Club Pilates

Bios

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  Carol Anderson

  Instructor

  Having always been active first as a swimmer in school and then in the military where she developed a love for running, Carol has strived for an active, healthy lifestyle. Through the encouragement of a friend in 2009 she tried Pilates for the first time and was hooked. She loved the way it fit in with her running workouts while strengthening the parts of her body that were weak. It also kept her strong and injury free out on the trails. As she learned more about pilates and the control and precision it required, she became even more obsessed with perfecting her form and loved the dramatic changes it was creating in her body and her flexibility. In 2017 after teaching Middle School for 16 years, she decided to use her experience in education to teach something she is really passionate about. She quit her job and spent a year completing her Club Pilates Teacher Training, focused on learning everything she could to be the best instructor she can be. She is excited to be able to share her love of pilates through teaching while encouraging others to continue to strive for an active, healthy lifestyle.

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  Colleen Gray.

  Instructor

  Back in 2006 a hip injury left Colleen with limited mobility and a lot of pain. After trying physical therapy with little results, a friend suggested she try Pilates. Pilates worked where everything else failed, and she's been passionate about it ever since. After training for two years with a master trainer, Colleen decided on a new career path. She enrolled in the STOTT instructor program and certified in Reformer. Since then she has formally trained in Chair, Cadillac, Barrel, Advanced Reformer and Mat. She is also Barre certified. Colleen continues to take workshops and classes. She's always looking for new and exciting material to keep her clients challenged!

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  Cristina Faraone

  General Manager

  Cristina was first introduced to pilates at the University of Colorado Boulder where she attended college. Looking back now, she didn't think that her excitement for pilates could later turn into a career. But after years of working in project management and sales in Los Angeles, Cristina decided to move to Orange County to follow her passion for health & wellness. As the General Manager at Club Pilates Dana Point, Cristina uses her expertise in sales, customer service, and marketing on a daily basis. Cristina is beyond thankful for the benefits of pilates and how it compliments many of her other favorite activities like tennis, hiking, yoga, paddle-boarding, and swimming.

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  Dawn Brazill

  Instructor

  From the very first moment on the Pilates Reformer, I was hooked. How precise the movement could be with good cueing was so amazing. It was all the details, the mindfulness, the precision, the flow, the movement and the deep connection to all those little muscles I didn't know I had. I knew then this was for me and always would be. Having back issues from a previous injury, Pilates became my savior. Being an old soul, the history of Joseph Pilates also intrigued me and I fell more in love with the method. In 2011, with the support of my husband, I decided to learn to teach this beautiful art form through BASI Pilates. I feel so passionate and blessed to have this in my life and to be able to share those amazing details that keep our mind and body connected, safe, healthy and functional. I have made wonderful friends through Pilates. The people I meet touch my heart and inspire me to grow as an instructor and as a person.

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  Jody Reis

  Instructor

  Jody’s passion for movement was ignited at a very young age when she began taking dance lessons. As a teenager she was immersed in ballet and modern dance technique at Interlochen Arts Academy, an international performing arts high school in northern Michigan. She went on to dance professionally for over 10 years. As a dancer, she experienced some setbacks including chronic bursitis of the hip. She was introduced to Pilates to help with her injuries and immediately felt a strong connection with the method. In 2010 Jody completed her Pilates certification with Body Arts and Science International (BASI). She also holds a barre certification with Bootybarre. She believes our body and mind are powerful entities and when they are nourished and trained they can work wonders. She has a passion for helping people reach their fullest potential, which has lead her to become a certified nutritionist. On a daily basis Jody is inspired by the changes she sees in front of her as she watches people build strength and make health a priority. She is very excited to be joining Club Pilates team and share her knowledge of this profound work.

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  Katherine Duncan

  Instructor

  Katherine Duncan is a PMA certified Pilates instructor who lives with her family in Laguna Niguel, California. Katherine believes in Pilates as a way to improve lifestyle and wellness in all people, regardless of current fitness level. From modern dancer to triathlete Katherine's journey in health and fitness has always returned to Pilates. She has viewed Pilates as being the corner stone to moving and being healthy for all of life's challenges. She has worked with a wide range of clients from professional athletes to those who are pregnant or have physical challenges. Katherine views her first mentor in Pilates to be her father who, although disabled for a large portion of his life, lived a positive and active lifestyle while raising five children. Katherine believes that Pilates should be fun and every day should be a new discovery. She believes the most important thing is for a client to walk through the door feeling happy to be there and leaving empowered.

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  Kelly Piersant

  Instructor

  Kelly Piersant was raised in both the UK and Australia, but now calls the U.S. home. A self described free spirit, her childhood was spent riding horses and spending all her free time outdoors in nature. Kelly has spent the majority of her career in the beauty industry, as a professional Make-Up Artist, where her creativity, and passion for making people look, and feel their best has been perfectly suited. In 2013 Kelly was introduced to Pilates, and immediately began seeing changes in her body and mind, including postural corrections, muscle lengthening and flexibility, an incredible increase in body awareness, and mental and physical strength that she didn't know she could have. Kelly lives a holistic life, and feels that regular mindful exercise, in addition to good nutrition play an important role in how we feel physically and mentally. Kelly is a graduate of Body Arts and Science International, where she has been fortunate to train closely with Rael Isacowitz. She is excited to share with others the life changing qualities and benefits she believes Pilates provides.

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  Lisa Blackstock

  Instructor

  Lisa started her Pilates journey back in 2005 as a client. Coming from Bootcamp workouts, she was skeptical when her friend talked her into taking a Pilates class with her. After one month, she was hooked! She couldn't believe the strength and mobility she had achieved in such a short amount of time. She became a full time client and was then inspired to become an instructor herself. Lisa was certified through BASI, under leading Pilates mentor Rael Isacowitz, in 2009. Lisa has taught at many studios throughout southern Orange County. She even opened her own small boutique studio in 2014 in Tustin. She was thrilled to turn a small studio into a talked about fun place to workout and make a name for it in Tustin. But after having another baby, she made the decision to sell her studio two years later, to focus more on her two small children. Lisa teaches a more cardio-based workout, in that she keeps you moving the whole time you are in her classes. She likes to say she gives you a break when you walk to your car after class!:)

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  Melissa Evans

  Instructor

  “When a door closes, another one opens” proved true for Melissa when a long-term job as a health insurance underwriter ended unexpectedly. Pilates was recommended to her husband to treat his sore low back, and he signed up Melissa to go with him and help fill her free time. Having tried many other types of exercise before, Melissa was quickly hooked on Pilates’ positive atmosphere and gentle, yet effective all-over body and mind benefits. A total career change was in order as Melissa decided to pursue a life-long passion in fitness, wellness, and helping people. She’s excited to learn everything she can working as a Front Desk Associate, and entering Teacher Training to become a certified Pilates instructor this fall!

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  Nicole Inzitari

  Instructor

  Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Nicole Inzitari enjoyed outdoor sports like golf and snow skiing, but struggled with her weight and health. With a Bachelor of Sciences degree from Central WA University in fashion merchandising, Nicole spent a two decades delivering trend-setting retail experiences for fashion moguls such as Tommy Hilfiger and retailers like Coldwater Creek and The Gap. In 2008, she discovered a passion for wellness and dedicated herself to exploring healthy eating, targeted nutrition and increased her focus on fitness. Moving from general fitness into a laser-like focus on body shaping, Nicole discovered Pilates in 2014 — and knew she found her home. Pilates filled her need for weight management, strength building and body shaping all in one. In 2015, Nicole left her full-time job in retail to become a Pilates instructor and share her passion with others. Nicole gained her Pilates Education at Body of Arts and Sciences International (BASI) in 2016. She is a Graduate of BASI and is currently training for her Pilates BASI Certification designed by internationally recognized author and master trainer Rael Isacowitz. Through Pilates, Nicole is helping others discover their inner strength, improve their flexibility, and build their confidence to achieve their own personal fitness goals.

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  Nicole Terry

  Instructor

  Nicole's passion for doing Pilates was evident after the very first class in 2016. Pilates was unlike any form of exercise and paired well with an active healthy lifestyle. Pilates offers lengthening, strengthening, and improved balance which sparked her growing joy for being in the studio and working to achieve balance in life. This passion further lead to pursing Club Pilates teacher certification where the study of anatomy and physiology further solidified a well-rounded understanding for how the body is able to move and perform. When Nicole isn't enjoying working out with clients, you'll find her teaching Pilates. Her style incorporates core fundamentals with aspects of cardio in an upbeat atmosphere. Her goal is to ensure clients are taught how to progress in perfecting their practice and is thrilled to share in their growth.

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  Stacie Cooper

  Instructor

  When Stacie drove her mom to her physical therapy appointment in 2006, she didn't know she would develop an obsession with Pilates that day! She had a semi-private lesson on a reformer at the physical therapy office as part of her mom's rehab and was immediately hooked. Stacie continued to take Pilates classes throughout her 6 grueling years of graduate school and noticed that practicing Pilates regularly helped her to manage her stress and to counteract the physical effects that hours of studying and sitting in classes were having on her back and neck. After she became a doctor of clinical psychology, she decided to get certified as a Pilates instructor at Chakra Pilates in San Diego and pursue this passion of hers more seriously so she could offer a mind AND body approach to health and wellness. After a recent low back injury, Pilates helped her recover extremely quickly and get back on her road bike to train for another ride, further confirming for her the many benefits of this wonderful practice. Stacie completed the Club Pilates training in 2016 and is thrilled to be a part of the wonderful Club Pilates family. She has a private life coaching business focused on empowering adolescent girls and teaches mindfulness-based stress reduction to teens in the community and online. She has published a fiction novel and is currently co-authoring a self-help workbook for teens to use mindfulness to reduce self-harm.