Melissa is a Certified Comprehensive Balance Body Pilates instructor and Balance Body Certified CoreAlign instructor. Her journey with Pilates began in 2000 as an effort to reduce stress in her life and heal after a kidney transplant. Inspired by the positive changes from Pilates, then CoreAlign, Melissa decided to devote herself to a practice that would help others. After training with Balance Body Master Instructor Lisa Graham and Arwen Brooke at Agile Monkey Studio in Santa Cruz, CA, Melissa became an instructor in 2017 and opened her own practice at The Studio on Orcas in 2019. With her personal transformative journey as the foundation, Melissa now helps clients of all ages, sizes, and fitness levels, learn and practice Pilates and CoreAlign to lengthen, strengthen and stabilize their bodies while energizing their minds. As an instructor, Melissa is always adapting her teaching and learning new techniques to meet her clients’ varying needs. Her teaching style is one of empowerment, encouraging students to learn their way into better fitness and an overall better life experience.

Melissa spent the better part of her life helping others in a successful career serving her community in California. In her current community on Orcas Island, Melissa gives back through her work as President of the Board of Friends of Moran, a local non-profit that strives to support Moran State park staff and enhance visitors’ experiences.