A little more about Jordana…
I began my movement journey in 2011, the way many people do—dragged to a group reformer class by a friend. I’d spent years feeling self-conscious and uncoordinated, like exercise just wasn’t made for people like me. But that class pulled back the curtain on something completely different: a wonderland of strength, mobility, and endurance challenges... many of which could be done lying down. And all with one beautiful machine.
Pilates eased my anxiety, supported me through a pregnancy with movement that was both challenging and accessible, and soothed me afterwards, like only having two hands and some personal space again can. Eventually, it even carried me into the weights room.
As someone with pretty classic ADHD wiring, once I find something I love, I tend to dive in headfirst. I absorb everything I can, and then I have to tell everyone about it. Becoming a Pilates instructor felt inevitable, and I completed my first training and began teaching in 2016—with a quiet dream of one day opening my own studio.
In late 2017, I sustained a back injury—a bilateral pars fracture at my L5/S1. If you’ve ever experienced pain that interrupts your daily life, you’ll know how confronting and isolating it can feel—especially when movement is also your go-to mental health strategy. Fortunately, with great care and evidence-based treatment, I returned to function quickly and saw a significant reduction in pain within three months.
That experience sparked a deep interest in pain science and the role of movement and progressive loading in recovery. I went on to study Clinical Pilates and completed comprehensive training across all Pilates apparatus. In 2021 - possibly the worst timing imaginable - I left my corporate job to pursue movement full time… just as Canberra went into its last Covid lockdown.
I taught online, then opened a home-based business offering 1:1 and small group training, while continuing to teach across studios. That time only sharpened my vision: I wanted to bring smart, joyful movement to more people, more often. And that’s when the dream of Feel Better Pilates really started to take shape.
Now, that dream has grown into a community I’m deeply proud of - one grounded in education, humour, and inclusive strength.
As a teacher, I’m unapologetic about asking people to explore the full range of what their bodies can do. I believe one of the most empowering things we can offer someone is the opportunity to build strength. I teach classes that are challenging but never too serious—because movement should be fun, whether you’re rehabbing or training regularly. We move our whole bodies, we move fearlessly, and we move to feel better, not to chase perfection.
Strong, capable movers make strong, capable older people. And that’s the long game I’m here to play.
My qualifications and registrations include:
Certificate in Pilates Fundamentals
Certificate in Reformer Pilates
Certificate III in Fitness (Group Fitness)
Certificate IV in Fitness (Personal Training)
Certificate IV in Pilates (Mat and Reformer)
Diploma of Clinical Pilates
Bachelor of Social Work
Working with Vulnerable People Registration
Kind of good at plants
I’m so excited to keep growing this community—and to welcome even more people into the fold as we are about to open our Lyneham studio.
Our Hawker studio is where it all began, and I’m endlessly proud of the community we’ve built there: one grounded in warmth, movement, and showing up for each other. Lyneham is the next step in that same vision: more movement, more connection, and more people feeling better in their bodies.
See you in the studio soon.
Jordana
*this blog was originally published 11 September 2022 and was last updated in March 2025.