Petersen particularly likes the bond with the women who come and do sports with her. To make her dream come true, she and her husband remodeled the basement of their own house. “With a separate entrance,” says the former handball player, who explains: “The courses take place in three rooms. This is my small studio, very personal, with a pleasant atmosphere. This means that contact with the customers is very close. And I think that’s very nice while I’m doing sports.”
Carla Petersen mainly offers Pilates. “Because I love it so much myself,” she says. If it is authentic and there is a conviction, then it is easier to “transport”. “Of course it’s the best confirmation when my customers like it after one session,” says the Freiburg resident. Since the demand for Pilates and Reformer Pilates is currently high, the courses are actually always fully booked. “I want to give everyone the opportunity to come at the time they want and at their own convenience,” says Petersen.
She also teaches yoga. The benefits, such as flexibility and increased concentration, are also known in football. The VfL Wolfsburg professional team, for example, has a football yoga teacher. And Freiburg’s former coach Christian Streich also did yoga with his team. He told the “Badische Zeitung” five years ago: “It is very good for physical and mental health.”
Carla Petersen also knows this and wants to create a balance for her customers with her offer. She often shares insights into her everyday life as a trainer on her Instagram account. Every now and then she also shares snapshots with her husband and ex-Bayern player Nils. The couple married in 2021 and share many common interests. Carla Petersen says in an interview: “I got into sports a few years ago through my husband. I used to play handball, but then didn’t do much for a long time and only slowly started jogging and going to the gym again.”
Movement in any form is now part of her everyday life. No matter whether it’s Pilates, strength training or yoga. “I also run half marathons at irregular intervals. It’s important for me to have a broad range of sporting activities,” she says. The organization is “very complex and labor-intensive,” and like any self-employed person, she can work constantly. “I could continually write plans, look at new exercises, educate myself and try things out, observe trends. There is no such thing as standing still,” she says. However, she emphasizes: “Above all, it’s fun and that’s why it feels like it’s more of a calling than a job.”