Staff profile

Biography

Heather King-Smith has been practicing Pilates since the late 1990’s, and trained for her first teacher qualification with Romana Kryzanowska, Sari Mejia-Santos, Juanita Lopez, and Roxane Richards. In 2000, she passed her final qualification with Romana Kryzanowska, who told her, “This is only the beginning. Never stop learning.”

Taking her advice to heart, Heather began working in a busy, thriving studio near Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she had recently earned her Master in Public Health. She taught there for three years, including practicing and teaching through her first pregnancy. She gained even more appreciation for the adaptability of the Pilates method during her pregnancies. During her childbearing years, she shifted to a work environment that was more suited to having young children—a large athletic and leisure club with a Pilates program. There she met other instructors from different Pilates backgrounds and become curious about their education. She studied with local Pilates experts and expanded her horizons, gaining an appreciation for what has come to be known as Contemporary Pilates.

In 2006 Heather joined the staff at a physiotherapy clinic that uses Pilates for the rehabilitation exercise modality as the Pilates expert. Since the clinical staff were all trained with Polestar Pilates, Heather studied their manuals to better understand their background and communicate with them on patients who were being transitioned from rehabilitation to fitness Pilates. She also studied Stott Pilates’ curriculum, since many physiotherapists in North America are trained through Stott.

Seeking a Pilates home and further education, Heather joined Balanced Body’s faculty in 2009. Since then, she has been teaching new Pilates teachers mat, reformer, and apparatus with the Balanced Body curriculum. She has trained people new to fitness, experienced fitness professionals looking to expand their skill set, physiotherapy doctoral students, and seasoned physiotherapists.

In 2012, Heather was asked to start training physiotherapists joining the staff at One on One Physical Therapy. For two years, she used the Balanced Body curriculum, but then upon consultation with the owners, decided to design her own program specifically suited to the needs of physiotherapists. Pilates 4 Rehab is gaining recognition and support in the US as a unique approach to educating health care professionals in Pilates.

Heather also developed curricula in post-rehabilitation for Pilates teachers who are interested in working with clients who have specific needs due to injuries or health conditions. With a background in women’s health, Heather offers even more courses on topics such as pelvic floor dysfunction and diastasis recti. These post-rehab and women’s health courses have been met with success and excellent feedback from course participants since their initial offering in 2016.

Heather brings to all of her courses enthusiasm, a love of movement, a passion for Pilates, and a wealth of knowledge and experience in all areas of teaching Pilates, from working in private studios, leisure and fitness centers, and in clinical settings.

Experience

Owner | trinity pilates | 2009-present

• In-Home studio that serves local community and as referral studio in the area for post-rehabilitation Pilates
• 25 to 30 clients per week and 2 small group classes of maximum 6 students
• Wait list for appointments of 3-5 clients most months of the year

Owner | HKS Specialized Pilates training| 2016-present

• In-Home studio that serves local community and as referral studio in the area for post-rehabilitation Pilates
• 25 to 30 clients per week and 2 small group classes of maximum 6 students
• Wait list for appointments of 3-5 clients most months of the year

Faculty | Balanced Body | 2009-present

• Teach Balanced Body Mat Pilates program
• Teach Balanced Body Reformer program
• Teach Balanced Body Apparatus (Trapeze Table, Chair, and Barrels) program
• Teach Balanced Body Continuing Education

Pilates teacher and teacher trainer | One on one physical therapy | 2006-present

• Collaborate with Physical Therapists and cross-refer patients and clients in a Physical Therapy clinic that uses Pilates as a transition from rehabilitation
• Facilitate transition from rehabilitation to fitness Pilates and exercise
• Communicate regarding patient plan of care and progress during transition to fitness
• Mentor physical therapy students, clinicians, and apprentices in Pilates method exercise and apparatus

Adjunct faculty | emory university school of medicine | 2012-2016

• Develop curriculum for course, “Pilates for the Rehabilitation Professional”
• Teach beginner to intermediate mat Pilates exercises to 3^rd year Doctorate of Physical Therapy students
• Adapt Pilates mat exercises to a rehabilitation setting, including case studies of common clinic presentations; demonstrate the art of communication through skillful cueing, coach the skill set of teaching in a group fitness setting

Education

Master of Public Health | 2000 | emory University

• Major: International Health             
• Minor: Behavioral Science and Health Education         
• Fellowship: Center for the Study of Health, Culture, and Society 1998-1999: Coursework in Medical Anthropology, Human Biology, and Political Science 

Bachelor of Arts | 1995 | University of Tennessee

• Major: Cultural Anthropology         
• Minor: Physical Anthropology and Archaeology           

Pilates teacher | 2000 | The pilates guild

• The Pilates Studio at the Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta, Georgia
• Completed three five-day workshops: Beginner workshop with Roxane Murata, Intermediate Workshop with Sari Mejia Pace, and Advanced Workshop with Romana Kryzanowska
• Fulfilled 600 hours of personal practice, teaching, and observation and passed two written exams.
• Passed 400-hour practical test with Juanita Lopez and 600-hour final practical with Romana Kryzanowska       

Faculty training | 2009 | balanced Body

• Participated in training at corporate office and factory in Sacramento, California
• Completed two six-day seminars with Nora St. John    
• Pilates Comprehensive, Continuing Education, and Anatomy in 3D Courses offered

Presentations at Conferences

Green, B and King-Smith, H. Building Your Practice Through Cross-Referrals With Wellness Professionals. Educational Session at Combined Sections Meeting, American Physical Therapy Association, San Antonio 2017

King-Smith, H. Pilates-Based Exercise for Diastasis Rectus Abdominis and Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Case Study. Presented at Pilates Method Alliance Conference, Denver 2015.

Skills & Abilities

Curriculum design and development

• Designed one-semester class curriculum for Pilates in a clinical, graduate-level setting for Doctorate of Physical Therapy Students at Emory University
• Adapted Balanced Body curriculum to meet needs of physical therapists practicing at outpatient orthopedic clinic who are required to have comprehensive Pilates training at One on One Physical Therapy
• Created new, unique, original curriculum as sole author to meet specific needs of physical therapists using Pilates in a clinical setting and to meet job requirements at One on One Physical Therapy
• Developed continuing education curricula for Pilates teachers interested in working in Post-Rehabilitation, Functional Training, and Women’s Health

Pilates teacher training                                                                           

• Deliver comprehensive Pilates teacher training with Balanced Body’s curriculum and adapt to diverse audiences from health clubs to physical therapy clinics to private studios
• Offer continuing education for Pilates teachers with Balanced Body
• Mentor Pilates teacher trainees in various aspects of teaching, from working with special populations, to structuring a multi-level class, to building a following and starting a new business

Professional Development

2002       Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training with David Swenson,  40 hours

2004       Power Pilates Advanced Reformer and Beginning Tower System with Bob Leikens, Power Pilates, 6 hours

2005       Functional Anatomy for Pilates with Katy Roelle, Reformation Pilates, 9 hours

2007       Spice Up Your Mat with Balls, Bars, and Magic Circles with Anne Brendle, Power Pilates, 3 hours

2008       Maximizing Functional Movement in the Lower Quadrant with Brent Anderson, Polestar Pilates,                             3 hours

               CorePower Yoga Teacher Training Intensive, 40 hours

2009       Balanced Body Faculty Training Part 1 with Nora St. John, 40 hours

2010       Balanced Body Faculty Training Part 2 with Nora St. John, 40 hours

               Functional Movement Screen Level 1 Certification, 10 hours

               The Center for Women’s Fitness Pre/Post Natal Program with Carolyne Anthony, 20 hours

2011       BioCord Suspension X Level 1 Training with Marry Kim-Garrity, 24 hours

2012       Balanced Body Anatomy in 3D Faculty Training with Nora St. John, 42 hours

               RedCord Active Intro and Corrective Exercise Training with Bill Sonnemaker, 14 hours

2013       Balanced Body Pilates on Tour, 18 hours

• Fascia Oriented Training in the Pilates Environment with Elizabeth Larkam, 6 hours
• From the Wrist to the Spine with Madeline Black, 3 hours
• Balance, Gait, Function, and Fun: An Introduction to the CoreAlign, 3 hours
• Sacroiliac Function and Pilates Exercise Design with Karen Clippinger, 3 hours
• Walking: Assessing and Correcting Gait with Nancy Myers, 3 hours

Redcord Multi-Suspension with Michael Leonardi, 7 hours

2014       Pilates for Menopause and Myofascial Release for Pilates Instructors with Carolyne Anthony, 16 hours

               Neurokinetic Therapy (NKT) Level 1 with Eric Nelson, 14 hours

               Harnessing the Diaphragm/Pelvic Floor Piston with Julie Wiebe, 14 hours

2015       Pilates Method Alliance Conference, 16 hours

2016       New perspectives from The Integrated Systems Model for Treating Women with Pelvic Girdle Pain, Urinary Incontinence, Pelvic Organ Prolapse, and Diastasis Rectus Abdominis with Diane Lee, 2 hours

2016       Redcord Active Advanced: Corrective Exercise with Nick Passe, 16 hours

2017       Abdominal Wall After Pregnancy and DRA with Diane Lee, 16 hours

2018       Postural Respiration, Postural Restoration Institute with Mike Cantrell, 16 hours