Jenna Hansen

Jenna has a passion for life, the outdoors, education and people. 

She is co-founder with her husband, Joe, of Awaken Studios, Awaken Retreats & Awaken Transformation. 

She is a certified LifeCoach, a Stott Pilates Lead Instructor Trainer in Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair and Barrels; along with being an Instructor Trainer for Total Barre, Zenga Mindful Movement, and CORE Athletic Conditioning and Performance Training. Additional credentials include being 500 hour Yoga Teacher Trained, Awaken Aerial co-founder, Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance from the University of Utah, Masters in Education from the University of Utah. 

Along with teaching fitness, Jenna has also taught snowboarding, skiing, recreational therapy, and dance. 

She loves seeing how her clients’ lives improve as they work towards mindset shifts, personal and fitness goals, injury rehabilitation or an improved quality of life.

 Jenna’s life work however is her 4 children, whom help remind her through their examples how to live life in the present with an awe for the amazing world.

Jamie Cavazos

Jamie is a passionate learner about the body. She loves sharing the way movement, is capable of improving, and supporting our individual journeys to move forward with strength, ease and grace. Being a people person and a good listener, allows Jamie to assist students in modifying, or adjusting their bodies to what’s best for them. Jamie knows, “Movement IS Medicine.” Jamie is currently certified as Pilates reformer and mat instructor... As well as a Yoga teacher. Most recently, she has completed her certification as a Myofascial release specialist. When not teaching, you can find her in nature, walking, hiking and cooking for her family, when she is not being their personal Uber drive.

Lisa Benson

Lisa got hooked on Pilates when she first tried it out her freshman year of college.  It made her feel stong, long, flexible, and worked her body in a way that no other form of exercise could. She knew right away that this was something she needed to share with everyone she met!  She kept practicing Pilates throughout her professional dance career and attributes Pilates to keeping her body healthy and injury free. After she retired from performing and gave birth to twins, she knew that life would never slow down and finally decided to get certified. She loves challenging her clients and helping them reap the benefits of Pilates!

Kevin Carrington

Kevin helped the owners (Jenna & Joe) open Awaken Studios in 2016.

Kevin started out as a part-time membership sales rep. Over the years, Kevin dedicated himself & has become the General Manager of Awaken Studios. He continues to find new ways to build and support this community.

Kevin’s had the opportunity of learning from the Awaken Staff and Instructors; taking classes, committing to the health and wellness industry, the human body, and everything in between.

Kevin is a certified Yoga Instructor, Cycling Instructor, Group Fitness/T.R.X. Instructor, Pilates Instructor &  Reiki Energy Facilitator.

“We’re all here to learn and to teach. I feel so very fortunate that Awaken Studios continues to support my leadership, learning and desire to be a better version of myself. My mission has always been to connect with as many people as possible.. I truly believe that is what creates a fulfilling life. This journey has been more than i could express. I am beyond grateful.”

It gives Kevin great pleasure to show up, create, engage, and learn alongside all of you. In and outside of the studio.

Emily Jacobs

Emily Jacobs has a passion for teaching that extends back as far as she can recall.  She earned her bachelors degree in education and music from Westminster College in 2004 and has been teaching professionally ever since.   

Emily is currently a level 2 certified AntiGravity Fitness instructor with certifications in AntiGravity Fundamentals, AntiGravity Aerial Yoga, AntiGravity Suspension Fitness, AntiGravity Pilates, and AntiGravity Just Kids.  Her clientele range in age from young infants to individuals in their golden years. In fact, the adaptability of AntiGravity Fitness is one of the many reasons why Emily loves practicing and teaching.

Emily has taught music and movement to young children for 15 years and currently owns her own thriving music studio.  Emily and her husband Nick are the proud parents of four amazing boys and together they love to bike, camp, hike, travel, play in any capacity and most importantly, jam out together. 

Rachel Barker

Rachel Barker is a dance artist, choreographer, and educator from Salt Lake City, Utah who loves the mountains and her bike. Working as a river-guide, traversing the mountains on her skis and bike, or heading out on solo adventure trips, she prefers to spend most of her time outside! Her creative work—including contemporary dance choreography and dance film— has received multiple awards and been presented nationally and internationally in various festivals and venues. She has taught dance in a variety of settings for 23 years; as a dance professor in both Utah and North Carolina for the past seven, and in various dance studios, as head of a high school dance program, and community centers in years prior.

She has practiced pilates for many years as a way to strengthen and find stability to her mobility, certifying through Balanced Body in 2015 and completing her Stott Reformer training with Awaken Studios in 2022. Rachel thoroughly enjoys helping others find the joy of movement, whether that be through healing body and soul as we discover all that we are capable of, or addressing particular injuries in order to live life to the fullest and pursue our passions.

She holds an MFA in Dance from The Ohio State University, a Masters in Teaching from Westminster College, and a BFA in Dance from the University of Utah. She is so excited to be working with you all at Awaken Studios!

Greta Martin

I was born in a small-town in North Dakota, just 17 miles from the Canadian border. While moving around the nation, I earned my undergraduate and graduate degrees in health education. I settled in Utah in 2006 for a job as a Bone Marrow Transplant coordinator. During this time, I discovered my affection for nature/outdoor activity, and a desire for my work to center on serving people in the medical and wellness industries.
When I was 12, I was diagnosed with scoliosis, which is still significant in my adult life. My doctor monitored the growth of the curves, which stabilized at 40° (moderate to severe). He helped me understand the importance of maintaining a strong core to support my back and avoid pain. I heeded his advice, but was surprised in my 30’s with the onset of two ailments; sciatica and plantar fasciitis. This upset my work, sleep, everything! I vividly recall the shooting pain down my leg and the agony of walking! When I looked into the causes for both, and consulted with a trainer, I was shocked to find that posture/body mechanics were key contributors to these ailments. WHAT?! This began my journey.
My trainer introduced me to Jenna Hansen to add-in Pilates. It was like finding the perfect pair of jeans! I was immersed into the practice and found immediate benefit. It became an integral part of my daily activities, as well as training for big events like triathlons and LOTOJA.
I have been doing Pilates for over 10yrs, becoming STOTT certified in 2013! Pilates infused my life through healing injuries, strengthening the asymmetries of my scoliosis, encouraging personal growth, and challenging my insecurities. It became a fundamental part of me.
I have a passion for learning and am excited to grow as this field constantly expands. I love reflecting on how the events of my life have shaped who I am and am enjoying the adventure this path of instruction is taking me.
An excerpt and quote that keep me grounded:
…you may fool the world down the pathway of years and get a pat on the back as you pass. But your final reward will be heartache and tears if you’ve cheated the man in the glass. From the Poem “The Man in the Glass”
"We are apt to mistake our vocation in looking out of the way for occasions to exercise great and rare virtues and stepping over the ordinary ones which lie directly in the road before us."
- Hannah More

Chantel Johnston

I grew up with a passion and affinity for physical movement through competitive gymnastics, skiing and softball. Staying active has always been second nature to me! In 2005 I discovered Pilates while rehabbing a running injury and instantly fell in love with its practice. Pilates enabled me to heal and stay injury free while training and competing in individual races, team relay races and a half-ironman triathlon. My passion for Pilates later became my profession when I certified through Stott Pilates to begin teaching others. I am a 200 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher and am very passionate about Yoga and its place in my life both on and off the mat. I enjoy the freedom of expression, peace, balance and fun that comes from practicing and teaching yoga. I’m also a certified CORE Athletic & Conditioning Trainer. Helping people discover and reach their full potential through mindful movement is fulfilling and I feel honored to be included in others’ journeys. I’m a wife and a mother to three wonderful, active boys. My family shares a passion for the ‘Great Outdoors’ and we enjoy camping, hiking, motorcycling, skiing and playing in the dirt together!

Rachel Butler

Rachel was born and raised in Utah.  She has always enjoyed being active and living a healthy lifestyle.  She was lucky enough to find and marry her husband that has the same passions.  Rachel is a mother to three kids and a dog.  They enjoy spending time together as a family in the outdoors; camping, hiking, biking, and fishing. Rachel received her degree in Nursing and worked as an RN at the University of Utah Hospital, in the Newborn ICU for several years.  Being torn between her profession and staying home to be a mom, she decided to be with her kids.  During her time as a stay-at-home mom, she started taking Pilates classes.  This is where she fell in love with Pilates and how good it made her body feel.  She decided to become an instructor and certified through Stott in Mat and Reformer.  Rachel loves the body and is fascinated with how it works and moves.  She has been teaching Pilates since 2014, and is currently working towards her full Pilates Certification and hopes to one day become an Instructor Trainer.

Desirae Jaynes

Desirae has a great passion for fitness and movement.  She has trained in dance all her life and was introduced to Pilates by one of her instructors years ago and fell in love! She completed the Stott Pilates Reformer course and graduated with a BSA in Communications from Utah Valley University. She has 10+ years experience as a dance instructor and choreographer, she has also danced professionally for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and multiple Utah based companies. She is a wife, and mom to an adorable baby boy and happy to say she loves what she does! Desirae trains in Pilates regularly and values that it generates core and muscle strength, length, and tone while creating stability to protect from injuries. She says from experience that Pilates has changed the way she feels and carries herself on a daily basis. She truly loves teaching and sharing the benefits of fitness and Pilates with others.

Katy Alder

I discovered Pilates during one of my pregnancies when my pelvis slipped out and was very disorganized....and physical plain painful!

Pilates helped me stabilize and was one thing to bring me the slightest relief from pain. From there I was hooked, and began progressing into advanced levels and was astounded at what the human body could do when uniformly developed!

I certified in 2017, spending 850 hours in my program... I learned and grew immensely during that time.

I love teaching Pilates, but also love my four kiddos, playing tennis and doing anything in those majestic mountains of ours!

I am honored to join the awaken team and can’t wait to get to know all of you better!!

Hillary Brown

Hillary recently relocated back to Salt Lake City after living in Honolulu, Hawaii for 16 Years where she owns and directs Manoa Dance Studio (MDS). When she started MDS, many thought she was simply teaching kids the basics, when she was, in fact, learning to dance again herself. In 2008, Hillary suffered a major stroke that left her unable to speak and rendered her right side paralyzed. After a risky brain surgery, she nurtured her recovery over several years with Pilates, which enabled her to make leaps and bounds in her recovery and allowed her to return to her first passion, dancing. 

Hillary now specializes in Neuroscience recovery with movement, body mechanics for dancers, injury recovery and prevention for youth through seniors and holds over 2,000 hours in certifications in movement science, Pilates and Yoga. 

Hillary has one constant thread throughout her life- her passion for empowering people through movement.

Michelle Simkins

Michelle’s love for movement began as a child in dance and gymnastics. She stayed active throughout her life, but it was while attending the University of Utah that her passion for functional movement, fitness, and wellness was ignited in her physical fitness and nutrition classes. Around that time, She started taking Pilates classes and fell in love with the practice. After years of regular Pilates classes, she decided that she wanted to share her love of functional movement with other people. Michelle was trained at intermountain Pilates training center in the STOTT Pilates method. When she is not at the studio she is spending time with her husband and two active little boys.

Holly Chiodo

My passion for health and fitness lead me to a career in Physical Therapy in 2000. As a life long athlete, the combination of aging and competing in triathlons keep me injured. My standard rehab approach was not enough for treating my own body. The tipping point came when I suffered a back injury and needed a more complete approach to healing and recovery. I fell in love with Pilates instantly and become a certified Pilates teacher through Polestar Pilates and the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) in 2008.

As a physical therapist, I have seen how Pilates is powerful in restoring health from injury or illness by enhancing body awareness, correcting imbalances, and developing a powerful foundation of strength. My passion for teaching Pilates is rooted in the belief that we must look at the body with an integrative lens in order to heal. My training approach starts with setting a powerful intention and then creating a supportive environment to re-learn new movement strategies so there is is a clear path to healing.

My most recent professional role was a Pilates Physical Therapist at the University of Utah Orthopedic Clinic in Salt Lake City. While at the U, I developed and taught a successful Pilates Backcare class that is now my signature program. At the end of 2018, I became a proud new mama to a beautiful baby boy which changed everything. Now, with limited time and a sharper focus, I am committed to the ongoing refinement of teaching Pilates specialized workshops, classes, and private sessions. I look forward to supporting your training goals with a therapeutic Pilates plan that helps you feel your best and assist you in obtaining powerful results.