ABOUT Whitney Johnson Pilates
A Classical Pilates studio sharing the method as intended.
Studio Owner, Certified Classical Pilates Teacher
Whitney Johnson
Whitney is a second generation Pilates teacher. She completed her Classical education with The New York Pilates Studio® through the United States Pilates Association (currently Classical Pilates USA) and has gone through The Classical Syllabus® with Mejo Wiggin. She completed the graduate program, Weekends with Jay, through Vintage Pilates and continues to study extensively with first generation instructor Jay Grimes and second generation instructors Sandy Shimoda and Mejo Wiggin.
Whitney was born in northwest Indiana on the bottom tip of Lake Michigan and lived in Southern California while completing her numerous undergraduate degrees at UC Irvine. She returned to the Midwest for graduate school at Indiana University to work on ancient Roman sculpture and Informatics, but found her true calling in the Pilates method. She moved to Ann Arbor in 2019 and chose to make A2 her home.
She first started her personal practice as a young dancer, but only started to take it more seriously after she was diagnosed with a permanent back injury that left her in pain and misaligned. Through the proper application of the Pilates method she was able to alleviate her pain and find more power in her body than she had prior to her injury. Pilates has helped her do everything she loves, but better! That includes rock climbing, hiking, and biking . . . just about any outdoor activity you can think of.
Whitney decided to certify in the method and start teaching during her graduate work as a side hustle to supplement her income. It wasn’t long before she decided that she was more attracted to the Pilates community than academia and chose to make a permanent change. She is now a third generation Classical Pilates teacher under Brett Howard, Jen O’Mara, and David Freeman of Classical Pilates, USA. Staying true to her academic roots, she prioritizes her continuing education and has studied with first generation Pilates teacher Jay Grimes, second generation teachers Mejo Wiggin and Sandy Shimoda, and routinely takes classes with second generation instructors to keep her knowledge fresh.
Certified Classical Pilates Teacher
Tina Kapousis
Tina is a third-generation Classical Pilates teacher. Born and raised in the metro Detroit area, she received a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting, where she appeared in numerous national commercials, film and television roles. As a comedian, she wrote sketch comedy which led to screenwriting.
She discovered Pilates by taking group mat classes at a studio in the Hancock Park neighborhood of LA. The owner of the studio, a second-generation instructor, noticed her immediate love and dedication for Pilates and asked her to apprentice. After rigorous training, she went on to teach there for eight years, with most of her clientele being entertainment industry professionals from nearby Paramount Studios.
After twenty years of missing green trees, fresh air and the four seasons, she recently returned to the Ann Arbor area with her husband and son. She was thrilled to find Whitney Johnson Pilates, a studio and instructor in alignment with her own views on and love for the Classical Method. Whitney’s enthusiasm for teaching and constant quest to further her own practice has inspired Tina to return to teaching.
She still acts locally from time to time, but has mostly shifted her creative focus to fiction writing. She is addicted to buying books, so if you can’t find her in the studio, walk on down to Literati and you will surely find her there.
