Instructor Trainers

Melissa's passion for movement in its many forms began at an early age with gymnastics, swimming, diving, and dance lessons. She trained in classical ballet and modern dance and has performed professionally in Minneapolis, MN and the Bay area. Melissa began studying Pilates in 2000 and found it to be a powerful supplement to her dance training. She began her STOTT PILATES^® training in 2007 and completed her full certification in 2012. In 2013, she became an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES. Melissa is trained in Injuries and Special Populations and loves working with people of diverse movement backgrounds and fitness levels. She believes that movement has the potential to heal the body and mind; her goal as a movement facilitator and teacher is to guide people toward greater freedom and joy in movement and to healthier lives.

Melissa is the owner of mind.art.core PILATES PERFORMANCE, rated the Chicago Reader’s “Best Of” Pilates Studio 2014, 2016 and 2017. Having received her training at the Merrithew^® Corporate Training Center in Toronto, she began teaching as an Instructor Trainer in Toronto, and is now a Lead Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® at her host site in Chicago. Melissa has taught throughout the US, in New Zealand and in South Korea. Melissa is proud to be an IT not only for STOTT PILATES^® Matwork & Reformer, Cadillac, Chairs & Barrels and ISP, but in Merrithew's other branded programs, Total Barre^® and ZEN•GA^® Mat. She has trained extensively in injuries and special populations, Pre and Post-natal, is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and the creator of m.a.c. Pilates for Kids! She has been highlighted in Wellness Magazine for her Pilates for kids program, on CTV’s Breakfast Television and is currently publishing a book. Melissa earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre at York University in Toronto, and in 2010, received her Masters Degree in Contemporary Performance from the Buddhist-inspired Naropa University, specializing in Body Mind Centering Techniques and experiential anatomy. Her creativity is witnessed through her classes, which are innovative and challenge the boundaries of Pilates and functional fitness. From the novice to advanced, post-rehab to the elite athlete, Melissa is able to weave her knowledge of biomechanics with her creativity and energy, creating fun, efficient and transforming sessions. Melissa is active as a Movement Director for various theatre companies in Chicago and has written and produced a comedic web series about a Pilates studio, called, "The Studio." You can find Seasons 1 and 2 here: www.thestudiowebseries.com

Melissa Noble is a movement specialist focused on both the performing and the healing arts. In addition to her work as an Instructor, dancer and choreographer, Melissa is a Certified Instructor and Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES^®. She is also a Licensed Massage Therapist, who has been assisting clients with injuries using therapeutic massage and Pilates since 1996. Currently on Faculty at the University of Houston School of Theatre and Dance, she opened Bodycenter Studios in Washington in 1999, which became the first Merrithew Licensed Training Center in Seattle. After moving to Bloomington in 2007, Melissa opened Bodycenter Bloomington and started one of the first STOTT PILATES Certification courses in a University setting at Indiana University in the Dance Department.

Melissa first encountered STOTT PILATES^® rehabilitating an injury she incurred as a young professional dancer. Once retired from dance, she pursued a career in massage therapy specializing in brain/spinal cord trauma and athletics. She has worked with many national sports teams and both Olympic and professional athletes.

When her massage therapy career was coming to an end, she began training as a Pilates Instructor at Calgary Pilates in 2006. In 2007, she proceeded to open re:focus PILATES in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Her post-rehabilitation and athletic skills attracted the attention of the national biathlon and Nordic ski teams, and she proceeded to work as a strength and functional movement coach.

A move to Calgary enabled Melissa to finally pursue her goal of becoming an Instructor Trainer in 2016, and she's now Certified in Matwork & Reformer, CCB and Total Barre^®.

Melissa Wong is the co-founder and Education Director of Pilatique Pilates Studio, set up in 2005 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Pilatique in Singapore in 2011. She has always been a fitness and dance enthusiast and started her career in the fitness arena in 2000 working with Nike, Les Mills, Fitness First and others, giving her the opportunity to travel and present in dance and Pilates. Melissa first became an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® in 2008 and brought Pilatique Malaysia and Singapore to become a Licensed Training Centers in 2008 and 2016 respectively.

Melissa is a bilingual instructor in English and Chinese. She has presented Merrithew workshops at the Asia Fitness Convention 2010 and 2011 in Thailand, assisted during the 2013 Merrithew Mindful Movement World Tour at Shanghai and presented in ChinaFit 2016 in Beijing, Tianjin and Shenzhen in the same year.

Melissa enjoys learning and sharing her knowledge and coaching her students and Pilatique's team of physiotherapists and strives also to be a good mother and wife. Melissa is a grounded and ambitious little dot.

After completing her studies in London, England at a college for ballet, Melody began her career working internationally as a dancer and dance instructor. On retiring from dance in 2000 her natural inclination was to continue working in an industry that involved physical awareness. This took her through personal training as well as group fitness accreditation. Feeling there were too many gaps in her education and an interest in injury prevention, she qualified in Pilates at the University of Las Vegas. A desire to expand her repertoire led her to the STOTT PILATES^® method where she found a qualifying body that approached training with a comprehensive and intelligent approach. She is now happily an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES Mat and Reformer.

Meredith has over 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry teaching fitness classes, personal training, developing workshops and programs for special populations, coordinating group fitness and aquatics programs, delivering physical therapy services and managing a large medically-based wellness facility. When working with clients and patients, Meredith employs a unique combination of traditional physical therapy with fascial training, Pilates and structural integration techniques.

Meredith has been a Pilates Instructor since 2000 and worked with Merrithew Master Instructor Trainer PJ O'Clair to develop the Merrithew^® Fascial Movement Foundation Course.

Meredith is now a Lead Instructor Trainer in Merrithew^® Fascial Movement as well as Halo^® Training. She owns two studios in New Hampshire, USA, Brookline Bodyworks and Bodyworks at Depot Square.

Since 1989, Mia has served has a personal trainer, fitness leader and manager of several facilities in health and fitness—she even competed in the Body Max Building Classic in 1997. It was not until she suffered injuries from a car accident when she discovered Pilates, and she immediately fell in love with its rehabilitative benefits.

In 2001 Mia became a STOTT PILATES^® Certified Instructor; and as a result of her hard work she was then invited to become an Instructor Trainer in 2005. Recently, she completed courses in ZEN•GA^® and Total Barre^®, and has also studied and practiced other modalities such as Thai Yoga Massage, Yoga Fusion and Reiki. Mia has rehabilitated herself back to health from several injuries including an ACL repair, carpal tunnel syndrome and other setbacks, which has allowed her to gain greater understanding of the body and share her knowledge with others to help them in their personal healing experience.

Michael is an Instructor for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES^®. He travels regularly to teach and present to students and instructors. A professional ballet and modern dancer in the early 1990’s, Michael has been using Pilates as a part of his training regime for many years. He is a qualified physical education teacher who has now streamlined his focus to share his knowledge of the STOTT PILATES method with instructors all over the world.

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.