A day in the life: Mandy Keillor

Mandy Keillor, 53, co-founder and director of Studio Australia Barcelona

Mandy is the co-founder of Studio Australia Barcelona, an internationally renowned health and wellness centre. After emigrating from Australia with her wife, Natalia, the pair opened the centre in 2006. They specialise in rehabilitating people’s bodies and teaching them how to stay healthy with a selection of holistic medical practices and Pilates. 

6.55am I always wake up five minutes before the alarm goes off and take that time to meditate—just being grateful. It’s a good way to start the day, but it’s taken me years to create the habit.

7am I jump in the shower then allow seven minutes for my express Face Pilates exercises—like going to the gym, but for my face. I’ve been doing them three to four times a week for six years.

Then I have breakfast: warm water with fresh lemon and a superfood drink, followed by a glass of cabbage juice to wash down my supplements. I spent 15 years as a builder in Australia and made a habit of having at least one litre of water before I leave the house in the morning.

8.10am Stop off at Farga at the top of Passeig de Gràcia for a pot of mint tea. (More fluids!) Natalia and I have been going there regularly for 12 years—ever since we arrived in Barcelona. It’s like an institution, and now we are part of the Catalan community that meets there every day.

9am Set up and open the studio. We see around 30 people a day across all the wellness practices, but most clients come to do Pilates. Depending on the day, I might have to teach. My speciality is body shaping; in particular, upper body development for better posture, rehabilitation and getting rid of saggy arms!

10am Admin and answering emails. If I have a few minutes, I’ll give my mum, who’s back in Australia, a call to make sure she’s okay. 

11.30am I get down to business, either at the studio or Soho House Barcelona. For the past 10 months, my focus has been on expanding one of our brand’s products online. I have had to study and learn how to do business this way.

2.30pm A Pilates class. I try to do one at least three times a week. I’ve been training since my 20s and it is a relief to my body, mind and soul. I need it.

3.30pm Lunch. Normally I grab a salad at the local Italian cafe Brunaqui.

4.30pm I head home to walk our dogs. We live in the Eixample, just 12 minutes from the studio, so it’s easy to go back and forth each day to walk them.

5.30pm More emails, meetings with practitioners, blog posts and social media, plus I’ve been doing weekly webinars about global investment for women, which have been amazing.

7pm Finally, a glass of wine and a moment to relax with 30 minutes of Australian news. I’ve always prepared dinner while watching the news, and old habits die hard. We eat at home most weeknights—generally organic, fresh and raw.

8.45pm We eat together, talk about our days and enjoy some quiet time.

11.30pm Walk the dogs (well, Nat does) and prepare for the morning. Then it’s off to bed. Yes!