Leslie Mitchell, Owner/Instructor
Leslie began taking ballet at the age of 6 and has over 20 years of ballet experience, including having danced professionally with the Lexington Ballet Company. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a BS in Speech Communications. Leslie is a comprehensively certified Balance Body instructor and received her training under the guidance of Troy McCarty. Leslie enjoys working with all body types and has a strong skill set for modifying movements for each person’s specific needs. She also loves helping her clients to truly achieve a mind/body connection. Her motto is: Real People REALLY Doing Pilates!
Grace Auble, Studio Manager/Instructor
Grace is a movement practitioner, educator and a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher. In addition to Pilates, Grace has spent many years as a dance professional, performing, teaching, choreographing and directing education programming. Grace holds a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Ohio University, where she began her Pilates training under Mariana Walchli. While at OU, she studied anatomy, kinesiology, movement pedagogy, and mind-body patterning. In addition, Grace has studied Pilates through national Pilates educators such as: Power Pilates, Balanced Body and Polestar Pilates. As a Polestar Pilates Practitioner, Grace’s training is based on a scientific foundation of anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and motor control, that integrates scientific research findings in the areas of orthopedics, sports medicine and movement science. Grace currently hosts Polestar Pilates Teacher Trainings in Cleveland where she mentors Pilates teachers in training. Her interests in anatomy and functional movement drive her passion for teaching Pilates as a form of whole body health and wellness. Grace has worked with clients from beginners through advanced as well as special populations: scoliosis, pre/post natal clients, hip/knee replacements, elderly, youth, dancers, performing artists and athletes. Her motivation as a Pilates teacher is to improve the wellbeing of her clients, while working to achieve their most ideal movement patterns as well as their personal goals.
Mikaela Brown, Instructor
Mikaela Brown is passionate about the power of movement + story and how the two collide to bring freedom, hope, and healing. A lifelong fascination with how the body moves, and what it speaks led to a career as a professional dancer, choreographer and director and into intensive study in bodywork. Mikaela is a certified PMA® Pilates Instructor and a Somatics Educator in the tradition of Thomas Hanna. She desires to help clients discover the deeper story in their body, unravel pain and learn to move with greater ease, strength and vitality. Outside of art-making and bodywork, Mikaela enjoys long walks through the woods or by the water, ice cream & chocolate, and hanging with her husband Joshua & son Jude.
Alissa Kiktavy, Instructor
Alissa has been dancing since age four – with notable accomplishments such as being a scholarship recipient and student at the Edge Performing Arts Center and training at the Joe Tremaine Dance Center. While considering a professional dance career, she opted to attend Ohio University earning a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and fulfilled her dance passion as a member of the Ohio University Dance Team. Alissa loves sharing her Pilates knowledge with clients and guiding them to further challenge themselves by emphasizing Pilates principles from her strong dance background.
