Instructor Trainer bios

Joana received her STOTT PILATES^® Instructor Certification at the Toronto Corporate Training Center in 2001 and became an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^™ specializing in STOTT PILATES in 2002. Joana is a certified yoga teacher and the founder of BodyRoots Fitness Studio in New York City. Previously the head of the Pilates program at an elite fitness club in NYC and with over 13 years of experience, Joana now offers personally tailored, one-on-one training in her private downtown Manhattan loft space. A proud former Lululemon Althetica brand ambassador, Joana has been featured in several STOTT PILATES professional fitness DVDs, Pilates Style magazine, Shape magazine, The New York Times and has trained high profile clients in NYC including Jimmy Fallon and Edie Falco.

Jo-Anne discovered Pilates while completing her MA at New York University. She went on to become a Merrithew^™ Lead Instructor Trainer and has extended her passion for movement into completing a Diploma for Osteopathic Manual Therapy. Jo-Anne incorporates her osteopathy knowledge into her work with clients, boosting their awareness and perception of movement. She is also the mother of busy twin girls whom she says often remind her to live mindfully and fully.

Jolanda has a passion for movement and for the last 12 years, specifically in the Pilates method. After years of study, she became a physical education teacher at a high school, specializing in a number of different sports and especially in dance. During that time, she developed remedial after-school teaching programs as well as studying massage therapy. She has a great interest in anatomy and is fascinated by fascia and how it can be integrated in a Pilates program. As an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^™ specializing in STOTT PILATES^® and Total Barre^®, Jolanda has a passion for sharing her knowledge with students and teachers. She is the owner of K'dans, currently the only Licensed Training Center in The Netherlands where she teaches a variety of fitness modalities, with STOTT PILATES as the base for all movement.

Josefin has been working full time with Pilates and movement for nearly ten years. She was born in Sweden where she actively trained in gymnastics until her mid-teens. While living in London in her early 20's she began suffering from back pain. It was then that she discovered Pilates and its amazing power to heal and strengthen the body. In 2005 she moved to the US and became a certified STOTT PILATES^® Instructor. Two years later, she became an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^™ specializing in STOTT PILATES. In 2009 she opened her own studio in Malmö, Sweden: Movement Studio Malmö. Her studio is flourishing, and she enjoys training clients at all levels as well as running STOTT PILATES Instructor Trainer courses.

Judy began her active lifestyle as a competitive ballroom dancer in Zimbabwe, and also as a member of the Zimbabwe National Aerobics team. She became a STOTT PILATES^® Certified Instructor in 2001 and an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^™ specializing in STOTT PILATES in 2008. Judy draws on her degree in applied nutrition, as well as her experience with personal training, therapeutic massage and injury rehabilitation when working with her Pilates clients. She particularly enjoys working with students as they prepare for their examinations, and considers Postural Analysis and correction to be her passion.