Instructor Trainers
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.
Sam Byron
Colorado Athletic Club
Englewood, Colorado , USA
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Mat & Reformer, Cadillac, Chair & Barrels; Halo® Training; Total Barre®
Additional credentials and designations
TRX Suspension Trainer Level 1 & 2
Bio
Since 2002, Sam Byron has been practicing Pilates and has been teaching STOTT PILATES® since 2011, receiving his full STOTT PILATES Certification in 2014. He has special expertise in athletic conditioning, post-rehabilitation conditioning, active aging, and group training. In 2017, he became a Merrithew Instructor Trainer specializing in STOTT PILATES, Halo® Training, and Total Barre®. Sam earned his Masters of Science in Kinesiology, with a special focus in Corrective Exercise and Orthopedic Rehabilitation, from A.T. Still University. In 2011, he received a Bachelors of Science in Exercise Science from the University of Texas at Arlington.
His clients, who range from fitness enthusiasts to athletes, young to mature benefit from finding greater awareness of movement, core strength and injury prevention. Because Sam personally had to overcome the effects of autoimmune diseases, he has empathy for those in chronic pain. He applies his STOTT PILATES training to decrease the severity of his pain and his client’s.
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Samia Pellizzari
Inspire Health
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Matwork & Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, & Barrels, ISP; ZEN•GA®
Additional credentials and designations
BA
Bio
Samia received her BA in dance before moving to New York to pursue a dance career. Following a knee injury, she became a STOTT PILATES® Instructor in 2003. Samia taught Pilates in Austria and across the United States, working with a variety of clientele including athletes, pre- and post-natal women, seniors, post-rehab clients as well as with those struggling with their weight. In 2008, Samia become a Merrithew® Instructor Trainer, specializing in STOTT PILATES and ZEN•GA®. Samia currently teaches at Inspire Health, a Merrithew Licensed Training Center.
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Sandra de Sousa Machado
Pilates Holistic Center Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Matwork & Reformer, Chair, Cadillac & Barrels, ISP; Total Barre®
Bio
Sandra de Sousa Machado is the owner of Pilates Holistic Center Hamburg. Always looking for a way to combine therapy and training, she discovered the STOTT PILATES® method. Sandra felt the difference in her body during the education process and long afterwards, and in November 2011 she continued her education in Toronto where she became an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew® specializing in STOTT PILATES, and then became an IT for Total Barre® in 2013. Sandra was the first Portuguese certified Merrithew Instructor Trainer and now combines over 10 years of teaching experience with her knowledge of Pilates, sport therapy, personal training and massage to ensure that clients experience the best in mind-body exercise. Her clientele includes professional athletes, singers, dancers and actors.
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Sara Baker
Inspire Health
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Rehab Matwork & Reformer
Additional credentials and designations
PT, MS, OCS
Bio
Sara is a physical therapist and entrepreneur who has owned Inspire Health in Atlanta, leading integrative physical therapy and Pilates center, since 2005. Sara's love of science and sport led her to earn an Undergraduate Degree in cellular biology from the University of Georgia and a Masters of Science in physical therapy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has spent her physical therapy career in outpatient orthopedic settings, and is a Board Certified Orthopedic Specialist, seeing complex patients referred by some of Atlanta's top physicians. In creating her own practice, Sara has been a leader in integrating Pilates and physical therapy into a patient-centric, outcomes-driven, consumer-pay clinical model. Since 2003, Sara has utilized the STOTT PILATES® method for neuromuscular re-education and therapeutic intervention in her practice. Sara has partnered with Merrithew® since 2007 as the owner of a Licensed Training Center and became a STOTT PILATES Rehab IT to continue to promote the integration of STOTT PILATES into the practices of rehabilitation professionals.
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Sara Escudero
Floating
Toledo, Spain
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Matwork and Reformer
Additional credentials and designations
Osteopathy, Federation of Mountaineers of Valladolid, Club Zceos, School of Technical Parasanitarias
Bio
Sara has a varied professional portfolio that includes osteopathy and massage as well as personal coaching for specialized sports. She is the Center Director and teaches Pilates and Personal Training at the Pilates Center Valladolid, in Valladolid, Spain. A sports devotee since 1995, she initiated incorporating the Pilates method with her clients after taking her first STOTT PILATES® course in 2006. She began STOTT PILATES Rehab training in 2012 and became a Merrithew® Instructor Trainer specializing in STOTT PILATES Matwork and Reformer in 2014.
Sarah Donkers
Floating
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Rehab
Additional credentials and designations
BSc, MSc (Physical Therapy), PhD (cand) Neuroscience
Bio
Sarah has a passion for movement. Having been a competitive athlete, Pilates helped her overcome several injuries and fueled her desire to further understand movement. Sarah's enthusiastic and energetic nature can be seen in the clinic and classroom, helping others move better, studying how the nervous system controls movement and sharing this knowledge. Sarah is currently a teacher and researcher at the University of Saskatchewan, and carries a clinical load focusing on motor control in pediatrics, neurology and sport. She is a Merrithew® Instructor Trainer specializing in STOTT PILATES®. Interested in complex movement disorders, as well as injury prevention, Sarah loves Pilates for the mind body awareness it creates and the ability to use this to restore balance in the body.
Sarah Helmy
Floating
Cairo, Egypt
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Matwork and Reformer; Cadillac, Chair and Barrels
Additional credentials and designations
BA Psychology, PMA, AFAA and ISSA
Bio
Sarah is the founder of The Studio, a fully-equipped Pilates, dance and fitness studio in Cairo, Egypt. Her interest in movement blossomed at a very young age while learning ballet and gymnastics. She took up dance professionally and joined the Cairo Modern Dance Theater at the Cairo Opera House. Sarah's desire to understand the mechanics of movement sparked an expansive journey of learning. She pursued multiple certifications, including different Pilates methods, personal training, group fitness and spinning. Sarah delved into the world of STOTT PILATES® in 2010 with a passion and vigor that allowed her to rapidly complete her courses in succession and become Fully Certified. In 2016, she successfully completed her Merrithew® Instructor Trainer Course specializing in STOTT PILATES. She also became a CORE™ and Total Barre® Qualified Instructor.
Sarah Jarvis
Merrithew Corporate Training Center
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Matwork & Reformer,Cadillac, Chair & Barrels, ISP; ZEN•GA®; Total Barre®; Halo® Training
Additional credentials and designations
BA
Bio
Sarah Jarvis joined the Merrithew® team in 2004 after completing her Full Certification in STOTT PILATES® and is now a Merrithew Lead Instructor Trainer and an Instructor Trainer specializing in ZEN•GA®, Halo® Training and Total Barre®. Sarah has trained under multiple Merrithew Master Instructor Trainers, including Moira Merrithew, PJ O'Clair, Wayne Seeto and Stefania Michas, and she regularly teaches Instructor and Instructor Trainer courses for ZEN•GA® and Total Barre at the Merrithew Corporate Training Center in Toronto, Canada. Sarah has extensive experience in planning and implementing Merrithew education programming, and extensive knowledge and experience in teaching and developing Merrithew branded programs. She is a mentor to internationally-trained Instructor Trainers, and for over a decade has presented on behalf of Merrithew throughout North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
Sarah began teaching aerobics and weight training classes while finishing her degree in Business Administration at the University of Windsor. While working in sales and managing a club, she soon discovered STOTT PILATES exercise. Intrigued by the method and the ability to strengthen and refocus the mind and body, she made the transition from the high-impact training world and continues to witness the impact these programs have made all over the world. Sarah is also canfitpro certified and continues to stay current by attending workshops/courses within the field.
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Saulo Ouverney
Floating
London, United Kingdom
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Matwork & Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, & Barrels; Total Barre®; Halo® Training
Additional credentials and designations
Physical Education Bachelor Degree, GYROTONIC®
Bio
Saulo Ouverney holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Health and Physical Education.
As a teenager, Saulo was a gymnast and competed in sports aerobics for eight years. After graduating university he taught fitness classes and private strength training, bringing the mental training he used to have as an athlete to his clients.
In 2006 he was introduced to the Pilates Method and it became his passion. By 2007 he was running his own Pilates studio.
In 2009, he discovered STOTT PILATES®. He decided to leave his job and move to São Paulo to pursue it. In 2013 he became an IT and Merrithew® Lead Instructor Trainer in 2017.
Saulo had a great experience living for a year and a half in the Middle East teaching Pilates, GYROTONIC® and Total Barre®. In 2016, Saulo audited many STOTT PILATES courses at the Corporate Training Center in Toronto.
Saulo is passionate about Merrithew programs, biomechanics and exercise physiology. As he continues along his chosen career path, he is always searching for the latest news and innovations to keep himself up-to-date on the latest in mindfulness and fitness.
Scilla Zizifo
Pilates Italia
Milan, Italy
IT qualifications
STOTT PILATES® Matwork & Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, & Barrels; Total Barre®; Halo® Training
Bio
Scilla began her training with STOTT PILATES® in 2010 at our Licensed Training Center in Italy. She continued on to receive her full certification in 2012 and shortly after began pursuing her STOTT PILATES Instructor Trainer designation. She now teaches at the same studio she first trained at, Pilates Italia.
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