Wellness Instructors

Lori Orchard

Lori Orchard has been a certified Stott Pilates instructor since 2003 and has over 40 years of experience. She holds a Bachelor of Recreation Studies and is a certified personal trainer with many certifications from the Manitoba Fitness Council. Lori is also a certified Spin and Antigravity instructor and was awarded the Manitoba Fitness Leader of the Year in 2008. Her passion is to promote movement and physical activity through encouragement, education, and empathy to help her clients achieve their health and fitness goals.

Jackie Chochinov

Murray Chimilar

Cathy Gornick

Cecilia Goulet

Most of my students call me CC!

I’ve been a member of the Manitoba Fitness Council since 2020 and i’m qualified to teach aqua fitness, active older adults and resistance. I’ve also been a Certified Zumba Fitness Instructor since 2016. I’m licensed to teach Zumba, Zumba Toning, Aqua Zumba, Zumba Kids and Zumba Gold, bringing Dance and Music into a Fitness experience that is a Fun and Enjoyable Workout, making Fitness unique. 

With the years of teaching I’ve learned how to embrace people’s culture, age and see them energizing and refreshing with their exercise.  It also inspires me to focus on the joy, energy and positive impact it has on both body and mind…. I try to make a difference by being different!!

Jill Grimstead

As a new STOTT Pilates Instructor, Jillian combines her passion for Pilates with 9 years of experience as a Registered Massage Therapist. She is truly passionate about her clients health and well-being as she focuses on core stability, proper body alignment, and mind-body awareness. Jillian looks forward to meeting you at her next class!

Katja Holzhei

Katja has been teaching yoga since 2007, joining the Wellness Institute in 2015. A 200HR registered yoga teacher and founder of Neuland Yoga, she’s currently pursuing a 500HR advanced Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist certification. Her modern classes blend diverse yoga traditions, contemporary movement, and mindfulness, encouraging self-aware exploration. When not teaching, Katja is a copywriter, long-distance runner, gardener, and animal lover, with an interest in trauma and neurodiversity. Her specializations include Mental Health, Female Health, Yoga for Athletes, Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative, Meditation, Yoga Nidra, Thai Yoga Therapy, Yoga Anatomy, and Bikram Yoga.

Karen Hopko

Although new to the Pilates Team, Karen has been an employee of the Wellness Institute (WI) for the past 27 years and has worked for 34 years as a physiotherapist! Karen is also a certified instructor in various styles of Yoga and is currently teaching the Kaiut Yoga Method at the WI. Her extensive knowledge and skills allow her to customize exercises to meet individual needs. Karen has an insatiable curiosity and a strong desire to continue to learn. She is passionate about health and wellness and is motivated to provide a holistic approach to wellbeing and empower others to improve their quality of life.

Ricki Kirshenbaum

Katherine Kwiecien

Bahia Laham

Rina Lischka

Cathy Morin

Cathy recently retired as a Physiotherapist after practicing at the St Boniface Hospital for 31 years. She began taking Pilates classes for her well-being before becoming certified, first in mat and now focusing on the reformer, teaching for over 20+ years in Winnipeg, Selkirk, Lockport, and East St Paul areas. Cathy, a life-long learner, regularly attends Pilates workshops each year. She offers safe and effective class movement that helps you de-stress and refocus your mind—geared for all ages and abilities. She is looking forward to guiding you in your Pilates journey!

Nicole Necsefor

Nicole’s favourite part about teaching yoga is creating a safe and supportive environment in which students can learn to move their bodies with skill, strength, and ease, as well as cultivate the vital art of emotional self-regulation through mindfulness meditation and conscious breath-work. Nicole teaches Vinyasa Flow and Restorative Yoga at the Wellness Institute. In addition to her 500-Hour RYT accreditation, Nicole also holds a Masters in Critical Theory.

Jennifer Onyske

Cassidy Papaioannou

Cassidy (Bachelor of Phys. Ed.) has taught fitness classes for over 30 years and pilates for 24 years. Through her love of recreational sports and fitness, she has consistently sought opportunities for continuing education. As fitness trends emerged, so did her expertise, including certifications in aquafit, spinning, TRX, mat & reformers pilates, and, most recently, block therapy. She has a bottomless ‘toolbox of tricks.” Whether you are looking to be challenged in the athletic classes or are just beginning your pilates journey, you’re in very capable hands.

Susan Paquette

Danielle Patrick

Karen Penner

Shirley Ramos

Tiffany Skomro,
CYA-RYT 350

Tiffany first began practicing yoga in 2010 and since then it has become an essential part of her life. Coming into yoga through her journey with anxiety, she has felt yoga’s ability to heal.  She believes that everyone can practice yoga and that the world would be better if everyone felt its experience.

Tiffany is a certified yoga teacher registered by the Canadian Yoga Alliance and is certified in Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Restorative Yoga. She owns Into Nature and is currently working on her Meditation certification. She teaches Gentle Chair, Hatha Mixed Yoga, and the Yoga and Cancer restorative and meditation program.

Stephanie Strugar

Cheryl Taylor-Kashton

Cheryl has been an MFC leader for over 28 years, a Stott Pilates Instructor for 17 years, and an MFC-certified Yoga Instructor for four years. She has led Anti-Gravity (inversion hammock) classes since September 2022.  She draws her experience from leading hi/lo, step, group cycling, strength conditioning, TRX conditioning, and Barre-Yoga fusion classes, along with her Purple Belt in Traditional Japanese Shotokan Karate that she acquired.  Holding a master’s degree in Molecular Biology, my understanding of the body and how it functions translates into my unique designs of class programs.

Daisy Villegas

Hi, I’m Daisy Villegas, a Certified Zumba Instructor with 8 Years of Experience!

I’ve been leading high-energy, fun-filled Zumba classes for the past eight years, helping people of all fitness levels discover the joy of movement through dance. My passion for music, fitness, and community comes together in every class I teach—creating an uplifting and supportive environment where everyone can feel confident, empowered, and inspired.

Theressa Woloski