Lead Instructor Trainers

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.

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.

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.

Debra began her journey with STOTT PILATES^® after experiencing 18 years of chronic pain from injuries sustained in a car accident. She immediately took a liking to the STOTT PILATES method, realizing it was the only modality that actually worked to heal her body. Becoming a Full Certified Instructor in 2005 and an Instructor Trainer in 2006, her STOTT PILATES training is complemented by a background in dance and gymnastics. She is now a Merrithew^® Lead IT.

She works with people in all states of health, wellness, recovery and restoration, including high level athletes. Debra was chosen to work with touring Cirque de Soleil performers in 2013, and in 2014 she began to travel annually to Korea to provide STOTT PILATES professional training for enthusiastic Korean students.

Debra revels in learning about new, innovative mind-body modalities and anatomy. This is exemplified by her enthusiasm and leadership in ZEN•GA^®, Merrithew Fascial Movement, and other mindful movement modalities. She has been immersed in the study of fascia for over ten years and is consistently successful with client concerns, addressing complex dysfunction through a fascial lens.

Elizebeth Ellison is a Lead Instructor Trainer with a BA in French, French Literature, and Art History from Tulane University. She began her movement career as a competitive gymnast and is a certified personal trainer through NASM, ACE, and NCSA.

She became a Fully Certified STOTT PILATES^® Instructor in 2008, earned Instructor Trainer Rookie of the Year in 2009, and was named a Lead Instructor Trainer in 2011. Elizebeth also holds advanced credentials in Functional Range Conditioning, Kinstretch, NeuroKinetic Therapy, Functional Movement Screening, and other modalities that support intelligent, evidence-informed movement.

After working in multiple studios and at a Licensed Training Center in Atlanta, she opened Buckhead Body Shop in 2016—a boutique Pilates studio dedicated to empowering clients of all ages through mindful and functional movement.

As a longtime Floating Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^®, specializing in STOTT PILATES^® and the HALO^® Trainer, Elizebeth has traveled extensively, teaching and mentoring instructors around the world.

As the Chair of the Maggie Allesee Department of Dance in the College of Fine Arts at Wayne State University, Eva’s primary research is in education, pedagogy, teaching methodology and dance science. Her courses in Dance Kinesiology and Movement Analysis reflect her interest in the integration of body and mind conditioning for dancers. Eva was recently named a Merrithew^® Lead Instructor Trainer for STOTT PILATES^®. She has also achieved Level 1 Certification in Gyrotonic^® and apprentice level in Gyrokinesis. Eva is a dancer, choreographer, gifted professor and mentor to new STOTT PILATES instructors at Equilibrium.

Gidget began her career in movement while performing in musical theater. Her love of dance gave way to a passion for fitness. She was a personal trainer for many years before she turned to the more mindful movements of yoga and Pilates. She opened her Pilates studio in the Dallas area in 2003. From 2012 to early 2018, she owned the Merrithew^® Licensed Training Center in the Dallas area. In 2016, Gidget was designated a Merrithew Lead Instructor Trainer. This has been the honor of her career. She considers teaching and educating her gift to give, and actively mentors students both during and after they complete their education programs.

Heather Lawson is an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in Total Barre^® and is a Lead IT for STOTT PILATES^®. A valuable member of the company's prestigious programming team, she has been teaching Pilates for over 10 years and is also an ACE Certified Instructor. Heather graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2000 where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet Performance. Heather was involved in the most recent DVD production for Merrithew as a featured performer and instructor

Holly discovered Pilates through her lifelong passion for dance and has spent more than two decades studying movement, teaching Pilates, and developing the next generation of instructors. With tens of thousands of teaching hours, she is known as a “teacher’s teacher” who excels at elevating instructors’ skills and confidence. She is also the author of Finding Your Center: How to Turn Your Pilates Passion Into a Career, written to support aspiring professionals entering the field.

Since beginning her teaching career with STOTT PILATES^® in 1999, Holly has worked with clients ranging from Olympic athletes to cancer survivors. In 2007, she founded Blue Sparrow Pilates and grew it into an internationally recognized education company known for exceptional instruction, innovative programs, and digital learning products, including a prenatal Pilates app that reached over 85,000 downloads in its first year.

Holly is a respected voice in the Pilates community, contributing to many industry publications and has taught across the United States and internationally.

Ineke Rush began her training in Pilates at the age of twelve in New York City with Carola Trier, a colleague and student of Joseph Pilates, whom she trained with extensively. She simultaneously trained at the School of the Dance Theatre of Harlem where the syllabus was influenced by Kathy Grant.

After a career as a professional ballet and modern dancer, Ineke pursued her Pilates Certification with STOTT PILATES^®. She has been an Instructor Trainer since 2004 and was designated Lead Instructor Trainer by Merrithew, Inc. in 2016. She has taught the STOTT PILATES certification courses and workshops all over the Bay Area, Northern California, and in Reno, Nevada.

Ineke spent ten years on faculty at Ohlone College in Fremont and Newark, California, in both the Athletics and Theatre and Dance Departments. Her greatest joy comes from being the mother of three beautiful souls who inspire her every day to do good in the world.