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

Hi Montse, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?

To have created a home where love and respect for each other reigned over anything else, so that they could grow up in an environment where dialogue always existed, where they felt free to express both their fears and their joys. We have accompanied them in their growth, giving them freedom, but always present, by their side, and we, as parents, growing with them. We have opened the world of knowledge for them, offering them a passion for reading, for learning, and creating curious minds.

We have shown them the world without limits and borders; they have been able to learn from other cultures, forever opening their minds to become more empathetic, more respectful, and always looking to create a world that is more just, while aiming to help others.

We have taught our children to enjoy each instant, appreciating every little detail that life has to offer us and being grateful for it all. I’m specially proud to have given our kids confidence in themselves, and showing them (you do not teach them by telling them, when you want them to learn something, you show them with your example) that the pursuit of happiness is way more important than any other material goal.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was born and raised in Spain, but life has offered me the opportunity to live in multiple cities, countries and continents. As a result, I’ve been fortunate enough to expand my horizons beyond what I ever thought was possible. Not only in my personal growth, but in my professional development as well. My nomadic life has allowed me to meet excellent teachers to whom I owe countless learning opportunities.

Movement has always fascinated me. My first passion was ballet, and eventually i transitioned from professional ballerina to dance teacher. I have worked in many dance conservatories in different cities. I have had the privilege and responsibility of directing classical ballet departments and I have also been a Master Teacher for junior companies in Mexico City, Louisville (KY), Zurich and Miami. Above all, my priority has always been the health of my students and teaching them, from experience, to avoid all the mistakes I made. As a dancer I had several injuries and shortcomings, so when I started teaching and discovered that this was really my great passion, my obsession was and continues to be, teaching my students to respect their bodies.

Taking on the great fortune and enormous challenge of living in different countries, has been tremendously enriching on a cultural level. Each move has been very drastic from a societal perspective, and in each place I have had to open my mind and my heart to receive what each student had to offer me. I have learned from each one of them and I have had to adapt and continue studying, researching and deepening my knowledge in the science of movement. In this journey, each of my students has given me the forward momentum to continue growing as a teacher to try to offer the best of myself in every situation.

During this process I came to know the world of Pilates. In my initial learning phase I realized I had found an axis on which so many of my passions converged; physiology, the beauty of movement, teaching and helping people find their best selves, both inside and out. But it was also my threshold to new environments whose doors can be difficult to open. Pilates helped me learn languages and develop wonderful friendships that fortunately I still have. Every step I took within this world pushed me to want to learn more. I realized that I hadn’t even scratched the surface of what I thought I had mastered. Each teacher, each training, each experience gave me new knowledge and different ways of reaching my students or clients. Now I look back and realize that in those years I thought I knew a lot, when I really knew nothing compared to what I know today. Today, my thinking is completely opposite; each day I think I know less of what there is to know.

Throughout my life, I have found great contributions to my personal and professional life in the combination of disciplines. I alternated my years at university and books with ballet classes, test tubes with pointe shoes, and laboratories with stages. I value both my years at the Scientific Research Council developing a doctoral thesis, and my title as a ballet teacher by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. Biology and anatomy courses with ballet classes, gymnastics, and aerobics. However, I never thought that the two worlds would actually intertwine one day. Perhaps I am who I am because of my interaction with those two worlds, but it wasn’t until I found, researched, and delved into Pilates that the two worlds fully merged.

This merger between two worlds has driven me to focus all my interaction with my students and clients – and even in my personal relationships – from the perspective of finding a lifestyle that allows them to be happy and healthy. From proper nutrition, to the importance of stretching and taking care of their bodies, resting, and mindfulness; I strive to help them achieve the internal and physical harmony that allows each of us to be the best version of ourselves.

In this context, I currently find myself at a point in my life where I can integrate my continuous learning on Physiology, Pilates, Gyrotonic, Nutrition and Women’s Health in my work as a Master Pilates Teacher Trainer, as a certified Health Coach by the institute of Integrative Nutrition and as a Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist by Pink 
Ribbon Inc. This way, my path towards personal and professional fulfillment is riddled with new people and experiences who help me learn and improve as I continue exploring the potential of movement and of caring for our bodies. This would not have been possible without all the previous experiences. Each stage and each challenge in these last 40 years has been different and the end of each cycle has meant the beginning of a new one that is even more wonderful. I am extremely thankful because even without knowing what obstacles and joys life would throw at each step of the way, I have been able to live in the moment and adapt to each obstacle.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a lover of the outdoors, of nature and the ocean; which is one of the reasons why I consider myself privileged to live in Miami. Living here allows me to take long walks, runs or cycle while viewing beautiful scenery, incredible sunrises and sunsets by the ocean or enjoying its incredible beaches. I know daytime Miami well, wonderful spots to visit or to enjoy while exercising. I am, however, not a great guide for Miami’s nightlife.
My favorite spots in Miami, where I tend to take anyone who comes to visit are:

1- Key Biscayne, on this key, with its marvelous beaches, are three of my favorite places in Miami: Virginia Key, Crandon Park and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park; where you can find not only wonderful beaches to take long strolls in, looking at the ocean, even spotting rays and manatees, but you can also rent bicycles or kayaks, and enjoy some snorkeling.
At Bill Baggs I would recommend going to the top of the lighthouse for some wonderful views of the park and Miami as a whole. It is also in this park where you can find, in my opinion, some of the best spots to view the sunset. There’s a restaurant where you can have a drink while enjoying some music and the sunset in the background, or you can simply take a walk by the ocean while the sun begins to set and later have some dinner at No Name Harbor, where the specialty is freshly caught fried fish. It is also a good spot to by for lunch after a morning at the beach.
Inside Key Biscayne, Rusty Pelican is also a great place for dinner while enjoying the best of the Miami Skyline.

2- Another one of my favorite places in the city is Fair-Child Tropical Botanic Garden, an 83 acre botanic garden with an extensive collection of rare tropical plants and with a beautiful butterfly garden. It’s a place that transmits an indescribable sense of inner peace and happiness. It is surrounded to its north and west by Matheson Hammock Park, which is another amazing place to go kayaking.

3- When visiting Miami one cannot miss out on taking a stroll through the Design District, where you can visit art galleries of simply walk through the streets, to end up in Wynwood, an area to get lost in, admiring the graffiti through its many streets and buildings and of course, making a stop at the famous Wynwood Walls.
This area is filled with many wonderful and varied restaurants, of any price range and culture. I would recommend Le Chick, Kyu (Japanese) or Dona (Greek).

4- Taking a walk through Downtown is also a must-do. Here you can appreciate the arquitecture and the views of the bay, where it is often possible to spot dolphins. From there, making a stop at Bayfront Park is always a good idea, where I love to go on the ferris wheel to see the whole city from up top. Continuing through Bayside Market Place, an outside market with plenty of souvenirs to take home.

5- If you want to see authentic Miami you have to go to Little Havana, for a taste of Miami’s cuban side. There’s many restaurants where you can savor typical cuban food, but I personally love Versalles and dinner at Cafe La Trova, where you feel submerged in Cuba, with live music and great traditional cuban food.

6- The obvious tourist spot is Miami Beach, South Beach, where besides enjoying some time on its wide and beautiful beach, you can walk through South Point Park (another great spot for an amazing sunset view), Ocean Drive, admire the Art Deco architecture, and up to Española Way and Lincoln Road. I always go up to the New World Center building, designed by Frank Gehry and home to the New World Symphony, on 18th, and if there’s a possibility catching a concert there is a unique experience.

7- We cannot leave without stopping by Everglades National Park, where we can see alligators, turtles, and a great variety of birds. I also highly suggest going on an airboat through the marshes to get a close look at the incredible wildlife.

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?
My family: my husband and my kids (including my 3 children in law)

Website: https://www.integratedbalance.com/

Instagram: montsecosinpilates

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/montsecosinpilates

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