pilates and more for the mountain minded
instructors
Erica Linnell
Owner, Pilates Instructor
I didn't set out to become a pilates instructor. Circumstances unexpectedly led me here...and I am so glad they did! After a high-impact life as a former mountain guide, avid skier & mountain biker, I developed several injuries from carrying too-heavy packs and enduring one-too-many crashes. Through Pilates I learned I could strengthen from the inside out—from my CORE—which could rehab my body in an integrated way and make me stronger and more balanced for the outdoor pursuits I love so much. In 2018 my mentor suggested that I consider teaching pilates because I have been a teacher in some form for over 25 years...from skiing, to outdoor education, to wilderness medicine courses, to cooking lessons! Pilates instruction became a natural fit and I began teaching in the fall of 2019 after completing my training through the Pilates Training Camp, LLC. I am trained in reformer, mat, chair, tower, and more. In January of 2023, an another unexpected opportunity presented itself and thus began Studio Core Teton Valley. I can't wait to share my passion for Pilates with all of you!
Christy Gunther
Pilates Instructor
Christy loves everything outdoors, especially hiking and fly fishing with her husband and six children. She grew up playing just about every sport, leading to an ACL tear in high school which inspired Christy to get a Masters in Physical Therapy. As a PT, Christy has been helping people heal for over 20 years in athletics and in life! She has a passion for anatomy, healthy movement and a balanced approach to fitness. Christy believes Pilates is the perfect addition to an active lifestyle because it is gentle on joints, but strengthens while improving balance and flexibility for the mountain sports we enjoy in the Tetons! Christy uses her Pilates training from Balanced Body to help clients integrate their core, improve posture and expand range of motion, especially in the spine. As Christy says "Pilates just makes the body feel good!”. She finds truth in the words of Joseph Pilates: “Change happens through movement, and movement heals.”
Brandi VanSeters
Pilates Instructor
Brandi grew up playing in the Wasatch mountains of Salt Lake City. Caring for her body through supplemental strength training and body work supported her pursuit of mountain sports and inspired her to become a massage therapist almost 25 years ago. She loves helping others connect to their bodies and she is continually amazed by what the body can do. In 2012, Brandi came to the Tetons for the summer to do some adventuring with her partner Sean and they never left! Along with their dogs Bonnie & Clyde, Brandi & Sean love to explore the region on mountain bikes, rafts, skis, and their own two feet.
Brandi used her Massage skills working for Physical Therapist in Driggs to enhance patient healing. It was there that she discovered Pilates and she has not looked back since! Brandi has completed her Stott training in mat, chair, and reformer. She not only advocates for using pilates to support injury recovery, but she is amazed by how much it helps people without injuries build strength, balance, and flexibility to prevent injuries from happening in the first place and to improve overall athletic performance.
We are SO lucky that Brandi integrates her decades of knowledge about the body into her classes.
Taylor Smith
Strength Training Instructor
studioCORE Teton Valley's tagline is "Pilates and more for the mountain minded". Taylor Smith brings the “and more"! Taylor teaches our traditional strength training "FIT” class that incorporates weights, cardio, functional work, high intensity intervals, TRX, and other weight training modalities.
Taylor's fitness journey didn't start until after college in 2013. She started working out at a local gym and something that had been missing fell into place. Strength training helped her not only physically, but mentally as well. Taylor felt better in her activities, her body recovered more quickly, and her cardio capacity increased. She loves that fitness brings all sorts of different people together with the shared goal of moving their bodies. Taylor is certified in NASM Personal Training; Schwinn indoor cycle power; TRX Suspended Training, and BRRRN Board.
We are thrilled to have someone with Taylor’s knowledge and enthusiasm at our studio to challenge our bodies in different ways beyond Pilates.
Spencer Morrison
Pilates Instructor
With a rich background in dance and experience as an NFL Cheerleader (Go Ravens!), movement has always been at the core of Spencer’s life. Her journey as a dancer and as a cheerleader at the highest level, taught her the importance of grace, strength, flexibility, and disciplined training, all of which seamlessly translate into the art and practice of Pilates.
Spencer fell in love with Pilates because it combines the precision and fluidity of dance with the challenge, power and athleticism needed in cheerleading. The mind-body connection and breathwork in Pilates creates a profound sense of well-being and focus that she loves helping her students tap into. For Spencer, it’s not just about physical fitness, but also about enhancing overall quality of life.
Spencer is trained in the BASI Pilates method in reformer, mat, chair and tower. BASI emphasizes a deep understanding of the body’s anatomy and biomechanics which allows her to offer personalized and safe instruction to each client, helping them achieve their unique goals.
Outside the studio, Spencer is a proud mom of two wonderful children, Charlie and Grace, who inspire her to be the best version of herself! Her passion for Pilates is deeply rooted in the desire to share its transformative power with others, helping them to feel strong, balanced, and empowered in their bodies.
Angie Fruge
YOGA & Pilates Instructor
Angie has a desire to continuously learn how our bodies work mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and she loves sharing what she has learned with her students. She has been teaching since 2022 and is trained in Pilates, yoga, and personal training. That means you get the best of both worlds when you take one of her classes! Pilates has taught Angie how to move with purpose by recruiting stabilizer muscles and our power centers, the core, which allows our bodies to move in synergy, prevent injury, and prevent back issues.
Yoga ignited a journey of self exploration for Angie by helping her to find her voice and nurture a love for herself. Breathwork inspires her to slow down and go deeper internally. Her personal training certification educated her about the challenges of poor posture, stress, repetitive movement, or acute injuries, and how to correct those muscular imbalances. Angie is committed to creating a nurturing environment where students of all levels can explore movement, breath, and mindfulness.
Angie’s dual knowledge means she is able to blend the fluidity and grace of yoga into her Pilates classes, and the precision and control of Pilates into her yoga classes. Lucky us! Angie lives in Driggs with her boyfriend Sam and their cat Luna. We are so dang happy to have her at studioCORE Teton Valley.
Jen Werlin
YOGA Instructor
Jen has lived in the Tetons for almost twenty years and when she isn’t doing Yoga she is chasing around her two young boys or adventuring in the mountains with her husband Kent and their dog Oreo. She is passionate about her yoga practice and the capacity for yoga to center all of us and to compliment our active mountain lifestyle through enhanced mindfulness.
Jen is an experienced 200-hour certified yoga instructor and has taught alignment-based Vinyasa and Hatha private and group yoga classes to students of all ages in Jackson, WY and in Teton Valley, ID since 2009. A student of yoga for over 20 years, her yoga background is influenced from the Iyengar, Anusara, and Vinyasa yoga traditions, thirteen years of dance training, as well as her vocation as an educator with the University of Idaho. Jen has a RYT-200 hour Hatha Yoga certification from the Shambhava School of Yoga and has completed Immersive Teacher Training programs in Anusara Inspired Yoga in Teton Valley and Jackson Hole. She also teaches yoga for youth as a Yoga for Kids Instructor for 4-H youth development.
Babbs Weissman
Doing competitive gymnastics in the 1970s/80s shaped Babbs' identity around being both strong and hyper-mobile. However, in adulthood, she has managed several chronic injuries that resulted from training intensely at a time when little was known about how to protect the body’s structures. As she entered her 40s and felt her strength diminishing, she leaned even more into her flexibility through a deep yoga practice. Despite working with amazing yoga teachers who emphasized protective alignment, she would still compensate for her loss of strength with increased flexibility, which only worsened her chronic pain.
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Three years ago, a friend invited her to try Pilates, and a light bulb went off! Pilates allowed Babbs to integrate core strength, muscle activation, and alignment into her exercise journey. Thanks to pilates, she engages her muscles more mindfully as she stretches and works out. Babbs regained strength and muscle tone that she hadn’t realized she could rebuild!
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Today, at 50, Babbs feels stronger and safer in her body than she ever has before. She is excited to share what she has learned with others. The practice of integrating pilates principles into movement now informs the way she coaches gymnastics, the mobility/flexibility classes she teaches, and her own yoga practice. Her goal is to help others find a balance between strength, flexibility, and mindful movement.
Rebekah Donley
Pilates Instructor
We are honored to have Dr, Rebekah Donley, PT, DPT, CPI as a substitute instructor when she is available! (We would take her all the time if she didn’t have her own thriving pilates and physical therapy practice!). Upon graduating PT school, Rebekah found her dream job in a Sacramento clinic, offering in-house PT, Pilates, Chiropractic and Massage therapies. Becoming a certified Balanced Body Pilates Instructor in 2008 became the foundation of her physical therapy career and a lifelong movement practice that she advocates for all her patients and students. The 6 Principles of Pilates: Concentration, Control, Centering, Fluidity, Precision and Breathing are the gifts that keep giving throughout daily activities. She values Pilates for her clients because it protects the spine when lifting, helps with knee tracking while stepping up/down, sets the scapula to protect shoulders while moving arms, and supports overall mobility. When you don’t see Rebekah substituting at studioCORE, you’ll find her treating and coaching patients in private sessions just down the road at Victor PT & Pilates. Reach out to her to get support managing injuries for your athletic pursuits! Outside, Rebekah loves ALL the things: mountain biking, trail running, dirt biking, skiing, snowboarding, skate skiing and chasing her 2 little boys around!
What people say.
located at 170 N Main St
Victor, ID 83455