Tonya was raised in San Francisco and received a B.A. in cultural anthropology from U.C. Berkeley. She began her movement career as a competitive gymnast, then danced professionally for fifteen years in New York City. She has appeared with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Donald Byrd, was a member of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Footprints Ensemble, and Amy Pivar Dances, performed in the International Tour of “West Side Story”, the National Tour of “Sesame St. Live”, and Sacramento Music Circus’ “The King and I”. She was introduced to Pilates over forty years ago as a young dancer, not realizing that her “Floor Barre” classes and post-injury rehabilitation were actually Pilates classes. Like thousands of other dancers initially introduced to Pilates after an injury or surgery, Tonya discovered that with Pilates training, she returned to rehearsals stronger than before her injury.

Tonya received her Comprehensive Pilates Certification with Nora St. John and Naomi Leiserson in 2004 at Turning Point Studios in Walnut Creek, CA. She is a Balanced Body Faculty Trainer (Certified to train Pilates Teachers), is PMA Certified, and Comprehensively Trained to teach mat, apparatus, and post-rehabilitation Pilates. She has thousands of hours of training, including advanced certifications in subjects such as Movement Medicine, Pilates for Back and Joint Pain, Scoliosis, Osteoporosis, Pre/Post Natal, Pilates For Golf, and Foot Care. She attends conferences several times a year to further advance her studies with special populations. She has been honored to learn from many of the world's Master Pilates Teachers including: Brent Anderson PhD, Sherri Betz PT, Marie-Jose Blom, Mary Bowen, Karen Clippinger, Kathy Corey, Ron Fletcher, Eric Franklin, Alan Herdman, Rael Isacowitz, Elizabeth Larkam, Michele Larsson, Bob Liekins, Julian Littleford, Suzanne Martin DPT, Tom McCook, Tom Myers, Christine Romani-Ruby MPT & Lolita San Miguel.

Tonya has a genuine love of helping to empower people to understand how their bodies work, and gives special attention to safety and individual accomplishment.

Aspire was named Concord's "Best Woman-Owned Business" in 2016, Community Focus' Reader's Choice "Pilates Studio of the Year" in 2015 and “Small Business of the Year” of Concord in 2013. Tonya was named Concord's “Female Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2010 and "100 Influential Women of Pleasant Hill" in 2009. The author of a monthly health and wellness column for the Community Focus Newspaper for 5 years, she is putting the finishing touches on a book about foot pain. She is the Artistic Director of Grown Women Dance Collective, where she is proud to be building cross cultural bridges through dance.

Owner of award-winning Aspire Pilates Center and Artistic Director of Grown Women Dance Collective, Tonya uniquely combines arts and wellness for social justice. Her stunning annual Juneteenth dance concert teaches and celebrates Black history.

She partnered to build the Diversity In Pilates programs at Balanced Body, helps support and mentor 140 scholarship students locally, nationally, and internationally, lectures nationally on breaking down Bias in the Pilates industry and building safer, healthier wellness environmentsand, and is building the Joyful Movement Whole Life Program, which will help increase resilience, resistance, self-empowerment and joy in Black and Brown communities. She brings inspiring and healing experiences to communities that traditionally don’t have access, and is proud to help build cross-cultural and intergenerational bridges with her work.

Through deep partnerships, Tonya is working to diversity the Pilates industry and in to train highly skilled, empathetic, rooted-in-community BIPOC Pilates teachers to heal our communities from within. She is an internationally respected teacher and mentor; using her expertise in the intersection of arts & wellness to create social impact.

Jessica received a B.S. from the University of Washington in Biology, where she competed on the long distance track team. A member of Actors Equity, Jessica has been seen in several regional and internet commercials, promotional videos, and heard in radio ads and other voice over projects. She was awarded a Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle Award in 2006 for her performance as Annie Oakley in "Annie Get Your Gun and has produced two soul stirring vocal CDs. She received her comprehensive Pilates certification from Turning Point Studios, was mentored by Tonya Amos, and brings a wonderful enthusiasm to her work. She successfully integrates Pilates techniques into vocal and theatrical instruction, helping singers and actors manifest a depth and richness to their work that propels them to new heights.

Jessica is a Z-Health Master Practioner that combines the power of movement with nervous system support and retraining, and has certifications in Primal Reflex Release and ELDOA. With the ability to draw from various modalities to help best support students, her work improves pain, function and quality of life.

Jessica is a proud member of Grown Women Dance Collective.

All students are caring, talented, artistic, enthusiastic, and rooted-in-community. Intersectional backgrounds and various types of expertise means that deep mentorship in Pilates skills development paves the way to make solid impact on our communities. Trainers are working towards their Comprehensive Pilates Certification in partnership with Aspire Pilates Center, Balanced Body, Inc., and Grown Women Dance Collective.

Wren Amos

Abigail Armendaris

Ebonie Barnett

Ronnie Chambers (not shown)

Sara Martinez de Osaba

Breezy Powell (not shown)

Karma Smart

Cameron Turner

Zoe Klein

More info coming soon…

Wren has a Master of BioChemistry and has presented her research on plant biology to combat oil spill ocean toxicity at international conferences. She enjoys teaching science and movement courses for preschool, K-8, and college levels. She is Tonya's right hand developing and supporting educational materials for scholarship students, helps students navigate their certification journey, develops and teaches STEAM curriculum for community dance classes, and organizes community partnerships. She currently serves on a school board and is the Community Outreach Coordinator for an early childhood education program that focuses on social-emotional learning.