Instructor Trainers

Karen began her Pilates journey as a client at the Merrithew^® Corporate Training Center in Toronto; where she immediately fell in love with the practice the moment she got on the Reformer. A former gymnast, dancer and all-round athlete, she loved the mind-body challenge and immediately recognized the benefits of rehabilitating old injuries and building strength without compromising flexibility. In 2010 she earned her Certified Instructor designation, and then became a Merrithew Instructor Trainer in 2014, specializing in Matwork, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair and Barrels. For two years, Karen taught at the Corporate Training Center before moving to San Francisco in 2016.

Karen teaches clients of all ages and fitness levels, with a special focus on injury prevention and post-rehabilitation reconditioning. A CPCC certified coach, she loves to motivate her clients and to ensure their practice is part of improving their health and wellness overall. She also enjoys challenging her students to formulate their own solutions and answer their own questions, helping them deepen their understanding of their practice and develop the confidence to share their knowledge with others.

Karen Christensen started dancing at the age of 7 after a bout of polio. She went on to be a professional ballet dancer working in companies in the US and Europe. Karen later became educated as a Psychomotor therapist and became the leader of a physical therapy unit at a nursing home. Being pulled back into the world of dance again, Karen continued to work with modern dance companies in Denmark as a ballet mistress, rehearsal assistant and guest teacher and opened her own dance school in Copenhagen, later moving to Aarhus to work with a dance company there. After studying the original Pilates method including training with Romana Kryszanowska, Karen chose the STOTT PILATES^® contemporary approach for her certification in 2002 and has worked with it ever since. She is an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES Matwork, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, and Barrels. She continues to train professional dancers in classical ballet as well as Pilates.

Katharina Kuehnen, born and raised in Austria, is a former professional ballerina who danced with the Vienna State Opera Ballet and the Bavarian State Ballet. She discovered Pilates in 1999 as an essential counterbalance to the physical demands of ballet, eventually embracing STOTT PILATES^® as her second career after retiring from the stage in 2008.

She earned her Full STOTT PILATES^® Certification in 2009 and began teaching at Pilatesbody in Munich, working with a wide range of clients—from dance studios to osteopathic centers and high-performance athletic programs. In 2011, she became a STOTT PILATES^® Instructor Trainer for Mat& Reformer.

In 2014, Katharina relocated to Dubai, working as an Instructor Trainer for Real Pilates while continuing to freelance. Her focus later expanded to holistic wellness; she completed her Health Coach certification with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2019 and earned her Level 4 MELT neuro-fascial instructor certification in 2024.

Katharina returned to Austria in 2019 as a Floating STOTT PILATES^® Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^®, primarily serving the DACH region. Since 2023, she has been based in Munich, where she continues her work as a floating IT, freelance Pilates and MELT instructor, and health coach.

Katherine came to the Pilates industry from a dance background, having danced professionally in New York, Oregon and Idaho. While at University in New York, she came to love Pilates and relied on it to keep her fit and injury free. She achieved Full Certification with STOTT PILATES^® in 2010 after training first at Pacific Northwest Pilates with Master IT Melanie Byford-Young and later in England with YMCAfit. In 2011, she joined the team at the UK Licensed Training Centre, YMCA Pilates Academy as an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES, and is qualified in ZEN•GA^® Matwork and Equipment. She greatly enjoys helping people understand their own bodies and seeing the positive impact this method can have on functional fitness. She was granted Merrithew Lead Instructor Trainer in 2018.

Kelley discovered Pilates in 2004. She was recovering from a back & shoulder injury and was searching for an alternative form of movement to heal her body. Kelley was inspired by the positive changes she felt in her own body and knew she wanted to become an instructor to help others. In 2006 she became a fully certified instructor and in 2009 started her Instructor Trainer journey with Merrithew^®.

Kelley’s passion for Pilates has always been strong, however, for the past 20 years she has only been able to dedicate a portion of her time to her Pilates career, as she was working full-time as a police officer. In 2024 Kelley retired from policing and is now dedicating her time and energy to promote Pilates and specifically the Merrithew brands in the province of Saskatchewan.

Kelley’s love for learning is evident. She returned to university as a part-time student in 2014 and in 2025 convocated from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Kinesiology.

Kelly's background in dance and her passion for movement led her to commit herself to a career in health and wellness. Drawn to the philosophy of the STOTT PILATES^® method, Kelly began her training in 2001. She became a Certified Instructor in 2004 and an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^®, specializing in STOTT PILATES in 2004, CORE^™, Athletic Conditioning Performance Training^™ in 2013 and Total Barre^® in 2015. She was the Professional Training Director at the SweatShop Health Club (LTC) in St. Paul, Minnesota for 15 years, and is now with Fluid Motion Maui with intentions to help Merrithew grow in Hawaii.

Kelly Rodriguez grew up practicing competitive gymnastics and dance, and developed a passion for understanding the human body. Her passion led her to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a minor in dance from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. She earned her ACSM Personal Trainer certification in 2012, but wanted to continue to advance her career. She received her Full Level 1 STOTT PILATES^® Certification at the Marshall Eklund Fitness and Pilates Studio in San Diego in 2016. She is now a Merrithew^® Instructor Trainer specializing in STOTT PILATES.

Kelly Sconza has been teaching the STOTT PILATES^® method since 2006, and became an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES in 2010 and Total Barre^® in 2013. Kelly holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance and Theatre from Manhattanville College, 2006. She has a deep kinesthetic understanding of the body and the ways it can move because of her many years of modern dance training. Kelly is a challenging and energetic instructor who prides herself in helping clients to reach their individual potential, while understanding their personal needs and goals.

Kelsey Mercer brings over 25 years of experience in the fitness and movement education industry, with more than 10,000 hours of hands-on training, teaching, and program development. She began her STOTT PILATES^® journey in 2003 and became an Instructor Trainer in 2023.

Grounded in a strong academic foundation and extensive real-world experience, Kelsey specializes in evaluation and programming for pain management, injury recovery, and optimal performance. Her teaching is distinguished by a clear, anatomy-driven approach that empowers students and clients to understand how the body functions, considering individual fitness levels, injuries, age, and lifestyle.

Kelsey brings a variety of STOTT PILATES specialist designations as well as other trainings, certifications and experience into her teaching. Kelsey is also currently training as a craniosacral fascial therapist and enjoys bringing the variety of education and experience of working with thousands of bodies to the educational platform.

Khing is a native Thai who has been living in Indonesia since the mid-1990s. With a background in the College of Fine Arts in Bangkok, she started a career in the hotel industry. While in Indonesia, she discovered her passion for Pilates and earned her STOTT PILATES^® Instructor certification in 2006. Two years later, she became an Instructor Trainer for STOTT PILATES^® while also being involved with the Merrithew^® Licensed Training Center in Jakarta.

Khing is deeply passionate about teaching clients at all levels to improve their health and well-being. She enjoys helping students gain a better understanding of Pilates and continuously seeks new knowledge to enhance her education.

Currently, Khing is running her own studio in Jakarta and also teaches courses to students from various nationalities across Asian countries.