Our Instructors

In the early days of Pilates, most instructors were from the dance world. Today, at Balance Within, we have staff and trainees from a wide variety of backgrounds. We encourage clients to experience all of our teachers’ unique potential to add to your Pilates experience.

Gail holds a BA in Education and has drawn on her education, movement and bodywork background to create Balance Within Pilates Studio. She founded and directed Body Evolution in Minneapolis, MN, providing instruction in aerobics and conditioning as early as 1981. She began her work in Pilates in the early nineties under the mentorship of Elizabeth Larkam of St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco. She studied a more traditional Pilates with Cary Regan and formalized her certification through The Pilates Center of Boulder, CO. Balance Within was founded in 1995 and in-house teacher training and certification began in 1997. The training now draws in serious Pilates students from across the state. Gail continues to study and absorb the work of all the master Pilates teachers and prominent figures in movement she can find, and pursues ongoing studies in bodywork to bring as much knowledge as she can to her clients and students. Gail is a licensed massage therapist and studies at the URSA Foundation, where she completed the highly respected Silver Series. She is a Gold Certified member of the Pilates Method Alliance. The more she practices and teaches, the more Gail recognizes the essential connection between intelligent bodywork and functional Pilates. She firmly believes Pilates work is not an event, but a process – a lifelong process.

Lindsey graduated from Central Washington University in 2005 with a degree in Recreation Management. Her dream of becoming a firefighter came to a halt after a car accident made severe neck pain a daily reality. A year and a half after the accident, she tried Pilates and felt an improvement after only a few lessons. Thanks to Pilates she is even stronger today than she was before the accident. Pilates has made such an impact on her life that she quit her job to graduate from Balance Within's Teacher Training Program so she can share the joy and benefits of Pilates with others. Lindsey lives in Woodinville with her Canadian husband and spoiled cat; in their spare time, they enjoy traveling to warm, sunny places.

Barbara came to Balance Within nine years ago as a client and has been passionate about Pilates ever since. In 2008 she decided to cut back her volunteer activities to study Pilates through the Teacher Training Program. As a certified instructor, she enjoys working with clients to find the joy of movement and strength available through this work. Barbara is happily married with two wonderful boys and two mostly wonderful cats. She has a BA in English from the University of Minnesota and formerly had a career in marketing and research. She takes pleasure in weekends on Whidbey Island, great food, reading and keeping fit..

Nancy became a Pilates devotee in 1992 when she discovered that Pilates could help her add stretching and strengthening to her running program. Although she maintains her full-time day job, she has been teaching for over ten years, and received her certifications through both the Pilates Center of Boulder and Balance Within. Teaching a few hours a week helps her to balance her daily work stresses with a love of people and movement.

Katie, a long-time equestrienne, started as a client at Balance Within to polish her riding skills and was inspired to learn more about Pilates and share that knowledge with others. She joined the Balance Within training program for teachers and has flourished at the studio ever since. A few years after completing her Pilates certification she graduated from massage school, which has enriched what she can bring to clients as a teacher. Katie is the senior teacher at Balance Within and assists in the training program and mentors new trainees. She is also available for bodywork sessions and continues her training in that field with the URSA Foundation and the Upledger Institute.

Ann Marie Snowden has a life time of physical activity and a health conscious outlook. She has a broad background of interests and skills, including fashion design, professional cooking, mountaineering, and image consulting. After a personal transition in 1999 she tried a Pilates mat class and discovered her future. She recognizes the ability of Pilates to build inner strength and radiate it outwards, while lengthening and strengthening the body, and how the work can be fully customized to the individual. She began teaching in 2003, after receiving her certification from both traditional and Power Pilates. She felt the need to expand her knowledge to better serve her clients, and discovered the “graduate work level” of Balance Within teachers. She plunged into the training at Balance Within, and is now an integral member of the staff.

Debra tried Pilates and was instantly hooked by her amazing gains in strength, energy, and stamina. Her passions for the work and her desire to help other people attain their goals led her to complete a teacher training program through Power Pilates. She discovered Balance Within with some of her colleagues and joined them in seeking expanded knowledge of the body and depth in the work that she could offer to clients. Recently, she completed her second certification through Balance Within. She brings an energetic love of Pilates to her learning and teaching and still finds time to enjoy the active lifestyle she has always pursued: she still runs whenever possible and loves moving in general! Deb lives in Redmond with her husband, three children, and two dachshunds.