Our Team

In 1999, Mariska took her first Pilates class. After a 2002 diagnosis of MS, she became a devoted yoga and Pilates practitioner and taught her first class a year later. Mariska then founded Fuse Pilates, a contemporary Pilates method and studios based in Washington, D.C., for which she developed all of the group classes and training programs. Mariska is also the inventor of the Fuse Ladder.

Mariska completed a research on Pilates for multiple sclerosis patients as part of her comprehensive Pilates certification through Body Arts and Science International (BASI Pilates). She later expanded that research into an in-depth multi-day Pilates for Neurological Conditions teacher training course and incorporated the latest research in neuroplasticity and neurorehabilitation into a program designed for people with MS, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurological conditions.

As a student of medical neuroscience, Mariska has also designed workshops that focus on how to integrate brain science into exercise programs to enhance performance and improve neurological function. She has worked extensively with students with MS, stroke, spinal cord injury, neuropathy, Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral scelrosis (ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease), and Charcot-Marie- Tooth disease. She regularly consults with Pilates teachers around the world as well as with neurologists, physical therapists, and physiatrists to help them work with clients with MS.

Mariska’s education in the movement arts is vast and includes Pilates mat certification through Power Pilates and additional apparatus, mat, and anatomy training through Balanced Body Pilates and Peak Pilates. From 2010 until his death in 2013, Mariska studied in a one-on-one mentorship with renowned Pilates Master Julian Littleford, founding member of the PhysicalMind Institute and one of the world’s most creative and innovative Pilates instructors.

Mariska is a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT) and Continuing Education Provider. She is a Prenatal and Postnatal Pilates Specialist, trained through the Center for Women’s Fitness directly with its founder, Carolyne Anthony, who invited her to join the organization as faculty. She is also a Post Rehabilitative Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist, trained through the Pink Ribbon Program. In 2013, she completed Pilates Studio Techniques in support of Heroes in Motion, which overviews skills to work with amputees and persons with traumatic brain injury. Additionally, she has advanced certificate training in Pilates for Injuries and Pathologies, the Pathology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, and specialized training in Pilates for athletes and for men.

Meghann Koppele Duffy is a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT) since 2001, as well as a Certified Strength and Condition Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Meghann received her undergraduate degree in exercise science from the University of Scranton and a Master's degree in Applied Physiology from Columbia University. After completing her Master's degree, Meghann opened a Pilates studio in Hoboken, New Jersey, where she worked with clients with a variety of conditions including severe back pain, sports injuries, multiple sclerosis, and pre- and postnatal clients. She also worked with clients who simply want better fitness or to achieve their weight loss goals. After five years running a studio, Meghann decided to sell her business and move to the beach to refocus on her first love of teaching and helping others.

Since 2004, Meghann has dedicated her career to improving the lives of people living with neurological conditions and educating others to change the way they work with people with neurological conditions. She had the privilege of working closely with many clients with early stage to advanced multiple sclerosis, TBI’s, stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, Ataxia, concussions, rare neurological conditions, and client’s with undiagnosed neurological symptoms. After compiling medical research and anecdotal evidence, she created her own Pilates-based protocol and developed an innovative 4-Quadrant Stability Model to help practitioners and clients assess progress. Realizing that teachers were ill-equipped to work with this population, she joined forces with Kelly Kane, the founder of the Kane School Pilates School in NYC, which Meghann is certified, to help her further develop her work into a workshop for other teachers, personal trainers, physical therapists, and other rehab specialists.

In 2014, Meghann and Mariska Breland decided to combine forces to help educate other movement professionals about Pilates for Multiple Sclerosis. Meghann joined the Pilates for Neurological Conditions team and began to teach a 3-day Pilates for Neurological Conditions Course based off Mariska's book Pilates for MS and developed her own Anatomy in Action and Advanced Pilates for Neurological Conditions workshop based on her years of working with clients with neurological disorders.

Meghann has taught her methods across the USA, Japan, Australia, UAE, and virtually to practitioners worldwide. Currently, her innovative 4-Quadrant Stability Model is currently being researched by University of Colorado focusing on it’s effect on improving gait patterns and balance in MS. She is also currently working with top hospitals to incorporate her method into the standard treatment plans.

Meghann is dedicated to bringing the cost of pilates down via the Neuro Studio’s digital studio by bringing her successful methods to everyone at a fraction of the cost.