When I started teaching Yoga and Pilates, the majority of my clients were strong, healthy individuals.

They were marathoners, Ironmen (and women), soccer players, dancers, cyclists, cross-trainers, weight lifters and weekend warriors.  In their hearts and souls, they lived, breathed and pulsed movement.  Their bodies, on the other hand, were flaring up, giving out, leaving them stranded on the road to their goals with fatigue, aching backs, sore shoulders, and trick knees.

No amount of ice or tape could relieve their symptoms.

Pain medication only provided temporary relief.  For the majority, surgeries weren’t medically necessary.

In fact, their doctors were prescribing Yoga, Pilates and Stretch Therapy.

By working with these otherwise strong and healthy bodies, I learned that without fail, every single one of them needed 4 things: Balance, Core Strength, Proper Form and Rest.

These four things are the proactive solution to the flareups, the burnouts, the fatigue and most of those aches and pains that keep you from enjoying all of the ways your body can move.

How do I know this stuff works?

Like most of you, I came to Pilates through injury.  

My all-time greatest hits include: 

  • random weird foot pain from an intense dance schedule

  • a dislocated knee from softball

  • a second dislocated knee from a soccer slide tackle gone wrong

  • severe back and hip pain from years of overtraining and improper rest/recovery

  • a chipped tooth and wonky hip from falling down a mountain switchback while running

  • a broken toe

  • a pulled ab muscle (seriously…and yes, it was weird)

  • Achilles tendonitis…twice

  • SI joint and sacrum issues after giving birth

  • a series of small shoulder tears from an obstacle course half-pipe ascent 

  • hypermobility

And that’s just the big stuff.  Somewhere in between are all of the bumps, bruises, scrapes, limps, aches, pains and sore spots.

The first doctor visit for knee pain included a strong suggestion that I quit running…forever.

That wasn't going to work for me.

I live for those long, lonely miles in the middle of nowhere. Being told not to run felt like a death sentence, so instead I started teaching myself yoga from a library book and mostly avoiding doctors. (This was before the internet was really a thing and yoga studios were still fairly uncommon.)

Fast forward a few years and I was running down a mountain after a freak thunderstorm, covered in blood and nursing a very unhappy hip after sliding down three switchbacks. 10/10 do not recommend.

My limp was bad enough that a friend dragged me to their chiropractor…then essentially tricked me into taking their appointment.

That appointment changed the trajectory of my life.

The chiropractor fixed up my hip, became my mentor, friend and eventually my boss, and introduced me to something that immediately clicked with my engineer brain: movement could be used proactively, not just reactively.

All those years of cobbling together yoga sequences hadn't just made me feel better. They'd helped keep me doing the things I loved.

So I went all in. I earned my 200-hour yoga certification, joined his team as a Sports Therapist, and went on to train in Mat, Standing and Equipment Pilates and Stretch Therapy. Over the next couple of years, I logged thousands of hours working with active bodies.

And Pilates became a huge part of how I kept my own body moving, too. 

A Few Random and Fun Facts

  • I'm a 5th generation Coloradan!

    I am a 5th generation Colorado Native and a 3rd generation Denver Native! And no, I don’t know how to ski. The studio is named in honor of my family’s long history in Colorado.

  • My first ever 5k was the Northside Stride in North Denver. 

    Since then, I have participated in over 60 races (running/tris/cycle/obstacle events) and even ran a 5k at 38 weeks pregnant.  Trail running is my favorite movement and where my soul gets fed.

  • I LOVE to read.

    I love to read and typically finish a book a week. WWII historical fiction is my favorite genre, but Murder Mysteries and Chicano Lit are high on my list as well.

  • I depend on Pilates to keep me strong and functional.

    Movement is part of my daily M.O. and Pilates keeps me functional for all of it. In addition to trail running, I strength train, garden, ballroom dance, mountain bike, paddleboard, cycle, hike and do Yoga.

  • My background is in Mechanical Engineering.

    If you’ve ever wondered why I’m obsessed with spreadsheets, systems, results and can nerd out forever on body mechanics, it’s because my degree is in Mechanical Engineering. I worked as a QA/QC Welding Engineer for 15 years before moving over to Pilates full time.

Certs & Qualifications

The proper certs and qualifications (and random side interests) are always important when finding an instructor who fits your needs.  I have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines with a minor in Humanities, completed a 500-Hour Pilates training through PhysicalMind and was employed as a Sports Therapist for two years with Spine & Sports Therapy down in Houston, Texas.  Together, these things mean I geek out about bio-mechanics…a lot.

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