Trainers
Joshua Margolis
Founder
Joshua Margolis is a personal trainer with a Bachelors Degree in Sports Psychology. He holds certifications from A.C.E., A.I.F.E., and N.A.S.M, and is also prenatal and postpartum fitness certified. Joshua has been working in the health and fitness arena for over 8 years designing personalized fitness programs which incorporate motivational techniques to enhance performance. Joshua is also the fitness model in “THE DUKE DIET”: World renowned health and fitness book. His fitness philosophy: “Your self image and habits go hand in hand; change one and you will automatically change the other.”
Other venues that Joshua has influenced are within the Corporate Sector and the great Outdoors. In the past Joshua has provided corporate fitness plans to improve the overall health of private companies and their employees. For those clients interested in working in the outdoors Joshua has gone everywhere from nearby parks to surfing the beaches of the Atlantic and Pacific to the Rocky Mountains. Whatever your fitness goals are, he will help you realize your dreams.
Alan Baron
Personal Trainer
Whatever your present state of fitness may be, Alan’s training sessions will provide you with a positive, professional and personally supportive program enabling you to achieve your physical fitness goals. An exercise program will be designed to meet your specific needs and will be accompanied by the philosophy of positive progressive training. In addition to fitness training, Alan specializes in areas that offer unique advantages to those with special needs such as pre-habilitation, injury rehab, postural distortions, the elderly and the physically challenged.
Alan has a long history of working in the Arts coupled with over 17 years of fitness training experience that includes working with several prominent fitness companies in New York. He has seven years experience working with visually impaired people and two years of American Sign Language studies. Alan stands tall with a professional commitment to continuous education for both the trainer and the client, enabling them to successfully improve their health and fitness lifestyles through ongoing positive changes.
Nolan Chace
Personal Trainer / Yoga
Nolan’s strength lies in developing exercises for better outdoors sports performances. His work emphasizes core stability training.
A personal trainer for the past 10 years, Nolan has worked with private clients as well as spending a year as a full-time trainer at Equinox.
Nolan has also taught rock climbing safety and technique at Go Vertical in Connecticut for five years and spent two years snow boarding in Colorado.
Christopher Curreri
Yoga
Although Chris boasts a background in dance and Shaolin kung fu training, a college yoga course eight years ago changed his life’s path. During that semester, Chris embraced the power of yoga and came to realize its subtle internal changes. After his class, Chris went on to complete six teacher trainings in Hatha, Kundalini yoga and yoga philosophy and three Vipassana meditations. Combined with the study of ayurveda — the science of self-healing — Chris’s intent is to help you balance various elements in the spirit of mind and body.
Jacqueline Fritz
Pilates / Yoga
Jacqueline has been exploring movement for 20 years. Her Pilates workouts incorporate principles of kinesiology, anatomy, dance and yoga; she teaches proper alignment and awareness of breath to facilitate a dynamic movement quality and physical agility in her clients. Each session is designed to target an individual’s specific fitness goals and rehabilitative/corrective needs.
Jacqueline has performed with Pacific Northwest Ballet and Kansas City Ballet, as well as numerous contemporary artists. She received dance training at the School of American Ballet, Joffrey Ballet School, Alvin Ailey and Merce Cunningham Schools and North Carolina School of the Arts. She continued to develop her Pilates technique after her dance career, at such renowned centers as The Pilates Studio, Power Pilates, Drago’s Gymnasium, and Movements Afoot/Physical Mind Institute. Jacqueline ultimately received her Pilates teacer certification at the comprehensive Kane School of Core Integration.
Along with working for Mind Over Matter, Jacqueline is an instructor at the New York Athletic Club, Luria Academy of Brooklyn and to private clients both nationally and abroad.
Lori Gabay
Certified Personal Trainer
At Gilder, Gagnon, Howe & Co., Lori analyzed and provided dynamic one-to-one fitness training sessions, and presented fitness seminars to individuals and corporations. These topics included overall nutrition, exercise plans, general health issues, and healthier ways of living. She also trained various athletes and business professionals with sport specific needs including speed, agility and strength training. In addition to this work, Lori also assisted physical therapists with individuals requiring medical rehabilitation, such as back injuries, MS patients, and general sports related injuries.
Lori attended University of Hartford, Hartford, CT and received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing with a minor in Communications. In addition, she attended Marymount College and her coursework included Anatomy, Kinesiology, nutrition, exercise physiology, exercise for pregnancy and post partum, and exercise for older adults.
Alexander Galvez
Personal Trainer
Alexander specializes in strength training, rehabilitation, pre and post natal, balance/stability core training, and boxing. While embracing traditional fitness components, he also focuses on health and lifestyle modification.
As a trainer, Alexander strives to help his clients by connecting them with appropriate members of his ‘team,’ which includes a massage therapist, yoga teacher, Pilates instructor, Reiki, physical therapist as well as other healing professionals. Alexander’s various colleagues work together to help the client achieve optimal health and fitness.
Barbara Kaminsky
Yoga
Practicing yoga has transformed Barbara’s life, allowing her to pass on the benefits to her various clients. “I love that with every breath in yoga, we get to begin again,” she says. “No matter where we are or where we want to be, doing yoga shows us a way to be present and in the moment.”
Barbara has ten years of yoga practice behind her, and is certified in the Barkan Method. She also enjoys Anusara and Vinyasa.
Hilary McLemore
Personal Trainer
A personal trainer and swim instructor certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), Hilary specializes in weight loss, corrective exercise, and endurance training for triathletes. A swimming, surfing, running, and outdoor enthusiast, she believes that when working out, there should never be a dull moment!
Najla Said
Pilates
Najla has been doing Pilates for over ten years, and was certified as an Authentic Instructor in 2004 through the New York Pilates Studio. An avid runner and lifelong athlete, she discovered Pilates method while recovering from knee surgery and a hip injury. Pilates was the first truly tough and satisfying workout she was able to do (and enjoy) despite her injuries. SInce she began, she has been virtually pain free, and now is thrilled to be able to watch her clients achieve the same relief as they also build a strength, flexibilty and endurance that allows them to succeed in any other athletic endeavor they choose. She wholeheartedly believes that anything is possible; no one should feel that an injury prevents them from getting a safely, effective, challenging, and fun workout.
Jackie Sizemore
Pilates / Personal Trainer
Jackie is a certified personal trainer through NASM as well as a certified yoga instructor and a member of The National Yoga Alliance.
Recreationally, she enjoys racquetball, water skiing, jump roping, and many sports. Jackie is also an actress and dancer with over fifteen years of ballet and jazz dance training.
Anna Surwillo
Personal Trainer
During the past five years, Anna has been working as a trainer with clients at homes, gyms and in the outdoors, while focusing on fun, effective and functional training. She emphasizes the importance of cardio, strength training, nutrition and the body’s recovery process.
Anna’s extensive training experience stems from working in several New York City-based fitness clubs, including New York Sports Club and New York Health & Racquet Club. She’s certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and holds certifications in NASM-CPT, prenatal, postpartum and flexibility.
Aside from her work as a personal trainer, Anna is currently pursuing a degree in Occupational Studies and Massage Therapy. Anna also holds a B.A. in Psychology from Hunter College.
Barbara Evans
Personal Trainer
Barbara is a certified personal trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. In addition to her personal training certification through the NSCA, Barbara is pre/postnatal and CPR-AED certified and is a former top-level trainer with Equinox Fitness Clubs. She holds a BS in Dance from George Washington University and has toured with professional dance companies nationally and abroad. This dance background helps Barbara bring a heightened awareness of posture, form and efficiency of movement to her sessions, allowing her clients of any age or fitness level to quickly and safely achieve their goals. Barbara still takes dance class for fun, along with hiking, biking, and recently, surfing!
Massage Therapist
Jeanne Ann Karfo comes to us with over 15 years of Bodywork experience. She is a savvy native New Yorker and West Side resident.
Jeanne Ann is a graduate of the famous Swedish Institute here in NYC and has worked at three major NYC hospitals as a licensed massage therapist. Jeanne Ann practices over 12 bodywork modalities, both Eastern & Western – including Swedish, Shiatsu, Medical & Sports Massage, Pre & Post Natal Massage, CranioSacral Therapy, Oncology Massage, Lymphatic Drainage Therapy, Reflexology, Polarity, Energetic & Vibrational BodyWork Therapies, and she is a REIKI Master.
She was always interested in the mind / body / spirit connection, and decided to make a career out of helping individuals help themselves.
Massage Therapist
Heather Raymond knows the transformative powers of bodywork, exercise and holistic health. Drawing upon17 years experience as a licensed massage therapist and personal trainer with a deep love of her craft, Heather customizes each massage session to your individual needs, preferences, and past/present physical condition.
Selecting from modalities such as Swedish, deep tissue, trigger point, myofascial release, sports massage, pregnancy massage, stretching, and bio-cranial technique, you can relax as Heather works to eliminate your pain, rejuvenate your body, and facilitates health inside and out.
Recently listed as one of the best LMTs, in New York City for the book, “Keen on New York, Platinum Edition”, Heather is described by one of her clients as “an angel with hands from heaven, who never met pain she could not remove.”
Ola Widera
Yoga Instructor
Ola has been studying and teaching yoga for many years in NYC. Her private classes combine the knowledge of yoga, science, and human anatomy to explore the power of the body to heal on all levels. Ola’s expertise in the Anusara alignment principles empower her dedicated students to shift and transform from the inside out, in order to create a foundation for radiant health, creativity and illumination in their life.
With warmth and joy, Ola clearly articulates to her students how to resolve all of their therapeutic issues. Her intention is to provide accessible, practical guidance while teaching clients how to use their awareness of breath combined with precision of muscular alignment to discover their full capabilities. Ola invites you to find the true healing connection with your body and mind to realize the healthy balance of flexibility and strength.
Danyelle Demchock
Personal Trainer
Over the last 7 years, Danyelle has helped clients use a step-by-step approach to achieve weight loss without dieting, increase energy and vitality without sugar and caffeine, reestablish balance to the metabolism, and enhance posture and sports performance through corrective exercises.
With great enthusiasm, Danyelle provides a range of holistic healthy lifestyle services. With her guidance, clients have learned to take responsibility for overcoming their own health obstacles, achieve permanent weight loss without dieting, and take back control of their life and health. She welcomes you to achieve your own inner clarity in your life!
Elaine Hatcher
Personal Trainer/Pilates
Elaine Hatcher is a certified Pilates Instructor and Personal Trainer. She has a bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sport Sciences from The University of Florida, and she currently holds certifications through ACSM, Power Pilates, Core Dynamics, and the PMA. She has been in the fitness industry for over 10 years, and feels blessed every day to have a profession that allows her to do what she loves most, getting people to move!
Her fitness history is quite varied, including roles such as personal training, group fitness coordinating and teaching every aerobics class under the sun. But after discovering the brilliance of the Classical Pilates Method and the amazing body transformations her clients were achieving from its practice, she traded in her various modalities to focus on teaching Pilates full time.
Elaine believes clients need to be empowered and motivated constantly towards achieving ideal movement, and creates energy in every session that inspires both ownership and self control of each exercise to maximize a client’s results.
Nan Goldstein
Yoga
Nan combines her enthusiasm and love of yoga with a knowledge of alignment and body mechanics. Nan’s softer, gentler, slower-paced classes are fun and playful, with easy-to-follow instructions encouraging students to practice deeply while honoring and working with their limitations. By catering to each student’s individual needs, Nan is dedicated to making yoga accessible to people of all ages, sizes and fitness levels, so each can benefit from its transformative powers.
Nan began teaching yoga after many years in the corporate world in order to make a positive change in her life and the lives of others. She received her yoga teaching certification from Alison West / Yoga Union. Nan is also a certified chair yoga instructor. Besides yoga, Nan is also passionate about snorkeling and the conservation of coral reefs.
Anna Sussman
Yoga
Anna Louie Sussman has been practicing yoga for nearly a decade, and was certified this year by Alison West of Yoga Union for Backcare and Scoliosis, in New York City. She is a registered Yoga Alliance member. She holds a BA in Comparative Literature from Brown University, and an MSc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics. A four-year varsity basketball player in high school, she now gets her exercise by biking around New York City and climbing five wretched flights of stairs up to her apartment every day.
Hillary Helmling
Yoga
Hillary received her certification from Sonic Yoga – Center for Yoga Studies, and is a Yoga Alliance registered teacher. She loves the creativity, flow, and ease of Vinyasa Yoga, and is very passionate that yoga is a daily practice that can help gain perspective, balance, and mindfulness in all aspects of your life. She incorporates many forms of yoga into her classes with a strong emphasis on pranayama, alignment, strength, and finding your flow. Hillary is grateful to have found yoga and hopes to help you find your own journey as well.
Raina Passo
Yoga
Raina has practiced and studied various philosophies and styles of yoga since 2003. She has a passion for anatomy and alignment and has studied anatomy on a graduate level. Her certifications include Yoga Therapy, Seniors, Kids and Postpartum. She has attended seminars on Complimentary and Alternative Medicine offered by the Harvard School of Medicine and has been inspired and trained by many yoga masters.
Raina also works with various doctors who refer their patients for therapeutic yoga. Her success with her yoga clientele stems from her philosophy that inspires her clients to understand the mechanism of the body and to facilitate the healing process.
Raina is currently an adjunct professor at The College of Staten Island where she lectures on the philosophy and practice of yoga.
Franco Castiglione
Thai Yoga Massage Therapist
Franco is a hands on healer, who graduated from the country’s finest Massage School: The Swedish Institute of Massage therapy and Applied Health Sciences, here in New York City.
He has been working in the field for many years all around the city, and has vast experience with several different modalities of massage, including Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports, Medical, Thai, Reflexology, Shiatsu, Prenatal, Cranial-Sacral, Lomi Lomi, Hot and Cold Stone, and several others.
He is also certified in Nutrition and Personal Training, and sometimes adds a touch of Reiki to his sessions.
Sessions also can include body assessment, alignment, moisturizing, and aromatherapy.
Massage can be an important way to release stress, and free inner channels. It can open the flow of your life force, release blocks, and tune up and align your physical house.
Alana Jackler
Thai Yoga Massage Therapist
Alana has been in the fitness world practically since see could walk. She started out as a competitive ice skater and tennis player and at a young age taught tennis. She worked at Equinox as a personal trainer and on the road to curing her own back problems discovered the wonders of yoga and eventually Thai Yoga Massage. It is through these ancient practices that she has been able to find balance and strength. And that is what she tries to instill in her clients.
Alana likes to call Thai Yoga Massage The Lazy Man’s Yoga because the client gets all the benefits of a yoga class without having to lift a finger. TYM combines passive stretching, accupressure, shiatzu and energy work.
Holly Corey
After a long career in corporate recruiting, Holly decided to pursue her real passion: fitness, health and wellness. She specializes in core strength, balance and flexibility exercises and believes a healthy body is a happy body. Her fitness approach is to keep it fun, challenging, creative and safe. Her goal as a trainer is to help you along the way and provide you with positive support, encouragement, and the proper workouts to help you attain your goals. She holds a certification through the American Council of Exercise (ACE).
Danielle has worked with clientele of all levels and lifestyles. She has experience training expert dancers and athletes, as well as senior citizens, pregnant women, weekend warriors and clients rehabilitating various injuries. She possesses the knowledge to approach Pilates safely for all strengths and body types. A true believer in functional fitness, Danielle customizes workouts that are accommodating to her clientele’s individual health needs and goals. The combination of her educational and professional experiences have equipped Danielle with the essential tools for a well-balanced, effective and enjoyable Pilates workout. Andrea began her yoga journey while studying dance at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied under Tara Marie Peri, founder of “Mind Body Dancer”. After receiving her BFA in dance, she began a regular yoga practice, not only to maintain body condition and flexibility, but also to deepen her spiritual connection to movement. In 2008, she completed her 200 hour yoga teacher certification through the Atmananda Sequence. An avid traveler since then, she has expanded her practice to the yogic methods of Anna Forrest, Ashtanga, Anusara, Bikram, and Hatha. She also has proficient experience with Alexander Technique structural/postural alignment, and Thai massage. Her class style varies, depending on the needs of the client: from restorative yoga to power yoga, she can adapt her teachings to follow suit. Descriptions are anatomically detailed, and also saturated with playful imagery. “My greatest interest lies in creating a beautiful mind/body experience through word painting, and sensory awareness. All levels are welcome!” With a background in acting, singing and bartending (aka listening), I found yoga as a means to quiet my mind and find peace and balance in these ever-changing times. Whether you want to slim down, increase strength and flexibility, or simply find stillness in this crazy city, I can guide you through the right series of poses to achieve your goals. From beginner through intermediate yogis, my classes focus on breathing, building core strength, yummy stretching, and a guided meditation to leave you feeling centered, relaxed and focused on the day ahead. This practiced has changed my life, allowing me to develop a full practice of mind, body and spirit that follows me off the mat and into my daily life. I am happy to share this gift with others and will cater my training sessions to meet the needs of the client.Megan Densmore
Personal Trainer
As a lifelong multi-sport athlete and dancer and former competitive gymnast, Megan has been passionate about fitness her entire life. After 10 years of chronic pain stemming from neck and back injuries and a frustrating diagnosis of fibromyalgia, Megan turned to Pilates. After less than two years of Pilates her pain was gone. Megan received her initial Pilates certification from Jill Cassady of the Pilates Technique Certification. Jill studied with Joseph Pilates’ famed protégé Romana Kryzanowska. Megan has received advanced Pilates training with numerous master instructors including Jay Grimes, Kathi Ross-Nash, Mejo Wiggin and Peter Fiasca. Megan is also a NASM certified personal trainer and received certification in Kettlebells from Jason Brown of KB Concepts, Inc. Megan started weightlifting at age six as part of her gymnastics training and continues to incorporate weight training into her personal fitness regimen.Danielle Russo
Pilates
Danielle Russo earned her Pilates certification with the Pilates Academy International. Her practice spans from private equipment instruction to group classes in Pilates mat and apparatus, alike. Pilates bridges her love for movement with her keen interest in muscular anatomy and exercise science; a middle ground between her professional dance career and her understanding of gait and postural patterns persistent in her continuing studies.
YogaKelly Scanlon
Yoga
