Club Pilates

Bios

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  Addie Dechant

  Studio Manager and Snr Instructor

  Addie has her 700-hour Classical Pilates certification and TRX certification, and loves teaching Pilates to help people reach their fitness goals. Her classes will challenge you and inspire you.

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  Kerri Saum

  Lead Instructor

  Kerri is a Nationally Certified Pilates teacher and our lead instructor for the North Asheville location. She discovered Pilates years ago after a serious accident and loves bringing this wonderful system of exercise into the lives of others. She started teaching 15 years ago after leaving a corporate job to stay home with her young children. Whether you are broken from life’s journey or just a regular person trying to keep it all together, Kerri will meet you at your level and help you meet your goals with a playful style & a focus on alignment. She lives in North Asheville with two beautiful daughters, one dashing husband, an old yellow hound and a rescue cat named Otis.

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  Courtney Webb

  Instructor

  Courtney found her love of Pilates and saved her body while training at Beacon Pilates in Beacon New York. Courtney has lived all over the United States experiencing and learning in all areas she could. While growing up in Northern Georgia, She found a passion for basketball, softball, and track. In Florida, surfing, and kayaking, and in Oregon she added skiing and whitewater rafting to the list. With her love of sports, and a refusal to give any less, she suffered numerous injuries and a lifetime of pain. Many specialists, doctors, chiropractors, and physical therapists later, Courtney was finally diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome. Shortly after her diagnosis while living in New York she found her Hail Mary with Pilates and has been major injury free ever since. Courtney became a certified Pilates mat instructor in 2016 under Juliet Harvey of Beacon Pilates. During this training, Courtney met Kara Dillow who was studying under Juliet to get her teacher training certification. In early 2018 Courtney started her training under Kara to gain her comprehensive certification on all equipment. Courtney has a passion to teach and show people that Pilates can keep your body strong and stable, relieve chronic pain, and help reduce the risk of major injuries. Courtney has a background of varying educations and studies including but not limited to, Horticulture, Patisserie & Baking, Sustainabilities/ Environmental Biology, Painting, and Music. She also has dreams of playing rugby and roller derby, but knows thatʼs probably not one of her best ideas!

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  Stephanie Jones

  Instructor

  Stephanie Peterson Jones began taking Pilates lessons in 1998, one year after having back surgery. She was immediately hooked by the strength, flexibility and balance she achieved and has been devoted to the Pilates Method ever since. She received her comprehensive Pilates certification from the Pilates Center in Boulder, CO in 2001, after which she opened the Pilates Studio of Fairfield in CT. She continued her Pilates education with Kathy Grant, Cara Reeser, Deborah Lessen, Blossom Leilani Crawford, Irene Down and many others. She also completed the Pilates Center’s Masters Program and became certified by the Pilates Method Alliance. After selling the studio in 2011, she continued to work there until moving to Asheville in the fall of 2014. When not teaching or practicing Pilates, Stephanie loves to hike with her pup Rio. She also is an illustrator and designer of children’s books and decorative art. Stephanie enjoys working with all types of clients, especially those who want to maintain strength, mobility and flexibility throughout their lives. She is excited to be a part of the Club Pilates community in Western North Carolina.

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  Sarah Hughes

  Instructor

  "I fell in love with Pilates while working overseas as an elementary school teacher. I have a passion for teaching in all aspects and once I started Pilates I knew it was for me to share with others. I love the emotional, mental, and physical benefits of the exercise and so happy to become a part of the Club Pilates team."

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  Rhys Loggins

  Instructor

  Rhys is a native Texan and former ballet dancer who was introduced to Pilates as a teenager. After majoring in dance in college and dancing with a ballet company, he moved to New York City where he was certified in Pilates, Personal Training, and TRX and taught for almost a decade. Rhys recently moved back to the south and is super excited to bring his athletic and technical approach to Pilates and movement to Club Pilates Asheville! When he's not teaching, he enjoys reading, cooking, running, and camping. His approach is dynamic, challenging, fast-paced, and athletic, with an emphasis on breathing, alignment, and flow that is sure to leave you feeling the work the next day!

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  Tessa Gossett

  Instructor

  "Tessa fell in love with the Pilates method as a student at Appalachian State University in 2011. It was the perfect complement to her love for ballet and movement. After graduating in 2015, she trained under Marianne Adams and Rebecca Quin in order to complete the 650+ hour Classical Pilates Teacher Training Program. She loved her time teaching for 4 years, working with clients to help them understand their strength and potential. She is now completing her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing at Western Carolina University. She is so excited to be teaching again!"

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  Tom Dessereau

  Instructor

  Tom is a certified classically trained Pilates instructor and began teaching in New York City since 1998. He studied with Romana Kryzanowska, Bob Liekens, Phoebe Higgins and Peter Roel. During his career in New York, he has worked with numerous actors and dancers of all ages. He has taught teacher training courses including “Pilates for Runners” and “The Use of Touch and Stretching in Pilates Workouts”. Tom is a life long marathoner, having completed his first marathon at the age of 17 in 1978. A series of injuries in his early 30’s led him to pilates. After a chiropractor suggested that Tom hang up his running shoes for good, Tom sought out an alternative. Pilates was the answer. After six months of regular workouts, he was back on the running trials and has since completed more than 13 marathons including 7 New York City Marathons and 1 Boston Marathon. For 8 years he coached the NYC Metropolitan area’s largest running team, the New York Flyers. He studied Shiatsu at the Ohashi Institute in NYC. Tom and his wife, Monika Gross, and daughter, Boheme, moved to Asheville. He has taught at his own studio, Form, Fitness & Function and at several studios in Asheville.

• Cass Foster

  Senior Instructor

  Cass grew up with a mother who was a Pilates instructor, so you could say she was born into it. Her classes are difficult, fast paced, and full of energy--all the time watching that everyone is practicing safely and effectively. Cass was one of our instructors at the Biltmore Park studio and is moving closer to home to teach at our new studio. Sign up for one of her Wednesday night classes and plan on being challenged.