Instructor Trainer bios

Jill brings more than 40 years of expertise to the fitness industry, having served as an educator, trainer, and fitness director for various clubs throughout the Midwest. Her career reflects a deep commitment to advancing fitness education and training programs.

She was among the first twenty-five Instructor Trainers for STOTT PILATES^® and has held the position of Lead Instructor Trainer since 2000. Jill has also played a key role in international education, presenting workshops and conducting courses across the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Jill’s extensive experience includes designing and developing training programs for group fitness instructors, personal trainers, and Pilates instructors. Her passion for coaching extends beyond traditional fitness—she has coached Nordic skiing and collegiate rowing and remains actively involved in competitive rowing today.

Since she first encountered Pilates in 2010, she has transitioned from the legal field to the sports and health industry and has been deeply engaged in it ever since. With her meticulous logical thinking and acute body perception, she is adept at understanding the complex and multi-dimensional human structure from a macro perspective and integrating diverse cultural aesthetics while respecting individual differences. Over more than ten years of teaching practice, she has consistently tailored targeted courses for different students, helping more people achieve physical and mental balance and health improvement through precise and efficient Pilates exercises.

Jinju Han is a seasoned fitness professional with over five years of experience in various physical disciplines, including dance, aerobics, yoga, and physical therapy. Her journey as a Pilates instructor began while managing a Pilates center. She holds a degree in Japanese language and literature, combining linguistic prowess with Pilates expertise. In 2015, she completed the STOTT PILATES^® course, becoming a Level 1 instructor in 2016. For nine years, she has guided and inspired clients, receiving consistent positive feedback. Currently a Pilates instructor at TRNT Trinity Pilates Center since December 2019, Jinju's dedication led her to become a Merrithew^® Instructor Trainer in 2023, with aspirations to further her expertise and inspire future Pilates instructors.

Jitka has been a fitness and Pilates Instructor for over 20 years. She has lived and worked in cities all around the world, including Toronto, Sydney, Phoenix and Tel Aviv. She began her training with STOTT PILATES^® in 2005, and became a Certified Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® in 2011. That same year she returned to the Czech Republic, where she currently works teaching for Merrithew in her studio Pilates Point in Brno. Her main interests are lumbo-pelvic stability, core research and helping clients live pain-free, healthy lives.

JOana Meneses is a 20+ year STOTT PILATES^® International Instructor Trainer who credits her Comprehensive STOTT PILATES Training as the evolving foundation not only to her own movement practice, but her BodyRoots^™ company’s philosophy she shares worldwide. Between her New York City base of clients and classes and her native Azorean island LiquidRoots^™ retreats in Portugal, JO prides herself on flowing body & mind modalities on and off the water. To JO, movement is poetry and every body should be gifted the skills to write their own.