Club Pilates

Bios

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  Amanda Mishael Ruiz

  Pilates Instructor

  Amanda Mishael is a mover. She’s a Professional Dancer, Certified Pilates Instructor & a Group Fitness Trainer. She found out about Pilates about 2 years ago and realized she had been doing it all along. As a dancer she loved the challenge of precision, control and flow that was demanded of the body. Now as a certified instructor she has the opportunity to dive deeper in understanding how Pilates can help her as an athlete and her every day life. She finds joy in guiding people to connect, move and feel their bodies in ways they never thought were possible. “It is so rewarding when someone comes up to me after class and tells me how good they feel, that they can finally touch their toes, they have no more back pain or that they are now able to do something like the roll up or teaser for the first time!” - Amanda Mishael Becoming a Pilates Instructor is an exciting addition to her every day practice as she explores new ways to challenge and strengthen her vessel! First we gotta conquer the mind then we can manifest it physically! Pilates is for EVERY BODY! “You are only as young as your spine is flexible.” - Joseph Pilates

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  Bianca Falcon

  Pilates Instructor

  Bianca is a miami native who was exposed to movement at a young age. Growing up, she always danced and continued her training throughout college where she was exposed to the Pilates method. Being a dancer, she enjoyed the flow and challenge Pilates offered & fell in love with how it made her feel. She joined the Club Pilates team in 2016, where she worked front desk as way to be more exposed to the Pilates culture and able to practice until she finished her studies. It was during her senior year of college, she decided to enroll in teacher training and has never looked back since. She hopes to incorporate Pilates into her recreational therapy practice, as one of her many goals is to explore different ways to adapt Pilates & movement. She is excited to continue her journey in the Pilates world where she hopes to make the practice as inclusive & adaptive as possible to reach different populations. Her favorite Joseph pIlates quotes she lives by is “Change happens through movement and movement heals.”

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  Dani Gelley

  Pilates Instructor

  Danielle moved to Florida from Washington D.C in 2004. After leaving the corporate world in 2009 to raise her family, she found herself seeking a fitness outlet that would accommodate her new lifestyle and schedule. She first turned to yoga to alleviate the sciatica she was experiencing after the birth of her son. As her yoga practice grew, so did her love for the low impact functional movement types of exercises. She discovered Pilates in 2014 and was immediately hooked by the impact it had on her both physically and mentally. Wanting to share the positive effects that Pilates had on her own life with others, Danielle completed the Pilates training with The Pilates Place Studio in 2016. As an instructor Danielle is always emphasising balance, coordination, strength and flexibility. Her classes combine contemporary Pilates and fitness fusion, which include creative sequences that will leave you with a full body workout whether you are a beginner or an advanced student. Her passion is working one on one with her clients to accommodate any issues or injuries and creating a tailored experience for each one of them, while ensuring they get a good sweat.

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  Ia Carrasco

  Pilates Instructor

  Ia, also known as Ari, grew up on the beaches of a beautiful Island in Venezuela. It was there that her love for sports (surfing and skateboarding, tennis, dance and artistic gymnastics) blossomed. These sports helped her understand how much her body craved and loved MOVEMENT! Her biggest dream however was to be an obstetrician and bring babies into the world, but life led her to be become a Publicist. Despite having an established career, an opportunity came to take a Pilates Certification training. With her love of exercise in her heart, she decided to take the leap and go for it. Ia now has more than 10 years of experience teaching and she is dedicated to transforming people's lives through pilates. Her love of movement shines through in her classes so do not hesitate to try them and fill yourself with unstoppable energy and endless smiles!

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  Katherine Fernandez

  Pilates Instructor

  Katherine (lovingly goes by Kat) is an established and successful business owner and entrepreneur. However, after years of struggling with back pain due to scoliosis, she decided to take a Pilates class and it was love at first sight. After moving to Miami and selling her businesses, she decided she wanted a career change. She wanted to make a meaningful impact and help other feel the same way Pilates made her feel. Fast forward a couple of years, and now Kat passionately helps other through her teaching all while in the comfort of fabulous leggings! If you want to feel an instructors love, joy and passion, come try out Kat’s classes!

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  Katia Wesby

  Pilates Instructor

  Katia always dreamed of being an athlete and grew up as a competitive gymnast. She had a career ending injury at the young age of 15 which led her to years of rehab and physical therapy. It was in this process that she found and fell in love with Pilates. “Pilates helped me feel strong and able again.” She’s been practicing Pilates ever since and has furthered her education with a Bachelors from the University of Miami in Health Science and Exercise Physiology and a Masters in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Her goal for all her clients is for them to fall in love with movement and to gain a better understanding of their bodies so they can walk out of every class feeling taller and stronger.

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  Keisha Whitfield

  Pilates Instructor

  Keisha is born and raised in Miami, Fl. She attended magnet dance programs for primary school, and graduated from New World School of the Arts with a BA in Dance. During her tenure, she was introduced to Pilates but didn't regard it very fondly. Years later as a full time aerial arts instructor, she realized the best way to help her students (and herself) gain better strength, mobility, and biomechanic understanding, was to bring Pilates into their workout regimen. Keisha jumped head first into the Pilates world and fell in love with what it did for her and her students. Pilates has been the only movement that has helped keep her severe scoliosis pain at bay, due to it's focus on posture and alignment. Keisha loves helping students gain a better understanding of their body awareness and overcoming injury through the practice of Pilates.

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  Lorin Jetter

  Pilates Instructor

  Lorin grew up in and around dance studios in Topeka, Kansas. It was at the dance studio that she first discovered her love for and belief in the Pilates method as her competitive dance company took weekly Pilates classes to improve their technique. She continued dancing both competitively and semi professionally while she attended the University of Kansas (go Jayhawks!). After graduation, Lorin moved to Miami and bounced around between a few marketing and design jobs before re-discovering her love and passion for Pilates, and ultimately her second home at Club Pilates. Expect a fun and athletic approach in Lorin's classes and don't plan to take yourself too seriously!

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  Michelle Kasparian

  Pilates Instructor

  Michelle began her fitness career in college while majoring in Exercise & Health Promotion at Virginia Tech. Starting as a dance fitness instructor, Michelle quickly developed a passion for taking pilates classes to assist with core strength. Upon graduating with her M.S. in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Michelle began a career in group fitness and personal training management working for YMCAs and universities where she began teaching multiple formats of fitness and training other instructors to do the same. Years into her career, Michelle rediscovered her passion for pilates after dealing with an injury, incorporating it in her own training program and making it her main format to teach at Club Pilates! Overall, Michelle enjoys helping others move better and believes in making every class both challenging and FUN!

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  Nani Cabada

  Pilates Instructor

  Nani was born and grew up in Costa Rica. She went to school in Savannah, and lived in NYC for 6 years. While living in the city, after a lower back injury, she discovered pilates, and realized the importance of movement to heal, and body proprioception. Fast forward moving to Miami and having her first child, she was moved by her eagerness to help others and the importance of creating a community. Pilates has given her the opportunity to share, help, grow, and transition her work life to a passion she loves.