Our Team
OUR TEAM
Amanda Howard
Owner, Certified Pilates Instructor, Pre/Postnatal Specialist
Amanda is a mama to three kids, a dancer, a nature lover, and a classically trained Pilates Instructor teaching in Nashville, TN. She believes that Pilates is for everyone regardless of your background and that Pilates can help during pregnancy, after pregnancy, with injury prevention, sports, daily activities, menopause/post menopause, and overall health. She loves guiding women in all phases of life as we learn how to navigate and understand each new change that our bodies make.
Amanda has been teaching for 17 years and received her 750 hour comprehensive certification from Frog Temple Pilates in Chicago, IL under the direction of Randi Whitman (Pilates Center in Boulder, CO graduate). She is a faculty member and a Pre and Post-Natal Pilates Specialist™ and studied Menopause/Post menopause fitness, and Rocking and Rolling to Release through The Center for Women’s Fitness founded by Carolyne Anthony. She is also a graduate of The Passing The Torch year long Mentorship Program with Wendy LeBlanc Arbuckle.
Amanda is the founder of Native Pilates LLC and honored to lead the Native Pilates teacher training every year!
Natalie banas
Certified Pilates Instructor, Pre/Postnatal Specialist
Natalie is a recent graduate of the Native Pilates teacher training program and graduated in March 2023. She also has her pre and postnatal certification through The Center for Women’s Fitness. She enjoys working with soon to be mama’s & the senior population. Natalie loves helping her clients feel stronger and more confident through the movement of Pilates. She has always been a lover of Pilates and how it made her body feel. Helped her gain strength & flexibility even with a spinal fusion. When she isn’t teaching Pilates, she enjoys spending time at home with her husband, 5 kids and 2 yorkie puppies.
Yui Breedlove
Certified Pilates Instructor
Yui started her journey with Pilates over five years ago, desiring to build strength and a better relationship with her own body. She completed Polestar Pilates Comprehensive Teacher Training at Marathon Pilates (Nashville) in the summer of 2018. She has worked closely with pre and post natal clients and has also worked with clients recovering from various injuries.
Yui’s approach to teaching is centered in belief of the mind-body connection and the power it holds in our lives. Her teaching style is centered around the individual’s awareness of the body. She believes in an inclusive and empathetic approach to Pilates and aspires to create an atmosphere that promotes growth, healing and a sense of community.
When not teaching, Yui spends her time as a visual artist, hunting for vintage treasures and raising her daughter alongside her husband.
Mary Pellett
Certified Pilates Instructor
Mary began her study of pilates in 2009 as cross-training for her ballet career. From the first classes she took, Mary found the mindful movements beneficial for both increasing her strength in her mobile joints and helping her connect to her entire body with greater compassion.
After retiring from ballet, Mary moved to Bloomington, Indiana to attend Indiana University where she received a degree in Arts Management with a minor in Studio Art in 2016. During this time Mary desired a sustainable way to move her body and continued to practice the Pilates method. Mary’s love of movement and desire to help others connect with their own bodies led her to complete a 600 hour comprehensive classical Pilates certification at Lotus Pilates (Bloomington, IN).
Mary enjoys the details of pilates–whether you are new to pilates, or an experienced mover, Mary’s keen eye will help you learn more about your body and movement practice. Mary’s private sessions and group classes are always tailored to the needs of the client(s) as her kind voice encourages them to fully experience the movements. Her approach ensures that clients are met where they are that day, while helping them to reach their optimal health and movement goals.
In addition to being a pilates teacher, Mary has finished her intensive coursework for Vanderbilt’s Health Coaching Program and is currently working with clients to complete her certification. When health coaching, Mary takes a holistic approach encouraging clients to look at all areas of their lives with curiosity and compassion inviting clients to see how their strengths and values can assist them as they take on new goals and work towards any needed change in their lives.
When she is not teaching pilates or working with health coaching clients, Mary enjoys walking in nature with her three-legged dog, Eloise. Ask Mary about Eloise–she is Mary’s favorite thing!
Haley Powers
Certified Pilates Instructor
Having come from a running background, Haley soon realized that it was taking a toll on her body and she needed to explore other types of exercise. After taking her first Pilates class and feeling amazing afterward, she realized she wanted to help other people reap the benefits of Pilates and feel strong, flexible, and lengthened, without the injuries.
In 2018 she was certified in Classical Pilates and has been loving teaching since. In her free time, you can find her playing guitar around Nashville, enjoying time with her new baby, and (slowly) renovating her 1950’s fixer-upper!
Lindsay Rivera
Certified Pilates Instructor
Lindsay is a fitness enthusiast with a business degree. She fell in love with pilates many years ago and decided to leave the corporate world and follow her passion to become a Pilates instructor. She has taught in Chicago, Los Angeles, and now Nashville.
Lindsay enjoys curating each lesson for the client’s needs, mood, and energy. She believes a complete movement practice engages mind, body, and spirit, and incorporates this philosophy into her teaching. Each lesson is a lively, in-depth exploration of body, breath, and movement working together.
Lindsay has been teaching Pilates since 2004 and is certified through the Pilates Center in Boulder, CO. She has also completed their Master’s Program, and enjoys mentoring new and aspiring Pilates instructors. In addition to Pilates, Lindsay is also a certified yoga instructor and actively practices and enjoys both disciplines.
Specialists
Click buttons to learn more and book appointments with our specialized therapists:
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Aimee Bailey
PT, DPT, 200-hr CYT, PCES, Pelvic Health Specialist
Aimee is our in-house Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist with a passion for helping women live their fullest life. She has been a Physical Therapist for 17 years and has been specializing in the pelvic floor for 14 years.
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Victoria LeBlanc
MS, LCPC, CAHPE | Attached Parenting
Victoria LeBlanc is a licensed therapist, parenting coach and educator, and trained baby wearing consultant
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Lauren Levine
Postpartum Specialist | Wellmama
Lactation educator, sleep specialist, and postpartum doula, Lauren provides in-person and virtual support to families in Nashville and across the world.
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Heather McAlister
Certified Health & Body Image Coach | Body Beyond Image
A certified health coach and eating psychology coach, Heather got into coaching after struggling with an eating disorder for several years.
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Alison Ausherman
OTR/L, Sound Healer, Yoga Instructor
Alison is a sound therapist, a yoga teacher, and a holistic occupational therapist. She uses sound therapy to help heal others
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Jacqueline Eipp
Jacqueline owns Nashville Nutrition and has a BS in Exercise and Sports Science with over 10 years experience in the field. Her expertise spans from sports nutrition, prenatal and postnatal nutrition.
