Club Pilates

Bios

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  Barb

  Instructor

  Barb has completed Club Pilates comprehensive training and is also a certified Stott Level 1 instructor in mat, reformer, cadillac, chair and barrels with training in injuries and special populations. When she isn't teaching Pilates, she is also a high school marketing and journalism teacher. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, live music and all things Pilates.

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  Missy

  Lead Instructor

  Missy's love for dance started at the age of 3. Since then, she has embraced her passion for movement. After graduating from Central Michigan University in 1994 , Missy worked for 11 years as a food broker. After her marriage in 1999 and the birth of her two boys in 2006 and 2008, Missy was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. Recovering from the first of six surgeries, she found Pilates. It was the combination of breath and movement paired with the low impact of the craft that helped heal and strengthen her body. In 2013, her love of Pilates and passion to teach led to her certification in the Club Pilates 500 hour comprehensive program. She is one of 3 original instructors certified in Michigan’s first program. Motivated to improve and continue her education, Missy is also certified in TRX, Bootie Barre, and Leslie Bender Above Barre.

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  Laressa

  Lead Instructor

  Laressa was born and raised in Flint, MI, but is now a resident of Oak Park, MI. She has been a Certified Pilates Instructor through STOTT since 2012. Her goals are to help people understand how their individual bodies work, and to teach them how to stay strong and healthy. She enjoys working with all body types and ages, and prides herself in being able to modify exercises to each individual. She is a very detailed instructor, and likes to focus on how well her clients do the exercises by correcting their form, rather than just giving a generic workout. Along with teaching Pilates, Laressa is also a professional dancer. She started her training under Dan Durkacy at the Flint Dance Center, and continued her training under Karen Mills-Jennings at the Flint School of Performing Arts. She received her Bachelor of Science in Dance Degree (Cum Luade) from Wayne State University in 2011. She currently dances for Big Red Wall Dance Company (Artistic Director, Erika “Red” Stowall), based in Detroit, MI.

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  Patty

  Instructor

  Patty discovered her love for Pilates in 2013 while taking classes at her sister’s studio. She soon realized that she could make a career out of her passion for Pilates and her desire to spend as much time as possible with a group of like minded women (and men!) in an upbeat, health driven atmosphere. She participated in the 500 hour Club Pilates teacher training in 2014 and has been instructing ever since! A big believer in continuing education, she has also attended countless workshops and seminars, and completed programs / earned certifications for TRX, Peak Pilates Level 1 and 2, and Precision Nutrition (nutrition / healthy habits coaching). Patty believes working out should be fun, and functional, and truly enjoys spreading the Pilates love. Her extensive background instructing private clients has taught her a great deal about working with all sorts of injuries, limitations, and body types. She strives to bring that attention to specific body needs to each of her group classes, ensuring that clients get a fun, well rounded, and appropriate workout each and every time. When she’s not teaching Pilates, you can catch Patty spending time with her dog, reading, working out, cooking, or wandering around Cranbrook!

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  Juliann

  Instructor

  A native of Royal Oak, Juliann discovered Pilates 16 years ago as a dance mom looking to occupy the time while waiting for her daughter to finish class. She moved to Shanghai, China in 2005 with the aim of learning to teach Pilates and completed the Polestar Studio and Mat courses at IsoFit in Hong Kong under the instruction of Dawnna Wayburne. She also studied with Brent Anderson and Shelly Power at various Polestar Asia conferences. With a background in work physiology and ergonomics and a 17 year career at General Motors spent designing assembly processes to prevent work-related repetitive stress disorders, Pilates was a natural extension of her desire to foster physical and intellectual movement. Her interest in physical movement led her to pursue moor walking, rock climbing and caving when she lived in the UK from 2008 to 2013. Back in the US, she recently completed the Club Pilates teacher training and loves to share her love of movement with her client so they can achieve their fitness goals.

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  Laura

  Instructor

  Laura has always been interested in health and wellness through exercise, and that's how she discovered Pilates! After receiving a Bachelor's and Master's in Kinesiology, she started her career focusing on cardiovascular health and became a certified American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Exercise Physiologist and Program Director for Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. After raising four children and enjoying over a decade working in fundraising, marketing, communications, and social media, she has come full circle back to health and wellness through exercise, this time as a Pilates instructor.

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  Shawn

  Instructor

  With 6 years of Personal Training experience, Shawn knows the importance of proper movement, breathing, and connecting with your body through your powerhouse. He fell in love with Pilates back in 2014 when he started taking classes with his wife. Practicing Pilates on a daily basis helped Shawn make improvements in other areas of fitness which he found very rewarding. After seeing his own results, he decided to complete a 500 hour certification through PEI (Pilates Education Institute). His goal is to help people move better, feel better, and find a deeper connection to their body through Pilates. Shawn is also certified in NASM, Precision Nutrition, and has experience teaching and using TRX. When he is not teaching at Club Pilates, he spends his time teaching clients through Personal Training, experiencing new things with his wife, and hanging out with his cat.