Cheree Smith
Sierra Symmetry Owner Cheree Smith, PTA, NCPT, PCES
Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, BASI® Pilates Trained and Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher, Certified Barre Above Instructor, Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist.
Cheree’s passion for athletics began in early childhood. Growing up as a dancer and a competitive swimmer in the Sacramento area, she learned early on the importance of balancing strength and flexibility. As a young adult, she participated in and has coached a variety sports. Today she continues to be very active in a number of outdoor athletic activities including: trail running, hiking, kayaking, snowboarding, paddle boarding. Cheree discovered the Pilates method over 19 years ago and instantly fell in love with the principles of concentration, balance, flow, centering, control and precision. While going to school for physical therapy, Cheree studied and was certified as Pilates instructor through the BASI Pilates® Comprehensive Teacher Training Course in Aptos, California in 2010. She has enjoyed teaching ever since. Cheree also has extensive experience in rehabilitation as a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant since 2012, and has worked in both the in-patient and out-patient/orthopedic settings. While recovering from her first pregnancy, Cheree discovered the strength and conditioning benefits of the Barre workout. She certified as a Barre Above instructor in 2016. As a Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist Cheree has the skills to teach women to safely and effectively correct the many postural adaptations and strength deficits that naturally occur with a pregnant and postpartum body.
Nancy Brest
Nancy Brest, CPT is a Balanced Body Pilates Instructor, Certified Personal Trainer (Functional Movement Screen 1), and USSA 300 Snowboard Coach/AASI 3 Snowboard Instructor.
Nancy has always been passionate about progressing and helping others. During college, she competed in sprint triathlons until she found snowboarding and was unable to resist the call of the mountains. Her drive to compete and passion for snowboarding took her to USASA Nationals in Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Boardercross and to New Zealand for the World Heli-Challenge. Wanting to help young athletes in competition, she started coaching competitively in 2005. After 20 years of participating in a directional sport, injuries and imbalances became evident. This inspired her to focus on sport specific training with clients ranging from rehab to elite athletes. Further striving to correct these imbalances, she started to incorporate Pilates to help correct bio-mechanical issues, develop greater core control and increase balance and stability in dynamic, rotational sports. She brings her passion, knowledge and athletic experience to help her clients develop mobility and strength in tandem, whether for rehab or performance, in both sport and life.
Cynthia Todd-Foygel
Cynthia Todd, NCPT, is a Polestar® Pilates Trained and Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher.
Cynthia has been a competitive swimmer, bellydancer, avid cyclist, skate skier, and runner. Cynthia is the mother of two fun and charming children and previously worked as an engineer, technical writer, and patent portfolio analyst. She discovered the benefits of Pilates as a way to prepare for major abdominal surgery after being diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer. Cynthia is excited to share this life changing form of exercise with other people, from those who just want to be more agile with their grandchildren to those who want to feel less achy after their Tahoe style extreming.
Angela Wiley
Angela Wiley, NCPT, Balanced Body trained and Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher credentials since 2012
Angela maintains her Comprehensive Certification with Balanced Body since 2011 and her Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher credentials since 2012. She is also a certified golf fitness instructor with Titleist, NASM personal trainer, and Level 1 Franklin Method educator. Angela was first introduced to providing Pilates instruction on the Reformer while working as a Physical Therapy Aide in 2004. After seeing such positive rehabilitative results with patients she decided to pursue a Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Certification in order to learn the full repertoire on the Mat and on the Equipment. Angela’s passion for movement and her desire to remain mobile and active for life drives her to help others strive for and maintain their strength, mobility, and vitality in their lives, therefore increasing their longevity. She has found through her own practice and watching her clients improve physically and mentally how Pilates is an exercise modality suitable and beneficial for everyone in any stage of life. Angela has discovered and loves how the Matwork and Equipment are designed to offer endless variations to exercises and movements for the most functional and healthy outcome, which is so unique to Pilates. Angela lives in the beautiful Sierra Valley with her husband and daughter. She and her family are very active in the outdoors mountain biking, climbing, back-country skiing, running, and backpacking.
Autumn Gillen
Autumn Gillen, PTA, NCPT is a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant since 2010 and a National Certified Pilates Teacher since 2020.
Autumn has worked in various clinical settings as a Physical Therapist Assistant, with most of her time spent in the outpatient setting, where she has various training including Orthopedic, Pelvic Health, SFMA, and Pilates. Autumn was first introduced to Pilates while on a contract PTA job in Fort Bragg California, and saw the benefits of using the Reformer with her patients. It was when she moved to Chico, California and began working for an Outpatient Physical Therapy clinic, that she was fully immersed in Pilates and began her Pilates training with the owner of the clinic. She continues to use Pilates in the rehabilitation of all patients and has seen the benefits of using all Pilates apparatus in their care. In addition to patient care, Autumn has experience teaching group Pilates classes and personal training. She has personally seen the benefits of Pilates and how it has helped her overall strength, health, and well-being in her active lifestyle. Autumn has a passion for the outdoors and is excited to now live in Truckee, where she can continue to explore all the Tahoe region has to offer. In her free time, she enjoys an active lifestyle including hiking, backpacking, camping, snowshoeing, yoga, Pilates, and paddle boarding, as well as spending time with her partner and traveling.
Kim Grow
Kim got her Pilates Mat and Reformer training and certifications from Polestar®. She was certified by International Teacher Training and Pilates Coach for all other Pilates Apparatus and is also an ISSA Personal Trainer.
Kim has 10 years of modern dance and tap background and has been a coach for the Squaw Valley Ski Team for many years. She owned a Pilates studio from 2001-2014 and has been teaching on the reformer and tower for 20 years. When asked “Why Pilates?” Kim says, “I have witnessed improvement in posture, core strength, everyday movement and recreational sports performance through consistent Pilates practice.” Kim describes her teaching style as: “Challenging, flowing, and rehabilitative. As a resident of Tahoe for nearly 50 years, Kim continues to be awed and inspired by it’s beauty each and everyday!