By
Erin Coulehan
Photography
Katherine Kocian
Jackie Ochoa always knew she was a big city girl.
Born and raised on the east side of El Paso, she told her father as a child that she was destined for something beyond her hometown.“He was super encouraging,” she remembers. “So after high school, I was ready to fly the coop.”
What followed was a journey that took her across the country – from San Antonio to the Northeast, where she fell in love with New York City during a winter break visit to see her then-boyfriend.
“I just knew it was my place,” she says.
Ochoa eventually transferred to a university in New Jersey, where she earned her degree in public relations and journalism, with dreams of working in the music industry.
She didn’t just dream it – she lived it.
Ochoa interned for EMI in the early 2000s, right in the middle of the So So Def era.
“It was a moment in time,” she says. “I got to go to concerts, meet artists, and live this really wild, exciting life.” But like many young professionals, her path eventually shifted. Instead of staying in the music industry, she found herself being drawn back to something that had always been part of her: fitness.
Ochoa had been active from a young age – volleyball, softball, track – and in college, she picked up part-time work teaching step and ab classes. That gig sparked something deeper.
“Fitness has always been part of me,” she says. “It became more than just movement: it was about connection and confidence.”
Eventually, she took that passion into New York’s fitness scene, which she describes as the “mecca” of the industry.
“I was surrounded by the best of the best,” she says. “Everything was so intentional – not just about aesthetics. People knew their stuff, and they cared about the experience they were offering.”
That experience shaped the foundation for what would later become The Studio, her boutique fitness space back home in El Paso.
“I’ve been thinking about this for over a decade,” Ochoa says. “I worked in top-tier studios in New York, smaller boutique spaces in Houston, and everything I learned built up to this.”
Walking into The Studio feels like entering a space where self-care, community, and empowerment all intersect.
Yes, you’ll sweat, but you’ll also laugh, chat, and maybe even make a new friend.
“It’s more than just a Pilates or abs class,” Ochoa explains. “People gossip, giggle, go out to eat together after class – it’s a whole vibe. That sense of connection is everything.”
While the studio draws crowds for its aesthetic and energizing Pilates sessions, it also offers strength training, circuit training with water rowers, yoga, and dance classes that feel more like a party than a workout.
“We’re all just laughing, being silly,” Ochoa says. “It’s like a bachelorette party.”
The variety is by design.
“We want to balance the Pilates practice with strength and cardio,” she says. “As we age, bone strength matters. So does flexibility. All our classes complement each other in really powerful ways.”
At the heart of Ochoa’s mission is helping women feel confident in their bodies, not because of a number on the scale, but rather because of what their bodies can do.
“There’s this moment that happens,” she says, “a client comes in unsure, maybe intimidated. But over time, they start moving better, standing taller, lifting heavier. You can see it, they carry themselves differently. They’re proud.”
Pilates, in particular, plays a major role in that transformation.
“It’s low-impact but deeply effective,” Ochoa explains. “It builds core strength, improves posture, increases flexibility, and protects joints. It’s not about punishment; it’s about longevity and feeling good in your own skin.”
Ochoa sees women of all ages rediscovering their strength and feeling empowered, some for the first time in years.
“We’ve had moms, grandmothers, people recovering from injury, all finding their stride here,” she says. “Pilates meets you where you are and grows with you.”
While the studio radiates feminine energy, it’s far from exclusive. Ochoa says men are always welcome – and often humbled.
“We’ve had CrossFit guys and heavy lifters come in and get absolutely wrecked by Pilates,” she laughs. “It’s humbling for everyone.”
What also makes The Studio so special is its multigenerational mix.
“We have everyone from women in their 70s to young girls trying out classes for the first time,” she says. “It’s girlfriends, abuelitas, moms and daughters – it’s all of it.”
That sense of family runs deep. Ochoa’s own mom is a regular, crushing circuit classes on the water rowers.
“Her friends say I’m mean, but she’s tougher on me than I am on anyone!” Ochoa laughs.
She never imagined she’d return to El Paso 20 years after leaving.
But now, she can’t picture being anywhere else.
“Creating The Studio has been a dream,” she says. “But sometimes dreams don’t turn out the way you expect; this has been beyond anything I ever imagined.”
She credits the El Paso community for lifting her up in ways she never expected. “I am so incredibly lucky to have the instructors that we have at The Studio. Lacy, Camila, and Cecy complete the experience and are here for the members and me like no one else. The city has just sent us soaring,” she says. “I get emotional thinking about it.”
Whether it’s building strength, trying something new, or finding a space to laugh and heal, The Studio has become a haven for El Paso women – and beyond.
“It’s not just fitness,” Ochoa says. “It’s healing, it’s joy, it’s strength. Every woman who walks through those doors leaves a little more confident than she came in.”
