Instructor Trainers

Chrissy discovered Pilates whilst attending a Fitness weekend with a group of friends and was hooked! Formerly a member of the British Olympic Windsurfing team and 3 times World Champion, Pilates fits her mindset with the precise and mindful control of the body’s movements.

Chrissy co-owns The Host Centre Principle Pilates and works as a movement consultant to Southampton Football Club, Hampshire CC and England Womens Cricket. Her client base ranges in age from 16 – 82 with a mix of athletes, weekend warriors, aspiring older sports people and post- operative individuals. She teaches group classes and tailored private sessions in addition to the Stott Pilates courses, exams and workshops.

Initially a Personal Trainer and sports massage therapist she added Pilates to her skill set becoming a STOTT PILATES^® Certified Instructor in 2004, Instructor Trainer in 2007 and ZEN•GA^® Instructor Trainer in 2013.

With over 25 years in the mind-body sector she is constantly furthering her knowledge of teaching and exploring change through movement.Chrissy enjoys teaching both the STOTT PILATES and ZEN•GA modalities and prides herself on delivering first class education in a fun and supportive way.

Fifteen years of classical ballet training brought Christine to Merrithew^® and inspired her to become a Merrithew Instructor Trainer, specializing in STOTT PILATES^® and ZEN•GA^®. Christine owns and operates Breathe Pilates Place (2015) in La Plata, Maryland, and trains her clients in STOTT PILATES and ZEN•GA principles.

In addition to her studio, Christine also provides STOTT PILATES training at Balance Pilates Training Center, a Merrithew Licensed Training Center in Richmond, VA. Plus, she teaches Pilates and ballet clients throughout the Northern Virginia, Southern Maryland and Washington D.C. metro areas – including at Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, VA, and College of Southern Maryland in La Plata, MD.

Christine is also an ACE Certified Personal Trainer. She continues to challenge her own body to learn new movement forms through the study of circus arts, flying trapeze and aerial yoga. In 2020, she became a Merrithew Lead IT.

Christos was born in Greece and studied Sport Science and Physical Education at Democritus University of Thrace, Greece. He earned his Bachelor degree in 2004, and after coaching in different sports, he focused and specialized in Pilates. Christos studied at the Corporate Training Center in Toronto where he became fully certified in 2011 and shortly after became an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES^®. He currently teaches at the I Love Exercise Pilates Studio in Geneva, Switzerland.

Claudia first got involved in aerobics and fitness in Paris, France where she was studying for a bachelor’s degree in Business and Tourism. She was drawn to Pilates for rehabilitation after several athletic injuries and soon discovered the STOTT PILATES^® method. She became an Instructor Trainer and taught at the Corporate Training Center in Toronto until she opened her studio and Licensed Training Center, Pilates Italia, in Milan, Italy and a satellite location in Brussels, Belgium. Claudia is proud to be a Merrithew^® Lead Instructor Trainer. She is also an Osteopath. Claudia is fluent in four languages and is a cancer, multiple sclerosis, neurologic and isometric rehab Specialist, as well as a Pink Program^® Instructor Trainer. She strives to continue her athletic life, and loves teaching students and clients alike.

Connie discovered Pilates while earning her BA in Dance at York University in Toronto, Ont. She received her full STOTT PILATES^® Certification in 1997 and later became a Merrithew^® Lead Instructor Trainer. Connie co-founded The Pilates Body Studio in Mississauga, Ont. which is now a Merrithew Licensed Training Center. Connie has fueled her passion for teaching movement as an avenue to improved health by continuing her studies in anatomy, biomechanics and physiology at the Canadian College of Osteopathy. As an Osteopathic Manual Practitioner, Connie is inspired daily by her patients and their journey to achieving health and ease of movement. Connie is a member of the Ontario Osteopathic Association.

Danica became a STOTT PILATES^® Certified Instructor in 2003, motivated by her desire to share the mental and physical consciousness and balance she found in Pilates. In 2008 she moved on to become an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^®, specializing in STOTT PILATES. She currently teaches at The SweatShop in St. Paul, Minnesota where she enjoys helping students and clients alike to improve their strength, posture and body awareness.

Daniela González Ares is a Lead Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES^®, Total Barre^® and ZEN•GA^® and is owner of Complete Body Movement in Ireland a Merrithew Licensed Training Center. Residing in Dublin since 1994, Daniela (called Dani by friends and family), was born to Spanish parents in the Netherlands and is a fluent speaker in various languages. She has always been interested in sport, particularly in swimming, karate, gymnastics and horse riding. Unfortunately Daniela suffered a horse-riding accident in her early twenties, which indirectly led her back to the gym, and a move to Ireland led her to STOTT PILATES. Daniela owns a personal training and Pilates Studio called AJNA in Dublin, is a certified gyrotonic instructor, certified yoga instructor, massage therapist and pink ribbon instructor. In 2012 Daniela received the award for Outstanding Personal Achievement by Merrithew.

Former dancer and competitive swimmer, Danyelle was first introduced to Pilates by The Pilates Body Director, Connie Ierullo in 2000, where she has been a member of the teaching staff since 2002. Danyelle is an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^®, specializing in STOTT PILATES^® and CORE^™. She instructs the Matwork, Reformer, and Cadillac, Chair, and Barrels courses. Continuing to further her education, she is currently completing an Honours BSc in Life Sciences at the University of Toronto and the American Council on Exercise (ACE) accreditation as a Personal Trainer. Danyelle is driven to help clients achieve their goals and has worked with clients of all ages and abilities, but she finds it most fulfilling when teaching clients with specific needs or injuries. After the birth of her first child Danyelle and a difficult recovery, she has shifted her energy to teach Prenatal & Postnatal Pilates & Fitness. She helps to promote the benefits of exercise during pregnancy and enjoyment moms can experience while exercising with their babies.

With an extensive background in dancing and a fascination with the intricacies of the human body, Darcy easily embraced her Pilates practice when she began studying it in 2001 at the Merrithew^® Corporate Training Center in Toronto. By 2003, she was asked to join the company as an Instructor Trainer and her career took off with international travel to represent Merrithew as an Instructor Trainer at workshops and exams. She also played an intrinsic role in the development of Merrithew’s DVDs, manuals and other course materials for STOTT PILATES^®. She continues to attend workshops and study anatomy to further deepen her understanding of mindful movement.

With Bachelors and Masters degrees in Electrical Engineering, David worked for fifteen years designing computer chips for Intel Corporation. He was first introduced to Pilates in 2000 by a Physical Therapist as a cross training method for cycling and mountain bike racing. With a strong technical background, he was fascinated with the precision, biomechanics and effectiveness of the method. He pursued instructor training with several organizations before choosing the STOTT PILATES^® method and becoming a fully certified instructor. Passionate about Pilates, David changed career paths and became a STOTT PILATES^® Instructor Trainer in 2004. After teaching the program in Northern California for several years, he founded DFX Pilates which serves as the Merrithew^® Licensed Training Center for the Sacramento region. David became a Merrithew Lead Instructor Trainer in 2016.