Instructor Trainer bios

Michaela's fitness career has taken her all over the world. She was a dancer in her native home of Germany before becoming certified as an ACE Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer while spending time in the United States. Michaela completed her STOTT PILATES^® Certification in New York and in the U.K. and went on to become a Merrithew^® Lead Instructor Trainer. Michaela also specializes in the complete STOTT PILATES Repertoire, including all Matwork and Equipment levels, as well as Total Barre^®, ZEN•GA^®, Merrithew^® Fascial Movement, and Halo^® Training. In 2002, Michaela founded Pilatesbody, the first Merrithew Licensed Training Center in Munich, Germany. She is also the author of best selling books about Pilates.

A lifelong athlete and native Californian, Michele started classical Pilates training in 1996 and earned her first STOTT PILATES^® Certification in 2005 while living in the Netherlands. In 2009, Michele became a Merrithew^® Instructor Trainer and is now a Lead Instructor Trainer specializing in STOTT PILATES and Halo^® Training.

Michele established CorSano Pilates^™ in 2010, her private studio and Merrithew Host Center in Ottawa, Canada, where she provides specialized training to clients and small groups. In working with clients, Michele uses modern concepts of exercise physiology and biomechanics from complementary disciplines together with Pilates to build tailored training programs that restore function and build movement performance.

As a Floating Lead IT for Merrithew, Michele loves the challenges and excitement of teaching assignments abroad— mentoring instructors from other countries and sharing her wide-range of knowledge and experience. CorSano Pilates Online offers private and group classes for all levels, so you can experience Michele’s passion for movement and education wherever you are.

Michelle DiMeo is a STOTT PILATES^® Certified Instructor and Merrithew^® Instructor Trainer. Originally from Milwaukee, Wis., she holds a B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She eventually relocated to Minneapolis, Minn. to continue performing and freelancing in the dance community where her passion for finding healing through somatic practices led her to Pilates. Michelle received her STOTT PILATES Full Certification in 2016 and a year later became a Merrithew Instructor Trainer. Her training was completed through the SweatShop Health Club, a Merrithew Licensed Training Center in Saint Paul, Minn. where she has continued to work as a STOTT PILATES Certified Instructor and Merrithew Instructor Trainer. Currently, Michelle resides in Frankfurt, Germany, where she is pursuing her M.A. in Contemporary Dance Education (M.A. CoDE) at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (HfMDK).

Michelle obtained her STOTT PILATES^® certification in 2006 and became an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES in 2009. She is also a licensed massage therapist and has been a certified yoga instructor for more than 12 years. Michelle enjoys working privately with clients, drawing from her diverse background to help them develop strength and find efficient movement and that best fits their lifestyle and limitations. She frequently works with special client populations recovering from knee or hip replacements and spinal cord injuries and thrives on finding the right exercise solution for their needs.

Michelle received her Certification as a STOTT PILATES^® Instructor in 2010. In 2016, she completed the requirements to become a Merrithew^® Instructor Trainer specializing in STOTT PILATES. She has had extensive training in the Pilates method from a number of Pilates schools since 2005. A graduate in dance from Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts (2003), Michelle is influenced by other training including Gyrotonic (Apprentice in 2013), Myokinematic Restoration, Anatomy Trains and Argentine Tango which she has been perfecting since 2011. Michelle has extensive experience teaching in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong as a resident Pilates Instructor for a physiotherapy clinic, Pilates Instructor in the Singapore Navy, and in the Lasalle College of the Arts School of Dance, as well as with private studio clients from all backgrounds. She aspires to train quality Pilates Instructors who will uphold the standards of STOTT PILATES and Merrithew brands. In 2018, Michelle co-founded The Better Movement Studio, Singapore.