Instructor Bios

Stacey | Candy | Robin | Karen | Debbie | Michelle | Alicia | Suzanne | Joie

Stacey Vargas
Stacey Vargas founded the Pilates Institute of Southern California (PISC) in the year 2000, and is currently an active instructor and the Director of the PISC Pilates Teacher Certification Program which started in 2002. She has been teaching pilates locally since 1997.

Stacey has been dancing since the age of 2. At the age of 10 she was the youngest member of Oakland Metropolitan Ballet Company. She continued her dance career in the Los Angeles area with many talented and distinguished choreographers. Because of her commitment to dance, Stacey's career flourished. She moved-on to perform in numerous venues, such as theater, film, television, and, for a brief time, worked with the world renown “Laker Girls.” Stacey graduated from California State Long Beach with a BA in Dance.

With an intrinsic love for the human body, Stacey understands the body's natural movement not only from a dancer’s perspective, but from an athletic standpoint as well. As an active runner and swimmer, Stacey has been working with all types of athletes to help them re-pattern their movements to become more efficient in their respective field and to help strengthen existing injuries.

Stacey began studying Pilates in 1994. She initially began her study of the Pilates method in New York and later obtained her Pilates certificate at the internationally known Pilates Center of Boulder.

Candy Currie
Candy has been practicing Pilates for over seven years. She started doing Pilates as a way to develop her core strength and diversify her fitness routine. She developed a passion for Pilates because of the physical and mental challenges that it provided her, along with the deepened core strength in her body. Inspired by her instructors and wanting to share her personal experience with others she became a certified instructor at the Pilates Institute of Southern California, in the summer of 2007.

Candy is a Southern California native and has been a resident of Manhattan Beach for the past 11 years with her family. She is active in local charities and schools where she has served on the Board of Directors. Candy has a Bachelors of Science Degree from Cal State Northridge.

We encourage you to call or stop by the Pilates Institute for any further questions.

Robin Gary
Gained from a career as a professional dancer, Robin brings to her Pilates instruction a knowledge of human mechanics and movement. She helps each of her clients achieve their best performance.

Building core strength through Pilates can be done by anyone, and benefits everyone. Robin believes that Mr. Pilates' basic philosophy of integration of mind and body make for a more healthy body. It gives you an awareness and strength that carries over into everyday movement whether you are lifting your child, swinging a golf club, sitting in front of your computer, or running on the beach. "Most people don't think about how they move," says Robin. "Pilates gives you controlled, directed strength. It teaches you to be aware of your movement and change it in ways that make you feel better, move better, and look better. Pilates is for everyone no matter what your age, gender or fitness level."

Robin is certified through the Pilates Institute of Southern California. She emphasizes a friendly, relaxed, and supportive atmosphere in which you always succeed. Pilates with Robin is an energizing, fulfilling experience that lets you see and feel a real difference from the beginning. Reach her at (424) 241-8073 or email Robin.

Karen Richardson
Karen Richardson has been in the health and fitness business for over 20 Years as a Group Exercise Instructor and Manager for the elite Spectrum Clubs. With bad hips and back from years of high impact aerobics, Karen began taking private lessons from long-time friend Stacey Vargas. After just a few sessions she began noticing a dramatic difference.

Karen entered the Pilates Institute of Southern California teacher training program in 2004 and completed over 700 hours of comprehensive study to achieve her certification. She retired from management to become a full-time Pilates instructor.

Thanks to Pilates, Karen continues to run, cycle and everything she never thought she would be able to keep doing. “Pilates is the voice between the mind and the body. My desire is to empower my students with this knowledge and encourage them, through Pilates, to live a healthy and balanced life.”

Debbie Young
Debbie Young began her study of the Pilates method in 1998 with Stacey Vargas. Debbie's passion for the Pilates method as the premier vehicle for achieving overall fitness led her to obtain her teacher certification at the Pilates Institute of Southern California in 2006 and her Certified Pilates Teacher designation from the Pilates Method Alliance in 2007.

Debbie's love for teaching began in the classroom after she obtained her B.A in Speech Communication and Multiple Subjects teaching credential form UCSB, and an M.A. degree in Special Education. Debbie has held a lifelong devotion to movement and physical fitness, and continues to pursue her love of swimming, hiking and, of course, Pilates.

Michelle Akeley
Michelle Akeley has been motivated about movement ever since a young age. Growing up in the South Bay, she studied dance, voice and acting. They grew to become a passion of hers and led to her earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA for musical theatre. While in high school Michelle started her Pilates practice and she was fortunate enough to continue her study while in college. While in her junior year she wanted to learn even more about this wonderful form of movement and decided to apply for the PISC certification program. She was accepted into the following year's class and completed her certification mere months after earning her college degree.

Michelle has also been teaching youth musical theatre in the area for several years now and is able to bring a youthful/fun element to all of her teaching, be it a kid or an adult. She is passionate about learning and growing and passing on her knowledge to her clients. If you would like to book a lesson with Michelle, reach her at (310) 489-0350 or email Michelle.

Alicia Gilbert
Alicia started as a dancer in Philadelphia and New York, studying at the University of the Arts, and performing with acclaimed choreographers and dance troops. During this time, amidst studies of health, fitness, and nutrition, she became the assistant director of the "One on One" fitness program of the prominent 18th Street Gym in center city Philadelphia, PA. After moving to Los Angeles in 1989 Alicia continued dancing in the film and commercial industry wherein she began a personal training program. In January of 1998 she was introduced to Pilates for rehabilitation of a chronic hamstring injury and was hooked for life!

Six months later she began the teacher training certification program at the school known as the Harvard of Pilates schools, "The Pilates Center" in Boulder, Colorado. This in-depth education from some of the finest movement teachers in the nation was a natural progression that deepened her innate vision into the body and her understanding of body mechanics. At the same time she studied several different modalities of body work with proteges from IPSY (massage school of Santa Monica, CA.), MAT (Myoskeletal Alignment Technique) of Eric Dalton, and AIS (Isolated Activated Stretching) of Aaron Mattes.

In 2002 Alicia was seriously injured in a snowboarding accident, and unable to look at a screen or get out of bed, she rehabilitated herself from a sacral whiplash concussion back to health with the Pilates form! With this and other personal experiences of injury Alicia has developed a diverse set of skills and an innate sensitivity which she brings to her clientele that have ranged from rehabilitative to high performance athletes.

Over the years Alicia has become a teacher of teachers, and is now part of the Teacher Certification Program at PISC where she teaches private clientele. Alicia has been teaching Pilates since 1999 and is dedicated to continuing her understanding of the form; awareness, attunement, and integration of the mind, body, and spirit.

Suzanne Packer
Suzanne is a firm believer in the power of the mind, body and soul connection, and that wellness is more important than just fitness. When she found Pilates 5 years ago, she knew it was a perfect fit for her. After spending 10 years in the investment world, then 12 years as a stay at home mom, Suzanne finally followed her heart and acquired her Pilates teaching certification through the Pilates Institute of Southern California.

Each time she works on her own Pilates practice Suzanne discovers something new, and she is thrilled to be able to share that with others. Pilates is her passion, and her mission is to inspire and empower clients on their own Pilates journeys. She works to encourage them as they open their minds and learn to let go and allow their bodies to move without fear or restriction. That way, her clients take home the joy of the work, and not just the exercise.

When we practice Pilates, we work to uniformly develop the body, engaging ALL the muscles in a way that makes us stronger and more flexible. Pilates heightens awareness of our bodies and the way we move on a day to day basis. With this knowledge, we stay connected to our inner selves which improves every aspect of our lives.

Joseph Pilates said, " The only real guide to your true age lies not in years or how you THINK you feel but as you ACTUALLY are as infallibly indicated by the degree of natural and normal flexibility enjoyed by your spine through life. If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old; if it's completely flexible at 60, you are young".

Suzanne has a B.A. in Spanish business from the University of Colorado.

Joie Shettler
Joie has been a professional dancer for over 20 years. She has worked with artists such as Prince, Michael Jackson, danced in the Academy Awards, was a Los Angeles Laker Girl, and was also one of the creators and dancers of the PussyCat Dolls. Joie also toured as a back-up vocalist with the Brian Setzer Orchestra where she appeared on stages all over the world.

With her deep respect and knowledge of the human body, Pilates was a natural segue after the birth of her two children. Semi-retiring from the dance world, she received her certification from The Pilates Institute of Southern California in 2008. Joie continues her education of the human anatomy and movement yearly. Joie’s background as a dancer has greatly influenced her philosophy and teaching skills of Classic Pilates

Joie is passionate about teaching her clients to strengthen not only their body, but to promote mindful movements, improving posture, and overall health. Joie guarantees a fun and fluid workout, great for people at all fitness levels.