IM=X Pilates Certified Staff are Qualified To Help
Our team of professionals cares about your experience and results! Each IM=X Pilates Studio has certified instructors and personal trainers who have gone through the IM=X Pilates and Fitness Certifications. Our Master Trainers are available to ensure that you are achieving your goals. Whether you need to lose weight, reduce back pain, improve performance, reduce age-related incontinence or just feel strong, our trainers are available to help.
Melissa Murray, Owner, Advanced Certified |
| Melissa stumbled onto pilates by way of a DVD during her freshman year in college. The rest, as they say, is history. She immediately fell in love with everything about pilates, and spent the next decade immersing herself within the industry. When the opportunity arose for her to open her own studio, after having built a solid in-home private training business, she decided to dive in feet first! Her passion and belief in the IM=X method is apparent within the first 5 minutes of meeting her, and she certainly practices what she preaches. She feels truly blessed that her “job” is to wake up each day and spread the joy and benefits of pilates to her community, making it a more main-stream fitness regimen that everyone can enjoy! Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA (in case you were wondering where the accent came from), Melissa has now lived in the valley of the sun for over 7 years and truly considers this home. Melissa has a background in competitive sports; softball, field hockey and cheerleading, She graduated with a BS in Marketing from DeSales University in Allentown, PA and has a diverse background in sales which has certainly come in handy as a small business owner. Outside of pilates, Melissa has a passion for travel and seeing the world, seeing favorite musical artists live in concert, experiencing arts and culture and cooking. Favorite Pilates Exercise: Hip Rom! There's nothing else like it for shaping, slimming and toning the hips- i.e. "The Powerhouse," which is absolutely essential for a tightened waistline - front, back, sides, upper and lower! Also, you just can't get this exercise anyplace else in the world outside of Pilates!!! :-) |
Alison Wohlfarth, Studio Manager, IM=X/Yoga Trainer |
| An avid cyclist, mountain climber, runner, triathlete, boxer (novice), and personal trainer, Alison has found that yoga and pilates have created a much more balanced athlete, not to mention a calmer, kinder individual - (she used to be an ogre). Her understanding of injuries, overuse, and exhaustion has given her a greater insight as to how to incorporate yoga and pilates into a training program. With over 9 years of teaching yoga under her belt, Alison’s teaching style for both yoga and pilates is energetic and intense, combining the fluidity and diversity of the respective disciplines with a strong athletic edge. After too many years in the world of real estate and brokerage management, she is thrilled to have shifted gears - now doing what she truly loves. Alison is extremely grateful to have met Melissa, to be the new studio manager, and to be teaching the IM=X method. Finding that pilates is such a perfect complement to her many athletic endeavors, she is adept at structuring programs to address the athletic/fitness needs of others. Alison also teaches yoga classes throughout the valley, and in her spare time, can usually be found somewhere in the Phoenix area upon her bike. She and her husband recently welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Lily, and are enjoying every minute of parenthood. Favorite Pilates Exercise: I’m going to have to say anything involving the jumpboard! The versatility is amazing – from plyometrics on the machine, to bridge work, to barre work off the machine! Being able to recruit the full involvement of your core (TrA, Diaphragm and Pelvic Floor) in a supine position without suffering spinal compression or jarring of the joints is just the best of all worlds! I love that there is so much variety, especially with plyo work. I could do an entire hour of jumps, and not become bored with the routine, which is why I teach a cardio class, I suppose. :-) |
Trudy Lathrope, IM=X Trainer |
| Hailing from Texas, Trudy’s extensive dance background was the perfect segue into IM=X training. Her classes are fun and energetic, while giving you that amazing IM=X workout. Outside of Pilates instruction, Trudy can be found flying the friendly skies with Southwest Airlines. Six years later, she still enjoys handing out peanuts and crackers. If she had any spare time, she would spend it mountain biking with her husband or playing with her obnoxious dog and cat. Favorite Pilates Exercise: For my favorite I am going to have to vote for plyometrics! Not only does this exercise seem to be a 'fan favorite' among our clients, (the best exercise is the kind you enjoy, yes?!), but using the jump board for a variety of moves really gets that heart rate up and showcases a unique and super benefit to the awesome im=x style of pilates! |
Christina Taalla, IM=X Trainer |
| A retired competitive gymnast, Christina brings with her an extensive background in gymnastics, choreography, strength training and nutrition. Following her competitive career, Christina went on to coach competitive gymnastics in college, while obtaining her degree in Kinesiology. In her last semester at ASU during an internship with a sports psychologist, she refined her knowledge in one of the most important aspects of any training regimen: the mental component. Christina then applied her knowledge as a fitness coach in France, spending 3 years molding clients into serious, athletic specimens via her signature brand of intense physical training. Back in the states and adding to her repertoire, she is now a certified IM=X Pilates Instructor! In her free time, Christina can be found swimming or further cultivating her fitness and strength training routines. A bit of an oenophile, Christina enjoys French wine tasting with her husband. Favorite Pilates Exercise: "My favorite exercise is inverted V because it is the perfect combination of strength and flexibility, and graceful at that! It is a complex exercise that when done right, targets the whole body. The inverted V lengthens and re-aligns the spine, challenges hamstring and low back flexibility, demands a combo of strength and balance effort from the shoulders, torso and legs and engages the abdominal wall. It is an exercise that demands control and builds body awareness. It is the epitome of pilates!" |
Aymee Angeles, TRX and IM=X Trainer |
| Aymee is certified through the NSCA and very knowledgeable in training clients with special restrictions such as high blood pressure, diabetes & injury. As a proud mother of 4 children, she understands the dramatic changes women go through for motherhood, giving her a well-developed insight into pre-natal weight management & postnatal weight loss. But Aymee's expertise doesn't end there - for men and women who want to take their workouts to the next level, Aymee also specializes in endurance & strength training. She is TRX certified and has recently added IM=X Pilates to her repertoire! Favorite IM=X Exercise: My fav is Gluteal Repeater! After 4 Kids, I find its the best thing to keep my but in shape! :-) I love the burn I feel on the standing leg and the focus it takes to complete the entire set. Woot - Woot for the Gluteal Repeater! |
Brooke McDermott-Arias, IM=X Trainer |
| Brooke's parents met while working at a gym in the '70s, her dad at the juice bar and her mom teaching aerobics. Her love for fitness was inevitable. Brooke added Pilates to her fitness routine in 2003, practicing at studios in and around New York City. She began spending most of her free time at an amazing studio about ten steps away from her apartment-- using many of the different Pilates apparatuses and learning from wonderful trainers certified in many formats including IM=X. Practicing Pilates has enhanced her athleticism countless ways. It's also provided a practical solution for injury rehabilitation. As a recent transplant to the Phoenix area, Brooke found a new Pilates home at IM=X and is looking forward to sharing her knowledge and love of Pilates as she transitions from student to instructor. And, if you get a minute, ask her to say "water." It's funny. |
Kat Ross, Front Desk Coordinator |
| Arizona only recently welcomed Kat to the area about 4 months ago. Originally from a small farming town in California, she is still getting used to life in Arizona, but has found a home away from home in Sedona, where she hikes, camps, and just enjoys nature's beauty. A big fan of travel, Kat spent half a year in Australia and fell in love with all things Aussie!!! Her dream would be to relocate to the great "down under" and become a beach bum! She loves pilates and yoga, and can often be found in class working hard to become more flexible. She is looking forward to getting to know everyone at the studio. |
Elisha Berg, IM=X Mat Pilates |
| Bio coming soon... Favorite Pilates Exercise: "The leg extension series by far is my fav and totally stands up to it's claim of 'body changing' effects. It's what sold me on IM=X with the elongation of dancer muscle toned legs and engagement of the lower core muscles. It encorperates all of the pilates elements and can be modified as well as challenged by adding the weight resistance of the bar." |
Jennifer Westbrook, Piloxing and SPRAY Studio Owner |
| Bio coming soon... |
