In the warm amber light of early morning in Singapore, Cholthicha “Thicha” Srivisal stands in front of a reformer machine, her elegant dancer’s stance foretelling the incredible path she has traveled to be here. Having traversed the challenging halls of MIT and the finance industry, Thicha today creates bodies and lives one of the world’s leading Pilates and movement teachers. Having begun her career in the elite world of dance, and a discipline tempered in adversity, her path is one of personal and professional transformation.
A Fortuitous Beginning at MIT
From Thailand, where she was born, and brought up amidst a love forballet, Thicha’s introduction to disciplined movement came on stage, where each plié and arabesque pushed her strength and resolve to the limits. During the mid 1990s, when she was pursuing an MBA at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she was still regularly rehearsing and performing dance semi professionally.
Her athleticism was evident, but so too was an impending crisis: a slipped disc and ankle strain that in 1993 threatened not just her career as a dancer, but her identity.
Her orthopedic physician recommended core strengthening as treatment. Little did she realize, that script would ignite a lifelong obsession: Pilates.
The Discovery of Pilates and Early Career
Pilates introduced Thicha to purposeful movement and strength through rehabilitation. With her strict tutelage, injury was opportunity. She moved inexorably toward the reformer and mat, then fully into training.
After graduating, her Bank of Thailand-sponsored MIT scholarship brought her back to Bangkok. But her career took another turn in 1996 when she was hired by a Singapore financial services firm. For almost 15 years she traveled through the investment banking world, a corporate existence in which Pilates was initially hobby, then requirement. But by the early 2000s her mission had changed.
“I wanted to do something else.”
Thicha’s words echo through the bright studio as she reflects:
“I wanted to do something else. The benefits of Pilates that I discovered made it a natural progression to train as an Instructor and become an Instructor Trainer.”
She completed her first official STOTT PILATES instructor certification in Singapore, then traveled to Toronto to finish her
training at Merrithew’s corporate headquarters. By 2007, she had made the transformation from practicing enthusiast to certified instructor, instructing full time by 2009, and shortly thereafter obtaining her Merrithew Instructor Trainer credential.
Founding Breathe Pilates
In 2011, together with partner Sandra Lim, she co-founded Breathe Pilates, one of the first boutique studios in Singapore. They knew the challenge. In an overcrowded wellness market, untangling what Pilates actually had to offer was more challenging than opening the studio itself.
“Singapore is such a cosmopolitan… we had to teach a market that was not used to Pilates or what Pilates was capable of,” says Thicha. They provided complimentary lessons, organized open houses and promoted Pilates as a performance booster rather than an alternative fitness fad, linking it to all manner of yoga to sports.
Their hard work was rewarded. Breathe Pilates was profitable within a year. But for Thicha, the best rewards were invisible: teaching up-and-coming instructors, transforming public understanding of Pilates, and deepening Singapore’s cultural landscape around holistic fitness.
Growing a Global Movement
Thicha’s success extended in Singapore and globally. She was promoted to Lead Instructor Trainer with Merrithew (STOTT PILATES, ZEN GA, Total
Barre, Halo, certified in Gyrotonic, Gyrokinesis, Antigravity Aerial Yoga, and others.
She still trains instructors, usually integrating several modalities into a genuine holistic education that brings together ballet barre, aerial yoga, gyrokinesis breathing, and Pilates anatomy.
In May 2025, she was the presenter at the PMA Conference in Guangzhou, evidencing her growing stature in the Pilates world globally.
A Resilience-Based Philosophy
Thicha’s story is as much about success as it is about resilience. Her
parents were apprehensive that she would waste her MIT education
pursuing a nontraditional career. She informed them, “I didn’t come to MIT for nothing. That’s why it’s so vital to me to train up local Instructors.”
Challenges persist. For one thing, rigid employment quotas in Singapore mandate a high proportion of local over foreign hires. Talented local instructors are scarce, and cultivating them is Thicha’s concern.
Her message to potential fitness entrepreneurs is straightforward and compelling: “Don’t give up. If you have a dream, and you have goals, just stick to the plan… Sometimes you’ll have to do things like you’re a
robot… But don’t give up halfway.”
Beyond the Studio: Digital Influence and Community
Thicha’s reach now extends far beyond her Singapore studios. She has developed a loyal following through:
Instagram (@thichapilates) – a lively platform for movement tutorials, real time wellness tips, and personal musings
Threads (@thichapilates) – through which she posts program news and behind-the-scenes photos of instructor training
Linktree — hyperlinking to her studios, platforms, and resources: linktr.ee/thichapilates
Studio accounts: @breathepilatessg (Singapore) and @breathepilatesth (Thailand) provide class schedules, studio news, and client testimonials
Merrithew account (@merrithew), where thank you features highlight her presenter standing and impact
As of 2025, she is among the Top 100 Pilates Influencers on Instagram, with a following of over 135,000.
Daily Discipline: Pilates, Ballet, and Beyond
A blog feature interview on Breathe Pilates indicates that Thicha spends 1 to 2 hours a day on practice: ballet classes, aerial fitness, yoga, and Pilates, which she selected for variety and duration. Her go-to Pilates exercise? She giggles and says, “Anything involving inverted position and hanging.” During the weekend, she enjoys quiet nights at home with her husband, a balance between public austerity and domestic tranquility.
A Vision for Health and Legacy
What motivates Thicha, at the heart of it, is movement. Not merely for strength, but for healing, connection, and legacy impact on generations. Her contribution at Breathe Pilates continues to focus on rehabilitation collaborations, specifically with physiotherapy clinics, so that clients get the integrative care they need. She believes in these collaborators: “I trust his work and I trust his integrity.”
Her mission also includes growing the next generation of instructors:
“I’m even happier at enabling someone to become an Instructor… The thought of doing that full time by having a studio opened up nicely.”
The Legacy Continues
Cholthicha Srivisal’s life is told in chapters: dancer, corporate executive, survivor of injury, Pilates innovator, teacher, international speaker, social media influencer. It’s a testament to flipping without sacrificing direction, to allowing hardship to navigate, not stabilize. For future professionals, particularly women of color in the fitness industry, Thicha provides a living map. She is the embodiment of that grit required to challenge tradition, that courage to jump into the unknown, and that grace to respect heritage while creating new paths.
Connect and Follow
Instagram: @thichapilates
Threads: @thichapilates
Linktree: linktr.ee/thichapilates
Studios: @breathepilatessg, @breathepilatesth
Merrithew: @merrithew
Bottom line: Cholthicha “Thicha” Srivisal’s evolution from MIT scholar to global Pilates leader is more than a career pivot. It is a blueprint for becoming an agent of change in health, education, and community. Her journey reminds us that the strongest transformations are those grounded in experience, empathy, and unwavering dedication.
