Melissa Barton, Owner
Meet Melissa: Kind, Determined, Patient
Pilates Training & Certifications: B.S. Kinesiology : BASI Pilates
“I thought I had to live with the pain my injury caused me, until I found the healing benefits of Pilates! ”
Melissa is the proud owner and director at North County Pilates. Her love of strength and grace in movement and exercise led her to Pilates over 18 years ago and was instantly hooked to everything Pilates was. She made it her mission to truly understand everything about how our bodies move and exist. She attended Cal Poly here in San Luis Obispo receiving her BS in Kinesiology, the study of movement within the human body. After Cal Poly, Melissa completed the prestigious BASI Pilates training with Karen Clippinger at Cal State Long Beach.
As a teenager, Melissa suffered an injury of breaking her tailbone after falling off of a jetski, and for many years she just thought she had to live with the chronic pain in her hip and back, until she found Pilates! It is an accessible and effective workout that delivered an amazing side effect: the ability to live pain free. From this experience her passion for the healing effects of Pilates has grown exponentially, and she shares this passion with her clients, faculty and community. Melissa loves working with clients who want to get rid of their pain, whether that pain is from an old or new injury. She’ll help guide you into feeling each exercise and taking control of that feeling and how it transfers to our day-to-day life to make your movements proficient and fluid.
“I love the challenge of figuring out how I can help my clients. I want them to feel good and I want them to leave here feeling like they can do anything!”
Her patient and caring nature are deeply conducive for learning the Pilates method and using this technique to guide and nourish the body that you’re in.
Melissa enjoys meeting and working with all types of clientele, especially those that share her interest in the biomechanics of the body. Her love of education and learning are a guiding force at keeping her at the top of her game. She attends conferences and educational events every year, including: Polestar Pilates training, the PMA conference, IDEA Fit, as well as online trainings. She is always working to guide, inspire, and challenge her clients through movement and the mind-body connection. Melissa strives to provide a quality personalized movement experience to meet the health and fitness goals of each client.