bios
Amy Broekemeier DPT, CMPT, Owner, PMA Certified Pilates Instructor, Polestar Principal Educator
Amy is the owner of Pinnacle Performance, a practice committed to addressing function of the whole person. She received a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Creighton in 1996, is a Certified Manual Physical Therapist through the NAIOMT (North American Institute of Manual Therapy), Pilates Method Alliance Certified Pilates Instructor is a Polestar Pilates Principal Educator, and holds an adjunct faculty position at the University of Utah Physical Therapy Program. Amy holds herself to the highest standards in the profession by being dedicated to the growth and development of critically thinking manual physical therapists and movement specialists. She hopes that through this work, the community will have access to knowledge, skills, guidance and inspiration to achieve health, well-being, and freedom of movement to realize their full potentials.
Shawnee Haws DPT, PMA Certified Pilates Instructor, Polestar Pilates Mentor
Shawnee Haws received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Utah in 2005 and has been practicing at Pinnacle Performance ever since. She received her certification as a Pilates instructor through Polestar Education and is a Pilates Method Alliance Certified Pilates Instructor, as well as a Polestar Pilates Mentor. She is currently pursuing a manual therapy certification through NAIOMT. She believes that healthy living is essential for the body, mind and spirit. Shawnee’s goal is to provide quality care and education in helping clients achieve and maintain healthy living.
Tessa Furano Hale DPT, Polestar Pilates Practitioner
Tessa received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Utah in 2008. As a student, she was drawn to Pinnacle Performance for its holistic approach to physical therapy. She began working full-time as a therapist at Pinnacle after graduating and completing certification as a Pilates instructor through Polestar Education. Prior to Pinnacle, she worked at the University of Utah’s Orthopedic Center and Physical Therapy School as the research assistant for the SMERF (Skeletal Muscle Exercise Research Facility) lab group. She is currently pursuing a manual therapy certification through NAIOMT. Tessa feels very fortunate to work in an environment that encourages both staff and clients to reach their maximum potential and to make the most of every opportunity put before them.
Dannielle Nicole Holder-Swensen, PMA Certified Pilates Instructor PMA Certified Pilates Instructor
Dannielle has been teaching creative and functional movement modalities for over 16 years. She trained through Polestar Pilates Education and is a Pilates Method Alliance certified Pilates instructor, a certified GYROTONIC® apprentice, and an Inbody Academy trained yoga instructor. She has taught at various movement studios in California, Oregon, and Utah and had the good-fortune of working as an assistant to Elizabeth Larkam for three years at the Body, Mind, Spirit conferences in California. In addition, she was a Balanced Body University faculty member and master trainer for three years. As an ongoing commitment to instructor training and high standards of movement education, she is currently an educator for Polestar Pilates Education. Dannielle is committed to the art and science of intelligent movement and to the health and well being of her students. Her primary aim is to help people feel comfortable in their bodies and to feel good about themselves.
GYROTONIC® is a registered trademark of Gyrotonic Sales Corp and is used with their permission.
Deric Brown
A long time client of Pinnacle Performance, Deric Brown is now an essential part of our full-time staff serving as the Director of Financial Management. Deric has an extensive background in business management and enjoys working with people. We are excited to have Deric here to facilitate our clinic’s success.
Nichole Anderson Polestar Pilates Practitioner
Nichole is a Polestar Pilates Practitioner trained in Mat, Allegro and Studio. She began teaching in Miami in 2005 under the tutelage of Brent Anderson, the founder of Polestar Pilates, and his assistant Shelly. Nichole spent the following two summers traveling around the world attending various Pilates conferences, settling in Shanghai for a year and a half teaching Pilates to expatriates. Nichole moved to Salt Lake in 2009 to attend the University of Utah with a focus in Mandarin and pre-med. While in school she has been teaching at Pinnacle Performance and has become an integral part of our team. Her training and experience are excellent and we look forward to her working here in the years to come. We encourage everyone to experience one-on-one training with her.