Zoë Hagler
Studio Owner and Senior Instructor
Zoë Hagler was introduced to Pilates in 1987 by Romana Kryzanowska, disciple of Joseph Pilates. A dancer with San Francisco Ballet and the Chicago City Ballet, she was recovering from an ankle sprain when she started her sessions with Romana. After a summer of weekly, sometimes daily sessions, Zoë returned to ballet class with more strength, flexibility and better balance. She was inspired to study the method intensively, becoming a teacher herself and then a teacher of teachers, working for Romana's certification program at the time, the Pilates Studio of New York.
Over the years, Zoë has shared her knowledge of Pilates with countless clients, apprentices and instructors across the country. She is dedicated to preserving the classical Pilates method and to maintaining a staff of highly qualified, certified instructors.
Zoë received her Bachelor’s degree from Occidental College where she studied Exercise Science and Education. She has been a guest teacher at the University of Southern California, California Institute of the Arts, Glendale Community College, Evergreen Physical Therapy, Art Center College of Design, and Temple Israel of Hollywood.
Lara Serventi
Senior Instructor
Lara hails from “The Big Easy,” New Orleans, and received her BFA in dance from the University of Southern Mississippi. While pursuing a modern dance career in NYC, a shoulder injury led her to a Physical therapist who incorporated Pilates into her rehabilitation, and she was hooked! Lara studied with and worked side by side with Pilates protégé and master teacher, Romana Krysanowska. For over 25 years, she has taught clients, apprentices and teachers, holding true to the foundation of the Classic Method. Her love of movement and the miracle of the human body continues to drive her to learn and understand other body works methods that complement that foundation.
Lara’s vast experience has led her to discover her gift for working with clients with long term conditions seeking relief. She has extensive experience in scoliosis and neuromuscular conditions such as MS, EDS, Parkinson’s and Charcut Marie Tooth. Lara is certified by the Neurostudio NY in Pilates for Neurological conditions as well as DNS level 1. She also holds a certification in Neuromuscular Reprogramming levels I and II and plans to complete all levels by Spring of 2024.
“I believe in the work of the Classic Method of Pilates. The results speak for themselves. I look forward to my job every day helping and encouraging clients while they progress through their individual challenges. No matter how they feel when they walk in, they always feel better when they walk back into their day and that makes it worth every minute we spend together.”
Mildraide Lazarre
Studio Instructor
Mildraide received her teaching certification in 2008 from Power Pilates in New York City where she was mentored by Bob Liekens, Juan Estrada and Susan Moran. It is not surprising that she found her way to Pilates, as she has been an all around athlete for most of her life- she was a cheerleader, soccer player, and runner (both track and cross country.) Her passion and love for the arts was also established at an early age, and ultimately led her to The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York. There she earned an AA degree studying theatre, dance, stage combat, music, and Alexander Technique. Mildraide also holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from The New School with a concentration in film and a minor in Psychology and Creative Writing. Mildraide has been teaching at Zoë since 2008.
Kathryn Carlson
Studio Instructor
As a young dancer Kathryn was encouraged to study Pilates to correct and control her posture. She loved the method and continued to practice regularly throughout her career with Ballet Theater of Maryland. She believes her Pilates practice helped keep her injury free throughout her dancing career. Though she retired from ballet, her passion for Pilates continued. She moved to Los Angeles and completed her first comprehensive teaching certification through Power Pilates in 2014. Additionally, in 2018 she earned a second certification through Romana's Pilates. Kathryn continues to work closely with Trish Garland and other Roamana's Pilates instructors to improve her personal practice and enhance her teacher skills. She loves sharing her knowledge with clients of all skill levels and seeing how they grow through the work.
Abby Hakhamimi
Studio Instructor
Abby Hakhamimi has been a certified Romana’s Pilates teacher since 2019. In 2008 she was introduced to and fell in love with the Joseph Pilates method of body conditioning. After being a “gym rat” for most of her life, she was thrilled to feel and see positive changes in her body. With her dedicated approach to weekly Pilates sessions over a relatively short period of time, she had a stronger, more flexible, and streamlined physique. Abby has studied with longtime Romana’s Pilates teachers Trish Garland, Cynthia Lochard, Susannah Cotrone, and Michael Goodell, as well as Jay Grimes-certified teacher, Nicole Briggs. She maintains her certification through yearly continuing education courses. Abby is also a certified massage therapist, in practice since 2002.