Brooke McDonald has spent more than a decade in human performance and mobility, developing precision joint-focused training for professional athletes—training she knew could transform how everyday people move, if she could make it accessible. So she created Pillar+, a system designed to bring that same level of effectiveness to real life, helping people with careers, families, and limited time feel strong, mobile, pain-free, and capable again.

But when it came time to scale her coaching online, the familiar fitness platforms were limiting and misaligned with her approach. She tested My PT Hub and Trainerize, only to find user experiences dominated by weight tracking, calorie counting, and body measurements—metrics that could overwhelm clients and limit their confidence before they even begin. Worse, these platforms forced her methodology into rigid templates and required piecing together multiple tools to deliver a complete coaching experience.

Then she discovered Movement. Within 48 hours—on a free trial, and without a single sales call—Brooke had designed, built, and launched Pillar+ as an online training platform. She finally had complete design control to create a training-first ecosystem centered around joint capacity, education, and real-life performance. And when she connected with the Movement team, she found something just as valuable: a true partner in the build, not just another software provider.

Can you describe your business and who you help?

Pillar+ is the system I built after more than a decade in the human performance and mobility space, where I saw firsthand how transformative joint-focused, science-based training can be. The problem was that those systems were designed for professional athletes or clinical environments—not for people with careers, families, stress, and limited time.

So Pillar+ brings that level of precision and effectiveness to real life. I help people who want to feel at home in their bodies again—strong, mobile, pain-free, and capable—by developing joint capacity, internal strength, and true movement control. We start at the pillar, because when the spine, hips, and shoulders function as an integrated system, everything else improves.

I'm deeply passionate about this because I'm not just a coach—I'm a mother, a business owner, and someone living a full life. I understand that training has to support your life, not compete with it. Seeing clients go from disconnected or in pain to moving with confidence and freedom is the most meaningful outcome I could ask for.

"I'm deeply passionate about this because I'm not just a coach—I'm a mother, a business owner, and someone living a full life. I understand that training has to support your life, not compete with it."

What problem were you facing before Movement?

Before Movement.so, my biggest challenges were pricing (for me scaling my business economically), limited control over the client-facing design, and clunky navigation that didn’t match the way I coach. I also had to piece together multiple platforms to deliver both in-person and online services, which created friction for my clients and extra administrative work for me.

"Before Movement.so, my biggest challenges were pricing (scaling my business economically), limited control over the client-facing design, and clunky navigation that didn’t match the way I coach."

Why did you choose Movement to create your own app?

I tested platforms like My PT Hub and Trainerize, but I couldn’t get past how body-image–driven the user experience was. The first thing clients see is weight, measurements, calories, and macros. In my coaching experience, leading with those metrics often overwhelms people and immediately limits their confidence.

Movement gave me complete control over the design and flow of the app, which allowed me to build an ecosystem that reflects my methodology. Instead of being metric-first, it’s training-first—centered around joint capacity, education, community, and real-life performance.

That customization means my clients enter a space that reinforces precision, accessibility, and longevity from the very first click. It’s not just a place to access workouts—it’s a true coaching environment built for real people and real lives.

"Movement gave me complete control over the design and flow of the app, which allowed me to build an ecosystem that reflects my methodology."

How has Movement helped you grow, simplify, or scale?

Within 48 hours—on a free trial and without a single demo call—I had designed, built, and launched my web app. On any other platform, that process would have taken weeks or months of sales calls, onboarding, and backend processing.

Movement.so and its AI tools allowed me to build everything myself, in real time, and in full alignment with my methodology. I wasn’t forced into a template—I was able to create a true Pillar+ ecosystem.

And when I did connect with their team, the level of support and responsiveness was unmatched compared to the larger fitness software companies I’ve worked with. It felt less like using a product and more like having a partner in the build.

"Within 48 hours—on a free trial and without a single demo call—I had designed, built, and launched my web app."

What features or aspects of Movement have been most useful for your work?

The content organization and delivery is incredibly powerful. Pillar+ is not a random workout library—it’s a phased, pillar-based system. Being able to house programs, on-demand sessions, coaching resources, and progressions in one seamless environment allows clients to clearly understand where they are in the process and what their next step is. That clarity increases consistency and confidence.

The integrated scheduling and pricing tools have also been essential. I can offer in-person training, virtual coaching, memberships, and structured programs all inside the same platform without sending clients to multiple systems. For a hybrid business model, that’s huge.

Another major piece is the community functionality. Pillar+ has always been about connection and shared progress. Having a built-in space where clients can communicate, ask questions, celebrate wins, and stay engaged turns the app into a true coaching environment rather than a passive content hub.

From a business standpoint, the speed of build and the ability to update in real time has allowed me to stay responsive to my clients. I can refine programs, release new phases, and add educational material immediately, which keeps the system dynamic and alive.

And finally, the AI support tools dramatically reduce the administrative load. As a solo founder, that gives me more time to do the highest-value work—coaching, creating, and developing the system.

All of these features support the same goal: delivering a precise, accessible, joint-first training experience that fits into real people’s lives.

"Being able to house programs, on-demand sessions, coaching resources, and progressions in one seamless environment"

What features or aspects of Movement have been most useful for your work?

If you want your platform to match your methodology instead of forcing your methodology into a template—choose Movement.so.

"If you want your platform to match your methodology instead of forcing your methodology into a template—choose Movement.so."

Brooke's journey from testing limiting platforms like Trainerize and My PT Hub to building her own fully custom training app in just 48 hours shows what's possible when you find a platform that finally matches your vision.

After rejecting the metrics-first approach that overwhelmed her clients, Brooke found in Movement everything she'd been missing: complete design control, the ability to manage in-person training, virtual coaching, and memberships all in one place, and the freedom to create a training-first ecosystem centered around joint capacity and real-life performance. But beyond the platform, Brooke found a long-term partner in Movement: "When I did connect with their team, the level of support and responsiveness was unmatched compared to the larger fitness software companies I've worked with. It felt less like using a product and more like having a partner in the build."

Today, Pillar+ is exactly what Brooke envisioned—not just a workout library, but an all-in-one coaching hub where clients build strength, mobility, and confidence without the metrics-driven overwhelm. Her advice to other coaches? "If you want your platform to match your methodology instead of forcing your methodology into a template—choose Movement."

Ready to build your own custom training platform with complete creative freedom? Get started with Movement for free today.

Check out the Pillar+ App or find Pillar+ on Instagram.

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What is Movement?

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Whether you're offering courses, events or programs, selling digital products, or hosting a private community, Movement gives you everything you need in one place: content and video hosting, chats, events, directories, and more.

It’s designed to be intuitive for you and seamless for your audience—so you can focus on delivering value, not managing tech.

For coaches who are tired of stitching together tools like Kajabi, Squarespace, and Facebook Groups, Movement offers a simpler, more scalable way to grow your business and deepen client connection—all under your own brand.

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