Instructors

Loretta Hallet

I have always had a huge drive to be fit and healthy for pretty much most of my life.

And throughout my life, I have experienced how it feels to be supremely fit, incredibly unfit, healthy and unhealthy and they don’t all always get paired together in the way you would think.

I’ve just always enjoyed being physically active and the feeling of having strength, and vitality to tackle daily life. It appears that this is something that both Joseph Pilates and I have in common.

And also like Joseph, I believe that it is your right as a human being on this planet to have and enjoy fitness, health and wellness. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that these days being fit and healthy is considered the exception and not the norm.

When I first started Pilates…a few decades ago, nobody knew what it was. It had such a big impact on my body and opened up my mind to a new way of moving and I really wanted other people to benefit and understand the impact Pilates can have on your life. But of course back then, when I tried to explain it to people, they thought I was a little crazy!

So I just started using Pilates with my personal training clients and the magic started to happen without people having to know what Pilates actually was. They were healthier and happier as a result, were more productive in their lives and were able to contribute to a healthier and happier world.

In 2009 Pilates Plus was born out of the desire to multiple this result and help as many people as possible…be an agent of change in the world.

This includes providing our clients with high quality pilates fitness programs, creating future pilates industry leaders and empowering people to be capable of living a life filled with wellness and great health and fitness.

Vicki Haramis

Movement and exercise has been a part of my life from a very early age.

In my youth it was calisthenics and gymnastics that gave me the strength, mobility and fitness I loved to have, and over the years I’ve been a runner, joined gyms and always managed to stay active.

But now my movement passion is Pilates.

I decided to turn this passion into a career, completed my Diploma qualification and have swapped a 20 year corporate career for the opportunity to help people be healthier, fitter and happier, it’s a dream come true!

I love the precision and challenge that Pilates presents. It looks effortless, but the deliberate movements require a lot of internal strength and control. I find it extremely fulfilling to help people of all ages and fitness levels achieve their goals, whether it be to touch their toes or improve their balance.

I’m committed and dedicated to teaching others how to develop their bodies to achieve pain free movement, to live everyday with energy and vitality. I also believe that health and happiness go hand in hand and Pilates truly is health and fitness for the mind and body.

Josh Minden

I’ve had a diverse career in the fitness industry which has allowed me to work with a wide range of people including children, the elderly, pre and post-natal women and athletes.

I’ve practiced martial arts and competed in triathlons and am a qualified Level 1 Triathlon coach. My exploration of human movement has led me to practice and then become a Diploma qualified pilates instructor and teacher trainer.

Doing and teaching Pilates is part of a lifelong passion that I have for movement, fitness and health. The Pilates method encompasses so much of what I have come to believe is important to long term health and wellbeing, in its emphasis on mindful and purposeful movement for the sake of enhancing quality of life. It gives me great satisfaction to know that I am doing something positive for myself and others.

As a member of the very dedicated and supportive team at Pilates Plus it is such a pleasure to work with the wide array of clients that attend, helping each person to find new appreciation for their bodies and what they can do.

Pete Naglitsch

I am a fitness industry veteran, having taught group classes for the past 18 years, while working full time as a sports ground curator. I’ve since retired from full time work to pursue my true passion, which is health, fitness and pilates.

Having experienced a serious back injury which resulted in surgery, has led me to appreciate how valuable pilates is for not only rehabilitation from injury, but as a prevention.

By working as a pilates instructor, hopefully I’ll be able to prevent other people experiencing what I did with my injury!

Supporting clients to achieve their health and fitness goals is very rewarding and I’m looking forward to helping many more people achieve a happier, healthier life!

Tracey Lowden

My whole life I have been passionate about keeping fit and healthy. Coming from a background in high level competitive sport, I suffered a serious knee injury in my early 20s which sidelining me for two years, I thought I would never be able to run again!

From then on, I never took for granted the importance of being able to move, and the benefits of maintaining a strong and healthy body which allowed me to continue my love for running, swimming and surf lifesaving.

This passion for health and fitness led me to a career working in the health & fitness industry, that was nearly 30 years ago. Over this time, I’ve had the privilege of helping many people from athletes to the elderly achieve their health, fitness & movement goals with a strong focus on function and movement capability for daily life.

In 2004 I was introduced to Pilates by a physio and the results were remarkable! This was a game changer for me personally, having suffered from various injuries over the years, and motivated me to study and become qualified in teaching the pilates method of exercise.

So at the start of 2020, I made the decision to undertake a Diploma in Pilates Movement and I’m so happy I did!

Lauren Thorpe

I’ve had a lifelong passion for movement and this became my career which started very early in my life, working as a child dancer on stage and television in Los Angeles from the age 8.

I attended the prestigious Los Angeles County High School for the Arts where I graduated with honours as a dance major and was granted a scholarship to attend The Alvin Ailey American Dance School in New York City.

I was extremely fortunate to have Pilates integrated as a part of my studies and practice from very early in my career. Unfortunately, a serious injury to my lower spine led to the end of my professional performance career. Rehabilitation through pilates gave me a very personal understanding of the incredible ability of pilates to help people overcome injury and led to me avoiding surgery and I was able continue with limited performing.

It was after the birth of my son, that I again looked to Pilates for help with post-natal recovery. Again, the results I achieved ignited a deeper passion for the pilates method and looking for a career change, I made the decision to study the full Diploma in Contemporary Pilates. Building on my lifelong movement knowledge and experience, finding a way to help others discover and connect with their bodies has been the most rewarding journey of my life.

I am thrilled to be part of the team here at Pilates Plus and excited to share my passion for movement and help as many people as I can live a healthier, pain free and happier life!

Maria Trenton

When I was 17, I got my first teaching job as a junior instructor, substituting a children's dance class. In high school, I used to love being called upon by my dance instructors to run the warm ups. While I studied my Bachelor's of Dance at California State University Fullerton, I taught dance and worked in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles to pay for Uni. In fact my first introduction to Pilates was teaching Nicole Scherzinger how to articulate her ankle using the Wunda Chair while filming a gym commercial.

My entire career over the past twenty years has always been fitness focused. Teaching dance lead to performing/competing which lead to learning aerials which lead to teaching circus arts. Recently, I decided I was ready for another shift in my career which lead me to Pilates. These days, I'm more interested in rehabilitation and the holistic approach to overall body wellness.

I look around at people all day and envision how I would help them with their posture and stride. Movement is just something that's been engrained in me. It's all I've ever known, and it continues to be the drive within me. I hope to inspire people, heal them and keep them agile and healthy for as long as possible.