Meet Our Owner

 Michele-Olivia is currently a Physical Therapy graduate student at Drexel University. She completed her undergrad with a Bachelor of Science in dance with a concentration in physical therapy at Drexel University in June 2014. She is now in graduate school for Sport Physical Therapy. Summer of 2014 Michele started dancing professionally with a Philadelphia based touring dance company named Danse4Nia. While dancing Michele went through many injuries, 3 knee surgeries, which turned her to add Pilates in her life. Pilates helped her through her pain and build her strength. Michele-Olivia went through the Pilates training at Drexel Pilates training program under Jennifer Morley. Pilates helped her find freedom from all her dance pains and also find new and improve strength in dance especially. But Pilates also helped her in daily comfort and confidence. Along of being a student, professional dancer, and Pilates instructor she also find love in teaching dance and movement classes as well as staging shows, like the Nutcracker annually at the Wissahickon Dance academy. Michele's main goal is to teach movement as a source of strength, discovery and communication. “Change happens through movement and movement heals”- Joseph Pilates. In her Pilates class you will work on balancing the body, mind, and soul, all while having fun. “It's the mind itself which shapes the body.”- Joseph Pilates.  

 Marisa is a Pilates instructor and movement artist, with her 450 hour Pilates certification from Drexel University, who initially started practicing Pilates as a means to heal a series of debilitating dance- related injuries. She found that the mindful, breath-focused strengthening work helped to create enough scaffolding and support in her structure that she finally had the opportunity to be playful and curious in movement once again. In her sessions and classes, she aims to use Pilates fundamentals and exercises to recreate this sense of support through movement for her clients, so that they too can discover a sense of ease, strength, and confidence in movement, both in and out of the studio   

 As a teacher for all ages, Janet views Pilates as a transformative behavior for the mind & body. She completed her teacher training program through Body Precision in Bryn Mawr, PA. As a Pilates participant for over 10 years, she fell in love with the calm focus & concentration on breathing techniques.   Janet has a breath of knowledge surrounding the human body after spending decades as a critical care nurse. As a master’s prepared nurse, her career spanned the bedside, a nurse educator, as well as a quality improvement outcomes manager. Pilates teaching perfectly aligns with her skill sets of kindness, compassion, and excellence.  
 

Beth Marra, TRX certified instructor, has been in the fitness industry for over 25 years.  She began her career as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor and has taught many different classes; Bodypump, Bodyflow, spinning, Pilates, reformer, step, HIIT, to mention a few.  She’s also competed in a couple of fitness competitions throughout her time.

Her love of fitness keeps her growing and expanding her knowledge which brought her to the TRX suspension system which uses body weight exercises to develop strength, balance, flexibility and core stability simultaneously.  Beth has been working at the Pilates Connexion for almost 10 years.  She enjoys working with many different clientele and will find an exercise for every body.  

In her spare time you can find her in the Pocono mountains remodeling her house, or taking apart a palette to build one of her many creations.  She enjoys spending time with her sons and her dog.  
 

With a decade of experience as a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, Jena brings a unique perspective to the world of Pilates combining her professional expertise with a lifelong passion for movement. Her journey in Pilates began during her intensive training as a professional contemporary ballet dancer, a path that deeply shaped her understanding of movement and body awareness. Dance is a career she still cherishes today as she continues to perform with a local Philadelphia ballet company. Now certified in Mat Pilates and continuing her education with Reformer training, Jena is committed to guiding her clients toward greater strength, flexibility, and balance, all while honoring the specific needs of every individual.