Keke Palmer Becomes Pilates Instructor to Expand Access

Keke Palmer has added another title to her resume, and this one might surprise you: certified Pilates instructor.

The Emmy-winning actress, producer, and mom discovered Pilates while searching for gentler workouts after having her son two years ago. She'd always preferred intense cardio sessions that left her breathless, but becoming a parent shifted her priorities.

"It became less about just trying to get back in shape and killing myself, and more just about what made me feel good," Palmer says. She loved it so much she started going every day.

When one of her instructors suggested she get certified to teach, Palmer went all in. She earned multiple certifications through the International Sports Sciences Association and is currently completing another training course that runs through the end of this year.

But Palmer isn't just collecting credentials. She's launching Practice by Palmer, a new wellness platform featuring Pilates workouts she'll lead herself, plus an activewear collaboration with Fabletics.

Her mission? Making Pilates accessible to everyone, not just an elite few.

Why This Inspires

For too long, Pilates has carried an air of exclusivity. High costs for reformer classes, associations with thinness, and lack of diversity have kept many people away from a practice that's supposed to help everyone move better.

Palmer wants to change that culture entirely. In her classes, she keeps things low-stakes and approachable, cracking jokes while encouraging students to show up exactly as they are.

"You get the best out of people and yourself when people feel encouraged," she explains. She wants wellness to feel like something for everyone, not a perfect performance.

At its core, Palmer sees Pilates as Joseph Pilates originally intended: a way to support everyday movement. Getting up from a chair, reaching into a cabinet, moving through daily life with more ease.

Teaching feels like another form of performing for Palmer, but with a more tangible impact. "Especially in this day and age with everything that's always happening with the world and the entertainment industry, becoming an instructor feels like a tangible way to be of service," she says.

Between filming, producing, podcasting, and parenting, Palmer found time to pursue this passion because it matters. "Wellness should be for everybody, and it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be yours."