Lead Instructor Trainers

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.

A lifelong athlete and native Californian, Michele started classical Pilates training in 1996 and earned her first STOTT PILATES^® Certification in 2005 while living in the Netherlands. In 2009, Michele became a Merrithew^® Instructor Trainer and is now a Lead Instructor Trainer specializing in STOTT PILATES and Halo^® Training.

Michele established CorSano Pilates^™ in 2010, her private studio and Merrithew Host Center in Ottawa, Canada, where she provides specialized training to clients and small groups. In working with clients, Michele uses modern concepts of exercise physiology and biomechanics from complementary disciplines together with Pilates to build tailored training programs that restore function and build movement performance.

As a Floating Lead IT for Merrithew, Michele loves the challenges and excitement of teaching assignments abroad— mentoring instructors from other countries and sharing her wide-range of knowledge and experience. CorSano Pilates Online offers private and group classes for all levels, so you can experience Michele’s passion for movement and education wherever you are.

Michelle, from Sydney, Australia, has both a Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Arts (Dance) degrees. She became a fully certified STOTT PILATES^® Instructor in 2003, and later that year went on to become an Instructor Trainer. She is now a Lead IT for Merrithew^® specializing in the STOTT PILATES full repertoire. Over the past 14 years, she has taught hundreds of STOTT PILATES courses and workshops in the US, Canada, Brazil, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the UAE. Michelle is an intrepid traveler who loves an adventure.

Monique is the founder of Pilates Winnipeg, a Merrithew^® Licenced Training Centre in Manitoba, which opened in 1997. She is one of very few bilingual Merrithew Lead Instructor Trainers and upon request to teach any certification course or examination in both English and French. A graduate of The National Ballet School, Monique has over 30 years of teaching experience. Monique is also a certified Gyrotonic instructor.

In 2007 and again in 2009, she received a mentorship award as a result of recommendations from her peers, along with a lifetime achievement award from Merrithew. She recently hosted Moira Merrithew at her studio in celebration of the studio's 20th anniversary.

Nate Teng received his STOTT PILATES^® certification in 2003, and became the first Chinese-speaking certified Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® in 2010. He went on to become a Lead Instructor Trainer for Merrithew specializing in STOTT PILATES. He has been devoted to the fitness industry for more than 16 years. He is an American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM) Health and Fitness Specialist as well as an Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) CE Provider in Taiwan. From 2007 to 2009, he was a consultant for fitness development with 3 fitness centers of various sizes in Taiwan. Nate is the owner of Alignment Fitness Studio in Taipei City, Taiwan, the Merrithew Taipei Licensed Training Center. He supervises 12 instructors and enjoys inspiring aspiring trainers to reach their goals. Previously he was with Alexander Health Club, one of the biggest fitness organizations in Asia, as a trainer and a manager of the fitness department in one of its Taipei branches. Nate has trained over 200 instructors in Taiwan since 2010. His goal is to promote STOTT PILATES in Taiwan and in other Chinese speaking countries.

Paulina first became certified as a STOTT PILATES^® Instructor in 2004 and later became a Lead Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES and Total Barre^®. Prior to her career in the fitness industry, Paulina was a dancer, having graduated with a degree in Dance Kinesiology at the National Dance School of Mexico. Paulina has been teaching the STOTT PILATES method for over a decade both nationally and internationally. She has taught and presented at numerous venues throughout North and South America, the Caribbean and Asia. She enjoys teaching group and personal classes, as well as working with clients with injuries and special requirements.

Pilar started her practice as a physiotherapist in the neurological field, then transferred to the sports field. She specializes in Obstetric & Gynecologist Therapy as well as Myofascial Techniques. Pilar shares her enthusiasm in the Pilates Method teaching courses internationally in several University Masters programs. She received her Full Certification in the STOTT PILATES^® method in 2006 and became an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^® specializing in STOTT PILATES in 2007 and the STOTT PILATES Rehab program in 2014. She was granted Merrithew Lead Instructor Trainer in 2018.

After completing her bachelor’s degree in Japan, Rie moved to Toronto, Canada to pursue her avid interest in the human body and passion for health and wellness. She received her STOTT PILATES^® certification in 2006, excelling further to become a Merrithew^® Instructor Trainer in 2008. Rie applies her expertise to deliver high quality education to students as a Lead Instructor Trainer and in her work as Education Programming Specialist at the Merrithew’s Head Office in Toronto. In addition to teaching students and supporting Instructor Trainers, she is involved in developing Merrithew Education and expanding Instructor Trainer resources and website content. She also became a Registered Homeopath in 2015, furthering her passion to help people in the pursuit of holistic health and wellness.

Originally from South Africa, Rob has been with the fitness industry for the past 25 years, where he started with fitness class instruction including aerobics, circuits, step and body conditioning. After moving to Boston, Rob started his training with STOTT PILATES^® in 2000 and a long journey continued, which included further Certifications in yoga, Esalen Massage, Cranial Sacral Therapy and WATSU (Water based Shiatsu). He has been able to incorporate this therapy knowledge into his Pilates teaching. After operating his own Pilates and yoga studio in Winthrop, Massachusetts for 11 years, Rob moved to London in 2011 and finally became an Instructor Trainer for Merrithew^®, specializing in STOTT PILATES in 2013. Rob is passionate about teaching and motivating, his passion for helping others is what drives him to provide his clients with careful attention, encouragement and compassion, allowing them to become the best they can be and believe in themselves.

A native South African with a dance background, Rouxchelle began her STOTT PILATES^® training in 2005. She opened a home studio and commercial studio in South Africa before relocating to New Zealand in 2010. After moving to Australia in 2011, she opened a new Studio ROUX Wellness. Rouxchelle is a great ambassador for Merrithew^® and her passion and enthusiasm are contagious. She is fully certified in STOTT PILATES and is a Merrithew Lead Instructor Trainer specializing in STOTT PILATES Matwork & Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, & Barrels, ISP, Total Barre^®, Halo^® Training and Merrithew Fasical Movement. She is also a Qualified Instructor in ZEN•GA^®, CORE^™, and Merrithew Fascial Movement. Rouxchelle creates an atmosphere of love and support for both clients and Instructors. Her client list includes all ages and all possible needs, from post-surgery rehabilitation to performance-enhancement for elite athletes such as Australian Olympic kayaker Naomi “Floody” Flood and Canadian Olympic kayaker Emily Fournel.