This is me in my natural habitat, on a run in Tokul.

My fully outfitted Pilates studio.

Twenty years ago, I was on the floor of my engineering office showing a colleague how to use a foam roller when I realized that engineering wasn’t really my passion. I was an avid trail runner, mountain biker, and gym rat, and happily discussed training and wellness with everyone. So, I left engineering to pursue a career in personal training.

I never do anything halfway, so I got an Associate’s Degree in Biology at Bellevue College, a Certificate in Sports Medicine and Human Performance at UW, and the most rigorous training certification I could find, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Then, after training dozens of clients for 1500+ hours, I left training to be a mom, which has been my main occupation for the last 15 years.

While raising/homeschooling kids as a full-time job is amazing, I always missed my work as a trainer. I kept up my trail running, adding ultra-distance races of 50k to 100 miles to the mix. I continued mountain biking and hitting the gym.  And I started practicing Pilates. Ultimately, Pilates played a big part in my recovery from SI joint dysfunction and lumbar spine issues, as well as in supporting running all those miles. When my kids were old enough that I could start thinking ahead to my return to training, it was clear that I would make Pilates the heart of my work.

I sought out my ideal Pilates certification program and am now a Certified Integrated Movement Specialist through Balanced Body. And I’m just months away from being a Certified Comprehensive Pilates Instructor with Balanced Body, a path that has so far involved two years of coursework, personal practice, and teaching.

Currently, I enjoy trail running/ultra, hiking, scrambling, yoga, mountain biking, and, of course, Pilates! I have a background in DH mountain biking, motocross, downhill and backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, golf, and swimming. I live in Fall City with my husband, kids, dogs, cat, and a bunch of chickens.  ~ Carolyn Anderson

The name Tokul is a Lushootseed word meaning ‘a soaking place’. Soaking, in this sense of the word, does not mean ‘bathing’, but rather ‘spiritual cleansing’. And so, it should come as no surprise that this beautiful area we live in is known to the Snoqualmie Tribe as a special place for spiritual cleansing. You can learn more about the Tokul area and the Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands Movement by clicking the icon below.

I acknowledge that I am on the Indigenous Land of Coast Salish peoples who have reserved treaty rights to this land, specifically the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe (suk"albix"). I thank these caretakers of this land who have lived and continue to live here since time immemorial.