Meet the Team

Hello, I'm Daniela Mazal.

I didn’t come to Pilates because I wanted abs. I came because I needed a better paycheck. In 2013, I was a college student with a yoga teaching certificate, juggling restaurant shifts and teaching heated classes at big box gyms for $20 a class. It wasn’t sustainable. A friend told me Pilates paid better. I had barely taken a single mat class in my life — but I signed up for a weekend certification anyway.

At the time, my body was already wrecked. I grew up as a hypermobile dancer and had spent years chasing flexibility instead of strength. The heated, stretch-heavy classes I was teaching were only making things worse.

Then I took that first mat training. And something clicked.

Not just financially — though yes, the classes paid more and my schedule filled quickly. But physically. For the first time, I experienced strength and control in a way my body had been missing. Pilates didn’t just stretch me — it stabilized me. It taught me how to create strength in ranges I had always just hung out in.

I became a better dancer. A better yogi. And eventually, a better teacher.

I started teaching private clients in a fully equipped studio. My income grew. I was able to leave restaurant work behind and focus on my Kinesiology degree and my career full-time. But here’s what I didn’t know at the time:

Pilates was becoming something much bigger than a job.

Daniela Mazal, MS, RYT-500, is a Clinical Exercise Kinesiologist, 2nd generation comprehensive Pilates teacher, and movement educator dedicated to helping every body move well for life. With a Master of Science in Kinesiology and master’s level comprehensive Pilates training under first-generation teacher Jay Grimes, Daniela blends classical Pilates with evidence-based exercise science. She is also a Pre/Postnatal Exercise Specialist (AFPA) with advanced pelvic health training through Pelvic Pro’s (Dr. Sarah Duvall). Her work is rooted in strength, function, and sustainability—supporting clients across the lifespan, from pre/postnatal recovery to injury rehabilitation and long-term wellness.

Meet Robin.

Robin fell in love with Pilates while studying at the University of Iowa. Beginning in 2001, she could be found several days a week immersed in equipment and mat classes at a local dance studio. After earning her BS in Health, Leisure, and Sports Studies in 2003, she quickly realized the most impactful thing she discovered in college wasn’t in a textbook…it was Pilates.

She went on to complete a comprehensive 600+ hour Pilates training program through Power Pilates in 2004, launching what would become a lifelong career devoted to the method. Over the next fifteen years, Robin taught throughout the Chicagoland area, including at her own studio, PilatesBodies. In 2015, she earned her National Certification through the National Pilates Certification Program.

Robin’s teaching blends classical roots with thoughtful modern day application, creating sessions that are intelligent, challenging, and intentionally programmed. She is passionate about preserving the integrity of the Pilates method while making it accessible, empowering, and transformative for every client she works with.

Now based near Huntsville, Alabama, Robin teaches virtually with Old School Pilates, bringing decades of experience, depth, and energy to every session. When she’s not teaching, she’s spending time with her husband and their four children, exploring the outdoors, or tackling her latest home repair or renovation project.

Meet Carolina.

Carolina Alcantara’s journey into Pilates began as a search for healing. In 2013, after experiencing chronic back and knee pain related to physically demanding jobs and a mild arthritis diagnosis, she discovered Classical Pilates and quickly experienced profound physical improvements.

Inspired by the method and Joseph Pilates’ book Return to Life Through Contrology, Carolina decided to become a Pilates instructor. She completed her first 650-hour comprehensive certification with Peak Pilates under the mentorship of Pam Garcia in South Shore Boston.

Over the past 12 years, Carolina has worked with over 1,000 bodies, helping students build strength, improve posture, and move with greater awareness. Her passion for the method led her to pursue a second comprehensive certification through the Authentic Pilates Learning Center, where she studied the Romana Kryzanowska methodology and deepened her understanding of the classical lineage of Pilates.

Carolina continues to expand her knowledge through workshops and mentorship with respected teachers such as Jay Grimes, Kathi Ross Nash, and Brett Howard. She has also participated in three editions of Pilates at the Pillow, held at the historic Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts, where Joseph Pilates taught dancers in the 1940s.

Carolina also brings personal experience and care to Pilates for pregnancy and postpartum, helping women maintain strength, stability, and body awareness during this transformative stage of life. She believes Pilates is truly for everybody and is passionate about helping people strengthen and lengthen their bodies while discovering their strong center and balance.

Meet Elizabeth.

Meet Miriam.

Miriam received her classical Pilates certification in 2007 with Core Pilates NYC, in New York City. From there, she worked at Alycea Ungaro’s Real Pilates until 2014 as a senior instructor. In 2013 she gave birth to her beautiful twin babies, and decided to move to LA a year later to be closer to family, in a land with much better weather. She then began teaching Pilates at Equinox in Hollywood. Since moving to SCV, she has maintained a virtual Pilates business, as well as in-person mat classes through Seasons, and reformer classes at Henry Mayo fitness. Miriam has a passion for finding the joy in movement and for helping others, with humor and grace.