I fell in love with Pilates in 2001.  I love it so much that I took my 14-year-old daughter to a session with me.  For the next 16 years, I longed to start a regular Pilates practice by buying Pilates mat DVDs and purchasing an Aero Reformer from QVC.  My challenge was that I didn’t really understand Pilates or my body.  

 

In 2017, the opportunity to truly learn Pilates and become an instructor appeared in my life.  And the rest is history.  Ever since, I have been learning, teaching, and immersing myself in the principles and practices of Pilates. I love sharing and teaching others, helping them find a relationship with their body that supports optimum health, happiness, and longevity.  

 

My life before Pilates was in the business world as a Certified Public Accountant and a trainer.  I taught financial and business principles to small business owners for many years while I owned my own business. When I sold my accounting practice, I returned to college and earned a Master's and Ph.D. in Adult Education. Now, besides teaching Pilates as a National Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT), I teach college graduate courses in business.

 

Pilates supports everything I love to do. Hiking, yoga, paddleboarding, kayaking, learning and growing and spending time with family and friends. Pilates is also a big part of my relationship with my daughter.  She is also a Pilates instructor, and we share and compare our philosophies and practices.  Pilates is also the foundation of many of my creative endeavors. Starting the podcast and blog. “Pilates is the Answer,” with Stacey Jernigan, allows my creative juices to flow and supports my desire to help and support others who love Pilates as much as I do.

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I have been teaching Pilates for over a decade!  I originally became interested in Pilates after dealing with severe back pain from a car accident.  I was initially skeptical when my friend suggested trying Pilates Reformer. But I was immediately amazed at how great my back felt!  After one session, I was hooked and knew I wanted to learn how to teach it to help others.  

 

With a Master's in Human Development and Family Studies, my experience shaped my ability to connect well with my clients.  My private clients have ranged from a 12-year-old aiming to improve her dance skills, to a teenager with Polio seeking to improve leg function and build core strength, to an NFL client wanting to improve his speed and agility, to an 88-year-old working to improve his posture and balance, as well as his golf game. 

 

In addition to Pilates, I have a background in Mommy and Me Fitness, Senior Fitness, and athlete-specific Pilates.  After teaching private and group sessions for a few years, I became a Master Trainer and am truly passionate about guiding my students through the certification process. Watching them grow and develop into amazing instructors brings me so much joy!

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The highlight of my life is my 13-year-old son, whom I adore. He keeps me on my toes and makes me laugh daily!  I enjoy listening to music, paddleboarding, and spending time at the beach in my spare time!  Recently moving to the Sarasota area opened new opportunities for my Pilates practices and created excitement for me and my son to do the things we love. 

 

I truly believe, as Joseph Pilates said, “Change happens through movement, and movement heals.” My hope is that through my teaching endeavors, master training mentoring, and starting this podcast “Pilates is the answer” with my talented colleague Pearl, I can help expose as many people as possible to the healing modality of Pilates, which I believe heals us in many ways that can surprise us! It truly can be the answer to questions you don’t even know you have!   

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