MEET THE TEAM

Originating from the Philippines, Jhen’s movement education began at Philippines’ top university where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy. After graduating, she worked as a licensed Physiotherapist in a hospital conducting initial assessments of patients' conditions and developing then implementing personalised treatment plans with on-going evaluations.

After being introduced to Pilates in 2007, she saw its potential to augment the rehabilitation process and enhance her physiotherapy skills. By integrating Joseph Pilates' holistic exercise method with her extensive knowledge of the human anatomy and physiology, she curates personalised programmes for clients of all ages, physical abilities and conditions to improve power, coordination, endurance or range of motion as needed. Jhen uses her physiotherapy experience to complement in-session training with education on how to modify daily activities, develop adaptive behaviours and shift dysfunctional movement patterns in all aspects of life.

Jhen is a comprehensive Certified STOTT Pilates Instructor and her teaching experience spans over fifteen years, including a three-year stint in Kuwait before over a decade working with clients here in Singapore.

SMARTFIT SPECIALITY: Injury rehabilitation & prevention, Musculoskeletal conditions, Orthopaedic conditions, Gait training, Neurological conditions, Pain reduction, Functional Training, Pre & Post-Natal, pilates for seniors, pilates for teens/children, athletic performance

Fun Fact: Jhen gets drunk on one glass of champagne!

An inspirational instructor who goes all out to get the best from her clients, Lila has always been enthusiastic about sport and fitness. Her Pilates journey began 16 years ago when she was searching for a way to relieve her back pain. Before long, she had discovered that the benefits of the practice went far beyond pain relief. Through regular sessions, she improved her physical strength, gained more flexibility than ever before and was even able to achieve her goal of running a marathon.

Yearning to have deeper understanding about Pilates, Lila decided to undertake the Polestar Mat and Comprehensive Pilates qualifications. That was eleven years ago, and she has never looked back! Since then she’s worked with hundreds and hundreds of clients, and has gone onto gain further certifications as an Oov instructor as well as TRX, Core Align and other movement courses. Today, Lila has an impressive level of expertise. She is passionate about teaching Pilates as a way to share her knowledge and help her clients to feel energised and confident.

SmartFit speciality: pre & post-natal, POSTURE & ALIGNMENT, STRENGTH & CONDITIONING, athletic performance

Languages spoken: English, BAHASA INDONESIAN

Fun fact: AS WELL AS BEING A PILATES INSTRUCTOR, LILA IS ALSO A MONTESSORI PRE-SCHOOL TEACHER!

A ballet dancer turned Pilates instructor, Sophie’s discovery of our much-loved practice came – like so many others – as a result of injury when she was still living in Seoul. She turned to Pilates to help her stay fit and support her recovery, and was immediately hooked. Now, six years on, Sophie is an experienced instructor who specialises in helping clients not just to achieve their physical goals, but to feel more confident, energised and with the freedom to move comfortably whatever their age.

Sophie is also an accomplished academic! With a BSc in Life Sciences and a Master’s degree in environmental engineering, she possesses a real passion for learning. When not stretching and strengthening herself and others through Pilates, Sophie can often be found taking new courses to advance her knowledge of human anatomy and physiology and hone her teaching. In addition to being comprehensively certified by Modern Pilates International in South Korea and Balanced Body, she is also an ACE personal trainer (level 1), a certified Franklin Method Educator plus Fascia Trainer for the lower back and pelvic floor. Sophie channels her skill across multiple movement disciplines and her personal interest in proper body mechanics into her all classes; a trait that makes sessions with Sophie as effective as they are enjoyable. 

In her own words, she says, “As a movement teacher, my passion lies in empowering individuals to enhance not just their physical well-being but also their overall quality of life. By fostering a holistic approach to movement, I strive to help individuals achieve a better, more fulfilling life. It is my sincerest desire to guide and inspire others on their journey towards improved well-being and personal growth.”

SmartFit Specialty: pre & post-natal, Men’s Pilates, Injury rehabilitation, Pilates for seniors, strength & conditioning

Languages Spoken: English, Korean 

Fun Fact: Sophie is a fan of all things movement! Her spare time is filled with ballet, swimming, weight-lifting and scuba diving, and she is also currently learning ballroom dancing – specifically the Waltz and the Tango.

As sunny in personality as she is in name, Sunny is a Korean native from Seoul who has spent more than a decade helping clients to become their strongest, most flexible and healthiest selves.

Having lived and taught in four different international locations (Seoul, Toronto, India and Singapore), Sunny is well-versed in exercise methods from both the East (yoga) and West (Pilates, functional training). It’s thanks to this unique combination and over 13 years’ experience that she is able to incorporate both approaches into her sessions, ensuring that clients truly get the ‘best of both worlds’.

Not only is Sunny the one and only Certified MELT Instructor in Singapore, but she is also a Fully Certified STOTT PILATES® Instructor, Certified Zenga Mat & Equipment Instructor, Certified Total Barre Instructor, Yoga Instructor for IYTR (International Yoga Federation) and Certified TRX Instructor (TRX Functional Training, TRX Group Suspension Training, TRX Medicine Suspension Training).

SmartFit speciality: pre & post-natal, athletic performance, strength & conditioning, physcial Rehabilitation

Languages spoken: English, Korean

Fun fact: Sunny holds a Bachelor’s degree in Acting and Drama and is also a certified bartender!

Name a sport and Valerie has probably played it. A fan of all forms of fitness from a young age, Valerie has dabbled in Muay Thai, kickboxing, HIIT, yoga, rock climbing, handball, dragon boating, pole dancing and more! It was only natural then her fitness journey would eventually lead her to Pilates, which it did almost two decades ago.

Looking back, Valerie credits that first Mat Pilates class she attended as the catalyst for her pursuing a career in Pilates. Her aim from the beginning has been to help others become strong, healthy and pain-free; a feat she accomplishes through making her classes both fun and challenging. Her teaching philosophy is for clients to leave each session feeling accomplished and inspired. Valerie’s own experience doing Pilates through her pregnancy makes her particularly passionate about the benefits of the practice in not just preparing the body for labour, but as being essential to healing and rehabilitation. Her widespread interest in fitness extends to different movement disciplines which she mixes and matches for her clients needs - not only is she comprehensively certified by Balanced Body Pilates, she's also trained in MOTR, Barre, TRX and Barefoot Level 1. At SmartFit, Valerie is excited to work with a diverse range of clients, particularly in her specialty areas of myofascial release, Pilates for seniors and pre/post-natal, among others. 

SmartFit SpecialtY: Functional movement, scoliosis, physical rehabilitation, Pilates for seniors, myofascial release, pre/post-natal, athletic performance, strength & conditioning

Languages Spoken: English

Fun Fact: There’s a chance you may have seen Valerie at 30,000 feet, as she spent 20 years flying with Singapore Airlines!

As a certified health coach and an advocate of lifestyle medicine, Clara is passionate about empowering individuals to adopt a holistic approach to life, with physical exercise as a key pillar to optimise health. Now a certified Pilates instructor, Clara believes that Pilates is one of the most beneficial and effective forms of exercises to enhance health. She develops her Pilates programmes based on 3 P’s: Personalisation, Posture and Performance. 

Clara’s health coaching skills enable her to curate Pilates programmes which are highly personalised - from enhancing flexibility, building core strength for muscles toning to health optimisation for weight loss and heart health.  She is highly motivated to help clients achieve their health and fitness goals through coaching and guidance with knowledge.

With her Pilates qualifications from Pilates Academy International (PAI), Clara is a strong believer in overall spinal health. Through Pilates, she helps clients build body alignment to improve posture, gain freedom of mobility, a pain-free life with vitality, and healthy ageing. In addition, Clara’s experience as corporate executive enables her to understand the importance of posture to project confidence, and how physical strength can help generate energy to drive performance. She pays attentions to the needs of her clients with specific requirements to enhance performance - whether a corporate athlete, golfer, runner, dancer or mother. 

SMARTFIT SPECIALITY: POSTURE & ALIGNMENT, SPINAL HEALTH, STRENGTH & CONDITIONING, pre & post-natal, athletic performance, pilates for seniors, pilates for teens

LANGUAGES SPOKEN:  English, Chinese, Cantonese

FUN FACT: Originally from Hong Kong, Clara believes in giving back and plays an active role to help seniors stay active through community services and fund raising. She also enjoys meditation and conducting meditation sessions as well as developing healthy recipes and cooking.

It was Emma’s mother who first inspired and encouraged her to take a Pilates class. At the time, Emma was working in a corporate job where she spent long sedentary hours at a desk. This, combined with her moderate to severe scoliosis, meant she was suffering with poor posture and daily aches despite her young age. Luckily for Emma though, it didn’t take long for Pilates to have her standing taller, feeling stronger and moving with grace. As she says herself, since that first Pilates class she has never looked back!

Now having left her corporate job behind to become a STOTT certified instructor in matwork and all Pilates apparatus, Emma seeks to help others discover the same physical changes she felt for herself. Her approach to teaching is one of collaboration. For Emma, training private Pilates clients is a supportive journey where both seek to gain and learn as they work toward a shared goal. Her goals as an instructor are simple: to help others to enjoy movement, to gain or regain mobility and strength, and leave class feeling happier than when they arrived.

SMARTFIT SPECIALITY:  Beginner Pilates

LANGUAGES SPOKEN: english, Mandarin

FUN FACT: Emma loves to cook and take long walks in the Botanic Gardens.

Grace’s experience as a corporate executive opened her eyes to the serious and negative impact that sedentary lifestyles can have on our health and wellbeing. Now a certified STOTT Pilates instructor, she believes that Pilates is more than just an accessible means to exercise; it also builds strength, improves mobility, balance and posture, better mental vigour, and enhances our health robustness against the natural effects of ageing.

As well as being a lover of Pilates, Grace is also an avid yoga practitioner. She is motivated by the ability to impart knowledge and help her clients become strong and ‘physically happier’. She continues to deepen her knowledge and expertise in providing training techniques and adapting for different bodies. Besides her special interests for spinal health, she is also trained in diastasis recti rehabilitation and menopause with the Center for Women’s Fitness.

At SmartFit, Grace loves embarking on a journey with her clients and supporting them as they work toward their fitness goals. Group Classes really showcase Grace’s flowing, challenging repertoires, while Private Sessions allow her to create customised workouts tailored to the client.

SmartFit speciality: HEALTHY AGEING, INJURY PREVENTION, BACK CARE, MENOPAUSE, DIASTASIS RECTI REHABILIATION, SOCLIOSIS

Languages spoken: English, chinese, cantonese

Fun fact: grace is a dance enthusiast who now loves being in the audience to appreciate the art. she also loves all things italian!

Previously in a corporate job, Hui Lin began practicing yoga in 2008 and felt an immediate affiliation with the practice. Inspired, she became a certified yoga instructor in 2014 and went onto be named the in-house yoga instructor for her company. Soon after, Hui Lin discovered the benefits of Pilates as a natural complement to yoga; becoming a regular in small group classes. Her love of Pilates grew further during her first pregnancy when she realised its merits in pelvis stabilization and strengthening of the pelvic floor.

Having decided to embrace her love of Pilates and turn it into a full-time career, Hui Lin successfully achieved her comprehensive Balanced Body certifications in all the Pilates apparatus including Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair and Ladder Barrel. Soon after she went onto become a qualified Pilates Pre and Post-Natal Specialist too. This knowledge and experience enables her to deliver a well-rounded and varied Pilates experience to help every client - wherever they are on their movement journey - to achieve their goals.

Hui Lin has a true passion for learning and sharing her knowledge with others. Her aim is to help improve others’ quality of life through awareness of the body, and as a result, improve their ease of movement. She also believes in enjoying the process of learning, combining mindfulness and laughter in all of her Private Sessions and Group Classes.

SmartFit speciality: pre & post-natal, strength & conditioning, pilates for seniors, pilates for teens

Languages spoken: English, MANDARIN

Fun fact: Hui Lin is a mother TO two young children and loves to make healthy vegan food as well as singing and playING the piano.

Seven years ago, Kana was suffering with daily back and neck pain after having her beautiful baby, and was desperate for a way to gain some kind of relief. Despite being fit and active, no amount of yoga, personal training, massage therapy and more had helped with the pain. Finally, she decided to try Pilates and was amazed to find – it worked! Over time, Pilates helped her to regain the mobility and comfort in movement that had been eluding her.

Kana fell in love with the practice after that, and soon after, she decided to take a leap of faith and turn her hobby into a profession; leaving her job in Marketing & Sales behind and gaining her full certification from Polestar Pilates. She recalls, “I thought to myself: life as an instructor will be so rewarding! I’ll be helping to change people’s lives on a daily basis.” And she was right!

Her personal love of movement extends to Zumba, soul jazz dance, climbing and ballet, but it’s Pilates that is Kana’s true passion – as you can tell from every class she teaches. In particular, she enjoys introducing those that are new to the practice to the fundamental principles of Pilates so that they, too, can experience all the life-changing benefits it has to offer.

SmartFit specialitY: posture, back pain, shoulder pain, Pilates for beginners, strength & conditioning

LANGUAGES SPOKEN: ENGLISH, JAPANESE

Fun fact: Kana loves camping, fishing, exploring the countryside and enjoying regional food & wine.

LJ's Pilates journey began 6 years ago when she started Duet classes with her mother early in the morning before work. She fell in love with the Reformer when she realised she could exercise lying down. She also realised that her (then) 60 year old mother was fitter and had a way stronger core than her. It was a humbling moment. Her mother had started Pilates in her mid 50s, and the transformation was remarkable - she had gotten stronger even as she aged! LJ decided to start Pilates instructor training courses as she was now convinced that Pilates could change lives.

At that time, she was a creative director in advertising and decidedly not changing lives. However, she did sort of master the art of communication which is now very handy in her role as SmartFit director. After taking a slew of instructor courses in Singapore and Australia, she earned her Mat and Reformer certification by Balanced Body. She is also TRX-certified and has an unquenchable love and curiosity for movement that keeps her learning and discovering. Her favourite activities include running, swimming, gyrokinesis/gyrotonics, hiking, cycling, breathing and putting her husband in his place. She is constantly filled with a sense of wonder - by all the body can do, and what it means to be alive.

SmartFit speciality: Full body strength & conditioning, core development

Languages spoken: English, Mandarin, French

Fun fact: LJ has 3 tattoos and plans to get many more when she grows up

Fitness has always been Meha’s main passion. Despite spending her working days as a retail buyer for home textiles, she longed to turn her hobby into a career. It took several years but she finally took the plunge, and ironically, she had back pain to thank!

After having her son, Meha signed up to Pilates classes in the hope of easing her daily discomfort. What she ended up discovering, however, was so much more. Not only did the practice alleviate her pain, it also opened her eyes to how incorrect her exercise form had been during years of weight training in the gym. It was this that had been causing and exacerbating her chronic back pain, and she was amazed at how Pilates helped it to disappear. Inspired, Meha completed her Polestar Pilates comprehensive instructor training, and soon expanded her knowledge even further by adding a pre and post-natal certification and ACE personal trainer qualification to her repertoire.

Now an experienced Pilates instructor and personal trainer, Meha loves being a part of Team SmartFit so she can help more and more people get stronger and find relief from their own physical pain.

SmartFit speciality: pre & post-natal, pilates for the elderly, physical rehabilitation, strength & conditioning

Languages spoken: English, Hindi

Fun fact: An avid traveller, Meha has visited 30 countries so far and hopes to visit many more! Her 2022 goal is to learn Spanish.

Growing up, Sheryl was athletic and active in sports like track and field and gymnastics. However, she later developed a heart issue that meant she had to stop high intensity and cardio-heavy activities. After having her first child, Sheryl discovered Pilates – movement that was perfect for her condition - and embarked on a journey to regain strength, mobility and control over her body.

Having personally experienced the transformative benefits, Sheryl became a firm believer in Pilates. She was motivated to earn her STOTT mat and Pilates Academy International (PAI) apparatus certification - and she didn’t stop there! Sheryl continued her movement education becoming certified as a Pre and Post Natal Specialist with the Center for Women’s Fitness, as well as gain qualifications from Total Barre and in Clinical Orthopedic Manual Therapy (COMT) for Thoracic Spine & Ribcage and Lower Back & Pelvis. Most recently, she also expanded her bountiful knowledge to include a certification in Basic Sports Massage internationally accredited by the International Sports Science Association (ISSA).

In every group class and private session that she teaches, Sheryl takes great joy in seeing clients benefit from their Pilates sessions and helping them to rediscover the freedom to move.

SMARTFIT SPECIALITY: pre-post natal pilates, diastasis recti rehabilitation, strength & conditioning, athletic performance

LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English

FUN FACT: Sheryl has just discovered watercolour painting and likes to experiment with them as a form of relaxation.

Takako describes her first experience of Pilates as “fascinating”. Already a busy mum to two teenage daughters, Takako had moved from her native Japan to Singapore and given birth to a baby boy, when she began taking Pilates classes as a form of self care. She was surprised and fascinated to find that this precious me-time quickly began doing wonders for her mind as well as her body.

The mental clarity, body awareness and posture improvements that Takako experienced for herself made her a passionate advocate for the practice. In fact, she credits Pilates for helping her to gain even more enjoyment from raising her children, due to the positive changes it brought about in herself.

It wasn’t long before Takako sought to share the joy of Pilates with others by becoming an instructor. She studied with the Pilates Academy to gain her Mat and Reformer certifications, and is also certified in Anatomy, Biomechanics and Postural Analysis. Her specialisms today include helping her clients to improve their flexibility, alignment, core strength and full-body conditioning.

Takako's warmth and passion have made her a wonderful and dedicated instructor, and we are thrilled to have her joining the SmartFit team; enabling us to open up our practice to Japanese clients and help them gain for themselves all the life-changing benefits that we know and love.

SmartFit Specialty:Pilates for beginners, conditioning, strength & conditioning, flexibility, posture & alignment

Languages Spoken: Japanese, English

Fun Fact: Takako loves to cook and even makes her own miso. She also enjoys sewing, and even used to make and sell custom-made baby and children’s clothes and goods!

ピラティスとの出会いは、ここシンガポールにて10年ぶりの出産を経験した後でした。

現在は2人のティーンエイジャーの娘と、まだ小さい息子の子育てをしています。

ピラティスのセッションで身体に向き合う中で、身体だけでなく内面をもが整っていくのを実感し、忙しい中にあっても自分自身の身体に向き合う時間をつくることで、より子育てを楽しめるようになった事を実感しました。

この身体と心が整う喜びを他の方にも伝えたい、そして身体を整えるお手伝いをしていきたいという思いでインストラクターへの道を歩み始め、NYが本拠地であるPilates Academy Internationalにて解剖学、マット、リフォーマーの資格を取得しました。

クライアント様の柔軟性、コアの強さ、姿勢、全身のコンディショニング改善を得意分野としています。

ピラティスでは深い呼吸に合わせて深層の筋肉、骨格までを意識し、全身をコントロールしていきます。

その中で、ご自身の体に発見があり、新たな可能性と楽しさを感じる事ができるでしょう。

皆さまがご自身の体の感覚と向き合う大切な時間のお手伝いをさせて下さい。

A gifted dancer from a young age, Yue Tong's early talents set her on a path to some of the world’s finest dance and arts schools, from Singapore’s Ballet Academy to those in London and New York City. As her professional dance career was just taking off however, Yue Tong suffered an injury to her lower back. Like many other athletes, she turned to Pilates - not knowing how this decision would change the course of her future.

It began simply as a means to heal her injury, but Yue Tong recalls how Pilates completely transformed her relationship with her body and spurred a now deeply-rooted passion. Even as a dancer with an extensive movement background, Pilates opened her eyes to better body awareness, helping her identify imbalances and instabilities in her own body, which in turn catalysed the pursuit of new levels of strength and stability in her movements.

Yue Tong sought to learn more about other forms of movement as well, expanding her exploration to the Gyrotonic method. This holistic exercise system seeks to mobilize the body's energy systems and stimulate the nervous system through circular, spiralling movements linked to breathing patterns - making it the perfect complement to Pilates.

Fast-forward to today and Yue Tong has an impressive list of certifications under her belt, including Mat and Reformer Pilates with Balanced Body, Gyrokinesis and the Gyrotonic method, and she is also a certified Franklin Method level 1 educator. Yue Tong combines this bounty of knowledge and more than a decade of teaching experience to deliver rewarding, enjoyable yet effective movement sessions for her clients, always catering to the mind as well as the body.

Smartfit specIality: MindFul movement as a holisTic practice. Lower back, shoulder & neck care.

Languages spoken: english & Mandarin

fun fact: yt loves movement and music! She also very much Enjoys making wholesome food that is good for the body.

From Reformer Pilates to functional strength training to hiking the hills of wherever she’s currently calling home, Zoe enjoys all forms of fitness and movement, with a particular love for anything that raises the heart rate and gets the endorphins flowing! It’s no surprise then that her career has always had health and wellbeing at its core, with her experience spanning personal training, group fitness, marketing communications and editorial features for leading wellness publications across the globe.

Today she can be found channelling her creativity and passion into her role at SmartFit. Her goal? To help more people island-wide discover this fantastic studio and all that it can do to improve their confidence, fitness and physical health.

Languages spoken: English

Fun fact: a London girl at heart, British-born Zoe spent two years in Hong Kong and three years in Singapore before hopping on a plane to la la land; her home-for-now where she splits her time between time zones!