global pandemic shutdown and recently achieving her longtime goal of creating the studio’s own reformers, Kaci has learned how to persevere when life presents challenges.
Studio owners Jennifer Chan and Kaci Bacher, studio manager Cameron Ingram
What makes RockIt Body’s workout a cut above the rest is its fusion approach that combines classical Pilates with cardio and strength training—leaving clients with a well-balanced workout. Even more significant is the sense of community that is prevalent at RockIt Body.
“Our studio is more than a place to work out,” Kaci proudly points out. “It is also a close-knit community that celebrates momentous victories and supports each other through adversity and challenges.”
Dream Big
Kaci’s passion for this place and these people is evident. Even before she bought the business in 2019, she had a vision of what it could be. She implemented that vision just in time to start brainstorming workarounds for the COVID-19 shutdowns that would last two years.
“There were many times I shared my plans with others only to be looked at like I was crazy—they didn’t see what I did. They questioned how I was going to do it,” Kaci shares. “My answer was always the same, ‘I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out!’”
And now that the studio has reopened for good, Kaci is excited to prove once again that patience pays off. More than eight years ago, she began the necessary work to make another dream come true: creating a proprietary Pilates reformer. It has been quite an arduous process and learning curve—from the design and prototype phase to the patent process and, more recently, the challenge of finding a manufacturer capable of delivering the product at an affordable price without compromising quality.
Once the machines are complete—hopefully by next summer—Kaci plans to replace the existing reformers in the Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach studios. “We now have a reformer that is to reformers what Porsche is to the automobile industry,” she shares. “It is user-friendly, comfortable, smooth and delivers an incredible workout.”
The RockIt Body Pilates team competing in the Charley Saikley 6-Man Volleyball Tournament
Welcome Home
Kaci’s team ensures that RockIt Body is always a welcoming, safe place that does not tolerate competition or judgment inside the studio. Instead they provide workouts that tone, strengthen and elongate clients’ bodies—along with plenty of encouragement.
“I built an unbelievable team of managers, instructors and desk staff who run the studios like rock stars while I’m busy outside the studio learning about manufacturing or knee-deep in contracts,” Kaci says. And the team members are equally appreciative of the camaraderie.
“I love that I can be myself and it feels like home,” says instructor Milena Serina. “You know you love your job when you want to be there on your days off.”
“We are encouraged to build rapport with our clients, customize to their needs and be ourselves!” shares instructor Lo Josafat. “I love being able to bring my whole personality to work. There’s nothing cookie-cutter or scripted about our staff.”
Building community with clients is also a top priority. They’ve introduced a summer First Friday tradition of meeting at Shade MB after Friday night classes for a social hour complete with complimentary appetizers.
“It’s a nice chance to get to know the people you’ve been working out next to a little better,” Kaci says. “A lot of us met some of our best friends on the reformers at RockIt Body.”
“I love that we don’t have a specific clientele—we have clients who are young, more mature, fit, coming back from injuries, athletes and those who are just beginning their fitness journey,” says instructor Jennifer Chan. “And we welcome them all.”
Team member Grace Frohling at the International Surf Festival
Staying Grounded
RockIt Body is often out and about raising funds for a variety of worthy causes. This summer they sponsored a team for the Charley Saikley 6-Man Volleyball Tournament at the Manhattan Beach International Surf Festival. “It was more fun than we could have possibly imagined,” Kaci says. “We are already looking forward to it again next summer!”
While she continues to keep her head in the clouds coming up with new dreams to pursue, such as opening additional studios in the future, Kaci’s feet are firmly planted on the ground in the present moment. She stays actively involved in the studio, teaching her own Pilates certification program as well as weekly classes and a few private sessions for long-time clients. She also teaches yoga classes at Equinox South Bay and takes fitness classes at other Los Angeles studios to stay up-to-date on industry trends.
“I got into this business with a passion for Pilates and people,” Kaci shares. “I surrounded myself with good people, smarter than me, and I learned from them. I had no idea the education it would become in so many areas of expertise. Surely there will be hiccups and headaches in the days to come, but when they do … I’ll figure it out!”
