About Us

Valerie Senter-Williams, NCPT

Valerie Senter Williams is a seasoned professional in the fitness industry with over 44 years of experience, including more than 20 years specializing in Pilates. She is the owner of Pilates by Val, a well-known studio in Gulf Breeze, Florida, where she has been helping clients achieve their fitness goals for over two decades. Valerie holds multiple certifications, including Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT), Powerhouse Pilates, Physical Mind Institute, and Franklin Method Level 3 Instructor.

As the founder of the Pilates by Val Teacher Training Academy, she is dedicated to educating the next generation of Pilates instructors through comprehensive training and certification programs. Valerie has a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Marketing from Texas Christian University (TCU), blending her business acumen with her passion for fitness.

She specializes in working with clients from diverse backgrounds, addressing needs such as degenerative disc disease, osteoporosis, scoliosis, pelvic dysfunction, and post-stroke recovery. Her expertise also extends to senior fitness and core strength improvement, ensuring each client reaches his or her highest potential in functional movement, balance, and flexibility.

Valerie regularly attends workshops and continuing education programs to stay at the forefront of her field, thus providing cutting-edge techniques and personalized care to her clients.

Emma Evert

Emma, immersed in movement her whole childhood, began dancing at age 3 and at age 18 became a professional ballet dancer. She has danced with the Milwaukee Ballet as well as with Ballet Pensacola.

While dancing professionally in Milwaukee, she obtained her Pilates certification and has been a Pilates instructor since age19. She has taught at over 15+ studios in Milwaukee, Southern California, and Florida.

While teaching in Milwaukee, she developed an appreciation for learning and teaching classical Pilates. In California she spent many hours teaching senior citizens and found a passion for improving the quality of their lives. Currently in Florida Emma has enjoyed teaching children and student dancers how to deeply understand and strengthen their bodies.

She teaches with a positive attitude, motivating her classes as she works with students of all ages. She is grateful to have the opportunity to bring Pilates to others and is excited to see what it will offer to their lives.

James Williams, NCPT

James Williams is a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT) with over 17 years of experience teaching Pilates. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School as a Master Fitness trainer and is certified as a personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

James completed his comprehensive Pilates training through Powerhouse Pilates, the Physical Mind Institute, and the Pilates by Val Teacher Training Academy. A proud Green Beret, he graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1983 and has since combined his military discipline with his passion for health and fitness. With a love for teaching, James empowers clients to succeed in the Pilates movement, emphasizing proper form, technique, and long-term wellness.

Julie Noel

Julie Noel recently returned to the Pensacola area after 23 years away and is currently being mentored by Val as a Pilates Apprentice at the Pilates by Val studio. She originally trained as an artist in England and has a complementary commercial arts degree from the U. S.

Her extensive background in fitness, swimming, and competitive running led her to the discovery that injuries from repetitive motion are best addressed through balanced total body motion, flexibility, and strength. For Julie, Pilates represents the natural progression to better understanding the body and staying healthy throughout all stages of life. Regardless of age and current fitness ability, Julie finds the interplay between mind and body fascinating, and she is delighted to share her love of balanced, whole-body fitness and function with others

Tassy Fields

Tassy Fields, 58, originally from Houston, Texas, has lived in Gulf Breeze, Florida, for the past 21 years. Before dedicating herself to her family, she worked in banking for 16 years and contributed to the family business, Fields Roofing.

On her 48th birthday, Tassy discovered her passion for Pilates and has been practicing it for over a decade. Inspired by its transformative impact, she is now pursuing her dream of becoming a certified Pilates instructor, sharing her love for health and wellness through the Pilates Method with others.

Lisa Shaw

Lisa Shaw received her Associate of Arts (AA) degree from Springfield College in Illinois and her Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Economics/Business Administration/Spanish from Illinois College. She currently works in Information Technology as a database Administrator.

Lisa discovered Pilates in 2020 following hip surgery and has become passionately dedicated to the exercises and the benefits they provide. Body awareness and the mind-body connection were new ideas which she learned in the Pilates by Val studio and which intensely resonated with her. Learning to incorporate breathing with controlled, focused movement has been the key to her own practice and is what she wants to share with others.

Lisa continues to practice Pilates for one simple reason . . . because she feels so good afterwards! She walks out of the studio feeling taller and stronger with her overall well- being improved. She is pursuing her certification as a Pilates instructor because she wants to help others achieve those same feelings.