Meet Kaila
Certified Fitness Trainer
Yoga Instructor
Professional Bodybuilder
Nutrition Coach
A Beginning in the Arts
My entry into the world of wellness really began in 2006, when I was a college student studying for my BFA in Acting at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. A significant portion of my training as an actor involved movement and voice study; our classes regularly began with warm-up movement and breath akin to yoga practice. I have clear memories of struggling through downward facing dog before I ever knew what it was.
Yoga turned out to be a brilliant way for me to connect to movement, strength, and my capacity for self-expression. I had dabbled as a child in softball, gymnastics, dance, and basketball and was mildly successful as a teenage track and field athlete. (Fun fact: at one time, I held the state record for highest female pole vault in the state of Wisconsin.) After discovering theater and enjoying a hiatus from athletics, I rediscovered my passion for movement in theater school and yoga classes on the east coast.
Upon earning my degree and moving into the world of professional acting, I found myself in need of continued practice as an emotional outlet and became a 200 hour certified yoga instructor through OM Yoga, then situated in Union Square of beautiful New York City. It was a transformative time in my life and has laid the foundation to grow into the person I feel I was truly meant to be.
Growth & Development
As I've continued to develop myself as a personal trainer and yoga instructor, I've expanded on the portion of my business that takes the concepts I teach in class & through personal training out into the world. This has manifested into a robust online coaching system - the opportunity to work with me in the way that your schedule allows.
The vast majority of my clients currently enjoy this customized coaching (which is comprised of personalized programming divided into 8-12 week increments) to help make sense of their wellness lives in relation to everything else they do. I greatly enjoy developing these programs - no one program is like the last - and can cover everything from detailed fitness programming, to the use of studio and online classes, and the curation of an approach to nutrition that supports both short and long term goals. I genuinely believe these relationships are the personal training of the future: once a foundation is established there's nothing better than having a coach who can hold you accountable, progress your work intelligently, and act as a sounding board for everything life throws your way. If you would like to explore a coaching relationship with me reach out - this is often a very accessible and affordable option for those who wish to bring shape and focus to their wellness lives.
In 2017, I began a new chapter in my own fitness life and began training as an amateur Figure bodybuilder. As of 2019 I've competed in two seasons of bodybuilding as a Figure and Physique athlete, and am proud to say I earned Pro status in both the International Pro Elite and National Gym Association federations for bodybuilding. I plan to compete in the future and am currently enjoying a powerful offseason of building muscle and enjoying life.
If you've made it this far, thanks for your time! I hope that you'll consider reaching out to me and let me know how I can make your wellness life more easy, effective, and alive.
A Wisconsin Career
In 2011 I returned to Wisconsin to support my brother and his then-infant daughter through a difficult divorce and began teaching yoga seriously. A few years into my career, a mentor encouraged me to also become a personal trainer and the rest is history. I began teaching and training full time in a small group/personal training facility in Fitchburg.
Since that time I've been a fixture at most yoga studios in Madison, WI at one time or another, teaching as many as 25 classes a week and have participated in the growth and development of many studios and fellow teachers. In 2014 I expanded my capacity as a personal trainer through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, a year-long online course centered around balanced holistic nutrition. Through IIN I became a certified Wellness and Nutrition Coach: this was a huge development as most baseline personal training certifications do not encompass nutrition coaching.
In 2015 I become the Director of Instruction for a West Madison indoor cycling studio called Flyght Cycle and developed a full-scale cycling class program designed to create a marriage between quality fitness and engaging rides. The development of this program and ongoing training of its teachers was pivotal in my career and opened me up to dozens of new channels for my instruction and training. As a result of my work, I earned the opportunity to lead portions of a Janesville, WI based 200 hour yoga teacher training program for several seasons.
In 2016 I felt ready to settle into my current teaching and training practice spaces. The majority of my time is spent coaching my fitness and nutrition clients. Since 2016 have been a part of the instruction team at Perennial Yoga & Meditation in Fitchburg and the newly added Garver Feed Mill location in Madison. You can read about my coaching work here and yoga classes here.