Meet the Team

Jakki Tobin – Director, Physiotherapist, Pilates Instructor + Breathing Educator

I grew up in England but I was actually born in Sydney.  I have always been a very keen sportsperson, playing tennis, netball, and hockey as a kid.  Now as an Australian adult I still play tennis but have a love for the surf and running.  I love hanging out with my family and friends, playing board games, relaxing with our animals (dog, cat, guinea, rabbit, and snake!).

I qualified as a Physio in England and worked in London before coming out to Sydney in 2002.  As a young physio, I always loved neurology and the Bobath method which emphasised the importance of understanding normal movement patterns.  I was fascinated with how effective and skilled this method was in working with people with neurological impairments.

On moving to Sydney there were few Bobath practitioners to learn from so I turned myself towards musculoskeletal physiotherapy and developed an interest in Pilates.  I found Pilates to be very similar to the normal movement treatments I had loved.  I started to focus on courses and learning in my own body different movement methods such as Pilates, Franklin, Gyrotonic, Yoga, and Martial arts.   I have had many incredible teachers that have put up with me and my questions, always trying to understand how all movements break down into the basic foundations.

The more pilates and normal movement I taught, the more I noticed the differences in the way people breathed and how those who improved the most had an ease to their breathing that was very hard for others to achieve.  Hence my special interest in breathing developed and I absolutely love seeing the results now as I teach normal breathing.

Recently I have started studying Connect Therapy by LJ Lee a Canadian Physiotherapist, a truly incredible Physiotherapist who I believe is starting to change our profession.  I can’t wait to keep learning more.

I love meeting and listening to people, trying to understand their stories and how we can help them.   Everyone is unique and has the ability to tap into their body’s potential.  I learn from every client I teach.

Something from my bucket list…New York Marathon…hopefully, 2022!

Nicky Gattorna – Pilates Instructor

I am originally from the UK and have been living in Australia for nine years with my family. I have two beautiful children, who keep me super busy. I love to watch my kids follow their passions and the hard work and commitment they put in.

I had a passion for dance at a very young age and successfully secured a place at The Royal Ballet School. I left home aged ten to join The Royal Ballet boarding school in Richmond Park, London. Although it was challenging at times to be away from my family, it helped me to fulfil my dreams to become a professional ballet dancer and taught me to be independent and tenacious. After eight years of training with The Royal Ballet School, I secured a contract with the Royal Ballet Company and went on to perform thousands of shows as a soloist at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and all around the world for over ten years.

During my professional career as a ballet dancer I suffered some minor injuries and some major ones. I soon started to realise the importance of understanding your own body and how important that was to help prevent injuries. These experiences helped me to build mental strength, as well as physical, and the tenacity to never give up.

It was a combination of these experiences that encouraged me to complete a degree in Dance and Sports Psychology whilst still dancing. I loved gaining knowledge and understanding of the power of the mind. Then when I retired from The Royal Ballet Company I completed a teaching diploma in Ballet through The Royal Academy of Dance and when I moved to Australia, I trained as a pilates instructor with the APMA.

I love to help others and now I do this through my ballet and pilates teaching at McDonald College, here at The Pilates Centre Mosman and currently with my daughter’s WPL U17 soccer team. I love to give others the knowledge to help themselves and understand how their bodies should move. The younger the better!

Through my Franklin training, I became especially passionate about the shoulder biomechanics and the pelvis. I have seen such huge benefits in my students and clients, where movement feels comfortable and muscles are not over recruited to make movement.

I love teaching because you help others to understands their bodies, as well as teaching them how their bodies should be moving, but I also love to give them support and compassion when their bodies are injured or in pain. Having experienced pain at a high level, I understand the fear that comes with pain, as well as the mental strength that is often needed to navigate through recovery. 

Andreina Innocenti – Pilates Instructor

I was born and grew up in Venezuela. I danced all my life and also got a dentistry degree. I came to Sydney in 2012 for a 6-12 month holiday with my partner and after a year living here, we did not visualise ourselves anywhere else.

As a dancer, movement was always a very important part of my life and Pilates was part of my training. I did my Pilates training in Australia and not long after that I met Jakki. I completely felt a connection with her and the vibe of the studio.

Mixing all the things I love the most, science, movement, teaching and a whole holistic approach where I see each client as wonderfully unique. Definitely working with people is what inspires me to be better every day. Seeing changes in my clients and being surrounded by lovely people who love what they do.

Lisa Rancan – Reformer Pilates Instructor

Lisa is highly qualified, in several areas of health and fitness, with 40 years in the fitness industry. Instructing Pilates Mat and Reformer classes for the past 20 years is one of her passions. Continuing educating, mentoring and sharing her passion of health and fitness.

“Pilates Mat and Reformer is about awareness and connection. My dynamic style and flow, incorporates Pilates principles and technique. I nurture the newbies and challenge the regulars with a twist of fun! That is what I bring to every class I teach. So many of my clients find me when they feel unbalanced through their time in training with me, they reconnect with themselves and those around them.” – Lisa Rancan

You may know Lisa as one of “The Rancan Sisters” bringing Aerobics to Australia in the 80’s with their regular fitness show on TV Channel 10 Good Morning Australia, including running their own health and fitness club with her sisters. They have since re-structured and still present health and fitness on television and radio.

Lisa has recently had a “sea change” and moved up to Newport with her partner Andy, loving the community with the work and life balance.

Tayla Watt – Pilates Instructor

I grew up in the small town of Scone in NSW’s Hunter Valley. I moved to Sydney when I was 14 and completed boarding school at St Vincent’s College. I finished my undergrad at the University of Technology Sydney in 2020 with a Bachelors of Health Science, majoring in Human Structure and Function and I am currently studying my Masters of High Performance Sport and a Diploma of Nutrition.

I played many different sports as a child then found interest in the gym and yoga as I grew up a bit. A few years ago I began participating in Reformer Pilates and absolutely loved it! I studied Reformer Pilates training with Barre Body in Byron Bay.

I have always been passionate about the human body and movement. Combining my degrees with a job that focuses on the movement of the body is very special to me.

Jessi Roullier – Marketing Coordinator

Alaskan mountain girl turned Sydney beach babe, Jessi Roullier knows how to move from one facet of production life to another. With a career ranging from promoting and managing indie bands in Seattle in the 1990s to producing hard-hitting documentaries across North America, Jessi has transitioned her ability to handle hard deadlines in advertising and film production to developing a brand and marketing strategy for The Pilates Centre Mosman.

When Jessi is not creating content and strategy for Mosman’s most-loved Pilates studio you will find her bushwalking with her Groodle Monty or hanging out with her family and friends by her backyard fire in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Shani Morton – Director, Office Manager

I grew up in Johannesburg but lived in Cape Town for 10 years before we moved to Sydney at the beginning of 2019. I love spending time with my family and dogs, preferably outdoors but binge-watching a series or playing board games is also great. I exercise every day by either walking, hiking, doing Pilates or cycling. 

I have a lifetime of experience with admin, numbers, people and organising anything that moves! I qualified as a teacher many moons ago and did a BCom Information Systems part-time while teaching. I am at my happiest serving others and making things happen. I did community work for 10 years in Cape Town and loved the fact that I could make a difference in my neighbours’ lives.

I have also always enjoyed Pilates and know the benefits are life-enhancing and in some instances, life-changing. This is why I feel blessed to be able to be involved in offering Pilates to our clients.

Nicole Trapl – Pilates Instructor

The Pilates Method was first introduced to me during my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Contemporary Dance at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. I recognised the value of the Method and how it was complimenting my Dance training. My technical abilities improved as I learnt to apply Pilates to how I executed movement in class, enhancing my dance capabilities overall by becoming more stable, flexible and stronger in my body.  

A  turning point for me, that provided enormous professional growth came to me when I was offered a mentoring opportunity, working within a Physio Pilates studio in Perth. This experience expanded my skills in rehabilitation and accelerated my understanding of human movement biomechanics and anatomical knowledge. It also sparked my interest in problem solving techniques and diagnostic applications to movement function.

Today, I see myself as being a unique instructor who draws from all the movement modalities that I have studied. I am a qualified teacher of Contemporary Dance, the Pilates Method and the Gyrotonic Expansion System, qualifications that were gained both here and in Europe.  My approach to teaching relies on the science of the myofascial Anatomy Trains and Structural Integration work of Tom Myers while honouring my own creative and intuitive flair.

Mindy Byrne – Pilates Therapist

Gypsy wanderer and master of the creative Pilates cue, Mindy Byrne is our “Fly In Fly Out” instructor based in Mullumbimby.

Introduced to Pilates for her own lower back pain care, proper training followed, replacing work as a chef, which was rugged on the body.

Mentored by Physiotherapists, self-care and injury/pain management focus her work. The prospect of getting better with time, is something Mindy loves enabling clients to embrace.

Pilates principles – with fine-tuning informed by real-time ultrasound workshops – have evolved her style, well-described as “subtle but powerful”.

Mindy nurtures clients holistically and has many clients that have been under her care here for more than a decade. If you’re one of the lucky ones – to keep her chef’s hand in – she also cooks delicious meals occasionally for clients and colleagues to take home for lunch or dinner.

Being “on board” with Jakki’s Breathing Easy coursework, Mindy utilises this dimension which offers a new level in finessing self-care with new and long-term clients alike.

Ava Rodriguez – Pilates Instructor

No age is too early or too late for optimising your well-being! That pretty much sums up Ava’s outlook on training.

Ava was educated in Remedial Pilates by Alan Herdman in London and has since had the privilege to earn certificates in Neurokinetic Therapy which involves soft tissue release.Furthermore, Ava has an FRCms (Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist) certificate which qualifies her as a Mobility Specialist!

She holds workshops for professionals regarding training and rehabilitation. She tailors each program to every individual.

The work in Ava’s classes is very specific… everything has a purpose. We put our minds in to it and we laugh a lot….because everything is better with a smile!

Millie McFarlane – Pilates Instructor

I have always been active and had an interest in health and wellbeing. I discovered Pilates (through Jakki) as a teenager due to various horse-riding injuries. I instantly fell in love with the benefits it had on me both physically and mentally. I was inspired by my amazing instructors, and in 2018 became certified through Polestar to teach Reformer.

I enjoyed my Reformer training immensely and decided to continue my learning in all Pilates apparatus. I am currently finishing my 500-hour training through BASI to become comprehensively trained.

I believe that Pilates is beneficial to everyone, I have seen first-hand how it has helped my body and injuries. I love working closely with my clients to help them achieve their goals. As well as Pilates I am also interested in food, cooking, and nutrition. I am studying for a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutritional Medicine. I look forward to one day combining my two passions.

Graeme Morton – Office Administrator

Embarking on adult life this year working at The Pilates Centre Mosman and having some amazing down-time too. Not yet convinced what my mission in life is, I am grateful to have a year to reflect and make decisions for my future. 

I grew up in Cape Town and moved to Sydney at the start of year 11 in 2019. I completed my HSC at Mosman High School. I absolutely love living in Sydney and look forward to my future here. I have thoroughly enjoyed attending weekly Reformer Classes here for more than a year now. I definitely can’t complain!

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