Our Instructors

  • Missy, an accomplished athlete with over thirty years of experience as a movement practitioner, brings a wealth of knowledge to her practice. Her strong educational background in Kinesiology, with a Bachelor of Science degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, is complemented by comprehensive Pilates certifications, including DK Body Balancing and STOTT Pilates at all levels, Injuries and Special Populations, and Core Conditioning with Marie Jose Blum.

    Having personally experienced the benefits of Pilates in alleviating undiagnosed hip pain from her tennis career, Missy realized the outstanding benefits of adopting an integrated approach to fitness and rehabilitation. Leveraging her experience in movement education and coaching, she is passionate in sharing this transformative experience with others.

    Missy's interest in analyzing movement began to evolve in college, where she studied and worked in the motor learning lab, helping stimulate the motor development of children with motor learning challenges. Since, she has dedicated herself to expanding her knowledge beyond her degrees and certifications. Collaborating with physical therapists and renowned movement experts, she continues to seek education, inspiration, and innovative solutions to the complexities of biomechanics and learning styles.

    Specializing in movement re-education and pain alleviation, Missy strives to educate her clients on the objective principles of biomechanics and alignment. Through this knowledge, she empowers them to transform their health and enhance their quality of life, exuding confidence, grace, and power—an embodiment of Élan.

  • Anita’s passion for movement began early in life as a dancer and continued through college at Columbia University. A back injury during her senior year led her to discover Pilates as a path to healing—an experience that shaped her life’s work.

    After earning her B.A. in History with a minor in Dance, Anita completed her first Pilates certification at Integrated Movement Exercise in New York. Over the past two decades she has earned three Pilates certifications and trained closely with renowned mentors Marie-José Blom of Advances in Pilates and Kelly Kane of The Kane School NYC.

    Her personal experiences with scoliosis, neck injuries, and migraines inspired her to study the body more deeply. In addition to Pilates, Anita is certified in Hellerwork Structural Integration (2008) and the Egoscue Method for Postural Alignment (2015). She has also trained and worked at BodyFix Method in New York, integrating her hands-on therapies with corrective exercises to relieve chronic pain and restore balance.

    Anita believes that movement is healing. In every session, she emphasizes alignment and awareness to help clients strengthen, heal, and move with confidence and ease.

  • With over four years immersed in the Pilates field, Armani completed her comprehensive certification through Balanced Body at Bodyline in Beverly Hills under the legendary Maria Leone. Her career began in the study of cognition, earning a Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Science from the University of California, Merced. This foundation in understanding the mind’s role in human behavior naturally evolved into a passion for the mind-body connection that Pilates embodies.

    Armani’s journey with Pilates began as an athlete seeking a practice that complemented both strength and mobility. Growing up with scoliosis, she experienced firsthand how Pilates can rehabilitate the body, improve alignment, and restore confidence in movement.

    Her experience working in a physical therapy setting has allowed her to tailor programs for clients recovering from injury and managing chronic conditions, including but not limited to scoliosis, frozen shoulder, and hip and knee injuries. Armani’s approach is attentive and restorative, with a focus on alignment, injury prevention, and the mind-body connection. She believes Pilates is for everyone and encourages progress over perfection as the key to cultivating resilience and vitality in both body and mind—growth that feels sustainable and empowering.

  • Jennifer’s lifelong connection to movement began with her early training in ballet and classical dance, which led her into a twenty-five-year career in integrated fitness and functional training.

    She is now building on that foundation through her Pilates certification with Balanced Body.

    Having completed her coursework, Jennifer is fulfilling her observation and practice-teaching requirements as an apprentice under Missy’s mentorship at Élan Pilates, while also teaching Reformer, Mat, and functional core-based sessions throughout Orange County.

    From 2012 to 2020, Jennifer owned and operated Studio J Fitness in Santa Fe, a core-focused studio where she led a team of more than twenty instructors and developed programming that blended Barre, Pilates, cycling, yoga flow, TRX, and kickboxing. She has helped hundreds of clients build strong, balanced, and injury-resistant bodies through mindful movement and functional training.

    Jennifer holds a B.A. in Kinesiology from the University of Colorado Boulder and is an Elite ISSA Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach. Since 1992, she has taught in several of the country’s top clubs, including East Bank Club in Chicago, San Francisco Bay Club, RallySport in Boulder, and The Boulder Pulse.

    Outside the studio, she enjoys sailing (ASA 101 & 103 certified), paddle boarding, hiking Laguna’s trails, and long beach walks with her two doodle dogs.