She grew up in Santa Cruz and is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Kinesiology. She has worked for over 5 years as a certified personal trainer, group exercise instructor and run coach. Through her experiences working with a variety of ages and body types, she has learned to identify poor movement patterns, muscular imbalances and alignment issues to help her clients feel stronger, perform better, and alleviate pain in their daily lives. Katie attributes her excitement and passion for teaching Pilates to her lifelong involvement in sports and the personal transformation she has felt in her own body from practicing Pilates. At age three, she began taking gymnastics and continued on to Equestrian Vaulting, gymnastics on horseback. Through Vaulting she was able to compete internationally, build strong relationships, a firm work ethic and an innate eye for correcting alignment. After retiring from 12 years of Vaulting, Katie tried to find an activity that would emulate the characteristics she found so gratifying in the sport. She has raced in triathlons, several running events and enjoys, cycling, rock climbing, kayaking and hiking. Despite participation in these activities, she still felt a missing element - that is, until she discovered Pilates! She is amazed by the whole body integration that Pilates embraces and the feeling of lightness and strength after a session. As an extra bonus, for the last 8 years, Katie has lived with lingering back pain that at times was too severe to sit or stand. In just 4 months of practicing Pilates, she is able to mountain bike and climb – pain free! It is no understatement to say that Pilates has worked miracles on her body. Under the talented instruction of Lisa Graham and Arwen Brooke, Katie completed the Balanced Body Teacher Trainer Program at Agile Monkey in 2012. She looks forward to helping others discover the amazing benefits of Pilates and continue her education and growth as an instructor.