Brittaney Fortwendel — Owner & Founder
Brittaney grew up in her mother's Pilates studio in Lafayette, Indiana, learning from Pilates, yoga and strength professionals long before she taught her first class. She earned her personal training certification in 2006 and began teaching Pilates in 2007.
Recovering from her son's birth in 2012 changed how she saw movement. It sparked a focus on whole-body wellness and on helping people with complex health histories move with confidence, alongside their care teams and never in place of them.
In July 2020, Brittaney and her husband Nate opened Studio Upgrade: a warm, welcoming space for every body to move. Six years later, the studio is a true family affair, and you'll often see Nate, Alex and Elise around.
Teaches: Private Pilates, functional mobility, strength and muscle testing sessions
Education: Balanced Body · Bamboo Barre · TRX Suspension Training · Precision Nutrition Level 1 · Neurokinetic Therapy Level 1 · Founder & Educator, The Studio Upgrade Method
Lori Fortwendel — Master Instructor (new)
Lori has been helping people move well for almost 40 years. She owned Body Benefit, a step aerobics studio, and spent years speaking on health and wellness at conferences. In 2001 she earned her comprehensive Pilates certification through the Physical Mind Institute under Arlene Bass in Highland Park, Illinois. In 2004 she opened The Move for Womankind in Lafayette, the studio where Brittaney started her own career.
In 2015, Lori came out of retirement to teach alongside Brittaney. Many of the clients who trained with her then are still part of the Studio Upgrade family today, and they've been asking when she's coming back ever since.
The answer is now. Lori is home, and she brings the same warmth, humor and knack for bringing people together that made her classes feel like a community.
Teaches: Small group Reformer Pilates (Mon/Wed/Fri at Noon) and private sessions
Education: Comprehensive Pilates Certification, Physical Mind Institute (2001)
Jenna Moore — Instructor, Strength & Pilates
Jenna is a lifelong athlete who blends strength training and Pilates so clients get stronger, steadier and more confident in how they move. She holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Exercise Science and a master's in Exercise Physiology with an emphasis in Strength and Conditioning. She has been coaching clients since 2011.
Jenna holds a corrective exercise certification and pays close attention to form and movement patterns. She began studying Pilates in 2018 and found it the perfect complement to strength work. Her goal is for every client to feel better and move better by the end of each session.
Teaches: 30-Minute Strength, Reformer, private strength training, private Pilates
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Donna Richardson — Instructor, Yoga & Pilates
Donna knows firsthand what a consistent movement practice can do. She started with strength training and step classes in 1999 and went on to distance running, hiking and stair climbs. She added Pilates in 2014 and yoga in 2015 to balance all that intensity, and both became central to her practice.
She completed a 200-hour Vinyasa Yoga training in 2022, followed by Studio Upgrade Level 1 and an apprenticeship here. She is now finishing a three-year Comprehensive Pilates Certification and will graduate at the end of 2026. That means she'll be certified to teach across the full Pilates repertoire: Mat, Reformer, and the rest of the studio equipment.
She teaches a philosophy of healthy movement for life, inspired by Joseph Pilates: "We retire too early, and we die too young. Our prime of life should be in the 70s."
Teaches: Reformer, PowerPlate, private Pilates, private yoga
Education: 200-Hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training (2022) · Studio Upgrade Level 1 & 2 · Comprehensive Pilates Certification (expected December 2026)
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