After years of navigating toxic work environments and questioning her own confidence, Mari Silber, Owner of The Balance Room, took a leap of faith—supported by a safety net but powered by conviction—and launched her own business. Today, she’s a mom of two, a leader to a team of twelve women, and a believer that success looks like picking your kid up from school at 3 p.m. and still making an impact. In this conversation, Mari gets honest about fear, confidence, community, and what it really takes to build something that lasts.
How Mari Silber quieted fear, leaned on her safety net, and took the leap into entrepreneurship
What’s the relationship you have with fear that has allowed you to get to where you are?
It was almost like I ignored the fear, because at the time, I felt like it was now or never. I just put my fear to the side. I was taking a big risk. I took out a small business loan. It was my whole life, my whole career—but I also had a roof over my head and a fiancé (now husband) who had a great job. I had a safety net.
So I think it’s important to recognize that. And maybe that’s not exactly what your question was getting at—or maybe it was—but it’s important to acknowledge the help we get along the way.
Yes, I opened my Pilates studio, but it would have been a lot harder without that safety net. I really admire those who do it without any of that. It was still scary, but I had support, and that’s really how I got through it.
Redefining success on her own terms
If you had to define success today, how would you define it?
I feel like my answer is so cheesy—but maybe expected. I have two young children. Success, for me, is being able to have my own business and spend time with my kids and family. My baby is 7 months old, and I’m so lucky I get to spend so much time with him because I’ve built this place that allows for that flexibility.
I have a staff of 12 women now. Am I involved in the business the way I was before? In some ways, absolutely not. But allowing for balance is my version of success.
I can pick my son up at school at 3:00 p.m. every day. If I were working 9-to-5, there’s no way I could do that. My definition of success has definitely changed throughout the years. But right now, that’s what it means to me: being able to spend time with my family and also have this space.
Finding Balance Outside of The Balance Room
How do you juggle all the mom things, the two businesses, and the staff? What does that look like? What are some tips you have?
It’s completely chaotic.
It’s really just about having grace with myself and knowing I can only do what I can do. I think women in particular—we hold ourselves to such a high standard and feel like we have to take on everything.
I’ve just allowed myself to be imperfect. No one’s perfect, but I mean really being okay with that and knowing I can’t give 100% to 100% of the things 100% of the time. And that’s okay.
That mindset shift has been a journey for me, and still is, but it’s really how I get through it.
Confidence from Contrast: Learning What Not to Do
When it comes to starting your own business, women lack role models and therefore, don’t feel confident taking that first step. How did you overcome that and become confident starting your business?
My confidence came from the negative space of some of the places I used to work. I saw a lot of gatekeeping, not just in Pilates, but in the corporate world too. A lot of behavior I didn’t agree with.
I’m strong in my convictions. I’m very opinionated.
I guess my confidence came from the idea, not that I could do it better, but that I could do it differently. I could put out a different message. That’s what really propelled me to do my own thing.
Overcoming the Fear of Letting Go
What were the blockers you felt when you became a “corporate dropout”? What made you think: okay, I can do this?
I was really scared about money when I quit my corporate job. I gave up a consistent salary for basically gig work. It was really scary.
At the time, I was traveling back and forth from New York and was very unhappy. I was also really unhappy with the company I was working for. I had recently moved to Philadelphia. It felt like a good opportunity to start fresh.
It was also a confidence thing. You don’t want to give up that salary safety net, but you also can’t grow your business when your time is fully consumed by that job.
Confidence was a huge barrier for me. Can I do this? Can I sell myself?
Ultimately, I worked really hard to move past that and just put out what I wanted to put out.
Remember, your vibe attracts your tribe. If you’re putting the right energy out there, it will come back to you. The universe works in not-so-mysterious ways.
Hiring with Heart and Integrity
How have you gone about bringing on team members who align with your values?
The only time I’ve made a hiring mistake was when I didn’t follow my gut. If you at all feel like someone isn’t going to represent your values or your business the way you want them to, listen to that.
There’s a difference between inherent skills and learned skills. You have to recognize: I can teach this person that, or I can’t teach this, and they’re never going to be the right fit. Trusting your gut is huge—knowing what can be taught and what can’t.
Also, if your goal is to grow your business, you’re never going to do it without hiring people. Depending on what you want for your life and free time, it’s almost impossible to do it alone. So be really selective with who you bring on.
Creating Team Culture Without a Traditional Office
How do you manage the team dynamic and help your staff feel like a team when they don’t work together daily?
That’s a good question, because all members of my team are contract workers. They don’t overlap a lot. Many of the teachers don’t even see each other.
I offer a fair amount of continuing education through the studio. I’ll hire someone to come in and do a workshop just for my staff.
When I worked for other people, I realized: not everyone wants to go to a happy hour. Not everyone wants to go on a hike. But everyone here is teaching Pilates for a reason. Everyone I hire is curious about continued education and wants to grow. That’s the main way I bring the team together.
It’s still a struggle for the whole staff to feel like a cohesive community, just because they don’t always see each other. But I think as long as they see that I’m putting in the effort to bring everyone together, that goes a long way. When I hire, I’m clear: I want the teachers to feel like a community. I hire folks who are community-minded. There are Pilates instructors who just want to teach, leave, and not interact. I don’t want to hire those people.
That’s how I approach it. I’m not always successful. It’s an ongoing journey. But finding a team-building activity that appeals to most, if not all, is important. Some people don’t drink. Some have kids and can’t commit to a happy hour.
For example, my friend Patty owns a studio in Fairmount. I brought her in to teach a class for us. I hired someone to do a sound bath for the whole team because we’re all into that. Instead of saying, “Let’s grab a martini,” which, sure, can be great, it’s not for everybody.
Advice to Her Younger Self: Just Start
If you had to give younger Mari advice, what would you tell her?
Go for it. Do it. If you have a dream, just do it.
I also know that it’s a very privileged thing to say “just do it.” There were a lot of circumstances in my life that set me up to be able to do this. But I feel like fear really holds us back in some necessary ways and also in some unnecessary ones.
My advice would be: trust your instincts and go for it, whatever it is. My younger self may not have thought she’d be an entrepreneur, but she did want to do something big, something impactful.
Mari Silber founded The Balance Room in 2021 after many years of teaching Pilates around Philly. Two kids and a second location later, she still firmly believes in running a business infused with a strong sense of morality and authenticity! To Mari, Pilates is truly transformative, and her true passion is sharing the gift of health and longevity with her clients.
