Walking Through Fire: Surviving Divorce, COVID, and a Business Breakdown….

Walking Through Fire: Surviving Divorce, COVID, and a Business Breakdown
by Melody Morton-Buckleair
thepilatescowgirl.com

I’m really happy to share this story—because honestly, I’m still surprised I made it.

I’ve run a Pilates studio for over 23 years. I’ve weathered hurricanes, economic slumps, and more—but nothing hit like the triple perfect storm of COVID, divorce, and betrayal. Right before the shutdown, two instructors left and opened a studio a block away, taking what amounted to $20,000 a month in client revenue.

At the time, my boys were 7 and 10. I’d had them late—at 42 and 45—and I was suddenly alone. The business was closed. The house was quiet. And I had no emotional support.

Yes, I had a therapist. But how much analysis can you do before it becomes paralysis?

I got through it one day at a time. And Pilates. Lots of Pilates.
It wasn’t just what I taught—it was how I survived. It kept my nervous system online. It gave me rhythm. It gave me breath.

And I love what I do. That’s what saved me.

I absolutely light up when I teach. That joy and conviction is why I’ve lasted so long—and why my “side hustle,” a second studio I opened in the country after COVID, is now thriving. I host retreats, healing weekends, and Pilates Cowgirl workshops under the Texas sky.

Sometimes women just need to get out of the city and breathe.

Entrepreneurs have to love what they do—or they’ll fold.
This country was built on guts, gumption, and grace under fire.

And yes—we need more tax breaks. We need universal healthcare. We need actual support for the mental load entrepreneurs carry. But even with all that in place? You still have to love it enough to do it for free. And let’s be honest: many of us already have. We pay everyone else before we ever pay ourselves.

You don’t let them see you sweat. You don’t let them see you fall.
And when you do fall? You get back up.
You show up. You do the work. You dig deep.

Sometimes you don’t have a choice—especially when you’ve got kids watching.

But if you love what you do, and you believe in it with your whole being?
Success finds you.

It found me.

I walked through hell to get here. But I’m here.
My boys are thriving. They love life in the country.
And I’ve got God riding shotgun.

Faith helps.
It really does.

—

Melody Morton-Buckleair
Owner of The Good Space Pilates in Houston + Elmwood Place Pilates in Palestine, TX
Instagram: @thepilatescowgirl
Website: thepilatescowgirl.com