Our Instructors
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Tamra is fascinated by all things human kinetics. We must move through the world to survive, so why not make it effortless and optimal?!
Tamra grew up in Tucson, Arizona chasing her two brothers in the desert, playing every sport under the sun, and climbing any tree she could find.
She moved to Arcata, California to attend Cal Poly Humboldt on a full-ride soccer scholarship in 2011. She graduated from Cal Poly Humboldt in 2014 with a BS in Kinesiology, Exercise Science and started an internship at the local Pilates studio in downtown Arcata.
Tamra started doing Pilates in tandem with college soccer and fell in love. She received her teaching certification for Pilates through, BASI or Body, Art, and Science Institute. She started teaching right after graduating college and kept diving into learning with a Yoga Teacher Training, a Holistic Health Practitioner Program, and studying breath work.
Tamra took on ownership of the Pilates studio where she started as an intern in 2019. She dove into teaching online when the pandemic hit, thus Pilates on the Vine was born.
When Tamra is not teaching movement classes she is spending time with her family. Her husband, Byron and daughter Marigold love to hike, camp, surf, and connect with friends.
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Ellie moved to Arcata in spring 2022 with her husband and two dogs. Her husband, Jessiah, had been raving about his hometown, Arcata, for years. She finally saw what all the hype was about and is grateful daily to now call this place home.
Ellie has been teaching fitness for 19 years and has specialized in Mat Pilates, Barre, Yoga, Lagree Fitness, and Indoor Cycling. Over the years, she has worked as an instructor, master trainer, and studio co-owner in Portland, OR.
She has an especially strong background in Lagree Fitness. Lagree is a method that evolved from Reformer Pilates to infuse body building techniques with spring-based tension. Her style of Pilates will ask that you move slower, find alignment in your body, and empower you to increase or decrease the intensity of exercises throughout class. Her ultimate goal is that when you walk out of class, you leave feeling challenged and successful.
IG: @topknotvibe
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Judi Nelson is a Physical Therapist, Ceritified Pilates instructor and licensed Zumba instructor. Her life purpose is helping people feel good in their bodies. Pain and restricted movement can really get in the way of living the life you want, and learning how to move without pain and honoring your body’s wisdom is one of the most important things we can do to have a fulfilling, purpose-driven life. It is with this intention that Judi opened her private physical therapy practice, Balanced Physical Therapy, in Arcata in 1999. She serves clients with chronic and complex pain syndromes and pelvic health concerns utilizing the tools of Myofascial Release, therapeutic pilates, and guided awareness in offices in Arcata and Willow Creek. Pilates is the perfect form of therapeutic exercise for anyone in pain or working with an injury because it is highly adaptable. There is always a way to do a movement without pain, which then helps the body create new patterns and unlearn old dysfunctional patterns. Through pilates, clients learn to feel their bodies and trust their own innate wisdom, which translates into better body mechanics with everyday tasks, injury prevention, and, ultimately, joy in movement.
Judi loves teaching group pilates classes because she wants to support people who take the time to care for their bodies through ongoing, regular contemplative movement. This self-care shows self-respect and acknowledges that if you want to do good in the world, it helps if you are healthy and connected to your body.
Judi has also been teaching Zumba since 2011 because she loves to dance and it is a great way to get amazing cardio while having a blast. Starting your day dancing makes everything better!
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Sonja is a fitness/wellness expert who is passionate about helping her clients build a strong core foundation from the ground up so that they feel stronger, lighter, and empowered in their bodies. Over the last 18 years, she has spent countless hours designing and implementing a broad range of individualized, group exercise, and nutritional programs that have led to incredible transformations.
Sonja utilizes Pilates technique as a foundation for all her functional fitness programs. You'll find a bit of contemporary style in all of her classes, and no matter your level, she will encourage you to challenge your physical capabilities for healthy improvement in overall strength, balance, and grace.
Sonja holds a degree in Kinesiology and Nutrition as well as certifications through Balanced Body, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Sonja is thrilled to bring her health and fitness background to Movewell on Demand!
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Monique first discovered her love for Aerial yoga in 2014- she loves being upside down, so once she experienced her first class she was hooked! She had already started her yoga journey 2 years earlier and was finishing up her 200hr yoga teacher training which led her on a path of deep self-healing through the ancient practices of Himalayan Kundalini and Vinyasa. Her passion is to share yogic philosophy and the techniques she studied on how to use the breath, voice and body to help release toxins, reduce anxiety and really heal on a cellular level. Aerial yoga took all she had already learned to the next level during her aerial yoga teacher training in 2019.
Moniques class will have you diving deep into the many healing aspects that Aerial yoga has on the body such as improving flexibility, building muscle strength, draining your lymphs, preventing joint breakdown and giving you peace of mind. She combines her knowledge of the ways we can heal into each class as she moves through a slow flow using the yoga hammock to deepen the practice making it safe, fun and accessible- especially when it comes to inversions.
Monique is originally from New York and has called California her home for the last 22 years. She mostly lived in the Sierra Nevada mountains and the foothills, moving to the area with her husband in 2019. As the world has shifted greatly since they first moved to the area they find themselves extremely lucky to have found an amazing uplifting community and home. She offers a few different classes in the area and also works with people as a Spiritual Life Coach.
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A Humboldt County (Fieldbrook) native and athlete, Kerri began her path in the fitness industry over 20 years ago while in college at HSU. After receiving her B.S. in Kinesiology, Kerri moved inland, starting her career as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Washington State University. While there she worked with Football, Track & Field, Tennis, Rowing, Spirit Squad and the Crimson Girls before returning to college to receive her M.S. at the University of Idaho.
Upon completing her Master’s degree, Kerri moved to Spokane, Washington to work as the Assistant Director of The Rudolf Fitness Center at Gonzaga University, overseeing the Fitness Department for 9 years.
In 2015, wanting to move closer to home, Kerri found her next career move at HealthSPORT as their Training Coordinator. During her time there she broadened her fitness knowledge, becoming trained in both Barre and Pilates. Kerri’s passion lies in helping everyone and anyone of ANY age and ability achieve a healthy and fit lifestyle through a variety of modalities. Now at Movewell, Kerri conducts one-on-one and small group Personal Training in addition to TRX classes.
Fun Fact: Kerri trained in Olympic weightlifting through high school and college.
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Islay Dillon-Ogden (she/her) (pronounced eye-luh), was born and raised in Humboldt County. After spending the past 5 years working with clients in San Francisco, Islay is excited to be returning to her roots at Movewell Arcata. Islay’s passion for movement began as a little girl when she took her first dance class and has continued to grow and carry itself into her Pilates practice. Islay first discovered Pilates while rehabbing a knee injury when she was a teenager. Pilates proved to be the only form of cross training that reduced her pain as well as increasing her strength and technique as a dancer. This belief in functional and therapeutic movement continues to be the foundation of her practice as a Pilates Instructor.
Islay’s goal as an instructor is to help each of her clients achieve freedom in movement without pain or restriction. The ability to move, big or small, is the greatest gift our bodies give us. Islay believes it is crucial to take an individualized approach and listen and respond to what each client and their body needs. Therapeutic, functional movement can be a powerful tool to strengthen the body, whether your goal is to build a foundation to support you through the challenges of more a vigorous practice or simply to manage chronic pain or past injuries.
Islay holds a BA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach. She received her certification from Stott Pilates in 2013. Since receiving this certification Islay has continued to seek out continuing education courses that support her practice in post rehab, injury prevention and therapeutic movement. Some of these studios include Pilates for Scoliosis, Pilates for Osteoporosis, workshops on the pelvic floor, Z-Health neurology for fitness and many more. Her past clients have included bodies recovering from back surgery, hip replacement, chemo therapy as well as knee injuries, torn rotator cuffs and more. She has also helped her clients train to hike the Himalayas and swim the Alcatraz Odyssey. She has always loved working with pre and most natal mothers and now after giving her to her first child, Islay has an entirely new appreciation and perspective on the practice of Pilates during and after pregnancy.