PersonalHour Pilates Founder Nadia Yacoub Featured on 'Next Level CEO with Daymond John' by Inside Success TV

Nadia Alshomali Yacoub shares how Personal Hour grew from an Ohio garage startup into an AI-powered Pilates ecosystem on “Next Level CEO with Daymond John”.

MIAMI, FL, UNITED STATES, May 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Nadia Yacoub, founder and CEO of PersonalHour Pilates, was recently featured on “Next Level CEO with Daymond John,” the educational business series hosted by entrepreneur and Shark Tank investor Daymond John and produced by Inside Success TV.
The episode highlights entrepreneurs and industry leaders who have built influential brands and created meaningful impact through innovation, leadership, and modern business systems. During the interview, Yacoub shared the story behind PersonalHour Pilates and how a garage-built reformer evolved into a fast-growing Pilates wellness and technology company focused on accessibility, customer experience, and AI-powered fitness support.

“After more than 20 years in technology, I wanted to build something that truly helps people feel better,” said Yacoub during the interview. “I learned how to solve problems and build systems in tech, and that same mindset shaped PersonalHour. We focused on simplifying the experience, improving quality, and making Pilates more accessible.”

The company’s story began in Ohio, where Yacoub and her father started building Pilates reformers by hand in a garage. While Yacoub focused on design, systems, and customer experience, her father worked on the craftsmanship and engineering side of the equipment.

“My father was key to how this started,” Yacoub explained. “He built everything by hand with patience and experience, always improving the details. It became a true partnership.”

The first reformer was named “Janet” after Yacoub’s mother. According to Yacoub, when her mother tried the original reformer and loved it, the vision for the company became clear.

“That was the moment I realized this could become much bigger than just a product,” she said.

Today, PersonalHour Pilates positions itself as more than a Pilates equipment company. The brand combines Pilates reformers with digital experiences, including guided workouts, structured wellness programs, video-on-demand content, and AI-powered coaching designed to help users train more confidently at home.

“What we built is a complete ecosystem,” Yacoub said. “The reformer is one part of the experience. Customers also get guidance, structure, support, and technology designed to help them improve over time.”

One of the company’s major focuses is using AI technology to improve the home Pilates experience. According to Yacoub, traditional on-demand fitness videos still leave many users unsure whether they are moving correctly.

“Video on Demand is still one-way,” she explained. “You can follow along, but nobody is correcting your form. Our AI Coach was designed to close the gap between home and studio by providing guidance and real-time feedback.”

Yacoub’s brother, Joseph Shomali, who also has more than 20 years of technology experience, joined the company to help lead the AI and digital technology side of the business. PersonalHour also partnered with KinesteX to strengthen the company’s movement and wellness technology capabilities.

The interview also explored PersonalHour’s growth strategy and the concept of product-market fit.

“You don’t have product-market fit because you think you do — customers prove it,” Yacoub said. “People buy without heavy convincing, they come back, they recommend the product to others, and they complain when it’s unavailable. That’s when you know customers are pulling the product from you instead of you pushing it toward them.”

Throughout the discussion, Yacoub reflected on leadership principles inspired by her years working in large-scale technology environments.

“The Amazon mindset taught me to insist on high standards, make decisions based on truth and data, and listen carefully to customers,” she explained. “Customer feedback is the best roadmap any business can have.”

At the same time, Yacoub emphasized that PersonalHour intentionally balances operational efficiency with customer experience.

“One thing I didn’t want to bring into the business was being overly focused on cost-cutting,” she said. “We care deeply about customer experience and quality. We would rather invest more into delivering something great than cut corners simply to save money.”

The interview also reflected on how Yacoub’s definition of success changed after leaving the technology sector.
“In Big Tech, success was mostly numbers and performance metrics,” she said. “Today, success is seeing people feel stronger, healthier, and connected. That’s a completely different kind of impact.”

Looking back on the journey from a garage startup in Ohio to appearing alongside Daymond John on “Next Level CEO,” Yacoub shared a message for entrepreneurs who feel uncertain about starting later in life.

“You’re not late — you’re just getting started,” she said. “The experience, the doubts, and the difficult moments all matter. You don’t need to feel fully ready before taking the first step.”

According to Yacoub, being a “Next Level CEO” means building more than products.

“It means building systems that truly help people, creating a team aligned around a meaningful mission, staying close to customers, and using technology to improve lives,” she said. “For me, success is growing the company while also growing the impact.”

The episode featuring Nadia Yacoub is expected to air soon on Inside Success TV.
Learn more about PersonalHour Pilates at https://personalhour.com/

Jason Ray
BetterFly
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