Our Instructors 

JENNIFER LAWRENCE, DPT PT, NCPT | OWNER & CO-FOUNDER | SPINNING BABIES AWARE PRACTITIONER & BODY READY METHOD CERTIFIED PRO

Jennifer began her career path in rehabilitation practices in 2001 with her Bachelors in Athletic Training from the University of Delaware. For four years, she worked with high school and college level athletes in the prevention and treatment of athletic injuries. Shortly after, Jennifer pursued her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Duke University and from there began working as a physical therapist in various settings from in-patient rehab to home health services and out-patient orthopedics. After moving to Kansas City and enduring a sudden back injury, Jennifer was introduced to Polestar Pilates, a rehabilitative form of Pilates. Through the practice of Pilates, Jennifer was able to make a full recovery and continue her passions in dance and athletics. Jennifer graduated from the Polestar Pilates Education Program and became a certified instructor through the Pilates Method Alliance. For the last ten years, she has enjoyed merging her worlds of physical therapy and Pilates instruction with a variety of populations. 

After having three natural home births of her own, Jennifer became inspired to teach and empower mothers with tools for a successful pregnancy and delivery. Her passion for understanding the connection between birth and the physiology of the body has led Jennifer to become both a Spinning Babies Aware Practitioner and a Certified Body Ready Method Professional. She is honored to serve both the prenatal and postpartum mothers in our local and extended community.

Jennifer believes that healing happens best when it originates from the “inside out.” Her heart is to see others cultivate an intentional relationship with their Maker that leads them into restoration and healing of body, soul, and spirit. Originally native to Hilo, Hawaii, Jennifer now resides in Kansas City with her husband Vaughn, Naturopath and owner of Spirit of Health, and their three children.

SARAH ROBERTS, DPT, PT | CO-FOUNDER & PROGRAM COORDINATOR | SPINNING BABIES AWARE PRACTITIONER

From a young age, Sarah developed a love of movement through dance which ultimately led her to pursue a career in physical therapy. After earning her Bachelors in Biology from Avila University, she completed her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Rockhurst University in 2010. Throughout her higher education, she continued to develop her teaching skills in movement education as a dance instructor. Even while treating patients in outpatient orthopedics, acute care, and inpatient rehab, her goal has always been to educate and make lasting change wherever possible. She continues to enjoy working with clients in an individualized capacity to assist them in achieving their personal goals.

Sarah first became interested in Pilates as a teen, but her personal journey in using Pilates to heal through her own postpartum has been her most powerful experience. As a mother of five and a certified Spinning Babies Aware Practitioner, she understands the special care required for a postpartum mother to regain strength and healing. She completed her Polestar Pilates training in 2020 and, as a co-founder of Whole Pilates, has partnered with Jennifer Lawrence to joyfully serve the community in Grandview, MO since that time.

As a Kansas City native, Sarah has a heart to see the local holistic health community link arms to provide an environment in which many can experience healing. She resides in Independence with her husband and children, who she has the great privilege to homeschool.

Hannah Anderson | ENGAGE DIRECTOR & STREAM LEADER | YOGA 200 HR CERTIFIED

Hannah Anderson is a Kansas City native, military wife, and mother of two. Movement has been an integral part of her world for 30 years since she began her dance training as a young child. Hannah maintained a focused commitment to her art form through her teen years, and she began dancing professionally in 2007. Hannah has worked with Störling Dance Theatre, STL New Dance Horizons and Dianne McIntyre, Ad Deum Dance Company, Open Sky Arts Collective, Störling Conservatory of Dance, and many other organizations as a dancer and choreographer. She continued to develop her leadership skills in North Carolina, where she directed the dance team at Covenant Love Church for almost 2 years. As her career progressed and the need to take care of her own body grew, Hannah’s interest in healing movement methodologies increased, and she chose to earn her 200HR yoga instructor certification. 

Shortly after Hannah began her dance career, she discovered her passion for emotional health when she began teaching young students. She spent 8 years teaching, choreographing, and directing young children at various schools and studios in Kansas City, as well as assisting with curriculum development. Recently, Hannah attended an emotional health retreat in Sophia, NC, to invest in her own understanding of what is required to cultivate a thriving inner world. She desires to employ all methods of movement as a vehicle for greater emotional freedom in all people. 

Hannah directs the EngageKids stream at Whole Pilates, as well as spearheading the development of FLOW - a new movement method designed to improve mobility and coordination by partnering flowing sequences to music with meditation and prayer. In addition to her roles at Whole Pilates, Hannah directs Earthen Image Movement, a high-caliber modern and contemporary company based in Kansas City, and is adjunct faculty at Störling Conservatory of Dance.

Leah Slavens | CLIENT LIAISON | PILATES, BARRE & FLOW INSTRUCTOR

Leah’s childhood was filled with delight in movement, as running and playing in nature gradually led her to join dance classes in a professional ballet studio in Houston,TX. Captivated with how the imagination can be fleshed out through movement and armed with intensive theatrical training, she moved to Cleveland, OH to apprentice with Inlet Dance Theatre. During this apprenticeship, Leah developed a hunger to understand the intricacies of the body and felt compelled to pursue a deeper education of the art form at Belhaven College. Through this endeavor, her heart was opened to the reality that she had no need to hide her heart for Jesus in her pursuit of movement. Her own passions and efforts became meaningless when separated from the design of the Creator, and her perspective of movement shifted to one of surrender. 

After two years at Belhaven, Leah traveled internationally and experimented with allowing movement to flow from her relationship with God. She performed in Paris, France, taught a worship master class in Rome, Italy, and interceded through dance as she traveled. Moving to Kansas City in 2011, she explored dance in the context of worship and intercession, which resulted in her choreography being performed in Jerusalem, Israel in 2014. Leah danced with Dramatic Truth Ballet Theatre as an apprentice and there also realized the joy of teaching, subsequently serving as the head of the modern department at Dramatic Truth School of the Arts. 

Leah’s passion to learn more about the body led her to join Spirit of Health and Whole Pilates. This opened the door for her to pursue certification in Polestar Pilates, as she desired to enhance her teaching skills with more care and awareness of the body's design and purpose. She views Pilates as a healthy foundation for anyone, regardless of their background, to deepen their understanding of the body and translate that knowledge into movement. Leah desires for her clients to feel empowered no matter what active endeavors they pursue, knowing they can return to Pilates as a means to offset imbalances often created through other modalities. With 7 years teaching experience and a lifetime of creativity as the language of her heart, Leah is excited to continue to connect people to the beauty of movement as an offering to the Living God.

Havilah Gililand | Flow Instructor

Havilah's interest in movement began when she was placed in her first ballet class at the age of three. Most of her childhood was spent at Dramatic Truth School of the Arts, where she was under the tutelage of Hannah Anderson, Sarah Roberts, Liz Dimmel, and Tobin James. After high school, she attended the Artistic Development Program at The Culture House. Soon after, she moved to Houston, TX, to study with Ad Deum 2, where she studied under Randell Flinn, Shizu Yasuda, and Alicia Graf Mack. There she broadened her knowledge of many techniques, including ballet, modern, and jazz. Most of her career has been local to the Kansas City area working specifically with the musical theater community. In 2020, she began to use many elements of Flow in her own practice and saw an immense amount of transformation in her flexibility and strength. Her classes will be intentional, fun, and athletic: created for every level of mover. Havilah is excited to bring her style of Flow to Whole Pilates.

Grace sutherland | Engage Kids Dance Instructor

Grace began dancing at Dramatic Truth School of the Arts at age 4 and graduated from the ballet program at the age of 17. Grace began dancing professionally the following year when she moved to Texas to dance with Ad Deum II. Grace learned various styles of movement from Shizu Yasuda and Randall Flinn, as well as guests such as Alicia Graf Mack, Roxanne Delores, and Durell Comedy. Some of her favorite styles of movement include Limon, Graham, Ballet, and Jazz. Grace was given the opportunity to use dance in outreach and ministry projects with Open Sky Arts Collective during the first couple years of her time in Texas; she eventually joined Open Sky as a company member in 2018. In 2019, Grace moved to Dallas from Houston to teach dance at Cornerstone Ranch, a ranch for adults with special needs. While her love for teaching movement grew, Grace joined Zion Dance Project as a company member. During her time in Texas, Grace found that dance could be used as a powerful tool to not only worship God and interact with Him, but also reach the hearts of those who don't know Him yet! Grace moved home to Kansas City, MO in 2020 and joined Störling Dance Theater for two seasons. She now directs a project based dance company called Maranatha Arts Collective. Grace enjoys creating performance and dance outreach material to share the love of Jesus, as well as teaching students how to grow in their own dance technique as artists.

Anita York | Engage Kids Dance Instructor

Anita York has always been a movement enthusiast, and as a child, she competed in swimming, track and field, and gymnastics. She continued her athleticism into college, where she competed with the University of Central Missouri in gymnastics while earning dual Bachelors in both Elementary Education and Recreation. Throughout and after college, Anita coached elite-level gymnasts for 14 years alongside professionals such as Al Fong of the Great American Gymnastic Express in Blue Springs.

When Anita began raising her family, she chose to set aside her career for the opportunity to homeschool her six children from preschool through high school graduation. When her children expressed an interest in dance, Anita continued learning alongside them and, with her athletic background and early education degree, quickly gained the skills needed to teach foundational ballet. She spent the next 15 years not only instructing students but also managing annual productions of over 100 children and teens at Dramatic Truth in Grandview, MO. Many of her former students adore her to this day.

Anita, a lifelong native of Kansas City, continues to be a vibrant member of the community and was honored with the KC Impact Award in 2022. In her spare time, Anita enjoys spending time with her husband, Scott, and her grandchildren and raising her chickens.

Joanna Parkhurst | Barre & Sculpt Align Instructor

Joanna's love for physical health and movement started with ballet and gymnastics as a kid and has continued to grow since. Active in sports through high school, participating in softball, volleyball, and running. She fell in love with weights and strength training and started her fitness career with NESTA, by becoming a personal trainer. She has had the privilege of working with countless clients as a weight loss coach and a certified life coach. Joanna also has a love for the culinary arts and received her Chef's certificate in 2002 from the Western Reserve School of Cooking in Ohio. This has integrated nicely into her love of coaching and helping people learn how to cook healthy foods and still enjoy them. Joanna has enjoyed teaching group classes over the last two decades, ranging from aerobics to boot camps, resistance classes, and kickboxing. 

After two decades of training her own body and through 5 pregnancies, 4 births, and recoveries between, she has gleaned firsthand knowledge of the intricate and amazing female body. She loves the benefits that strength training offers, from stronger bones to better mental health, more vitality, and of course, a better physique. Joanna is passionate about helping you find your why and helping you get to your goal. After coming to Whole Pilates for some postpartum care after her 4th child, she fell in love with the culture and vision and is now honored to be part of the team. She lives in Grandview, Missouri, with her husband and 4 children.

Destiny Hurst ACEPro PT, MHYT500, C-Holistic Nutritionist | Flow Instructor

In 2011, during her own training journey, Destiny discovered a deep passion for exercise and coaching others. This passion drove her to become an ACE Fit Pro-Certified Personal Trainer, with a strong desire to teach, encourage, and support individuals on their path to positive transformation and overall well-being. After her PIYO certification in 2013, Destiny was led to expand her training with breath, movement, and experiential worship. She continued her training by becoming a 200-hour Holy Yoga Teacher. In 2016, Destiny furthered her education and attained a Master 300-hour Holy Yoga Teacher certification. These ongoing certifications helped prepare her for the role of owning and teaching a former fitness/Christ-centered studio, which closed at the end of 2020. Destiny continues to share experiential worship through breath, movement, and meditation in small group settings & at women’s wellness retreats. 

Creating a sacred space and partnering with The Lord has enabled her to share contemplative practices for soul care. She has been able to teach the fundamental principles of breath work and movement, along with bringing body awareness and transformation. Through these practices, individuals can release, restore, recover, and experience renewal in their bodies. Destiny has learned through this journey that we are an integrated body. She continues to be a student in holistic health and recently has been certified as a Holistic Nutritionist in 2022. Her compassion compels her to aid in autoimmune crises, body image distortion, and chronic stress manifestations in the body. Through her education, training, and personal testimony, Destiny strives to bring glory to God.

Courtney Means | certified Breath Instructor

Meet Courtney Means, a dedicated and certified breathwork and mindset coach with a profound passion for the transformative power of conscious breathing. For more than three years, she has immersed herself in the fascinating world of breathwork, delving into its scientific principles and practical applications.

Having experienced the toll of chronic stress for decades, Courtney embarked on a personal journey to seek relief and inner peace. Through her explorations, she discovered the incredible potential of breathwork to reset the nervous system and restore balance in both body and mind.

As a devoted wife of 10 years and mother of three children, Courtney understands the demands of a busy and dynamic life. Her own experiences with breathwork have instilled in her a profound desire to share these techniques with others. With compassion and enthusiasm, she guides her clients towards greater self-awareness, emotional regulation, and mental clarity.