Get to know the woman behind the workout that you swear by.
When Jill Dailey graduated from college and moved to San Francisco, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. As a lifelong dancer – even majoring in dance at UCLA before transferring to Boulder University to study Kinesiology – she knew she wanted her life to be about movement, but she wasn’t sure exactly.. how to make that a reality.
After a handful of informational interviews, Jill decided to start teaching Pilates at various studios, and eventually opened her first studio in 1997 in the Marina district. But when one of her clients who was originally from New York started talking about classes with Lotte Berk, she decided to incorporate the movement into her workout. A trip to New York City later, she finally arrived at what she set out to do after graduation: a workout specific to what she believed.
She named it The Dailey Method, and now there are 60 locations nationwide. Jill took a breather to give ClassPassers the story behind the popular brand:
ClassPass: Why has fitness always been a big part of your life?
JD: Sometimes I don’t even think it’s about fitness, it’s about movement and self. I’m passionate about the body and the way it moves. Also, I’ve always been big on health – not just physical but emotional, too. I always say ‘I’ll take any class, as long as I can hold on to a ballet barre!’
CP: How was The Dailey Method born?
Jill Dailey: The Dailey Method is something that started from a mom and pop business and grew through the passion and excitement of other people. My husband Doug and I started our first Dailey Method studio in San Francisco in 1997. A good friend of ours approached us to open the very first franchised studio in Oakland. To be honest, I was really hesitant at first and instead offered to train and mentor her, and told her she could open up her own studio and call it what she wanted.
But then I realized through this process that she’s actually making this product even better. I sat her down and said that I wanted to work with her and have her be a part of The Dailey Method, so that we can learn and grow together.
We are now celebrating our 15th anniversary and have 60 locations across the United States. Our growth has been organic and we continue to evolve because of our dedication to focus on alignment, engagement and movement.
CP: What stories have inspired you at The Dailey Method?
JD: There are so many stories that inspire me – but there is a recent one that stands out. I was at the Mission Castro studio and this woman in her 60s comes in.
When she first started going to the studio, she just had a hip replacement, needed a cane to walk and thought she was going to limp for the rest of her life. She was 50 pounds heavier, too. This woman now takes 10 classes a week and is in incredible shape. She found something that made her body and her mind healthy again when thought she would be somewhat debilitated for the rest of her life.
CP: What has surprised you the most?
JD: I get surprises everyday! What I’ve realized the most is the importance fitness has on people’s lives and how it becomes for so many of them, their community. At first, I thought people just wanted a place to work out, but our clients become family and friends of ours. We have created a safe place for people and it becomes their place of comfort.
CP: What would be your advice to someone who is new to fitness?
JD: To have compassion for yourself and listen to your body and know that wherever you’re at, it’s where you’re supposed to be. You will continue to grow and have to be patient with that. I know it is intimidating to go into an environment like The Dailey Method for the first time. Don’t worry about where the person next to you is that day. Just be yourself and work on your own growth.