Jason Priestley Gushes Over Working With Wife Naomi on Opening Studio Pilates in Nashville: 'It's Been Wonderful and Great'

Though Jason Priestley has been in Hollywood for decades, he's starting a new venture with his wife of 19 years, Naomi , as the two are opening their Pilates studio in Nashville — called Studio Pilates — this fall.

"He's my best friend. We rarely have disagreements, and when we do, it's just really fun bickering. You fight about it, it's done and you're onto the next thing," the blonde beauty, who a certified NASM CPT, Pilates Sports Center instructor and Mad Dogg trainer, exclusively tells OK! about collaborating with the actor, 54. "We've been together 24 years, and we still like each other!"

"It's been very educational. I've sat on boards of companies before, and been through my ventures in the wine industry and stuff like that," the Beverly Hills, 90210 star adds. "For me, running a business is something I've had experience with, but opening a franchise and all the legalese that goes along with it and how it all works has been very educational for both of us."

Since the couple, who share two children: daughter Ava , 17, and son Dashiell , 14, has lived everywhere from London to New York to Toronto, in addition to L.A., they were interested in finding some place that resembled the childhood they both had growing up.

"We found this wonderful school here, and we said, 'If they get into this school, we'll move,' and they got into the school, so we moved!" Naomi recalls of relocating to Nashville in 2021 . "It was important for us to create a community here because obviously we didn't know anyone coming here. The school's been a great resource in order to connect with people, and we've met fabulous families here. The people are so kind. We love it here, and our kids are so happy here, which is the most important thing."

Naomi has always been involved in the fitness world, so she felt it was time to open a place of her own. "Jason and I have always loved working out. I always wanted to eventually open my own place," Naomi, who was a makeup artist in Hollywood before becoming an indoor spin instructor and personal trainer, notes. "But what's so wonderful about the Studio Pilates franchise is that it's a turnkey solution, right? They offer so much support on the back end, especially when you move out of state. With Jason gone for work, I was like, 'I need the support of a franchise.' I know we couldn't have done it by ourselves."

"The fitness community I had in L.A. was amazing, and I knew I wanted to recreate that here for us because it's been so rewarding for us," she continues.

The idea came to life when she realized her daughter, who is going to be a senior this year, will be leaving home soon. "I have this business now, which will keep me occupied," she says. "My son's starting freshman year, so it was kind of this big push I needed, but I always wanted to open a studio. When we moved here three years ago, I was kind of percolating on it. My daughter can drive my son to school, I have the support to do it if Jason is away, so they're old enough that she can help out. When she's at college, I'll be busy with this business. We did this to ease the transition into being an empty nester!"

Naomi and Jason have worked together before, so this time around felt natural. "We haven't had a problem so far. Our interests align, our pastimes align. All of things fall into place for us," the Canada native shares.

As they become entrepreneurs, the two have "learned a lot" over the past few months.

"I've been surprised at the amount of literature and teaching and support that our franchise has provided for us. It's a lot of training and things I haven't thought about," Jason says. "You just don't know what you don't know! But I've been incredibly impressed with Naomi's tenacity in getting everything done and completing all the training and all the things that our licensure requires. It's been wonderful and great so far."

Studio Pilates is "very effective," Naomi says, as it's designed by physiotherapists.

"It's safe and scientifically proven to get results," she adds. "I am a Pilates instructor and have taught Pilates over the years. It's a magical, amazing thing. Studio Pilates targets muscles and strengthens and just makes you better. It can create real change. The other unique thing that Studio Pilates is that we use SPTV, which are TV screens to show the class so people know what you're doing. The feedback on the TV screen is amazing, and then it allows the teacher to come by and actually give on hand-on corrections if you want them. It gives you that one-on-one training, which I think is completely unique. Also, every class is accessible to everyone — at any level of their Pilates journey. The class is open to beginners, intermediates and advanced. You can make the exercises harder or easier for yourself depending on the springs on the reformers. It's a super inclusive environment."

After Jason broke his back in a 2022 racing accident , his doctor advised him to include Pilates in his exercise regimen to build back his core and support his spine for the rest of his life. "I was 33 at that point in time, so I started doing Pilates back then, and I've loved it since then," he says. "For me, when Naomi came to me about this opportunity and said she wanted to open a Pilates studio, it made perfect sense to me because now it's going to be easier for me to find a good class!"

"We always train together, but sometimes he trains me too," Naomi adds. "I hope to have eight instructors, and I'll probably teach a class or two so I can run the rest of the business."

Meanwhile, Jason will be more "back of house," however, he will be taking classes "all the time as much as I can."

"I found that this Studio Pilates workout is incredibly effective because it is so targeted," he says. "They really work on one muscle group that they exhaust every class, so I find it super effective — even for me! I know Pilates it a more woman-centric exercise, but it doesn't have to be. I find it as a great modality to add to my other training that I do. Everybody should be doing Pilates. By doing this, I hope to raise the profile of Pilates and Studio Pilates here in America. We're trying to bring Pilates to the people."

The duo are still in the middle of building out the studio, but "they're so excited" for what's to come. "The evil plan is to open a Studio Pilates wherever our kids go to college. In all sincerity, we would like to open more, especially if it's super successful."

"I'm just excited to build this community and create this positive, awesome space for everybody to enjoy," she continues. "This will be the biggest reward for us. The other big reward is actually helping people and seeing people's bodies change for the better."

"It's all about finding balance in your life, right? I work in a very different industry, so having this side hustle, if you want to call it that, brings better balance to my life," Jason concludes.

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Studio Pilates International location in Sylvan Park is located at address: 405 40th Ave N, Nashville, Tenn. The Sylvan Park Studio Pilates location will feature 16 custom reformers, pristine hardwood floors and the signature Studio Pilates chandeliers, ensuring a stylish and distinctive SP experience.

For info on their Studio Pilates location , please visit: studiopilates.com/studios/sylvan-park.