Melissa McNamara has been in the pilates industry for over 22 years and is an award winning instructor, international presenter, author and master educator. She has gone from managing studios to owning the “best pilates studio in Chicago” multiple years in a row to teaching all over the world. She is a lead Instructor Trainer for STOTT PILATES and teaches their level 1 to advanced training, including Barre, CORE, Zenga (fascia focused fitness), Injuries and Special Populations and pre and post-natal workshops. She has certified hundreds of instructors globally in STOTT PILATES as well as her own pilates for kids program, m.a.c. Pilates® for Kids and Teens. She is also an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, ACE Youth Specialist, 500 hr Yoga Teacher, and certified in Neurokinetic Therapy Level 1. 

Melissa teaches the novice to the elite and specializes in all ages and sizes. From celebrities to professional athletes, she creates pilates programs to strengthen and inspire. Having suffered herself from a back injury at a young age, she is committed to helping those with chonic pain and injuries.

Melissa has a Masters Degree in Contemporary Performance from the Buddhist University, Naropa. There she was immersed in the trainings of Body Mind Centering® and Developmental Movement Techniques in addition to mindfulness and daily meditation practices in the Shambhala tradition. She was awarded the Lucien Wilson Performance artist grant her first year and her masters was a pedagogy in teaching movement to improvisers. Melissa is a seasoned performer and movement director for theatre as well as an intimacy director for TV, film and theatre. Her comedic web series set in a pilates studio, The Studio (you can watch here) was chosen for film festivals in NYC and Toronto and streamed on the Reel Women’s Network.  

Pilates for kids has been a passion for Melissa since 2002 when she began teaching as a movement specialist for kids in the Toronto school system. There she began integrating pilates with theatre techniques and her unique program was born. She taught in schools, camps, pilates studios and was published in the Wellness Magazine. In 2020, she wrote her book, m.a.c. Pilates for Kids: A Unique, Integrated Approach to Teaching Pilates to Kids. Soon after, her pilates for kids program became the first pilates for kids program accredited by the National Certification of Pilates Teachers and the American Council on Exercise. In 2021, Melissa began traveling Internationally certifying instructors to teach m.a.c. pilates for kids. Melissa has presented at the Pilates Method Alliance in the US, IDEA Korea, and multiple conferences in Korea, certifying over 100 pilates instructors in this unique method for kids. She has created a one day comprehensive program and over 20 hours of workshops including Pilates for Kids and Teens with Scoliosis, Post Rehab Exercises for Kids and Teens and Breathing Exercises for Kids and Teens. In 2025, she will travel to Australia and Toronto for m.a.c. pilates for kids.