Meet the Team
AMY O'CONNELL
Owner & Instructor
A competitive runner, certified barre instructor, and Colorado native, Amy O’Connell has run everything from 10k’s to 100 mile races in the Rocky Mountains and the Alps. She loves pushing past her limits, but found that she was held back by overtraining injuries from a lack of cross-training. She discovered barre as a way to build strength, prevent injury and improve her running performance. After opening her own Barre Forte studios in Denver and joining the Barre Forte corporate team, Amy moved to Steamboat Springs with her family. As the new owner of Steamboat Fitness, she is excited to bring running and barre classes back to the studio, and help others achieve their personal fitness goals. She believes that with hard work, anything is possible!
Wendy Puckett
Founder & Instructor
Wendy is a certified Pilates instructor through the PhysicalMind Institute and Yoga Instructor through CorePower Yoga and has been teaching for 20 years. She is a former NCAA captain for the University of Colorado cross-country/track teams. She passionately credits Pilates for her strength and flexibility needed to enjoy a wide range of activities, especially running and marathons, including 6 Boston Marathons and a Marine Corps marathon, mt.and road biking, and skiing. She has 2 sons in college, 1 skiing for DU and the other skiing for the US Ski Team and Dartmouth. She loves working with athletes in the physical and mental arena to help them go after their goals. Her extensive understanding of the body and its mechanics will help you leave her class feeling stronger and re-inspired to go after what you want in life!
Kristin Stevenson
A fully certified instructor through the PhysicalMind Institute, she has been teaching for over 20 years with a background emphasizing rehabilitation. She is the owner of the Pilates Training Institute which certifies people nationally and internationally to teach Pilates. Her Bachelor of Science/Kinesiology degree, former job as a Univ. of Colorado athletic trainer, injury prevention educator for Italian cycling and dance teams, and six years in a physical therapy clinic brings a well-rounded knowledge to the studio to challenge and assist clients of all levels. As a former competitive ski racer she realizes the importance of a strong core. You will “enjoy” finding muscles you didn’t know you had in her classes.
Pam Pieknik
Pam is fully certified through the Pilates Training Institute and has completed TRX, Spin & Barre certifications. She grew up participating in numerous sports in Denver, CO from soccer & competitive swimming to skiing & triathlon at CU Boulder. Pam enjoys hiking, biking, camping, boating, and everything the Colorado mountains have to offer. As a passionate athlete for life, Pam is aware of the need to have a strong connection between the body and mind. She discovered Pilates while recovering from a knee injury in 2005 & fell in love with it immediately. Pam was impressed by the recognizable changes in her body during everyday life; increased flexibility, balance, and overall core strength, that she was inspired to share it with others. She will challenge you to find your own balance & core strength through creative movement patterns…and you’ll have fun doing it!
Lora Labaree
Lora is a fully certified classically trained Pilates instructor through the internationally renowned BASI (Body Arts and Science International) Pilates® Certification program founded by Master Teacher, Rael Isacowitz. Lora was first introduced to Pilates during her professional dance career, as a way to enhance her dancing and help keep her body flexible but strong. She grew up in Northern California and was involved with the Greentree Ballet Company for 14 years. She then went on to major in Dance and Education at the University of California, Irvine. After college she danced professionally for Disney in California and Japan. Lora is extremely passionate about teaching Pilates and educating people about their bodies. She always brings a smile to class and incorporates her training, experience, and years of dance to help clients find grace, coordination, flow, and core strength.
Pam Eppard
Jaudz Liu
With a background of dance, therapeutic yoga-anatomy training, and recovering from her own back injury, Jaudz feels Pilates is beneficial for everybody, and all ages. Her interest in the mind-body connection, combined with her passion for movement, makes her an innovative and inspiring practitioner. Jaudz is fully certified through the Pilates Training Institute.
Jess Ryan
Jess Ryan has been practicing yoga for over 10 years and it has truly changed her life both mentally and physically. She uses yoga to manage stress, stay fit and keep her mindful and focused. With a desire to share yoga with others, in 2015, she earned her 200 Hour Certification from Bhakti Barn Yoga in Millburn, NJ. Knowing that being a good teacher comes from being a good student, Jess is open to new experiences and loves to share those with her students. Her Vinyasa style classes are challenging and fun.
Megan Andersen
Megan has worked for Steamboat Pilates since 2019 in various positions around the studio and has learned from several of the top Pilates instructors in the state. She completed her Pilates training in 2021.
Megan grew up ski racing and has always enjoyed an active mountain lifestyle. Her favorite activities include mountain biking, running, skiing, and spending time exploring new places around Colorado. After a back injury while ski racing, she was introduced to Pilates through Physical Therapy. She believes in creating workouts that will make you stronger, physically, and mentally to achieve your goals outside of the Pilates studio. Pilates has played a huge role in helping her train for various races including half-marathons and triathlons. She takes pride in being well prepared and her infectious energy leaves clients feeling positive and strong.
KEZIA GRAHAM
Kezia brings her passion for functional movement, and her deep history teaching Pilates to all her clients and classes. With a full certification from PhysicalMind Institute, she has been teaching for over 20 years. A personal back injury brought Kezia to Pilates through physical therapy. After being told she would never ski or run again, and coming back stronger to all the activities she loves, Kezia has a better understanding of the power of the body to heal and what is possible with core strength. Kezia grew up horseback riding, skiing and competitively bike racing. She has over 700 hours of Yoga certification, is fully certified through PSIA teaching both Alpine and Telemark skiing, and passionately enjoys mountain biking, gravel riding, river time, camping and trail running. Teaching from a broad perspective of activities,
Kezia brings her love of movement, human alignment and anatomy to her teaching. She is passionate about guiding people to discover their strongest potential in the studio to better live doing all the activities that bring them joy.
Kristina Steinberg
Kristina was born and raised in Steamboat Springs, spending her formative years at Steamboat Pilates. Her mother, a certified pilates instructor, introduced her to the discipline when she was just a toddler. With a background in competitive ski racing and dance, Kristina embraced pilates as a crucial component of her cross-training regimen.
After graduating from Steamboat Springs High School, Kristina followed her creative passions and ventured to New York City to attend Parsons School of Design. Upon graduating, she made the decision to delve into a career in pilates instruction. Certified by New York Pilates, Kristina combines her skills in design and pilates background to creatively compose challenging and fun contemporary reformer pilates flows for her clients to reach their goals and become their strongest and most confident selves.
Kristina’s journey with pilates has come full circle as she now instructs at Steamboat Pilates and Fitness, the very studio where her lifelong connection with pilates began.
MORGAN COX
Born and raised in Steamboat, Morgan began her pilates journey in her teens years when she began rehabbing from hip surgeries. Little did she know that those would only be the first of many grueling injuries she faced, and Pilates would be the constant to help aid her through each of those recoveries. It wasn’t long before she fell in love with Pilates and all the incredible benefits it offered. She believes not only in the incredible physical benefits but the mental component as well, using Pilates as a way to “escape” both the stresses of day to day life, and physical pain of injuries, while strengthening her body and mind along the way.
