Meet The Instructors
Hilary Santana
Founder & CEO
Pilates, Aerial, Bungee, Barre, TRX, Yoga, and Burlesque Instructor
Hilary is the Studio Director and Owner of Little Apple Pilates. She specializes in working with clients in a post rehabilitation style of training for correct techniques and postural analysis.
Hilary trained under Doctor of Physical Therapy, Noelle Dowma, owner of Kinesphere Physical Therapy in Kansas City. She began her teaching at Pilates Performance & Rehab in Topeka, KS where she worked dominantly with prehabilitation clients and clients released from rehabilitation who still felt that they needed help.
She currently is a performing aerialist who puts on grand shows locally with the aerial troupe, Flight Risk. She intertwines her love of anatomy and learning by teaching college courses through Kansas State University and allowing other instructors to learn with a regular group of students to polish their teaching styles. She is available for new clients as a master trainer.
In her free time, you can find her playing with her son outside, reading books, traveling to foreign countries and spending time with friends.
Certifications & Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology with a Public Health emphasis from Kansas State University, Certified Polestar Pilates Practitioner, Certified Pilates Instructor, the first Certified Bungee fitness instructor in the state of Kansas, HARDCORE Barre certified, TRX Certified, 200-hour RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher)
Follow Hilary @hilaryks9
Cynthia Amano
Studio Manager
Cynthia is a certified Barre Intensity instructor. After teaching Barre she realized that she would like to continue her fitness education and certify in Pilates mat and Pilates Reformer through Pilates Instructor Academy to continue to help others in a different fitness component.
On her free time Cynthia enjoys being outdoors exploring hiking trails or traveling with her family. She also spends time volunteering with different organizations in the Manhattan, Junction City and Ft. Riley areas.
Certifications & Qualifications:
Barre Intensity® Instructor Training, Barre Intensity® Certified Instructor, Certified Gliding Instructor, Certified Mat Pilates Instructor, TRX® Suspension Training Qualified Trainer, Certified Comprehensive Trampoline Instructor
Follow Cynthia @cynfitlife808
Christina Vega
Social Media Manager
Yoga Instructor & Reiki Master
Christina is a certified Yoga Instructor and Reiki Master with a passion for making the practices of Yoga and Reiki accessible and integrated into people's busy lives. Her own journey of healing through Yoga and Reiki has inspired her to help others find peace and balance in their own lives.
Her healing journey began after being diagnosed with multiple health issues and seeking relief from chronic pain and nausea. It was through her discovery of yoga that she fell in love with its transformative power and experienced significant improvement in her health. Her continued practice of Yoga and Reiki allowed her not only to heal physically but also to find the strength to leave an abusive relationship and heal from the pain of multiple miscarriages and fertility issues.
Her personal experience with the healing power of Yoga and Reiki inspired her to become a Certified Yoga Instructor and Reiki Master, sharing her knowledge and passion with others.
Certifications & Qualifications:
200 Hour E-RYT (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher), YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider), Usui/Holy Fire® Reiki Level I, Usui/Holy Fire® Reiki Level II, Usui/Holy Fire® Reiki III Master, Holy Fire® III Karuna Reiki® Master, 200 Hour Language Of Yoga Certification (Sanskrit)
Follow Christina @Ayurvedayogasana
Heather Ryan
Barre Instructor, TRX Instructor
Heather was born and raised in the Manhattan area. She grew up in rural Riley County north of Manhattan and attended Kansas State University to earn her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education. She fell in love with Barre and Little Apple Pilates Co in search of a spark to get back into a fitness routine after a Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection and heart attack at the age of 34 made exercise something to be feared. She had returned to running, but needed strength and core training without lifting weights. Aerial Hammock, TRX, Pilates, and Barre were a perfect match. Heather has been certified to teach by Barre Above since Feb. of 2019. She has also completed training in TRX Suspension Training and Barre Intensity. She completed her Barre Intensity certification in 2022. She loves to teach others and through her own experiences show that we can do things that we never thought possible. Heather is also a wife, mother of 2 very active kids, and elementary school library media specialist in Junction City.
Certifications & Qualifications:
Barre Above Certified, TRX Suspension Training, and Barre Intensity Certified
Follow Heather @specialkofks
Chelsi Medved
Pilates Reformer Instructor
Chelsi joined Little Apple Pilates Co. as a client in the summer of 2018 after seeking out a safe place to exercise while also improving chronic back pain and tension headaches. She immediately fell in love with the reformer and became a regular. In the summer of 2021, she stepped into an instructor role, leading early morning reformer classes.
Outside of the studio, Chelsi is an events and communications coordinator at K-State. When not at work, she can be found enjoying a good crime podcast, enjoying terrible reality tv and catering to her dog’s every want and need.
Vanessa Hager
Certified Yoga Instructor
Instructs: Yoga Classes
Lisa Rubin
Certified Barre Instructor and Certified Trampoline Instructor
Lisa found her way to barre in 2013 when she experienced lower back pain from 2 bulging discs with spinal stenosis in between. From the beginning, she was hooked on the workout that gets more challenging with more experience. After years of taking barre and Pilates classes to strengthen her core, Lisa has been essentially pain-free in her lower back. She is motivated to continue working on her barre practice while encouraging others to find inspiration at the barre. Each of her classes incorporates different props and choreography. She enjoys cooking, traveling, trying new fitness classes, and watching college sports. Lisa lives by the motto “learning never goes out of style!”
Certifications & Qualifications:
Barre Intensity® Certified Instructor, JumpSport® Trampoline Certified Instructor, Certified Pre- and Post-Natal Group Fitness Instructor, TRX® Suspension Training Qualified Trainer, TRX® Yoga Certified, AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor
Sara Amezola
Zumba Instructor
Sara grew up performing her family’s cultural dances in the community. This lead her to learn a varied range of dance styles over the years. Later, Sara joined the Navy and after basic training she found Zumba. Sara loved the Zumba community and how much fun it was. It has motivated her to keep moving over the last 16 years!
In Hawaii, Sara met her husband, who is in the Army, and together they have four amazing children. In 2019, Sara pursued her dream to teach Zumba and became a certified instructor and started teaching online. In 2020, she moved to Kansas and began teaching Zumba at Ft. Riley and Manhattan in-person. In her free time Sara loves being with family and friends, road trips, reading mystery novels, game nights, and singing Karaoke.
Certifications & Qualifications:
Certified Zumba Instructor
Follow Sara @sarabolivar-amezola
Raeann Mayer
Pilates Reformer Instructor
Raeann was born in Manhattan and has stayed to obtain her Bachelors and Masters in Kinesiology at K-State. She has been certified as a personal trainer for 3.5 years, has taught group fitness classes for 4 years, and got CrossFit L1 certified this year. She enjoys reading, being outside, and doing things with friends in her free time. She loves training people to encourage them to do more than they thought they could do and likes the variation of exercises during training.
Certifications & Qualifications:
Personal Trainer, and CrossFit L1
Vivian Price
Kukuwa African Dance Fitness Instructor
Vivian is a K-State graduate with a BA in Theatre. She has studied Dunham Technique modern dance through Alvin Ailey Extension NYC, West African Dance at Djoniba Dance and Drum NYC, as well as taken several West African dance master classes. She is an ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor
Certifications & Qualifications:
ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor
Mary Kohn
Aerial Silks Instructor
Instructs: Aerial Silks Classes
Little Apple Pilates Team
Always Looking For Talented Instructors
Message Us For Teacher Training Opportunities
785-279-9871
Lilli Bolte
Pilates Reformer Instructor
Lilli is a Kansas girl at heart. She moved from Wichita to Manhattan in 2018. After years of volleyball and weightlifting, she found Little Apple Pilates through K-State and fell in love. She has several years of personal training experience and focuses on adapting exercise to each unique individual. Lilli graduated with her Bachelor’s in Kinesiology in 2021 and is thrilled to return to Little Apple Pilates to teach reformer.
Certifications & Qualifications:
B.S. Kinesiology, and National Academy of Sports Medicine — Certified Personal Trainer
