Meet the Team
Tara Zigdon
Owner & Instructor
In 2018, she earned her 500-hour comprehensive Pilates certification and began her career at a local Pilates studio, where she served not only as an instructor but also managed event planning and social media. One year later, she opened her first small studio out of her home and joined Dynamic Pilates TV, an app owned by renowned instructor Tiffany Burke. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the platform became one of the top-selling Pilates apps, an experience she describes as both formative and meaningful.
In 2022, she and her husband co-founded The Pilates Sculpt Studio, opening two locations simultaneously. Both studios received local recognition in their first year, earning titles such as Best Fitness Center – Chapin and Best Pilates Studio – Columbia. Over the past three years, she has hosted continuing education workshops, welcomed instructors from across the country, and led CEC programs. Her work has extended into the athletic community as well, training varsity teams at local high schools and collaborating with collegiate programs. After being contacted by the University of South Carolina football department, she led her third annual eight-week Pilates clinic and has since worked with multiple coaches and athletic departments at USC. At the end of 2025, she proudly expanded the brand with the opening of a third studio location in the Northeast.
An athlete since the age of three, she competed in soccer and basketball through the collegiate level and gained early coaching experience working with youth varsity camps—sparking a lifelong passion for mentorship. Her personal Pilates journey began more than 15 years ago after a serious injury left her briefly paralyzed. Through extensive physical therapy and a gradual return to movement, she experienced firsthand the power of Pilates as a rehabilitative and healing practice. Since becoming certified, she has continued to pursue advanced education and training, always prioritizing ethical instruction and lifelong learning. In 2026, she was voted Best Personal Trainer in Columbia by the Free Times Post and Courier.
She credits her faith, her supportive husband, and her family for making her journey possible. A mother of four, she considers motherhood her most important role and hopes her children will remember that with faith, integrity, and hard work, any goal is achievable
Marcellina Mele
Instructor
Marcellina Mele, PMA®-NCPT, knows that physical movement is vital for holistic body wellness. She started her Pilates journey in 2002, was classically trained in 2013 in all levels of mat, props and prenatal. In 2018, she obtained her contemporary certification for all apparatus under McEntire Pilates. She further achieved her Certified Pilates Teacher designation through the National Pilates Certification (NPCP-PMA) in 2019. With a background as a pole vaulter, runner and dancer she understands the athletic demand of bodies, through her journey and her own health issues she also understands the demands of a changing and aging body. Marcellina is continuously learning so she can be the best teacher to all her clients; she caters her sessions to the clients’ needs, while challenging them to meet their goals. As a second profession, her focus and passion are acknowledging that “Pilates is not just an exercise, but a way of life!” — helping people achieve healthier lifestyles and keep moving!
Shireen Kawaguchi
Instructor
Miss. Shireen has always valued health and fitness. As a teenager she first learned Mat Pilates from watching VHS tapes. In 2009, she received her Beginner Mat Pilates training through Power Pilates, and taught group classes at a local athletic club for about a year. Years of working a desk job took its toll on her back and she returned to Pilates to help with her back pain. During the pandemic in 2020, she decided to change careers and become a full time Pilates instructor and completed a 500 hour certification. She has been teaching group reformer classes since 2021. Wanting to truly understand the Pilates Method, she began studying classical Pilates and completed a 950 hour Advanced Comprehensive Training through The Pilates Center, Boulder, CO in 2023. She grew up in Portland, OR and recently moved to Columbia, SC with her military husband. She enjoys teaching Pilates full time and helping people improve their overall health through Pilates.
Amani Hall
Instructor
Amani Hall is a Pilates instructor dedicated to helping clients build strength, control, and longevity through intentional movement. Rooted in classical Pilates and informed by modern training principles, her teaching emphasizes precision, alignment, and mindful progression.
Over the years, Amani has taught in boutique studios, led private sessions, and cultivated a loyal community drawn to her calm authority, refined coaching, and commitment to excellence. Her work extends beyond the mat she is building a scalable, lifestyle-driven Pilates brand that bridges wellness, education, and elevated experiences.
With a long-term vision that includes continued education in kinesiology and expanding her reach across markets, Amani remains dedicated to helping clients move better, feel stronger, and invest in their bodies for life.
Nicki
Instructor
Nicki has been teaching pilates since 2010. As an active runner, she started practicing pilates at the age of 23 because it is a wonderful compliment to high impact activities. When her son was born in 2009, Nicki transitioned into a stay at home mom and decided to pursue her interest in teaching pilates. Nicki is certified to teach both Mat and Equipment Pilates by PHI Pilates and Beacon Pilates. Nicki is passionate about helping others achieve their fitness and wellness goals through Pilates. She believes pilates is truly for every body and it’s a form of exercise that can meet you where you are. She teaches classes and works with clients privately.
In her spare time, Nicki is the mom to 2 children and the sweetest dog. She is a member of various community organizations and helps lead a Pilates and Prayer Bible Study at her church. She also really loves date nights with her husband and spending time with her family in the pool or at the lake.
Lynne McIntosh
Instructor
“I have been doing Pilates for about 14 years. I was a gymnast growing up and a runner. When I tore my hamstring, I knew that I needed to incorporate a form of exercise that could help strengthen and lengthen my tight muscles. I immediately fell in love with Pilates and it changed the way that I moved and felt. With a nursing degree from USC and my last child going to college, I knew that getting certified and teaching Pilates was a perfect fit.” – Lynne McIntosh
Lynne is a huge part of our pilates community and has been involved with our Devine St. location for over a decade! Lynne provides challenges each class combing contemporary and classical styles, we are lucky to have her!
Brea Thomas
Instructor
In 2023, Brea started her pilates journey after recovering from an ACL and meniscus repair. Within a month of taking pilates classes, she noticed a complete 360 within her own body through intentional movements, flexibility, and core strength that she wanted to learn more about pilates. What started out as a way to get away from traditional stretching exercises after an injury, turned into much more. She completed her 500 hour comprehensive certification through Club Pilates and loves being a certified instructor. She has also completed a pre-& postnatal certification.
Brea is a strong advocate for pilates being for every body. She ran at the collegiate level and still runs 5k’s and 10k’s for fun, was a previous bikini competitor within the body-building world, strength trains 2-3x a week, and birthed two precious children, again, pilates is truly for all bodies! She enjoys seeing transformations, overall strength, and confidence coming into fruition from others as they begin their pilates journey.
Laura Rollins
Instructor
Laura started her Pilates journey in 2012 with a semester of Mat Pilates to fill a credit her senior year of college. Since then, she has sporadically taught classes when requested and enjoyed the occasional youtube practice.
It was December of 2022 when Tara slid into Laura’s DMs looking for a Pilates instructor for the Chapin location and Laura’s life was truly changed by Pilates. Now an instructor and regular student, Pilates has changed Laura’s life for the better! With a background in sports medicine and over a decade of experience as a group fitness instructor, Pilates is the
Perfect addition to Laura’s exercise routine and life. Pilates is for EVERY body!
Jordan Mancini
Instructor
I’m Jordan Mancini, and fitness has been a lifelong passion of mine. Several years back, I fell in love with the practice of Pilates. The connection between mind and body, the graceful strength it cultivates kept me coming back for more. As of 2022 before opening the first Pilates Sculpt Studio, Tara, the owner, took me through the 500 hours of compressive pilates training, and I have become a certified Pilates Sculpt Instrucor. Since then Ive attended several workshops always continuing my education, and I look forward continuing to do so! Guiding others through this transformative practice brings me immense joy. I find fulfillment in helping people discover their inner strength and achieve a balanced, flexible, and strong body. I’m thrilled to work with individuals at every stage of their fitness journey – whether you’re taking your first steps or performing advanced moves, I’m here to support and challenge you.
Monica Hurley
Instructor
Monica Hurley’s Pilates journey began in 2001 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Following the birth of her daughter, what started as a commitment to an introductory class package quickly evolved from a curiosity into a lifelong passion. Encouraged by her mentors to pursue a career in movement, Monica completed a rigorous teacher training program through the PhysicalMind Institute of New York in 2005. This comprehensive certification included over 500 hours of lecture, observation, and supervised practice teaching. Since then, she has remained a dedicated student of the method, expanding her expertise through specialized workshops in anatomy, gait analysis, and advanced apparatus training.
Upon moving to Columbia, South Carolina, Monica opened her own studio where she spent years training a diverse range of clients, including individual athletes and University of South Carolina Gamecock athletic teams. After a brief hiatus from studio ownership, during which she continued to teach Pilates-inspired movement at a local yoga studio, she found her way to Pilatesculpt as a student. Inspired by the studio's leadership and community, she decided to return to her roots as a professional instructor. Today, Monica is thrilled to bring her deep technical knowledge and decades of experience to the Pilatesculpt team, helping clients move with strength, precision, and renewed confidence.
Liubov Liuzan
Instructor
Luibov is a certified Balanced Body Pilates equipment instructor with more than 15 years of work experience, as well as a fitness instructor with more than 20 years of work experience. She is from Ukraine.
Liubov has a full high education with a master’s degree in the field of recreation and health fitness. Liubov studied Pilates with Balanced Body Pilates Education and worked in Ukraine and the USA. She has experience working with people of different ages and abilities. Liubov uses an individual approach, focuses on teaching correct techniques and safety when performing exercises, and creates programs.
Kelly White
Instructor
Kelly White, PT, DPT, ATC, CSCS, has a love for Pilates that has grown immensely over the last several years. She is a Duke graduate with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and has been practicing as a PT for 20+ years. She has worked with patients and clients of all abilities. Her primary focus has been in the sports medicine world worth with athletes of all ages. She has trained and rehabilitated those that compete in youth sports, high school sports, college athletes, professional athletes and adults and seniors who love their hobbies and recreational sports, too. After moving to Columbia, SC in 2021, Kelly started doing Pilates more regularly and decided it was time to blend her physical therapy knowledge with teaching Pilates. She finished the 500 hour certification program with Tara at the Pilates Sculpt Studio and looks forward to teaching in the studio as well as seeing private clients in her home. She believes that Pilates is for everybody and with the proper guidance and instruction anyone can do Pilates as a method of movement that promotes health, wellness and fitness!
Kelly loves spending time with her husband and 2 children and their dog Rocky! She also enjoys walking, reading, and cheering on the Gamecocks!!
Ashley Felder Hayes
Instructor
Ashley Felder received her BA in Dance from Columbia College and upon graduation moved to California, where she performed and choreographed with several dance and theater companies in the Bay Area and abroad. Ashley received her Pilates certification in 2001 from Mercy Sidbury in Santa Rosa, CA. She has studied and done numerous workshops with Pilates luminaries such as Marie Jose-Blume, Kathy Grant, Nora St. John, Madeline Black, Elizabeth Larkham, and kinesiologists Tom Myers and Jean Claude West. Ashley is a certified Thai Bodywork practitioner and opened Thai Bodywork of Columbia in 2024. She teaches therapeutic Pilates privates in her home studio where she fuses her sessions with bodywork. She has found Thai Bodywork and Pilates to be a great combination in achieving results. She recently went to Thailand to further her studies. Her greatest inspiration is in helping clients get out of pain or discomfort and teaching them new ways to move effortlessly.
Ashley has been teaching group classes with the Sculpt team since March 2024. She loves the community here and being a part of this strong group of teachers.