I was honored for Authentic Pilates to be featured by Gratz Pilates Studio Tour. Gratz Pilates provides the gold standard and purest, quintessential line of hand crafted Classical Pilates equipment. They are an equal partner dedicated to preserving the integrity and authenticity of Classical Pilates for its transformative powers of healing, restoring, and renewing the health, spirits, and lives of humanity across the globe.

When they asked me, “Why Classical Pilates?” the response flowed naturally with ease.

This is a three fold answer for me:

1. I believe all humans are seeking the essence of truth in life. When we encounter the truth, no matter the subject, it resonates deeply within our whole being. We not only recognize it, but we feel it. It has a familiar, all-encompassing quality that hits the universal, intuitive cord within every soul. There is a spiritual aspect to it that transcends beyond the need for words, explanation, or justification.
   
   For me, The Classical work entails that essence of universal truth. Nearly 25 years later, I can still vividly remember feeling its truth within my body and mind when I started intensely training within the Classical system. As I continued to practice, study, and teach Joe’s method of movement over the decades, I explored its multilayered depth, while also developing a deep appreciation for its simplicity of intention. The truth of the Classical Pilates work is not only undeniably felt and recognized within the body and mind; it offers a big picture type of clarity that the truth always brings to light.

2. With my background as a professional ballet dancer, Classical Pilates has always felt natural, just an extension of my training. Much like classical dance, it conditions the body and cultivates refined skill in a systematic process.
   
   Classical Pilates is a layered methodology of movement that begins with foundational exercises. These skills are practiced repeatedly over time, refining the mind-body connection through consistent neurological training. As the work progresses, the exercises gradually increase in complexity, evolving into dynamic, full-bodied expressions of movement that demand greater refinement and finesse.
   
   As the individual increases capability in skill and progresses through the levels of repertoire of exercises within the Classical Pilates system, the exercises become more challenging, complex full bodied expressions of movements. The ability to do these exercises with control, precision, and flow represents the improved landscape of the internal health that is developing within the person. They are internally becoming more uniformly organized, aligned, and balanced. They are not only increasing their muscular strength and aligning the skeletal frame of bones, but the major joints of the body become decompressed. The body’s soft connective tissue, such as the fascia gets combed through providing more suppleness and fluidity to match the newfound strength. The internal organs become less compressed and stronger, functioning more optimally. Dormant neurons are woken up and motor neural connections are strengthened making them “smarter movers.” This progression reflects true whole health and what Joe defined as “the complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit.” Similarly, ballet dancers are taught a foundational movement vocabulary in a deliberate sequence of combinations that both warm up the body and condition it, while also developing the necessary musculature, alignment, technical form, and artistry through repeated practice.
   
   Over time, this training strengthens and refines the neurological motor system throughout the dancer’s developmental years. The movement vocabulary then progresses into more demanding combinations and phrases, requiring greater control, precision, fluidity, and endurance to be performed seamlessly at varying tempos and dynamics.

   

   
   
   While Classical Pilates and classical dance share a similar process of training and conditioning, their greater intention differ. In dance, the goal is to develop the skills, aesthetics, and artistry of dance as movement performance art. In Classical Pilates, Contrology, the aim is to cultivate whole-body health and restore a person to a life of function, purpose, vitality, and spirit.

3. In Return to Life, that Joseph Pilates wrote and published in 1942, he described his vision for Contrology to develop the health of body and mind, strengthen the lungs, improve circulation, and ultimately create a resilient, thriving human being with an elevated spirit. This vision took on a much deeper meaning for me after becoming a Registered Nurse. My training in anatomy and physiology showed me just how accurate and grounded in physiological science Joe’s method of Contrology truly is.
   
   My time at the bedside and working in surgery exposed me to the devastating realities of illness and disease that affect a huge sector of our population. It was very eye opening and equally heart wrenching all in one, striking a powerful chord within and leaving a lasting impact. I’ve come to see why I was meant to have those experiences, witness what disease and dying really looks like up close and personal, as well as the very convoluted, western medicine practices that are implemented to treat the disease, and I dare say with very little regard to the human being’s spirit. My experiences and time in Western healthcare deepened my understanding of the significance of Joe’s work and my appreciation for the remarkable resilient health and vitality his method has consistently and effectively fostered in people for over a century.

In hindsight, I can not imagine what my life would have looked like without Classical Pilates. The daily discipline practice of it felt a natural extension of my classical dance training that I spent my first 20 years of my life doing. However, instead of pulling on my body and its imbalances, Classical Pilates restored and renewed my body and spirit from a cyclical state of inflammation, pain, heartache, and disempowerment that dance had left me in. I just made a shift-instead of going to the dance studio daily, I started going to the Pilates studio daily. The calluses on the insides of my palms remained, because I merely switched the cause of them from holding the ballet barre to changing the Pilates equipment springs throughout the flow of my workout and while teaching this work for hours and years on end.

Ultimately, Classical Pilates became a part of my cellular fiber. Equivalent to the air I breathe. I have an endless abundance of gratitude for the endless joy, light, and evolution that it has brought to my life of which I am looking forward to sharing with you over time. Having experienced it transform my life first-hand and having the profound and sacred experience of witnessing it do the same on all varying levels for thousands of others from all different walks of live over the course of teaching this work for nearly twenty-five years makes it imperative in my mind and heart that I do my part to preserve its integrity and pass my knowledge of it along. For now, it is time for me to prepare for a day of teaching with my own workout first.

I have been passionately teaching Classical Pilates for over twenty years. My introduction to Pilates came early, as a supplemental conditioning and injury prevention method for ballet dancers during my youth.

Throughout my teen years, I attended summer intensive training programs at Boston Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Ballet Austin, before pursuing my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet at Texas Christian University, where Pilates was an integral part of my dance curriculum.

By my early twenties, the many years of rigorous training and rehearsal resulted in a chronic repetitive-use injury, Achilles tendonitis. I experienced persistent pain and inflammation, compounded by musculoskeletal imbalances that had gone unaddressed.

Frustrated and discouraged, I began an intensive study of the Classical Pilates Method. I was amazed by how quickly and effectively Pilates alleviated inflammation, not only in my tendon but throughout my joints. Equally powerful were the positive mental benefits it provided. Feeling physically and mentally rejuvenated, I decided to dedicate myself to teaching and sharing my passion for Pilates with others.

I hold over 1,500 hours of comprehensive teacher training in the Classical Pilates Method, including graduating from what is considered the “Harvard of Pilates Education,” the Advanced Teacher Training Comprehensive and Master’s Programs at The Pilates Center in Boulder, Colorado.

My initial instructor training was completed through Colleen Glenn’s Classical Comprehensive Program, The PilateSystem, in Dallas, Texas in 2002–2003. I later completed The Classical Syllabus in 2019 with Mejo Wiggin, a world-renowned teacher of teachers. In 2022, I was invited by Mejo to participate in an exclusive, invitation-only workshop, Beyond the Syllabus, alongside instructors from across the nation—an honor extended in recognition of capability, depth of knowledge, and dedication to the Classical Pilates Method.

I graduated with honors from Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing in 2010. My experience as an operating room nurse in vascular surgery deepened my commitment to health and well-being. Witnessing the devastating impact of illness and disease in my clinical experiences struck a powerful chord within, provided meaningful insight, and had a lasting impact. They deepened my understanding of the significance of Joe’s work and my appreciation for the remarkable resilient health and vitality his method has consistently and effectively fostered in people for over a century.

My nursing background provides a solid foundation in anatomy, physiology, and pathology, allowing me to work confidently with clients of all ages and abilities, from children to seniors, prenatal/postpartum women, and professional athletes.

Over the course of my career, I have taught in boutique studios, athletic organizations, and educational settings, mentoring new instructors and leading workshops. Along the way, I developed and grew my own studio, Authentic Pilates, grounded in the integrity of Joseph Pilates’ original method and dedicated to leading and empowering people to greater health and renewing their spirit for an inspired life.

In 2020, I brought Authentic Pilates to the Aledo/Fort Worth community after relocating from Austin with my son. I am deeply grateful for the warm reception and the shared appreciation for the depth and quality of the Classical Pilates experience.

Today, my work is devoted not only to improving physical health and overall well-being, but also to empowering individuals and restoring a sense of peace, vitality, and renewed spirit.