Instructor Trainer bios
The members of our esteemed team of Pilates Instructor Trainers are accomplished and internationally sought-after educators known for their comprehensive knowledge, dedication and professionalism. Each hold full certification in the STOTT PILATES® method and have achieved additional designations to complement their training.
A diverse group, they come from varied backgrounds including physical therapy, exercise science, athletic therapy, dance, and group and personal fitness training to name a few. Every member of the team strives to uphold the highest standards of training that have been developed worldwide.
Jo-Anne Bunbury
Calgary Pilates
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Matwork & Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, & Barrels, ISP; ZEN•GA® ; Total Barre®; Merrithew® Fascial Movement
Additional credentials and designations
BA Dance, MA Dance, DOMP candidate, MELT Method Instructor
Bio
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.
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Jolanda Hoefnagel
K'dans, studio' in beweging'
Hague, Netherlands
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Matwork & Reformer, Cadillac, Chair & Barrels, ISP; Total Barre®; Halo® Training
Additional credentials and designations
Physical Education Teacher, Massage Therapist , Movement Rehab Specialist for children
Bio
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.
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Josefin Ekstrom
Movement Studio Malmo
Malmö, Sweden
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Matwork & Reformer
Bio
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 Amira
Floating
Harare, Zimbabwe
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Matwork & Reformer, Cadillac, Chair & Barrels
Bio
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.
Jue (Stella) Xu
The Orange Room Wellness Center
Shanghai, China
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Matwork & Reformer
Additional credentials and designations
Halo® Qualified Instructor and ZEN•GA® Qualified Instructor; ACE Certified Personal Trainer; B.Sc.
Bio
Stella started practicing Pilates in 2011 using the STOTT PILATES® method to ease back pain stemming from her pregnancy. Her back pain disappeared within a few months, and she was intrigued by the effectiveness of Pilates and wanted to learn more. In 2014, she took her first STOTT PILATES training program and became a STOTT PILATES Certified Instructor in 2015.
Since then, she has continued to learn and explore the STOTT PILATES method as well as other forms of human movement science, such as the Kinetic Control, Franklin Method® and Feldenkrais Method.
In 2020, she became a Merrithew® Instructor Trainer specializing in STOTT PILATES. She believes that the power and knowledge of movement can help everyone achieve his/her best quality of life.
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