Karen Prechtl
Karen Prechtl is the owner of the Pilates Center of St Louis. Karen has been in the fitness industry since 1993. She is at her fourth and favorite location in Ladue which has been open since 2008. Karen has an extensive knowledge about and experience with movement. She has a degree in music and a background in dance. She started teaching fitness classes in St. Louis and found that teaching Pilates would be the next logical step. In 1993, Karen opened the first Pilates studio in St. Louis and never looked back. Karen had the privilege of doing her initial training at the Pilates Center of Boulder with Pilates elder, Romana Kryzanowska. She learned about the importance of form and was reminded that Pilates techniques really could help heal improper movement patterns and help relieve stress and pain. She recently became a certified Teacher Trainer with Balanced Body, an internationally acclaimed certifying organization. The Pilates Center of St. Louis hosts workshops for aspiring teachers and does ongoing training for our talented staff of instructors. More than ever, Karen enjoys sharing the wonderful benefits of this method of conditioning the body and awakening the mind.TOP

Beth Ruder
Beth Ruder has been studying the Pilates Method since 2002. Beth was certified through Pilates Unlimited in 2006 and started teaching at the Pilates and Yoga Center of St. Louis right away. After working as a Teacher Training Assistant with Karen Sanzo of Pilates Unlimited, she became a head Teacher Trainer in 2008 working both in Omaha, NE and here in St. Louis. Beth went to graduate school at the University of Illinois where she studied Interpretive and Cultural Kinesiology. She completed her masters in the summer of 2008, researching adolescent girlhood and girls' difficult relationship with their bodies. She returned to the Pilates Center with a refined sense of how we move, how we think about our bodies, and how the two relate to one another. Additionally, Beth is now certified with Balanced Body and is the head Teacher Trainer at our studio. She has led workshops for teachers looking at anatomy and biomechanics, the purpose of Pilates techniques, and the relationship students have with their bodies. Beth has trained young women, people with injuries, and even a 77-year-old Iron Man athlete. Beth's safe yet challenging methods help students of all shapes and sizes experience their personal best.TOP

Mary Zorich
Mary Zorich studied Pilates in 1998 with Karen Prechtl to help with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue and arthritis pain. It helped so much that after a year, she was off disability and started teaching Pilates part-time. In 2003 Mary graduated from the PILATES center in Boulder's well-known teacher training program. Mary loves working with all types of clients, but particularly people with any kind of chronic pain syndrome. Prior to her pilates life, Mary was an executive with the May Company, where she traveled extensively overseas, developing all areas of merchandise as well as quality control programs. TOP

Rebecca Milton
Rebecca has had a life-long interest in physical activity. Involved in dance at an early age, she began realizing the importance of form, coordination, and confidence. She received her BSN and in 1994, she became an RN, working in women’s and children’s health. She got involved in group exercise around the same time and taught fitness in the St. Louis area. In 2005, she became certified as a Health Fitness Instructor through the American College of Sports Medicine working as a personal trainer. With this certification, she was able to combine her two passions: helping women with wellness through both health and movement. Her mission is to help clients achieve a healthy balance between self-improvement and self-acceptance through exercise, nutrition, and self-appreciation. In 2010, Rebecca completed her Pilates certification through the Balanced Body University Teacher Training program here at the Pilates Center of St. Louis. Since then, she has been teaching here at our studio, leading students through sensible, yet powerful workouts. She has helped students gain confidence and self-acceptance, and to have an understanding of their bodies through Pilates. Students leave their workouts with Rebecca feeling strong, centered, and with a great knowledge about movement. TOP

Anna Welke
Anna started her Pilates training with BBU’s Karen Sanzo in Dallas and finished here at the Pilates Center of St. Louis with Beth Ruder. Prior to Pilates, she trained under Pam Schulte of Just Practice Yoga and is now a 200 hour Yoga Alliance certified Instructor.  Anna, a former lawyer, left corporate America two years ago to fulfill her dream to teach; a dream that began nine years ago when she journeyed into a yoga practice which then led her to Pilates. She takes great joy in assisting her students self explorations through the medium of Pilates and seeing them enrich their lives through improving their well-being. TOP