HI, I'M DANIELA.

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.