Instructor Bios

Stacey | Robin | Candy | Dana | Karen | Kerry | Debbie | Ashun

Stacey Vargas
Stacey Vargas founded the Pilates Institute of Southern California (PISC) in the year 2000, and is currently an active instructor and the Director of the PISC Pilates Teacher Certification Program which started in 2002. She has been teaching pilates locally since 1997.

Stacey has been dancing since the age of 2. At the age of 10 she was the youngest member of Oakland Metropolitan Ballet Company. She continued her dance career in the Los Angeles area with many talented and distinguished choreographers. Because of her commitment to dance, Stacey's career flourished. She moved-on to perform in numerous venues, such as theater, film, television, and, for a brief time, worked with the world renown “Laker Girls.” Stacey graduated from California State Long Beach with a BA in Dance.

With an intrinsic love for the human body, Stacey understands the body's natural movement not only from a dancer’s perspective, but from an athletic standpoint as well. As an active runner and swimmer, Stacey has been working with all types of athletes to help them re-pattern their movements to become more efficient in their respective field and to help strengthen existing injuries.

Stacey began studying Pilates in 1994. She initially began her study of the Pilates method in New York and later obtained her Pilates certificate at the internationally known Pilates Center of Boulder.

Robin Gary
Gained from a career as a professional dancer, Robin brings to her Pilates instruction a knowledge of human mechanics and movement. She helps each of her clients achieve their best performance.

Building core strength through Pilates can be done by anyone, and benefits everyone. Robin believes that Mr. Pilates' basic philosophy of integration of mind and body make for a more healthy body. It gives you an awareness and strength that carries over into everyday movement whether you are lifting your child, swinging a golf club, sitting in front of your computer, or running on the beach. "Most people don't think about how they move," says Robin. "Pilates gives you controlled, directed strength. It teaches you to be aware of your movement and change it in ways that make you feel better, move better, and look better. Pilates is for everyone no matter what your age, gender or fitness level."

Robin is certified through the Pilates Institute of Southern California. She emphasizes a friendly, relaxed, and supportive atmosphere in which you always succeed. Pilates with Robin is an energizing, fulfilling experience that lets you see and feel a real difference from the beginning. Reach her at (424) 241-8073 or email Robin.

Candy Currie
Candy has been practicing Pilates for over seven years. She started doing Pilates as a way to develop her core strength and diversify her fitness routine. She developed a passion for Pilates because of the physical and mental challenges that it provided her, along with the deepened core strength in her body. Inspired by her instructors and wanting to share her personal experience with others she became a certified instructor at the Pilates Institute of Southern California, in the summer of 2007.

Candy is a Southern California native and has been a resident of Manhattan Beach for the past 11 years with her family. She is active in local charities and schools where she has served on the Board of Directors. Candy has a Bachelors of Science Degree from Cal State Northridge.

We encourage you to call or stop by the Pilates Institute for any further questions.

Dana Peters
Growing up on the beach in the South Bay, Dana has been involved in athletics, particularly volleyball, as far back a she can remember. By the age of ten, Dana played competitive volleyball on both club and school teams. Dana discovered Pilates in 2002 when she began dong mat classes at Spectrum Health Club. While in college Dana played competitive volleyball and noticed how much stronger and more connected she felt after doing Pilates. During her junior year, she enrolled in a semester Pilates course and began to further her knowledge. With an intuitive passion for health and fitness Dana knew that she wanted to continue to pursue a career in the fitness industry, focusing on the Pilates Method.

Upon graduating form Chapman University in 2004, Dana was accepted into the prestigious teacher certification program at the Pilates Institute of Southern California. With teachers and mentors Stacey Vargas, Sara Dacklin and Kerry Wachtfogel Dana learned immediately that Pilates was not just an exercise method but a way of life. She quickly realized she had found her true passion and began teaching at the Pilates Institute in early 2005. Dana deeply enjoys helping people stay mentally and physically fit and she continues to deepen her knowledge of Pilates by taking courses and seminars annually. Dana stays active still playing beach volleyball, running, walking, playing golf, and of course doing Pilates.

Karen Richardson
Karen Richardson has been in the health and fitness business for over 20 Years as a Group Exercise Instructor and Manager for the elite Spectrum Clubs. With bad hips and back from years of high impact aerobics, Karen began taking private lessons from long-time friend Stacey Vargas. After just a few sessions she began noticing a dramatic difference.

Karen entered the Pilates Institute of Southern California teacher training program in 2004 and completed over 700 hours of comprehensive study to achieve her certification. She retired from management to become a full-time Pilates instructor.

Thanks to Pilates, Karen continues to run, cycle and everything she never thought she would be able to keep doing. “Pilates is the voice between the mind and the body. My desire is to empower my students with this knowledge and encourage them, through Pilates, to live a healthy and balanced life.”

Kerry Wachtfogel
Kerry is a graduate of Long Beach State University where she earned a Bachelors degree in Sports Medicine. She spent many years as a Certified Athletic Trainer, working with athletes in junior college and high school. Throughout those years, Kerry also worked part time as a fitness instructor. This is where she discovered Pilates when she took her first mat class with Stacey Vargas. Kerry embraced the philosophy of the Pilates Method and became certified in 2002. Since then, she has truly enjoyed her work as and instructor at PISC as well as being a member of the PISC Certification Program teaching staff.

Debbie Young
Debbie Young began her study of the Pilates method in 1998 with Stacey Vargas. Debbie's passion for the Pilates method as the premier vehicle for achieving overall fitness led her to obtain her teacher certification at the Pilates Institute of Southern California in 2006 and her Certified Pilates Teacher designation from the Pilates Method Alliance in 2007.

Debbie's love for teaching began in the classroom after she obtained her B.A in Speech Communication and Multiple Subjects teaching credential form UCSB, and an M.A. degree in Special Education. Debbie has held a lifelong devotion to movement and physical fitness, and continues to pursue her love of swimming, hiking and, of course, Pilates.

Ashun Freedman
(310) 292-9674

Ashun has had a passion for movement from a very young age. By age 3 Ashun was already involved in gymnastics and dance and continued to participate in gymnastics till the age of 12, competing in numerous competitions. Dance has always been a big part of Ashun's life as well. She was on the High school drill team as a freshman at Mira Costa High School and continued on to J.V. cheerleading and Varsity cheerleading. Her Cheer squad competed in several competitions during her sophomore, junior and senior year. Ashun was also very involved in soccer, playing A.Y.S.O as a perennial all-star, as well as club soccer. She was always a very fast runner who earned the nickname: “the girl with rockets in her butt”.

Ashun went on to College in Santa Barbara, majoring in Communications with a Political Science minor. She was an integral part of the cheerleading squad for 3 years. It was during this time in Santa Barbara that Ashun realized how important movement was to her; and that her career path would have to incorporate movement in a manner that would allow her to impart this passion to others.

After working for two years at her family's real estate business (Villa d'Arte Development) Ashun was ready for a change. She found the Pilates Institute of Southern California through a family member and applied for the teacher certification program. She was very excited to be accepted knowing that this was going to be something truly special. It turned out that pilates was her “calling”. Pilates is much more than just a form of exercise to Ashun: it is a lifestyle.

Ashun has now been teaching at the Pilates Institute for over a year and has loved each and every moment of the process. She has been able to quickly build a client base of dedicated devotes. Ashun believes that it is her passion for the regimen of the art that has created clients who are addicted to this form of self-improvement. This is clearly evidenced by their loyalty and willingness to refer others that they believe Ashun can help. Many pounds have been shed by Ashun's unique blending of classical and modern Pilates techniques such as “cardio Pilates”. Several of Ashun's clients suffering from conditions ranging from scoliosis and fibromyalgia to joint pain, back pain and high blood pressure have seen significant improvement in their overall health since beginning their Pilates training with Ashun.