Club Pilates

Bios

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  Dare Wyrick Peed

  Regional Manager and Certified Instructor

  Dare is a Raleigh native and a dedicated enthusiast of Pilates, yoga and nutrition. She took her first yoga class when she was 17 years old and a new fire ignited within her. She practiced yoga, as a student, for many years before deciding to become a teacher and guide others in their yoga practice. Shortly after receiving her yoga certification, she was introduced to Pilates on the reformer. She discovered that Pilates was the perfect compliment to her yoga practice. She immediately began to see and feel the difference that Pilates was making in her whole life. Dare felt driven to expand her knowledge and become certified in Pilates to share the benefits with others. Ever since, Pilates has been her main passion and she has enjoyed fusing the two methods together in all of her classes. Dare has a very playful teaching style that is both challenging and creative. She enjoys finding ways to make Pilates accessible to everyone. She is inspired by her clients and by their successes both in and out of the studio. Dare is a highly qualified instructor holding certifications in Pilates, Barre, Prana Flow yoga, and Nutritional Therapy. She has been teaching in the triangle area since 2010; offering specialized training to runners, triathletes, golfers, hockey players, basketball players, dancers, and many others over the past 7 years. In addition to her fitness and nutrition background, Dare is a certified birth doula. She has found that this additional training is particularly helpful when with working with prenatal clients. When she isn't sharing her passion for movement and nutrition with others, she's enjoying the great outdoors with her husband, their four children and two dogs.

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  Morgan Griffith

  Master Trainer

  Morgan has actively pursued fitness and athletics all of her life. She graduated from Meredith College with a BA in Exercise and Sports Science in 2016. In high school she was a member of the Women’s Varsity Cheerleading team and also played Women’s Varsity Soccer. Through college she completed The Power Pilates Beginner Mat, Intermediate Mat and Comprehensive Certifications. In her free time she enjoys Kickboxing, Barre, Yoga, Spinning, TRX, and outdoor sports. She loves hiking, traveling, and taking photos with her camera. She is very passionate in her pursuit of a healthy lifestyle and strength of mind, body, and spirit. Her goal is to teach others the importance of daily exercise and to motivate them to incorporate it into their busy lifestyles. Exercising empowers your mind, strengthens your body and calms your spirit.

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  Ashley Smitherman

  Certified Instructor

  Ashley Smitherman is a PMA® Certified Pilates Teacher and a graduate of UNC- Chapel Hill. She began taking Pilates classes in 2005 and quickly fell in love with the method and was fascinated by the changes in her body. Ashley completed over 900 hours of intensive education through the Pilates Center Teacher Training at InsideOut Body Therapies in Durham, NC. She has been teaching since 2008 and is experienced teaching a variety of clients such as runners, prenatal and postpartum women, athletes and those recovering from injuries. A member of the Pilates Method Alliance®, Ashley is passionate about sharing the joy of movement through Pilates with her clients. Ashley’s love of other forms of exercise such as running, HIIT, strength training and hot yoga influences her teaching to create well-rounded lessons for her clients. When she’s not teaching, Ashley is a busy mom to two young boys and loves getting outside and cheering on the Tar Heels!

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  Kerry Brandewie

  Certified Instructor

  Kerry has been working in the fitness industry for over 10 years helping people of all ages and abilities discover the benefits of regular exercise and find that "Fit Feels Best." She is a Nationally Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise instructor and holds certifications with ACSM, AFAA, TRX, Tabata Boot Camp and Silver Sneakers. She has experience teaching group classes in aerobics, cycling, TRX, kettlebell, muscle conditioning, yoga and mat Pilates. Kerry was excited to discover the reformer and EXO chair and find how that kind of Pilates workout makes the body respond in yet another way. She is excited to join Club Pilates because of the variety of classes offered. Kerry is very attuned to the physical limitations we all have and is eager to help clients modify movements to find success while still being challenged.

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  Kristin Dungee

  Certified Instructor

  Kristin is a former Miami Dolphins and New York Jets Cheerleader, with over 20 years of professional dance and gymnastics training. Growing up in both South Florida and New York City, Kristin trained with Ballet Florida and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Kristin holds a BS in International Business/Marketing from Florida State University and received her 500hr comprehensive pilates certification through Balanced Pilates NYC. With over 8 years of experience in entertainment sports, Kristin specializes in sports conditioning, nutrition and flexibility. She is passionate about introducing pilates to athletes, helping prevent overuse injuries, and inspiring meaningful movement practices through holistic wellness. Kristin resides in Raleigh, NC and is currently the Regional Director of Sideline Prep (Pro Cheer Coaching). She holds a personal training and group fitness certification through AFFA and Fitness Nutrition Specialist certification through NASM. When she's not training clients, Kristin enjoys doing yoga, traveling, and lifting heavy weights as a Bikini Fitness Competitor.

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  Amy Michaels

  Certified Instructor

  Amy is passionate about movement & human anatomy. After years of Ballet training, she pursued multiple fitness certifications & has been teaching group exercise since the early 1980's. Amy holds degrees in Business & Music from UNC-Greensboro. She completed comprehensive training for Mat & Equipment through the Pilates Certification Center, in Raleigh. Amy is a leader & small business entrepreneur. Her Pilates experience includes personal training in various settings with consideration for special populations as well as presentation of instructor workshops. Amy thrives on helping others to learn more about alignment, technique & posture. She resides in Durham with her husband, Mike & children, Jackson & Riley Jo. Amy also enjoys fashion & stays involved in the community.

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  Shely Wright

  Certified Instructor

  Shely Wright started out at the university of Nevada Las Vegas. Where she got her Pilates training through Dolly Kelecepz-Momot a second generation Joseph Pilates trainee and a pioneer Pilates in both Las Vegas and Japan. Shely’s background as a dancer has led to her philosophy on the significance of posture and the unexplainable benefits of blood flow through deep stretching.

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  Annie Martens

  Certified Instructor

  Anne or Annie Wellington Martens is a certified Pilates instructor under Kathy Van Patten (2003) and Bob Liekens (2005), as well as the Pilates Method Alliance. Anne is currently pursuing her Gyrokinesis Certification. Under the direction of Emiko Tokunaga and Yasi Tokunaga, Anne attended the Boston Conservatory with scholarship where she completed her B.F.A. cum laude in Dance. While at the Conservatory, Anne studied Graham Technique, Limon Technique and Taylor Technique. Anne studied at the Lake Erie Ballet, Mercyhurst Dance Department, Chautauqua Ballet, Ballet Met, Joffrey Ballet and Boston Ballet. Anne danced professionally with Chromatic Dance and Taylor Ballet in New York City. Anne later went on to complete post-baccalaureate work in psychology and chemistry at Montclair State University. Motivated by her own experiences as a mother, in 2004 Anne opened 'Bella Bellies' in Hoboken, NJ, which focused on maternal exercise programming. Anne studied ‘Birth and Postpartum Professional Support’ with Vicki Hedley, Sunday Tortelli and midwife Pamela Hunt, and is a licensed Lamaze Childbirth Educator. Between 2008-2014, Anne worked as a birth and postpartum doula. Anne is the author of “Bella Bellies Book,” focusing on exercise during pregnancy, postpartum and inclusive with baby. Anne worked at the Cleveland Clinic and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center – Hamot instructing Childbirth Education and Bella Bellies® trademarked classes. Anne taught ballet at Lake Erie Ballet and Chapel Hill School of Ballet. Anne presented at the Pilates Method Alliance National Conference in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Anne is the featured speaker in "Prenatal Pilates with the Tupler Technique" DVD and has been consulted by several national broadcast productions and media sources including Web MD, Oprah.Com, and HuffingtonPost.Com. Anne has been featured on behalf of Bella Bellies® on NPR, Fit Pregnancy Magazine,and in several other popular media productions.

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  Luiza Barteldes

  Certified Instructor

  Luiza was introduced to Pilates while professionally dancing ballet in New York City. She was immediately amazed by how Pilates improved her dancing - higher jumps, more turns and better balance. She was accepted in the certification program at True Pilates New York in 2009, under Romana Kryzanowska and her daughter, Sari Mejia-Santo. After over 600 hours of practice and observation, she became a certified Pilates instructor. Luiza taught Pilates in the New York Tri-State area before moving to Chicago in 2010. She has always been a very active instructor, constantly improving her knowledge with continuing education seminars and private lessons, all the while keeping a full schedule with loyal, long-time clients. In 2017, while 8 months pregnant with her son, she opened her own boutique studio, The Pilates Loft Of Chicago, which she ran successfully until moving to the Triangle area, in the Summer of 2019. Luiza also holds a degree in Dance and Choreography from Universidade Gama Filho in her native Brazil and its bilingual, teaching in Portuguese when requested. She believes Pilates helps everyone become better at what they do - from athletes aiming a better performance to the average person looking to improve posture and gain a healthier lifestyle. Luiza also has a lot of experience in Prenatal Pilates, and has worked extensively with mothers, pre and and post baby, helping they stay fit safety during pregnancy and getting back into shape quickly afterward. Luiza is also an avid runner, mountain biker and overall endurance athlete. She participates in several races during the year, and she can always be found running the greenways- often with her son in the stroller, training for her next half, full marathon or Spartan race. She is also a compulsive baker, always making sweet treats to share with her family. She lives in Cary with her husband, son and cat.

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  Doretta Hegg

  Certified Instructor

  Doretta holds a MA in Physical Education and Dance and a BSc in Speech and Theatre. E-RYT 200 through Yoga Alliance. As a Master Pilates Practitioner, she is comprehensively certified in Pilates Mat and all Apparatus. Doretta was a Faculty member with Balanced Body University and a trainer for their Anatomy in 3D courses. She has created the Stroke Recovery Pilates Program recently featured in Pilates Style Magazine. Seeing the need for other types of programs for various diseases, she also established the only comprehensive Breast Cancer Rehabilitation program in the Mahoning area. Her certifications are many in various exercise forms such as a certified Personal Trainer, Yoga E-RYT200 and YACEP workshop provider for Yoga Alliance, Yoga Barre, Silver Sneakers, Yogafuzion, LagreeMethod Megaformer, and Group Exercise. In addition to dancing professionally, acting and commercial work she has choreographed for musical theatre and taught dance at several distinguished universities in the US and abroad.