MEET THE TEAM
Lindsey Hanahan, CLMA, RSMT, NCPT, RAS
Lindsey is a certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst (CLMA), a Registered Somatic Movement Therapist (RSMT), a National Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT), and a Redcord Activcore Specialist (RAS®)
Lindsey spent 6 years on staff in the physical medicine department at Denver Injury, a multi-disciplinary clinic specializing in complex injury rehab, where she collaborated with physical therapists and doctors on patient care. Her original Pilates training was done privately with Donna McLean Studios, followed by completing the Polestar® Pilates training program and working at Polestar Denver.
She was honored to be accepted for the Balanced Body Faculty training with the gifted Nora St. John and is excited to be a Balanced Body Master Instructor for both Pilates and MOTR. She received her CoreAlign instructor training locally from Carrie Lamb, DPT and Balanced Body Master Instructor for CoreAlign, and continues her studies regularly. She has also completed her Redcord suspension training for rehab and fitness and is a Redcord Activcore Specialist. Her continuing education work includes courses in lumbar stabilization (with Mark Commerford and Paul Hodges), thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), Aston Patterning, Pathokinesiology of the Upper and Lower Extremities with Lise Stolze, Advanced Gait and Rotational Sports with Dav Cohen, PNF Patterning and Upper Body Stability/Mobility with Irene Dowd, and Pfilates (pelvic floor plyometrics) with Bruce Crawford, MD.
Since studying the Pfilates work, Lindsey has delved into the endless links between pelvic floor dysfunction and movement dysfunction. She is part of the Lumbo-Pelvic Pain group at Presbyterian/St. Lukes hospital in Denver founded by urologist Nel Gerig, MD, teaches regular Pfilates courses to help those with common pelvic floor weaknesses to quickly regain that muscular function, and privately with others who struggle with over-active pelvic floors. Her unique combination of Bartenieff Fundamentals and Pilates training has proven to be a dynamic and effective tool when educating clients in this area.
Most recently, along with her husband Tom Geissler, Lindsey created the Tweener™ Bar and Tweener™ Bar PLUS, both of which work on the CoreAlign® ladder to improve the biomechanics for people of any size using the equiment, and increase the range of possibilities on that equipment with the addition of variable resistance.
Lindsey relocated to Denver in 2001 from New York City, where she was a professional dancer, teacher, choreographer, director and producer. She has taught dance in the US, Canada and China and has choreographed regionally and in Denver where she received the Marlowe Award for her work on Next Stage Theater’s productions of Chess and Assassins. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, and former Chair of AEA’s Denver Area Liaison Committee.
As a student athlete, Lindsey’s sport of choice was track and field. As an adult, she is an avid tennis player and loves working with individual and team athletes including younger athletes looking to improve their overall movement and improve their competitive skills.
Michael Driscoll, MFA, GCFP
Michael brings his extensive background in movement therapy, including training in Pilates, Feldenkrais and GYROTONIC®, to his clients at MOVE Studios.
After seventeen years of professional dance experience (modern and jazz dance) and a Master of Fine Arts degree, Michael turned his talents to the world of fitness and movement education. In 1996 he obtained a Principles of Intelligent Movement Certification in Pilates and GYROTONIC®, followed in 1998 by a Polestar® Pilates certification for fitness and rehabilitation. He has completed both Level 1 and Level 2 GYROTONIC® certification, training directly with GYROTONIC® founder Juliu Horvath.
In addition to his Pilates and GYROTONIC® disciplines, Michael completed a 4-year Feldenkrais* Guild® of North America certified training program and is a member of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America. He has taught nationally for Polestar Education and is also member of the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA).
Michael’s dance background, extensive training and professional certifications have helped him create a movement “toolbox” which he uses to assist individuals at all skill and fitness levels to achieve their functional, fitness and rehabilitation goals. In his work, both privately and in group settings, Michael always strives to develop a broader functional awareness of movement in his clients’ lives.
*The Feldenkrais® method is a form of somatic education that uses gentle movement and directed attention to improve movement and enhance human functioning.
Larissa Jones, RYT
Larissa is a Senior Pilates Instructor, Senior Yoga Instructor, Yoga Therapist, and Sports Massage Therapist, and brings the combination of Yoga's beautiful and powerful flow practice with the athleticism and dynamic moves of Pilates to MOVE Studios clients.
Larissa has called much of the West Coast home: She was born in Seattle, grew up in Ventura County, CA and received a degree in Anthropology from the University of Oregon, Eugene focusing on traditional medicine. Beginning at age 4, Larissa started downhill and water skiing, played soccer, and studied gymnastics and dance. In high school she earned a position on California’s Women's All-Star Lacrosse Team. Larissa was a devoted equestrian participating in Gymkhana events and Show Jumping until a spinal injury from a fall forced her to stop. She suffered years of chronic pain due to these injuries but attributes her daily Pilates practice to her now pain-free life. Her initial training in Portland, OR was Mat and Standing Pilates through PhysicalMind Institute (2003) followed by Mat and Reformer training through Stott Pilates with Melanie Byford-Young (2005). She completed her comprehensive Stott Pilates International certification as well as Injury and Special Population training in 2007. Larissa is a voracious learner whose continued Pilates education includes Athletic Conditioning with John Garey, Jumpboard with PJ O’Clair, Rehabilitation and Gait assessment with Melanie Byford-Young, Stott Barre and Total Barre with Kristi Quinn, and in 2020 she has completed her CoreAlign 1 instructor training.
But while the west coast was “home,” Larissa’s passion for exploring diverse places and cultures started with her first solo International trip to attend the University of St. Andrews, Scotland where she studied Social Anthropology and International Relations. This passion was given wings in her study of Yoga (see below) and inspired her to travel much of the globe in the last few years teaching Yoga and Pilates in New Zealand, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Japan and Scotland before arriving in Denver.
Larissa has been teaching Yoga for two decades and has a background in Sports Massage Therapy (1000hr certification,1999). While studying massage in Seattle, she practiced Yoga with Maude Pauletto, a senior Yoga teacher of Bikram Choudrey who soon asked Larissa to become a Yoga Instructor under her mentorship. It was the beginning of her extensive studies around the globe where she earned her Interdisciplinary Yoga Certification at Nosara Yoga Institute in Costa Rica (Don and Amba Stapleton), studied Baptiste Power Vinyasa, Tulum, Mexico (Baron Baptiste), and received an advanced certification in Vinyasa Flow and Prana Vinyasa in Santorini, Greece and Venice, California (Shiva Rea). She was accepted into Ashtanga Teacher certification and traveled to Mysore, India (Acharya Sheshadri) and Goa, India (David Swenson), then returned to Rishikesh, India in 2013 for her 500 hour Therapeutic Yoga and Ayurveda (Yogi Peeth) following a long residential ashram course. In 2015 she travelled to Phnom Penh, Cambodia and completed her Aerial Yoga Instructor Certification (Alison Hawkins). She is now an avid Yogi and describes her personal practice as a “Meditation in Motion…to facilitate the awareness of each individual as to their own ability to heal themselves, by utilizing the breath as a guide to integrate body and mind with conscious, correct, efficient movement and dedicated exercise.”
Most recently Larissa traveled to Pokhara, Nepal in 2019 and studied with renowned composer and singing bowl practitioner Anup Panthi and earned her Certification as a Sound Therapist. She performs Sound Baths as well as individual Sound Therapy sessions.
Larissa is excited to be a part of the MOVE Studio community, bringing her infectious energy, holistic approach, Yoga background and love for a strong, flowing, energetic practice into all of her classes and private sessions.
Megan McGregor, NCPT, MAT® Jumpstart Certified
Megan is a Senior Pilates Instructor, CoreAlign Instructor, National Certified Pilates Teacher and MAT Jumpstart Practitioner at MOVE Studios
Megan grew up in Anchorage, AK, and graduated from the University of Oregon (Eugene) with a degree in Exercise and Movement Science and a minor in Dance, received her Pilates training through Polestar Education in 2005, and has been teaching CoreAlign since 2010. She has also studied Yamuna body rolling, the MELT method, and Gyrotonics. Prior to moving to Denver, she was a member of the Advisory Board for the Exercise and Movement Science Programs at Lane Community College.
As a young dancer, Megan’s interest in teaching the joy of movement began when she assisted her favorite dance teacher as a teen, and continued as she taught dance through college. After graduation she started Pilates as recuperation from sitting all day, but soon discovered both the mind and body benefits from the work and chose to certify through Polestar (2005). As Pilates Director at her former studio in Eugene, she trained and tested incoming instructors and worked closely with local physical therapists, referring back and forth as needed to provide an integrated recovery for clients. She was also certified on CoreAlign through the creator of the equipment, Jonathan Hoffman, in 2010. She trained in Muscle Activation Technique (MAT) and completed the MAT Specialist certification in October of 2020.
As part of her continuing education pursuits, Megan has worked with kettlebells, sandbells, TRX, Escape Fitness products, Precor Selectorized machines, and even consulted on opening a high-end gym. She has also worked at outreach and community connections including serving for three years (2 as co-chair) on a board of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce.
Megan is honored to be able to make her passion her career and is thrilled to work with clients, helping them experience and better understand movement and to discover both the physical and the mental benefits of exercise. She believes that through conscious and deliberate effort you can work together to develop more efficient movement patterns for any body. She believes that movement is necessary, both for the body and the soul – which makes MOVE Studios a great home for her movement pursuits!
Betsy Walker, NCPT, CRTS
Senior Pilates Instructor, CoreAlign Instructor, OOV Instructor, Z-HealthTrainer
In addition to being a Balanced Body-trained comprehensive Pilates instructor and a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher, Betsy is a passionate CoreAlign instructor, a certified OOV level 3 instructor, and a Z-Health Trainer (R & I-Phase).
Betsy began life as an athlete, competing as an NCAA Div.1 downhill ski racer for the University of Wyoming where she graduated from the business school. She also went on to race two seasons on the U.S. Women’s Pro tour. Consequences from a back injury she sustained while competing in her early 20’s led to her interest in using targeted brain-body exercise, ultimately leading to completion of her Z-Health Neuro-centric training. In her 40’s, a series of personal health challenges were the impetus to learn about and integrate aromatherapy and other natural wellness strategies into her life and practice.
She began diversifying her skillset to include the use of essential oils to address the emotional and nervous system through training with the Natural Therapies Board and is recognized as a Certified Raindrop Technique Specialist (CRTS). She is also a Certified Aroma Freedom Practitioner.
With this diverse background in both movement and neuro-centric training, Betsy is passionate about helping students and clients eliminate pain, improve joint strength, function, and flexibility and live active healthy lifestyles. Her neuro-training techniques include sensory activation of the body’s visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems as well as calming (or “down-regulating”) the nervous system through improved breathing and more efficient movement practices. Betsy also offers Raindrop Technique, Aroma Freedom Technique, aromatherapy coaching and MPS Scar Release .
Betsy is a native of Colorado and she and her husband David have raised a blended family of 4 kids, including her youngest, a hockey goalie. Cheering her on at hockey games is Betsy’s outside-the-studio passion!