We had the good fortune of connecting with Mariska Breland and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mariska, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
For Fuse Ladder, we wanted to offer something new when we opened a second location of our popular DC-based Pilates studio. We also wanted that offering to be more of a standing/balance workout, as those things can be lacking in more traditional Pilates classes. In the beginning, we were only looking at our own studio – not at creating a product we would eventually sell worldwide.

For The Neuro Studio, my business partner and I were already offering workshops teaching movement professionals how to work with neurological disease and other complex medical issues. We decided we wanted a subscription site for workouts for patients. That changed a lot with Covid – we started offering our workshops via Zoom and ultimately on demand when travel was restricted. Because that worked so well, we stuck with that model.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Fuse Ladder is the most versatile Pilates apparatus on the market. (But it can do a lot more than Pilates). We made something that takes up nearly no floor space (under 3 feet of wall space and just over 3 inches of floor space), so rooms can be used for multiple purposes (our original studio use was to include mat classes in the same room).

We originally used artisans to hand make each part of the Fuse Ladder. That’s completely impractical (and very expensive) to scale, so we used a Pilates manufacturer I met in England while teaching a Pilates for Neurological Conditions course to do a mockup design and ultimately manufacture it for us.

Was it easy? Some parts. But globally marketing and branding a fitness product isn’t, especially if you’re self funded (we are and I always have been in my businesses).

What I want the world to know is that the Fuse Ladder literally solves space dilemmas and is the ideal product for group classes, personal training, or physical therapy (ask our owners!), and it’s an amazing product and workout. We have teacher training and video support. Check us out!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in D.C., which I think is a wonderful city. I live in a neighborhood called the Palisades, which is in the Northwest quadrant between Georgetown and American Universities.

Although I would take them to the usual sites (because the memorials really are spectacular and the Smithsonian and other museums are incomparable), we could take a trip to the International Spy Museum (it’s fun and interactive) and the Phillips Collection (a favorite museum down the street from the original Fuse Pilates location). I would also take them to the many hikes and trails around my neighborhood. You can walk to several from my house.

We would also spend a lot of time eating. D.C. has several Michelin restaurants, as well as cuisine from pretty much any culture you can imagine. Jose Andres, who is well known for his philanthropy and nominated for a Nobel Peace prize, owns several of my favorite restaurants, so we’d visit Jaleo and Oyamel and Zaytinya (Spanish, Mexican, Greek food). We would get falafel in Georgetown and eat it by the canal. We’d get cupcakes, but not from Georgetown cupcakes, because the natives know that the best ones are actually at Baked and Wired a couple of blocks away.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First, I am the teacher I am because of my mentor Julian Littleford, who sadly passed away over a decade ago from cancer. I’m the person I am because of my mother, who passed away from cancer nearly two decades ago.

Today, I am surrounded by amazing women who are my colleagues and friends – Meghann Koppele Duffy, my business partner at the Neuro Studio, and Roxanna Hakimi, who has been my business partner in our Fuse Pilates studios (since 2009) and with Fuse Ladder today.

And my husband holds the family together and has always been patient with all of my entrepreneurial endeavors.

Website: fuseladder.com, theneurostudio.com

Instagram: @fuseladder, @theneurostudio

Facebook: /fuseladder

Youtube: /fuseladder

Image Credits
Matt Mendelsohn

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