About Blog & Authors
The owners of Pacific NW Pilates created this blog to help pilates instructors, fitness experts and those using pilates in clinical settings to share ideas and information.
All three owners – Jean Leavenworth, Melanie Byford-Young and Leslie Braverman – have been certified STOTT PILATES Instructor Trainers for many years. They have trained pilates instructors in the U.S., Canada, South Korea, Spain, Ireland, Turkey, Japan, Ireland, Iceland and Greece. Melanie also revamped the entire rehabilitation curriculum for the International STOTT PILATES organization, which debuted in early 2008.
They moderate this blog and have written most of the posts, but welcome guest posts as well. Let us know if there’s a topic you’d like to cover. Of if there is something you’d like to know about, ask us a question. Offer ideas. Share insights!
More about the co-owners and
co-founders of Pacific NW Pilates
Leslie Braverman
Instructor Trainer
Leslie Braverman was one of the first Instructor Trainers to be trained and certified by STOTT PILATES® in the U.S. She has been training and certifying instructors throughout the U.S. and foreign countries such as Turkey, Spain and Japan since 1998.
Leslie became a STOTT PILATES instructor in 1997 after dancing professionally for 15 years. She danced with the Cleveland San Jose Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre and BODYVOX, following a number of impressive achievements as a young dancer. As a student of
The North Carolina School of the Arts, she was awarded the 1988 Peabody Scholarship Award for Excellence. Leslie was a Level One ARTS recipient (sponsored by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts) in 1989 and was a semi-finalist and one of five sponsored Americans to compete in the 1988 Prix de Lausanne International Dance Competition in Switzerland.
Leslie became a student of STOTT PILATES in 1996 after becoming injured. She credits pilates for prolonging her dance career by another four years. She uses her considerable expertise to help other dancers and athletes as well as regular fitness clients and aspiring instructors. Leslie also enjoys the management side of Pacific NW Pilates, where she concentrates on operations and marketing. She is currently pursuing a business degree as well.
Melanie Byford-Young, BHSc. PT
Master Instructor Trainer of Rehabilitation
Melanie Byford-Young has been pioneering the use of STOTT PILATES to assist with physical rehabilitation and therapeutic conditioning for over eight years. In 2007, she revamped the entire rehabilitation training program for STOTT PILATES INTERNATIONAL, including the development of a new instructor curriculum, training materials and DVDs, which she appears in. Those materials will be available in January 2008.
Melanie was originally a licensed physical therapist, graduating from McMaster University in Ontario with a Bachelor of Health Science in Physiotherapy in 1991. She also earned the Canadian Physiotherapy Association’s Certificate in manual and manipulative physiotherapy and has taken specialized orthopedic courses on the shoulder, cervical spine, foot mechanics and running mechanics.
In 2001, Melanie started teaching STOTT PILATES courses and workshops and co-founded Pacific NW Pilates in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. Melanie’s ground-breaking approach to incorporating STOTT PILATES principles with physical therapy and conditioning has put her in high demand among pilates and other fitness instructors and medical professionals. She has taught courses and workshops throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe for STOTT PILATES and has made guest appearances at conferences such as IDEA World Fitness and Body Mind Spirit.
Jean M. Leavenworth
Instructor Trainer, STOTT PILATES International
Jean Leavenworth has been an Instructor Trainer for STOTT PILATES since 2000. She co-founded Pacific NW Pilates in 2001 and spearheads the certification program at the studio.
Formerly a modern dancer who trained with artists such as Hanya Holm, Erick Hawkins and Tandy Beal, Jean helped create the degree program in dance at Pomona College as a undergraduate. She received an M.S. in Dance and Kinesiology from Indiana University in 1988 and went on to pursue a PhD in Dance Education from New York University. Jean has also studied extensively with Australian physiotherapist, Greta Von Gavel, and has received training in Laban Movement Analysis, Alexander technique and Body-Mind Centering® Technique.
Jean was first introduced to pilates in 1992 while in New York and fell in love with the way it made her body feel. With many years experience teaching dance, she was a natural at teaching pilates and became an Instructor Trainer just a year after becoming a STOTT PILATES instructor in 2000. Jean has taught in physical therapy clinics, health clubs and private studios throughout Portland and has taught overseas for STOTT PILATES in Cyprus, Ireland, Iceland and Japan.
