Instructor Trainer bios

Eric is an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^®; who specializes in STOTT PILATES^®. With a 15+ year addiction to Pilates and 20+ year devotion to yoga, Eric loves to help people reach their full potential. Eric own/operates an intimate, private studio in the Battery Park City/Tribeca area of Manhattan New York City called Nucleus Strength. He enjoys helping people from all walks of life, regardless of their starting points, find the inner chutzpah needed to make lasting positive change.

Eric was very much into fitness and sports throughout his time in high school and university. When he started working, his body became very rigid which regular fitness workout could not help improve. He came across STOTT PILATES® in 2013, and right from the beginning he was hooked to the method, which brought changes in his body that he could not have dreamt for. Most prominently was the correction on his bow-leggedness within a year, which had bothered him for over 20 years. That fascination led him to serious Pilates practice and the decision to take up training, starting with Intensive Matwork in 2014.

He kept on pursuing STOTT PILATES certification and in 2019 the completed the Merrithew^® Matwork and Reformer Instructor Trainer courses in Merrithew Corporate Training Centre in Canada to become a STOTT PILATES Instructor Trainer.

Along this path of learning Eric also came across Iyengar Yoga. He was drawn to it because of its emphasis on detail, precision and alignment that was similar to Pilates. He is particularly intrigued with the biomechanics behind the STOTT PILATES method, and strives to incorporate it into yoga, fitness or any movement modality. Eric has been teaching Pilates privates and group classes for years before becoming a STOTT PILATES IT.

Erica moved to Portland in 2004 where she worked as an orthopedic and sports physical therapist seeing patients of all ages and fitness levels. She turned to STOTT PILATES^® following a spinal surgery and has since made it an integral component of her physical therapy practice. Working with clients at Element Wellness and Sports Rehabilitation, Erica is able to teach the therapeutic application of STOTT PILATES. In 2014 she received the honor of becoming a Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES Rehab.

Erica earned a BS in Exercise Physiology from Montana State University in 2002 where she was a member of the women’s golf team, a student athletic trainer for the MSU football team, became an AFAA certified aerobics and personal fitness instructor, and was trained in Olympic weightlifting. She became a Certified Athletic Trainer in 2002 and earned her Master’s in Physical Therapy from the Mayo School of Health Sciences in 2004, and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist in 2006.

Estela became a physiotherapist in 2006, and it was while working as a physiotherapist that she came across the STOTT PILATES^® method as a form of preventative exercise and also a rehabilitation tool. It didn’t take long for her to begin her training in STOTT PILATES with Merrithew^®. She started first with the STOTT PILATES Rehab courses and quickly followed suit with the STOTT PILATES Full Certification.

Being such an important tool in her daily practice, observing how her clients were reaping the benefits from this type of exercise, and eager to share her understanding and experience of the STOTT PILATES method with other professionals, she decided to become a Merrithew Instructor Trainer.

Her passion for knowledge and learning led her to receive her Masters in Physiotherapy Sciences at the Faculty of Human Kinetics in Lisbon, Portugal, and later on her Medical Degree from the University of Minho. Nowadays, Estela splits her time between her career as a family doctor, Pilates instructor and Instructor Trainer specializing in STOTT PILATES courses. Being able to promote health and empower her clients towards a healthy and pain-free life is one of her greatest joys.

Esther began her training in STOTT PILATES^® in 2006 and is now an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES and CORE^™. Looking to expand her knowledge base, she has attended several courses focusing on movement screenings including Kinetic Control, Performance Stability and Be Activated. A specialist in Personal & Group Training, she is also a ZEN•GA^® Qualified Instructor. Esther is an energetic and very technical instructor who manages her own center in Valladolid, Spain.