About Me
Carrie Miller Smaczny grew up in Scottsdale, AZ, and attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, where she earned a BFA in Contemporary Dance and a BA in Radio/Television/Film Production. After returning to Scottsdale, she directed a non-profit dance company for five years, focusing on community building through outreach projects that encouraged elementary school children to love movement. This work led her to pursue a Master’s Degree and relocate to Irvine, CA, where she studied Dance & Technology. Her passion for Dance for the Camera productions took her across the globe, with opportunities in Singapore, Turkey, Portugal, Spain, and Germany.
Carrie and her husband made Los Angeles their home base for many years. However, after sustaining major injuries in graduate school, her life shifted toward Pilates, and she quickly transitioned into a Pilates teacher who danced on the side. She found joy in working with clients and witnessing the healing Pilates brought into their lives.
After eight years of marriage, Carrie and her husband decided to start a family. They welcomed their daughter, which profoundly changed their lives. Shortly after, her husband was hired overseas, and they moved to Munich, Germany, where they had their second child.
Upon returning to Los Angeles, Carrie was ready to make a significant impact in the Pilates industry. She became the Director of Pilates at Bay Clubs El Segundo (formerly Spectrum), where she focused on Group Reformer Classes and managed a team of ten teachers. Later, they moved to Thousand Oaks, where Carrie continued teaching at Bay Clubs and Equinox in Westlake Village.
Eventually, feeling called to return to her roots, Carrie and her family moved back to Scottsdale, AZ, to raise their children. Being back in Arizona opened up new opportunities for collaboration and growth. Carrie delved deeply into researching the fascia system's role in Pilates exercises and the energetic connection between mind, body, and spirit through movement. In January 2020, she began focusing on workshops for teachers, driven by her passion for helping them refine their practice and grow in confidence in their unique teaching styles.
During the pandemic, Carrie felt the impact of chronic stress while homeschooling two children and dealing with the loss of employment on top of daily responsibilities. Her Pilates practice was no longer enough, leading her to begin breathwork training. Carrie spent two years deeply immersed in studying diaphragmatic breathing with her master teacher, Jay Bradley, which transformed her nervous system and allowed her to find stillness and reconnect with herself. During this time, she attended a collaborative workshop with Jay Bradley and sound teacher Bella Riviera, where she fell in love with sound healing. Despite feeling intimidated by the idea of becoming a sound healer due to her lack of music theory knowledge, Carrie followed her calling to the sound bowls. After completing her breathwork certification, she trained with Bella in both Level 1 and Level 2 sound healing, discovering a new dimension of stillness, listening, and resonance.
Carrie is passionate about sharing nervous system restoration, viewing it as the wave of the future. Her journey into the study of fascia and the biotensegrity model began in 2018, culminating in three teacher training programs under the Madeline Black Method. Since moving to Scottsdale, AZ, in 2017, Carrie has taught at Club Pilates Scottsdale Promenade, Desert Ridge, Paradise Valley, Lake Pleasant, Simply Pilates, and Abundant Space studios. Her Pilates career spans over two decades, with significant contributions as the Director of Pilates at Bay Clubs El Segundo and teaching roles in Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks, and Westlake Village.
Her certifications and training include:
- STOTT PILATES Full Certification, 2007
- STOTT Mat & Reformer Certification, 2001
- MFA in Dance, 2005
- BFA in Dance, 1998
- Madeline Black Method Trainings, 2019, 2020, 2021
- Breathwork Healing with Jay Bradley (BreathOnIt), 2022
- Sound Healing with Bella Rivera, 2023, 2024