Beth Begelman, Co-Founder

Beth Begelman has been working in the fitness industry for over 10 years. Fitness and athletics have always been part of her life. After spending several years in the airline industry and in the corporate world, Beth began her career in the fitness industry.

She started as an aerobics instructor and went on to obtain training and certifications in personal training, mat Pilates, Pilates apparatus, yoga and golf specific fitness. Beth is certified as a Pilates apparatus instructor with the PhysicalMind Institute; her mat training was completed with STOTT PILATES®. Additionally she holds a certification with Mike Wright’s Golf Pilates as a Pilates for Golf trainer. She has obtained the highest level certification in golf specific fitness with Advantage Golf and is a Master Golf Fitness Instructor and a level 3 Golf Fitness Professional through the Titleist Performance Institute. Beth sits on the Advisory Board for Golf Fitness Magazine and is also a contributing writer.

Kelley Ranaudo, Co-Founder

Kelley Ranaudo has been in the fitness industry for 15 years and has been active her entire life. She started dancing when she was 4 and enjoyed the discipline until she graduated from high school. She received an undergraduate degree in Business Marketing and a graduate degree in Exercise Science from the University of Florida. Kelley also received her MBA from Webster University. She received her aerobic and personal training certification from AFAA while in college and also received her ACSM certification during graduate school. She realized her passion for fitness while teaching for the College of Health and Human Performance and for the University of Florida Recreation Center during college.

Her experience includes running the Women’s Wellness Center, a hospital based fitness center and managing the private spa and fitness center at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando. She has received certifications in Spinning, Kickboxing, and level 1 Golf Fitness Professional through the Titleist Performance Institute. She is a STOTT PILATES® Certified Instructor and is trained on the MVe chair through Peak Pilates. Kelley sits on the Advisory Board for Golf Fitness Magazine and is also a contributing writer.

Kelley and her husband started The Fitness Studio of Orlando in March of 2003 as a personal training, golf-specific fitness training and Pilates studio. So much has been learned through the development and ongoing growth of the Studio. Kelley continually works to educate herself and help others entering the fitness industry. She believes if you have the passion for fitness and helping others, you should be working in the field. She does her best to help those with the passion to succeed in this industry.

Contributors

Amanda Moon

Amanda began Pilates to relieve stress, taking classes during her lunch break. 8 months and 50 pounds lighter, she was taking every opportunity to learn more. Soon after she began pursuing her teaching certification she made the decision to leave her job in the music industry to pursue a career as a Pilates instructor specializing in working with pregnant women and new moms, and people hoping to lose weight. She is a member of Balanced Body University’s Faculty and teaches at Simply Pilates in Nashville. She has obtained special certifications in Pre and Post Natal Pilates and Pilates for Men. Her other passions include photography, cooking, reading, writing, rollerblading and triathlons. You can find other articles by her at www.examiner.com/x-15567-Nashville-Pilates-Examiner, www.pilatesformommies.net and www.amoonsday.blogspot.com.

Tasha Lawton

I qualified as an instructor in both mat and studio exercises after fifteen hard months training with PICP (Pilates International) in Melbourne. My specialism was in ante and post-natal pilates and that led me to present on Australian national television for Pilates TV as their pregnancy expert. Since then, I’ve also appeared and demonstrated at national expos and on the radio.

Over the years of working with pregnant women, I realized that there weren’t any pilates for pregnancy dvd’s on the market that featured a pregnant instructor. So when I fell pregnant with my second child, I decided to make the most of my situation and filmed four separate trimester specific pilates workouts. These dvd’s are now available for sale on my website: www.pregalates.com

My broader pilates experience includes training professional athletes including an AFL footballer suffering from a condition that he was told would only be cured by surgery. Six weeks later, he was injury free with no operation necessary.

 

Kate Flaherty

My background is in working as an outreach and awareness coordinator for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. In doing so, I have done a lot of research and outreach concerning complementary and alternative therapies during comprehensive cancer treatment.

 

Francine Hernandez

Francine Hernandez is a California based BASI Certified Pilates Instructor and Therapeutic Yoga Instructor who has been teaching since 2005. She is the owner and found of Your Daily Practice. In 2010 she launched Virtual Pilates, which allows her to have clients from California to Connecticut. She has a passion for therapeutic exercises and women’s health and has most recently been asked to join the faculty of the Center for Women’s Fitness Pre/Postnatal Pilates Training. Francine has a Bachelors of Science degree in Biopyschology and will be starting her Masters in Kinesiology in the Fall of 2011. She can be reached at www.yourdailypractice.com or [email protected].

 

Sara Talbert

Sara Talbert has been involved in the fitness industry for over 10 years. Sara received her BA degree in Kinesiology from the University of Colorado in Boulder. She then moved to Denver to work at Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club, one of the top rated clubs in the country. Sara is an endurance athlete and was introduced to Pilates to help her train for marathons and competitive road cycling. She began teaching Pilates in 1997, after studying under several master teachers. Sara was then certified by Peak Pilates in 2004. Sara is the Director of the Pilates program at Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club and is also a Level 1Peak Pilates Teacher Trainer. Sara is the mother of two little girls, Evie (2) and Juliana (4), and is married to Joe Talbert, a Personal Trainer for Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club.

Alison Bodi

Alison is the former owner of Pilates RAW, a successful studio in Denver, CO where she grossed $100K in the first year. She sold the studio and now travels and teaches other studio owners how to utilize what resources they have to make more money. She believes that the concept of owning a Pilates studio is often misunderstood and very special in its nature. She aims at bridging the gap between completing your certification and obtaining the knowledge and tools necessary to opening your own studio with success . . . quickly, cost effectively and sustainable.

Kerrie Lee Brown

Kerrie Lee Brown is the Vice President of Communications for STOTT PILATES®. Over the past ten years, she has enjoyed an exciting career in fitness journalism and is the former editor-in-chief of Oxygen: Women’s Fitness and American Health & Fitness magazines. Kerrie continues to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle through her writing and contributions to the fitness industry.

 

Lynda Lippin

Lynda Lippin is the resident Pilates teacher at Parrot Cay Resort. She has 20 years of Pilates experience, owned award-winning studios in the US, and did teacher training for the PhysicalMind Institute. Lynda specializes in rehabilitative Pilates and has published several audio MP3s and an ebook. Visit Lynda’s Pilates and Reiki In Paradise Blog for more information.

 

Deborah McKeever-Watson

Deborah has a B.B.A in Marketing and in 1998 left her twelve year profession in produce marketing for a career in personal training. Her American Council on Exercise certification was the first step towards her journey as a movement teacher. In 1997, she began practicing Pilates and by 1998 had a mat certification through the PhysicalMind Institute. In 1999, she completed a comprehensive certification in The Pilates Method —a program developed by Romana Kryzanowska and founded MatWorkz Pilates Studio in Winter Park, FL. In 2004 Deborah expanded her movement experience with a certification in Gyrotonic Expansion System®. In an effort to build on her classical Pilates experience, in 2005, she completed a studio bridging program through Polestar Pilates.

Deborah continues to challenge her mind with ongoing education. She is currently completing a certification for Gyrokensis® and the Fallproof™ program with the Center for Successful Aging. One of her long term goals for 2010 is to begin her training as a Feldenkrais practitioner.

Liz Koch

Liz Koch is an international teacher & author with 30 years experience working with and specializing in the iliopsoas muscle. Educating both lay persons and professionals around the world, she is recognized by colleagues in the somatic, movement and fitness professions as an authority on the core muscle of the human body. Her writing is featured in Yoga Journal, Positive Health, Massage & Bodywork, Vegetarian Time, Yoga & Health, Midwifery Today, and Massage Magazine as well as numerous small health & wellness publications. Liz is the author of The Psoas Book, Unraveling Scoliosis CD, Psoas & Back Pain CD and Core Awareness; Enhancing Yoga, Pilates, Exercise & Dance.

Approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB), as a continuing education provider, Liz Koch is a member of the International Movement Educators Association (IMA) and the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP).

Karen Mirlenbrink

Karen Mirlenbrink first discovered Pilates as a youth while competing as a synchronized swimmer. After swimming, Karen persued a career in health and fitness by attaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Wellness Leadership from the University of South Florida in 2001. She then followed her degree with further studies by becoming a NSCA Cerfified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a comprehensively certified Pilates Instructor through the PhysicalMind Institute. Among other fitness certifications, she holds a certification as a Pilates for Golf Conditioning Specialist and a GYROTONIC® Level I Instructor. Since completing her formal education, Karen has experience in piloting a Pilates programs in hospital-based wellness centers, providing Pilates training in a resort atmosphere, and expanding Pilates into her local community through municipal services. She has also taught and tutored apprentice Pilates instructors locally and overseas. Karen also currently teaches fitness certification courses through World Instructor Training Schools at Hillsborough Community College.

Madeline Parrish

Madeline Parrish is a PhysicalMind Institute certified mat and apparatus Pilates instructor. Other certifications include PMI Standing Pilates and Pilates for Golf Conditioning. She completed Dr. Greg Rose’s Advantage Golf MCFI certification and is a TPI Level 3 Fitness Instructor. In August 2006, Madeline opened her own Pilates studio in Richmond, Va. The fundamentals of Pilates focus on joint stability and mobility and combine well with the strength and conditioning programs of TPI. She is an enthusiastic student of the Alexander Technique and the Trager Approach and finds that work beneficial in working with her Golf clients on their Balance and Posture. She is a contributing writer to the mytpi.com website and was a speaker with Beth Begelman at the 2009 World Golf Fitness Summit. Their topic was “The Pelvis and Golf; Making Connections the Pilates Way”.

Christine Binnendyk

Christine Binnendyk was personally certified by Romana Kryzanowska, and is a master Pilates trainer at the Nike World Headquarters in Portland, OR. Her book, Ageless Pilates, features the ABC system and covers beginning and intermediate matwork.

Charlotte Addington Weikel

Charlotte began her career as a professional dancer in New York City and in summer theatres. It was in New York City that she first became familiar with the Pilates method. She relocated to Florida and taught dance for 9 years before joining the entertainment staff at Busch Gardens in Tampa as a performer, choreographer, and program developer.

In her transition from performance to health and fitness she acquired and maintains certifications from the American Council on Exercise, the American College of Sports Medicine, the Institute for Aerobics Research, and Yoga Certification through AAAI/ISMA. Charlotte is Pilates certified through the PhysicalMind Institute as well as provider of the Institute’s certification and education and is a certified instructor of the Gyrotonic Expansion System.

Since 1989, Charlotte (as owner of the B-Fit Personal Training Corp.) has offered personalized training for individuals. In 1998 she opened the B-Fit Pilates Center in Tampa, where Pilates training for clients and student teachers is currently offered. Additionally, she has served as an educator/instructor for the University of South Florida’s, Conditioning for Dance, within the U.S.F. Fine Arts Department. Charlotte also enjoys continuing her own education and is a student at Clayton College of Natural Health pursuing a degree in Natural Health.

Virginia Nicholas

Virginia Nicholas, M.A., R.N. is known as a teacher’s teacher and recognized internationally as an expert in the Pilates method. She has lectured and taught in universities, colleges, and studios throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and an Associate Degree in Nursing from Michigan State University and Lansing Community College (respectively). Virginia completed her Master of Arts degree in Theatre and Dance, with an emphasis in Kinesiology from the University of New Mexico in 1995.

Incorporating dance, athletics, and her background in emergency, intensive care, and cardiac care medicine, along with 30 years teaching experience, Virginia created Pilates Core Integration teacher training program. For 10 years, Virginia worked closely with Michele Larsson of Core Dynamics Pilates as one of six hand picked affiliate teacher training locations. Pilates Core Integration (PCI) is classical Pilates, infused with the rehabilitative genius of Eve Gentry and current knowledge about the body mind.

In 1995 she established Moving Breath Pilates, a Pilates studio in Tempe, Arizona, which also offers the GYROTONIC® method. The Moving Breath Pilates studio is home to the Pilates Core Integration teacher training program.

Virginia has presented at Body Mind Spirit and the Pilates Method Alliance conferences. She has created several Pilates and movement dvds that are currently available through Balanced Body, Moving Breath Pilates, and Pilates Core Integration. She has been on the faculty at Arizona State University, DePaul University, theUniversity of New Mexico, Scottsdale Community College, and Lansing Community College.

With an extensive background as a professional dancer, registered nurse, teacher and master of the Pilates method, Virginia brings expertise and a movement sensibility to the Pilates method.

Virginia’s posts

Richard Kanellis

Richard Kanellis is a Physiotherapist, Pilates Instructor and Co-founder of Pilates Nation one of the largest Pilates centers in Europe. With a BSc in physiotherapy from King’s College London, Richard brings a deep understanding of human anatomy and exercise physiology to the world of fitness. Richard is a highly experienced physiotherapist, a STOTT PILATES® and APPI certified Pilates instructor.

Toby Matthews

A Founding Partner of InsideOut Body Therapies, Toby is a Certified Rolfer ™ and Certified GYROTONIC® & GYROKINESIS® Instructor. He is a Nationally Certified Bodyworker (NCBTMB) and a Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist (LBMT) in the State of North Carolina (NC License #3687).

Before becoming a Rolfer, Toby studied drama, biology, and dance at Duke University as an A.B. Duke Scholar. Since then, he has done graduate work at The University of Akron in Theatre Arts, Naropa University in Somatic Psychology and Dance/Movement Therapy, and was a member of the New World Performance Laboratory.

Toby’s abiding interest is in the relationships between the body, movement, sensation, perception, and the mind. His practice has been particularly influenced by his time with teachers Hubert Godard, Liz Gaggini, Susan Aposhyan, Christine Caldwell, Barbara Dilley, and, of course, his wife, Deborah Matthews. He apprenticed in GYROTONIC® with Master Trainers Skye Shansby and Kathy Van Patten and has continued to train with Miriam Barbosa and Bradley Kraemer.

Toby is a member of the The Rolf Institute® and the International Association of Structural Integrators and served on the WFSS Faculty of the 2008 American Dance Festival.