Whitney Blocker

Comprehensively Certified Pilates Instructor

Whitney Blocker is a comprehensively certified instructor with advanced training across Pilates principles and techniques. With expertise in mat, equipment, and specialized modalities, she brings a holistic approach to teaching that emphasizes strength, alignment, and mindful movement. Dedicated to helping clients of all levels achieve their goals, Whitney combines technical precision with compassionate guidance to create sessions that are both challenging and supportive. Whether working one-on-one or leading group classes, Whitney is committed to fostering a safe, effective, and empowering environment for every client.

Ashley Kinnett Pilkenton

Founder / Lead Instructor

Ashley Kinnett Pilkenton, founder of Haven Pilates Studio, has dedicated over twenty years to the practice of Pilates and has been teaching in Houston for more than twelve years. Her passion for movement and wellness inspired her journey into the study of Pilates, where she embraces both contemporary and classical methodologies, often integrating elements of both to better serve her clients' diverse needs.

With extensive training and experience, Ashley developed the Haven Pilates Method, which emphasizes mindful and effective movement to enhance mobility, health, and overall physical and mental well-being. This personalized approach focuses on conscious movement and healthy habits tailored to meet each client's unique requirements. Ashley is particularly enthusiastic about guiding her clients through their pregnancy journeys and post-natal recovery, as she is a mother of two herself.

Ashley holds multiple certifications, including over 600 hours in Pilates mat training, Ballet Barre, Pre and Post-Natal instruction, Muscle Imbalance Assessment and Correction, as well as comprehensive apparatus training. She has extensive experience working with senior clients and individuals undergoing injury rehabilitation and prevention, in addition to specializing in sports conditioning and spinal correction. Ashley is dedicated and attentive to the individual needs of her clients, accommodating a wide range of ages, fitness goals, and health conditions.

Her primary objective in her practice and instruction is to ensure that clients at Haven Pilates feel their best by fostering a strong mind-body connection, promoting positive progression, encouraging healthy movement, and adhering to the principles of Pilates.

Allison Tomsik

Certified Pilates Instructor

Alli Tomsik received her BFA in Dance Performance at The University of Hartford in May 2024. Alongside her Dance degree she found a passion for Pilates. Pilates provided Alli a way to stay in shape and maintain holistic movement when she lost access to dancing during the pandemic. She continued to receive her Mat Certification and 700-hour Comprehensive Training through PolestarⓇ Pilates in 2023 to improve her dance technique and movement vocabulary. Since receiving her certification, she has gained experience teaching private, semi-private, and group classes for clients of all ages. This includes pre-surgical modification, post-surgical rehabilitation work, and pre/post-natal clients. Pilates changed her dancing tremendously through the awareness of mobility, stability, and breath. Now she integrates her prior knowledge of movement from her dancing into her teaching and Pilates practice. She strives to reinstate these principles in anyone she works with to improve overall well-being physically and mentally. She believes Pilates is not just a workout, but a technique that offers clients joy and an escape from the stressors of life. Alli is determined to provide her clients a fun, challenging, and creative way to bring healthy movement and flow back into their lives. Alli is thrilled to shine her light as she joins the Haven Pilates community!

Nicole Malandra

Certified Pilates and Yoga Instructor

Nicole Malandra has been teaching Pilates for over 25 years and yoga for over a decade. She is comprehensively certified through Body Precision Pilates Studio in Rosemont, PA (2000) in levels 1–5 mat, reformer, Cadillac, and all auxiliary equipment, and also holds a 200-hour alignment oriented yoga teacher certification from Maha Yoga. In addition, she is certified in the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® Level 1.

Nicole specializes in pre- and postnatal training, rehabilitative and functional exercise, and has extensive experience addressing disc and spinal conditions, joint replacements, and a wide range of musculoskeletal injuries. For five years, she was part of the Houston Ballet’s conditioning team, helping dancers optimize strength, alignment, and performance.

Her teaching integrates Pilates, yoga, and corrective movement to identify and resolve muscular imbalances, release chronic tension, and restore stability and ease. Nicole’s approach is personalized, precise, and rooted in helping each client achieve balance, strength, and confidence in their movement.