MUSE PILATES CERTIFIED Classical Pilates Instructors

Owner

Power Pilates Comprehensively Certified Instructor

Nina’s Pilates career evolved from her fitness certification at the University of Arizona.  She taught fitness for many years while establishing her dual career as an Attorney in both California and Arizona. 

Nina was drawn to the intelligent, dynamic and results-oriented aspects of Pilates.  Seeking to deepen her knowledge of Classical Pilates methodology, she completed the world-renowned Power Pilates NYC Comprehensive training program – the gold standard in the industry.  Her training included over 600 hours of apprentice teaching, rigorous testing, training in kinesiology, and working with special cases.  She is certified to teach all levels on all apparatus. 

Nina built her own studio, Muse Pilates, with a desire to inspire others.  She works primarily with professional athletes and dancers. 

Her athlete clientele includes NFL, MLB, LPGA, PGA, NBA, Volleyball, Tennis, Hockey and Soccer players, equestrians and figure skaters.  She also teaches doctors, celebrities, people recovering from injury, cancer warriors and Pilates instructors. She is well-respected for delivering results. Her studio is fully-equipped with top quality Gratz apparatus, including longer reformers for taller clients and athletes.  

She continually gains expertise and enhances her skill set, traveling  internationally to study with experts in the industry.  Her teachers have included Sonje Mayo, Miguel Silva, Chris Robinson, Brooke Siler, Brett Howard, Jerome Weinberg, Mariano Dolagaray, Joel Crosby, Peter Fiasca, Jeroen Vancoillie, Gloria Gasperi, and Noam Gagnon.  Her continuing education areas of focus include working with men, injury prevention and conditioning for athletes, Scoliosis, Osteoporosis, pre and post natal, neck and shoulder injuries, knee and hip injuries, back injuries, and advanced classical progressions. 

Nina helps clients achieve well-being and maximize their potential.  She gives a customized experience to each client based on needs and goals, ensuring that proper connections are made in the body.  She tracks progress and refines, gradually building upon the client’s repertoire.  She enjoys building relationships with clients and seeing them succeed.   

Power Pilates Comprehensively Certified Instructor

Originally from Italy, Linda Bombelli began her career as a professional modern dancer in Milan, later on moving to New York City to refine her artistry.  She performed and became current Faculty member at the prestigious Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance.  After a lower back injury and several muscle dysfunctions throughout the years, she discovered Pilates as part of her rehabilitation and cross-training.  She instantly fell in love and was able to enhance her dancing through her Pilates practice.  She was finally able to condition and strengthen her body in the most unique way possible; and work toward reconnecting to her Center from the inside out.  As a result, her approach to teaching dance and simply living life shifted tremendously, driving her to begin her journey as a Power Pilates instructor in 2019.  She graduated from the Power Pilates 600 hour Comprehensive Training Program, both in New York City and Verona (Italy).  As a firm believer in the mind and body connection, Linda feels privileged to be encouraging her clients’ personal achievements and improve their health through the Pilates’ Method.  During her training, she met Nina Smith and she’s very excited to be part of her team at Muse Pilates!

Comprehensively Certified Instructor

Daniela Sartore-Lewis (“Dani”) discovered Pilates in 2006 after moving to the United States from Brazil, and she quickly fell in love with the method. Since then, Pilates has remained a constant in her life. While she has explored a variety of studios and styles, she is especially passionate about the classical approach. 

Dani has always led an active lifestyle. Growing up, she played multiple sports, including basketball, volleyball, and handball, and developed a strong passion for dance, training in both ballet and jazz. In Brazil, Dani also competed in more than ten triathlons. Although running was her favorite discipline, the physical demands led to several injuries. Pilates became an essential part of her recovery, helping her rehabilitate and build a stronger, more balanced body. Her personal experience with the benefits of Pilates inspired her to pursue formal training. In 2015, she began a 13-month comprehensive Pilates instructor program under Mary J. Brown at The Core Center in St. Louis, Missouri. During her training, her family relocated to Nashville when her husband accepted a position at Vanderbilt University, and she completed her certification in 2016.

Dani is a NPCA Nationally Certified Pilates Instructor and continues to deepen her expertise through ongoing study. She is classically trained and currently studies under Master Instructor Sonje Mayo.

Guided by the core Pilates principles—breath, concentration, centering, control, precision, and flow—Dani believes that Pilates can improve posture, enhance the mind-body connection, increase body awareness, and develop long, lean muscles and a strong core.

For Dani, teaching Pilates is deeply rewarding. She is passionate about helping others move better, feel stronger, and improve their overall quality of life.

Power Pilates Certified Mat Instructor  

Leigh Ann is a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Power Pilates Mat Instructor. A graduate of Ohio University, she spent nearly 30 years as a CFO and part owner of a construction company, bringing the same discipline and drive to the mat that she built over a long career in business.

After retiring, Leigh Ann went searching for a renewed sense of purpose and found it in movement. Her path led her to Muse Pilates and Nina Smith, where she experienced firsthand how Pilates transforms both body and mind. Inspired by the method and the studio's community, she completed the Power Pilates mat certification program and plans to continue advancing her Pilates education. She believes that Mat Pilates is the essential foundation for building control, stability, and body awareness, and she's passionate about creating a space where clients feel capable and accomplished.  

Leigh Ann, who enjoys traveling and took up marathons after retirement, is living proof that it's never too late to chase something new, and she teaches with that same energy and the ever – present smile she's known for. Among her greatest joys is watching her daughters grow into kind, driven women.