Our Team

Meredith Opsahl

Owner + Pilates Instructor

In February 2020, the Pilates instructor and former advertising sales exec opened the doors of boutique studio BK Pilates in Charlotte's South End. She'd just landed from New York City, where Meredith and Marina Kaydanova, the founder of BK Pilates NYC, met. Meredith took the BK Pilates workouts with her to the South, introducing a style that's all about alignment and slow, controlled movements for tone, endurance, and good posture. Meredith is a certified Balanced Body instructor with over 12 years of practicing experience. Catch her on the schedule every day but Sunday. She likes to catch up on some sleep and practice some self-care! You may also find her at her local favorite spots, the Waterman or Foxcroft Wine Bar.

Marina Kaydanova

Founder + Owner of BK Pilates NY locations

Marina left the corporate world to follow her passion and open her first studio in 2012 in Brooklyn after receiving her Balanced Body certification. Now she splits her time between homes in Charlotte and NYC (Manhattan and Brooklyn). She loves to travel around the world and has two incredible children, Sam (14) and Rachel (4). You'll find her on the schedule Fridays- Mondays at the studio. Her claim to fame? "Make your a$$ an asset, not a liability."

Alexis

Pilates Instructor

Lexi has been practicing Pilates for over fifteen years. After being injured in a car accident, she turned to Pilates to build strength and increase stability, mobility, and flexibility when traditional physical therapy did not work. Combining her passion for helping others and her love of Pilates, she completed the comprehensive Balanced Body Pilates Certification. Never one to slow down, she then went on to complete her RYT 200-hour yoga teacher training certification, Reiki practitioner certification, and Pilates Method Alliance Certification (PMA) and has plans to continue her education.
Her classes and private sessions offer challenging workouts in a safe and supportive environment. They are designed to ensure you succeed at reaching your health and fitness goals regardless of your age or current fitness level, always leaving you feeling restored, energized, and accomplished.

Cooper

Our Pilates Pup

Cooper is new to the studio and is always excited to greet you with a puppy kiss!

Kacie

Pilates Instructor

Kacie found Pilates after a re-injured back left her unable to continue in the high-impact exercises she was used to. After falling in love with the benefits of the method, she decided to make a career change to pursue her passion for Pilates and share those same benefits with others. Through her classes, you can expect an athletic full-body flow, and likely, a growing fondness for planks! Full disclosure: expect her to lose count every time a dog walks by (we know you don't really mind the extra reps)! You can find her on the schedule at our SouthPark location!

Monica

Pilates Instructor

Monica was the owner of an executive search firm for 10 years when she discovered pilates. She became so passionate about Pilates that she decided to close her business and further her passion and become an instructor. At a young age she was a competitive gymnast training with the US Olympic team. The focus in gymnastics is form, strength and flexibility. These are same principles that make Pilates her passion. She looks forward to training under Meredith and being part of the BK CLT team.

Faith

Pilates Instructor

Faith, a 28 year old new-ish Charlotte transplant that works as a software engineer from 9-5 and a multi-passionate human from 5-9. While she would generally describe herself as a “beautiful potato” in her youth, she's been exploring all kinds of movement from aerial silks to pole dance since 2018. She discovered Pilates a few months before her wedding in 2019, fell in love with it, and got in the best shape of her life! She decided to pursue teaching after encouragement from her peers in the movement community and the absolute passion she feels introducing others to it. Needless to say she made the right choice and she's so pumped to move and shake together. Btw, her favorite body part to work is gluten by far so get ready to bake some cake with her! 

Michelle

Pilates Instructor

Michelle is originally from Florida, where she went to Florida State University… Go Noles! After undergraduate studies, she went on to receive her doctorate degree in physical therapy, and she now actively treats as a physical therapist in Charlotte, NC. She started practicing pilates consistently five years ago when she and her husband moved to Charlotte. She not only enjoyed taking the classes, but she also discovered incredible progress toward her personal goals and was able to start integrating these ideas for therapy patients. By combining Pilates-based principles and functional strength training, she creates a more well-rounded program for individuals and for herself!

Michelle also loves teaching reformer flow classes separately as an instructor. She is passionate about helping individuals improve their strength, stability, and flexibility, as they develop more brain-to-body connections, better understanding movement patterns, and make progress toward their own goals. When she’s not treating or teaching, she enjoys traveling and being outdoors with her husband and labradoodle!