Katie is a Santa Cruz local and is so excited to be teaching at the beautiful Monarch Pilates! She has had a lifelong connection to movement, starting gymnastics and equestrian vaulting at a young age. She first discovered pilates in college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where she studied Kinesiology. After college, she worked at an all women's gym in SLO as a personal trainer, cycle instructor and run leader, but persistent back pain and a thirst for more holistic movement led her to explore her next career path. She moved back to Santa Cruz in 2012 and began her Balanced Body Comprehensive instructor training at Agile Monkey Pilates Studio. After 4 months of practicing pilates, she was able to run again pain-free and had gained a type of integrated, functional strength she had never felt before. Katie enjoys sharing the way pilates naturally balances the body and relieves stress to help her clients feel youthful and light in their daily lives. She has worked with clients to regain foundational strength after injury or inactivity, increase athletic performance in sport-specific training, and optimize balance and mobility for all her clients. When she is not teaching pilates, Katie enjoys hiking in the redwoods, biking along the beach, gardening and building community with friends.